A lazy morning around the hostel having a late breakfast and coffee, then Hannah came to meet up with us. Around lunchtime we headed out to the Olympic Stadium to see the famouns Birds Nest building. It was very impressive from the outside, but when you got in it looked no different from any other sports stadium which was a little disappointing for 50 yuan. Next stop was Subway for a sandwich and then Starbucks for coffee and home.

Another early start - this time to meet Natasha (a fellow escapee from MP who is one her way to Sydney) in Beijing. We headed out to the 798 Art District which is a lovely area North of the city with lots of Art Galleries and cafes. We started off with a coffee and a Tuna Sandwich (real bread!!) then looked around the galleries and little gift shops, stopping for a cup of tea en route. We ended up spending about 5 hours there which was a lovely way to loose an af...

Decided today that I need to check that my tooth was okay with a dentist who could actually speak English, so I made an appointment and set off early for the International Friendship Clinic in Beijing. It took less time to get there than expected, but luckily there was a Starbucks just up the road and so I treated myself to a Dark Cherry Mocha whilst I was waiting. The dentist was lovely - spoke perfect English and explained everything to me. I was really happy t...

Had a good day teaching and then English Corner this evening. This week Grade 2 had an exam in their 8th period so again they couldn't come and we got kicked out of our room 45 early because of some 'competition'. Honestly, it's so difficult trying to do anything nice here!! Still, it was good fun and we had a lot of people turn up and then follow us around the building trying to find somewhere to sit. We got a text message today from someone saying they were fro...

A good day at school - one where I actually feel this teaching lark isn't that bad after all!! The students really seem to like the activities which are based around listening to the music, although it is exhausting trying to second guess all of the inventive ways they can think of to cheat!! Still, I'm thinking it is good that they care enough to try and think of them! Class 3 was particuarly manic - I had to replace both my copies of the lyrics at the end becau...