The cooks who run the noodle restaurant at the schools cafeteria that I affectionately call The Noodle Folk Restaurant, invited their student workers and me to dinner on New Years Eve. By the way these two people are some of the nicest people I have met anywhere and they treat their student workers like family.
For some strange reason I thought the restaurant would be a nice little out of the way restaurant with a simple menu, but I guess I forgot I am in China. The restaurant was huge and we had a private room where we had barbecued sheep and tons of vegetables that I don't know the names of; serve in a hot pot that was heated with coal. Then because this is China "Uncle", as the students call him, and I had bei jou (a strong whiskey like drink) while his wife and Noodle Folk co-owner "Auntie" heaped serving after serving on to my plate.
Well two to three hours later I bid everyone good bye and headed off to Finnegan's Wake to meet Dave one of the other teachers at JIETT, listen and sing to some music and usher in the New Year. This seemed like a good idea, since the solar New Year is more of a Western celebration and celebrating it in an Irish pub seemed appropriate.
I don't know what I was thinking. When I go there Dave gave me a Guinness and we kept ordering shots of who knows what; finally washing it all down with champagne. I left at 1:30am way too early for some but way too late for me and today I feel a bit sick.
Happy New Years!
Here are some New Years photos.
By the way I couldn't stop taking Christmas photos. Check out the photos in Christmas in Nanjing slide show and vote for your favorite holiday image, in the comment link.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas in Nanjing
Many of my students have asked me if I am going home for Christmas. I tell them it would be a little expensive to fly to the US for one day, plus I have to teach for eight hours on Christmas. Then they ask if I will be home sick during Christmas. My thoughts usually turn to endless traffic jams, hearing Alvin and the Chipmunks singing Christmas carols or of having my mail box being stuffed with Xmas sale fliers and I just tell them not really. But I think to myself; Christmas is where you find. It is in the sharing, the peace and the joy. Here are some examples of Christmas in China.
I will keep adding photos until the day or so after Christmas. So Check back for more.
This is not a Christmas meal or anything like that. But this bowl of tomato, egg and noodle soup looked so warm and festive that I decided to include with this Christmas entry.
I will keep adding photos until the day or so after Christmas. So Check back for more.
This is not a Christmas meal or anything like that. But this bowl of tomato, egg and noodle soup looked so warm and festive that I decided to include with this Christmas entry.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
China Green
When most people think of China the colors that come to mind are red and yellow. I think green should come to mind also. In many ways China is far ahead of the US in conservation and sustainable practices. Energy use per person, how people travel, laws cities have put in place, how buildings are designed, and where people live are a few areas where American's have a lot of catching up to do.
At look at the roofs of houses in China illustrates this. The use of solar hot water heaters is very popular. Clothes can be seen drying the in breeze in every part of every city. Gas and electric clothes dryers seems like a strange idea here, since the sun and breeze does the job just as well and it is cheaper.
Buses and subways come frequently and actually go places people want to go. Unlike the US where siting some form of public transportation is like finding a rare bird in a forest. Laws restrict certain gasoline power vehicles in major Chinese cities. For examples only electric scooters and bikes are allowed in Nanjings city limits, and Beijing restricts the use of older, more polluting cars.
Building are built to make use of the sun in the winter and have design features that shade windows somewhat in the summer. In Beijing and Shanghai is fashionable to grow grass and trees on top of buildings to increase green space. During construction high rise buildings are wrapped in green wind screens; so cement dust in the air is reduced. Major streets have sidewalks, bike lanes with physical barriers between them and the street, plus rotaries to help control traffic but still keep it movin. The bottom floor of most residential high rise building are used for small shops like restaurants, and small shops; so people don't have to travel far to shop.
This does not mean that China does not have problems with the environment. There really is not anywhere, in the world, that does not have some problem with the environment. But China is doing something about it, both individually and collectively. Granted they are not doing these things out a concern for the environment. They are motivated by necessity. They have 1.6 billion reasons to work towards sustainability.
What these actions do though, is they give China an advantage over the other economies, because they are gaining experience and knowledge on how to work towards an economy that is sustainable. This knowledge will be important as the global competition for resources intensifies.
At look at the roofs of houses in China illustrates this. The use of solar hot water heaters is very popular. Clothes can be seen drying the in breeze in every part of every city. Gas and electric clothes dryers seems like a strange idea here, since the sun and breeze does the job just as well and it is cheaper.
Buses and subways come frequently and actually go places people want to go. Unlike the US where siting some form of public transportation is like finding a rare bird in a forest. Laws restrict certain gasoline power vehicles in major Chinese cities. For examples only electric scooters and bikes are allowed in Nanjings city limits, and Beijing restricts the use of older, more polluting cars.
Building are built to make use of the sun in the winter and have design features that shade windows somewhat in the summer. In Beijing and Shanghai is fashionable to grow grass and trees on top of buildings to increase green space. During construction high rise buildings are wrapped in green wind screens; so cement dust in the air is reduced. Major streets have sidewalks, bike lanes with physical barriers between them and the street, plus rotaries to help control traffic but still keep it movin. The bottom floor of most residential high rise building are used for small shops like restaurants, and small shops; so people don't have to travel far to shop.
This does not mean that China does not have problems with the environment. There really is not anywhere, in the world, that does not have some problem with the environment. But China is doing something about it, both individually and collectively. Granted they are not doing these things out a concern for the environment. They are motivated by necessity. They have 1.6 billion reasons to work towards sustainability.
What these actions do though, is they give China an advantage over the other economies, because they are gaining experience and knowledge on how to work towards an economy that is sustainable. This knowledge will be important as the global competition for resources intensifies.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksiving China Style
One of the other American teachers Jerry and I ate lunch with some English teachers who went to the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The food there was excellent and the price was very affordable. So when Jerry and I were talking about where we could go to have Thanksgiving dinner we thought of UAA. We contacted Dou Jing and Li Jing and they invited us over again. But this time we insisted on paying.
Again the food was great. We had an egg and shrimp dish omelet like dish, string beans with red peppers, shredded potatoes cooked in spicy vinegar, beef and Chinese cabbage in a spicy broth and a chicken with celery dish. It turned out to be a great meal and we had a nice conversation with Li Jing and Dou Ying also.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me
So I am going to celebrate my birthday in China. The cooks at the cafeteria told me they were going to make me some noodles tomorrow. I guess in China they serve noodles for birthdays instead of cake. I am not sure whether the noodles come with candles or not. I don't teach on Tuesdays so I told my students today they sang me the first line of the Happy Birthday song, but that was all they knew. I tried to lead them with the rest of the song but that did not work so well. Si I figured it was the thought that counts. More on my China birthday "bash", tomorrow.
It isn't tomorrow yet but I have had a great birthday. I have had many text messages, some birthday, some presents, several birthday songs and noodle soup for good luck.
Happy Birthday to me . . .
It isn't tomorrow yet but I have had a great birthday. I have had many text messages, some birthday, some presents, several birthday songs and noodle soup for good luck.
Happy Birthday to me . . .
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Suzhou and Shanghai Silk Railroad Trip
Last week I unexpectedly had Thursday and Friday off and had to work on Saturday. So I hopped on the train and went to Suzhou and Shanghai. My main plan was to meet with with friends in Shanghai. But I also wanted to do some sight seeing and shopping.
In Suzhou I wanted to go visit a silk factory. But it was raining and I didn't want to wander around in places I did not know, so I went to the center of town where I stayed in March and strolled around the market and temple area there. One place I happened upon was a stall selling hand made pottery from what I could tell were hobbyists.
From Suzhou I went on to Shanghai where I met with friends for dinner and lunch. Unfortunately since I had such little notice for my schedule change I did not get to contact everyone I wanted to contact in Shanghai. But next time I will. But since most of the people I know there work during the day I had time to go to the Shanghai Museum and my favorite place in Shanghai the Urban Planning Museum.
More photos to come but I am tired from getting lost tonight on my way back from Carrefour. I'm going to bed
In Suzhou I wanted to go visit a silk factory. But it was raining and I didn't want to wander around in places I did not know, so I went to the center of town where I stayed in March and strolled around the market and temple area there. One place I happened upon was a stall selling hand made pottery from what I could tell were hobbyists.
From Suzhou I went on to Shanghai where I met with friends for dinner and lunch. Unfortunately since I had such little notice for my schedule change I did not get to contact everyone I wanted to contact in Shanghai. But next time I will. But since most of the people I know there work during the day I had time to go to the Shanghai Museum and my favorite place in Shanghai the Urban Planning Museum.
