Wrapping It Up!

Yes, we're home, and it's time to wrap up 'A YEAR IN CHINA'...(sob, sob, sob, sniffle, sniffle, sniffle...). The weird thing about coming back has been coming back to a whole lot of 'Beijing Buzz' as Beijing is all the talk around town as the Olympics approaches. Everyone asks us why we didn't stay on for the Olympics, and the answer (so if you haven't already, you don't need to ask), is that we were planning to come back around now anyway, plus, we didn't have any tickets to the events so we'd be watching it all on telly anyway (but with lots of table tennis!), plus, Michelle has had her job back here waiting for her, plus, we're having a baby (BOY!) in December and we wanted to be back home for all that that entails...so yeah, we just had to leave China behind (for now), and say all our goodbyes to the friends we'd made:

As I've also shared with people around the place when asked the usual question, 'What's it like to be back?' - I explain that going to China and back has been kind of like what Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy experienced going through the wardrobe to Narnia, discovering a whole new world and life, having a great adventure, and then coming back through the wardrobe to find everything’s just as you left it (almost!) as if time stood still, and Narnia is a whole world away. It really is like that – as if we weren’t really there at all – except for the ways in which we have changed and grown over that time, and the fact that my bro and his partner have a newborn, 'Jade' who's absolutely gorgeous, and knowing that we've left some good mates behind.

And as I knew would happen - I keep staring at the sky - day or night - just mezzmerized by how clear, clean, blue (and colourful) it is, and at night, the amount of stars that twinkle away. I'll never take our environment for granted...it's true what they say though - we don't really know what we've got until it's gone (or until we go!)...

Our last month...

During our last month in Beijing we had more friends from OZ visit us after their successful 3rd-time-lucky-visa applications were granted. Peter, Alison, Nicola, and Georgia graced our small apartment and made it home for a week. As always we had a great time showing them the wonders of Beijing while even finding time to head down to the 'local' and watch some AFL footy over a beer. So much for the introduction to Chinese culture!

Some random photos taken over the last month or so that we were in Beijing - pics of friends and students.

I was also fortunate enough to visit my former host family in Fukuoka, Japan for a few days and catch up with all the latest, while even conducting my host brother's - Yutaka's - wedding.

Random shots around the streets of Fukuoka

Yutaka owns his own bar, which has a very traditional feel to it that he claims is very unique in all of Japan. He likes to keep the bar quiet and relational rather than rowdy and overcrowded.
He even wears a kind of kimono as uniform. It's very cool, and I even tried their 'Japanese Pasta' which was DELISH! It's 'Ichi-ban' (No 1) in the country if you ask me! While having a few drinks at the bar my Japanese started to rush back to me and I got into the swing of it, making conversation and jokes with the other customers. That compared to my first day in Japan where I found myself speaking half Chinese, half Japanese - rather embarrassing to say the least!

At Yutaka's bar 'TOBACCOYA'

Little reminders of my time in Japan

As strange as it may sound, one of the things I'll miss from my time in China, is teaching English to some amazing and generous people that I was fortunate enough to meet over there. I was able to have a job where I woke up everyday thinking, 'Cool, I get to go to work today!'...very rare indeed. I had a lot of fun simply teaching and getting to know Chinese students, young and not-so-young, guys, girls, mums, dads, full-time students, and business people. And I'm sure many of us will stay in touch in the years to come. Yet saying goodbye to some of the students and staff I worked with was not easy.

A boat I saw at the place where the wedding was held in Japan.

Michelle will also miss her work over there, and in particular, the friends she made with those she worked with. Her Chinese language skills only improved over the last year and it was inspiring the way she could communicate and interact with the locals - young and old. I'm sure she'll miss speaking Chinese day in, day out.

And I'll miss the fun I had taking photos in a different country. The colours were often inspiring, the Chinglish signs were entertaining, the culture intriguing and the city forever changing.

Now it's back to life in OZ. Michelle is back working in Currie St, and I'm completing some study while looking into some part-time work. And we're both looking forward to watching Beijing from the comfort of our lounge rooms as the Olympics comes to our screens.

Thanks for keeping in touch with us over the year and following this humble blog. See you around the traps.

We're not in China.

They are.

Dig it.

'Made in China'

Yes, it's official........We're pregnant!!!...well, at least Michelle is! Whoo-hoo!
Another miracle of life on its way. And its claim to fame: Made in China. Only, this 'product' is made from quality goods, comes very well packaged, and will be flown to Australia for delivery in December.

Questions will be asked:

Will our baby have a thing for dim sims?

