G'day to mysterious China

G'day.

I"ve been teaching this to all the Chinese teachers at my school. Bless. They now say it to me upon my arrival in the morning. I suppose this journey abroad has somewhat instilled a sense of patriotism in myself. It is true though, only in my absence have I realised the luckyness and opportunities bestowed upon us, merely by being born where we are. I mean, just having the basic security of a fair wage commission, adequate welfare, support for those with disabilities. The list could go on for days. Don't be mistaken though, I am relishing my time in this vast land called China, so much so in recent weeks I have endeavoured outside of the Shenyang community to places including; the wonderful Beijing, a small coastal city called Dalian and a few locations in Inner Mongolia. What a delight this country is.

I wish I knew more about Chinese culture. Their traditions and holidays are so mysterious to me, even still. From the 22nd to the 24th of October a celebration called the Mid-Autumn Festival took place. It was a grand time. I got to try the Chinese food delicacy, 'Moon Cake' and have 3 days of no teaching.
''What does a foreign teacher do during this time?'' I hear you ask! Well, us Shenyangians (Shenyangians; n; a term used to describe the 16 or so teacher interns placed in Shenyang, including myself, which hang out on a regular basis) got our travel bug on and after much difficultly, boarded a train to Dalian. The train ride was so lovely. Train rides that last for 4 hours are simply wonderful. I can just gaze out the window and admire all the wonder. Read a book. Listen to some tunes. And not get annoyed.

Dalian, what I liked most about this little metropolis were the blue skies. Everyday. Upon our arrival, we checked into the hotel, just so our basic physiological needs could be met. It was nice. Our view of the city was incredible (20th floor). Then just had a general browse around the city, it was small. Small for China, I should say. It just had this relaxed atmosphere, this vibrancy and intriguing architecture. I don't really remember the chronology of the trip, so I will just pick out a few highlight worthy moments. Finding Dairy Queen! This place completes me. They serve their ice creams upside down. Just saying, it's a bit awesome. That evening we went for a miscellaneous wander around the city and stumbled upon a small congregation of Chinese teenagers rollerblading. Their skills were really impressive. They were weaving around witches cones and doing various other tricks I'm not sure how to word.

I almost failed to mention, our trip to the beach. Potentially one of my favourite days in China thus far. Just chilling at the beach.
Jumped on a bus, jumped off the bus and there we were. I got really excited to see the horizon. The sun just decided to be golden that day, so thank you sun! Upon reaching the shoreline however, I did notice something obscure. PEBBLES, and sand. Mainly pebbles though. I imagine that is what every beach in England resembles, but for Australia it is an obscuirty. Not one that displeased me, just one I wasn't used to. I basked in the sun's glory for a short time, then went for a brisk stroll up and down the beach. It was stunning, mainly due to these gorgeous islands visible in the distance.

Another highlight was on the last day, and our trip to 'Labour Park'. The Chinese know how make a day at the park memorable. They make it aesthetically wondrous, fill it with an abundance to do and put a TV tower at the top- only accessible by a strenuous walk or cable car, ohh and they give it a most remarkable 365 degree view of the city. I only know because I went up there. Which transportation method did I take? It's irrelevant. I toboganned down. Which I enjoyed more than thoroughly.

I may be incorrect in saying this, but National Day on October 1st, potentially the 2nd largest holiday in Chinese culture? Ah well. I spent that particular day at Tiananmen Square, which is a kind of big deal considering 61 years ago, on that day, the People's Republic of China was founded by dear old Mao Ze Dong. And they celebrate this day by holding military shows at none other than Tiananmen Square. Millions converge on the square for this day, and that is believable. It was massive. They decorated the square with flowers, and these extremely long stone blocks which had none other than televisions inside of them. It was quite outlandish.

Our hostel was within walking distance of the square and a bit off topic, but our hostel- actually the greatest hostel ever. The walls were filled with notes from all those that travelled through it's halls and we got to leave a message there to. It was nice. I quoted Kahlil Gibran. He is appropriate for every situation. Back to National Day, which I should clarify is not exclusive to October 1st. Most of China has a one week holiday, and I was part of that lucky majority. I once again went travelling, first to Beijing then to Inner Mongolia, then to Beijing again.

