In a fit of laziness, I’m going to combine all the things I wanted to write about but didn’t have time to do until I had left Tianjin.

丁字沽 (DingZiGu) Bus Stop Information

Tianjin’s bus system is comprehensively covers the city. The buses are cheap, clean and frequent. In the space of 3 months, most of the old buses have been replaced by new ones. Though the overcrowding problem remain during rush hour, but it’s not bad considering the city is home to 10 million Chinese (and a few expats).

Unfortunately, the timetables are not tourist friendly. You really have to know the layout of the city and remember the Chinese road names in order to figure out where you want to go. I’ve missed a few buses whilst trying to decipher the timetable.

Roller Blade Academy

Children can learn how the roller-blade in the park where the school is located. I had to cycle through swarms of roller-blading children to get to school and, fortunately, always managed to avoid hitting anyone.

Earthquake Donations

After the Sichuan Earthquake there was an outpouring of donations from all people of Tianjin. A list of donations in descending order was posted on red paper in all the apartment complexes. The donations ranged from 100 000 RMB to 10 RMB. In the West, there is honour in donating anonymously and this would be considered ostentatious. I asked my Chinese teacher about this and she said that the generous are respected. Are we too cynical in the West?

Tesco in Tianjin

Tesco have started their invasion of China. However, they were behind Walmart (the world’s biggest retailer) and Carrefour (the second biggest retailer), who have a bigger presence in the city. I shopped at Carrefour more because it was closer to where I lived.

Tianjin has many more interesting stories but they are for another (better) blogger to write about.

OK, it’s been ages since my last blog post. I apologise to you. My time has been spent writing my school’s new website. I’ve come to realise that my life is not so interesting and there are many more informative blogs about expat life in China. The only hope I have to distinguish myself is to write with correct grammer and adequate spelling.

It’s been raining an abnormal amount in Tianjin. Last year, there was a storm every week but nowadays it rains every other day. The title of the blog post actually reflects my departure from Tianjin in less than a week’s time. I know I will miss this Tianjin and I’m anticipating “Reverse Culture Shock” (RCS) when I return to Britain. The proximity of my leaving has meant that I’ve refused to buy an umbrella. I’d rather buy an expensive Chinese-imported umbrella in England than the same umbrella in China.

Yes, it is possible to attach an ironing board to a bike and ride around Tianjin. You just have to be aware of the risk of decapitating any large dogs or sheep. The advantages are:

• Defend against enemy bicycles
• Increased aerodynamic downforce.
• Ability to carry three passengers at the back.

Unfortunately it now rides like an elephant.