Will he or she be kickin' when the Beijing Olympics are on and

China is winning the Table Tennis?

Will the baby prefer chopsticks over a knife and fork?

...only time will tell.

So hip hip hooray, baby someday.

Someday soon that is.

Dig it.

Well, all other news pales into insignificance. But I'll update you all on the last month or so anyway.

Of course, the earthquake has been the big news over here, much like 9/11 would have been in the US. Now China has its own 12/5 (or 5/12 as they put it here). I was on the 25th floor where I was teaching at the time, and BOY DID I FEEL IT!

Talk about swaying...and feeling dizzy, and freakin out, and running down the stairs, and feeling nauseous, and freakin out...it was quite a moment. Don't really want to go through that again! But Beijing had it easy, compared to down the south of China where the death toll is 60,000 and rising each day. It's very hard to imagine it all. But we have been impressed with the swift reaction of the government and the relief efforts to date.

The 3 minutes of 'silent' mourning was also quite an experience. Surreal to say the least.

The real sense that we were united with the whole of China, as all stood silent, all traffic froze, all car horns blasted, and air raid sirens wailed. I was with other teachers and students at the time, back on the 25th floor, and to look out over the busy business district and see people frozen on the footpaths, traffic lined up in every direction but not moving, and the sound, the prayers going up... all quite moving!

Moving on...

We were lucky enough to score some tickets through our friends here in Beijing to the 'Bird's Nest' - the Beijing Olympic Stadium, for some warm up athletic events, and we even got to see some Australians compete, which gave us cause to cheer, but we doubt they heard us, as they didn't come first in their events. Had they heard us, they would have won for sure. The stadium is impressive to say the least, and the architecture is an adventure in steel and concrete - a building like no other, to say the most.

Michelle had a business trip up north, and got to visit the city of Harbin again, along with some obscure places in the middle of nowhere. And she got to fly business class and stay in a 5-star hotel with the works. NICE.

We've also just had some friends from Adelaide visit us - Karen and Tom, and we really enjoyed catching up, going out and generally making the most of the good life that China offers. And soon (fingers crossed), Peter and Alison Esselbach and family (if they get their visa's granted!!!...crazy Chinese strict visa laws!) will visit us in late June.

I'll also be visiting Japan soon to see my ol' host brother and family from back in the day. So that'll be a nice reunion of sorts.

Then finally, in July - we'll BE BACK.

Otherwise, it's work as usual. And China as unusual.

This is China

Dig it.

Ni Hao and You Good to everyone,
As July approaches, it really feels like our time in China is coming to an end, and we are starting to miss China already.

Oh China

Land of all things cheap,

You've been good to us,

Please hold us as we weep.

Oh Australia,

Land of rising interest rates,

Sadly we're coming back to you,

Don't cry - it's not you we hates.

Oh Australia,

It's just that $1.50 a litre for gas doesn't compare,

To the same for a massage, including,

Head, shoulders, arms and a shampoo for one's hair.

Oh China,

We've shared your lows and your highs,

We made it through the smog and traffic,

We ate your ducks, and chopsticked your flies.

Anyway...

Recently we've been making the most of the time that remains, and besides the usual work that we do, we've been getting out n' about and experiencing more of what this country offers.

Our good Chinese friends, Nana and David as they're called in English, scooped us up some tickets for a pre-olympic qualifiying event for Syncronized Swimming, and it was a good chance to see the Olympic Stadium (which they call the 'Birds Nest') and the Aquatic Centre (which they call the 'Water Cube') up close n' personal.

Below: The force of 7 underwater swimmers results in this...

And Below: David and I in front of the Birds Nest

Then we enjoyed a day-trip 3-hours east of Beijing to see the famous Eastern Qing Tombs. The Eastern Qing Tombs, a sacred burial ground near Beijing, is one of the two tomb areas devoted to the emperors, empresses and imperial concubines of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911, the last feudal empire in China), and if that sounds a little boring or even depressing, the scenery and architecture was enough to awaken the joy-senses, even if there was a little rain...Here's the Guardian Creatures of the 'Sacred Way.' There were so many of these creatures, both recognisable and mythical, and human statues lining the way to the tombs of past emperors and empresses (who only wanted to impress), that we were blown away by the granduer of it all. See more pics on our online album to the right.

Here's some of the colours that mesmerized me while there...

