Rachel and I trying to catch Crabs near the Entrance at Lakes Enterance

Rebecca, my dad and Shadow the dog opening presents on x-mas day

Spent the New Years Eve in Lakes Enterance they had a big fireworks display at 9.30pm for the kids and then again at 12pm for everyone, the fireworks were very good and Rebecca and I spent the New Years with our friends Scott and Rachel a there kids Jordan and Zoe.

I had to work on the 2nd of January so we went home on New Yeras day so I could work and then headed back to Lakes Enterance the next day as it was my brother inlaw Gary's 50th birthday so we had a bit of a party at my folks house.

So I am sick of driving to lakes Enterance and back including x-mas I have driven up and back 3 times in a week that 600 kilometers traveled.

Rebecca and I went to lakes entrance on Christmas Day. It is also Rebecca's birthday on Christmas day.

the weather was very average especially yesterday it rained and hailed and this is ment to be summer. You don't expect that sort of weather in summer when you are down at the beach.

Our friends Scott and Rachel where in lakes entrance yesterday it is always good to catch up with Friends, we have not seen them since Easter.

all in all it was a good couple of days, we ate, we drank, we played mini golf, we went fishing for crabs and spent some time with family and friends.

Have to go back to work today for a few days then back to lakes entrance for New Years Eve and New Years Day well head back at 5.30 on Friday after work.

I am starting to think I started this blog too early as I am running out of things to update about as its all going pretty slow at presentable after Christmas it will take off.

We will have to make a firm decision on where abouts in China we are going at present I am reviewing offers from 4 different places with pay ranging from 3500-5000 rmb per month and teaching hours from 14-20 hours a week.

I have started looking at airfare prices and organizing quotes but I think I will book the flight over the web though it seem much cheaper even though it gets Payed back must have the money to start with. Can get flights from as cheap as 1000 aus return with Vietnam Airlines up to 1500-1700 aus with the bigger airlines like Singapore and Qantas.

Another problem is they are return tickets open for 12 months but if you stay longer than 12 months then you must seek a refund off the airline and there is no way that you will get half back so its very up in the air as weather to get a return ticket ot one way ticket. I have read though if you only get one way ticket the Chinese customs may not let you in the country.

Ah the drama of it all

To all that read have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
posted by mark at 3:00 PM 0 comments

Well I posted a thread on a job site site board to ask if anyone else had worked through Chris Ryall at teach in China

I got a response from a guy who has 3 friends who got there jobs through him and where not real impressed with his company so I am going to e-mail them to find out what sort of problems they had with him. You here of a few people who get promised the world and delivered very little once you get to China and I don't want that to happen to Rebecca and I.

So once again I am going to start to look around at other recruitment agencies for some jobs and compare them. There are so many jobs going in China I guess I would be foolish to limit myself to just one recruitment agency in the end but I am very interested in what these people have to say about Chris.

I was very sure about him as he was recommended to me by a guy in Wuhan who runs a orphanage that was recommended to me by a priest who I used to work with (and no I am not religious).

Not really much to report on at the moment still waiting on our teaching contracts from Chris so until I see them cant do much at all at this stage but wait.

Christmas is fastly approaching have done all my shopping except for my mom which will be done next week. Will be spending Christmas in lakes Entrance(see previous entry for pictures), well 3 days anyway which will be good will be able to catch up with Scott and Rachel my friends from Melbourne who are staying in Lakes entrance for a week from boxing day.

My brother is going to Perth to see if he can find a job over there as he has a mate who lives over there so he wont be around for Christmas this year.

Rebecca is having some troubles with her work at the moment she has lost some shifts because her boss has her head stuck up her mom's arse and needs a rope tied around her legs to detactch her from her mom's ugly Ares. Her boss is 25 and listens to her mom about everything, her mom works there for her for free so she does not have to pay any waitresses to work. Then she hires Kelly who put up this big sob story about her husband leaving her, if she was not so much of a bitch that would not have happened either. And the worst thing is her boss was her friend you need more friends like that.

I received a e-mail from Chris at teach in china yesterday assuring me that a teaching contract will be finalized very soon as its hard at present as they in the middle of exams over there at the moment.

I wish he would hurry up and get a contract for us because until I see a contract I cant really start to organize anything like plane tickets, house rental, or my storage unit for our belonging.

Rebecca is starting to get cold feet as well about the whole trip, well so I am I at times but I just keep thinking it will be an adventure and its all too easy never to take any risks and just live your live the same way all the time and stay in the same job and live in the same town.

A full kitchen at Rebecca's parents house

the boys at the Briagolong