Home, Happy and Busy.

Well it's the start of my second week back at home and even though I have great memories and had a wonderful time in China, it already seems a long time ago and I'm very happy to be home.

We were welcomed back to Wales by beautiful sunny, warm weather , some really good swell ( I was surfing 7 hours after getting home!)

The welcoming waves 24th March picture by Claire Beach

3 Cliffs Bay Sunday 1st April

Sunny morning view from the living room.

Fall Bay Saturday 30th March

Early Morning on Swansea Beach 28th March

One of the biggest surprises after getting back was just how quiet everything is here, I didn't really notice the noise of China, the constant thrumming of humanity all around you at all hours, car horns, people shouting vehicle engines etc. but while walking Roger in the park early last Monday morning I was struck by just how quiet the world was!  Only the sounds of birds and the occasional car on the Mumbles Road, it was quite a surprise and made me realise how startling it is for my students when they arrive in Swansea especially after living their entire lives in the mega cities like Beijing.

Work is as busy as ever, just the way I like it and it is really good to back with my colleagues here, I'm in the middle of writing up my China Trip report, a business plan outlining how ELTS will contribute to delivering the University's  strategic plan, a paper proposing the delivery of our English test overseas, and working with various stakeholders to put the plan for Hunan Province into action amongst other things.

Today we welcomed our Semester 3 intake of students, some returning and some having just arrived in Swansea and the UK for the first time,  all joining us from all over the world including China, and Jack who I met at his parents restaurant in Zhuzhou City is here.

Two of my team are heading out to the Yandi Institute at the end of the month to work with the team there in delivering 10 weeks of Teacher Training Workshops to local Chinese junior school English teachers.