Browsed by
Category: Kunshan

Yangcheng Lake – Kunshan

Yangcheng Lake – Kunshan

Fairmont Hotel - Yangchen Lake, Kunshan
Fairmont Hotel – Yangchen Lake, Kunshan

Taking a little trip around this lake.

Seems to be surrounded by married couples. I got ravaged by a lake monster. I made my way to the hotel, (luckily). It was from here I bolstered my constitution with bottles of Corona, whilst taking a short walk around the expansive gardens.

Fairmont hotel, Yangcheng Lake

There were many things to be seen here such as herbaceous gardens and fishing wu mao’s. The paths were so expansive, it was difficult to believe we were still in the grounds of the hotel. The Fairmont Yangcheng Lake. Bumped into some sunburned laowai in the lift on the way back down to the pool. We exchanged knowing smiles.

Fairmont Hotel - Yangchen Lake
Fairmont Hotel – Yangchen Lake

The staff were on the whole, friendly, and when I turned on the hot tap, hot water came out! This is not something to be frowned at in China!

Bak to the BBQ

I was originally invited to the BBQ by a mystery source.

This turned out not to be a member of Linestart, the company I work for, but a pupil! Although I spent some time with them, I get the feeling I should go back and socialise. Make out I’m really a friendly type of bloke.

Yangchen Lake - Kunshan
Yangchen Lake – Kunshan

I drag my arse back there. Now appearing by the lake are many happy Chinese couple!

Chatting to my fellow BBQ members, I gain the gen on the throwing of the bouquet, which will apparently give me health and a long life, not like the West where we will be the next to marry, but you will grow up big and strong with hairs on your chest. Which probably explains why all the men where about smashing their way forward to get a hold of it.

I love this sense of fairness amongst the sexes in China!

I love England, you love China

Chatting to some foreign girls, and they tell me all about what is good in England. I tell them it is a shithole and that I would never want to go back there, but they say the weather is fine and the food is amazing!

They tell me a couple of stories and I tell them a couple. Then we go.

Here are some photo’s.

FAF electronics – Kunshan

FAF electronics – Kunshan

Farmfull electronics Kunshan
Making electronics ?

Usual rent-a-laowai activity. Consisting of white skins and smiley, white faces. Our boss invited us to take part in the outing to Farmfull electronics.

Wasted a lunchtime and we won’t get paid for it.

They wanted to take pictures of us with their semi-conductor components.

It was all very staged and false. But they seemed happy.

Taicang Dinner

Taicang Dinner

Got this shot of a dinner at our Kindie.

You can see that we’ve switched to fish here. After the spate of recent poisonings, pigs and bird flu.

This is the government issue meal which looks very delicious.

Fish HeadsThe thing on the left is an apple.

On the right we have a healthy helping of fish heads. These are more tasty than they look. And they do look…. but don’t let that put you off Smile

In China lets get some Chinese food, (except here its just called food):
Do you fancy Sweet and Sour Pork 糖醋里脊?

-but pork is off the menu since 16000 dead pigs washed up in the city’s river.

Okaaaay lets get some Gong Bao Chicken宫保鸡丁?
-erm… about that, Chicken is off too since bird flu killed 20 folk this week.

Fine then, how about Peking Duck 北京烤鸭?
-actually all poultry is out!

Fuck it!
I tried your culture…. it doesn’t suit me.

Kindie

Kindie


So. This is one of the Kindergartens I work for.

Kids are having a little competition, something the Chinese seem to do so well at…

They have to get their yellow pyjama’s on before the time runs out.

Not sure who won this one, think the guys name is Eric. He’s very smaalll.

Coma Kids

They have a tradition in many countries where they treat young children just like little adults. Just like you’ve been in a coma, woken and your not knowing anything again.
That’s a kid.

Maybe it works.
It’s better than treating them like this and working it so they learn quicker.

Then I can treat the adults like kids.
It’s a great deal for everyone.

Linestart

Linestart

So this is where I’ll be doing some of my work.

Linestart Kunshan
Linestart Kunshan

It’s the training suite for Linestart Kunshan. I’ve captured a picture of one of the ‘English Corner’ type lessons that we’re paid to organise along with Kindergarten and company training sessions.

These take place at different times during the day.

I’ll be doing more Kindergarten tomorrow, after having had my first lesson today, which went very well, considering I had no lesson plan or anything else prepared before hand.

Tomorrow, I have to catch a taxi, which should be a nightmare. Must have spent over an hour waiting for taxi’s in Kunshan so far and I’ve only been here for 6 days.

Still, looking forward to the lessons, they should be fun judging by todays.

Kunshan night out

Kunshan night out

Invited to night out in Kunshan to round off Friday I guess.

tinglinpark_kunshanWent to place called Fubar which was an English style pub at the top of a three storey waterfront cylindrical tower block.

Pretty posh. Nice beer.

Scrabble

Played Scrabble which was pretty unusual.

Moved on to place called the Whale bar in Kunshan which had a live band playing and was a lot more lively.
More bar-ish, no scrabble boards in sight.

Had a few drinks and a shao kao to top it off. Nice.

Kunshan KTV

Last night went to the KTV, which I had been warned about. Had the full room laid on by one of our pupils, as much weak beer as you could possibly wave a stick at, or a microphone. They had a little booth, you could stand in or you could walk, or sit.

Was fun, much more fun than doing it in a pub full of people.