Do they know its Chrishanukah time at all? Yes

Yesterday was amazingly cold. I fear that it was only a preview of the weather to come in January and February. The air temperature hovered around freezing while a strong wind whipped around and drove the cold right through me.

The Chinese classes are going well. I am able to hold perfectly normal conversations with cab drivers. Cab drivers in Beijing have been given a series of tapes and books aimed at improving their English ahead of the Olympics. Between my Chinese and their English we learn a lot about each other. I am now totally capable of giving directions, ordering food, and talking about my likes and dislikes, and asking questions. I just need some more adjectives and verb constructions and I can make my run at Vice Premier.

Last Monday was one of the worst pollution days ever in Beijing. You can read the 'official' account here During the day you couldn't see more than 50 feet in front of you because of the smog. It was horrendous. I spent most of the day with a scarf wrapped around my face. The Chinese didn't seem to mind it so much and actually laughed at me when they saw me walking down the street. On Mondays I have Chinese class after work from 5:00 to 7:30. After class I went out for dinner with some of my co-worker's friends. We had a hearty Sichuan meal. Side note: I am really getting used to the heat of Sichuan cuisine. This is adding another depth to my eating repertoire (look out world). After dinner a few of us went to have some drinks at a really classy bar nearby. By the time we finished our drinks the subway had closed. Sorry to do this again, but side note: The subway closes at 10:15 p.m. every day of the week. Through the course of our time at the bar the pollutions seemed to get worse and worse. In the end we could not even see the buildings across the vacant lot. We some how found a cab and began to make our way back to Tongzhou. We tried to get on the highway but it was closed due to the smog. It was so thick that it was dangerous to drive at high speeds! I feel as if I shaved 3 years off of my life that day. To add more horror and disbelief to an already unbelievable situation, I was told that the winter has the highest concentration of clear days. Heavy pollution days are most frequent in the summer.

Tuesday was just as eventful and almost as harmful to my health. I went to McDonald's. I did not go in order to fulfill some sort of burger craving I had. This is not to say that I have never had any such craving, I have but that was not the impetus for this visit. The foreign teachers were approached by the school and asked to participate in an English Corner. At the training in Changzhou we were told that participation in English Corners would be, 'strongly suggested' by our schools but it is in fact mandatory. English corners are sponsored by provincial and local foreign relations bureaus. They are a chance for community members to get together and practice/learn English. English Corners are open to the general public and are usually facilitated by English speakers living in the area. The English Corner in Tongzhou takes place at the local McDonalds. The reason I went on Tuesday was that I have been tutoring a student at our school who is taking part in an English speech competition. About a month ago she won first prize among all the high schoolers in Tongzhou. Two weeks ago she placed second among all the high schoolers in Beijing. Next week she is competing in the national competition so we went to the English Corner in order for her to work on her speech and get some more practice. McDonald's was packed. There were probably 70-80 people packed into the back corner of the restaurant all speaking English. It was a strange sight to see so many Chinese speaking English with each other.
I had a chance to speak with a gentleman named 'Wilson'. He was quite the character. He was there with his English teacher (also Chinese). She had told him that it was a good chance to practice his English and if he went she would give him a kiss. He complained to me that they had been there for hours and she still hadn't, "laid one on" him. He had an arsenal of colloquialisms and he used them all perfectly. He was cool. I will be back there again this Tuesday for the Christmas party.

On that topic, happy holidays to everyone! It is strange how much pub Christmas gets here. Decorations are out, lights line major thoroughfares, trees are up and decorated at most shopping centers, and you even hear Christmas music at the malls here. Not surprisingly there has not been one hint of Hanukah. I am on the look out for some decorations to put up. After all, the wall hangings and various other decorations are made here so I should be able to find them somewhere. Or maybe not.

Happy Hanukah and Merry Christmas!

Travels and Trials

At the close of my last blog entry I said that I would be traveling to Hubei Province. Well, I did. It was a pretty interesting journey highlighted by brilliant scenery, shady villagers, and train rides. Our trip was hanging in the balance up to the morning of our departure. We had not seen our passports in 10 weeks. They had been collected form us in order for all of the forms, licenses, visas, certifications, and various other forms of red tape (I now know why it is called 'Red' tape) to be processed. One of my compatriots (Kevin) had become so enraged by the fact that we were not going to be able to travel if we didn't have our passports that he quoted the Geneva Conventions to an administrator. It was a surreal and blatant use of coercion on his part. It was like the scene in Bridge over the River Kwai where Alec Gunnies' character does the same to the Japanese commander. I thought it would end the same way too, with Kevin in 'the oven' and me working hard labor but his threats were responded to quite positively. We received out passports less than 12 hours later, so we went on our way.