Inner Mongolia was incredible, absolutely incredible. I remember when I stepped off the train. This chill just hit my bones. A chill I was not anticipating. Wearing only a jumper and jeans I was not expecting 1 degree celsius temperatures, but we dealt. By we, I am a referring to myself and my roomates Molly, that wonderful Australian and Konny, the crazy but hilarious German. Okay, so Molly and I didn't really know what to do at all, except shiver and wear as much clothing as possible. We boarded a tour bus straight away and went on our way from Hohot (the capital of Inner Mongolia) to Bautou, a city about an hour and a half away. Upon reaching this destination, the cold weather still subsisted, but the scenery distracted me from any negative feelings. Just these vast, open and wide landscapes. Stretching so far into the distance. There was not a single sky scraper in sight.

This place was called the Grass Lands and I liked them very much so. We went horse riding for two hours through them. And by horse riding, I don't mean anyone led us by string. These were real horses and we rode them by our lonesome. Sometimes the horses just decided to be non conformists and trot off and freak everyone out. No injuries took place, suprisingly, just sore bottoms the following day. We made a few pitstops on the horses, first to eat some Mongolian sweets, which were quite delicious, second to make a wish on this stone structure. I think mine came true.

After horse riding, it was lunch, where we were presented with a Mongolian scarf. I still have it in my ownership. A king and queen were selected for a ceremony to carve the lamb-lamb is kind of a big deal in Inner Mongolia. They cooked it like I would have on a Sunday evening back in Australia. It made me crave gravy. My friend Anna was the queen, she is Swedish and an absolute menace. I call her a behemoth because she is so tall. The king was moderately smaller than her, so when he had to piggy back her around the entirety of the restaurant, hilarity ensued. Baijo! -rice wine. Like, the most alcoholic drink ever. It's quite common in Inner Mongolia apparently. We had to take a shot of it upon arriving in Bautou and then again at the lunch ceremonial thing. Anna though, being the queen had to have 2 (quite large) bowls. Let's just say, she got a little intoxicated and later did some Mongolian style wrestling. I love that girl. Good egg.

The second day in Inner Mongolia involved going to the desert, which was once again amazing. I took quite a few pictures, potentially too many of merely sand. But it was just so visually stunning, these silhouettes of sand. At first it was a cable car ride, then a camel ride, then a train ride, then some walking and then we reached some sand sculptures which were quite remarkable. Took a few pictures of them. And a few moments later a traditional Mongolian dance occured. It was quite spectacular, I attribute it mainly to the guy which was playing with fire. Inner Mongolia was being pretty awesome. With it's beautiful landscapes and the wonderful company it kept.

Slightly off topic, but I was a bit of a popular gentleman in Inner Mongolia. First instance, eating dinner and the waiting staff start taking pictures of me on their phones- no, not the attractive blonde girl next to me. Second instance, visiting a temple in Hohot- a family of ten all ask for individual photos with me, then a collective one. This was subsequently followed by another two families asking for my face in pictures with their children. Most cities in China, locals are quite fascinated by Westerners, but not usually so much those with brown hair and eyes. It was flattering nonetheless. By far the most flattering occurence was when I was escorted off the tour bus by the guide because there was a young Chinese girl that had seen me through the window and wanted to know my name and phone number. Cute.

Inner Mongolia was great. But then it was back to Beijing, before the last stop- home, Shenyang. Upon our return to Beijing, it was straight off to the Temple of Heaven. Which was stunning. And huge. It was just such a lovely day spent there. Almost 6 hours. It was just filled with greenery and parks and, suprisingly temples. When the sun was setting it was most wonderful. At one point during the day, in the late afternoon. Molly, Anna and I helped out a busker by singing for him and attracting a large crowd of Chinese people. Earlier in the day I made up this song, in Chinese. Basically it just says 'ni feichang piaoliang' many times, which translated means 'you're very beautiful.' People were bopping along and smiling. It was nice.

