Sam and Irenes visit to China/Shanghai and Suzhou

 

It was lovely to have Sam and Irene here and boy did we pack things in for them to see.  Think they both went home yesterday for a rest lol.

 

 

Sunday 24th - Wednesday 27th in Shanghai

 

Wednesday 27th collected by car and driven to my apartment in Suzhou from Shanghai about 90 minute drive.  Went to Wawa Wewe for dinner

 

Thursday 28th - lazy morning for them and then driven into school to meet people and see where I worked and Sam sat in on an English lesson to see how English is taught to a class of Chinese students.  Traditional chinese meal in a restaurant by school called Big pot with Colin, Jake, Annie (Chinese) and May (Chinese)

 

Friday 29th - I was still working so they had a chilled day and went for a walk around the lake then we went to the infamous CASA ZOES for mexican and margharitas.

 

Saturday 30th - Pingjiang Lu, met Michael and his mum and brother for lunch, then went to the Silk museum, then on to Auchen to experience the madness of the place and then a home made tea and a DVD.

 

Sunday 31st - Sunday Brunch at Perbaco with unlimited Persecco with friends, lovely warm day then a walk into Times Square.

 

 

Monday 1st April - Tiger Hill, beautiful gardens, pagoda, boat trip and then a boat trip down through the old Suzhou Canals to Shantan street (7 mile street)

 

 

Sam and Irene being asked for their photo with chinese

 

Tuesday 2nd April - Luzhi water town with Jake and his mum and Jackie Shi.  Hour long bus journey to the outckirts of suzhou.  Then an evening meal with Dan and Julie at the Korean that Charlie and Beattie went to with Dan and Julie when they were here.

 

Wednesday 3rd April - Humble Administrators Garden, Suzhou Museum, Animal and Plant market where I fell in love with this gorgeous puppy.

 

 

Thursday 4th April - Brunch at Casa Zoe with Michael and family, then to Shiquan Jia, master of the Nets garden and Yang Yang for dinner with Michael, his mum, Mathew his brother, Dan Williams, Travis, Feifei and Imri.

 

 

Yang Yang

 

Suzhou Squirrel Fish

 

Friday 5th April - train to shanghai thought I would treat them to business class

 

 

Hotel then shop for a little while and then back to hotel to chill before the early morning airport trip in the morning.

 

It has been great showing family and friends around with Sam, Irene, Charlie and Beattie.



Apologies

Apologies to anyone who reads this that it has been a while since writing anything new but so much has happened and I will have to give you some snippets

 

On March 8th went to see the Shanghai Orchestra in the Suzhou Arts Centre some very stirring music

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H82QHiUvY5E

 

Saturday 9th March - Watched the Wales v Scotland match - 10.30pm my time, how dedicated am I :-)

 

Sunday 10th March - Skype call to Wales on Mothers day at 1am to say hi to everyone and wish my wonderful mother a Happy Mothers Day

 

Monday 11th March - Trip to Shanghai with 2 coaches of AS students to the University Fair not back until 11pm after a days teaching

 

Tuesday 12th March - Professor Yu from Hong Kong University came to talk to AS students but also gave an Art workshop on painting pandas the chinese way with my AS students which they seemed to enjoy.

 

Friday 15 - 18th flew to Zhuhai with Jake to see Dulwich Zhuhai.   Zobon Art Hotel.

 

 

 

Into school saturday morning, early hours of Sunday morning I watched Wales hammer England in the 6 nations, worth waking up for.

 

 

Jake and the Pearl woman

 

Gifts of dried fish

 

Snack bag of star fish and other delights

 

Fake Ferrero

 

 Stream teaming with carp

 

 

 

Sunday went into Macau, waited in the queue to get out of china and then in another queue to get into Macau and the same on the way back another 4 stamps in passport and macau and hongkong money acquired.  Macau is the Las Vegas of China.

 

 

 

Monday went into school and some lessons and flew back to Shanghai.

 

Sunday 24th Colins Pre birthday meal - Champagne Brunch at the Intercontinental in Times Square (Suzhou not America). 

 

 

Colin

 

Colin and Jake

 

Also and most inportantly Sam and Irene arrived in Shanghai :-)

 

 

 

 



Suzhou to Zhuhai

 

Flying to Zhuhai tomorrow to see the other A level centre that Dulwich has and then back on Monday.  Will have a little time for sightseeing and time in school talking to the Head of Art and CASE coordinator.

 

Champagne Brunch at the Intercontinental for Colins Birthday, Sam and Irene here in less than two weeks, then Shanghai F1 grandprix hopefully, then 5 days in Beijing and then home in July.  Cant be bad :-)

 

Catch up with you when I get back

Warm Weather/Director for the day

Well it is March 8th and today I am acting Director of the school in the absence of Michael and Sharon and all Ic an say is thank goodness it is not my aspiration to go any higher into senior management than I am now.........I have to admit it has all been quiet though apart from the odd phone confiscation and holding the HOD meeting.  Will ahve to see how the afternoon fairs with assembly and form time.

 

The weather is gorgeous and it would be perfect for me if it stayed like this however we know it will get hotter and more humid as the year goes on and there will be rain/thunderstorms and on Sunday the temperature will drop drastically again for the day.

 

Today it is 25C/77F and on Sunday it is going to be as low as 6C/42F a bit of a change.

 

Off to see the shanghai Orchestra whis evening who are visiting Suzhou Art and Cultural centre so looking forward to an evening of culture and a weekend of not doing a lot but chillin, apartment stuff, work and helping Jake move.

 

17 weeks till I finish school for the summer and return to Wales for 6 weeks.

 

Pictures show our campus and the grounds we walk through every day whether sunny or raining or snowing but it looks lovely whatever the weather.

 

 

THE BED

Dont be mislead the bed is not put together properly just checking to see if all the bits are there and how it is put together and I am still not sure if it right or the right pieces are there lol........workmanship on the pieces is sooooo poor, screw holes dont line up, welding blobs so that things cannot sit flush oh and all instructions in chinese lol. May have to call in help on this one and admit defeat and flutter my eyelashes or play the old woman card.

 

 

St Davids day in my apartment in Suzhou China 2013

An evening with singing, drinking, eating and laughing with:

Rebecca, Dan (welsh) Sophie Dorrington, Dan Williams (welsh) Jake (quarter welsh) and Colin, Jackie, Kristin, Mike Hill, The Lewis Family and Pete and Natalie.  Food to eat included:

Cawl

Mushroom and Leek pancakes

Welsh Cakes

own version of Snowdon pudding

 

Sophie Dorrington

 

 

The Welshies - Dan Williams, Me, Rebecca and Dan Dorrington and 1/4 Jake Huckle

 

Cake made by Kristin

 

Lovely flowers given my by Jackie Shi