Here is a list of all the things I forgot to mention:

1) I won the excellence prize of the Zhongshan-through-the-eyes-of-foreigners-photo-contest… Twice!!! My pictures of the circular incense and the fish-drain (that doesn’t sound nice) both won an award for being the most excellent pictures in the history of the Zhongshan-through-the-eyes-of-foreigners-photo competition! Thank you all for voting!

2) Since my coming to Zhongshan, I have been to Hong Kong three times, and twice to Macau, to settle visa issues. Hong Kong was quite imposing the first time Sven and I arrived there, but, once you have taken some time to walk through it, its actually not that big or confusing. It is a lot of fun to see the British influences (driving on the left, the double-decker buses) mixed in with Chinese tradition. Although I haven’t visited any of the southern islands yet, we have seen most of the main peninsula and went to Sai Kung, one of the suburbs, last time, to enjoy a fabulous second hand bookstore and some of the best food in Hong Kong.

3) Macau was a similar, yet different, experience. Once a cab had taken us to the main square, it’s almost like walking around in Portugal. Although when drifting off the beaten tourist-track you get back into “China” quickly, there are always obvious signs that this particular region of China received special attention over the years. Key indicator of this is the huge casino right in the middle of town. Shopping there with our dormitory leader, ms. Tam, and seeing the back roads of the city with her made quite an impression on me (and my wallet).

4) For the new Z-visa (free travel in and out of China for one year, of which I am still dreaming) we (Sven, Jerry and me) went to get a medical check. Since I don’t really speak Chinese, this was quite amusing. The hearing test, for example, was never performed but apparently, I have good hearing. During my eye-exam, I couldn’t clearly make out the lowest line, but my report says my eyes are perfect. Chinese medicine really is amazing!

5) At school, we’ve had

· English week: fun English games for the kids

· Two test periods: with a third one coming up next week, including written and oral exams,

· Sports day: fun to be around the students in a social thing, and I was asked to hand out the medals (which only took three hours…),

· Christmas festival: kids performing, students and their parents working together to sell things, and a grand auction, all to raise money for the Red Cross. I bought a statue of Hua Mu Lan to increase the funds. All together, the school raised 50.000 yuan for charity.

6) We’ve had three dormitory festivals since September. For Thanksgiving, Halloween, and New Year, the kids living in the dormitory put on a show (for themselves and the kids who are not performing) which the teachers are asked to attend. Fortunately, the kids are all excellent performers, so attending these functions is always a pleasure. Oh, and we took the seniors for an outing into the woods. Although the weather was kind of a disappointment, barbecuing with 250 students definitely is a lot of fun!

Pff… well, that about sums it up for now, I have test week and orals to get through, and one more visit to Hong Kong and Macau before the big holiday for Chinese New Year (Year of the Bunny) is here. The Western New Year has come and gone. I wish you all a happy one, and let’s hope that it will be joyous and fruitful for us all!