China

I decided to indulge myself and get a backrub. They are very cheap here and I had heard good things. I went to the massage parlor close to our apartment and paid 50RMB for the best full body massage I have ever had. That’s just over $8 (Canadian) for an hour massage. The staff were very interested in me, but they did not speak English. My massage therapist left the room and the one beside...

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Hi,everybody Recently I'm looking for English teacher working in shanghai ,Beijing,Hangzhou and many other cities in China,I dont know whether there is somebody who is interested in this position ,please contact me via 540834322@qq.com or christinasld@hotmail.com or skype:christinasld.

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My First Class After some brief training, James and I were thrown in front of the class this past weekend to try our hand at teaching. My first class was a group of 7 students between the ages of 3 and 6. They were beginner, and most couldn't say or understand any more English than 'Hello, how are you?'. I used flash cards, games, actions, drawing and songs to teach them responses to that question,...

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So I have not been on here or anywhere for a while, I'd like to apologise profusely, however in my defense I was hit by a taxi who was curious to see what would happen if he hit a laowai with his taxi, as it happens exactly the same thing that happens to everyone else, and just to let you know it hurts.Basically after an epicly long day at work I had to get home...

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“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go…’” – Lisa St. Aubin de Teran My GCSE English teacher (and major crush) told me that a good way to start an essay is straight in with a quote, which I’m inclined to agree with. I like that quote and it fits this next essay (yes it’s an essay). I’ve had a backpacker epiphany; a...

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Ok.  So the end of college life is approching fast, and I assumed throughout the year that I would simply stay in Ireland working in my usual pain-in-the-rear-end job as a shop assistant selling overpriced jeans to rude people and make money in order to run really fast from this country come September. But the thought has suddenly crossed my mind, why wait until then? So I have started looking for summer jobs teaching English....

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So i-to-i have asked me to give you all a run-down on my top 5 reasons to love China. Well, that’s a tall order but I think I’m up to the challenge. And a challenge it is.  First of all, where to start? You see the thing about China is you either love it or hate it. There is no in-between, and I don’t know of many people who have hated it here.  So if...

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Hiking Purple-Gold Mountain One clear, crisp morning we decided to climb Purple-Gold Mountain, one of Nanjing's most famous tourist sites. Since it was a sunny day, we were anticipating a spectacular view of the city and surrounding land from the mountain peak. After 20 minutes on bicycles, 15 minutes on a subway, and 2 hours of hiking up steep steps, we finally got to the top only to see a giant cloud of grey smog...

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Scorpions…starfish…seahorse…just a few of the many snacks our interns are currently nibbling on as they kick start their time in China. (They are optional- we promise!) Take a spot of Karaoke, some dancing -throw in some great food, a whole range of people, a Chinese calligraphy lesson  and you’ve got yourself a red hot orientation! Whether you missed the boat, plan to go on the August internship or are simply a little curious about this...

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I was feeling a little off this morning. One issue I am struggling with here in China is the language barrier. I needed to go buy more bottled water and was thinking about my inability to interact with the staff at the market right by my apartment. They don’t speak any English, and I don’t speak Mandarin. They recognize me now as I have gone in the last 2 days and are starting to become...

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