Am gradually finding my feet in my new life in Thu Dau Mot. We had the official opening of the University for this academic year which went on for several hours. Started with some great performances from students but then moved into lots of speeches from many of the numerous sponsors of programs within the University.They constructed a huge tent in which to hold the ceremony decked out in a mountain of fresh flowers which was fortunate given that it decided to r...

The visa/work permit saga continues and I headed to Saigon today to visit the Australian Consulate with the hope that all can finally be sorted out. Got the early morning bus from Thu Dau Mot (TDM) and met a lovely Vietnamese lady who turned out to be a lawyer living in TDM but works in HCMC and commutes each day who very kindly helped me get to the consulate with a minimum of fuss. My business was completed quickly but had to plead to get my papers back in one d...

Well we have finished our orientation and will start teaching on Monday. Most of us still don't have out work permits sorted and have had to do several runs into Saigon to our respective consulates....am guessing I will have to go later this week as, after having my paperwork for 2 weeks it was returned to me on Friday with the HR person telling me it needs to be authenticated - which I have already had done before I left Australia so I am questioning the need to...

Well what a start to my new adventure!!! Got to Hobart airport last Saturday at 0530 to check my baggage in to be told that my "excess baggage" charge was $1300.....yep you read that right thirteen hundred dollars.....you can imagine my response to that. After much negotiation I got it down to $460 which is still an appalling amount of money leaving me wondering if I can continue this lifestyle for much longer (might be achievable if I was on an expat package no...

As I bid farewell to China I have been reminiscing on my 3 years here. Such a mixed bag of emotions, there have been highs and lows, good and bad times but most of all it has been an adventure that I will never forget. Who would have thought that I would end up living this life!!! So here are my A-Z memories of living and working in the middle kingdom!! A= ancient history. With its rich history spanning more than 5000 years China is abundant in history and cult...