Jetting Educated

I got tapped on the shoulder after entering the shop. As I turned around, I was wondering if it was an assistant- but no, it was a fellow Westerner! She launched very enthusiastically in to asking where I was from and what I was doing in China. I, being a cynic, was wondering if she was going to try to sell me something. But actually she had stopped me because she's not seen any other Western people since she moved to Huadu from Australia. And that was three months ago... When she told me this I actually was not surprised. I'm sure the inner city has more of a cultural mix, whereas within the district I reside, nearly everyone is Chinese. Don't misjudge my feelings, I am not shocked that I am surrounded by Chinese people when I am living in China, but I can't lie that being a minority takes some getting used to. Before I arriving, my employer informed me that the Guangzhou based school is a great place to be and that I'd be housed near my place of work. W...

During the last couple of years I've worked in a few different countries- France, Finland, Czech and I am currently in China. Of the seven different jobs I've had, they have all been within walking distance from home, which includes the job I have now.. It only takes me 12 minutes to walk to work, but even in that short distance there are some interesting things to behold. During the last week, I've been taking some snaps on the way to work... Are the days numbered for streets like this? (I hope so) A lot of construction is going on in this area, as is probably in many parts of China. Its said to be an interesting time to be in China, 'because in a few years the country will have transformed'. Dirty side streets like this one will be replaced by more habitable accommodation, possibly. At the moment though, particularly near where I live, there's a lot of filth. An abundance of littering and dumping of refuse hinders progress being made to imp...

I get the idea that recently that people weren't collectively overjoyed about the President of China coming for a visit to the UK.  This made me think. Its hard to know what actually goes on in other countries if you've not been there personally. I don't know much about the history of human rights in China- more of what I've read has been about how animals are treated. Such as stories of dogs being boiled alive and cats being beaten, also still alive, to create a 'better' product. I've heard the quote from a Chef in Guangzhou who said "the worse you treat them, the better they taste". But I've not experienced these things first-hand so I'll refrain from comment. Instead, I decided to take advantage of being a British citizen in China, witnessing how animals are treated, and report on instances I have personally seen since I've been here. Keeping cats on leashes. Just another sight around town that I would describe as...

Ahh noodles! I could eat them every day. Actually, I do eat noodles most days here in China. I don't think I realised that I was such a fan until I found them being served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With such variety that Chinese food offers, I am pleased that I am most enamoured with the most common of foods. Noodles for breakfast However, one does need a break from noodles sometimes. I really like eating eggs back in England, as they are so versatile: fried, scrambled, poached, omelette, eggy bread and it goes on. So in an effort to have a relaxing Saturday with some homely food I decided to make some eggs. Then the trouble started. I'm sure it says 'Not the eggs you're looking for' but I can't read Chinese It began innocently enough; I was in the small supermarket picking up a few groceries and noticed these eggs that were nice and large. They were also a light blue colour which drew me in- how exotic! There was some suspicion c...

Despite having only been in China two weeks, it was time for a holiday. Chinese National Day- one flag for every person Because visas take ages , I arrived in China a few weeks after the school term began. Near, in fact, to a celebration for the Chinese National Day, which takes the form of a week long holiday. I guess Chinese National Day is similar to Australia Day  for Aussies or Independence Day for Americans. Its not like St. Georges Day for Brits because no one in England seems to care about St. George. Sad face. So basically the school timetable in China means that this week break is the only time off from school until the beginning of February (!). Sadly, Christmas and New Year aren't really observed here. Therefore it was necessary to make the most of it, and Hong Kong would be a fantastic place to spend a couple of nights during the holiday. Its supposed to be beautiful, exciting and, importantly, its near us. Well, when I say that its near, do ...

As we shook hands and said goodbye, my new friend said, "See you around" I replied with, "Maybe not though- I'll be in China soon won't I?"  "Yeah of course," he said, "Well, good luck!" And he was off. I can tell you that when I saw this particular gentleman two weeks later, at a party in west London, I was slightly sheepish that I was, in fact, still in the UK. After all- I had been so convinced that I'd be leaving speedily.  By the third time we met, the embarrassment had worn off. I realised that I'd be here in England for a while and so I'd made peace with that fact. East. Far East Seven weeks ago today, my girlfriend Holly and I were offered fantastic jobs teaching in a kindergarten school in Southern China. It was the first job offer we received since we began looking for TEFL jobs in Asia. However, it seemed perfect: sensible working hours, weekends off, a nice location, flights and...

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're saying" I admitted, and automatically, my face contorted in to an expression of confusion and I gave an over exaggerated shrug.  My mumblings and body language were sure to tell him I was a confused foreigner, and indeed, the Italian man accepted his mistake and continued down the Roman street. My heritage pie chart: Guyana, Britain and a little bit of France In Italy I was often mistaken- natives and tourists alike were asking me questions or for directions. One one occasion I said "Hey, I'm new here too, but lets go," and then we ended up going to a science museum together. When meeting other travelers, a game of "guess my ethnic background" has ended with: Greek, Turk, Iranian, Spaniard and Italian among many others. I guess my actual roots from South America is a bit far to consider when people play that game in Europe.  While I am proud of this heritage, once you talk to me I...

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities. When I first arrived I adored the tiny houses, beautiful lakes and the volume of great things to do. I didn't worry about fitting everything in one that first trip, as I knew I'd be back. There is so much more to this friendly and exciting city than people sometimes imagine. This is by no means a tell all guide, just my experiences and ideas. So if you are going to Amsterdam or considering it, here's why I think it is great and what I recommend. Contents 1. Tours 2. Bikes 3. Museums 4. Food 5. Drink 1. Tours I do love to start off a city trip with one of the free walking tours that have become abundant in many interesting places. There are two reasons to this:  a . As I used to travel alone, this was a great time to meet other travellers, and we'd often make plans to hang out afterwards. You have to play the leech a bit when you're solo or you'll be on your own a lot. No shame ...