Holiday Expenses

My life is a holiday. At least I try to keep it that way. We decided when we came to China we would not work too hard, just enough to keep our heads above water. Primary School teachers in Western Australia are not well-paid in terms of how hard they work, nor in comparison to teachers in other states, but with both of us slaving away week by week you'd have thought we could have been "comfortably off". So as we watched ourselves sliding further into debt year by year, we hoped that running away to China would at least put a stop to the endless spending. We would just need to work hard enough to get by.

So 51 years old, and 30 years married, we declared ourselves "semi-retired" and spent a glorious year working 10-days-on then 4-days-off, but only 15 (or less) lessons a week, and travelling around China on those long weekends.

This year we have stepped up the pace a little: we are now each working up to 20 hours a week. We earn a little more money and even save some. But now with only two days off each week, and rarely two consecutive days, and only one day off together (if we're lucky) ... we are missing those long weekends of last year.

May Holidays

Everybody says its best not to travel on the national holidays, everywhere is so crowded and everything is so expensive. But we are doing it anyway.

We are going on a cruise on the Yangtse, to have a look at the Three Gorges Dam. With a tour group. Well, it was arranged by our office liaison person, and being deaf, dumb and illiterate we just have to do a certain amount of trusting. Whatever happens, and however it turns out, it will be an adventure. And it will be a change from teaching the little emperors. (For a whole week I will not have to sing "5 little ducks" or "Open, shut them". I'm not even going to take my finger puppets with me.)

We booked the tickets and we paid the bill, and when the costs were all added up, there was an extra amount on the bill: 400 RMB each for being foreigners. Because they can, of course.