CHINA NEWS

Hi Everyone,

How time flies by. As I write this it is over 5 weeks since I arrived back in China! The older you get the faster it seems to go.

I hope you enjoyed the rest of your summer. The weather here is a little cooler now which is better. Today it is 27C and the next few days will be between 25C and 28C. A nice temperature. The evening and night are cool but it’s OK as you can sleep without any problem. I like autumn in Shenyang, it’s my favourite season.

The school is running well. Just one change as I am now taking a small class on my own. It may have had to close but 4 students’ parents didn't want that and their parents were prepared to pay over double what they were paying before for me to teach them. They are lovely kids and it is not a problem. 2 are 7 years old and the other 2 are 8 years old. Their parents teach them the grammar and word meanings before I do the oral with them. It works well.

All my old 1-1 students have stopped now because they are so so busy with school. They all started a new year at middle/high school and their timetable is so full and they work so late at school. Luke, who is doing his final year at high school, starts school at 7am and finishes at 9-40pm Monday to Friday. On Saturday he starts at 7am and finishes at 8-40pm. On Sunday he starts at 7am and finishes at noon. Then his mother has arranged 3 extra classes for the afternoon and evening, maybe 2 hours each! So he has no time to come and see me. The hours are too long! The new boy that started before my holiday is continuing but can't come so regularly due to school work and the daughter of one of Sindy's friends comes once a week. So I'm looking for a batch of new students now.

I mentioned last month that the October 1st National Holiday this year, which marks the birth of modern China, will,be the 60th anniversary of that event so there will be big celebrations in Beijing. Security is very tight at these times and I had to go to the police station to re-register with them as I had been out of the country and they wanted to make sure it was me who came back! I have a policeman friend who works at the police station I had to go to and he always helps me which is very useful.

The holiday happens to coincide with the Moon Festival this year which is a 1 day holiday so the official holiday is now 8 days instead of 7 but 2 of those days are in lieu of a working weekend. I will not work from the 1st to 6th October but on 7th and 8th, the last 2 days of the holiday, we will have Sat and Sun lessons to make up for the 2 days lost because of the working weekend. Holiday arrangements are so complicated in China and we have to make many changes to the lesson days and times.

Not sure what I will do yet. My friend Jenny’s daughter is over from London to see her mother. She is doing a Masters Degree in London. We may go to Shan Hai Guan with Jeff's family if Jeff has time to go. It’s very near the sea and is the start of the Great Wall. Jeff's father's father and mother live there. I've been twice before and it’s quite close, only 5 hours by train! That’s close in China.

I think that’s all the news for now.
Best wishes to you all.

Alan Hill
21st September 2009