The first stop was Baoding, a small town of about 6 million people located 120 km south of Beijing. We took the train which was an interesting experience unto itself. There was an army officer pounding Baijiu (Chinese white lightning) in the seat next to me. I offered him candy as a peace offering and he accepted. Kind of like the Willy Wonka version of the daisy in the gun barrel. It was almost a three hour trip to Baoding and when we arrived it was night time. The place we were actually there to see is a small town outside of the city. There is a giant marsh there. It was created 500+ years ago when a dam that was created to hold back the waters of NINE rivers burst and water flooded the vast plain. Who would have guessed? It is now a giant wildlife preserve (one of only a handful in China) and the scenery is equal parts eerie and spectacular. Once we arrived to our desired locality we had a little trouble finding a hotel. This was described to us as a big tourist area for the Chinese in the summer so we were surprised. We ended up getting rooms in a fancy schmancy resort for a very cheap price. We were able to live in the lap of luxury and we were happy about it, even for just one night. Oh, one funny thing that happened there occurred when I went to use the internet in the business center. I was approached by the lady who worked in the computer center and she asked me to edit a page for her. I obliged and completion of my task was met with more work. She was having me correct horribly written English descriptions of the hotel and its amenities. The things that were written before I corrected them were unreal. I have always said that I'd love to write product descriptions for packaging and this was my chance to explore my ability. Before, the hotel had "unstrenuous rock waters for which to by relax." Now the pamphlet beckons you, "Come, and let your cares melt away in one of our 12 on site hot spring spa baths."

After our night at the hotel we woke up early and went out on the marsh. We were possibly the only foreigners to visit that place in the last 5 years. The people followed us around and wanted to shake our hands and observe our habits. Rockstars we were. We found a dock where there were small boats that for a small fee would row you around the marsh all day. We got in and observed people really living off of the land. There were countless boats piled high with harvested reeds and fishermen using domesticated waterfowl to do the fishing for them. It was awesome. These birds would swoop into the water and collect fish in their mouths and then when the boatman (not really a fisherman at this point) smacked his long stick on the water the birds would return to the boat and drop the fish out of their mouths. Oh, the birds also had ties around their throats to ensure that not a fish was swallowed. It was pretty cool. We toured around the peaceful swamp for a while and ended up at "The Lotus Cultural Center". This place is probably amazing in the summer. They have a collection of 200 different varieties of lotus flowers growing there. Of course none of them are in bloom right now. Each one had a funny name too like "Dwarf Power", or "Lightning's Shadow". After a long day on the water we decided that the 4 star hotel was a little bit too expensive to stay there for another night so we decided to move down the road to a small village near the marsh. This place was incredibly small by China standards, 8,000 people. We found a small hotel and decided that we should take a walk around the town. As we walked we gathered a small entourage of kids. We walked with the purpose of finding a restaurant but there was only one opened one to be found in the whole town. The proprietor was a really good guy and sat and talked with us for several hours. Afterwards we decided to see what the night life was like in this small town so we went a walking again. This time the hotel operator told us that we could not go. After much discussion he let us out only under the condition that he comes with us. An odd request yes, but no skin off our backs. So we walked along and into the heart of the town we came. The feeling among the locals was infinitely less inviting this time. People vacated the streets at the sight of us and those who stayed looked angry. The final foreboding straw was when one man asked us, in succession, "Where are your passports? Do you keep them close? Do you know Kung Fu?" This let us know it was time to go back to the hotel. And there we went, back to our unheated rooms, to sleep in all our clothing.

The next day we went to another place called Shijiazhuang. There was not much to see besides an old walled city on the out skirts of town and a temple complex. The highlight for me was the red lantern courtyard. It was a small courtyard with two old Ginkgo trees. These trees are about 200 years old, the both of them. They were covered with small red lanterns that had good wishes and prayers inscribed on them. There were literally thousands of these things all over the two trees. It was a visually stunning sight. From there we made our trip back to the Beijing. It was a good trip. Great to get out of the smog and hustle and bustle of Beijing.

