Hong Kong Day 2

After a relatively good nights sleep despite the loud air conditioning unit and the heat that followed turning it off, we were up and ready to head to the visa agency for 9am!

Cecilia, Mike and I left first because Will and Deena were running late as usual. We grabbed a bite to eat on the way, in my case a REAL sandwich and a carton of REAL chocolate milk! 

We eventually found the visa office and found it filled with foreigners of all nationalities, we had definitely chosen well because the place was packed! We got to the front only to find that the forms we had already filled out were useless, instead we were given a two sided form which only required the most basic of information. We were told to put down 'Manager' as our occupation in China, not strictly true but then again TTC sold us as 'language students'... We also got told to 'make up' a company name to work for... Visas here seem so legit... We met this guy called Ryan, he was from the North of England and had been in China for 3 years and like us was here to have his visa renewed; he had set up his company called 'Crack Learning'  but the visa place wrote it down as 'Crack Trading Company', needless to say that implies something quite different... 

Anyway after getting our pictures taken, they needed a blue background, Ryan invited us out to get a FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST, it seemed to good an opportunity to turn down! After getting lost a couple of times and Ryan asking directions in fluent Mandarin (jealous), we made it to a quaint English pub. We ordered our breakfasts and Ryan began to talk about his life. He has done so much and got into a fair few sticky situations! He was working as a teacher  but has left to set up his own language learning company. Its really interesting! Many stories were told and we were suitably impressed! Our breakfast arrived accompanied by BROWN SAUCE!!!!! It was amazing! 

A legitimate sign saying 'No Gangnam Syle' 

After breakfast we bade Ryan farewell and decided to get the Star Ferry from Wan Chai to Tsim Cha Tsui (the ferry port nearest our hostel). The star ferries are amazing, they only cost about 20p and you get to see all the skyscrapers, its much nicer than the metro! We then went for a wander through the expensive quarter. There were shops such as Prada, Gucci, Armani and then randomly a H&M... Not quite sure whether it fits in... 

After a while Will became restless so him and Deena went off exploring independently, which was more than fine by us! Cecilia, Mike and I went for a wander through Kowloon park, the park was lovely and green and complete with wild birds! Not bad to find surrounded by skyscrapers. 

After the park we made our way to the hostel to plan our afternoon; we had to pick our visas up at 2pm so we had the rest of the afternoon to spend doing what we like and without Will and Deena! We decided on heading back to Hong Kong Island and going to the Mid-level escalator and the Man Mo Temple. 

It soon was time to pick up our visas and there was no problem! We all now have Single Entry, 3 month F visas for China! YAY! Now lets just hope we get back in the country no problem! 

Anyway we headed back to the hostel to drop off our passports and then headed back to the Star Ferry and back to Hong Kong Island! We reached Central and began our wander towards the escalators. Now one of the cool things about Hong Kong is that there are all these elevated walkways for pedestrians and these walkways quite often cut through the hearts of Hong Kong's most impressive buildings. Its just a really pleasant and easy walk! We eventually made it to the beginning of the Mid level escalator, now some back ground about it, it is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, it covers over 800m. and there are 20 escalators in total. Pretty impressive eh? Well we traveled half way up the system and then exited to walk towards the Man Mo Temple. It was a very small temple filled with incense smoke and shadows but it was quite nice! Then we walked back to the escalator and up once more! We reached a supermarket and had a look around and guess what we found real CHEESE! We also found brown sauce and cider! We were very happy! I bought some red leicester which I was quite happy eating chunks of, I also got some brown sauce! 

We continued our ascent until we reached the end, sadly there was nothing much at the end of the escalator so we began our descent. However the escalator only went up so we had to take the stairs... It wasn't too bad though, we stopped at a bar called 'Yorkshire Pudding' and Mike had an ale while Cecilia and I had cocktails (it was Happy Hour!). I got a Russian Belle (vodka, triple sec, orange juice, lemonade, midori) it was lovely but very strong!  We also got Cecilia to try her first ever Yorkshire Pudding! She wasn't too impressed... The Swedish have no taste! Haha! 

Cecilia- Yeah they are nothing special...