More photos to come but I am tired from getting lost tonight on my way back from Carrefour. I'm going to bed
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Great Road of Language
A side note to my ramblings about Missouri enacting Amendment 1, which will only serve to put up barriers between people of different cultures, is the suggestion to promote Esperanto as a common language for global dealings. My father first mentioned it to me years ago and of course being a dutiful son; I told him I would look into it and promptly forgot about it.
A few weeks ago I was talking to a teacher from China who had done some traveling and he mentioned Esperanto. Thanks to my father I could actually tell him I had heard of it.
It is now on my "A" list of things to look into. Maybe my father may have something here; adopting Esperanto for global communication might be a good idea. What do you think?
A few weeks ago I was talking to a teacher from China who had done some traveling and he mentioned Esperanto. Thanks to my father I could actually tell him I had heard of it.
It is now on my "A" list of things to look into. Maybe my father may have something here; adopting Esperanto for global communication might be a good idea. What do you think?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Great Languge Wall of Missouri
The good election news is the drama over Obama is no longga. He won.
The bad news is Missouri has taken a giant step backward, with Amendment 1. I am not a lawyer but there seems like there could be a lot of confusion putting this law into effect in a global economy.
What exactly does this amendment mean. I would assume that if a foreign delegation came to talk with a government agency that everyone will have to speak English, no translators would be allow, since the translators could only speak English. What are the penalties if someone inadvertently says ""gesundheit" after some sneezed in an governmental meeting (gesundheit is used very often in St Louis)? Will the state have to hire "language police" to monitor elected officials?
What does this say about Missouri's willingness to engage with the rest of the world. I have been deeply troubled with the United States growing isolation from other nations. Do we really think we can just wall ourselves in and dictate to other countries. The history of barriers and walls is not good. Just ask France, China, North Korea and the former Soviet Union. Did their walls and barriers help them.
One of the darkest times in Europe was during feudal times when anyone with any kind of resources hid behind castle and estate walls. Those walls may have stopped people from coming in, but is also kept ideas and knowledge from being exchanged. Civilization actually regressed.
In a time of economic hardship and accelerating globalization anyone who turns their back on their neighboring nations will be left behind. Missouri is not really doing that well on many economic and social indicators, discouraging people who may have fresh energy and new ideas is counter productive.
The most rapidly growing economy in the world, right now, is China. China is actively encouraging and enabling its citizens to learn new languages, especially English, so they can compete on the world stage. People here have made me feel welcome and are genuinely interested in listening to me talk about he USA. In my efforts to learn Chinese I have discovered a whole new world of history, culture and friendship.
Missouri you don't know what you are missing.
The bad news is Missouri has taken a giant step backward, with Amendment 1. I am not a lawyer but there seems like there could be a lot of confusion putting this law into effect in a global economy.
What exactly does this amendment mean. I would assume that if a foreign delegation came to talk with a government agency that everyone will have to speak English, no translators would be allow, since the translators could only speak English. What are the penalties if someone inadvertently says ""gesundheit" after some sneezed in an governmental meeting (gesundheit is used very often in St Louis)? Will the state have to hire "language police" to monitor elected officials?
What does this say about Missouri's willingness to engage with the rest of the world. I have been deeply troubled with the United States growing isolation from other nations. Do we really think we can just wall ourselves in and dictate to other countries. The history of barriers and walls is not good. Just ask France, China, North Korea and the former Soviet Union. Did their walls and barriers help them.
One of the darkest times in Europe was during feudal times when anyone with any kind of resources hid behind castle and estate walls. Those walls may have stopped people from coming in, but is also kept ideas and knowledge from being exchanged. Civilization actually regressed.
In a time of economic hardship and accelerating globalization anyone who turns their back on their neighboring nations will be left behind. Missouri is not really doing that well on many economic and social indicators, discouraging people who may have fresh energy and new ideas is counter productive.
The most rapidly growing economy in the world, right now, is China. China is actively encouraging and enabling its citizens to learn new languages, especially English, so they can compete on the world stage. People here have made me feel welcome and are genuinely interested in listening to me talk about he USA. In my efforts to learn Chinese I have discovered a whole new world of history, culture and friendship.
Missouri you don't know what you are missing.
 |
| From Temple of Heaven |
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Absentee Voting
In case anyone was wondering, I did vote in the general election. At least I think I voted.
After two months of searching the internet for the right form to ask for a ballot, filling out the wrong forms, filling out the correct form, trying to find out where to mail the form, mailing the form, waiting, waiting, and waiting for the ballot; I got my absentee ballot in the mail last Thursday night, four days before the election. It takes at least ten days for mail to get to the USA. So I had to call FedEx and send it by express delivery for 250RMB (about $36). The ballot was supposed to have gotten to the Election Board on Monday.
There is a "free" service offered through FedEx, to request a ballot, but I would have had to go to Shanghai to send it. Which is a two and a half hour train ride, costing about 100RMB one way. Yes I did contact FedEx about sending for a ballot from their Nanjing office but I had no luck.
All of this would have been easier if I could have just downloaded a ballot off the internet. But it seems that Missouri is still living in the last century and does not provide for something as simple as a PDF ballot form. There are many other states that do, but not the Show Me state.
But I did vote and I am eagerly awaiting election returns.
After two months of searching the internet for the right form to ask for a ballot, filling out the wrong forms, filling out the correct form, trying to find out where to mail the form, mailing the form, waiting, waiting, and waiting for the ballot; I got my absentee ballot in the mail last Thursday night, four days before the election. It takes at least ten days for mail to get to the USA. So I had to call FedEx and send it by express delivery for 250RMB (about $36). The ballot was supposed to have gotten to the Election Board on Monday.
There is a "free" service offered through FedEx, to request a ballot, but I would have had to go to Shanghai to send it. Which is a two and a half hour train ride, costing about 100RMB one way. Yes I did contact FedEx about sending for a ballot from their Nanjing office but I had no luck.
All of this would have been easier if I could have just downloaded a ballot off the internet. But it seems that Missouri is still living in the last century and does not provide for something as simple as a PDF ballot form. There are many other states that do, but not the Show Me state.
But I did vote and I am eagerly awaiting election returns.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Halloween in Nanjing
It is funny Halloween is one of my least favorite holiday's (I don't like to wear costumes) but I seem to have a lot of memories of it. Most of which are good.
Such as my first Halloween where I lost all of my candy because the rain made a hole in my paper bag. So my father took me around again and told all of our neighbors my sad story. Everyone felt so sorry for me that they gave me so many treats, I ended up with twice as much as everyone else.
Then when I went to college at Ohio University, the biggest celebration of the year was always their annual Halloween street party. My first few years, at OU, the school sponsored party and the students came up with some of the most imaginative costumes I have ever seen. Even I wore a costume. Although my costumes tended to be more practical than imaginative, such as dressing up as Tom Joad from the Grapes of Wrath, so I could wear something warm and comfortable.
Now, in Nanjing some friends of mine, Jack and Snow invited me to a Halloween party at their apartment complex. Jack and Snow are great; they are very personable and they put on a real treat for the kids and their parents. I had a great time.
Such as my first Halloween where I lost all of my candy because the rain made a hole in my paper bag. So my father took me around again and told all of our neighbors my sad story. Everyone felt so sorry for me that they gave me so many treats, I ended up with twice as much as everyone else.
Then when I went to college at Ohio University, the biggest celebration of the year was always their annual Halloween street party. My first few years, at OU, the school sponsored party and the students came up with some of the most imaginative costumes I have ever seen. Even I wore a costume. Although my costumes tended to be more practical than imaginative, such as dressing up as Tom Joad from the Grapes of Wrath, so I could wear something warm and comfortable.
Now, in Nanjing some friends of mine, Jack and Snow invited me to a Halloween party at their apartment complex. Jack and Snow are great; they are very personable and they put on a real treat for the kids and their parents. I had a great time.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Nanjing Car Show
A Nanjing friend of mine Li Yongjun asked me if I wanted to go to an auto show in the Nanjing Exhibition Hall on Sunday. I have to admit I am not much of a car buff but I have been curious about the exhibition hall. Plus Li Yongjun wanted me to meet his friends. So I went and had a good time. The strangest thing was all of the attention the models got. But I had more fun watching the audience and in the end I got my picture taken with my favorite model. Well she wasn't really an official model.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Chinese Wedding
Jack and Snow two teachers here at JIETT invited me to their wedding, which took place on Tuesday. I enjoyed it. They said it was a traditional wedding but I think the tradition part a is a fairly new tradition. The ceremony was part US style wedding, part banquet and part variety show.
The US part had Snow wearing a white dress similar to a US wedding and Jack wearing a tuxedo. But Snow also changed her dress twice to a blue dress and a pink dress. Snow looked beautiful in each outfit, which by the they rent in China. I think Snow was the most comfortable with the whole event. Jack looked a little nervous. Maybe because here in China the groom foots the bill.
