Good Samaritans or Admitting it Was All Your Fault

People who grew up in a society where Christianity was the predominant religion are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. A guy gets robbed and hurt on the road, several people pass by pretending they can't see and eventually someone stops to help. The moral being you really should help people in need out.

In China we were told don't help. This goes against the grain. It is really hard to pass someone who is hurt, trapped under an e-bike or lying on the pavement looking ill. Unfortunately if you stop here it means that you are admitting that it was your fault. You were the one that casued the person to be in that state and therefore you have to pay their medical bills and if they cannot work you are keeping them for life. You only help if you are guilty.

To put this concept in context a little more I would like to relate a story from our household. My husband went to the Doctor's on his own in Summer on his e-bike. It is lass than a 10 minute ride from our apartment and the road is busy. It was very hot and he needed a blood test. On his way home he realised that he wasn't feeling that great and needed to stop. He remembers pulling over and unclipping his helmet. The next thing he remembers is waking up in the middle of the road with his e-bike on top of him and his helmet no longer being on his head. No one stopped to help him. When he got home he had some cuts and scrapes on his arm, shoulder, hand and a nice bump on his head. Lots of people would have passed by on that road whether they were walking, driving or riding and despite the fact that he was right in the road he was not helped.

It is really unfortunate that you can't help anyone and no one can help you without there being the potential for a large sum of money needing to be changed hands. People may help you in some situations, but certainly not if you are injured.

Cat Café

A large number of people would have first been introduced to the unusual concept of a cat café from having watched Karl Pilkington visiting one in Tokyo. I thought it was utterly bizarre that people would pay to go to a café, buy a drink and then play with some cats. On our first trip to Japan we came across a cat café and could not believe how expensive it was. 

We currently live in Suzhou and stragely enough a cat café has opened down Pingjiang Lu. Why they decided to open a cat café I have no clue. I think it is great for the cat population of Suzhou. My husband and I were out for the day visiting the Suzhou Museum, needed a drink on our way back to the metro and found ourselves in the cat café. Inevitable really.

The cat café is a little tucked away and has a wide variety of cat themed products that you can buy. You can pay a fee to enter or you can buy a drink. Some of the drinks are cheaper than the entrance fee. Someone clearly went to business school. We decided it would be a bit of fun and something different. There were a lot of cats. There was a problem though. On the tables there were diagrams demonstrating how to pick up a cat without upsetting them. It's not a problem if the cats are awake or used to being handled.

The 3 cats that were awake had a couple of tactics for avoiding people. One sneaky cat would check if the coast was clear, assess the quickest route to the next scratching post and dodge the hands that wished to pet it even if it meant diving under tables, over cushions and around chairs. Another cat climbed to the heighest perch of a post and feigned sleep. The third cat would sit near you, with its back to you and after a few gentle strokes would try to bite or swipe you and then disappear to another part of the room. We named this delightful feline Grumpy Cat. You can see Grumpy Cat in the photo keeping a good 50cm distance, being grumpg and not making eye contact.

Adam picked up a couple of cats. So far so good. He sat down and placed the cat on his lap. One second later and the cat was gone. Three failed attempts and he gave up trying. Nearly every cat pretended to be asleep and avoided human contact. How long the business will last, I really don't know. 

The Wax, My Eyebrows and a Moment of Sheer Panic

As many of you may have read my previous posts about myself and my hair having some serious issues here in Suzhou. Today my eyebrows and I had quite a scare.

I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to make up, hair, eyebrow plucking and so on. My hair skills were limited to a pony tail or not a pony tail until perhaps 2 years ago and I genuinely believed in the powers of clear mascarra until I was about 15. I think that should give you a fairly clear picture as to how much I have cared and known about "beauty". Having said this I hopefully know better these days and try to look a little better than the blank canvas genetics gave me.

My eyebrows were looking somewhat overgrown and I had been putting off going to get them done due to weekend work commitments and the cold I would have to face on my e-bike to get there. Today I had decided it was time and booked an appointment at my local beauty salon that just so happens to be owned by the wife of a colleague.

With my appointment confirmed I hopped on the e-bike on my short ride to get myself beautified. It's always nice when you arrive and they give you slippers and hot tea. The girls speak little English and show the list they have memorised. Sadly eyebrows was not on the list and when I pointed they cast some horrified looks at one another and then speedily called their boss. The alarm bells were beginning to ring slightly, but I'd had my eyebrows done here before. It would be fine. Wouldn't it?

I went into the room and lay down where told. It was somewhat dark. Concerning. The wax arrived. Still rather dark. Hmmmm. First touch of wax on. Appears to be in the usual place, but she can't seem to pull it off. Second piece of wax all over me! They decide they now need to wrap my hair in a towel to protect it and try desperately to wash off the wax that they have dropped all over me. Time to panic. I unfortunately caused a slight scene and began storming out as the owner herself arrived and quickly volunteered to fix my eyebrows.

