Update

Some people were wondering why I hadn’t written anything in my blog for a while. Well, I didn’t really have anything interesting to write. Business as usual. I don’t know if people want to hear about what bar I drank in or what restaurant I dined in!

Well, I did get a visit from one of my university classmates, Darragh. He was on a 3 week mission (holiday) in China and dropped up to Dalian on his way to Beijing for the final leg of his trip. He was in Dalian for one night only, so I took him to Dalian’s finest sights, i.e. Victory Square Shopping Labyrinth, DaCaiShi (market) and the arctic Xinghai Square. We then got him drunk and brought him to a massage parlour. I think he enjoyed himself and was all set for his final fling: one night in Beijing before flying out the following day!

I only have 10 days left in China before I head home for Christmas. I’m wrapping up the teaching at the moment, giving exams. All is going smoothly.

For anyone who is interested, the weather this winter doesn’t seem as cold as last year. We’ve had one or two light falls of snow (which never stuck) and a few nippy days, albeit aided by the intense wind-chill factor. Us Irish are more or less used to that, but some people from less blustery parts of the world find it very difficult to adjust to. What am I saying, I hate it too!
However, the sun in Dalian always seems strong and warm, which makes things better if you can get out of the wind!

The new apartment is going fine. Actually the distance from DMU’s west hill may be a good thing. It makes me get up on my bike and cycle like the clappers to beat the cold weather and get to class on time! To end on a cliché, which is always good writing style (only joking, in case any students read this), every cloud ha a silver lining.