Come Away With Me

Don't be shy now. Eat all you can from the sumptuous fares below. Rice, beef and some unidentified vegetables Sausage is very popular here. Eat all the ducks you can. More sausage! You will never have to borrow or share "sausage." You can have your own :) Are you a pork lover? Well, if you love it that much, you can have the pig's face. Yum! Yum! Prefer bigger sausages? Well, help yourself. Big and perhaps, tasty :) Pumpkins galore! Look like turnips I love their carrots. Squash (I think.) I think these are smaller sweet peppers. Pork again  Tripe...I am not sure from which animal (could be canine :) ) What a pretty piece a pork?

Over the past week, I have been learning quite a bit about China. I made the following discoveries, and I was truly fascinated by a number of them.    In recent years, school was held from 8:00am to 9:30pm (Sunday to Sunday). Now, schools commence at 6:30am and end at 5:00pm. If students have to miss regular classes because of a test or examination, or a public holiday, they have to attend formal make-up classes at the school on a Sunday (6:30am to 5:00pm). School is held even during very inclement weather conditions (rain, snow or shine). This is unlike Jamaica where schools are closed or dismissed early because of unusual rainfall.   Each class is only 45 minutes long and is followed by a 10-minute break. Students therefore get a short respite after every session.   Every classroom has a multimedia projector and interactive whiteboard to foster student engagement.        Students are uniformed in sweat suits. It is q...

Here is a view of the high school where I teach. The campus is quite immaculate :) 

I took a taxi today and the driver insisted on having a conversation with me. Now, I really couldn't communicate "no" to him so I responded with "Yeah man," Same way," "Yahmejah," (Jamaica), "Yuh know where you taking me, right?" "Cut cross yah suh," "Tun up the road," "Up deh suh me a come off" and "Let me off right yah suh." At some points during the conversation, he was convulsing with laughter. What did I do? I guffawed just the same. All in all, we had a good chat. Lord knows what he was saying to me :)  A taxi in Songyuan

Songyuan is a small town in Jilin Province, China.  It is quite modern in appearance and very clean. The locals are unbelievably friendly   and accommodating.  They always greet me warmly and treat me like such a celebrity here.  Whenever I am walking in the streets, people wave, ask to take pictures  with me and ask about my birth country (Well, I think that is what they ask because when I respond "Yahmejah" ---Jamaica,  they smile and nod their heads.) Despite the language barrier, I really like it here :) This an expensive shopping mall in front of the school. Loving the environmental print, although I cannot read a thing  My teaching assistant, Catherine, walking about 

This is takeaway in China :) I would have asked for a Styrofoam box, but I wasn't sure how to.  Yes, I had to go with the flow :)

My address! I dare not transcribe :)

This tasted good enough for consumption. I had most of it :) Food - rice with eggs, fried fish, pork and vegetables. (The liquid in the bowl is soup.  However, I am uncertain of its kind because I refused to experiment.)

These are the chicken wings that they gave me when I placed my order.  Note that only the bony parts were served as the waitress completely misunderstood me :)