We continued our descent although the cocktails had made us a tad wobbly! We then got the ferry back to the Tsim Sha Tsui and headed to find something for dinner. We all wanted Chinese food so we found this great little restaurant, Mike got a noodle soup with meat balls, Cecilia got the amazing seafood noodle dish. I wasn't so lucky. I ordered Chicken with lemon sauce and got served deep fried chicken nuggets lathered with lemon curd. DISGUSTING. Very disappointed! 

We then headed to the harbour to watch the light show. Every evening at 8 o'clock there is a light show performed by the buildings on the Hong Kong Island skyline. It was incredible! I loved it! It shows how amazing Hong Kong is that they have done something like this! 

We then met up with Will and Deena (I guess it was nice while it lasted), they were planning on going to see Iron Man 3 so we all decided to come with them. I wasn't overly keen but then again it was better than sitting in the hostel. The movie was pretty good but Will was his usual over vocal self about how awful it was. Notice how I didn't say 'he thought it was', with Will his opinions are fact and widely recognised as being accepted by all, at least that's how he sees it. We just see it as rubbish. 

We all headed back to the hostel and to sleep. It was an amazing day and I am definitely falling in love with Hong Kong. I seriously implore you to come and explore this amazing city!

HONG KONG! PART ONE

HELLO!!!

Well what more can I say? I AM IN HONG KONG!

We left the Complex at 1030 this morning to drive into Xining so we can get the airport bus however the driver drove us to the wrong place so by the time we reached the bus, it had gone and the next one wasn't until midday! Our flight was at 1320 so midday was cutting it rather close so we all piled into a taxi, yep all 5 of us with our luggage! To say the car was struggling with the weight of us all would be an understatement, luckily the airport was only half an hours drive away. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. After chilling out with our books, (both Mike and Cecilia have kindles so I felt the odd one out with my book, I'm reading 'Wicked') we boarded the plane for the first leg of our trip, an hour flight to Xi'an. Again the turbulence was bad and there was no movie to entertain us and the meal of a bread roll and peanuts failed to impress but for an hour we coped. I did the crossword in the English newspaper we were provided. This newspaper was written in China so naturally each article was very pro-China.

We landed in Xi'an for our 1 hour stop over. There was nothing in the airport and we were HUNGRY. Before we knew it we were back on the plane on the way to Shenzhen! And there was food! I stupidly asked for seafood for my dish (never ask for seafood on a plane...) but managed to eat it without being ill (so far...). The flight was 3 and a half hours.

We landed in Shenzhen, changed our money to Hong Kong Dollars and headed onto the Shenzhen metro. We were on the metro for a long time... About an hour but it felt so much longer! We eventually made it to the Shenzhen/Hong Kong boarder. We passed through relatively unscathed, except for filling out forms. I guess now our TTC visas are definitely invalid! It was quite novel seeing signs to Hong Kong in a metro station though.

We then had to spend a good hour on the Hong Kong metro! YAY for metro journeys... One observation though is that people in the South of China and Hong Kong have better English and better manners than those Chinese we are used to in Xining. Oh and its humid, thank goodness the trains had air con!

We eventually made it to our metro stop (Hung Hom) and we began our walk to the hostel, I got us there without too much hassle and we got checked into our rooms. I am sharing a room with Mike and Cecilia. The rooms are nice, we have a fridge, TV, ensuite, lockable draw, a LOUD air conditioning unit and shower.

Seeing as all we had had for food that day was on the plane, we were all starving so we headed for the nearest McDonalds. I really don't want to eat fast food all the time here but we were so tired and so hungry it was a safe bet.

Hong Kong looks amazing, lots of neon lights. It looks like China in the movies.

Tomorrow we are off to the visa company to begin the process of getting our new visas. Wish us luck!!

Some interesting facts as I have nothing interesting to add...

Hello lovely people!
I am still in Xining, its been all hands on deck to get ourselves a new visa. After much confusion and Chinese bureaucracy (I am pretty sure they are one in the same...) we have arranged ourselves an invitation letter courtesy of the schools and are on our way to get an F visa. The Z visa would take too long for us to do. Sadly an F visa means we can only be payed a maximum of 4000 a month (£400) but still it is twice what TTC were paying, plus we get a free trip to Hong Kong!!!

