2022 started with so much promise. We dared to dream that we might get home for Summer. The Winter Olympics were on their way, we were heading to Naked Water #stillinsuzhou for Chinese New Year. We had had a boarding Chinese New Year dinner – albeit at school, but when there is a budget for a buffet, our caterers can provide. The students were amazed and grateful and for the staff – time to let hair down. In boarding many of the students chose to do door signs for luck to bring in the Chinese New Year and I was … Continue reading Resilience – part 2

That was the summer of 2021. A summer where we were living in a closed country but we were free to travel around. This was the title of the blog that I thought I would write, but clearly didn’t. So as Summer 2022 is about to kick off, time to sit back and catch up on some memories of summer 2021. The summer started with a trip to Naked Castle . A mountain retreat – where no one is naked- it is just about getting back to nature, and for us as a family to connect with each other and … Continue reading Sun, sea, mountains, karsts, and rice terraces

Last week was the first time I had blogged since we returned to school in May 2020. To put it mildly a lot has happened, globally and personally. A statement that everyone can identify with I am sure. The new job title of Head of Boarding, saw a move into a new apartment in boarding. A move actually that we were always going to make as the residents of that apartment were retiring back to their home country. The move however wasn’t smooth, like any move to a new house you have to wait until the people in the house … Continue reading The Beer Chronicles – an update of the academic year 2020-21

And so school has reopened (by the time I finished this blog – we have been open for 2 weeks!). But only for year 13 and year 12. Year 13 boarders returned on Sunday 26th April 2020 in order to get up on Monday 27th April and step inside the school building for the first time since January 17th. Year 12 boarding students arrived back in the afternoon of Monday 27th April and they stepped into school on Tuesday 28th. For Year 10s and 11s there is still no opening date, but on Wednesday 29th April the teaching staff of … Continue reading Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho, it’s off to school we go… – Beer Chronicles Part 6 (started on 1st May and finished 9 May 2020)

On Thursday 16th April Eleanor walked through the gates of Dulwich College Suzhou to commence the last 9 weeks of her primary school life.  Her excitement was delightful. It was like starting a new year. She was up, showered, dressed and breakfasted without any prompting. How long it will last is anyone’s guess. Temperature taken – below 37.3 degrees Celsius she walked out the door. We had a photo taken complete with a new part of the uniform – a mask.  The growth spurt that Eleanor has gone through in the past 3 months also obvious. The only things fitting her … Continue reading Back to School – Beer Chronicles Part 5