For future reference body lotion, massage oil, hand cream and warm water do not remove wax from where it should not be. If you find yourself in this unforunate situation please recommend make up remover.

The good news is that I still have 2 eyebrows that are nicely shaped. The bad news is that I had to go and buy a secret santa present with lobster like colouring surrounding my eyebrows.

A School Production in Suzhou

This is my first week of this academic year with no school production rehearsal. I am pretty excited not to have this hanging over my head any longer and the great thing is that it was a success. I've normally been the Musical Director and I've normally been in a local school where the community are completely behind you.

It is a challenge being in an environment where the local community are highly unlikely to support you, mainly due to a language barrier. You also have to deal with nearly all the technicians don't speak your language. Having said that it is pretty exciting to do a production where there are a multitude of languages and cultures. Selecting an apporpriate show to cater for an entire student body of middle and high school students that can be watched by elementary students is a huge challenge. Considering the talnet available and the facilities is another issue all together. Thankfully my colleague had an idea and I was more than happy to share in her vision to produce "James and the Giant Peach".

We certainly faced some challenges. Some students who normally got involved in the productions decided that it was too "childish" for them whereas others who would normally from being discouraged involved chose to take part. There were a lot of highs and lows from the start. Things soon began to turn around when the students saw the thought, time and effort that had gone into this. There was excitement over costumes, set and staging. We considered tiny details from the very start and wanted to give the students a production experience that would hopefully surpass what they had experienced before.

My amazing colleague turns out to be a PR Queen and organised a dress up day, readathon, floor stickers and a million other things. There is no doubt in my mind that without her there is no way the production would have been as great as it was. I almost feel quilty that my name was anywhere near it after all of her amazing work.

The script was short, there were media inserts, audience particaption and no big song and dance numbers. I couldn't watch! As A Musical Director you have something to do and some control. As a Director you have to find somewhere where you won't be driving people insane and can keep yourself somewhat sane. I tried a variety of tactics and it turns out that I am better off in the corridor waiting for it all to be over. The lovely teacher that we had on the lights decided that I looked so awful that she appeared the next day with a survival bag and I am eternally gratefull!

The feedback has been the best I have ever received. Despite not selling as many tickets as I would have liked the feedback really has been overwhelming and we are very proud that it is being deemed the best production that the school has ever done.

Pretty glad it's over now!

The Giving Tree.

Last year we were busy struggling on our reduced Overseas Cost of Living Allowance and possibly not being as organised as I would like we missed out on putting together a bag of gifts for the Giving Tree. This year we have filled 2 bags of gifts.

Christmas has changed as we have moved away and as we've "grown up" traditions have changed. We didn't really exchange gifts last year either and that is partly due to the fact that we are travelling and most people don't do that with a Labradoodle or snowboards. What do you really need as a gift when you are an adult with income, savings etc.

My school is supporting the Giving Tree this year by filling 800 bags for migrant children and teachers at a school in Shanghai. These children tend to have 2 - 3 sets of clothes that would be hand washed and air dried. Entire families live in one room and bathrooms would be shared by perhaps 10 families. No insulation. No heating. No cooling systems. Families earn no more than 2000 or 3000RMB a month. My husband and I opted to fill two bags this year.

We were given a bag for a 7 year old girl and a bag for a teacher. Each bag should have a total budget of 250RMB spent on it and include a warm coat, hat, scarf, gloves, stationery and a gift. The student bag and teacher bag were slightly different, but not by much. The more we read the information and browsed the shops and Taobao the harder the shopping became.

You really shouldn't spend more than the assigned amount as all of the bags are opened together, but finding a warm coat for the amount you are meant to spend is not easy. We felt guilty adding up the amount of each item, but it would be awful for the childrens bags to be too different. It was lovely picking out cute stationery for a 7 year old girl who loves pink and Barbie. Cute stationery costs so little here and it was fun having an excuse to buy it all. Barbie dolls however was not really in the budget unless we used Taobao and even then we are a little over. How can you deny a 7 year old living the life she does a Barbie that cost 10RMB more than you are meant to spend?

Buying for a teacher I was a little worried that I couldn't purchase all of the necessities for the budget, but we shopped around and managed find a great wind proof jacket at a local market exactly on the jacket budget. We were also asked to spend a higher amount on stationery as the schools are greatly in need of supplies. I dread to think how long we actually spent in the stationery aisle at Auchan weighing up our options between various items. Bulk v's quality v's cost. Some serious debating happened in the stationery aisle.

I won't be there when the bags are opened as many of the donors won't be but I can only begin to fathom the joy that the contents of the bags will bring.

Many families live transient life styles or have simply uprooted for work. Every day I see a reminder of all those in Suzhou who are not settled but living in temporary housing for work.

Several emails, 2 Skype interviews and a decision.

