I went to a discussion on China a while back…about the workers’ strikes over the last few years. It was hosted by Melbourne Free University (http://melbournefreeuniversity.org/) but I didn’t find it particularly enlightening. Too much emphasis on what MAY be happening (grassroots organisation – really?) and not enough on what IS actually happening. Did anyone else go/have a comment?

I just unearthed my notes from a cross-cultural training presentation by AVI I attended some years back (http://www.australianvolunteers.com/professional-services/training-and-development.aspx). The advice and guidance in reagrds to understanding a new culture, as well as your own and yourself personally, still resonates.

As I prepare for the mini-course on the Chinese langauge that I will be presenting later this month (http://www.lanewaylearning.com/2012/12/14/a-bit-of-basic-mandarin/ – check it out!), I am reflecting on how much of this blog could now be seen as out-dated…and how much of it is timeless. I like to think more of the latter than the former – that my years in China amounted to more than just the ability to comment on what happened to me at a certain point in time. There is some modern relevance here. I will continue to prune until its full shape emerges!