15 January 2015

Gentlefolk,

Greetings from Hong Kong where we are visiting Andrew & Caroline & Fast Eddie on our way to Australia.

One of the many great things about HK is the internet.  There were often disruptions to Google and gmail in the last 2 or 3 weeks in Qingdao; once you got online, you were never sure how long the connection would last.  I didn't realise how stressful that environment was until we arrived here.

By the way, did you see the Akamai report a couple of days ago that Australia has fallen to 44th by internet speed?  South Korea was tops, followed by Hong Kong, Japan, and Switzerland. How can we hope to be a 'clever country' in the digital age if we are so far behind the eight ball? Whoever thought of the NBN - thank you! - we need visionary leadership like that.  Hopefully it will turn things around.

This is probably my last post until we get back to the UPC campus in early March, for the start of the next semester.

This post refers to a recent program aired on Qingdao TV, and also includes an index of posts in the last 6 months.

Qingdao TV

Qingdao TV has profiled several 'foreign experts' who are living and working in Qingdao.  I was selected for the project, as was an Indian lecturer (Laxmisha Rai) working at the Qingdao University of Science and Technology which is located about 15 km from our campus.

For this segment the directors decided to alternate scenes between the two of us: Rai is featured for a few minutes, then me, then Rai again, then me, etc.  This program was aired on QTV-1 on 27 December 2014 and will be repeated during the Spring Festival holiday (19 - 26 February 2015).

This segment on Rai and myself goes for about 25 minutes.  Although the commentary is in Chinese, much of the dialogue is in English so you should be able to get the gist of it.

For ease of access Andrew down-loaded it to You Tube.  To view, click HERE or go to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbQZ96OckWg&feature=em-upload_owner

Index of blog posts

Here is an index of the blog posts in the last few months.

I started this blog almost a year ago, in February 2015. I used to compile monthly "letters" to family and friends about our lives as English teachers in China, but our son finally convinced me that a blog was the way to go.

I've done 42 posts (excluding this one); to date there have been 4,244 page views.

Has it succeeded?  How does one define success: is it interesting? useful? educational?  amusing?

At the end of the day, you out there are the judges.

From a personal perspective it's been a mixed blessing.  I think it is a good record of our lives in Qingdao, but sometimes I take it too seriously and spend too much time and energy on it.

When I start writing again in March 2015 I will try to keep it shorter and lighter in tone ... hope springs eternal!

Index for Post # 19 (June 2014) to Post # 43 (January 2015) on alexolah.blogspot.com

The blog is primarily about our lives as English teachers at the China University of Petroleum (UPC), Qingdao, Shandong Province but I also include commentary on other things which take my fancy (such as Robin Williams' death). Posts 19 to 43 cover the period September 2014 to January 2015, the first semester of the 2014-15 academic year.

Post number & date	Events/subjects
Post #19 27 June 2014	In Kuala Lumpur Index of Posts #1 to  #18 Flight MH370 Ukraine crisis Angie & Rotary
Post #20 14 September 2014	Mid Autumn Festival In Kuala Lumpur, photos with Eddie Time with the Roberts family in Brisbane Robertstour2014.wordpress.com Photos of our stay in Australia (July & August 2014) 2014-15 Academic Year: key dates
Post #21 21 September 2014	Photos of Kuala Lumpur UPC students:  living conditions Military training for Freshmen students Bill Clinton’s book “My life: the Presidential Years”
Post #22 27 September 2014	Move to our new apartment Military training – photos of final parade Qingdao Golden Beach Hilton Hotel
Post #23 1 October 2014	China’s National Day Photos of new apartment Meeting with Qingdao TV Vera with former student Zhang Ya Xuan Han Han (possibly the world’s most popular blogger)
Post # 24 7 October 2014	Visit to Dalian and Lushun (Port Arthur), 2 – 6 October during the National Day holiday. Photos of Dalian and Lushun
Post #25 20 October 2014	Photos of bicycling Qingdao TV interviews and videos Our 41st wedding anniversary 17th Asian Games, Incheon, South Korea News summary for September 2014
Post #26 24 October 2014	My teaching schedule this semester Class summaries & explanations Weekly workload of class EM1301 Vale, Gough Whitlam
Post #27 31 October 2014	Photos of new apartment & Tang Dao Wan bay An explanation of Chinese names Photo of Papa Andy with Hinamoana
Post #28 1 November 2014	House of Cards Great Wall Drilling Company News summary for October 2014
Post #29 8 November 2014	Whitlam’s Memorial Service Western Sydney Wanderers win Asian Champions League Visit to Bin Hai University Photo with Fu Xiao Robertstour2014 Photos of Andrew, Caz & Eddie in Hong Kong
Post #30 16 November 2014	APEC & Bob Hawke Australian Embassy Beijing 1983-86 (and the Channar project) Memories of Beijing 30 years ago Images related to Channar Main actors: Paul Barratt; Kevin Rudd; Ross Garnaut; Richard Rigby; Denis Gastin; Jocelyn Chey.
Post #31 24 November 2014	Left-handedness in China Postscript
Post #32 1 December 2014	Recent photos (including visit to Qingdao Naval Museum) Breaking Bad TV series Turn-out rate at US elections
Post #33 4 December 2014	News summary for November 2014
Post #34 6 December 2014	Love poems with International Trade theme Students’ questions during the  Western Culture course Some suggested changes to the US political system The Roberts family ‘turn left’
Post #35 11 December 2014	Ode to Omi (3rd anniversary of her death)
Post #36 14 December 2014	Analysis of the Forbes “List of 72 Most Powerful People”
Post #37 24 December 2014	About UPC students: Class timetable Student workloads My teaching schedule University degrees
Post #38 27 December 2014	China’s development Comparison of college China/USA
Post #39 29 December 2014	Robin Williams
Post #40 2 January 2015	Olah family highlights of 2014 The South-North Water Diversion Project
Post #41 10 January 2015	News summary for December 2014
Post #42 13 January 2015	Western culture exam held 4 January 2015
Post #43 14 January 2015	Recent photos

...

Unless I feel an overwhelming urge to put pen to paper, my next post will be in March 2015, at the start of the new semester (the 2nd semester of the 2014-15 academic year).

Keep well, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Wednesday, 14 January 2015