The variety show part included a mix of friends and professional performers. Yes Jack cornered me into singing a song (by the way I am NOT a good singer). Which went well I think because I choose the song Wonderful World and I was accompanied by a recording of Louis Armstrong singing the song. Unfortunately I had practiced the song in a different key. Luckily the recording was played too loud and people said they could not hear me. That was good because no one could tell I spent half of the song trying to find the right key. Sorry Louie.
To get to the wedding the guests from Nanjing took a bus to Yangzhou, Jack's home town. We had a lunch and dinner banquets there. As usual the food was plentiful and delicious. Both meals featured Yangzhou's famous fried rice at the end. In many Chinese restaurants when you have lots of people at a table the food is put on a large glass lazy susan and the wait people bring out an endless supply of food, stacking course on top of course. If you don't like one course just wait a second and the wait people will bring something else.
We left for Yangzhou at 7:00 in the morning and got back at 10:00 at night. between meals there was a long wait so one of the Chinese teachers Jerry the other US teacher and I on a tour of Yangzhou's sight. The highlights were a rickshaw ride in the Old City plus a head and shoulder massage. Which I needed after a lot of walking and a bumpy rickshaw ride.
All in all it was a good day.
Rickshaw ride, yeehaa.
The Wedding!
The US part had Snow wearing a white dress similar to a US wedding and Jack wearing a tuxedo. But Snow also changed her dress twice to a blue dress and a pink dress. Snow looked beautiful in each outfit, which by the they rent in China. I think Snow was the most comfortable with the whole event. Jack looked a little nervous. Maybe because here in China the groom foots the bill.
The variety show part included a mix of friends and professional performers. Yes Jack cornered me into singing a song (by the way I am NOT a good singer). Which went well I think because I choose the song Wonderful World and I was accompanied by a recording of Louis Armstrong singing the song. Unfortunately I had practiced the song in a different key. Luckily the recording was played too loud and people said they could not hear me. That was good because no one could tell I spent half of the song trying to find the right key. Sorry Louie.
To get to the wedding the guests from Nanjing took a bus to Yangzhou, Jack's home town. We had a lunch and dinner banquets there. As usual the food was plentiful and delicious. Both meals featured Yangzhou's famous fried rice at the end. In many Chinese restaurants when you have lots of people at a table the food is put on a large glass lazy susan and the wait people bring out an endless supply of food, stacking course on top of course. If you don't like one course just wait a second and the wait people will bring something else.
We left for Yangzhou at 7:00 in the morning and got back at 10:00 at night. between meals there was a long wait so one of the Chinese teachers Jerry the other US teacher and I on a tour of Yangzhou's sight. The highlights were a rickshaw ride in the Old City plus a head and shoulder massage. Which I needed after a lot of walking and a bumpy rickshaw ride.
All in all it was a good day.
Rickshaw ride, yeehaa.
The Wedding!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Talent Show
I need to be more careful how I answer questions. A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a student here. She asked if I knew how to sing. I made the mistake of saying I could and next thing I knew, I was in a talent show. Luckily I talked her out of dancing also, because my ankle is giving me problems. We decide to sing the Doe, Ray, Me song. Li Qing has a real nice singing voice and I am kind of a ham. So people were happy with our act.
Although I missed most of the show because we were towards the end and we were back stage, I did get to see the singing drill instructor. He was really good and I think he was a real favorite of the female students. The acts I did get to see were a couple who sang a popular song, some of the students singing with their drill instructors, a students who was great at wushu(martial arts) and a fashion show. The whole evening was fun. In retrospect I am glad I did it.
Although I missed most of the show because we were towards the end and we were back stage, I did get to see the singing drill instructor. He was really good and I think he was a real favorite of the female students. The acts I did get to see were a couple who sang a popular song, some of the students singing with their drill instructors, a students who was great at wushu(martial arts) and a fashion show. The whole evening was fun. In retrospect I am glad I did it.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
JIETT Teachers
I have been a little derelict on my blog lately so here is another post today. These are teachers I have met at Jiangsu Institute of Economics Trade and Technology (JIETT). There was a party for people from other countries teaching here in Nanjing, so I was a good opportunity to get photos of some of the other foreign teacher here at JIETT.
This Section will grow. I just don't have pictures of the other teachers yet.
This Section will grow. I just don't have pictures of the other teachers yet.
Lost in Nanjing
I have come up with a new past time. I go to the local bus stop get on a bus and ride to the end of the line. Now the smart thing to do would be to get back on the same bus and head back. I've never claimed to be smart. What I do most of the time is go for a walk and get on the a different bus and try to find my way back. Once by myself I rode the bus to the end, walked around, found the subway, walked around and then tried to find a bus back.
These excursions would be easier if I could read all of the street signs, in Nanjing, but they are in Chinese characters. Some do have pinyin along with the characters, so there is always hope in finding the right street.
In case you think I am the only silly person who does this; I got the idea from one of the other teachers here, Jerry. we gone together a couple of times. So far I have been successful and although my legs are pretty tired when I get home; I have seen some pretty interesting sights. You can see them too.
These excursions would be easier if I could read all of the street signs, in Nanjing, but they are in Chinese characters. Some do have pinyin along with the characters, so there is always hope in finding the right street.
In case you think I am the only silly person who does this; I got the idea from one of the other teachers here, Jerry. we gone together a couple of times. So far I have been successful and although my legs are pretty tired when I get home; I have seen some pretty interesting sights. You can see them too.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Mid-Autumn Festival
This weekend was busy here. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival a kind if Thanksgiving China style (see http://www.chinavoc.com/festivals/Midautumn.htm), where people eat small pastries called mooncakes and visit family. The Freshman also came to campus, so it is much more crowded everywhere. Also the freshman have to go through military training for, I think, two weeks.
Their military training as far as I can tell consist mostly of a lot of marching and counting. I have also seen them sitting in groups during the evenings singing what sounds like campfire songs. I am not sure what is really accomplished by all of this, but it does seem like they get a aerobic workout and more cohesion as a school.
Here are a few photos. There are more to come.
Their military training as far as I can tell consist mostly of a lot of marching and counting. I have also seen them sitting in groups during the evenings singing what sounds like campfire songs. I am not sure what is really accomplished by all of this, but it does seem like they get a aerobic workout and more cohesion as a school.
Here are a few photos. There are more to come.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Vehicles in China
This will be an on going photo essay on vehicles in China. In this post you can various ways to park cars, and a feline scooter perch. Maybe when I accumulate enough photos I will combine all of the modes of travel images into one posting.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
JIETT
I am finally in Nanjing and I am teaching. The weather seems to have cooled and is pretty nice. I have a half hour to 40 minute bus ride to the new campus for Jiangsu Institute for Trade and Technology (JIETT). JIETT is a two year college. It is nice to teach at the new campus, but there is not much else out there other than the campus and a lot of construction. Someday it will be nice though. They are building apartments, business offices, highways, parks and even a subway line close to the school.
Only half of the students are on campus right now. The freshmen come next week, I think. So we will see what the campus looks like then. The classrooms are a little small for the number of students I have, varying from 34 and 46. There is no air conditioning (or heating from what I am told) in the classrooms. There are only some ceiling fans to move air around. My biggest concern is acoustics. Noise just seems to accumulate in the rooms, so trying to hear what the students are whispering can be difficult. The students are shy about speaking, but they are friendly and will say hello out side of class, if I acknowledge them first.
Photos
Only half of the students are on campus right now. The freshmen come next week, I think. So we will see what the campus looks like then. The classrooms are a little small for the number of students I have, varying from 34 and 46. There is no air conditioning (or heating from what I am told) in the classrooms. There are only some ceiling fans to move air around. My biggest concern is acoustics. Noise just seems to accumulate in the rooms, so trying to hear what the students are whispering can be difficult. The students are shy about speaking, but they are friendly and will say hello out side of class, if I acknowledge them first.
Photos
Monday, August 25, 2008
Bei Hai (Lake)
A couple of Sunday's ago my landlady Lotus, offered to take Leanna, my housemate, and I sight seeing. Leanna didn't want to go, so just Lotus and I went. It was hot so we went to a lake next to Tiananman Square called Bei Hai (North Lake). Bai Hai is nice this time of year because the lotus are in bloom. You can also go up to a temple and look out over the city which is pretty nice. As in all tourist places there is your usual tourist traps and I got caught in one.
They had all of these stamps made out of jade and you could have your name or a saying carved on the bottom. Putting you name on the stamp works well if you have a Chinese name of only two or three characters, but with a western name like Bartholomew it doesn't work so well, so I had them put the word "happiness" on it and just carve my initials on the side.
