7 Weeks and counting!

Time she is a flying friends!

Anren Town where I'll be living!

So 46 days and counting, time a for a brief update from Your Man in Chengdu (well will be soon - in Chengdu that is, not a man - you know what I mean I'm sure!)

Well much has been happening in preparation and I have to say here that the school has been brilliant with their communication and support - bodes well I feel.  Today I received notification that my work permit has been delivered, I now need to wait a few days for an invitation from the Chinese Government to come and work in China. When that i arrives i will take a trip to the Chinese consulate in Edinburgh to get my Z visa (like a Green Card in USA and i suspect as challenging to get - Chinese bureaucracy is legendary and so it is proving!)

I was advised not to get my plane tickets until the approval was given but anyone who knows me will understand that I have been checking flight prices since I was offered the job and bought flights with BA from Newcastle to Chengdu yonks ago.  I fly out on the 11th August and will come back for Christmas on 21st December so anyone who needs a Greggy fix by then needs to plan their Christmas and any holidays completely around me! Just kidding, I'll be around for about 10 days and will try to see as many people who'd like to see me - just Debbie and the kids then!

I just wanted to share with you some of the health hoops I've jumped through so far.

I've been tested for:

• Aids
• Syphillis
• Bells Palsy
• Elephantiasis
• Alice in Wonderland Syndrome 
• Nodding Syndrome
• Herpes
• Colour Blindness
• Blindness
• Male Pattern Baldness and
• Gout

May not have been all these but it felt like it!

I've also had:

• Chest X Rays
• ECG
• Hammer on Knee
• Gonads Squeeze - we both enjoyed the awkwardness of that!
• Feet tickling
• Walking in a straight line
• Touching my nose, knees, ears and shoulders

I have had injections for:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Typhoid  
  
• Cholera
• Dyptheria
• Tetanus
• Beriberi
• Malaria
• Yelow Fever
• Japanese Encephylitis
• Rabies
• Polio
• Dengue Fever
• Leprosy

Ok perhaps not all these but plenty - I'm sure I'd fail a drugs test at the moment!

So, nearly ready, just had final trip around the country saying goodbye to family, and preparing for final holiday with Debbie (Malta for two weeks in July) then the final countdown!

Oh yes - Leaving Do Alert

I shall be having a bit of a bash on Saturday 1st August at  Hole in the Wall Darlington from about 3:00 on Saturday 1st August - There'll be some nosh and music - nothing flash but a bar open until Sunday!  Would love to see you there (Obviously this isn't one of those notorious Facebook parties where thousands turn up and trash the family home!)  I may do this bit through Eventbrite - not sure!

Ok, that's wrap peeps - catch you next time - please feel free to share and comment!  Greg x

73 Days and Counting!

I thought I's share some of the things I've found out about Chengdu and Anren Town as, if you know me at all, you'll know I've immersed myself in research - typically, I only read good reviews of anything once I've made my mind up to do or buy something!

So, first off, they have IKEA! - Who knew that the Scandinavian behemoth was impacting on one of the world's oldest civilizations, it means I shall want for no creature comfort!

Secondly, and potentially life changing, I can buy Marmite at Taobao (online marketplace like Amazon)  I think it's about £6.00 a jar so will still be bringing some out with me.

While I'm on the subject of what I'll be bringing, I've gone a little crazy - so far I have gathered the following:

• New iPad
• New iPhone 6
• New Kindle
• Mini Sony Walkman
• A Raspberry Pi (Can watch any film or TV programme apparently - so my son Gabriel informs me although we haven't quite got it working - I'm worried he may not be the genius we all thought he was!)
• New reading glasses
• 6 Deodorants (Sure guaranteed dry armpits even in the toughest climates!)
• Aussie shampoo and conditioner
• Imodium
• A bottle opener
• Large suitcase
• Umbrella
• New pants
• Cold and flu remedy!

I have truly surpassed myself and can only hope Little Debs (my long suffering wife) doesn't read this!

Now then, back to Chengdu - land of the pandas but so much more!

It is home to the New Century Global Centre is the worlds largest building and could accommodate 20 Sydney Opera Houses and is 3 times the size of the Pentagon - it contains hotels, a beach, a waterpark, an IMAX cinema and a whole lot more!  Great as the city also boasts around 300 days of cloud a year so an indoor beach may be just the tonic!

I've also been learning about Anren Town which is where the school is and where I'll be living

Here's some stuff from CNN

"At first glance, the sleepy Chinese town of Anren, isn't much to look at unless you're a fan of the giant Buddha heads and vintage water tanks being hawked outside its vintage buildings.

And then, around a corner, everything changes.

At the far end of a long driveway lies a colossal complex and one single word that has come to define Anren: museums.

A decade ago, Anren was like many other ancient towns dotted around the country -- rich in history but largely forgotten.

Located just over an hour's drive from Chengdu, the capital of China's southwestern Sichuan province, it traces its origins back to the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD).

Due to a lack of industry, Anren would likely have remained a backwater but for local landlord Liu Wencai, whose legacy has driven the town's rebirth as an historic destination.

There are currently 24 exhibition spaces open, covering 100,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet) and housing more than eight million items including historical artefacts, commissioned artworks and reproduced photographs, themed around the Sino-Japanese war, the Mao-era, Chinese culture and the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

When Chengdu's government announced in 2009 that it would invest $820 million to transform Anren into an internationally renowned museum town, its fate was further sealed.

Enough now, I have to go for a chest X-Ray for my medical - apparently I need to have the health of an Olympian to get my work visa - note to self (try using those new trainers for jogging!)

Toodle Pips Chums! Stay tuned!

Greg

Later that year, China's Association of Museums and the National Heritage Board awarded Anren the title of "China's Museum Town"

100 Days to go!

In roughly 100 days I shall be leaving my lovely wife Debbie and gorgeous family to begin an adventure in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in South West China. I also have some brilliant friends who I shall leave with heavy heart but open invitation to China!

Why? (Looks I maybe adopting a Q&A style, hope it doesn't grate!)

Good question Greg, all sorts of reasons but predominantly they are:

• Adventure (54 now and ready for a change!)
• Lifestyle change - we have a lovely life in the North East of England but we are both conscious that there could be more interesting ways of spending our 'down' time
• Cos I dare! - I quite like that I still have that spirit and I'd like to nurture it!

Aren't you going to miss Little Debs?

More than anything but but with a good wind, she'll be out there before we know it and the shared journey can continue - she's not going to miss my snoring or my mess she says!

Where and What?

I'll be teaching in Anren Town just outside Chengdu at Confucius International School - I met the head Gordon a couple of weeks ago and he convinced me it could be a great move in a good school with a great staff.  I'm expecting to work pretty hard but I like that!

Why are you writing this blog, who cares?

Good question, I'm hoping it'll be a little cathartic, it'll make me think of home and it will allow both my friends to see what I'm up to!

What next?

Over the next few weeks I'll be updating on preparations, boring you with what I'm packing, or leaving, injections, visas etc It may be useful to someone else one day.  I'll also be exploring what I won't be able to live without to ensure plenty of supplies in case - Marmite of course but is it disturbing to be considering taking Yorkshire Tea to China?  Should I buy new underwear in case of accident? Should I vote for the Tories next week so that England feels worse when I've gone?

Ok, that'll do to start - thanks for dropping by - chat soon!

Greg