Well it has been a very busy week with a lot happening. The pollution has started to climb again with a high of 327 seen on the AQI earlier this week and a climb above 200 earlier this afternoon. You could barely see the sun today as it was just so smoggy. I was forced to run with a mask on. This was going well until I got so warm that it unfortunately caused the seal on my mask to not work quite as well as hoped. It also backs up why you shouldn't run if you need to wear a mask. This proves my Dad's motto that exercise is bad for you.

If you read my post last week I am sure that you would expect me to have had numerous flattering comments about my beautifully cut and expensively coloured hair. I am afraid that I will have to disappoint you. Not one person noticed my change of hair. Despite the hairdresser's verdict that I arrived with hair that screamed "tackorama"and left with suitable hair, apparently the change was too subtle. The only other reasons I can possibly consider for no one noticing are that they either temporarily lost their sight or that they were just too jealous.

Aside from the doom and gloom of pollution and a distinct lack of compliments I have a ray of sunshine, a silver lining or some might say a golden ticket. Despite being unsure whether to stay or go I put my proverbial hat in the ring for a few jobs and spent a few days in email conversation with a school prior to 2 Skype interviews and then an offer, which was accepted. My husband and I are very excited as we are heading back to the beach and away from the smog. In 7-8 months time we will be flying to Phuket.

I had signed up for a job fair and more than one teaching recruitment site. I was intending on going to a job fair in January, though I was a little uncertain that I wanted to go through the cattle call again. It's also pretty crazy looking at the descriptions and school preferences trying to determine if you are really the person that they are looking for. There is also the added pressure of schools that do not like to employ teachers with a non-teaching spouse and the fact that I come with a Labradoodle in tow too. 

We did intend to stay in Suzhou for longer than the initial 2 year contract and we have some fabulous friends that we are really going to miss. The pollution was definitely directing us to the door. We were having doubts about leaving as we were having such a great year here. The second year is always easier as you know where you are going. You know where all of the fun places to go are. You've built those great relationships that matter. All in all we have been having such a great time. It is definitely bitter sweet leaving, but a job in paradise is too good to pass up. 

The other wonderful thing about the whole situation is that now the decision has made is that I can enjoy the rest of my time in Suzhou to the full. I am through with the uncertainties of what to do and where to go. We have some very excited friends and family who are all wanting to visit. Adam however has joking that only people who visited us in China are allowed and is in charge of bookings.

My lungs are pretty excited too!

Decision Time

Only Three months into the second year of my contract and I have already been asked to indicate whether or not I am intending to stay. This is a great question. Many international schools like the decision to be made by the start of December in time for the job fairs and other schools ask for a decision at the very beginning of the school year. It is a risk to resign when  you haven't got a job lined up. It's scary.

I sat down with my husband and wrote a pros and cons list for staying or going. Unfortunately the lists came out exactly the same in length. Not so helpful. Initially Adam had very much wanted to leave but has since changed his mind and wouldn't mind either way. Maybe my dream job will just fall into my lap before I have to make a decision and then it is all sorted for me. If only it were that simple.

One thing that really makes you want to stay is the fact that you've developed better relationships after a year, new people come in and you often have the curriculum just how you want it. I'm having a great time being Head of Grade this year, I know my way around, the curriculum suits my teaching style more and I like our friendship group.

We've discovered a couple of people among us who also play Ukulele and this has evolved into regular Ukulele sessions that include a lot of playing, sharing music and stories along with a few drinks and nibbles.

Will we stay or will we go? I have no clue, but I guess I need to have decided in a month's time.

Neighbourhood Centre Annual Food Festival

I planned this post nearly a fortnight ago and then missed writing and posting it as I indulged in a really good book that there was absolutely no possible way I could put it down prior to the conclusion. Today I am feeling the guilt for being so tardy in posting and so the night before the Moon Festival weekend starts with my bag packed for an adventure here I am typing.

Last year we accidentally stumbled across a food festival at our neighbourhood centre. We went with a friend who was a meat eater and had lived in Asia long enough to be suitably tempted by the barbecued squid on sticks but not the unidentified meaty items also being roasted. The highlight for my vegetarian self was the most amazing Portugese egg custard tarts fresh out of the oven. With how amazing egg custard tarts are in China you'd think they were created here.

This year we were fairly excited to head back to the festival as the weather was about 5 degrees lower than last year and we wanted those tarts. We'd noticed the hive of activity at the local centre; plastic chairs and tables being set out, lights being erected, stalls being built and heaps of foot traffic. I was really excited to go to the food fair, mainly for the egg custards. Sadly there were no egg custards in sight. I was devastated.

There was some form of competition that may have been televised on the stage and plenty of families having dinner and buying tacky trinkets. It is fun to people watch at local events and the locals certainly love to watch us. The stall vendors were desperate to sell to us and frequently used 1 of the few Mandarin words that I understand which means 'delicious'. We did try some chesnuts however they didn't quite live up to the description so I went to the supermarket for a yoghurt instead. Being vegetarian in China is not as easy as you'd think.

