Was exhausted after 16 classes last week so heavens knows how I will be after a marathon 22 classes this week. I have all the Senior 1 classes this week. Had the first 4 this morning, we are now taking our siesta and then I have another 2 this afternoon. Working on china time....don't have my schedule for the rest of this week yet. Will be getting my China mobile number sorted out tonight. Crazy system here - you get your sim card for the province you are living...

As I reflect on my first week here I realise that this is what life is all about. Getting out of your comfort zone and giving the great unknown a go...

Heading off into the great unknown but full of excitement mixed in with a bit of trepidation...The bus trip was OK I got a sleeper seat for the long trip to Nanning (about 6 hours)- bit scary changing buses in Nanning where nothing was in English and I was the only westerner in the whole place. Anyway I found a nice little man who piled my luggage onto his trolley and took it to the bus and even put it on the bus for me. Think I gave him a weeks wages but it was ...

We finished our orientation today and were taken out for a wonderful farewell dinner at a riverside restaurant..we were also initiated into the drinking of baijui- a Chinese liquor similar to Russian vodka and quite potent- which is widely drunk in China at all celebrations, business meetings etc. What a wonderful way to finish our week but it will be sad as we go our separate ways all across China...some wonderful new friendships have been made.

What a bizarre experience....we all headed off to Guilin this morning for our Chinese health check to get our Residents Permit (currently we are foreign aliens!!). I've been a RN for nearly 30 years and never have I experienced such an examination. We were split into groups of 3 and then headed off into different rooms, no-one spoke any English and we were prodded along like cattle. Some of us got the giggles and ended up with stern looks from one of the doctors ...