Saturday 01 September

Manhole cover in the College
 - part of an ongoing series
of manhole covers around the world.
Just wait for the exhibition.

Today I was shown the teaching rooms that I’ll be using. Fortunately they are all ‘multimedia’ rooms with computer projectors, speakers and microphone facilities…all in Chinese.

And blackboards. Remember them, and chalk. It’s been a while since I’ve seen, let alone used one. Not sure if chalk and keyboards will mix.

Also, I think we’ve been a bit spoiled – Colour printers? A3 printers? Laminators? The students are not allowed to bring laptops into the college, let alone using printers, so some of my ideas for teaching, where they do homework or assignments, print them and bring them in, are now out the window.

Snow beer -
Light and Refreshing

In the supermarket. There's 6.5 RMB to $1

What’s nice is that everything is operated by smart cards, including the control panels in the ‘multimedia’ rooms which can also be used as debit cards at the cafeteria or other college facilities.

It’s also evident that the buildings are built to a price, although that probably applies to lots of schools and colleges in Australia.

Another trip to the supermarket today for some more supplies, mostly fruit and fluids. No wine has touched my lips yet, but I have made a couple cans of Snow disappear.

What’s nice is that everything is operated by smart cards, including the control panels in the ‘multimedia’ rooms which can also be used as debit cards at the cafeteria or other college facilities. It’s also evident that the buildings are built to a price, although that probably applies to lots of schools and colleges in Australia.

Another trip to the supermarket today for some more supplies, mostly fruit and fluids. No wine has touched my lips yet, but I have made a couple cans of Snow disappear.

Street restaurants adjacent to the
College/University

Tonight I braved one of the local restaurants for dinner. I thought I was ordering stir fried noodles with beef and vegetables. What arrived was a bowl of noodles in a very thin tomato  sauce with a of small amount of sliced greens. Oh well!

Gansu Street Restaurant with the outside
noodle boilers where I had dinner.

No complaints about the noodles or flavour though. I can imagine those early travelers from the west hundreds of years ago arriving hungry and ordering something else but getting this as well.

What was interesting was the noodles were made as we waited, by stringing dough by hand, and then throwing the strung noodles straight into a boiling cauldron of water. The noodle maker was inside, the cauldron and the cook were was outside with a window in separating them. All very efficient and logical. Also at times he used something like a potato peeler to shave bits of dough directly into the water for other dishes. The cost of the meal…about $1.50.