Yep! We are going to Hong Kong on Sunday for 4 nights and they are paying for everything! Exciting times eh?

In other news teaching has been postponed until the visa is sorted this means we have been very bored.

Will is out of hospital and he and Deena are staying.

On a brighter note I have planned the most awesome lesson ever all around Harry Potter!

We have Alphabetical Order of the Phoenix, describe the Hungarian Horntail, Potions making with Snape, Sorting into houses, Quidditch, house tournaments and Imperio! So excited by this lesson but its going to be a couple of weeks before I can use it :(

Some facts

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Feeling mighty chuffed! 

Well this is weird.

So its been 2 days since Alex and Siz left us. Will is still in hospital. And we still haven't a clue what's going on.

Yesterday was weird, Alex didn't knock on my door to get me out of bed for breakfast so I very nearly missed it. I got to breakfast late and thoroughly down in the dumps. 

Alex had told me the night before that Rice (from TTC) had told her that you needed to have graduated 2 years ago, this panicked us slightly because none of us fell into that category. However after some intense research done by Cecilia and I we have come to the conclusion that Rice was speaking rubbish. I have talked to visa agencies who give out Z visas and they had never heard of that rule and Cecilia had looked at the forms we had to fill out and could find no mention of it either. Plus TTC helps interns convert their visas to a Z visa when they finish their internship and only a very small proportion have been out of university for 2 years! It seems that most people would be unable to get a Z visa. Rice also said that Matthew wanted rid of us, he has a funny way of showing that... But yeah we had come to the conclusion that TTC did want the best for us so the fact that we were fed this information is worrying but our research doesn't support it. 

We were then told that our lessons had been cancelled today, well everyone's lesson but mine. I was required to go to Gu Chengtai to help them make a video. I asked if I would be teaching and everyone assured me that I wouldn't so I left all my teaching stuff and went with nothing. It turns out that by telling me that I was not teaching, what they in fact meant was the opposite... So I was facing my youngest class with nothing planned and nothing with me! Improvisation for the win! Duck Duck Goose, Huggy bear, Simon Says. I had to pull out all of the stops! It was bloody difficult. Luckily I only had to teach 2 hours instead of the three so I just about managed it. It wasn't one of my better lessons though...

I got back to find that Matthew had still not turned up, he was supposed to come in the afternoon but he didn't turn up to dinner. At dinner he tried to tell us that we did not need a new visa at all, this was scary because we thought he had already begun the process! He rang up his friend in Beijing University, he had lived in Cambridge for 12 years so could speak English, he also worked with Matthew on this project. We explained to him our situation and we tried to make him see that we needed a new visa, he seemed to understand and conveyed our message to Matthew. Fingers crossed the message got through... 

Today was trip day! We were going to the Ta'er Lamasery with Michael's school. Deena had spent the night with Will in hospital so, after checking that Matthew would take her to meet us there, Cecilia, Michael and I left. We were treated to a delicious lunch of noodles and some weird orange drink, it was served hot and with orange bits, tasted like hot squash. 

I was knackered, a mixture of a late night and not sleeping very well. The Lamasery was a long drive away and I struggled to keep my eyes open... We got there and I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't it. It was big but it just looked the same as the rest of China. There were lots of statues of Buddha housed in temples. There were a lot of monks and there was some pretty architecture but that was it... Bit of a disappointment but the seniors that Michael taught were a laugh and I had fun with them. We spun some prayer wheels and prayed to Buddha, we need all the help we can get to get this bloody visa...

Oh I should mention that Matthew did turn up but with no Deena... Turns out he did not understand what I was saying just agreed and Deena was left at the Complex all day. Still don't actually know where she is...

Long Overdue Blog Post

Hey guys, a lot has happened over the last couple of days since TTC telling us that they wanted to withdraw us from our placement here in Xining. My last post was on Tuesday, it is now Friday and I feel like I have aged significantly. Seriously the last few days have been the hardest days of my life.

Wednesday- Well the day went as normally as it could, we taught as normal. I was sure that I was staying, however this confidence was short lived. The lesson went well, we did an assessment and I gave the kids some English sweets which they loved.