My favorite thing at the park was watching a painter do calligraphy and brush paining on the sidewalk with water. Everything was all quite serious until everyone noticed that in between the classic Chinese poem and the traditional images of Tang style women, he painted a little girl who was standing in the crowd. It was a nice surprise for everyone.
After Bei Hai we ate some local Beijing food that was made of ground meat (sheep, beef and pork) fried in long flat pockets of dough. It is sort of like a long thin samosa. It was pretty good. We walked off dinner in a park near the restaurant, that was full of walkers, runners and people doing all sorts of other exercises. The park also had several scenes made of bright fabric floating in the lake.
They had all of these stamps made out of jade and you could have your name or a saying carved on the bottom. Putting you name on the stamp works well if you have a Chinese name of only two or three characters, but with a western name like Bartholomew it doesn't work so well, so I had them put the word "happiness" on it and just carve my initials on the side.
My favorite thing at the park was watching a painter do calligraphy and brush paining on the sidewalk with water. Everything was all quite serious until everyone noticed that in between the classic Chinese poem and the traditional images of Tang style women, he painted a little girl who was standing in the crowd. It was a nice surprise for everyone.
After Bei Hai we ate some local Beijing food that was made of ground meat (sheep, beef and pork) fried in long flat pockets of dough. It is sort of like a long thin samosa. It was pretty good. We walked off dinner in a park near the restaurant, that was full of walkers, runners and people doing all sorts of other exercises. The park also had several scenes made of bright fabric floating in the lake.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Short Trip to Nanjing
I just got back from Nanjing. Since I have been in Beijing the police station where I registered my residence here kept saying I had to come back and register on the 21st of August. No one seemed to understand why until my landlady Lotus found out that they meant I had to go to Nanjing to register my permanent residence.
Unfortunately I learned this on the 19th. So Lisa at TEFL helped me book a round trip train ticket to Nanjing. Then Kayla the foreign teacher coordinator at the school I am teaching at drove me all around Nanjing to get everything taken care of. So after a 14 hour train ride to Nanjing, a whole morning and half the afternoon of filling out paperwork and another 9 hour train ride back to Beijing, everything is taken care of.
Life as a ex-patriot is so exciting. I did get to see a lot of Nanjing though. Plus since I arrived in Nanjing at 6:30 am, I was able to relax by the lake next to the train station in the relative quite of the morning. It was nice; people were just sitting on the dock watching people fish and young men paddle their thin canoe's around the lake. The main excitement was when someone caught a fish and everyone rushed over to see.
Most of the rest of the day I spent following Kayla the foreign teacher coordinator to police stations and government offices. At the last police station the officer, who processed my forms, also acted as a Chinese language teacher to me. He also suggested that I should learn the Chinese character when ever I learn a new word. That seems like good advice. While I was Nanjing, I also got the key to my apartment at the school. It is a pretty nice apartment on the inside.
So it was quite an eventful trip.
Unfortunately I learned this on the 19th. So Lisa at TEFL helped me book a round trip train ticket to Nanjing. Then Kayla the foreign teacher coordinator at the school I am teaching at drove me all around Nanjing to get everything taken care of. So after a 14 hour train ride to Nanjing, a whole morning and half the afternoon of filling out paperwork and another 9 hour train ride back to Beijing, everything is taken care of.
Life as a ex-patriot is so exciting. I did get to see a lot of Nanjing though. Plus since I arrived in Nanjing at 6:30 am, I was able to relax by the lake next to the train station in the relative quite of the morning. It was nice; people were just sitting on the dock watching people fish and young men paddle their thin canoe's around the lake. The main excitement was when someone caught a fish and everyone rushed over to see.
Most of the rest of the day I spent following Kayla the foreign teacher coordinator to police stations and government offices. At the last police station the officer, who processed my forms, also acted as a Chinese language teacher to me. He also suggested that I should learn the Chinese character when ever I learn a new word. That seems like good advice. While I was Nanjing, I also got the key to my apartment at the school. It is a pretty nice apartment on the inside.
So it was quite an eventful trip.
Some Nanjing photos;
Friday, August 15, 2008
Tushuguan (Library) Rec. Center
Since I have been in class or preparing for classes, I have not done all that much sightseeing while in Beijing. The main thing I have done is eat at several really nice restaurants and driven around the city at night. N,ow that the weather has turned nice, I have walked around the area I am staying at a lot and sometimes the ordinary things in life can be the most interesting and rewarding.
My favorite local place to go to is the library across the street. I am sure the designer of the library did not intend this but the patio and fountain area in front of the library has turned into a local recreation park. The fountain is not turned on, so people use it to rollerblade and upper patio has people doing Thia Chi. sitting and talking, exercising, even taking their bird to, for fresh air.
Here are a few pictures I took on my walk this morning.
My favorite local place to go to is the library across the street. I am sure the designer of the library did not intend this but the patio and fountain area in front of the library has turned into a local recreation park. The fountain is not turned on, so people use it to rollerblade and upper patio has people doing Thia Chi. sitting and talking, exercising, even taking their bird to, for fresh air.
Here are a few pictures I took on my walk this morning.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Beijing at Night
Lotus the person who owns our apartment took Leanna and I to dinner and to see Beijing the other evening(8/11/08). So she drove us to Tenemen Square, when she tried to pull into some drive she was stopped by an attendant. So we drove down the road and after a while I realize we were only going about 10 or so km/hr.
This kind of concerned Leanna and I since we were on a main highway where other vehicles were zooming by. So Leanna asked Lotus if she had fallen asleep. To which Lotus replied she had only slowed down to wait for it to get dark, sho she could show us the light at night. This is China (see previous posting on driving in China) so we just sat back and tried to relax.
Lotus was right, the city completely transforms itself when it gets dark. The city lights up buildings, bridges, and attractions with a combination of spotlights, florescent lights and string lights. For the most part the lights are used to accent the area, not to make it look like Las Vegas, so it is not gaudy and very nice.
Some parts of Beijing are interesting during the day. Like the building across the street from our classroom which has grass growing on the roof to help insulate the roof or the CCTV building. There are a lot of building that are somewhat mundane during the day but when the lights are added at night come alive. Then of course there are a few that are interesting during the day and are just as or even more interesting at night. Unfortunately my camera batteries were getting low when it got dark so I don't have many night photos.
This kind of concerned Leanna and I since we were on a main highway where other vehicles were zooming by. So Leanna asked Lotus if she had fallen asleep. To which Lotus replied she had only slowed down to wait for it to get dark, sho she could show us the light at night. This is China (see previous posting on driving in China) so we just sat back and tried to relax.
Lotus was right, the city completely transforms itself when it gets dark. The city lights up buildings, bridges, and attractions with a combination of spotlights, florescent lights and string lights. For the most part the lights are used to accent the area, not to make it look like Las Vegas, so it is not gaudy and very nice.
Some parts of Beijing are interesting during the day. Like the building across the street from our classroom which has grass growing on the roof to help insulate the roof or the CCTV building. There are a lot of building that are somewhat mundane during the day but when the lights are added at night come alive. Then of course there are a few that are interesting during the day and are just as or even more interesting at night. Unfortunately my camera batteries were getting low when it got dark so I don't have many night photos.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Big O Party
I of course did not have tickets for the the Olympic opening ceremonies, but I did have the next best thing a view from the 17th floor of the fireworks, with some new friends. One of the other students in TEFL course has an apartment that is close to the Olympic stadium. So he invited us over to watch the ceremonies on TV have pizza and watch the fireworks from his balconies.
Seven from the TEFL course showed up and Lenna my apartment mate and I invited Lotus whose apartment we are staying in. Watching the ceremonies was fun and we were sitting was a lot cooler than everyone in the stadium. During the ceremonies they would shoot off some fireworks and we would all rush over to the balcony only to realize it was just a teaser. My favorite part of the ceremonies was the mass Thai Chi segment. I have no idea how many people were in it but it was part meditation, martial arts movie scene and Busby Berkly spectacular rolled into one. The march of the athletes was interesting but hey need to figure out how to speed it up. You can only watch people walking around a track for so long.
The fireworks was not as long as I expected but they were good. They were the most spread out display that I have every seen. The line of fireworks must have stretched one or two kilometers. Although I think I missed the most interesting part of the display I think the did the olympic rings that would have been visible from the inside the stadium, but all I could see was a thin line of light.
