In Baoding again. Feels weird. I arrived yesterday, and have spent last night and the whole of today meeting friends, eating and talking... I do like this city, it feels so nice and small and friendly after the big and busy Jinan. But I'm not tempted to stay long, i want to move on with my life and my journey, and in a way coming to Baoding feels like takig a step backwards. So, on saturday morning I'm off to the village in Yi county.

(I'm a little distracted by the guys on both sides of me in the netcafe, playing Counter Strike [as most people in Chinese internet cafes tend to do] and shrieking and laughing...)

Anyway, work is over for me now, and from here on the road is all open for me. it's a funny feeling, and i suppose i'll really only realise what it means after i leave Baoding.

And, I'm already apologising in advance, as bad as I usually am with emails, I'm afraid that i will get even worse from now on, as i will probably not have regular access to the internet.

Oh, and get this: When I went to Jinan I left two big bags of all my stuff here in Baoding, as they promised that they can keep them at the university for me. So, they were left in my old apartment. And yesterday when I asked for them, I found out that it's all gone. Apparently, Mr Kou, the newest member of staff in the int.nat. office was left in charge of the clening of the flats for the new teachers, so he got the cleaners in and told them that there might be some old clothes and stuff in the flats, but that they could take what they could use and throw the rest of the stuff out. And that 'stuff' included my bags, i.e. all my winter clothes, shoes, books, a lot of papers, presents that people gave me.... all gone!

It sucks, but then again it's just things, so it doesn't really annoy me all that much. I'll just have to do some shopping for the winter so i don't freeze to death... and anyway, it makes my life a lot easier as i don't have to try to figure out what to do with everything and where to leave it. So that was the end of my endless mountains of stuff...

Not very surprised anyway that they'd lose it... I should've known better.