The next day was the final day of the holiday, and it was spent at a place called Beihai Park, directly adjacent the Forbidden City, it was really lovely. I didn't get to explore it as much as I would have liked. This was due to time constraints for the train ride home. But let's just say I had a most endearing and memorable afternoon on a paddle boat in Beihai Park. That was it. All has been swell since my return to Shenyang, I have resumed teaching and love every moment of it. The weather is cooling down, last evening it was 6 degrees celsius. I am excited for what is about to come. Yet to get home sick, which is nice. That's not to say I miss every member of my life back in Australia.

I know this is long, and probably at times boring, but I just really wanted to provide a detailed synopsis of my adventures. I hope it was enjoyable for the most part.

Love from Tyler.

Bhaktapur; Characterless or Charming?

Today we are in Bhaktapur; a very medieval plae. It has a beautiful rural backdrop. Over the 2 days, I developed my appreciation wandering the streets aimlessly over a few hours with Bee and Rachel, to discover undiscovered temples and long, outstretched, walkways not found on maps or mentioned in any guide book.

We found mothers bathing their children near a well on narrow, sunlit alleyways. On the cobblestone streets we see most of the locals wear ragged clothes. A lot of the children are grubby. On the outskirts of Bhaktapur are many dusty brick houses and tiny and tight convenience stores. It took me an hour or 2 of exploring the inner streets to develop an appreciation, let alone the sheer enjoyment.
As Rachel later consulted her Lonely Planet after her aimless wander, she found the advice was exactly ‘to wander aimlessly’. As we have complete faith in our Nepal Lonely Planet, we figured we’ve probably travelled Bhaktapur as a true traveler is supposed to.

Jane and Bee’s mission was the find the Nepali lolly ‘jerry’, (Rachel; “It’s Garry!”) wheat flour deep fried with sugar. Megan and I also found what we’d like to add to our collection of masculine named lollies ‘Rocky’ (basically a tasteless pastry that is too hard to bother 2nd glancing).

We are staying in a lovely quaint hostel called ‘Big Bell guest house’ where we enjoyed the textual-perfect boiled eggs and banana porridge at Big Bell. “Solid well-run cheapie” says our ‘Nepal Lonely Planet’. Yes. We do have complete faith in it to a tee. We also devoured amazing spinach and mushroom enchiladas chowmein and buttered toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner at “Sunny Guest House”. The sunny place had a gorgeous pink sunset one night as we ate our first dinner there, and in the morning it was a glorious light blue as we were speaking on skype to our lovelies. It was also a good balcony overlooking a type of Nepalise fighting set up for tourists and the town folk to watch and witness. A DJ played annoying and out of tune remixes of lady Gaga and the Black eyed peas, yet it was interesting to watch this small arena full of people anticipating a good Nepalise fight, a bit like boxing, not as nitty gritty. On the last day we were there the Nepalise fighting teachers competed against each other, so that day had rather a large crowd.
There were a few crazy sightings including 3 sick dogs running at a chicken that got so scared it flew - and yes I did scream. There golden temple was small but stunning. Rachel, Bee and I strolled down to the Potters square. We took videos of the men carving and shaping the pots…and then ran away after they held out their hand for money. Skillage by us! We peeked inside barn structures and found there was lots of labor. The pots they form are quite dainty. Small little pots that fit in your hand are approximately 15 rupees (25c).

As we continued our little self tour down the side streets with multiple shrines and temples (supposedly there are more than the population of Nepal), Bee and I realized how brilliant beyond brilliant we were for thinking of the coolest present for our brothers; knives, we wondered how we could possibly get knives through airport security. Our plans from scheming unfortunately led us to be ending up in Thailand jail.
We walked past many shops on the small silent cobblestone streets that sold paintings painted so delicately with real gold, silver and bronze paint. I watched a few young men painting whilst sitting what seemed to be the Australian equivalent of aboriginal paintings, with the only assistance of a very fine brush. They seemed very patient and focused, only moving their hand muscles. Other places that sold paintings with handmade paper and pastel water colours seemed to soak up my heart. I want all of them. I am determined to buy a whole shop worth if I can. I did however buy almost a whole shop worth of beautifully beaded pillow cases…yeah… but they really are dazzling with the colours and beads in their little patterns. I promise mum!

