Hi Dos,

you are right, I suppose I did concentrate on the negatives a little too much, but I will say that a lot of the teachers I have spoken to in the two and half years I have been here, have been quite naieve in a lot of ways and have hated their experience here.
I have travelled and worked in many countries (not as a teacher though) and have found that there are good and bad points everywhere you go, although I have not been to Russia.

I truly believe that if you have never been away from your home country before China may not be the best first choice.

On the positive side I have had and am sure I will continue to have a good time here - It does help that I am married to a Chinese person.
In nearly all cases, the people I have met away from the school on a personal basis have been very open and friendly, and I have made many good friends here.