Appreciating Where You Are

There are without doubt days that I absolutely cannot stand where I live. This weekend did not feature that feeling. 

I tend to need a lot of sleep to function well. My husband on the other hand doesn't. He can train in the morning with ease but not late at night whereas I am usually the opposite. I've been trying to change this as I tend to be somewhat tired and hungry after work and then the training doesn't always happen. So, I set an alarm for Saturday morning and woke an hour before it went off only to discover my husband still asleep. He was easily persuaded to join me for an early run. 

We were out before 7am and running through 3 different parks near our apartment. It was wonderful seeing the life in these parks so early in the day. Even before leaving our complex we saw a man dressed in white traditional clothes practising Tai Chi. We then passed 3 groups doing Tai Chi in the park, a group salsa dancing, 2 groups doing what I refer to as "Chinese line dancing", a group performing tricks with diablos and a group working out using the metal framed equipment provided for toning. It appeared that every corner we turned there was someone else out starting their day with movement amongst nature rather than in a gym. I struggled to keep running as I was so mesmerised by the collective energy.

I love that the locals have reclaimed the space and that they use it. I love that they arrange to meet in groups rather than being solitary. I love the range of activities that they do. It is inspiring. I can't help but think that more communities should follow their example and exercise together in their public spaces.

Newbies

The new recruits have arrived, been apartment hunting, oriented to the school and the city and now we are into PD and prep for the new academic year. International teaching is the only environment in which I have been given so many scheduled work days for PD and classroom preparation. 

The enthusiasm and energy of the new teachers has really helped and the reunion with returning friends has made the start of the year great. It's also really great that this time I'm not trying to workout how to get around, shop, teach MYP rather than NCEA, find friends and work out exactly what we are doing in Suzhou. Sadly there are of course people no longer returning that I had grown to respect and enjoy as friends, so it is a little bittersweet seeing photos removed from the wall and names from doors.

It is also really exciting this year to see all of my colleagues who are embarking on adventures in new countries. Hearing the stories of their first few days. Seeing the pictures of their new homes and new haunts. I am fortunate that life is so exciting and I get to share in the adventures of my friends vicariously. The daily challenges are easier with someone to share the burden and someone who is perpetaully positive (extreme positivity is incredibly annoying, but sometimes to be admired). I'm looking forward to avoiding the newbie "settling in period" emotional curve this year.

I really like the start of the academic year as it is another fresh start like any new year and it gives me a chance to set some goals. This year I'm hoping for a few things:

• Not be as sick as last year (perpetually ill, but no sick days taken)
• Somehow balancing my work - social hours
• Avoiding negative people
• Making the most of the place I live and the people I share it with
• Making a positive difference in some way

Back to making new resources, wall displays, units, lesson plans and striving to be the best educator and team leader I can be.

Fingers crossed for a great school year.

Over a year in China and International Teaching

On Friday I went into work, even though I didn't have to, as I wanted to be kind and help welcome some of the new teachers. Considering I lasted 5 weeks without checking my work emails I was surprised at how easy it was to step back into the building! I remembered what it was like being new and how the first few days were so I wanted to help out however I could. It got me to thinking what I have learnt in the last year and the positives and negatives of the experience and whether or not I have regrets, or if I would make the same descision again.

Since I was 20 I have never been able to settle for long. I miss NZ and the wonderful people who shaped me as a teacher and a person, especially after not being with them for a whole year now, but I left for a reason. My feet were dying to wander once more. Teaching Internationally has given me the chance to travel and legitimately wander every couple of years or so due to the contracts that are offered. This doesn't stop that fear of making the decision to not renew and search for a new position. That is scary!

During the last year my husband and I have been able to travel far more than we did from NZ. Snowboarding in all that powder in Japan was a dream and we can't wait to go again this December. Having backpacked before we are used to getting around unknown places where we speak little of the language, but we haven't spent so long in one. Despite having had every intention to learn Mandarin it hasn't happened, we know a little, but not much and we somehow live here. 

We've learnt a lot about Asian cooking and have grown to respect the cultural differences. It is really easy to think that the way you do everything is right, purely because that is how it has always been done where you were raised. Learning to less prejudiced and judgemental is really important. I honestly cannot get over many of the negative comments made about the fact that we live in China from people who have never visited and then are unable to form a justifiable or even semi reasonable argument for their comments. The greater the exposure to other cultures the greater our understanding of human nature if nothing else and I am truly grateful that I have the opportunity to see and learn so much.

Pollution has been something we weren't expecting to deal with quite so much. As we weren't heading to Beijing we thought we would be escaping the majority of the pollution. It wasn't true and it has impacted on our ability to exercise and stay healthy. You hear all about global warming and pollution and you listen and recycle, walk, take public trasnport etc. You don't fully understand or appreciate pollution until you have been in air so thick it is like fog and tastes foul. I have a new found respect for clean air.