We were very “happy snappy” (As Bee says) as we took photos hugging stone elephants and posing in front of 1000 year old courtyards. Paying for a walking tour? Nah…we’re experts! We live here now! We’re not tourist, pfft! When in sight of other foreigners, we’re like, ‘Nup! Get out! This is our territory. Durbar Square was crowded as it is tourist season, however it is hardly as crowded or tourist infiltrated at Bhaktapur compared to Kathmandu. The majority of us prefer this.
I really am glad I did Bhaktapur properly and walked through it taking in a lot more meaning with my meandering as I grew quite a connection and appreciation for a place I found dirty and basically unappealing to begin with.

Little tid bits:


Bhaktapur would not be the same without:
• Bee’s Happy snaps
• Kiri finding 3 museums in 1 day
• Esther loving her fried rice

• Megan and I bonding over our banana porridge every morning outside thevillage, regardless of which hotel we are staying at. (Megan always seems to pick the best thing on the menu. That really is talent)

• Bee and my chocolate hunts at the local supermarket and chocolate renditions regardless of where we are for dessert.

• Peanut butter is a must for Rachel at supermarkets – even in Bhaktapur
• Kiri and her amazing 15 rupee small pot buys



• Kiri, Rachel, Megan and my ‘Beaver Gang’ and mini ‘German Monopoly charade’ a restaurant. Yes I really do think that ‘Plein S-Gravenhage’ ‘Vreeburg Utrecht’ and ‘Ketelstraat Arnhem’ indicates that we may have sat at the wrong table. We weren’t wrong when a mouse showed up. A foreigner from the next room heard us squeeling and tried to assure us with “Don’t worry. In Nepal mice are pets.” Yeah…wee know. We do live with a bat, cat, 2 ‘more than friendly’ mice, a group of mosquitos we accidently befriended and not to mention a visit buy a 2m snake under our brothers pillow, Rachel, Kiri and Suza’s bedroom poles, and my bedroom food stash. Due to our Nepali not being much better, we’ll deffers try and sit at an English table next time, and away from ‘Vreiden ville’ or whatever it was. Maybe our friends Jerry/Garry and Rocky will be there to greet us and let all problems ooze out of our tastebuds.



• Waking up to “Banana Pancakes” on the roomie of the weekend; Esther’s ipod.
• Greeting Nicole and Suza on the ‘Calamushi’ bus ride home after their week in Putan/Bhaktapur.

• Going to school before heading home to play netball and throw and catch with a tennis ball for our Sunday sport day.
• Spinach and mushroom enchiladas
• Chowmein
• Glorious morning walks in the cool sun
• Internet sessions and hearing one of the 7 of us randomly laughing or gasping at the computer screen after reading news

• Shopping for toblerone at the supermarket
• Nepalise men wrestling
• Meandering
• The dogs and chickens fighting

International Grammar School Nepal Trek

We have arrived in Pohkara after completing a 7 day trek. All of us are resting as he trek was lots of fun but quite exhausting. On the trek there were some amazing views of some of the biggest mountains including Annapurna South and Machu Puchre, the mountain which has never been climbed before. We passed through many mountain villages, and although we slept all 6 nights in tents, 3 of the camping grounds were right next to village. On the first night, after a 600 meter climb we reached a camping ground which we shared with soldiers who were training. The camping ground was on the side of a hill and it had an amazing view, especially in the morning when the clouds had cleared. On the second night we camped in a bog. It was lots of fun. On the afternoon of the following day we got to Poon Hill, the highest point of our trek, at an altitude of 3.2km. We then walked down to a village called Ghorepani where we washed and camped. The next night we camped again in a village, this time called Tada Pani where we could wash again. The following day we walked down into a massive valley, and then camped halfway up the other side at Landruk. Finally we go to our last campsite at the Australian campsite, located 1 hour north of Dhampus. Today we walked down a long way to get to a wide valley floor from where we got a bus back to the Fairmount hotel in Pokhara.

