Things here are going fine. Let's see - I have loads to dribble on aboot...

I've been observing Aileen's classes for 3 or 4 days now (still today, tomorrow and Saturday to go), but not just sat there - I've been wandering round each class and outside them too helping kids with homework, marking bits of stuff, listening to 'em read, joining in with mental dances and stuff like that. Hopefully next Monday and Tuesday (before Aileen leaves) I'll do bits of classes to kind of ease me in. In the meantime, I'm struggling away drawing a picture card of a panda (you don't do that working at Bradford Council!)

I met an American teacher friend of the flat's the other night, called Todd, who, get this (most happy) plays piano, studied music at college and is a bit of a jazzhead. Precisely the kind of person I wanted to meet from a sax playing point of view. I'd only just met him, but I think we bored everyone else stupid talking about John Coltrane and Herbie Hancocks

It struck me last night how inappropriate all my clothes are. I've bought some kind of techie sandal type things (which you have to take off whenever you enter a house or school), so my feet aren't stinking for the first time in years! Need lighter troosers and short things though. It's cooling down here as Winter approahces but it's still 25/26 C most of the day (much hotter in the morning though). The air quality is total shite too so might get pollution mask for cycling round (50% of people here use them when riding their scooters around). No earthquakes as yet, but looking forward to that. Luckily, don't get any insects or things buzzing around the flat, cos it's so high up and Taiwanese insects aren't seemingly that strong/adventurous.

Went swimming yesterday to new local pool (fake palm trees, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, plus hot tubs with special chinese herb remedy stuff in). Have to wear an oh-so-trendy swimming cap though, nice!

I'm sure there's more to say, but gotta go finish that panda.