Oh and Will broke his arm playing volleyball so he is in hospital...

In the evening we were meeting Solaro and Rice from TTC, they were coming to talk to us about what had happened and what they were going to do. Their side of the story was the the Xining Board of Education did not want to pay us and had not budgeted to pay us because they thought TTC were giving us money. They warned us of the risks that were associated with leaving TTC: we would have to get a new visa, we would not have any help from them and there was a danger of us being black listed if we don't sort out our visa in time. It gave us a lot to think about and none of us were as sure as we were originally.

After the meeting we talked to each other and came up with some questions; most of them centred around the visa. We asked Matthew for a meeting early the next morning and asked him to prepare answers for our questions. Matthew suggested we have the meeting in the hospital so Will can take part. Before heading to bed I got a call off Will who had said Matthew was willing to pay TTC the money to make all this go away. This back tracking was worrying, maybe Matthew can't get us visas?

Thursday: The morning came along and we headed to the hospital, I asked Solaro whether TTC would except Matthew's money, he replied that they wouldn't as they are refusing to work with the school anymore. Alex had decided that she was going to go with TTC, the doubt over visas was enough to force her hand. She wants to travel for the foreseeable future so even the slight possibility of being black listed scared her, plus she wanted a new adventure. To say I was upset was an understatement; she made my time here in Xining, I don't know how I am going to cope without her. I hate EVERYONE who put us in this situation, be them TTC or Matthew. I didn't know what I was going to do, I was scared.

Our options seemed to be either go with TTC and leave TTC, we were guaranteed a placement elsewhere in China, their support and 2000 RMB a month, however the new placement could be worse than where we are now. If we stay in Xining we had to get a new visa but could earn up to 10,000 RMB a month AND we would get to stay with our friends and I would not have to leave the kids I teach.

We got to the hospital and talked to Matthew about visas, it seems that the longer we spent talking to Matthew the less confident we were in him. We had until 5pm to make a decision. Matthew said he will guarantee us a visa and will begin the process that day, however we weren't sure if we could trust him. Solaro seemed to think that Matthew couldn't get us a visa. Fish and Kelly cried when they found out that Alex was leaving, they really do care about us.

We went to Matthew's office and our faith in him decreased yet again. He didn't seem to know what was going on despite us telling him! People were really worried and even the promise of 10,000 RMB a month did little to persuade people. It's all about the visa. We were trying to make it clear to him that without the visa we have to leave the country. We then had to teach with all this on our mind, we tried to negotiate but Matthew did not want any of the schools to know what is going on, we tried to tell him that they had a right to know but we were shot down. He said we could finish our lessons an hour early though.

We made our way to school, all of us deep in thought. I called Mum and talked through everything with her. The whole situation was utter shit (excuse my French). All I want to do is stay with the kids!

My lesson went ok but I couldn't focus. We met at the hospital to make a decision at 430pm, however I managed to cut my leg open so I had to have it dressed... It's not too bad but it was quite deep.

I had made my decision, I was going to stay. It was a massive risk (and felt like more of a risk every passing second) but I did not want to leave. I did not want to start all over again. I did not want to risk all the good things I have here. The idea of splitting off from TTC and getting a new visa terrified me but the worse case scenario is that I come back to the UK.

Will and Deena have asked for more time to make a decision, Siz and Alex were going to go and Mike, Cecilia and I were staying. At least it is not just me, I get on really well with Mike and Cecilia too. I am going to miss Alex though... Next was to meet up with Solaro and Rice and sign our departure letters. We received our money for the work we've done so far (2,300 RMB) and signed that we were leaving TTC. I then went and helped Alex pack, well by helped I mean played sad music such as 'Stay with me', 'goodbye my lover', 'show me the meaning of being lonely' and 'stay another day'. I really did not want her to go but I understand.

The time came for Siz and Alex to leave. I cannot believe they were going, only a couple of days ago everything was fine! I guess they wanted a new adventure! I wish them both the best of luck, it is not going to be the same without them here. There were a few tears, I managed to hold myself together, namely because I cried off and on throughout the whole day so I had no tears left to shed.