There are things about where we live that I really don't like and frustrate me. Some days it is easier to tolerate those frustrations and others it is nearly impossible. Spitting. Toilet habits. Road sense, or more accurately the lack of.

The cost of living hasn't exactly lived up to our expectations and what we were told. It is nigh on impossible to go out for a "cheap" vegetarian meal and western clothing is the same price as in the west. Tailored clothing is cheaper than in many places, but it can still easily cost as much as an item of the rack in a reasonably high end  high street store, dependent on fabric, the tailor and how much they like you. We were buying fruit and vegetables from the wet market and our health was suffering so we now pay a lot more than we did to buy vegetables from farms that do not use pesticides and other chemicals to the soil and produce. We've definitely learnt to value our health and consider what we consume much more.

The year has had its ups and downs. There have been many challenges to face and overcome. We may find ourselves back in NZ one day and we would be happy about this. Will we stay in China for a long time? Probably not. Are we glad we moved? I think I am, but you may have to ask my husband another time.

Made to measure

One thing I was really looking forward to when preparing to move to China was going to the tailor and getting my clothes made in the designs I chose, the fabrics I loved and in my unique size. It was a dream. One of the nicest dreams I've ever had and I'm pretty lucky that my husband is indulgent in my passion for textiles.

I found two names of tailors pretty quickly but didn't venture for a few weeks as it was so busy. One was that of well known expat tailor Mr. Gu an the other was a shop called Dragon and Phoenix. I ultimately wanted to go to Mr. Gu, but when I intended on going he was closed and then I discovered that Dragon and Phoenix was closer to me and ridiculously close to the fabric market (a place where I could spend an extreme amount of time and money). One weekend I headed to the fabric market with a colleague who wanted buttons and had directions. Without haggling most fabrics were as little as 20RMB a metre, but we could get them for less. I bought fabric I could envision as dresses, window seat covers, pillows and to cover the most hideous headboard that just so happens to be on our bed. I returned home with numerous metres of fabric and an enormous box of pins and began transforming the headboard, which took my mind off my disappointment about not being able to go to the tailor too.

A week later I persuaded my husband to join me at the fabric market as clearly I had not bought enough and then on a major expedition to locate the tailor. The market was simple to get to. The tailor was sadly not easy at all. I had been reliably informed that you got off the metro at Leqiao and would see a big white church and it was very near there. A big white church in the middle of Old Town should be really easy to see. We went left. We went right. We went down every street and we did not find a church. We had the Mandarin for the address and shop and asked for assistance and nearly everyone shock their head. After a huge amount of aimless wandering around we found the tailors. At last. Even better the clothes looked good and another expat was there placing a large order.

Feeling pleased with ourselves for eventually having found the tailor I began explaining what I wanted. I had images I had cut from Vogue and fabric ready. To start with I just ordered 2 dresses. There is a girl employed at the tailor who speaks fluent English. She talks everything through with you and a tailor who is always on hand. One tailor said she could not make what I asked for as the neckline was really complicated, however another tailor looked and was positive that they could do it. I was thoroughly measured, paid a deposit and told to return in 7 days and they would call me when my things were ready.

I got my call in 6 days and went the next day to collect my dresses and pay the balance. One dress was a little large on the waist, only marginal and they fixed it within seconds. I think they made it bigger just to be safe. I paid the balance and took my gorgeous dresses home. Both dresses get masses of compliments and I have since directed and taken another 10 people to the same tailor! 

Throughout the year I've had alterations, skirts, tops, dresses and a jacket made at the tailor. Everything has turned out well and is unique to me whether it has been made from an image of a designer garment or a direct copy of something I already own. I'm now considered a regular and have been lucky enough to have the fee for linings waived on more than one occasion. Generally I pay considerably less than I would in any shop that caters for my non Chinese frame, and taste, and the quality is exceptional. I've certainly worked out what to take my own fabric for and what to use the tailor's fabric for. It's a luxury being able to have exactly what I want and I probably spend more than I should. How I'll ever live without a tailor again is beyond me.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

I believe this is now the third time that I am referencing Mary Poppins. A bit of a surprise really as I had no idea that she had had quite such an impact on my life, but it would appear that owning the video has done something for me.

Spring has sprung and apparently this means that you need to fly kites in Suzhou. I was in Shanghai today and didn't see any, but I wasn't in any of the parks so this could be a nationwide phenomenon. Across from my apartment in Suzhou there is a grassy area and suddenly as Spring arrived people appeared on the weekend pitching tents and flying kites. They never stay over night in the tents. I'm not even sure how they use them in the day. The number of tents seen could explain why Decathlon sell them and so many people feel the need to test them out in the shop though. People of all ages fly kites. Some are excessively cheap and were purchased from roadside vendors, but some look rather expensive. The kites come in all shapes and sizes, but it would appear that the larger triangular kites are favoured, especially if they have an angry bird on them.

