My thoughts turned to the start of my job in London. There were forms to fill out. I had to prove that I wasn’t an illegal immigrant. I wrote large cheques to my landlord and estate agent. I get a comfortable and well furnished apartment for my money. Heating and electric problems would be a thing of the past.

I bought a new guitar, which destroyed my budget plans for the whole year. Turns out that a new guitar doesn’t make you a better player.

Beijing Olympics

They say that the Olympics marks the coming-of-age of China as a key global player. I reacted by returning back to the UK and working during the opening ceremony. My excuse is that I don’t need to hang around in Tianjin for the games because they will be coming to London for 2012. A mistake perhaps?

First Day at Work

As I walked into the training room on my first day a lot was on my mind. Who would be in my department, making a good first impression, who my friends would be and if I would fit in. It was like the first day of school again. I worked out that I got my job offer about 35 months ago. I had waited almost 3 years. I needed that time to step off the treadmill of the typical career path (school to university to work to retirement). It was difficult to climb back on.

I could never explain to anyone what an auditor actually does. Now was the time to find out. Auditors have a distinct culture with a focus on the ceremonial counting and re-counting of beans. They speak their own specialised language. You will be shunned from audit society until you learn how to use 4 different colour of pen in everyday situations. I learnt all this on the first day.

I left Tianjin on the 14th July after a wonderful and unforgettable 18 months. I finished as I had started: in a frantic horrible rush to say goodbyes, buy presents and pack. I was still working on the school’s website the day before I left.

I would have liked to have stayed in Tianjin but it was the right time to move on. I was on holiday in Paris after I returned. I used some Mandarin in a Chinese restaurant. It wasn’t the same. Life in China was anything but mundane and that’s what I miss the most.

There were no over-riding themes in June. Just more busyness, activities and a realisation that my time in China was coming to an end.

I had a kimbab making lesson. Kimbab is the Korean equivalent of sushi but with meat and rice substituted for seafood. Excellent for the person with a seafood allergy. Read about a recipe here.

The Firm asks me to read the ethics manual again as a condition of my third revised contract. I’m still grateful that they allowed me to defer my start for 2 years. But the time is coming where I must wear a suit + bad shirt instead of jeans + bad shirt.

A party was organised for the British expats in Tianjin. There would be the usual fare of tea, cake, singing the national anthem and discussing the weather. However, I got caught up in the China vs. Qatar World Cup qualifier game. I had to walk the last half mile. I made the most of the situation by buying a red souvenir T-shirt which read: "China Wins!" China lost the game 1-0.

I needed to buy a water bottle desperately and one for 18 RMB. I bargained down to 16RMB but the seller refused to go any lower. So I walked away. I spend the next week in persistent need of a water bottle. I return to the same shop and buy it for the original price of 18 RMB. My students tell me that I got a terrible deal. The other teachers tell me that the Korean characters written on the bottle are nonsense. I still use the water bottle.

I scratch the site of a van while riding my bike. I end up handing over 100RMB to placate the driver. I can’t afford to buy any more water bottles for the rest of the year.

The flat continues to have electrical problems as the fuse can only support 2 out of the following devices out at any one time:

1. Washing machine
2. Air-conditioning
3. Water heater for the shower
4. Microwave

The fuse wire blows and I fix it using a pair of chopsticks. My health insurance is invalidated.

I make another trip to "Computer Street" to buy 5 hard drives. Computer Street is a geeks dream. There are hundreds of shops selling any kind of gadget and computer equipment. The shops range from clean glass displays to dark slime pits. I wonder how these places make any profit – it turns out that they are more solvent than the average Western bank.

There is a wedding in the park. Beautiful and touching.