One of the funniest parts of the day was seeing this sign (the best so far!) for when words are not enough to explain the sights to the silly foreigners like us:And coming in a close second... an encouragement to dispose of both our organic and norganic rubbish! And even more recently we've had the utmost pleasure of having the folks from Down Under visit us - this time from Michelle's side. Peter and Liz King made the 10-day trip to Beijing so as to get in on the action and taste the good life - what with the countless foot massages, ravaging dinners, bargain bonanzas, city-rural experiences, and the AFL Footy at the pub (go the Crows!). Even Peter King had the pleasure of getting stuck into his namesake dish - Peking Duck. Yummy.


Like just mentioned - rural Beijng was also on the menu. One of my past students - Penny - owns a hobby farm of considerable size, which is run by her brother and sister-in-law, and maintained by her and her husband on the weekends. It's a great taste of the country life in China - with the wheat crops surrounding the area, as well as fruit trees, vegetable patches, orchards, and even rows upon rows of asparagas. Yummy. Penny also has a child of ten years who amazed us with her English skills and memorization of some well known English songs. We spent a day with them on their farm and were treated to some good ol fashioned hospitality.

Once again...here's a bit of colour feasted our eyes on...Well...time flew for the Kings in Beijing, but there was just enough time to promote them to Emperor status:

Finally,

A big CONGRATULATIONS to my brother Matt and his partner Alana on their new baby girl - JADE! We're stoked to be an Uncle and Aunty yet again, but first for the Taylor side. Jade is a beautiful as the name suggests. We can't wait to get back n' have a hold!

This is China

Dig it.

Yes Prime Minister

OK...Drum roll please........... ("Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmrmrmrmrmrmrmrmrm....") Thank you.

This just in: I now personally know someone who has met the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd. And that someone happens to be my wife. Yes, Michelle had the honour, the pleasure, the excitement, the privilege, the once-in-a-lifetime (perhaps) opportunity to meet Rudd himself, along with 100-odd staff at the Beijing Embassy. She even participated in a game of 'Where's Wally?'...or should I say 'Where's Michelley?'...

If you can find her in this pic, pat yourself on the back and be congratulated (she's really good at this!). You may need to click HERE to enlarge it first...
Anyway - this is her claim to fame now, so feel free to email and ask such questions as, "What did it feel like to meet the PM?"... "What did he say?"... "Did you shake his hand?"... "Can he really speak Chinese like they say he can?"....etc etc. And like me, you can tell your friends, "I know someone who has met the PM of Australia." You don't have to miss out on this either!

But seriously, Michelle was impressed. As far as first impressions go, Rudd fits the bill when it comes to being PM and leading our proud country, OZ.

So after coming all the way to China to take a break from Australia, it seems Australia couldn't handle it and came to us. So we get it. Australia - We're coming home. See you in July!

Advance Australia Fair.

Dig it.

Hawaii of the Orient...

It's the phrase that pulls you towards taking a short holiday on this Chinese island paradise...'the Hawaii of the Orient.' How could one resist...unless you considered the word Orient, which eventually turns out to mean paradise with population. If you want a deserted island or a taste of serenity and seclusion along with the sun and surf - look a lot further afield than Sanya, located south of mainland China, but a part of China nevertheless ('Google Earth' it: Sanya, Hainan, China).

But as far as we were concerned, seeing the ocean again, swimming in clean waters, getting a room with a sea-view, and taking walks on the beach and lazing around in the sun was worth every bit of the trip. And I almost forgot to mention that fish I caught. That small innocent fish with eyes that told the story of overfished waters and made one weep.

This was how we spent our Easter Weekend...

Here's the view from our hotel room... And here's me drinking coconut juice straight from a coconut...
Who would know that we're in China?! B.E.A.UTIFUL!
Michelle trying her hand at fishing the Chinese waters...without success...
And me enjoying the best part of the fishing trip...hehe
Michelle as a work of art...

And the art of Toes in the Sand...Holiday bliss.
Feet-tanning!
The life...for four days.And a death...for this little guy who's run out of puff.
The rest of the photos can be seen in the slideshow to the right...just click on it to enlarge.

Nowadays its back to work as usual. As they say, all good things come to an end. But like I say, all things will end good.

Yesterday was a public holiday in China - called Tomb Cleaning Day. Whoo-hoo! Who came up with that one? It's not like you can say to people, "Happy Tomb Cleaning Day!" is it?! Or "Say hello to your great-great grandfather for me,"...But nevertheless it serves its purpose and the customs and rituals are interesting to observe. Like when you see people on the side (or middle) of the road burning paper money, paper cars, paper houses and so on, hoping that their ancestors will recieve these in the afterlife.

Note for future: I want a paper Playstation3. Hehe.

Until next time,

This is China.

Dig it.

Spring Fever

Hi all!

