Hey Hey and a Big G'Day you

I just thought I'd drop in and say hello. Not much has been happening lately, well nothing exciting enough to post anyhow. The new term has been FANTASTIC! All classes have been awesome and I couldn't be happier if I was twins. I've spent the last week sorting through so much 'lesson stuff' that I had downloaded onto disk prior to arriving in China along with assorted 'stuff' other teachers have given me on disk before they have returned to their homelands. My eyes are now tired and sore and I've just about had enough of computers for awhile.

The weather has finally made a turn for the better, not that it really got that bad! I've been in short sleeves all winter and only put a jacket on at night. Of course everyone else has been rugged up in 20 million layers and all walk around looking like they are over weight teddy bears. Today could actually be called beautiful! As the school closed for half a day in celebration of Women's Day, I spent the afternoon on my bike riding out into the hills, half way to Baise and then back to Tianyang. That wasn't enough sunshine for me so off I went again out into the fields and through villages and once again back to Tianyang. About four hours all up. When I got home Lilly was waiting downstairs and wanted to watch a DVD so we sat to watch Robots. Last night we watched Ice Age AGAIN! Like Harry Potter, Ice Age has been banned for a few months. In fact, I don't think Harry Potter will make a return to Tianyang this year.

Today is Women's Day in China. It's an exciting day for me as it's my second Women's Day in China. I thought that was a worthy event to share with friends and family and a chance to update my travelogue. It was a year on the 17th February. Once again, I couldn't be happier if I was triplets. I'm about to head out and walk around to the 'out door singing and dancing thingamabob' where last years Women's Day pictures were taken. This year the school celebrated Women's Day with a BBQ last Saturday instead of performing in the dancing. Pity, the girls were so beautiful and danced so well last year.

The BBQ last Saturday was a great day for most. Would have been better for me if I wasn't so sick and hung over. Friday night I spent the night at a friends place. My market place buddy and I headed around for an evenings worth of warm beer and cold food. Strange but true. Sometimes I still sit and try to figure out the Chinese mind. Then I give up, shrug my shoulders and pour another warm beer and eat another cold fish or vegetable.

It was a fantastic evening. Herjoong and his new wife live with his parents. She, unlike most Chinese girls in Tianyang, can down a beer like a good Aussie Gal. Her name is Hoi but after a few beers it became Oi. For those who want to know, Oi is actually the 70th (or around) most popular English word with kids around the world, plus it's my favourite word. Hey, you can use it in any given situation.

Oi, you, come here! Oi, whatchya doin? Oi, stop that! Oi, grabus a beer couldya mate. Oi Fu... I'll leave it there shall I! I have over 80 kids in each class and a lot of them are now named Oi! I say Oi and 80 kids look up, it's so diverse! Plus they love the sound of it and instead of 'sometimes' trying to sound mad, I do a slow OOOOOOOiiiiiiii and that quickly shuts them up. I then have to stop them giggling. Anyhow, Oi that's enough!

Her Sher (my market place buddy) and I left around 2am and for some strange reason we headed to little BBQ Street where we sat and talked over beer and bbq until 3:30. Great idea when I had to get up at 7:30. By the time finally woke the schools gate guard up it was nearing 4am. He was ecstatic to see me as usual.

Somehow I dragged myself out of bed and met everyone at the school gate to catch the bus. The previous three or four evenings had been very windy and I also had the beginnings of a head cold from sitting at the market place. My first one in years. Of course it chose this day to really sink its teeth in. The weather was just like today, warm with a huge blue sky above. We spent the day at a mango farm. The mango farm was beautiful but for some reason instead of seating ourselves near the little lake that had grass all around we chose what was like a stony car park. Not the most grand spot for a bbq but hey, the company made up for it. We began the day by making joutsa and bbq sticks. This took several hours and finally we began to eat the end result! Just AWESOME!

I then played volley ball with some of the teachers and their kids. Afterwards my head began to pound and everything internal began to block. The day wasn't so much fun after that. We went for a walk around the farm, millions of photos were taken and I mostly forced a smile and to keep myself awake. I spent Saturday night and all day Sunday hiding from sunlight and reading at home. I did venture out once to get some Tylenol. That was a heap of fun as they always put it with the English side face down and I always forget to save my last box. I wasn't in the mood for charades either but we got though.

The beginning of March is a big time for birthdays, so a BIG Happy Birthday to most of the members of my family back in Australia. What else? My Drug Squad Police friend has had several successful 'missions' lately. There has obviously been an influx of 'stuff' coming across from Laos, Myanmar and other powdery places. Not much court time here in China. I'm sure most of them met their ends rather quickly on some lonely hill out the back of woop woop. I think this weekend I'll be heading to his place for the weekend for hotpot and beer. He should have some fun stories to try and tell me over warm beer and bbq. Actually his English is getting very good, much better than my Chinese.

Both Kylie from Baise and Leeanne from Pingguo have left the south of China and returned home to live a normal life once again. Poor Buggers! So now there is only one other Aussie left and that's Judy in Tiandong who travelled the Xishuangbanna with me. She has stayed on for one more term before heading home. Pretty soon I'm sure we'll give the new teachers a call to share beer over bbq but for now its rest time for my kidneys and stomach. Yep, all vegetables and water for me from now on. STOP LAUGHING! Don't worry, I don't believe it either. We might wait until they begin to put the beer back in the fridge again.

Well, sorry it's not that exciting, but that's about the extent of what's been happening since my return from the Xishuangbanna.
Catchya next time..Shane