Yesterday a kite flew down amongst the traffic and nearly landed on a car windscreen. Thankfully no accident occurred but it must having been flying really high to be able to reach the traffic. I don't think anyone was doing any stunts and I don't know if Spring means wind and breezes here, but people are all out and flying kites. One thing I love is the fact that people aren't sat at home on their sofas  watching movies and or playing video games. Mary would be proud.

My Hair Does Not Like Living In China.

I have exceptionally porous hair and have on occasion had a slight hairdressing issue in both the UK and NZ. I was definitely concerned moving to China about my poor hair. Unfortunately I have somewhat more grey than I would wish for and so colour is essential for me.

There are hairdressers that cater for expats and you'd think my hair would be in safe hands. Apparently this is not the case. Every colour I have had in China has gone wrong. I have now tried two different hairdressers and come out with problems every time. My hair has been patchy with colour not taking to all areas and or the colour that has been selected has come out completely differently on my hair than how it is meant to look. Currently my hair is a dull, flat mud brown colour and the colour selected was a rich, vibrant red/brown. There is definitely no red in my hair and apparently I would have to wait a few weeks to fix this. Great. Instead of waiting a few weeks I suggested an alternate plan to the hairdresser and have been back twice now to improve the situation and have to had to accept that it is nothing like what I actually originally wished for.

The first hairdressing disaster they offered to fix for free and I accepted. Sadly the fixing actually left me with worse hair than the previous mess which they had created. They offered to fix it again for free, however following 2 disasters I was reluctant to repeat this for a third time. On this occasion I was not charged for the colour as I was so instantly disappointed and the hairdresser recognised that it really was nothing like it should be.

What I am struggling to comprehend is why I appear to be the only expat and in fact person I know in general to have this issue. Evidently my hair has issues and despite always explaining that my hair is extremely porous no one ever believes me. Perhaps I should be a case study for hair dressing students as clearly I am one of kind.

My fear of going to the hairdresser is only increased by recent experiences. Beware of the hairdresser, especially if you are an expat overseas and maybe buy a hat and take it with you to the hairdresser.

Smog Update

Before Christmas and during the whole period into Chinese New Year the smog in Suzhou was horrific. There were days when the AQI was higher than Shanghai and Beijing. Highly ridiculous as we specifically avoided these larger cities due to the smog. Ironic really to be in this small city that cannot be compared in anyway to Shanghai and Beijing and we were suffering to a greater extent. It makes no sense at all.

Returning from Chinese New Year and having lived through ridiculous pollution we are now rather ecstatic when the pollution is merely "very unhealthy" which is an AQI between 200 - 300. Amazing how perceptions change so quickly. Recently we have even experienced an AQI of under 100, bliss. 

Some families have chosen to leave rather than renew their contracts at school due to the pollution and the school has had some new recruits pull out. The pollution is vastly improved yet it does have an impact on your life. I used to exercise religiously 6 times a week and now I have to check the AQI as I rather like being able to use my lungs. The pollution will certainly be a deciding factor on our decision when my contract comes to an end.

My husband has begun to look at pollution maps of the world and I believe that he will be highly instrumental in deciding where we will move to next as he is a former Ironman and finds the restrictiveness of the pollution quite repressive. It obviously impacts on his ability to train for another Ironman and that is especially important to him.

The school where I work is one of I believe 3 International High Schools in Suzhou. Before Christmas when the pollution was so horrific we were in a full staff meeting and were promised that air purifiers were on order for every classroom and masks for all students and staff. The entire staff applauded and cheered. I know that at least one other school has done this and may have perhaps done this before the establishment at which I am employed. I am grateful for the measures that have been taken but it is incredibly difficult for a school to combat pollution in all areas when there are corridors, large open spaces and numerous doors without good seals. Despite this I am disappointed that none of the rooms in which I teach have an air purifier yet and I was expecting it back in December.

I think I feel somewhat jaded after colleagues who have experienced extreme pollution in other areas receiving far better recompense. Air purifiers installed in apartments, the school closing when it was extreme and staff being given flights anywhere to go and clear their lungs. Sounds to be good to be true but apparently it happened. Some International Schools see us all as being replaceable and others see the value in retaining good staff. It's all the luck of the draw.

When Valentines and Chinese New Year Collide

There is a lot more I would like to write about India, but I'd like to keep relevant with the dates and not fall ridiculously behind myself. St. Valentine's Day has just passed once more and here in China without the usual commercialism and ostentatious gestures commonly seen in Western society.

My husband and I are not hugely bothered by Valentine's and have never really gone out of our way to celebrate the occasion with copious amounts of red items or the usual collection of flowery words that neither of us would deign to utter under normal circumstances. More often than not over the last few years we have not even seen each other due to opposite work schedules, but this year was different.