Just a quick hello from us to you

as we continue to live out our lives

in this country of the squat loo.

We've just recently been gifted with the presence of a great friend of ours - Renae, all the way from Adelaide, South Australia.

Renee had a blast in Beijing,

To sum it up - shopping, shopping, shopping.

Michelle the guide-cum-bargain-buddy,

Made it easy and fun - no fuddy-duddy.

Beijing's beauties did it all

Nails, Massages, pedicures, malls.

With 8 days and no time to waste,

Clothes, jewelry and shoes filled Renae's case.

Tibetan, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and Cadbury

Food of all sorts - Mmmmmm....more than plenty.

Decked out with cards to finish the days off

We played and drank...won and...lost.

Spring in the air and spring in our steps

It was a week we Aussies in China won't forget.

Yes, winter has given way to spring here in China, and within a matter of weeks the lakes and rivers have gone from frozen to un-frozen, and the days are becoming quite bearable. No more beanies, scarfs, gloves and layers of clothing to accompany every journey out the front door.

But winter was fun while it lasted. It was great to see snow falling, ice cities (see a few blogs below), people skating on the lakes, and throwing snow balls. So different from winter in OZ. What's more, it never rained during winter. It was a dry as dry can be. We'd wake up halfway through the night needing a drink! But both winter and now into the spring, we're seeing more blue sky days than before, and that's enough to lift anyone's spirits here.

I'm continuing to teach English full-time, as well as 2 nights a week, and Michelle continues to go to and from Australia every day (so that the Chinese can go to and from Australia!).
By the way we're happy and sad to announce that we're coming back to OZ in July this year. Happy, because we get to see your faces once more, and sad because we've kinda grown attached to this wacky and wonderful country. So yes, we'll miss the Olympics, but get to follow the Australian coverage of it on telly back home. Go Aussies Go!

(Apparently it's good for the body to have a good swim in the icy waters of a frozen lake)

This coming Easter weekend we're spoiling ourselves, and heading to the 'Hawaii of the Orient' - Sanya, on the island of Hainan in the South of China (go ahead - Google Earth it and see it for yourselves). So stayed tuned for the next blog where we boast of sun, surf and coconuts.

This is China

Dig it.

Beijing Goes Ballistic!!!

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!

*The following photos were taken from our apartment window 6/2/08 - Chinese New Year's Eve.

The Year of the Rat is upon us, and so we wave farewell to the little pig who went wheeeeeeeeee all the way home, and we let the Rodent run amuck awhile.

Well - the New Year certainly got started with a BANG! I really can't do it justice writing about it - you really had to be here -

...here when firework stands were set up on every street corner.

...here when the days and nights leading up to the Chinese New Years Eve started snap-crackle-n'popping with increasing intensity in the streets of Beijing.

...here when on the Eve itself, as night began to fall, it began to feel like we were in a war zone.

...here when our windows were our only protection from in/up-coming explosives.

...here when Michelle was ducking for cover.

...here when at 11:45pm - Beijing went ballistic!

Yes - Beijing! Everywhere. And of course - all of China was doing the same. As words can't describe it, maybe pictures can. Moving pictures that is. First, watch and listen as I commentate the happening from our 15th floor apartment window (never knew we were renting a 1st class viewing platform!)... Warning: This is very amatuerish, as these two videos caught on my digital camera will show, but you'll get the idea. Note: The first one is long with commentary, the second is short without it. Stop them anytime you've captured the wonder of it all. *And turn up the volume for full effect.

(To watch this video on Youtube with the option of full-screen viewing click HERE.)

(To watch this video on Youtube with the option of full-screen viewing click HERE.)

Yes, the fireworks were this close to us!!!

Next - here's a much better video taken by one of the locals (where from in Beijing I'm not quite sure), but it's bound to complete the picture I'm trying to paint of Beijing gone Ballistic.

As you have seen, our photos just won't tell the full story, but they can end it (and to see more, view the slideshow to the right):
It really was a night to remember, and even though it's over...the people are still letting off fireworks in the streets of Beijing days later. This is their Spring Festival. It's much like our Christmas - a time when everyone heads back to their hometowns and families, exchanges gifts, feasts and celebrates. I just can't imagine how many fireworks were let off in China in total - but for a developing country - this was splurging. Actually - no wonder its still developing!

Next time we'll let you in on more of what goes on during Winter in Beijing, and any other Spring Festival happenings. In the meantime we're both enjoying some time off work with the rest of China, and enjoying the serenity...

Anyway - until next time - watch out for those rats.

This is China.

Dig it.