Busy Bees
We have not posted anything for a while recently as our travel/work schedule has been extremely tight. We are currently overloaded with duties at the kindergarten here in Dalang, Dongguan (especially 4 weeks before the first semester comes to an end), tried to catch up with our friends and families overseas and we’ve been working on our freelance business (WordPress and Social Media management).

It is a lot of work to do if you add everything up and 24 hours are not enough to deal with everything. We have also purchased new phones (finally) and joined the Instagram (etramping) so feel free to follow us and we will follow you back :). We try to share photos on a regular basis and we’ve been enjoying that a lot. I’ve noticed the food took over the Instagram and I keep getting hungry when I check it out! (At least I know who to blame when I put on weight:)).
Anyways, we are back to blogging right now and here is what we have been up to for the last two weeks.
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Kindergarten experience continues
In terms of work, there have not been many changes. We’re still working at Bowen Kindergarten in Dalang. There are days when we feel like we love the kids and this job and there are days when we just want to give up (it’s typical I guess). Over two weeks ago we celebrated Children’s Day. For this occasion, all classes have been cancelled and we spent a great morning at the flea market playing around and eating a lots of food. We felt like 10 year olds… again… and you know what? It felt awesome!

Here are some photos from the Children’s Day we would like to share:









New friendships
We have also met amazing expats here in Dongguan, Dongcheng, who we spend every weekend with. We usually meet for a dinner, grab some drinks, go clubbing and chat a lot. It’s a great feeling not to be surrounded by Chinese, for a change. The guys are from India, Italy, Korea and Ukraine.


We really enjoy dining out and going out together. We have been introduced to Korean cuisine last weekend. Together with our friends we went to a typical Korean restaurant and had an amazing dinner. We ordered JabChae– Korean noodles with sweet potatoes, BulGoGi – pork, onion in pepper sauce, KimChi pancake made of vegetables (mostly sweet potatoes) with a variety of seasonings and a lot of appetizers such as fried veggies and rice wine.



Korean food, in comparison to Chinese cuisine, is much healthier and less oily. Some dishes are steamed or served raw. The herbs and spices are also different, less spicy (from what we tried up to now). We honestly can’t wait to make it to Korea right now!
Summer’s in the air
Although it’s been raining a lot in Dongguan lately, it’s still hot and humid and we love the palm trees surrounding us. We try to get some tan (cycling). This kind of weather keeps us optimistic and positive!


We also visited a picturesque Lake nearby our house called Songshan. It took us 3 hours to cycle it around, but the scenery was worth every drop of sweat.


Plans for Summer
We are splitting up again this summer for 5 weeks.
Agness:
I am heading to Europe (most likely to Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and still considering Portugal and Spain). I am attending Robbie William’s concert in Brussels in the first week of August with my Dutch friend and after that I will decide what to do and where to go next.
Cez:
Cez is most likely going to cycle Japan for less than $25 a day (100% certain when he buys the tickets). Exact itinerary is not set yet, but he will update you soon.
Our decisions were made and now it’s time to make it happen.
If anyone will be around Poland/Holland/Belgium in July/August and wants to meet for a coffee or a glass of red wine (I am not a beer person:)), I would be more than happy to arrange a meeting. Anyone living in Amsterdam/ Brussels? I would need a place to stay in for some time so let me know if you can host me :).
Same goes for Cez. Do you know of any off the path travel destinations worth exploring in Japan on a budget? Would you like to meet / host / cycle along? If so, let us know!
57 thoughts on “Travel Update: Life in China and Plans for Summer”
Agness: “still considering Portugal and Spain”?! Make up your mind and come to my country, Portugal!
I’ll be there the odd week in July and August (between other travels within Europe) and I’d be happy to show you around Lisbon if we coincide there on the same dates! :)
PS: if you’re still not sure, let me tell you we’ve got the best egg tarts… even better than those in China! ;)
Hi Zara. Yes, I am still considering Portugal and Spain. If I really get bored of Poland and/or the Netherlands, I’ll come to Portugal, that’s for sure. Otherwise I will stay in Holland for a longer period of time. Thanks for that. I would love to explore Lisbon with you. I’ll definitely keep you posted on my plans x P.S. Egg tarts? Stop teasing me! So unfair! :)
jakbyś była w Warszawie – daj znać!
Tak, bede leciec do Warszawy, potrzebowalabym noclegu na nocke lub dwie. Odezwe sie. Zapraszam na kawe!
If you changed your route and decided to head to Paris, give us a call. We are in France till at least end of August and would love to meet you :)
Thanks for the invitation. I will definitely tell you know once I decide to change my route.
Awesome plans! China looks like a load of fun.. heard about Cez’s injured leg and hoping he makes a speedy and full recovery! Best wishes for you both!
Adorable little monsters! Almost makes my want to teach kindergarten again. Almost. Wiping noses and… such… didn’t really agree with me.
Great post, very authentic and fun to read. I’m also a teacher in Taiwan (the bastard offspring of China), so anytime you feel like a same-but-different experience, swing on by here. I still haven’t made it up to the mainland (unless you cound Hong Kong, which I don’t), but I’m looking forward to a trip to Shanghai later this year.
Anywhere else you think I should hit next time I head across the strait? I’m not too familiar with Dongguan, what’s it like?
The food looks delicious! Makes me hungry now. All the best for your summer travels :)
I’ll be in Amsterdam in September if you’re still there! :)
Good luck with the freelance business. That’ll be nice to build up so you don’t have to teach.
I hope Cez does the cycling trip in Japan! I’d love to read about that.
Hey Tim, thanks.
Unfortunately, I had an accident and couldn’t go for the cycling trip. Nevertheless, postponed does not mean lost :)
The cycling trip sounds amazing. Really interested to hear about 25 a day in Japan. I love the china photos. The food looks so good as well :)