Ok...so currently an hour away from the temple at Songshan, Teaching English in Zhengzhou. Sounds crazy but I'm finding it really difficult to manage my diet here. I miss my supplements and can't even find a freakin dvd player for those rainy days or times when there is no time to get out. I have for yrs mainly lived on fluidy supplements and the locals don't seem to undestand why I don't appear to eat much.........the food here is often very poor quality and I've been so sick so often that I'm almost affraid to eat...I'm sure if I wasn't under contract and had enough money I could happily shack up on songshan under a discipleship, but it would take a little time to prove committment, so I'm thinking I need at least 6 mths of living cash ( food , accom, training, clothes and hygeine).

I figure I three options

1. stick it out and save my pennies]

2. Go back to Australia and return directly to songshan without needing to work. ( this is'd probably take anywhere from 6mths to 2yrs, in te meantime i'd pick up a ma instructor cert , finish my Phd dissertation in chan, regain some deserved health and fitness and maybe study more chinese medicine)

or 3. Take a job in Beijing as a fitness / nutrition teacher come counsellor to english speaking students. On the up side, Beijing is probably better equipt to facilitate a westerner and I could still visit Shaolin...but they want answer within the week and if it doesn't work out, I don't really like the idea of needing to bail on 2 contracts in such a short time.........

advice??...what do y'all think??