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A reason for being

Welcome to 'Travels with my Angst'.
A blog about family,travel,living in Asia and working in the education industry. Started in China, and continues now that we're back in Indonesia. We do try to provide some useful esources for travelers and for people intending to relocate. It's a place to learn a little something about the kind of individual who would choose to live overseas. What kind of demented loon(are there sane loons?) would choose to teach for a living?
Perhaps you've come here to learn. Perhaps you're curious. Perhaps you can't sleep.
Welcome.
Come dip your toes into the refreshing silliness that is our little corner of Cyberia.
Expats Blog

Visit to a small market

September 2nd, 2023

This morning Emily and I visited a small market near our home. We just moved into this area. We are slowly finding our way around, and this morning we went to a market about three kilometers from the new apartment. At first it looked like just a few sellers selling vegetables and fish which is cool.
Then we found a doorway somewhat Narnia-like and entered a large market with certainly more fruits and vegetables, but also a fair amount of meat, chicken, and fish. Emily was very happy. The small stores near our new home have a surprising amount to offer, but the variety is limited.
As we made our way around the stalls and tables, and dodged the ravenous hoards of seniors looking for bargains, we located the area selling fresh chicken and duck.
It was a little fresher than I expected. Emily does most of the shopping, so the idea of picking live animals isn’t new to her. When I go with Emily I’m generally there in my capacity of general labour. Emily shops, Wayne carries.

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Back to China again …

August 16th, 2023

On June 16th, 2021 we returned to China. We had been planning to return almost since the day we left.

We were in Wuhan in 2020, and had been there since October 2017. In December, when we first heard word of a mystery flu there was concern, but not panic. Flu happens. Then an event was canceled and it seemed more serious, but then it seemed confined. We went on holiday to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. We had a great time. Visited sites, saw friends … in some form of order.

On January 21st, we headed home to Wuhan. Wuhan was our home. It was where my oldest son and I worked, and where our family lived. Adryan had not joined us on our trip as he wanted to chill in his apartment.

We took the train home. Now at this point more news was highlighting the virus, now simply known as COVID. Not sure when the 19 was first applied. As we sat in the train station, we saw more masks than was usual for cold and flu season. We were all tired, but still on a high from a really enjoyable trip. Masks had not become part of our personal reality at that point. A few hours, after the fast train had sped us home. We got home and crashed until the next morning. Emily and Wyatt were both feeling various symptoms of flu, so we trooped off to our local doctor. He has on office near the various shops where we would buy groceries, fruit, and vegetables.

The doctor examined Emily and Wyatt, and gave me the once over. He told us not to worry. Flu happens. It wasn’t anything serious, and would pass soon. He prescribed some antibiotics. We had learned to trust him as he had helped us over the previous year. Wyatt had caught an awful flu, as had a number of students in the school. After a few treatments and some rest, Wyatt was on the mend. We had recommended our doctor to friends and colleagues who were equally happy with his work.

Then we headed off to the market to stock up on tofu, fish, some meat, vegetables, and fruit. We planned to do a bigger shop later in the week.

We woke to a different world. On the 23rd of January 2020, at 3:00am, Wuhan went into lock-down. More than flu had happened. lock-down meant no leaving the city, no taxis, trains, trams, motorcycles or private cars. But, we didn’t know that when we ventured out that morning to gather a few essentials. We walked out onto a street devoid of people. An eerie quiet place. Then we turned a corner.

 

To avoid repeating myself, I’ve posted a couple of links

Wuhan Ciayou!

Coming Home: From Wuhan to Canada

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Quarantine … keeping you close to nobody

August 16th, 2023

On June the 16th, 2021 we arrived in Hangzhou. After a long day, and a short flight, we arrived.

Here it got difficult.

They separated everyone, except mothers and children.
Like any family, we pack our suitcases with what we need. It’s not separated into hers and mine. Suddenly we had to organize the bags to prepare for our two weeks apart. Now we’d communicate through WeChat and Whatsapp.

Oh, everyone in their own room? That sounds like fun.

Had we known beforehand we could have prepared ourselves, logistically and mentally. Then there’s the financial burden of paying for two rooms.

