Raoul's China Saloon (V5.0) Beta

The Bar Room => The Champagne Cabana => Topic started by: Escaped Lunatic on September 28, 2017, 04:38:44 PM

Title: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on September 28, 2017, 04:38:44 PM
Some Saloon members are still busy teaching English in China, but many have moved on to other things.

Here's your big chance.  Let everyone know what you're doing.

Are you running a horse ranch in the outermost regions of Inner Mongolia, gambling your life savings away in Monaco, building a financial empire on Wall Street, teaching kindergarten in Suzhou, juggling kittens in Mexico City, or something completely different?

Give all your fellow Saloonies an update on what's up in your life.

There's a free round of baijiu to all who participate! jjjjjjjjjj
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: KeyserSoze on September 29, 2017, 01:03:46 AM
I'm in Taiyuan teaching AP Econ and Calc AB, and IELTS and TOEFL. It never fails, I'm always teaching some English classes, or Public Speaking, or giving PPT presentations on whatever to the whole school.

This school will close at the end of next semester, so I'm prepping for my next job in various ways. Thank god I found EdX and Coursera and other useful online things.

I haven't had a drink in a year, so please give my baijiu to someone else. I don't even pretend to drink any more. Sooooooo happy.

Next!  ababababab
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: psd4fan on September 29, 2017, 04:03:42 AM
10.5 years into my first job in China.
Harbin is my first and will be my last city in China.
Wifey is from the area and we like it here except she hates winter.
I work at a private language school so kids come weekends and evenings.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: fox on October 18, 2017, 12:43:06 AM
 aoaoaoaoao
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Li Fu on October 18, 2017, 02:34:54 AM
I am now in my 13th year in China, but I have also done some teaching in Thailand.
I am now in Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province teaching UFS as well as some IELTS and TOEFL.
So glad that the site is up and running again, and of course greetings to everyone! agagagagag bfbfbfbfbf
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: kcanuck on October 18, 2017, 02:35:16 AM
Hailar and Huludao were a lifetime ago for this canuck.  Returned to Canada's capital in 08, heard the call of the north, first to the Northwest Territories and now feet firmly planted in Whitehorse, Yukon...population of the entire territory is 40k!  The air is pristine, and the freezer is full of moose and bison.   agagagagag to everyone, be you there or home or continuing the adventure elsewhere.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Nolefan on October 18, 2017, 06:57:29 AM
glad to see some familiar names pop up again.

I'm still in China going on 14 years now, mostly in Beijing!
Teaching days are way behind me and i'm mostly busy running my restaurant/livehouse and dealing with local musicians.

if you're ever around the big silly, please stop by and have a drink!
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: CWL on October 18, 2017, 01:18:32 PM
I am currently an EAL/ESL Curriculum Coordinator at an international school in Saigon, Vietnam.  I spent three years in China and about two years in South Korea.  In the future, I might consider going back to China for the right position.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: AnthonyInChina on October 18, 2017, 05:21:20 PM
I have been in China for the past 7 years. Presently, teaching at a language centre in Jiaxing, Zhejiang.  I have been teaching at this school for the past 4 years, great place, only 17 teaching hours, no office hours and pay is good.  agagagagag  bfbfbfbfbf
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: WastedYouth on October 21, 2017, 01:29:05 AM

Still here.......5 years in the big Guo.
3 years in my Min Nan Paradise of Fujian.

Teaching High School ESL and Geography for a Murican program.
Good job, nice place....Hope to stay here a long time!
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on October 22, 2017, 12:17:09 PM
Nice to hear from you folks. bfbfbfbfbf  My life doesn't really change. I live in Brisbane (Australia) and I go to the Cinemas, "The Den" (The Casino) or the Shopping Centre. My job finished up 20 years ago, so I don't really do much. My heart condition prevents my traveling, so I really enjoy hearing what you guys and gals are doing with your lives. agagagagag
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: piglet on November 22, 2017, 12:49:44 AM
Back home in Israel after 3.5 lovely years in China. It all went a bit pear shaped when I needed emergency surgery and flew to HK. Since then happily retired pottering around and travelling as a tourist. Would like to teach but nobody wants me anywhere now I am 60. Was still in contact with many of my students and colleagues in the Big Silly until my mobile took a nosedive and now cannot log into my Wechat account. Did meet up with a past student of mine in Sydney which was fun. Miss my China life but have moved on.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Mr Nobody on November 24, 2017, 02:57:29 AM
OK, I'm now out country, back home (Over the rainbow, back in Oz,  a little place called Newcastle), after I think maybe 9 years in China. Still travel there each year, as I have done since the nineties.