When the ceremonies finished hit the street to find a taxi, only find out there were no taxi's available. The after 20 minutes of waiting we found out our route was blocked so the foreign motorcades could use the main highway. We had to circle almost all of Beijing before we got home between 2 and 3 am.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
There are 4 people sharing one internet plug, so I am writing at 7 in the morning. Beijing is interesting there is not much traffic to speak of because car are restricted due to the Olympics. The air is relatively clear also due Beijing restricting traffic and manufacturing before to the Olympics. There are also people wandering around the city with Olympic volunteer shirts trying to help visitors. I expected to see a lot of westerners here but I haven't seen many out side of the airport and and Carrefours (a French based department store), so I seem to be some what of a curiosity.
It is also hot here but a less humid than Shanghai. The landlord Lotus took us to the the "Birds Nest", which is what they call the Olympic stadium. But we couldn't get close to it because they have a big fence all around it and it was so hot we decide not to continue on to see the swimming pool. But we did see the pool from the bus. Which was just as good since we can't get close to anything related to the Olympics anyway.
Then we went shopping for things we need at the apartment. So was kind of a long day, so when I got back I was tired. It was nice to be able to get around Beijing without too much problems but as everyone keeps reminding me, I am not seeing the real Beijing.
It is also hot here but a less humid than Shanghai. The landlord Lotus took us to the the "Birds Nest", which is what they call the Olympic stadium. But we couldn't get close to it because they have a big fence all around it and it was so hot we decide not to continue on to see the swimming pool. But we did see the pool from the bus. Which was just as good since we can't get close to anything related to the Olympics anyway.
Then we went shopping for things we need at the apartment. So was kind of a long day, so when I got back I was tired. It was nice to be able to get around Beijing without too much problems but as everyone keeps reminding me, I am not seeing the real Beijing.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Good Day After All
This past weekend was kind of a let down. After having dinner with friends during the week and getting used to a new environment. I came down with a little bug, that combined with the heat and humidity, here in Shanghai, kind of put me in a bad mood. The highs have been between 95 and 97 but even worse the lows have around 87, still kind of hot. The humidity has also been high above 70%. So Saturday night when I finally ventured out in the evening I was grumpy.
But that was when things changed. I went over to Renmin Park and as I approached, I heard Brahms lullaby being played on wood wind over by the big fountain. So I went over there. When I got there I saw kind of a mini festival going on. The fountain was lit up and was full of kids in the water and everyones else talking with each other and watching the water. It was also cooler here due to a breeze from the ocean blowing across the water.
It was like a small festival; people were blowing bubbles for children to chase, and friends talking and relaxing with each othere. One group was launching a propeller toy that lit up when it flew. There was even someone flying a kite in the dark. It changed my mood completely.
While I leaned against a wall watching this little festival, a girl came up to me wanting to try her English out. For once I didn't feel like someone was trying to scam me and her parent who were near by seem to be happy that the Mei Gou Rin was being nice to their child. So I talked with her. Lucy was going into 7th grade and her pronunciation was good. She like school and discovery was her favorite class. Just as we began to run out of things to talk about the music and fountain abruptly ended. So I excused myself and finished my walk around the park feeling a lot better than when I started.
He
re are some random photos of dinners.
But that was when things changed. I went over to Renmin Park and as I approached, I heard Brahms lullaby being played on wood wind over by the big fountain. So I went over there. When I got there I saw kind of a mini festival going on. The fountain was lit up and was full of kids in the water and everyones else talking with each other and watching the water. It was also cooler here due to a breeze from the ocean blowing across the water.
It was like a small festival; people were blowing bubbles for children to chase, and friends talking and relaxing with each othere. One group was launching a propeller toy that lit up when it flew. There was even someone flying a kite in the dark. It changed my mood completely.
While I leaned against a wall watching this little festival, a girl came up to me wanting to try her English out. For once I didn't feel like someone was trying to scam me and her parent who were near by seem to be happy that the Mei Gou Rin was being nice to their child. So I talked with her. Lucy was going into 7th grade and her pronunciation was good. She like school and discovery was her favorite class. Just as we began to run out of things to talk about the music and fountain abruptly ended. So I excused myself and finished my walk around the park feeling a lot better than when I started.
He
re are some random photos of dinners.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Back In China
My flight was good, there was no major snags and I landed safe back in China. So far the only person I have seen is Dong Yan, she helped book my before I came, we got something to eat and went for a run yesterday, she is a great friend. I will get together with several people this Thursday. I am looking forward to that. There are many conflicts going on with me though. It is great to be back here but it doesn't feel as good this time this time though. It is hot and muggy here. Plus even more important to me I am really happy to see my friends in China, but now I miss everyone in St Louis. Of course in a year I will back in St Louis missing my friends in China. I guess I am never satisfied.
I am so proud of myself, I met some professors on the flight and ended up helping them catch the Maglev train, the subway and a taxi. I felt like a real world traveler. At least until I started walking to my hotel and had to get a map out to find the street my hotel was on. It was very embarrassing when I realized I was standing right across the street from the street I was looking for. Although I don't feel too bad since I had asked some people and they didn't know where the street was either.
I am hoping to post once or twice a week, so stay tuned.
I am so proud of myself, I met some professors on the flight and ended up helping them catch the Maglev train, the subway and a taxi. I felt like a real world traveler. At least until I started walking to my hotel and had to get a map out to find the street my hotel was on. It was very embarrassing when I realized I was standing right across the street from the street I was looking for. Although I don't feel too bad since I had asked some people and they didn't know where the street was either.
I am hoping to post once or twice a week, so stay tuned.
Friday, July 11, 2008
New China Adventure
Stay turned for my next China adventure. I will be teaching English at Jiangsu Institute of Economic & Trade Technology. Tentative itinerary to follow.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Shangri-La (Zhondian County)
When I decided to go to China, one thing I wanted to do was visit a western province to see the contrast with eastern China. While I was trying to decide what province to tour, Yan, one of my friends in China suggested Yunnan. Her description of the province pretty much persuaded me to go there. Then when I was researching Yunnan I noticed an area call Shangri-La in the northern corner of Yunnan and I was hooked.
The name Shangri-La conjures up idealized, somewhat magical images from James Hilton's book, Lost Horizons, a place of eternal youth and tranquility. During my research though, I found out that there are many places in the Himalayans that claim this title, mainly for tourism reasons. The original name of this Shangri-La is Zhingdain County; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La But my imagination was already engaged, I didn't care if there were other Shangri-La's out there. This would be mine.
Well I don't know if I found Shangri-La or not but I did have a very good time. It also changed my concept of what Tibetan people are like. My view had been of a very austere people who dressed in layers of plain somewhat drab clothing and did a lot chanting with Buddhist monks. What I found in Shangr-La was historically and currently Tibetans are very diverse. The Tibetans here presented a nomadic culture, rich in song and dance. The traditional costumes were made of brightly colored silk and animal hides.
The highlight of my stay here was dinner at a common house. We had roast Yak, Yak tea and other local foods. Along with the food was a lot of traditional singing and dancing by local performers usually followed by the cheer "yasoo yasoo ya ya yasoo, yasoo yasoo yeah!!!" and the downing of a jigger of "wine". Actually the "wine" was 80 to 100 proof barley whiskey. Also as the singers sang, people would take these thin silk like scarves and place them around the singers neck.
The signing and was great as in much of Asian signing they would reach the upper reaches of the vocal range but their middle and low range was very melodic. The following link is of a Naxi singer but the singing is very similar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-b7heJYFpc&feature=related. The dancing was also fun. Here is a Youtube video I found if the same group http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvDrqVi9WpI&feature=related If the guy in the red coat looks like he is saving his energy, he is, in a solo performance he started doing barrle turns around the pole and went around the pole three timed doing these turns.
I even danced a couple of times during the group dances. During the last group dance I noticed another tour bus pushing their tour guide over towards me. So I took the hint and started dancing with her. She was a good dancer and I was having a great time until I noticed everyone had stopped dancing was watching us dance. Then I got really self conscious and stopped. I should have just kept on going.
There are some photos still to come.
The name Shangri-La conjures up idealized, somewhat magical images from James Hilton's book, Lost Horizons, a place of eternal youth and tranquility. During my research though, I found out that there are many places in the Himalayans that claim this title, mainly for tourism reasons. The original name of this Shangri-La is Zhingdain County; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La But my imagination was already engaged, I didn't care if there were other Shangri-La's out there. This would be mine.
Well I don't know if I found Shangri-La or not but I did have a very good time. It also changed my concept of what Tibetan people are like. My view had been of a very austere people who dressed in layers of plain somewhat drab clothing and did a lot chanting with Buddhist monks. What I found in Shangr-La was historically and currently Tibetans are very diverse. The Tibetans here presented a nomadic culture, rich in song and dance. The traditional costumes were made of brightly colored silk and animal hides.
