corvette

For primary school enrollment, it usually starts in Mar/Apr every year. kids must have a Hukou in the same area of the schools because of the huge population. Otherwise you must pay premium - the so-called school selection fee. The better schools charge higher fees. Now it's too late for enrollment. All places must have been filled up a few months ago. The best public primary school in GZ charge RMB160,000 for premium if the kid's hukou is not within the same area or if the kid's entry exam results are not satisfactory.

Because 99% of the private schools in China are a lot worse than public schools. All top primary/secondary schools/universities in China are public ones.

My country and my people by Lin Yu Tang. A must read!

A Bachelor's degree + a TESOL/TEFL by a renowned awarding body will bring you more opportunities. My previous employer offered RMB500/session (90 mins) to the English trainer who delivered English classes to employees. The trainer has a Bachelor's degree in drama and a CELTA certificate (a TESOL qualification by the University of Cambridge). He has considerable ELT experience too. He's excellent. We enjoyed the class so very much. Too bad, he returned to US. P.S I'm in GZ vet

I used to work at the Brit Consulate and came across lots of student visa applications. I suppose VOs even from different countries share some common understanding. Let me analyse this case from the VO's prospect: 1. Sponsoring by a cousin A cousin is not next of kin. In China it's not common sponsoring a cousin to study abroad . It's not common for Americans to sponsor a cousin-in-law to study abroad either. This is a huge investment, because you are supposed to cover all her expenses until she finishes her undergrad courses. Why would someone be willing to spend tons of $$ on her cousin's study? You must provide very strong and solid evidence about why you are willing to invest around 2 million RMB in her study in the US. 2. Intention of study No clear intention of study is a top-ranking reason for refusal. 99% of the applicants who only got an offer of a language school are refused because language courses are only pre-sessional courses, while the major courses count. Usually we advise students to apply for the major courses first and then the course provider will advise the applicants on whether s/he will need to take pre-sessional english courses and if yes how long it will be. "Why does she want to study in the US? not UK? not other countries? what course is she going to study? What's her future plan?" She needs to be very clear about these questions because they are the most frequently asked ones.The intention should not be that you guys want to bring her to the States, but what she really thinks. She's still very young and she might not even know what she wants. I suppose her answers during the interview are not satisfactory. 3. Finance I'm not quite sure about your finance situation. However, this is also the top-ranking reason for refusal. 4. Immigration intention If she has good family background, it can be a strong tie for her to return. FYI, in China only about 20-30 out of 100 applicants for overseas studies apply for high schools courses and not many of them were granted visa. Those successful cases usually fall into 2 catories: 1) The applicants do not have a very good academic record but from rich families; 2) The applicants are super intelligent and from rich families. If you let me know the questions and answers during the girl's interview I will be able to give you more details on the problems and improvement.

It really varies from individuals. I always feel insecure without a job. I'm the independant kind and I enjoy using my own money, hehe. Sometimes it's really difficult to focus on study when one is overwhelmed with tons of work. Taking a break would be good for study. Alternatively, she can find a job with less working hrs/stress. I'm now working full time and taking a certified beautician course in the evening Mon-Fri. When i look back I found that I'm really the "restless" type. Although I have a full-time job, I keep studying all along, acedemic or vocational, all kinds of stuff, for my personal interest.

Zhongshan is a very nice city. Great food!

Keep yourself busy is the only solution. 2 weeks ago I flew from US back to China and I arrived in Shenzhen at 7:30pm (I would have a business trip in SZ). I started to work from 7:30am the next morning. I didn't feel any jetlag when I was working but when I got back home I felt tired. I kept working for the next few days and I had no problem at all. When I flew to US, I hit the road immediately right after I got off the flight. I adjusted quite well whenever I had something to do and keep my attention. If you always stay close to bed, you will always want to sleep.

Hell forget lunch I want to go party with you Ok, let's go party. BTW, Cory and I are going to Cancun in late Apr.

lol. can't wait. vet

Buon Giornoa? I tend to notice the Chinese name instead so I'm not sure where it is. I've heard that the "Milano" is good, but I don't care for Italian food. Guess I had too much pizza when I was travelling in Italy now I don't care for pizza either. lol If you like French cuisine, La Seine is great. It's at the Er Sha Island. Banana Leaf's thai food is not bad. There are loads of dining options in GZ. vet

My colleagues and I often go to macau street restaurant. It's about 10 mins walk from our office. But we prefer the "Lemon House" (Yue Ming Yuan) Vietnam restaurant at "Jian She Liu Ma Lu", about 5 mins walk from the "Latina" brazilian BBQ place. Yummmmm...

Hi, I say the latin dinning was so good that during my trip to GZ me & Yvette went there 2 times. It is a real bargin and the food is super! I highly recommend this place to anyone thinking about going there. Cory

There's one Mexican restaurant near the Garden Hotel, but I'm not sure if they serve authentic Mexican food. Yvette

The restaurant you mentioned is actually in Yue Xiu District, about 15 mins by cab from the US consulate. They have another franchise restaurant in the Grandview Mall (Zheng Jia Guang Chang), which is closer to the US consulate. Lunch RMB48, dinner RMB68. The price does not include drinks other than water. Yvette