Photos photos photos! Freakin finally!

Right well at long last we have our laptops up and running and actually connected to the internet. This means we can finally spam you with some photos so you can actually see where we are. Here they are, in no particular order:

Our first real view of China, the good ol stitched Australia car seat covers. Dont worry, every seat in the minivan had one!

Think this kind of view the whole trip. Not non-stop skyscrapers, but non-stop..STUFF.

Our door. They asked us which sign we'd like out front, either double happiness(which I think can mean marriage or something) or fortune. I gave them a resounding fortune request. I think what we ended up was a version of luck anyway - shucks. Interesting note, we are on lvl 2, which in reality is lvl 1. They count the ground lvl as 1, the first floor as 2 etc - just like the Americans do, i'm told.

Our particularly comfortable couch - pre gaudy cushions.

Courtney demonstrating one of our initial favourite Chinese pasttimes.

Our massive dining table covered with mostly food gifts. Most people we know have in some way shape or form bought us food. Bottom left, the two sticky rice things in cups...didn't taste so flash, came from Mr Pan. The box of 30 individually wrapped oranges came from Mrs Pan. The bowl of mini-mandarins was bought for us, along with some nut things, at a highway stop thing enroute from Shanghai to Wuxi. The popcorn was bought by Raymen in town while we had a little explore. It's really good actually, has been drizzled in honey by some old woman in front of a sort of can fire thing. Special mention to the dried pork with honey snacks and the tupperware container with some of our gigantuan box of cookies inside. The apples and bananas have no tale, nor does Courtney's beloved NW crozzle.

Our kitchen. That kettle has since been binned after I melted the handles off it. I mean christ sake, you'd think they wouldnt put plastic handles on it if it's sitting on a flame!! Or maybe i just made it too hot.

This bathroom has brought us much happiness, and even more sadness. At least there's a nice bamboo outlook through the window.

Our bedroom and luxurious king-sized bed, now in rock hard flavour.

The lounge room is a good size. We'll make it more homely soon, heat was priority no.1. There's a built in balconey off it also.

Our new best friend. We love him...

..so much.

If you look closely, you will see our apartment labled, Foreign Experts. Luckily I managed to persuade this one to stand in front of the shot to add to the authenticity.

Behind our building, and actually all over the campus are highrise apartments such as this. The teachers and their families live in this one. Whenever we complain about being cold or dodgy hot water, we think that they probably have it worse at times, and likely dont complain, like us softy westerners.

Wuxi's very own Effiel Tower. The district of Wuxi we live in is called Dong Ting, I believe it means East Wuxi.

Bridges such as this are built to feed diagonally across a space as Evil Spirits can only travel in straight lines. Somehow this one appears unaffected.

Actually that reminds me, speaking of evil spirits, we were speaking to one of the english teachers about English names and how all her class mates had picked one but she hadnt as she knew they all had meanings and wanted one she liked. She said she liked the sound of Lucifer, which she had heard meant..Bringer of Light. Erm no.

A large Urn thing situated in a bamboo forest. I am not sure what it means. The school has a number of such things, including a large stone book, some meaningful looking waterfalls etc. The bamboo was quite lovely, but obviously hit hard by the recent snow. In fact the whole schools gardens were basically browned and flattened by obvious snow cover. It's a shame, but it will likely look great when it's all revitalised. Courtney's main question for the bamboo was, "Why are they using bamboo to hold up other bamboo?" I think she's slowly becoming Chinese.

Situated along one of the main schools roads are these plague things with photos of previous students who have gone on to do big things. There's the unpredictable smattering of military and government looking people in always happy poses. Behind this sign is the canteen.

This is the school's main thoroughfare. It's a huge area dead in the middle of school. I took a movie of the middle which i will see if i can somehow upload to show how big it is. On lamp posts all around it are speakers which blare this totally odd quasi-classical music. It is here that all the students come in the mornings to do their excersises and so on. It happens at 6am we're told - naturally we havent seen it.

This is the schools largest building. I have absolutely no idea what's in it but i guess the audatorium is in here. Havent really seen people coming in or out of it yet.

The school's canteen is massive. Teachers eat on the second level. It's large and sparse, like you'd imagine a prison caffeteria to be. You line up at counters, get served some sloppy looking vegetables, rice, meat (fish heads too if you wish, woot!), then sit down to eat. At the end, you take your tray to these massive bins, scrape off the food scraps(which are numerous as the servings are huge), then throw your tray into a huge pile, and chopsticks into a bin of quite possibly the most chopsticks we have ever seen. Then there old friendly looking cleaner women in cleaner uniforms clean it all up. Lovely job that one!

This path leads around the front of the canteen past the schools huge middle lake. The building you can see in the background is actually our apartment. We have a really nice view. And deservingly so, we're experts on Foreign stuff!!!

This giant golden apple is the schools pride and joy. I think mainly because it's huge, gold and an apple. Here Courtney is showing her new found respect.

It's a little off, but it has to be done.

There's a large canal right beside the school. There are canals all over the place around here. We havent yet found the ones that are busy with barge traffic.

They really look quite beautiful in photographs...

..if you ignore the actual water quality :) But hey, would you put your hands into the Yarra? Didn't think so.

Self portrait time.

In our first venture out into the local town, we found a coffee store. This is actually just across the road and down a little from the school(down that top left road). When we got near the front door, two chinese girls both pulled open the double doors, and they, along with the guy in full chef regalia behind the door all chorused, "Good Morning!!!" It was BIZZARE. They then whisked us away upstairs where we sat watching the comedy that is this intersection. They have to be seen to be believed.

This heavily decorated piano was just opposite our table, isnt it beautiful? I particularly like the glass box it's sitting on filled with fake grass. It just touches me on an emotional level.

And last but not least, this was the coffee I ordered. A cappucino. Complete with dainty english looking china, it came caked in thick sweet whipped cream with a curl of orange peel on the top. Mmmmh Mmmm! After I had eaten the cream and mixed in the remainder, final taste verdict? Average. It was nice to sit back in the couches there though, they at least were comfortable. I think any couch feels comfortable actually after our little baby back home.