Now we have the visa to sort out, to say I am afraid would be an understatement. TTC told Alex and Siz that to get a work visa we need to be 2 years out of university however we have researched this and talked to visa agencies and they've not heard about this rule so we think TTC were just scaremongering. They also said that Matthew had been trying to off load us for ages however if that is the case why has he been doing everything in his power to make us stay? Not too sure what is going on but I have made my decision, there is no point doubting, we just need to focus on getting the visa sorted. We get a trip to Hong Kong though!

To say I was happy would be an exaggeration, however I feel like I have made the right decision. I just hope things work out for us. Thank you all of those who have offered me support and help and special thanks to Mum who woke up at 2am to talk to me.

TTC... Take and Talk Crap

So yesterday morning was filled with lesson planning and going into town to get a new bank card with Alex and Fish. All the bank employees recognised me and it was suitably embarrassing. Alex and I had a pot noodle for lunch because I had no money. We then went to our schools to teach. A minute before I began teaching I got a phone call from Jonathon Pitt, the person responsible for us at TTC. He told me that there had been a cooperation breakdown between TTC, the placement partners and the Xining Educational Bureau and that TTC were going to get us out of Xining. He told me that I needed to pack that evening ready to go the next day... To say this was a shock does not do it justice. I was about to teach a lesson! I thought I wouldn't see these kids again! I couldn't bare to tell them what was going on so I decided that I was going to make this lesson the best lesson I could. I disregarded my lesson plan (I was going to assess them!) and played games with them the whole lesson. We made our own comic strips which the kids loved. We played musical chairs, fruit salad and ball games, we boom shi boomed, we funky chickened, we llama-ed too. I tried to make this lesson the best lesson I could. For homework I asked them to email me about what they would like to do more of in class, that way I would have their email address to explain to them why I had left. I just couldn't face saying goodbye to them!

Yeah so this was crazy, we were all really upset. We were sent this email. 

'Hi Xining Interns

 I regret to say this but due to a cooperation breakdown within the education bureau and with your school and placement partner we have no alternative other than to move you all from your school in Xining and arrange new placements for you all.

 Continue as normal tomorrow at the school, Solaro and Rice will be flying to Xining to meet you all after your last class and take you for dinner to discuss everything with you. I think it would be best if you start packing your luggage tonight. You will then travel back to Beijing by train on Thursday around midday where you will stay until we find you all a new placement for the remainder of the semester.

I will provide Solaro and Rice with the numbers I have for you all so they can get in touch when they arrive in Xining to arrange the meeting time for tomorrow.'

We were also told that if we wanted to get payed for the work we have done so far we must go to Beijing... 

This was just mad! We were talking to the teachers here at the complex, we were talking to Matthew and his team. TTC had said on the phone that the Xining Educational Bureau are refusing to pay us and don't want us here but we have been assured that this is utter bull. Fish told us that they schools pay roughly 20,000 RMB per intern per month and of that we only get 2,000 RMB! Apparently they aren't paying because they don't want to rip us off, Matthew is trying to negotiate a larger cut for us but I don't think TTC will budge. So the only reason TTC are so keen to get us out of Xining is so they can get their money. Matthew and his team has said that if we cut off from TTC then they can help us sort out a new visa and nothing will change except we will be paid significantly more. TTC say they will offer us a new placement but we believe we will be sent to places where people have left and many left for good reasons to do with their placements. Unless TTC allow us to stay here then we are cutting all ties to them and will face the world as independent TEFL teachers and with the support of Matthew, Fish, Michael Li and the rest of the team we can do anything. 

Anyway TTC are coming to Xining today so its all going to kick off, none of us have packed. We are not leaving, Xining has is its flaws but it is probably better than anywhere else we will get sent to. We have a family here who care about us, we have good food, we have great accommodation, we have amazing schools and WE HAVE WESTERN TOILETS. Why would we risk any of that?

In other news Swallow has quit Matthew's company. We are not sure why but it is sad news, we will stay friends with her though! 

OHH AND MY PARCEL ARRIVED! ENGLISH SWEETS AND BLUE TAC! My kids today are going to LOVE me. 