The highlight of my stay here was dinner at a common house. We had roast Yak, Yak tea and other local foods. Along with the food was a lot of traditional singing and dancing by local performers usually followed by the cheer "yasoo yasoo ya ya yasoo, yasoo yasoo yeah!!!" and the downing of a jigger of "wine". Actually the "wine" was 80 to 100 proof barley whiskey. Also as the singers sang, people would take these thin silk like scarves and place them around the singers neck.
The signing and was great as in much of Asian signing they would reach the upper reaches of the vocal range but their middle and low range was very melodic. The following link is of a Naxi singer but the singing is very similar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-b7heJYFpc&feature=related. The dancing was also fun. Here is a Youtube video I found if the same group http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvDrqVi9WpI&feature=related If the guy in the red coat looks like he is saving his energy, he is, in a solo performance he started doing barrle turns around the pole and went around the pole three timed doing these turns.
I even danced a couple of times during the group dances. During the last group dance I noticed another tour bus pushing their tour guide over towards me. So I took the hint and started dancing with her. She was a good dancer and I was having a great time until I noticed everyone had stopped dancing was watching us dance. Then I got really self conscious and stopped. I should have just kept on going.
There are some photos still to come.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Lijiang
Lijiang was one of the highlights of my stay in China. It was my base while in Yunnan Province, taking tour buses to different sight in the north part of the province. I stayed in Lijiang's Old Town which was restored back to its original state after an earthquake in 1996 destroyed much of Lijiang.
In restoring Old Town, they use materials and techniques of the traditional Naxi ethnic group which resides there. Most buildings are made of wood, they are two storied with a central court yard around which family life was centered. Intricate carved wood is use though out the house. The window screens on the houses are a lattice work of wood or even more impressively made up of carved birds, flowers and animals.
The layout of Old Town flows around three canals. The water is from the surrounding mountains and is crystal clear. The canals serve as the arteries of the city. They divide the town into sections and can help guide lost tourist through the maze of stone streets and alleys. Getting lost is all part of the package.
Lijiang is somewhat commercial but not to the point of loosing its authenticity. Most things sold are hand crafted and relate at least tangentially to the culture. The restaurants all seem to have some local dishes, which have some similarity to Sichuan cuisine.
My guide in Lijiang, Li Shuang, was the best guide I encountered in China. His English was good, his knowledge of the culture was great and he seemed to understand Westerns. In fact he had many ex patriot friends in Old Town. He very good at arranging my accommodations (see photos of my hotel) and making sure I connected with my other tour guides and transportation. The last evening I was there he took a Ming Huang, physicist living Oxford England originally from China, to one of the bars/restaurants.
The bars in Old Town are very interesting. Many have entertainment on the first floor and on the second floor the windows can be opened to the canal and street below. From these balconies patrons in one bar will sing a song to the patrons across the canal, who will answer back with a song. The songs get more out of tune and shorter as the night rolls on. This is due mostly to, some surprisingly good, 100 proof "wine".
In restoring Old Town, they use materials and techniques of the traditional Naxi ethnic group which resides there. Most buildings are made of wood, they are two storied with a central court yard around which family life was centered. Intricate carved wood is use though out the house. The window screens on the houses are a lattice work of wood or even more impressively made up of carved birds, flowers and animals.
The layout of Old Town flows around three canals. The water is from the surrounding mountains and is crystal clear. The canals serve as the arteries of the city. They divide the town into sections and can help guide lost tourist through the maze of stone streets and alleys. Getting lost is all part of the package.
Lijiang is somewhat commercial but not to the point of loosing its authenticity. Most things sold are hand crafted and relate at least tangentially to the culture. The restaurants all seem to have some local dishes, which have some similarity to Sichuan cuisine.
My guide in Lijiang, Li Shuang, was the best guide I encountered in China. His English was good, his knowledge of the culture was great and he seemed to understand Westerns. In fact he had many ex patriot friends in Old Town. He very good at arranging my accommodations (see photos of my hotel) and making sure I connected with my other tour guides and transportation. The last evening I was there he took a Ming Huang, physicist living Oxford England originally from China, to one of the bars/restaurants.
The bars in Old Town are very interesting. Many have entertainment on the first floor and on the second floor the windows can be opened to the canal and street below. From these balconies patrons in one bar will sing a song to the patrons across the canal, who will answer back with a song. The songs get more out of tune and shorter as the night rolls on. This is due mostly to, some surprisingly good, 100 proof "wine".
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Tiger Hill (Suzhou)
The second day I spent in Suzhou we went to Tiger Hill, with its millennium-old leaning Yunyan Pagoda. Tiger Hill is more of a history park rather than a garden. It has several historical memorials and at it's base is a small village that depicts the traditional scenes of ancient China. On the actual hill part is where the tomb of the founding father of Suzhou, King He Lu (600 BC) lies. He is supposed to be buried with his 3000 swords. The name Tiger Hill came about because a white tiger showed up just after it was finished to guard the tomb. To keep the exact location of the tomb a secret the 1000 workers were killed by a large flat rock, appropriately titled the 1000 Men Rock. The rock has red stains in it, supposedly from the blood of these men.
Mountain Villa at the bottom of the hill has several life size diorama depicting life of historical China. It also has some scenes of everyday life beautifully etched into both marble and glass. One of fun things that happened while on Tiger Hill was being asked to have my picture taken with some visitors who were from Nanjing. The only reason being was because I was a Mei Guo Ren, (an American). Later on in the Mountain Villa I ran into the same group, so we all shared a canal boat ride. Unfortunately I didn't find out until the end of the ride that the oars' person would have sung us a song for 10 yuan, just like a Vienna gondolier, only in Chinese of course.
Mountain Villa at the bottom of the hill has several life size diorama depicting life of historical China. It also has some scenes of everyday life beautifully etched into both marble and glass. One of fun things that happened while on Tiger Hill was being asked to have my picture taken with some visitors who were from Nanjing. The only reason being was because I was a Mei Guo Ren, (an American). Later on in the Mountain Villa I ran into the same group, so we all shared a canal boat ride. Unfortunately I didn't find out until the end of the ride that the oars' person would have sung us a song for 10 yuan, just like a Vienna gondolier, only in Chinese of course.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Suzhou Gardens
My trip to Suzhou was very interesting I learned many new things about traditional Chinese aesthetics and history. My guide was Yueqin. She did not speak a lot of English and I speak even less Chinese but never the less with the help of a phrase book and a lot of pointing we were able to understand each other. In the end she was able to give me a good understanding about the design of these gardens. I got a lot out of this trip and I would really like to go back in the summer or fall, sometime, to see these gardens again with all of their greenery.
Yueqin was camera shy and wouldn't let me take her picture so I can only show you the gardens, not the guide. All I can do is thank her for doing such a good job guiding me.
The Chinese aesthetic is very intriguing. I enjoyed how interconnected everything was. The gardens moved you from light to shadow, from cool to warm or summer to spring, winter or fall. The layering of textures at times relax your thoughts then gently startle you awake with a surprise. Even though it was the end of winter and few things were blooming the shapes of the plants intermingled with the rocks, buildings, and stone pathways was beautiful.
Everywhere in the gardens it seemed that earth, water and space had equal importance. Even when on of these classical elements dominated the scene. To bad modern developers can't seem to grasp this concept. I hope you enjoy the slide show(There are more photos of Suzhou to come)
Yueqin was camera shy and wouldn't let me take her picture so I can only show you the gardens, not the guide. All I can do is thank her for doing such a good job guiding me.
The Chinese aesthetic is very intriguing. I enjoyed how interconnected everything was. The gardens moved you from light to shadow, from cool to warm or summer to spring, winter or fall. The layering of textures at times relax your thoughts then gently startle you awake with a surprise. Even though it was the end of winter and few things were blooming the shapes of the plants intermingled with the rocks, buildings, and stone pathways was beautiful.
Everywhere in the gardens it seemed that earth, water and space had equal importance. Even when on of these classical elements dominated the scene. To bad modern developers can't seem to grasp this concept. I hope you enjoy the slide show(There are more photos of Suzhou to come)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Nanjing Friends
I really enjoyed my time in Nanjing. Shao Long and Fan Yi introduced me to the city's rich and inspiring history. The city has a wonderful mixture of contemporary architecture mixed in with historic buildings and some very nice small parks to compliment the Zhongshan Scenic Area. One thing I enjoyed about the current layout of the city is that the city is on a human scale. You don't feel overshadowed by too many tall buildings; there is enough space between the tall buildings that you can actually see the architecture from the street level. I will put up some photos of the city in later posts.
