Hey everyone just a quick little note to say hi. Everything is very different over here from traffic to the people and various other things. If there is a truck or bus get out of the way. They will always just honk and push on through. There is no road rage though as this is the way it goes in China. The development in this area is phenomenal- there are high rises everywhere. It is sad really. The old Suzhou is beautiful and contains wonderful gardens and lots of canals and water. There is little to no safety equipment when building these high rises- the men just use bamboo ladders and cranes (they even wear thongs). I went with a couple of blokes to Tiger mountain which is a famous spot in Suzhou- the place was basically a huge garden where one of the previous rulers of China would stay when he visited Suzhou. The place was littered with beggars which you feel sorry for. There was one old lady that was about a metre tall. I was also offered a massagee by one guy which basically means he will take you on his 3 wheeler carriage bike to a massage parlour where you get more than you bargained for. The people work extremely hard here for little money. We have a vegetable lady who we go and see each week for our vegetables. She is really nice and always throws in extra shallots. She told Kelly through an interpreter that she will always be the cheapest. I nearly stepped on a guy one day as he was asleep in one of the isles of the supermarket. And he was working there. This is very common people sleep a lot on the job- no-one seems to care. Anyway will talk more later.

How to know you've reached China!

Hello fellow Australians,

Here are 10 ways to know you are in China...

1. Cars have the right of way... no matter what!
2. Car horns are considered politeness
3. Fireworks are needed to scare away ghost when moving in to an new home, with out warning, where ever!
4. I can not even fit into a size XL
5. All shoes are a size 5 (lucky Mum)
6. They ultrasound you for parasites
7. Everything says made in China, but is by far, worse in quality
8. 5 main meals can cost you $9.
9. BEER is sold at the supermarket and is so cheap, $5 a slab
10. My cleaner costs me $50 a month for 16 hours of cleaning

I could go on, and on. Everyday I am more surprised by what I see,

Farewell comrades,
'teacher, teacher'

Poked and proded

We have been in China now for 4 days, it doesn't feel that long at all. So much has happened, already we have met some amazing people, all so different!

We have managed to buy groceries/household stuff at a grocery store, direct a taxi using idiot cards, get lunch and dinner several times, and have a medical this morning which included - blood test, x-ray, dentist check, ECG, ultrasound (for parasites!), blood pressure, eye test and height/weight measurements.

Food is really cheap, usually under 40RMB which is around AU$5. We are going to buy a scooter tomorrow which will cost approx 2000RMB - AU$350. It is battery rechargeable and reaches around 45kmph.

I have a mobile number now though I can't remember it. Buying a new sim card was tricky, it took several Chinese to work out what I wanted cause I didn't take my old one with me. The word for sim card is 'sim ca'.

We now know a couple of words, I think I might do some lessons. They are pretty expensive but apparently worthwhile, 2 hours, twice a week. A fair bit of money though.

Our compound is pretty sweet, it has 9 multi-story apartment blocks (between 20-25 stories each) with four apartments on each floor. They are all under 1 year old and brand new, 5 blocks aren't finished yet and most apartments are empty, so it's lovely and quiet at the moment. I'm sure that will change later on when more people move in. We have a pool which cost 20RMB each time you use it, a free gym, a tennis and basketball court (these both cost), extensive ready-made gardens, a management office with staff, small grocery store, coffee shop and a full time tennis coach. - And we don't have to pay for it!

We will get an Aiyia (sp?) which is a helper. They clean, wash, iron, shop and can cook for you and cost around AU$50 per month (depending on time spent doing your jobs).

That's about all for now. Kane is at the gym at the moment, I'm not sure what we will have for dinner tonight, but fresh veg sounds good!
Cheers Kelly

Hi... we are in China. Here are some photos...