Monday 5th December

Monday 5^th December

Today the smog was so bad that I could not see the ground from my fourth floor apartment, this is by far the worse that I have seen it, with the pollution level reportedly being 450.

API	Air Pollution Level	Health Implications
0 - 50	Excellent	No health implications
51 -100	Good	No health implications
101-150	Slightly Polluted	Slight irritations may occur, individuals with breathing or heart problems should reduce outdoor exercise.
151-200	Lightly Polluted	Slight irritations may occur, individuals with breathing or heart problems should reduce outdoor exercise.
201-250	Moderately Polluted	Healthy people will be noticeably affected. People with breathing or heart problems will experience reduced endurance in activities. These individuals and elders should remain indoors and restrict activities.
251-300	Heavily Polluted	Healthy people will be noticeably affected. People with breathing or heart problems will experience reduced endurance in activities. These individuals and elders should remain indoors and restrict activities.
300+	Severely Polluted	Healthy people will experience reduced endurance in activities. There may be strong irritations and symptoms and may trigger other illnesses. Elders and the sick should remain indoors and avoid exercise. Healthy individuals should avoid out door activities.

Beijing International Airport was also closed because of the smog.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16034087

Today was also the day I turned down the job offer of being kept on at Beijing International Bilingual Academy until the end of the school year in June. I have made a lot of really good friends here and I really enjoy the job (most of the time anyway) but I have to return to the UK for my PGCE interview, graduation and then a family holiday to Las Vegas so I would have to pay for flights back to China in February and for an extended Visa and I haven’t got anywhere near the money to do that.

Other than that, I had quite a good day today, despite sounding so hoarse and full of a cold. I had a few small gifts from my secret Santa waiting for me from the two days that I was off sick, a hot chocolate, a can of some kind of Chinese milk drink and a small bag of Chinese pick n mix candy. I had some productive lessons with grade 1 in the morning and again with grade 2 in the afternoon and the last lesson was spent making snowflakes for the display board which the children really enjoyed doing. Actually, I think I was into it the most, I love any opportunity to get creative!

After school I went for dinner with 4 other teachers to Michael's place, an Italian restaurant at Euro Plaza and then we went for homemade ice cream at another place in Euro Plaza which was nice. Then it was home and an early night to try and shift this cold before my leaving party on Saturday.