But for this post I want to introduce my friends, both those I met at UMSL and new friends I met in Nanjing, who were so generous to me. Shao Long helped me get from place to place. Without him I would have been lost. Plus, he took me to the Presidential Palace, where I learned about Dr Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of modern China. Fan Yi also helped me with logistics, plus walked me all over the Zhangshan Scenic Area. It is a beautiful park, but I would recommend seeing it in several trips. There is so much to see.
I would like to make a special note about Dong Yan's sister, Dong Jing, and her family. I stayed in their apartment while I was in Nanjing. They were such gracious hosts. Dong Jing and her husband Gan Shaojun always made sure I had everything I needed before they went off to work. Dongdong, their son, let me use his room while I was there. Then there was Gan Shaojun's mother who served me such "haochi" (delicious) food while I was there. They were wonderful hosts and a great family. I can't thank them enough.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Locomoting in China
Getting from one place to another in China is an interesting process. When I first got here it seemed very chaotic, people were always bumping into you. Bikes, scooters, cars, and buses seemly used any part of the street they felt like to get where they were going. Taxis seem to be terror on wheels; weaving in and out of traffic, coming within microns of anyone in an intersection and honking at anything in their way.
But as I moved around I realized there was an order to movement here. Some of the things I have noticed is; that with all the chaos I only seen one accident here and those demon taxi actually do stop or at least pause momentarily if they can't get around a pedestrian or vehicle. Then on this tour I just took to Yunnan; I notice that the tour bus drivers (which are the kings of the road in tourist areas) actually did seem to care about others' well being when they drove. Plus I did not see much show of anger on the roadway which happens a little too often in the US.
Although I don't claim to understand traffic here and I have no desire to try to drive in China (actually I really don't like driving, much, anyway), I have made some observations.
The main thing that puts order into this mess is; in general everyone wants to move forward, not just in the literal sense; but as a nation. A lot of things have to get done. So to feed, clothe and shelter a nation of 1.3 billion people things have to move at a steady pace. If someone wants to dawdle then they need to move to the sidelines and there ARE sidelines here; where people can rest, get their barrings and even reflect. Of course this and some of other observations I have made on traffic flow here, still does not make it any easier to get from one location to another, but at least I don't get too upset while trying to get there.
By the way, David Henry the person who has uploaded my journal enteries to my blog is going to traveling himself soon, to France with his, so my entries may stop for a while until I come back to the US. I am not sure when he won't have time to post things for me, though. Just don't be surprised when the entries stop until the 21st. So thanks David and bon voyage to you and your family.
But as I moved around I realized there was an order to movement here. Some of the things I have noticed is; that with all the chaos I only seen one accident here and those demon taxi actually do stop or at least pause momentarily if they can't get around a pedestrian or vehicle. Then on this tour I just took to Yunnan; I notice that the tour bus drivers (which are the kings of the road in tourist areas) actually did seem to care about others' well being when they drove. Plus I did not see much show of anger on the roadway which happens a little too often in the US.
Although I don't claim to understand traffic here and I have no desire to try to drive in China (actually I really don't like driving, much, anyway), I have made some observations.
The main thing that puts order into this mess is; in general everyone wants to move forward, not just in the literal sense; but as a nation. A lot of things have to get done. So to feed, clothe and shelter a nation of 1.3 billion people things have to move at a steady pace. If someone wants to dawdle then they need to move to the sidelines and there ARE sidelines here; where people can rest, get their barrings and even reflect. Of course this and some of other observations I have made on traffic flow here, still does not make it any easier to get from one location to another, but at least I don't get too upset while trying to get there.
By the way, David Henry the person who has uploaded my journal enteries to my blog is going to traveling himself soon, to France with his, so my entries may stop for a while until I come back to the US. I am not sure when he won't have time to post things for me, though. Just don't be surprised when the entries stop until the 21st. So thanks David and bon voyage to you and your family.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Today I went up to 4506 meters. The highest now flight altitude I have ever been to. But more important I learned even more about Chinese friendship and generosity. No matter where I go it seems there are so many people who want to help me get around and show me the best of China. Today as usual I was adopted by several in the tour who wanted me to keep safe and enjoy China. There was one group who really did not speak a lot of English that made took me under there wing and made me feel welcome. We met on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain there was a inner ride area (believe it or not) up there and they needed a 4th person. From then on everywhere the tour went they brought me along. The part that was the most fun was trying to communicate, since their English was basic and my Chinese was worst.
Even though things were pretty touristy, I still felt I learned a lot. Plus since I don't speak Chinese it is really hard for people to sell me stuff. But what continues to amaze me is the spirit if the people here. For example I have heard some spectacular singing here form the Naxi people. By the way I spelled there name wrong in my last post, they are the Naxi not Nali people. The Xi is pronounce "she", sort of.
What I keep thinking of is the Appalachian region of the US. They sing (and dance) from their hearts and they don't need any electronic help.
The costumes of the Naxi people is mostly functional. But Kind of charming, some reason I think of Holland.But at the tourist areas they mix in Tibetan costumes which are very colorful. It is not out of character to mix in Tibetin culture here since the mountains isolated people from one another, and this is where spices were trades for generation. As a result there are 24 ethnic cultures in this region. As soon as I get back to the US I will post some of the 700+ photos that are in my camera. I promise.
Even though things were pretty touristy, I still felt I learned a lot. Plus since I don't speak Chinese it is really hard for people to sell me stuff. But what continues to amaze me is the spirit if the people here. For example I have heard some spectacular singing here form the Naxi people. By the way I spelled there name wrong in my last post, they are the Naxi not Nali people. The Xi is pronounce "she", sort of.
What I keep thinking of is the Appalachian region of the US. They sing (and dance) from their hearts and they don't need any electronic help.
The costumes of the Naxi people is mostly functional. But Kind of charming, some reason I think of Holland.But at the tourist areas they mix in Tibetan costumes which are very colorful. It is not out of character to mix in Tibetin culture here since the mountains isolated people from one another, and this is where spices were trades for generation. As a result there are 24 ethnic cultures in this region. As soon as I get back to the US I will post some of the 700+ photos that are in my camera. I promise.
Shangri'la
Lijaing and Shangri'la were great. Mountains, food and people are great. The people I have been traveling with have made me feel very welcome and have helped me over come the language barrier. Although sometimes they help me too much, I feel like a young child sometimes. I wish I could understand Chinese though the Shangri'la guide didn't speak English but he talked constantly about the history sights and culture and everyone seemed interested the whole time.
Last night we went to a Shangri'la public house for dinner (made up of mostly Yak), wine, dance and song. The people there were excellent dancers and singers. During the group dances I got up and danced a couple of times. The last dance turned into was kind of a Tibetan rave and people were dancing everywhere. A guide from one of the other buses was encouraged to by her tour group to dance with the Mei Gou Ren so I started dancing with her. I was a star for while until I realized people were stopping and watching us and I got too self conscious so I pretended to get tired so I could stop dancing.
I also found out I am not in as bad of shape as I thought. We went to 3900 (around 13,000 feet, you might want to check my math on that) today and walked along a large lake at 3700 meters today and I was one of the few who did not use oxygen. The only time I was at all short of breath was when I had someone from another tour group offered to take my picture in front of a herd of Yaks. He took so long that I had to run to catch up to my group. That was when I remembered I was at altitude, but I regained my breath surprisingly quick.
On the way back to Lijiang I found out what Naxi men do; they construct roads in the region. It was very interesting and somewhat alarming to watch these men working with trucks, buses and cars squeezing by on a mountain road that seemed much too narrow for these large vehicles. One of these day I will have to describe transportation in China. Which is the interaction of pedestrians, bikes, scooters, trackers, cars, taxis, truck and buses all vying for the same spot. There actually does seem to be order on the roads. But the rules seem very fluid.
Last night we went to a Shangri'la public house for dinner (made up of mostly Yak), wine, dance and song. The people there were excellent dancers and singers. During the group dances I got up and danced a couple of times. The last dance turned into was kind of a Tibetan rave and people were dancing everywhere. A guide from one of the other buses was encouraged to by her tour group to dance with the Mei Gou Ren so I started dancing with her. I was a star for while until I realized people were stopping and watching us and I got too self conscious so I pretended to get tired so I could stop dancing.
I also found out I am not in as bad of shape as I thought. We went to 3900 (around 13,000 feet, you might want to check my math on that) today and walked along a large lake at 3700 meters today and I was one of the few who did not use oxygen. The only time I was at all short of breath was when I had someone from another tour group offered to take my picture in front of a herd of Yaks. He took so long that I had to run to catch up to my group. That was when I remembered I was at altitude, but I regained my breath surprisingly quick.
