Sorry for not updating this sooner/more often! From September 28th- October 3rd Kathryn and myself had time off teaching, so we spent the week travelling around our province, Jiangxi. Jiujiang and Mount Lu Saturday morning we were packed and off to Jiujiang! Barely on the train 5 minutes and we were approached by two college students who were keen to learn about the UK and practice their English, so most of the two hour journey was spent talking to them. That ...

Last Saturday, after a crazy yet amazing 9 days in Beijing we left to go to our projects. After 12 hours overnight on a train we arrived in Nanchang, the Provincial Capital of Jiangxi. Getting off the train at 7.30am from a fairly sleepless night, we were met by our waibans (two women called Sophia and Ivy, who we can approach for anything we need or when we require help). 2 ½ hours driving out of the city and further and further into the countryside, we arriv...

I've been in Beijing a little over 24 hours yet still have experienced far more than ever imagined. As soon as we were off the plain we were whisked off through the thick smog to a banquet room near our hostel where we were given the strangest array of foods. Ducks blood made into a strange jelly, ducks feet, squid, seaweed, and what I think what appeared to be pigs' brain were offered to the 21 of us - all of whom were exhausted after the 24 hour long journey. ...

With only a week to go I thought it would be best to tell you all about my project in China.I have been placed in the South East province of Jiangxi, in a small town called Yihuang. It is a hilly and green province with wide, open, valleys and many lakes and rivers. Every spare flat piece of land is a paddy field and rice farming dominates the economy. Water buffalo pulling ploughs and peasant farmers trudging through the mud are everyday sights. The rivers are m...