Unable to procure a Valentine's card, not sure what gift would be appropriate and whether we actually want to find a restaurant with a romantic meal for two left us with a bit of a conundrum. Having just returned from India and back to work I was definitely disorganised. I actually apologised at the start of the week that I had nothing. We arrived at cupid's busiest day of the year and magically as I was getting ready for work a box of chocolates and a handmade card appeared on my pillow. Furthering my guilt for being completely unromantic I was served a breakfast of pancakes, fruit and yoghurt. I had some serious making up to do!

The end of the lunar new year celebrations took place on the 14 February with a large lantern festival at Moon Harbour and yet more fireworks. We have been around Moon Harbour on Friday night, a Saturday night and a few other nights and it really is exceptionally quiet despite the number of restaurants, bars and lakeside venue. We decided that we'd check out the lantern festival in the vain hope that it would be less tacky than the one at Suzhou Amusement Land. I also thought I would have the chance to take my husband for a few cocktails and redeem myself.

Despite heading straight out on my return from work Moon Harbour and the entire surrounding area was chaos. People were lining up (as much as Chinese people line up) outside of restaurants in the cold waiting for tables and I am convinced I have never seen this many people in Suzhou, ever. I had also heard several colleagues bemoan the fact that they had been unable to procure a table for dinner that evening and were quite concerned about being in the proverbial dog house. In general it wasn't that they couldn't get tables due to other couples out for a romantic meal for two it was due to the locals celebrating the year of the horse.

As it turned from dusk to dark we headed to the lantern festival area with the throng of locals all celebrating the New Year. Some of the lanterns were enormous and yet not a single one was lit. We cut our losses and decided to head to our favourite bar on the water in order for me to redeem myself and buy my husband a few cocktails only to discover the doors shut and the lights off.

Despite not being a fan Valentine's day I was somewhat embarrassed that I had nothing to offer my husband. So, I went to a fancy supermarket and purchased ingredients for a nice Japanese ramen and some Saké. Does Valentine's in China exist? Not particularly. I believe I only counted 3 bouquets in the crowds. If you dislike Valentine's day then China is a great location to avoid it.

Lantern Festival

As Chinese New Year is fast approaching it was inevitable that there would be a lantern festival somewhere nearby. Having been to the Auckland lantern Festival we were expecting it to be a far superior experience in China itself.

The Lantern Festival was taking place at the Suzhou Amusement Land which has its own metro stop so it is very easy to get to. Not so easy to get to if you aren't sure of the station exit that you need to take. To go round the park for the festival only costs 60RMB, however if you buy your ticket online in advance it only costs 30RMB and luckily we have the most fabulous member of staff who is willing to help everyone and booked tickets for a group of us to go.

The park itself appears a little run down and could do with some maintenance. Having said that it is quite entertaining to walk round. There are 1920's style buildings containing gift shops and some food options, a German style street, a bizarre version of Big Ben, a section of the Colosseum, a Wild West area with bronze like statues, a massive waterfall and some rides. The whole park is set around water and it was actually quite pleasant in the evening as it was really quiet despite the festival. There were food stalls throughout the park selling a variety of different foods including really delicious toffee covered fruit on skewers.

The lanterns themselves were heavily spread out and so in some ways this detracted from the spectacle. The scale of the main lanterns were exceptionally large and the ones in the water were really impressive as the the reflection added to the overall image. The traditional themed lanterns were really beautiful and used great colour combinations. A lot of lanterns were based around the park mascot which is a lion of sorts and so many lanterns were really quite tacky. The other down side is that apparently they use the same lanterns every year and therefore it isn't worth going again. At least I've been now and so know that I won't be able to regret not going.

The beautiful photographs were taken by my highly talented husband. Thank you for letting me use them.

Stop and Stare

My husband and I have been living in China for 6 months now. Despite the fact that we live in a city with a number of other expats we are still a novelty. We were warned that we would be stared at, but we didn't think it would be quite so much! On the street, on the bus, in the mall, in a restaurant, the train, the airport, you name it and we are the main attraction.

In Xi'an and Yangshuo a large number of Chinese tourists would try and strategically places themselves in front of us to take a photograph. I am apparently really good at not noticing this and moving at the last minute. We have posed with people who have asked, however this has led to us having to pose for around 5 - 10 photographs with a variety of other people. Why am I so bad at saying "no" and where are all of those photos of me going?!

One day I returned from work and my husband told me that as he had been walking Bella our Labradoodle in the park he was asked by a family if they could have their photo taken with her. This was a nice surprise as some Chinese people are petrified of dogs. Following Bella's photo shoot with the family they then put their baby in Adam's arms so that they could take a photo of their baby being held by a foreigner.

When you look at all of the advertising in and around China nearly every model used is "white". Is it any wonder that we are so mesmerising if every billboard, magazine and other advertisement features someone "white". Despite not being quite as glamorous or skinny as the models we still attract attention. Funnily while in Japan we noticed that we were not stared at in the slightest. Even though we saw less foreigners we were never stared at. We came home and we were only in the airport for a matter of minutes and we were being blatantly stared at. My conclusion is that we must be exceptionally beautiful in China.