On the way back to Lijiang I found out what Naxi men do; they construct roads in the region. It was very interesting and somewhat alarming to watch these men working with trucks, buses and cars squeezing by on a mountain road that seemed much too narrow for these large vehicles. One of these day I will have to describe transportation in China. Which is the interaction of pedestrians, bikes, scooters, trackers, cars, taxis, truck and buses all vying for the same spot. There actually does seem to be order on the roads. But the rules seem very fluid.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The City of Lijaing
The city of Lijaing is great it has the feel of any small mountain town catering to tourist, but the buildings are in Na'li (?) style. They are made of wood with very ornamentally carved screens over the doors and windows. My hotel is smallish but beautiful, it has deep reddish brown wood furniture (maybe antique) with brass fittings and the window is tan with a lattice work screen.. I would send pictures but I switched computers and don't have image editing software on this laptop.
My guide yesterday was great his English was good and he spoke both his ethnic Na'li and Mandarin. We walked all around the narrow twisting stone brick streets and alleys of of "Old Town". All of the buildings are in the traditional Na'li style; red painted wood with tan lattice or carved window and door screens and Chinese style grey clay tiled roofs. Every house has a garden court yard.
There are 3 large canals, fed by clear mountain streams; with a series of of small open drainage systems that run along the streets. Orange and yellow carp can be seen everywhere. Two main squares served as meeting and market places. To wash the market places; they used to block the canals, flood the squares and sweep everything into the canals each evening. Also between 8am and 10am no one was allowed to put anything into the canals so people could get drinking water.
Society here is maternal, within the family, because the women do all of the work so they make all of the decisions for the family. I don't know what the men do. Also my guide Li Shuang said that education was greatly stressed during the time Ming and Qing Dynasties and several scholars came from here. Slogans about education are all through out the city. My next guide is coming soon got to go.
My guide yesterday was great his English was good and he spoke both his ethnic Na'li and Mandarin. We walked all around the narrow twisting stone brick streets and alleys of of "Old Town". All of the buildings are in the traditional Na'li style; red painted wood with tan lattice or carved window and door screens and Chinese style grey clay tiled roofs. Every house has a garden court yard.
There are 3 large canals, fed by clear mountain streams; with a series of of small open drainage systems that run along the streets. Orange and yellow carp can be seen everywhere. Two main squares served as meeting and market places. To wash the market places; they used to block the canals, flood the squares and sweep everything into the canals each evening. Also between 8am and 10am no one was allowed to put anything into the canals so people could get drinking water.
Society here is maternal, within the family, because the women do all of the work so they make all of the decisions for the family. I don't know what the men do. Also my guide Li Shuang said that education was greatly stressed during the time Ming and Qing Dynasties and several scholars came from here. Slogans about education are all through out the city. My next guide is coming soon got to go.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Shanghai
In Shanghai I was met by Han Jun at the airport then Dong Yan who guided me around the city, went for a run with and gave me someone to talk to. Jing Ying and Jia Yongjun joined us in the following days as we tour the city. One thing that struck me was that not only were so many of the women dressed n designer type clothes most of them had high heeled boots. But I guess it is still winter so the boots made sense and it was fun to see all of the designs.
Yan and Jing took me to have Sichuan on my first day and showed me around Nanjing Lu (Rd), which is a big pedestrian mall in Shanghai. There are lots of stores, lots of food and lots of vendors. Some were a little too pushy so I learned to say "mei you chen", "I have no money". I don't think the vendors liked that expression, they seem to think all Mei Gou (Amercian) are rich and want to buy fake designer watches.
Jia Jongjun joined us the next day after he and Jing came from a job fair. We ate noodles on Nanjing Lu and headed to Old Town where the City God Temple a restored temple and other building of the traditional building style, have been turned into a market place. From there we headed to Pudong to see the Jin Mao building the tallest building in China and Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Only I went to the top of the Jin Mao. The others said that they have already been. It was impressive, especially looking down the interior.
I am now a "seasoned international traveler" I took a taxi, bought a train ticket, got on the right train and took the subway to my hotel in Shanghai all by myself.. Although I did have some friends write note to show people for me.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Shanghai
I have arrived in Shanghai, China. I was a little weary, my sinuses ached and my ears were blocked from my cold but the flight itself was good. On the first leg of the flight I did not talk much, believe it or not. Most of the passengers were Japanese, including the people next to me and those two seemed uncomfortable speaking English.
The Tokyo to Shanghai leg was different. The woman next to me was from Shanghai and spoke English. She had just graduated from a university in Japan and was going to start working for Porsche. She spoke Japanese and was learning German, as well as English. She helped both myself and her Japanese office mate get through customs and baggage claim. Some time I am just lucky.
On landing Han Jun met me and we rushed to catch the magnetic train. Unfortunately we just missed the last train by about 10 minutes, bummer. But on our bus ride to the hotel the inbus bus monitor showed a short video of the train over and over, so I could pretended I was on the train. In Shanghai Han Jun got me to my hotel, helped me check in and called Dong Yan. Han Jun had to go on a business trip the, next day, so he left after I got settled. Up until this point my trip was pretty laid back and I didn't have much of a sense of China.
When Dong Yan arrived my trip trip and exposure to the "New" China went into high gear. I have some great photo of the past two days but I haven't downloaded a image editor and I am tired now, so.....I am going to go to sleep and post more more later. This post was just to tell everyone I arrived safely and tweak your interest. I am terrible, aren't I.
See you all later.
The Tokyo to Shanghai leg was different. The woman next to me was from Shanghai and spoke English. She had just graduated from a university in Japan and was going to start working for Porsche. She spoke Japanese and was learning German, as well as English. She helped both myself and her Japanese office mate get through customs and baggage claim. Some time I am just lucky.
On landing Han Jun met me and we rushed to catch the magnetic train. Unfortunately we just missed the last train by about 10 minutes, bummer. But on our bus ride to the hotel the inbus bus monitor showed a short video of the train over and over, so I could pretended I was on the train. In Shanghai Han Jun got me to my hotel, helped me check in and called Dong Yan. Han Jun had to go on a business trip the, next day, so he left after I got settled. Up until this point my trip was pretty laid back and I didn't have much of a sense of China.
When Dong Yan arrived my trip trip and exposure to the "New" China went into high gear. I have some great photo of the past two days but I haven't downloaded a image editor and I am tired now, so.....I am going to go to sleep and post more more later. This post was just to tell everyone I arrived safely and tweak your interest. I am terrible, aren't I.
See you all later.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Glen Goes to China
In the past few years I have made it a point of my education at the University of Missouri St Louis (UMSL) to learn a much as I can about "Globalization". I was not just interested in globalization on the academic level or business level, I was interested on the personnel level of this phenomena. To this end I gotten to know many of my classmates from other countries.
Although I did not plan it this way most of my new "global" friends come from Asia. Perhaps I will delve into the reasons for that in a later post. As for now my Asian friends/classmates have come from China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. I have gotten to one group of students in particular from Nanjing, China. I got to know them at first because when you talk about global business today, it is hard not to mention China (although India is also doing some exciting things globally)
I stayed in contact with the Nanjing student in part because they tended to be older that my other classmates so we related to each other better. But also because several of the students were very interested in learning about the culture of the US and because the more I learned about Chinese culture and language the interested I became. Plus it seemed each person I got to know had some kind of interesting story to tell. (and if they agree may I will tell on this blog)
Ninjing University Friends After UMSL Fall Graduation 2007
So after I graduated in December and started looking for employment opportunities that would help me pay back my loans, I decided that maybe I could find something in China. This idea quickly dissipated when the reality that I only speak "yi dian dian" Chinese and have little international experience, sunk in. So Plan Two emerged and I decided to go to China to visit my new found friends before they forgot who I was.
This blog is about Plan Two.
Although I did not plan it this way most of my new "global" friends come from Asia. Perhaps I will delve into the reasons for that in a later post. As for now my Asian friends/classmates have come from China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. I have gotten to one group of students in particular from Nanjing, China. I got to know them at first because when you talk about global business today, it is hard not to mention China (although India is also doing some exciting things globally)
I stayed in contact with the Nanjing student in part because they tended to be older that my other classmates so we related to each other better. But also because several of the students were very interested in learning about the culture of the US and because the more I learned about Chinese culture and language the interested I became. Plus it seemed each person I got to know had some kind of interesting story to tell. (and if they agree may I will tell on this blog)
Ninjing University Friends After UMSL Fall Graduation 2007So after I graduated in December and started looking for employment opportunities that would help me pay back my loans, I decided that maybe I could find something in China. This idea quickly dissipated when the reality that I only speak "yi dian dian" Chinese and have little international experience, sunk in. So Plan Two emerged and I decided to go to China to visit my new found friends before they forgot who I was.
This blog is about Plan Two.
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