16th March"Ni hao!" "Ni hao ma?" I speak a little more to my tutor, Sunny. She's impressed, as she thought she was starting from the beginning with me. "Where did you learn Chinese?" She asks. "Chinese For Beginners, on my i-pod!"I was nervous but excited about my first lesson, but all in all it went well. I went over the basics with Sunny and learnt new sentences, such as "This is my..." "What is your name?&...

Date: 13th MarchAlarm Time: 7amHours slept: 4 hoursWeather: 18 degrees celcius. Winter has finally handed over the baton to Spring :)Checklist: Found a Chinese tutor"Be nice to teacher today, teacher is very tired!" as children roll on the floor, kick balls across the classroom or pretend to be animals.I never go out at weekends, early mornings with 3 year olds, it doesn't work! A house party was taking place in Shanghai on Saturday night and with over ...

8th MarchI continually put my jacket on and take it back off, as the sun peers in and out of the clouds, as I sit out on the balcony. Construction work takes place in the apartment blocks next to us, drilling, banging but it feels like a distance sound. I've started reading 'Slumdog Millionaire' It's an accomplishment, as I have yet to find the zone for reading since coming to Songjiang. I need to able to read a book in peace, for the author to take me away on hi...

6th MarchTo do list:Buy a bicycleI never know when James sneezes until it's too late. He always manages to sneeze when I'm talking to children on the other side of the room. James is only 3 and hasn't understood the concept of either sniffing back up what he has let out or calling 'teacher' for help. He just sits there, snot hanging down to his chin, helpless. My Sunday morning class varies from 3 years old up to 8. James repeats everything I say, literally every...

3rd March'Legs crossed? Check. Straight back? Check. Right hand placed in my left hand? Check. Head slightly tilted? Check. Eyes slightly closed? Check. And now to focus on my breathing' 15 minutes isn't long to just relax, should be a dodal! 'In through my nose and out through my mouth. In and out. In and out' My thoughts interupt this process. I start again focusing on my breathing. Thoughts, ideas, things to do, all these things. 'How long was that? 5 minutes,...