Yulin Aston - School

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School

 

The school itself is located very close to the centre of the city and is designed in a very modern fashion. The school has a total of 3 floors and 11 classrooms. Each classroom is spacious, uses blackboards, has air conditioning and has windows.

The staff room is on the 2nd floor. It has computers and desks for all the staff and is quite comfortable. The staff room also has lots of teaching props to help you out in class. It is a nice place to relax between classes. Below the school there is a convenient shop where you can buy drinks, snacks, cigarettes and other things. The 2nd floor lobby area has a TV and DVD player where staff and kids alike can watch some DVDs.

There is also a water purifying system in the school, so you can keep yourself hydrated. The school is adjacent to many different kinds of restaurants which are convenient for lunch or dinner. It is also just a stone’s throw away from a KFC if you need a taste of home.

The school is also close to western bars and restaurants. There is a city square close by too. This is a nice place to sit and relax or even observe a fountain show during the summer. The school staff is genuinely friendly and helpful. There are often outside social events with the staff and the foreign teachers all have close relationships with them. We often go to restaurants, bars, local places of interest and even to do sports with the Chinese and Western staff of the school. This friendship not only makes teaching class a breeze but it also helps if you want to make travel arrangements in China.

The staff is more than happy to help you out. The staff also hold bi-weekly Chinese classes for beginners. They teach conversation and writing and reading. They use the most modern and up to date books and teaching methods. This should make the move to China all the more comfortable.

 

A School Trip in Yulin

 

June 2010 was a good month in Yulin Aston.

We were more than halfway through the semester. With the exams out of the way, Ms Feng arranged a short trip into Inner Mongolia for all us teachers before the extra-curricula activities and summer intensive would begin.

We left early on a Tuesday morning with a long journey ahead of us to the Kubuqi Desert. The bus was a comfortable modern one with air conditioning and an entertainment system. With everyone in a holiday mood, we left Yulin before 7am. Our tour guide and driver were very helpful and easygoing. Throughout the trip, they were helpful and professional.

Past the Genghis Khan Mausoleum area, it was new terrority to all of us with the landscape opening up into vast skies - the odd cirrus and cumulus clouds lending an enchantment to them.

We reached the Kubuqi Desert for a late lunch having passed a wetland area and a desert of white corrosive stuff which was either salt or lime. It made for a stark surreal landscape that sunny day...

The desert was beautiful and for only RMB120, we could go on five adventure rides. The first was on an amphibian – like going on a boat on the sea of dunes – in really really bad weather! We walked across the quiet desert, with the mountains visible from the higher dunes, to the sandboarding area. Down a very high dune – about 20-30s of adrenaline depending on your breakfast before a smooth stop on soft sand. No-one fell off the little boxes in which we slid down. So it was much safer than it looked.

The walk up was the dune was tiring and only Vicky was crazy and fit enough to have another go. Next we went on the highlight for me - a foefi slide done another high dune. Strapped in like a skydiver without a chute and hanging onto the strap attached to the cable was the best fun I've had in ages. With almost a minute to enjoy the wind rushing past you before you hit the brake with a suprising jolt, it was wonder our guides weren't kicked in the face when our legs involuntarily flew up, but they came pretty close! The foefi was soon followed by a short camel (dromedary, actually) ride. It's a whole lot more comfortable and relaxing than riding a horse. Lastly, a short ride on a quad bike across the dunes again before we headed back to the bus.

About two hours later, we reached the grasslands or prairie. It was late evening with wonderful light and a cool breeze. An excellent dinner in the restaurant met us before we were shown to our Yurt style accomodation for the night. They had comfortable bedding and private bathrooms with western toilets. Each room also had a TV. It was pleasant accomodations with only the summer heat making it slightly uncomfortable. The sunset was gorgeous with a clear sky in the West turning pink and orange and purple. The full moon also shone strongly just above us with a thunderstorm in the East to complete the picture. A more beautiful night you could not have hoped for.

At about 9pm that night, the entertainment began. A bonfire in the courtyard with traditional dancing around it in which we all joined in. The dancers were excellent in their rich costumes reminescent of Hindu Shararas and Russian Cossacks. We danced until the fire died down. Then it was time for a little moonlight Duck, Duck, Goose played with the few other guests at the resort who came from Sichuan Province. Everyone really enjoyed themselves despite being tired from the long day we had had. The next morning was wonderfully cool and clear with the green grasslands rolling off into the horizon as far as you could see. With only the whinny of the spirited horses going out to graze in front of our rooms and the breeze, it was wonderfully peaceful and invigorating. Perfect for taking a few nature pics with the camera. It was well worth the early rise.

A hearty breakfast later, most of the others went on a horse ride. There were 3 options. RMB120 got you a 1hr ride to visit a local smallholding and the family. RMB220 got you a 2hr ride to a beauty spot and the local family while RMB350/400 took you on a longer ride to a lake, the beauty spot and the family. Everyone enjoyed the horseride and the visit to the family where they had local refreshments and could try on traditional clothing.

I opted to try archery instead – something, like the foefi, Ihad long wanted to try. Little Lily accompanied me, having decided that horseriding with contacts, that windy day, was not a good choice. It was fun. RMB20 got me the use of the bow and 5 arrows. They guys were very kind and encouraging. No-one laughed. A shi-shi of three free arrows was given to me. It was addictive. I would definitely like to try it again.

Once everyone had returned from the horse riding adventure, it was time to head back home in the comfort of the tour bus. It was a quiet trip back along scenic country roads and vast lakes or dams. Most of us used the time to catch up on much needed rest. We got back to Yulin in the evening without incident. The driver made stops at convenient spots in the city so that getting back home was incredibly easy. Ms Feng was the last to be dropped off, having seen everyone safely off the bus.

It was a unique experience not to be missed. One I would have found difficult to arrange by myself. I highly recommend it.

 

Leena July 2010.