Winter Arrives

Well, winter arrives as predicated accurately in my previous blog.  It WAS the last good week of weather, with the temperature dropping on Saturday before induced snow fell on Sunday.  The 'powers that be' ordered some more of that silver iodide to be seeded into the sky, causing Beijing's earliest snowfall in a decade.  I believe that news of planned seeding is spread by word of mouth, or by guesswork.  Either way, it took a lot of Beijingers by surprise.  I still dream of Organon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8337337.stm


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRHA9W-zExQ

http://picasaweb.google.com/Garry.Roffe/SnowMadeInChina#

I had a great week with Garry being here.  He stayed at 701 and moved out, as planned, following the snowfall on Sunday.  We visited 798 Art District before he left, although wet shoes put a huge dampener on enjoying any art.  The BBC liked my short film of the snowfall and wanted to use it, but then didn't, leaving (BBC Correspondent) Quentin Sommerville's piece up instead on the website.  Garry's contract finishes in January 2010, but he is pretty certain to remain in Pusan for another 12 months and probably with the same firm.  Any half-hearted idea of moving to Beijing was always unlikely and kicked into touch completely by the plummeting temperatures.  Pusan was experiencing temperatures that were 18 degrees warmer.  No brainer!  On Friday, we ventured to the Bookworm for a fancy dress 1793 themed murder mystery. The concubine on the left was killed.  The maid on the right did it!

So my 'big' into 1603, a move from one tower block (E) to an adjacent (both are connected to F) block (G), went off smoothly.  I am now fully resident with Xiaodan's auntie, her cousin, Ting Ting and nephew, Fu Fu.  I have agreed to taking Fu to school each weekday morning, as it is in my direction, and i don't have to go out of my way.  We often meet Le Le  (which Fu translates as 'happy happy') on the way to school.  Honestly, it's starting to sound a bit like the Teletubbies round here:   Ting-ky Winky, Dipsy (that's me), Le Le, Fu!  I'm already very settled and it is such a relief to know that I won't be on my own this winter, with cooked food, my own hot shower and spacious desk space.  My job, which I have already chosen to accept, is to teach Fu for at least 1 hour x 5 nights per week.  This week I made the breakthrough discovery that he can't consistently pronounced the 'n' sound, opting to say 'l' instead.  I've come across the 'l' and 'r' confusion, but this appears unique having done some internet research.. Therefore, the simple word 'no' is pronounced as 'lo', although bizarrely he can correctly pronounce 'November'!

The view from 1603 clearly defines CAFA's boundaries.  I am in no mood to discuss the in-depths problems that are going on at that place, between us and them... but it is tense to say the least.  However, I am perfectly fine and riding the crest of the argumentative wave, paragliding at least two air currents above it all.  We have a new Australian teacher who has taken over one of the classes, leaving my line manager to control things and get things organised... which they haven't been up til now.  We are going to prove quite a few people wrong and deal with the patronising attitude of some, who mistakenly believe that we don't understand the Chinese attitude toward education and the best method of teaching!

Can't be bothered to upload any more photos.

Anyway, gotta go... King Fu panders after me... 

TPxx