Hey Hey and a Big G'Day to you

I just got out of bed and have had a shower and it's nearing midday. Ended up havin a big night last night. The Head Mistress/Master of the school invited me to dinner for Teachers Day with all the big officials from around the town and all the schools in the area. Luckily for me I got to sit beside an English Teacher from the Middle School next to us. But I didn't find this out until halfway through dinner when he got the courage to actually talk to me. (Our schools were once combined but now they are a separate Primary School and Middle School). His English was rather good too. All the students next door want to talk to me but never have a chance as they are always in class and never allowed out of school. So he chatted to my Head Mistress and it's OK for me to go there once in awhile to do an English Corner. I'm looking forward to this a heap to. They are always yelling out to me when I walk past....'Hello, Teacher, Hello!'

Yesterday was such a good day. My students were so sweet. The younger ones would shyly come up and hand me a little present and the class would laugh as I oooo'd and arrrrd over it. The rest would then run up to me and jump up and down....Shwain Shwain...here, here, Happy Teacha Day! Happy Teacha Day! Class would then become, no more! Walking around the school was like walking around a big hug factory. I would be givin a seconds warning before I had a child jumping on me knocking the wind out of me and wrapping their arms around me saying 'Happy Teacha Day'. After noon nap there were about 20 students quietly waiting at my door to walk me back to school. I got scrolls and things made out of paper and a heap of Christmas Cards. I think Happy Christmas translates into whatever they want it to in China as they were giving each other Christmas Cards on Students Day too. Hey, why not, if we could have Christmas every day the world would be a beautiful place...but lets go light on the spending part of it, most of the world is already much too poor!

Anyhow, last night, ofcourse I began drinking water (being on my no beer kick and all. Tis not working too well though, it's like trying to go on a I'm not using Chop Sticks kick or no more rice kick). The male pressure became too much....you must cheers with everybody, they all want to drink to you and your teachers day! How do you say no to the head of Police and School Leaders...so off we went! Poor me some of that good clean refreshing cheap Chinese Beer Mate! The food was just amazing and soooooo much of it. A million wonderful dishes of chicken, fish, vegetables, pork and assorted....stuff in the middle of the table...MMMmmm mmmMMM! Around 9:00 when everyone was heading home and very drunk I was just getting started so a few followed me to the Market Place to meet my friends and we sat there until 3:30 or so eating snails and frogs and drinking beer. I had such a good night. Wasn't too drunk but I felt it this morning after not having a beer for some time...um....well a short time.

Tanya (my Chinese friend who is a student in Baise) just called and their teachers have a day off today so she is on her way home to Tianyang to see her family for the day. So we'll go for a walk, watch a DVD and spend some time later in the day before she heads back to school this evening as she has classes all day tomorrow.

Any, I've really gotta go find some food as all I have or did have is bread in the house (I've eaten it all now) and I'm starving!

Chinese Smiles to ya...shane