School Term Begins in Cambodia - Alexandra's 5 weeks in Siem Reap

I have always been an avid scholar, and have always felt a seemingly unusual affinity towards the prospect of learning new things and befriending new people. Instead of dreading attending school every day and coming home even more half-cast than leaving, I was always the one who came home bursting with stories no-one truly cared for (which I told everyone anyway). Now, with my position somewhat reversed - me being the teacher instead of the student, I still feel the same way. My initial fear of teaching a class of students who neither understand the majority of my language, or have little background knowledge of it has been replaced by excitement at the prospect of seeing all of my students again each morning.
With the school term now officially begun (on October 2nd), more and more students are attending the morning classes at SHCC, and the Sangkheum girls have finally started their proper lessons. Alana and Beckett have been kept busy (as usual) at Jay's school with the constant stream of developmental plans they were encouraged to work on. Along with the website they've been creating, the excessive flooding at the school, the extraordinary amount of cleaning they have had to do and the arrival of Jay only days away now, they've been working extremely hard over the last few weeks to get to where they are now. However, a variety of sicknesses and ailments have got everyone here dropping like flies - from infected cuts to dengue fever, someone's had it. I suppose it will all make for interesting stories in the long run though, and everyone seems to be taking it in their stride.
After over five weeks of being in Cambodia, I feel I haven't properly expressed the brilliance which this country is bursting with. Our weekend trips are constantly filled with everyone's child-like awe at the surrounding beauty of this wholly foreign and completely new country, along with the rich excitement which can only come from the exploration of new places and situations. From attending a pre-dawn Buddhist ceremony at 4am, to visiting the floating village and floating forest, to once again hopping on a multiple hour bus ride (made even longer by a burst tire along the way) to Phnom Penh, and then back to teaching in a small, poor village just outside Siem Reap, we are all really beginning to get a picture of Cambodia in it's entirety. The horrifying past of Cambodia only succeeds in making me realise how truly amazing this country is, and how exceptionally fortunate I am to be able to live in a country like Australia where our past has not been coloured by terrible genocides or extreme poverty.

Oktoberfest in Argentina? Quick update from our GapBreak students

It's been a very hectic few weeks here in the roadhouse! Spring is truly here in Buenos Aires, and free time is spent soaking up sun on the terrace of the residence with some newly purchased speakers. One month in, everyone has more or less settled into their various routines of either ESL assistant teaching or volunteering and Spanish lessons. Those of us who chose to continue with Spanish lessons with our extremely patient teacher, Gabi, are finding our skills improving, although far too slowly for our liking! Myself and Lucie are starting to realise how great the language barrier truly is and how frustrating it is not being able to properly communicate with the children or the workers at our placement. Although, the children seem to be warming to us lately - instead of being "those strange two girls who don't understand us" we are slowly becoming "those strange Australian girls who understand a bit of us", which is definitely a positive sign. Those doing ESL assistant teaching, although working less hours than us volunteers, are enjoying their work, and from all reports seem to be treated like Gods by their students in the local private schools. Everyone is excited about our upcoming trip to Cordoba, where we are told the second largest celebrations of Oktoberfest in the world take place. Germany + Argentina can only equal greatness! All in all, Buenos Aires is a fantastic city and it's hard to believe we have already spent a month here!
Chau!

Special Education in Ecuador. Kelly's first month!

