Fuddland

In typical in-at-the-deep-end style, I’ve been rather busy for my first couple of weeks with my new language centre, teaching children every morning and afternoon, and adults a couple of evenings a week — but thankfully it all comes to a dead stop on Thursday, when I get a lovely two-week holiday over Chinese New Year.

I’ll resume my Tales from Sìchuān (四川) series once I’m on my break, but I have found time to upload three of my favourite photos from the trip, all taken at various stops en route from Jiǔzhàigōu (九寨沟) back to Chēngdu (成都). I especially like them because I almost never take photos of people — I feel incredibly self-conscious and, also, not owning a super-duper telephoto lens, it’s hard for me to take candid snaps of people acting naturally, which is what I’m really after most of the time. Having said that, I do love the cabbie’s cheeky eyes and standard Chinese pose as he leans out of his Sōngzhōu (松州) bicycle taxi.

The woman attending the toilet at a mountain-road rest-stop was momentarily distracted by something out of shot and only turned her head in my direction at the very moment my finger pressed the shutter. I’m not sure what animals have been skinned and stretched out on the frame behind her — they looked like some sort of hyena, but I forget what someone told me the Chinese name was, so I can’t look it up for a translation. The little girl was simply oblivious to anything that wasn’t her notepad, and lay there singing to herself as she doodled in the sun.

#1

Kav | 2007 / 02 / 15 – 18:42

We have some Chinese students with us on a special exchange programme at the moment. A couple of my colleagues have noted that they seem to be struggling with the work and are trying to organise additional help for them. This has been hindered somewhat by the students strong desire to return home to celebrate New Year even though it would mean missing two weeks worth of lectures, seminars and tutorials. That’s a lot of work because we teach in 5 week blocks and we are not an ‘arts’ department. :-)

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