The Kung Fu school I opened in 2006 is still running with students  now teaching, but now that they all have real lives with families and jobs and other unfortunate things, the school is in danger of closing. But the senior guys are promising to keep it alive, if not commercial any more.

Been traveling to Europe each year to teach, and China, well, until recently twice a year.

I have been divorced since then, and struggling with the aftermath. I lost my family, business I'd set up, and all my money in the process. I kept my house in Oz but lost the one in China.

Working on writing, got 2 kids books being illustrated and a martial arts text 4 pics and an edit from publication.

Other than that, spending too much time drinking and feeling sorry for myself.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: piglet on November 25, 2017, 05:39:48 AM
Shit, Mr Nobody we just passed through Newcastle NSW on our trip to OZ. Had a great time. Would have had a pint with you (or whatever it is you call it there, I forgot)
Cheer up mate. Life goes on.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Ricardo Goldmano on December 23, 2017, 05:45:25 AM
Since my return from seven years in Yueyang, Changsha, and Guilin:

Now a full time web developer for a large medical laboratory in the US. Completed an Associates Degree in Computer Science. Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Software Development is in progress and set to finish in 2019. Finished four novels, three published: http://www.astonvar.com. Saloon members get free eBook versions, if desired.

My wonderful beautiful wife and I enjoyed our six year anniversary with our brilliant and healthy three year old boy.
Merry Christmas all!
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on December 23, 2017, 12:49:44 PM
Merry Christmas to you and your family also Ricardo! agagagagag You certainly seem to have a busy and happy life. bjbjbjbjbj
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Tree on December 25, 2017, 07:24:50 PM
Halfway through year #5 in Hangzhou! Wow...half a decade already!

Teaching AP and making that scrilla.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: cruisemonkey on December 26, 2017, 12:29:52 PM
Coming to the end of year #6 just outside of Zhengzhou... getting ready to retire and move to Vietnam at the end of January. The bureaucrats won't renew my FEC (citing the 'Five Year Rule') so, the uni can't get me another RP... and I have to leave.

Good by China... it's been a slice.

Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on December 26, 2017, 07:03:57 PM
Sorry to hear about Mr. Nobody's problems.  Come by more often to drown your sorrows.  I've drilled a pipeline into the nearest industrial degreaser recycling plant, so the drinks are much cheaper now. agagagagag


As for me, I'm still hanging out in a village on the outskirts of beautiful Dongguan.  My web admin job keeps me from starving and leaves me some time and a few kuai for the charity group I'm in.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: El Macho on January 15, 2018, 11:05:05 PM
Great thread!

The Mrs. and I are back in Trumpistan. We've been back since 2015, after a huge and ugly fight to get my wife's spousal visa. (USCIS still holds it against you if you're a Party member. ffffffffff) I taught elementary school here 2015-2017 and have now switched careers…to software engineering! Two months in to the new job and I think I'm doing OK. It's hard to imagine myself not going back to education again at some point, though.

But most importantly, we had a baby in October! He's healthy and happy and hopefully will start sleeping through the night soon  awawawawaw
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: dragonsaver on January 26, 2018, 04:15:10 AM
Left China in 2011 after 6 years. One year in Wuxi and 5 years in Dalian.  Went to Thailand for 6 months but couldn't find a good job and the visa stuff there sux.  Took a job in Turkey but that was total crap.  Totally hated it there.

Back in Canada, totally retired.  Playing computer games in winter and gardening in summer.  Had a knee replacement in 2016 so I can walk much better now.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: cruisemonkey on January 26, 2018, 09:30:08 AM
(USCIS still holds it against you if you're a Party member. ffffffffff)

"Are you, or have you ever been..."

Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: kitano on March 23, 2018, 06:42:45 AM
I left China last year to Vietnam

teaching I'm high schools and part time jobs

Chines university just got too ridiculous, nobody does anything lol.

Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on March 23, 2018, 07:14:21 PM
Hey Kitano! agagagagag

So, what's it like teaching in Vietnam?
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: kitano on March 28, 2018, 02:31:59 AM
Hey EL  agagagagag

Vietnam is nice, a bit more chilled than China, food isn't so oily either which is nice

Same thing happened as when I moved to China, everyone said I'm a couple of years too late to get in on the easy life lol
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: scotto858 on May 09, 2018, 03:25:01 PM
Salmon, Glaciers, Moose -- I have reached America's caboose.   Alaska is in many ways the opposite of Southern China, but the two land masses manage to maintain certain similarities.

I will be losing staring contests with the local Meese here for a while and then bounce back to New York for a bit of familiar culture and then probably back to Guangdong to do more research for the inevitable "Planet Earth" documentary on Contemporary Social Monkeys.

Cheers to all those still living the dream of a modern Middle Kingdomite
 agagagagag
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on May 10, 2018, 12:08:56 PM
You are so fortunate to be able to travel around scotto858 and see so many different things. bfbfbfbfbf  I wish that I had done a lot more travel before my heart condition showed up. llllllllll I like to hear what you folk are up to in your interesting lives. Thanks for the updates. bfbfbfbfbf agagagagag
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Refdesk on May 24, 2018, 07:45:18 AM
Xiamen, ending my 4th year here, 2nd on the island. Current uni. job is so rigged that there's just not enough time between times to fly east and then west again AND do something besides stagger about with a staggering case of jetlag. Oh well. I'm a tofu-head, so I don't want for life's essential. Cheers!
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on May 24, 2018, 12:09:34 PM
G'day Refdesk! nice to hear you. bfbfbfbfbf What are you teaching at Uni? Can you tell us a bit more about your life. I ask, because I have never done anything like you folks are doing. agagagagag
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Li Fu on July 26, 2018, 03:43:18 AM
Hi again everyone, been a long time between drinks since I last visited here.
I am still in my current job in Xuzhou but I have been surprised that at age 61, there are other schools and institutions that can "bypass" the age rule and interview me for new senior teaching/admin jobs in other cities and provinces, so there is still hope for us oldies yet!
At the moment I am back home on 4 weeks holiday in Thailand to celebrate my youngest daughter's 8th birthday. It was a fabulous little party agagagagag despite all the rain (which is set to continue here until I go back to China on August 9th).

I hope everyone is well and coping wherever you are in the world now!
Cheers,
Bill.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on July 26, 2018, 12:46:12 PM
Hi Li Fu! Nice to hear from you. bfbfbfbfbf After about 14 yrs in China, you probably have lots of things to tell us. Any photos of your daughter that you could show us?
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: CaseyOrourke on August 29, 2018, 08:40:41 PM
Been gone for a while.

At the end of July 2017, Mrs Casey, daughter Lexi ,then 4 going on 5 and myself finally left China after seven years abroad and settled back in Kerrville, Texas.

The main reason we decided to return was because daughter was approaching school age and despite being half Chinese she wasn't eligible for Chinese public school because she was a US citizen. But even if she was eligible, Mrs. Casey would've refused sending her to a Chinese school. We also determined that international schools were beyond our means, so I told my wife that we were going to return to the US and put Lexi in school in the US.

That was when my wife countered that schools in the US were more expensive than schools in China. I told her that that may be true about private schools, but public schools were not the case. I started to laugh when, cringing as she asked me how public school was going to cost, only to look up at me in surprise at me when I said to her, " that because US public schools are taxpayer supported, it was.......FREE." So therefore, starting September last year my daughter went to pre-K and this year is in Kindergarten.