We had no idea. Emily was pretty shaken.
We accepted that we couldn’t convince them to change the program. So we resolved to get through the next couple of weeks.
I taught. Emily chatted with our family.

A lot of blocks were in place, and the VPN wasn’t working.
There seems to be little concern for anyone’s mental or emotional state.
What doesn’t kill you … isn’t trying hard enough.
As long as the VPN was working we could open most sites. Emily was doing well. I was able to talk her through getting the VPN up and running on her phone and tablet. She could watch church services, participate in her fellowship, stay in touch with family, and watch Korean and Chinese dramas … so that’s good.

What am I doing with my downtime?
Watching movies, teaching (although this week has been mostly downtime) chatting with Emily, Wyatt, Adryan, and Grace.
I napped, which wasn’t usually planned. Sat on the bed to play solitaire and the next thing I knew, I was rested.
I started watching Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
It’s not a happy tale, but it’s engaging.
They’ve pulled the threads of a lot of different comic stories together, and it works.
If I wasn’t worried about Emily and our family, being isolated wouldn’t be so bad.

I spent the 2nd-week teaching and struggling to complete government-mandated health apps. The isolation has been taxing. Thankful for social media, but hate it at the same time.

The last few days were stressful. Lots of paperwork, real and virtual.
We had blood tests, and nasal and throat swabs last night. Nothing says romance like an extra-long Qtip.

Last Wednesday was our last night in quarantine.

On Thursday morning we were released. It was a bit more literal than expected as we had to wait in our rooms to be escorted to the elevator.

Emily called up to my room to ask where I was. I put a cheerful voice on to tell her I was waiting for my escort. My cheer became a bit forced in successive texts over the next hour.

Finally, at about 11:00am, I stepped into the hallway to see my Knight in Shining Hazmat about to release me from the Tower. I’d given up hope of staging a Rapunzel-like escape.
We’re in Shenzhen now. Enjoying the freedom of a morning walk, and being able to walk into a shop.
Our freedom is underscored, mostly by worry about family and friends back in Indonesia. Indonesia is currently undergoing a steadily worsening lockdown.

 

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Flashback to our return

August 9th, 2023

On Thursday, June 10, 2021, we went to the National Hospital and did a test. On Friday the results came back negative. We arranged the tickets, packed our bags, and tried not to forget too much.

Friday was filled with classes and conversations. Adryan and I talked about the future. What could he do, more than what should he do? Wyatt and I talked about possibilities and responsibilities. For both of our sons, I’ve tried to show that it is necessary to be prepared. Only by doing everything you can, will you be able to adapt to things whether than merely react to the unexpected.

Saturday, Grace came over with our grandson Theo. It’s always good to see them both. Two of our grandchildren are in Melbourne Australia attending school. And another granddaughter works for the company owned by our daughter Grace’s inlaws. We had dinner with them a few days before we left.

Emily prepared lists of chores for both boys. Sometimes they seem little more than wish lists, but occasionally things do get done. The alternative, just giving in to the inevitable, may be less frustrating but it doesn’t really help anyone.

Emily and I had already decided that it wasn’t a good idea for the family to come to the airport. Large weepy goodbyes are not a good idea in the time of Covid. We arranged for a taxi. The morning was occupied by the faint memories of forgotten items. Thankfully, I’d remembered to wear pants.

The preparation before the flight, packing, tests, uncertainty, and general annoyances were stressful. Then yesterday the flight was actually early. The problem was the 90 minutes we had to wait at baggage claim. We missed our shuttle bus.

Thankfully, we were able to call the hotel and get another in 40 minutes. By the time we got to the room, we ate a late lunch and slept for a couple of hours. That was about 3:00pm. Then we chilled for a bit and then took a walk.

We had bought some fried rice at the airport, so that was our late lunch/supper.
Talked to Wyatt, Adryan, and Grace. Watched some TV. Thankfully we managed to sleep.

The next day … Sriwijaya Air had set up a medical tent in their parking lot. There we did the medical test. Two blood tests, and then two sets of swab tests for nasal and oral swabs. These results were processed by two different hospitals.