Tourist Days

Living in another country you always try to make the most of what is around you and really go out of your way to experience all of the tourist attractions. We tried our best in NZ and haven't really got any regrets and that is what it's all about.

Things are a little different for us in China. I am the only one working, but as my school kindly pay our rent and give us an Overseas Cost of Living Allowance we actually have a little more money to play with and can still save a healthy amount each year. We made sure we stopped off in Hong Kong on the way to Suzhou, visited Xi'an when we had a few days to spare, visited my friend James in Shanghai, and Guilin and Yangshuo during the National Holiday. We are also aiming to have 1 "tourist day" as we are terming it each month.

Amazingly a huge number of people that I work with have not visited the majority of tourist spots in Suzhou. I often ask and get told that they just haven't had a chance. You have to make time for these things as far as I'm concerned, so once a month we are planning a day to get out and see something. Our friend from Shanghai is going to be coming along for the adventure most times too I believe, this way we can attract more attention as there will be 3 "lao wai" together.

In our 3 short months in Suzhou we have visited Ping Jiang Lu on an number of occasions, Shantang Jie, Tiger Hill, The Humble Administrators Garden, the antiques market at the Confucius Temple and I have been to Lake Taihu (thank you Grade 7 camp for 2 nights without sleep). There are so many gardens, temples and water streets in Suzhou that you could take the view that when you have seen one you have seen them all, but if you really take the time to explore and spread out the times that you visit and go in a different seasons there is always something different to appreciate.

It is so easy to become immersed in work, socialising and going on missions to find that one brand of shower gel that you just know will be in one shop in Suzhou, but really, you have a whole culture to explore and come to know. Sometimes we also jump on the e-bike and try and head somewhere. We have a rough idea which direction we need to go in, a map, google maps and a sense of humour. If we go with no hurry or desperate need we can cope with getting completely and utterly lost.

As "Lao wai" we are prepared for people to stare, overcharge us

and be unable to give us directions as our Mandarin is still fairly bad. I am becoming an excellent shopper though, just as long as I don't have to use the numbers 4 or 7 as I keep forgetting them! I probably need to learn to say "I live here" then maybe I won't get such a ridiculous "Lao wai" price.

Love where you live and live as if you are leaving tomorrow.

Quirks and Community

Suzhou has been breaking records with its temperatures this Summer. Of course there is also the conspiracy that the Chinese government do not allow the temperature to be recorded as being above 40 degrees as this means that the government employees are not allowed to work. So, in general terms it has been ridiculously hot and this has made some interesting behaviours a little more obvious.

As I've mentioned we stayed rather far away for the centre when we first arrived and obviously this is a much cheaper area to live in. The "supermarket", not one I wish to visit again, had a television in which played kung fu movies continuously and you would see many locals stood watching the TV at all hours of the day and night. In the evenings you would have to climb over a multitude of bodies sprawled all around the entrance just to get inside. We have seen similar occurrences in the metro stations in the older parts of the city and in this case people were even asleep. In the heat to save on your air conditioning in Suzhou you need to find a public space with air con and hang out there on the floor. Sounds appealing doesn't it?

If you are more of an outdoor person you can find the nearest park and sleep on a bench, on the grass by the water, on a pier or any space you are able to find. People seem to spend nearly all day sleeping in the park. In fact sleeping in general seems an incredibly popular pass time. When visiting the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an nearly all of the employees were to be seen on a bench under a tree taking a nap during their lunch break. I love sleep but obviously not to the same degree.

There is a massive sense of community in Suzhou. For every 3 apartment buildings there is a neighbourhood centre which features a variety of shops, restaurants and outdoor spaces. You can buy most things here and do most others. There are basketball courts, soccer pitches, badminton courts, a stage and areas for children to learn how to rollerblade. The centre is a hive of activity in the evenings nearly everyone goes for one thing or another. People practice Tai Chi under the canopy after dark and watch TV on the massive screen that towers above each centre. Probably my two most favourite things to watch at the centres are the dance groups. There are two rather different groups. One group has brightly coloured fans shrouded in organza that flows to create a type of train and they dance and march in formation waving their fans as two men carry Chinese flags. They are quite entertaining as all of the fan carriers are women and the flag bearers appear to be continually nagged by the ladies to perform to the required standard. The other dance groups stand in straight lines with music blaring and do what I can only describe as Chinese line dancing. There are two rival groups at our centre who meet on opposite sides of the centre, one with matching pink t-shirts and the other are somewhat less formalised.

I read an article about the rise of the popularity of public spaces. I have seen people have picnics in parks and on beaches but to practice Tai Chai or meet with a dance group that is somewhat rare. Perhaps us Westerners are somewhat inhibited. Inevitably the Chinese are less inhibited, perhaps due to being brought up wearing split pants, coughing with their mouths open and spitting whenever and where ever. At least they go out and enjoy life and spend less time at home in front of the television, well...