In one day from now we will have all been in Ecuador for a month. It seems crazy to think we have been here that long, because the time is flying by really quickly! We are all in the immersion stage of our volunteering placements, and getting the opportunity to learn about what our roles and responsibilities in Ecuador are for the three month volunteering period.
The placements that we are completing fall into four main categories: Medical assistance, early childhood care, teaching and special education.Each placement incorporates different expectations and levels of teaching for all volunteers who are participating. Although it took about a week for us all to choose our placements (some members of the group rotated around the placements for a few days to find the one that they were most comfortable completing) we are all enjoying the roles that we have been given. The placements occur primarily at primary schools, but also at medical clinics and day care centres. The placements so far are:

• Teaching: Edwina, Tess, Samantha, Alex, Olivia, Emily
• Early Childhood: Melissa, Garigarra, Bec
• Medical Assistance: Jess, Chloe, Katelan
• Special Education: Kelly, Steph, Klara, Katy, Erin, Caroline

More information on personal experiences of each placement will come through in later blogs. I know that for the special education placement at the Insitituto Insfidim por los ninos discapacidad, we are all being exposed to different disabilities. The exposure to different disabilities makes it more difficult to plan lessons (what you teach to a class of physically disabled young people is different to a class of mentally disabled children, and again different when there is a combination of abilities under your care). Although it is sometimes difficult to accommodate these varying abilities, when the lesson plans work out well it makes it all the more worthwhile and special ☺

Also in the last week Ecuador has made the news with another round of political instability. This occurred whilst we were at our placements on Thursday the 30th of September. Due to the quick thinking and telephone abilities of Alex, Caroline and Marcelo, all volunteers left their placements early to return to their apartments (in the safer part of Quito). We were informed that riots had broken out within Quito city regarding new government laws in relation to the financial benefits given the police force and the military.

During the day on Thursday we were informed that the main airports in Ecuador were seized, the national assembly was stormed and the president was held captive in the police hospital. On Thursday night the president was freed by the military (unfortunately 8 people died in the attempt) and since then the situation has changed completely. I have never seen a political situation change from one extreme to another extreme in such a short period of time! On Friday you could barely tell that anything had occurred the day previously. The only difference was the higher military presence on the streets of Quito.

Our group of volunteers had intended to travel to the town of Banos on the weekend of the riots, but were unable to go due to the traffic blocks that had been put in place. Instead we remained in Quito for the weekend, sticking close to our houses and spending time with the volunteers that live within a close proximity to ourselves. This was a bit of a change of birthday plans for Melissa, who celebrated her 19th birthday in the midst of political instability. The majority of our group will be travelling to Banos on the 8th of October instead, as it has become a lot safer to travel outside of the city now.

Another blog coming soon!

Kelly

Team A IGS - Hello from Nepal!

Hello from Nepal!

This is team A of International Grammar School just letting everyone know that we're alive and well :)
Right now we are in day 5 of the trip and day 2 of the community project in the Tibetan monastery. Yesterday we started with a bang and finished a three hour task in only one hour! the worker men were very impressed with our speed and i think we gave them a few tips by our stone and brick passing chains. Nepal right now is SO very hot!! Everyone is drinking as much fluids as we can get our hands on and sunscreen is being slathered on frequently! But we are none the less working hard and vigorously to get this kitchen done for the monks. After we finished work for the day yesterday at 5.00, us Australians and the monks versed each other in some soccer matches outside. it was so lovely to see the two of us relate and converse over something so familiar to us both.

Day 1 of the trip was a slow start having a 9 hour plane trip then stopping for the night in the Novotel in Bangkok. Waking up and then catching another 2 hour plan trip straight into Kathmandu where we were greeted by MANY people eager to take a look at us Westerners and smells like no other. We then had a bus trip and a walk to a lovely lodge called the Holy Lodge. After the most amazing walk into Durbar Square followed by a dinner of sitting on the floor in our own room and laughing, being entertained by our amazing group.
The next day we woke up and started our supposed to be 7 hour trip that turned into about 10 because of the traffic! But we eventually got to Pokhara, settled in and then spend the night shopping in the rain. After that night we got a bus trip to the monastery where we settled into our amazing rooms of (girls) all sleeping together in one big room and the boys having their own rooms.

So that was a little bit of a recount of our first 5 days in Nepal and as the internet time of this small internet cafe place is running out i'm rappnig this up.

Namaste,
Team A IGS