Quick update:
Realized that it's been a while since I last updated my thread about my adventures in China.
Well, lately it's been pretty uneventful. However, here's something that happened earlier today that's worth reporting
On September 22, I reported that there was a piece on the local paper about my school and its football section and about me.
Today, during lunch, the school's principal invited me to join him at his table. He was with 2 other Chinese guys who happened to be journalists from the major local TV station. They were in the school to do a piece about the school's football section and that I was to be featured in it!
We briefly chatted while sitting at the table, but once again, due to language barrier, I couldn't talk much with them.
So in the first training of the afternoon, there were a group of cameramen setting up their cameras near where I was conducting my training. They filmed for a good half an hour, from the first gathering of the students to the warm up and half of the exercises during that hour.
I don't know yet when it will air, but I'm extremely curious as you can imagine, to see it!
So within 10 days of me being in China, I was featured in the local paper. And within 6 weeks of being here, I am now on the local tv news! At this rate, wonder what would be the next step? Being hosted by a radio or tv show?
In other news, a guy I know is going to open his Language Training Centre and is asking me to run it for him, as if it were my own biz. I'm still in the research phase of things, gathering info from people I know about the ins of running an English Training Centre. It is very tempting but I need to really think this through. While I'm sure it could be a lucrative venture, It would also be quite the time pit.
Other than that, things are going good here. I'm slowly getting used to things here and getting a good lay of the land in HZ. Building a cool but reliable nucleus of friends from around the world here. I am feeling more alive than ever before.
Making slow but steady improvements with the language. I'm starting to remember some words more easily than before as I'm being exposed to them constantly every day. My students in my trainings are teaching me basic but very useful words in Chinese.
Girls wise, it's getting better by the week!
Only thing I'm missing from back home are family, good homemade food and not being able to watch football matches due to the time differences with Europe as games start around midnight to 3am China time. Not to mention, not being able to watch the NBA season about to start!
Other than that, so far it's going good and it's reaching cruising speed at this time.
Planning my next trip. My good Italian buddy who lived a few years in East Africa, wants me to join him there for Christmas but I also would like to return home as I miss family big time. Specially my niece and nephew! But there's also the Philippines just a stone's throw away and very cheap flight away from here which would make for a fantastic vacation venue!
Decision time!