Bad Hair Day (Courtney)

I think the weather forecast on my computer says it all - "Currently 28 degrees, feels like 34". I can safely say that yes, it's not only warm but getting more humid by the day. My frizzy hair will not be subdued and I fear that it's going to be a long, unattractive summer...

Today is May Day...so uh, Happy May Day everyone! This is the first year the Chinese haven't had a 7 day holiday for May Day, with this year's holiday being only 3.

I just returned from a long stroll around the school - thought it would be a good opportunity to take some pics without there being people everywhere. Marcus and I have chosen to stay in Wuxi for the holiday, as opposed to about 700 million other people who all travel home to their families. We figure it will give us a good chance to actually do some "sightseeing" around town, but we will see how that goes.

So please find below some pics of the school sans students...

Soccer Field/Athletics Track

Many many basketball courts

Yesterday some of the courts were made into a makeshift carpark as hundreds of parents arrived to collect their kids. Kinda made me wish my parents were picking me up for the holidays!

Student toilets...with doors that only come up to chest height. We wont discuss what the actual toilets look like...

Interior of the canteen. The canteen is huge. The teachers order from windows 64 & 65 - no joke. This is the lower level.

My office. Very inspiring.

Senior 1 Teaching Building - where Marcus and I spend our days.

These little huts are dotted around the school and are for the dumping of rubbish. Taking out the rubbish here has been given a whole new meaning for us...if you could see & smell these things in real life...

Some of the noticeboards have new pictures on them. This is "Sarah"...(who I named)

And this is Wei. Wei is one of the cool boys - sadly he is not wearing his very funky white chunky glasses. Wei is one of few students who emails me - and he writes like a gangstar! Ah, he cracks me up and I look forward to his emails and talking with him after class.

A three wheel cart - I want one of these so much, it would be so handy around here. In the afternoons you see impossibly old women riding them either with food or their grandkids in the back! There is nothing cuter than seeing 2 or 3 little heads bouncing around in one of these.

This is a sign outside the bathrooms at the canteen. We can only but assume that ski suits are not permitted in the bathroom??

Canteen migration...Marcus took this the other day to try and show just how many students there are here.

Mmhh..steamers make me hungry...here are a whole pile drying out by the canteen. Sadly there are never any buns or dumplings at the teachers windows. The kids take them back to class as afternoon snacks.