29 November 2020 (the correct date this time!) Global Covid Cases: 62,563,184*Bitcoin Price: $17,661.80Gold Price: $1,787.50ZAR 15.26 = 1US$Number of Stresemann’s Bristlefront (a bird) known to be left in the wild: 1** Days until Trump leaves office:52 days 1,250 hours75,038 minutes4,502,310 seconds*** And Diego Maradona passed away this week. RIP. ***************************I now teach a morningContinue reading “Teaching (with) Kids”
Category Archives: Journal
White House Super Spreader
22 November 2020! Goodness gracious me, its been a long time since my last post! 3 months or 93 days days if anyone is counting. Thank you to the two people who reminded me that this blog has been somewhat neglected (shout out to Jason and Roy for the reminders)! Neglected like democracy in theContinue reading “White House Super Spreader”
Arriving in China – Day One
Experienced June 2017 Our move to China in 2017 was rapid. Too rapid. It was an unusual move. I have been asked (and often ask myself) “How does a geologist from South Africa get into marketing for a biometrics group in Guangzhou, China?”. Glad you asked. Here’s how… I first heard of the available positionContinue reading “Arriving in China – Day One”
Did you see my Ninja Roll!
Not sure what it was exactly, but 3 weeks into teaching Kindergarten I decided to throw myself off my scooter, fracture my right wrist and damage the tendons in my left wrist… 40 years old and I’m still throwing myself off skateboards and scooters…should have got all of that out of my system when IContinue reading “Did you see my Ninja Roll!”
Can you say “thorax”?
Following my recent redirection into teaching, I have been substituting as a second language English teacher at a bilingual kindergarten. It is a 7 week gig courtesy of the restrictions COVID has placed on the poor teachers who have not been allowed to return to China since they took leave for their Chinese New YearContinue reading “Can you say “thorax”?”
Overlord Pigs Feet Medium Rare
3 June 2020 No blog about one’s experiences in China would be complete without some reference and descriptions of the food. The 2011 Lonely Planet guide to China states “Guangzhou has a gastronomic culture and legendary cuisine” with “world renowned Cantonese cuisine”. If you are a foodie, then expectations may be high. If your experienceContinue reading “Overlord Pigs Feet Medium Rare”
Eels and Tofu
Experienced 15 January 2020 In the days before Corona, before COVID-19, before Wuhan, before isolation, before face-masks and social-distancing, I attended Robbie’s end of term “Open Day” at his Kindergarten.The kids put on some song and dances for us in the class room, following which we went outside where there were a number of stallsContinue reading “Eels and Tofu”
Hamsters and Yu
8 May 2020 CoVID-19 Pandemic Day #107 Our hairless hamster died last week. It died hairless, and had been hairless for about 2 months due to the ringworm it had picked up. It had also developed an abscess on its cheek from scratching itself. So the poor thing was a bit of a mess.Her name wasContinue reading “Hamsters and Yu”
Ni Hao Daughter and Son
I received a text message from a Chinese colleague on 21 January this year. First, he complimented me on the family photograph I have as my WeChat profile. He then went on to write: “You know in Chinese, we say “Hao” [which] means “Good”, [and] “Ni Hao” means “How are you?”. Do you know howContinue reading “Ni Hao Daughter and Son”
Is this your wife’s gallbladder?
Experienced January-February 2019, and May-June 2019 At the beginning of 2019 Shauna was suffering from a pain in her abdomen, so we checked her in to the Clifford Hospital about two weeks before Chinese New Year* (January 2019). It turned out that the pain was from the presence of gallstones in her gallbladder. What isContinue reading “Is this your wife’s gallbladder?”
