I like Christmas. I still get quite excited about it – but not until 1st December will I even consider putting up a tree or any decorations. I have found it interesting on my travels around the world that Christmas seems to be one of those holidays that is gaining popularity in non-Christian countries. Several… Continue reading
As with any new project/idea, it’s getting started that’s the issue. And keeping going. Having the idea is fabulous – and I have many of them, so I’m obviously pretty damn fabulous. Technology, of course, is always the problem. It’s both a curse and a wonder. And I curse at its wonder. I always have… Continue reading
I have been living in Chengdu for over a year now and have written very little about my life here. One of my friends even commented on Facebook that I hadn’t shared much – which is not like me at all. I got so excited about Almaty as I was about to leave and wrote… Continue reading
I have been running a knitting club at school, with just a few grade 4 and 5 girls, most of whom have never knitted before. Even as an experienced teacher, I found it hard to teach these girls to do something that I do without thinking. But I have managed it – to a point.… Continue reading
Oh, I need more than vodka or Valium today to cope with this nightmare called moving. I need at least both and a shed load of patience and energy, both of which are severely lacking at the moment. Every day it’s something new that has to be sorted out. The packers are coming on Wednesday… Continue reading
When you move to a new country, particularly one with a different language, you prepare yourself for things being done in a different way to that to which you are accustomed. As I’ve said elsewhere, this is partly why we choose to live in another country (although the reasons are many – and sometimes I… Continue reading
So here I am at the end of our four years in Kazakhstan and that seems a good time for some reflection. It’s definitely time to go but I don’t want to do so with a sense of running away in horror or with any residual negative feelings, either about school or about Almaty itself,… Continue reading
