And now, the end is near...

The proverbial curtain is hoving into view, but it's just one of those ones made of strands of beads, and on the other side... Well, don't want to stretch the metaphor too far.

So, anyway, it's a strange time. Lots of goodbyes, but at the same time lots of excitement about going home, seeing friends, family and in particular my niece (for the first time).

I finally gave my last exam yesterday, only a week and a half after all the other teachers! Not bitter at all. It was the British Literature exam and they did pretty well - I was pleased with them and their analysis of the texts. That class were my saviours. In a school where many students are apathetic towards learning English (to say the least!) their enthusiasm and aptitude were so refreshing. I also enjoyed teaching literature and remembering things about texts I studied over ten years ago.

Last night at an Italian restaurant in Kunming, my friend Rachelle and I were waiting to order. One of the owners brought a plate of fruit and cream to the table. Now, this has happened a few times before with random food and most times I've said 'this isn't mine' or 'I didn't order this', but then often it's just some free food they want to give us. So this time I didn't say anything, though I was a bit wary about digging in. Rachelle didn't hesitate and had a couple of forkfuls. Then suddenly, a waitress came up to our table, picked up the plate, said 'sorry' and walked off with it.... to another table! Yes, I'm afraid some poor customers got the plate and the fork that Rachelle had eaten off... haha.

And so next week I say farewell to Kunming and a little while later 再见 to China.