That night and the next day were spent completing apps. The apps were mainly in Chinese, so it was frustrating. Add to that a dodgy hotel wifi, and it was a recipe for frayed nerves. We had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant. we got back and finished what we could of the apps. Just in time, the results came and we add to complete uploading what had already seemed like a lot of information. Emily’s app was finished by 8:30pm. Mine took until almost 11:00pm. After what seemed too long, both apps returned a green code which meant we could fly the next morning.

We were up around 3:00am. We were downstairs by 3:45. Emily sat and I paced around. The airport shuttle was scheduled for 4:00am. The shuttle arrived and we arrived at the Soekarno Hatta airport in about 30 minutes. Except for the check-in we were in a mostly empty space. We went through the initial airport entry scans and such. Then the group heading to Hangzhou appeared.

We discovered to our delight that there were now two more apps to complete. I’m not good at airports, as I tend to notice everything. It puts me on edge, and I don’t relax.

A lot of the time was spent filling in online forms for contact tracing and medical check apps. Eventually, we had three apps that we showed to various health, immigration and customs officers.

The young man assigned to shepherd us through the process was helpful, and professional and we were finished in time to check in. I also discovered that I had left my sweater on the shuttle bus. It was the one that helped me cope with occasionally hyperactive air conditioners, It wasn’t expensive, but I liked that sweater.

We survived the check-in. For the most part, the process was efficient and polite.

We finally boarded the plane at 9:30am. No music or movies to be had. Likely don’t want to throw away perfectly good headphones. So, that’s why sleeping was the better part of valour.
So, after nearly 7 hours we arrived at Hangzhou.

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Teacher Training Course with AP Teacher Training Institute

June 23rd, 2018

Key to Your Future

Key to Your Future

APTTI offers a wide range of teachers training courses, keeping in mind the need of all teachers. We help teachers qualify for an international teaching career and get acquainted with latest teaching methodologies and strategies to teach worldwide.

In association with International TEFL Canada

Globally recognized TEFL/ TESOL Courses

International TEFL Canada is a globally recognized TEFL body providing certifications, associations and memberships for TEFL or TESOL candidates across the globe. Our organization comprises of people with decades of experience in the ESL field and had taught across the globe. We continue to bring together expertise on the subject in order to give candidates the best in the ESL teaching world. APTTI is a proud to be an institutional partner of this organization in providing globally recognized TEFL Course.

International TEFL Canada

Why Aspiring Professional Teachers Training Institute (APTTI)

Aspiring Professional Teachers Training Institute is a premium international teachers training organization with an extensive range of courses for teachers. The international standards of online teacher training courses are developed by qualified academicians with years of experience.  We have our academic mentors from across the world and presence in Asia, North America, Africa and the Middle East.

  • Learn Everywhere Anytime
  • Internationally recognised certificate
  • Highly Qualified Tutors
  • Certificate & Diploma Courses
  • Thousands of Satisfied Teachers
  • Wide Range of Teachers Training Course
  • Flexible Payment Options
  • Free Updates & Support

Teaching certificates by APTTI can help teachers get better teaching opportunities. We make sure our students learn from the best and enhance their skills during the process. We as an organization believe that better teachers make better futures thus we make sure your training is comprehensive and beneficial.

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We arrived, and have mostly thrived …

March 22nd, 2018

Arriving In Wuhan

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Back in China

March 19th, 2018

We returned to China on Halloween. Sorry to say, it wasn’t too scary.

Waiting

The flight was delayed. No one was at the airport to meet us. So, a bit scary.

 

Hong Kong

We left Surabaya about 8:00 am and arrived in Hong Kong at about 12:00 pm. We were to have a three-hour layover, then it became four, and then soon enough it was more.

 

 

Hong Kong

We arrived in Wuhan about 10:30 pm. We called the school and finally realized we were on our own.

 

Someone overheard us speaking English and came over.

He said he was an UBER driver, and we let him talk to the school. Let’s be honest, he could have been sharing a recipe for corn-beefed hash. We followed him to his car because we didn’t have many options.

The ride was pleasant, but our little guy was tired, hungry and cold.