For me I re-applied and was rehired by the VA hospital, so I back working for the US government.   
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on August 30, 2018, 12:31:14 PM
Nice to hear from you CaseyOrourke and to get an update on you and your family. agagagagag Glad to hear that you got a job back at the VA Hospital. Do you deal with the patients in a Nursing capacity, or do you do clerical or other work?
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: redoctoberblack on September 29, 2018, 01:02:17 AM
Still in China, enjoying the things we are to enjoy in China.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Granny Mae on September 29, 2018, 12:33:12 PM
redoctoberblack, what do you do in China?
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: kitano on September 03, 2019, 09:00:17 PM
So I went back to England last year for an extended visit, had summer teaching in Vietnam again and back to China for university teaching as soon as the visa is through

Thought on Vietnam. I'm really going to miss the nature, you are never more than a 30 minute ride from a piece of amazing greenery in. Even in Hanoi
Everyone there is like, 25
It really makes you realise how advanced North Asia is. For the old timers on here you will probably get a bit of China nostalgia for the electrics done with duct tape and 'f*CK it I'll just build my own car' mentality
Maybe that's still in China, I was in Shanghai and Suzhou and there wasn't much 20th century stuff left
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on September 03, 2019, 09:58:02 PM
Kitano, you're still alive!  I thought you'd died of boredom listening to Brexit News back in the UK. ahahahahah

Which Chinese Uni are you coming to?
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: kitano on September 03, 2019, 11:06:15 PM
Kitano, you're still alive!  I thought you'd died of boredom listening to Brexit News back in the UK. ahahahahah

Which Chinese Uni are you coming to?

I'm surviving.
As for Brexit it's probably the same as Trump for you guys, I just tuned out eventually. I'm nearly 40 and the news has been predicting the end of the world my whole life lol

The uni is in Taizhou, Zhejiang. It looks like one of those educational colleges but you never know until you arrive what it's like. I have worked at one good college but my second favourite job was super low ranked.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: mlaeux on November 17, 2019, 12:02:22 AM
I took the long way home via Saudi and Mexico. Now, I'm thinking about returning to China. This time I'm interested in a uni job teaching oral English in Guanzhou or thereabouts. Can anybody point me in the right direction? (Mods - Is that OK to ask?)
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: AMonk on November 17, 2019, 08:25:19 AM
It's OK to ask bfbfbfbfbf but I suggest that any reply might be better given in an Upstairs thread, or a PM


Welcome back agagagagag akakakakak
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: mlaeux on November 17, 2019, 11:28:26 PM
Thanks for the tip Amonk. It's good to be back. agagagagag
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Mr Nobody on March 13, 2021, 02:14:55 AM
Been a year since I posted and took me a while to find a place to put my bullshit on. Hope I got it right.
I've been writing and making vids and generally doing stuff, while here in the land of Oz. I tried teaching Australians English but for some reason they are antagonistic to the general idea. Maybe they don't understand my accent. After all, I wasn't born here.
Up until covid, was going to China 2x a year, back to my old hometown there, and teaching kung fu at my school there. My kung fu school. The uni I worked for keeps asking for me back, or to open a branch in Oz, which I would do only in preference over instant death or a long period of torture, but little else.
My latest book went to top ten in Amazon in it's category (fat tall strange white guys teaching kung fu, in Europe where I don't live), and generally I am doing fine, except for the depression, alcoholism and degenerative diseases of the soul.
The only thing I like about the year of the Ox/cow/bullock is the potential for an entire year of running gags.
Hoping to go back to China soon, I miss the bloody place, weirdness and all. But not to live. A couple of months a year is enough, after 10 years of the place.
Cheers, guys.
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Nolefan on March 13, 2021, 07:34:23 AM
Good to hear from you Mr. Nobody...
grab a drink on EL's tab
Title: Re: Where are you and what are you doing?
Post by: Escaped Lunatic on March 13, 2021, 08:13:27 PM
Hey Mr. N!  Glad to hear you're still alive and ornery! ahahahahah

Here, have an extra large glass of . . .  whatever this glowing green stuff is.  agagagagag  Sorry, the label seems to have burned off, but the bottle is engraved with something about Fukushima Energy, so it's probably a really good imported variety of sake with plenty of extra caffeine.

Invite those students to a cookout.  Once you throw a koala on the barbie, they'll love you. uuuuuuuuuu

Hurry up and get jabbed.  Soon enough, that will be the ticket to exemption for mandatory quarantines.