Sunday- Sunny with a Stormy Front in the Evening & Monday- Raining Punches and Sunny Intervals

Hello! OK I have so much to tell you guys! 

So I will start with Sunday! I went into Xining with Mike, Cecilia and Alex and we had a day of shopping and hanging out. I got a new phone (that actually works) and we had some amazing food for lunch (sandwiches with the pork cooked inside!). Mike and Cecilia got some of the spiciest noodles I have ever tasted in my life!

This week is Swallow's birthday so she invited us all to meet her for a meal. Mike, Alex, Cecilia and I were already in town so we eagerly agreed thinking she had text the others. Will was on a trip so wasn't around all day. We did some shopping and I got myself a new phone, we then went to People's park to enjoy the sun, I even bought a kite! We also got some key rings with our zodiac signs on them; Alex is a dragon, Cecilia is a cow, Mike is a horse and I am a sheep.

Siz kept ringing us to find out where we were and what we were up to and each time we told her that we were meeting Swallow for food and we encouraged her and Deena to come. Anyway we met Swallow and it turned out she was taking us out to KTV and hot pot (neither of them cheap so we were very lucky). Swallow's friends turned up and we quickly realised that this was her birthday party. 

We were having a great time until Will turned up at about 9pm. We had been there since about 430 so we were about ready to head off home as we were knackered. Anyway Will turned up and something was bugging him, at first I thought it was because we were leaving and he had just got there but I was wrong. Turns out Siz and Deena had told Will that we had not invited them to the meal which was rubbish seeing as we had invited them down repeatedly throughout the afternoon and even in the evening. So Will comes and has a go at us in front of Swallow and all her friends, to say that he embarassed her would be an understatement. Alex and Mike were furious and I can understand why. How dare he ruin Swallow's night? He should have talked to us outside or in private. Anyway so I have a very angry Alex and Mike on my hands so we decided it was better just to leave.  We got in the taxi and I was trying everything I could to get them to calm down or I was worried there would be a bust up once we got back to the complex. We arrived and Siz and Deena jumped in our taxi back into town. Alex was still raging but Mike had calmed down.  Anyway the evening was tense but the morning was worse. It started of well we had managed to avoid each other until our Mandarin lesson and even there everyone was civil but after the lesson it all kicked off. Alex had written a blog about the events of the night before, she has said from the word go that she will be keeping an honest blog about her experiences and her feelings. Anyway the blog was remarkable restrainted when I compare it to how angry she was and all of it was fair in my opinion, although posting it online may not have been the best move. She had said that she was not going to hide anything, so when Deena approached her for a talk, I knew things were going to kick off. Deena and Alex have never gotten along but Alex used to have a lot of respect for Siz but lately there has been incidents of bullying so her view of her has changed dramatically. So this talk quickly escalated to shouting and that escalated to a fist fight (Deena threw the first punch). I pulled them apart, I have never seen Alex so angry. Deena had broken her glasses. I tried to rationalise with Alex and got her off site and on the way to town to fix her glasses. 


I have never seen Alex so angry. By the time we got into town she had calmed down a little. I rang Fish and she and Kelly met us and took us for lunch. Alex and I got this amazing pork and rice dish, it was hun hao chi (delicious). We then went to get Alex's glasses fixed, turns out it was a lot cheaper for her to get a new pair. So after an eye test and some window shopping Alex found some glasses she liked so we ordered them thinking they'd be ready in a couple of days, nope a couple of hours! 

Kelly and I headed back to the office while Fish took Alex to get her haircut. I did some lesson planning in the office and sent some emails. 

Once Alex had come back, complete with new glasses and a new hair cut, we headed to the bus stop and a the complex. It was rush hour so there is always a massive rugby scrum to get onto the bus, there were hands everywhere. Everywhere including my pocket apparently... Yep I had my wallet taken. Complete with my new china bank card which was less than a week old, my second and last caxton card and some cash. To say I was pissed off would be an understatement! I got of the bus and screamed, waving my arms like a mad man, naturally this was copied by this Chinese man across the road... Mum was going to kill me. 

I told her that evening and to say she was miffed would be an understatement. Nothing else has happened between Deena and Alex; Alex and Siz seem to have cleared the air like adults. 

We will see how it goes...