We arrived at a darkened school to find out that the apartment wasn’t ready and we were then taken to a dodgy hotel. It was clean. We fell asleep. Too early the next morning we grabbed all our stuff and went off to see the apartment. It was nowhere near ready. After visiting the school, we found another hotel and did our best imitation of relaxing.

(more to come)

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Happy St Patrick’s Day 2018

March 17th, 2018

Happy St Patrick’s Day 2018

Course Dates for 2018

February 23rd, 2018

Course Dates for 2018

Join us for new TEFL courses in Surabaya http://www.teflindonesia.com
Contact https://twitter.com/TeflIndo

Apply for the course date best suited for you

    Surabaya, East Java
  • USD 1,790 (excluding accommodation)
  • Accommodation: USD 200 – USD 300

TEFL Indonesia 2018 Course Dates

  • June 4 to 29
  • July 2 to 27
  • August 6 to 31
  • September 3 to 28
  • October 1 to 26
  • November 5 to 30

December   no course

Hay_Logo

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About TEFL Indonesia:

February 23rd, 2018

About

TEFL Indonesia:
Teacher-training program in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Get certified and teach English. Teach English and see the world

TESOL Course Indonesia (Surabaya)

Why join our TESOL Course Indonesia?

Located right in Surabaya and a few hours’ drive from some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in the world, our TESOL Course Indonesia center is, if not in paradise, at least next door to it. With a wide variety of social and cultural activities, water sports and other activities, vibrant nightlife, delectable Indonesian cuisine, friendly people and close proximity to an abundance of teaching opportunities, Surabaya (and surrounding areas) is sure to have what you are looking for in a learning location.

Why join our TESOL Course Indonesia?

Located right in Surabaya and a few hours’ drive from some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in the world, our TESOL Course Indonesia center is, if not in paradise, at least next door to it. With a wide variety of social and cultural activities, water sports and other activities, vibrant nightlife, delectable Indonesian cuisine, friendly people and close proximity to an abundance of teaching opportunities, Surabaya (and surrounding areas) is sure to have what you are looking for in a learning location.

Where

Historic Surabaya.

History

Surabaya is an ancient city, with a rich history. It’s a tale that has been written in the blood, hopes, and accomplishments of the amazing people who have lived here. From the rich tapestry of Javanese culture to the vibrant Madurese impact, and on to the interweaving of Indian, Arabic and Chinese cultures … Surabaya has always been a meeting place for imagination and destiny. A major shipping center, a transit port, and an international gateway … Indonesia’s second-largest city, the capital of East Java, has a rich history and an exciting present waiting to be discovered. From poets to princes; from revolutionaries to teachers; Surabaya is truly the City of Heroes.

Why

A few hours from some of the most amazing beaches in the world. Near a thriving nightlife scene and plenty of restaurants, shops, and other activities. Empower yourself to live, travel and work in the land of amazing grace and beauty.

• Close proximity to some of the most amazing beaches in the world.

• Near a thriving nightlife scene and plenty of restaurants, shops, and other activities.

• Live in one of the most exciting cities in the world, and be central to a lot of places like Bali, Jakarta, and Kalimantan (Borneo).

• Administered by highly trained staff with extensive knowledge of Surabaya and surrounding areas.

• Immerse yourself in an inviting, friendly culture while gaining the experience and knowledge that will enable you to live and work abroad for years to come. Empower yourself to live, travel and work in the land of amazing grace and beauty.

Who

• Your fellow students come from many countries on many continents.

• Your teacher trainers are some of the most experienced and well-trained in the industry.

• Your support staff is extremely helpful, courteous and will assist you with whatever you need.

• The locals are peaceful, friendly people who generally like spending time with foreigners.

How

• Fill out an application form and take that next step towards learning within the big city buzz and excitement of Surabaya.

Fees for TEFL Course

• $1,790 (including Text and portfolio, but not accommodation)

Join the TESOL Course Surabaya. You’ll work hard, and you’ll be prepared to Teach English Abroad.

Note: Local circumstances and extras may change without notice. This TEFL International Course is conducted by a separate company working as a subcontractor of TEFL International and is not a non-profit organization.

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