barbarus hic ego sum qui non intelligor illis (or, when i say chicken, i don't mean bones and gizzardy bits)

Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001
From: Ceels
Subject: barbarus hic ego sum qui non intelligor illis (or, when i say chicken, i don't mean bones and gizzardy bits)

Until I left the hotel I had not realised what a buffer zone the tour was. A very large comfy fat buffer zone, available for lounging against, peering over and generally being depended on. Although this is NOT to say that it was not a good idea, it was a splendid idea. The shock of transition from hotel to teacher's dorm was scarcely a blip compared to the shock that Port Fairy in summer to foreign teacher's dorm would have been.

Half the agony was due to being in a temporary room and that it snowed for like four days. But last night I moved into treen and jamie's old room and found all the stuff they left for me (did I mention I love them?) and had a lovely night setting up a little nest for myself, fortunately there are two beds because I sat on one and it fell apart.

And today it is sunny.

I have borrowed some ideas from the people on the tour for dealing with China.

*From Bernard that the best way to clean the mud off your shoes is with a hotel toothbrush.

*From Celina that the best way to gain revenge for the spitting is audible (or (ahem) smelly) farting, apparently most Chinese people find this at least as offensive as I find the spitting (if it was just spitting I could deal with it, but the other part... oh, I can bear thinking about it.)

*I am going to apply Eric's enthusiastic dedication to trying every beer to trying the confectionery (thus far with mixed results, best to stick with Snickers).

*And from Nicky (tour leader) that there is no China induced woe that cannot be fixed with chocolate, a hot bath and an Andy Lau VCD.

It has just occurred to me that as of next week I have to start teaching people to speak English and I haven’t the faintest idea how.

love you all
ceels