Now that I am back in town I have started taking Mandarin lessons. Wow. I am in way over my head learning this language. Kevin, Bryne and I are all in the same beginner level class so that makes things a lot easier. We go to class 9 hours a week. I am in the middle of week two right now and man, it is sooooooooo hard. The great thing about it is that we get to use everything we learn in class everyday of our lives. This will make learning easier I think. The language school is also putting on a Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. It will be complete with Turkey (a non-factor entity in the meat world of China), cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It will be nice to have some 'traditional' foods since I can't get to my mom's cornbread stuffing. This holiday I hope everyone has a happy and healthy one. Take care. D'sai Jien

It has been a while

I have been having some problems with access to the internet lately. There has been a crackdown on blogs and other types of sites. I am not even sure if this will end up being posted. But here is a brief description of what I've been up to.

I went to KTV with Cindy, Bryne, and Cindy's husband who I named Brian. He is one of the few Chinese people I have come across that has no English name. His Chinese name begins with a 'B' so I told him his English name could be Brian if he'd like. He seems to like it. Let me back up for a second here. KTV is what they call Karaoke. I found a large street in my district that is packed with KTV places. Brian is a legit movie star. We were interrupted several times by workers who wanted a picture and an autograph from this guy. Crazy stuff. They thought Bryne and I were movie stars by association, and I even signed this guy’s paper when he asked for an autograph. I signed it, Nicholas Cage. This was quite the luxurious experience with beer, fruit, and various other snacks abounding. I sang Sounds of Silence for the first time and I think it might be my new go to song for KTV. On a side note, I was extremely lucky to have Bryne and I assigned to the same team. We both love karaoke and this has proved to be very valuable as KTV is one of the most popular evening activities in China. I have told you about the format of karaoke here in China, with KTV having private rooms for groups to sing in. I was talking with Cindy and she said that about a decade ago karaoke was in large groups where there was one screen and one player for an entire bar. She claims that this led to fights between people over who was next and more importantly (and probable) fighting over women. So this inspired a governmental mandate or something that changed the format of karaoke in China. Wow, I have just written a hell of a lot about karaoke. We'll take a break from it for a moment because I am sick of writing the word.

I need to address another issue before I can move on; The World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Wow, WOW!! I was able to watch all of the World Series games on the internet before my classes and for that I am thankful to Larry Gast, the internet, and Al Gore. Wow. I was ecstatic and going nuts inside but I suffered from some sort of paralysis. I was frozen in awe and had to immediately check the internet to see if what I had viewed actually took place. Sure enough it did! I will stay in China if my being here guarantees the Cards a World Series ring. I will have to research the connection before my final decision is made. Wow! I was also able to watch the parade and subsequent rally on the internet thanks to Cynthia and Garry Seltzer. I was very jealous of all my friends for being able to attend the final game/rally and parade. Save some memorabilia and merchandise for me.

Friday was Kevin's (from NY) birthday and we celebrated by going to the local club which was cool. Saturday we went to a park way out on the other side of the city. It was beautiful. The skies were clear of smog and the sun was shining brightly on the changing leaves. There were many small temples and convents located on the mountain (there are many mountains on the west side of the city). We took a chair lift to the top of the main mountain and the view of Beijing was awesome. At the same time it was kind of sad because you could see the smog cloud that envelops the city. The fall colors were beautiful! I have many pictures that I'll have to post sometime. At the top of the mountain they had a summer toboggan run. It is basically a metal slide that you go down on a sled that has wheels on the bottom. It was a blast! So fun we did it twice. They also had a zip line that was strung about 1000 feet across a valley. That was also very cool, but it was so fast that it was hard to take in all the stunning scenery from that awesome vantage point. We just held on for our dear lives as we zoomed across the valley while striking different poses ala Peter Pan or Superman. The whole day was capped by a large meal at a famous Peking Duck restaurant.

Earlier this week I attended my first Chinese class. I will be taking classes at Capital Mandarin. The school is a whole lot like Berlitz. I will be in a class with Bryne and Kevin as we are all starting at the same level. Because we are starting our own group we will be able to set up our own schedule to work around our teaching schedules. I am really excited to get started. I feel that it has taken a long time for me to find a good program but now that I have I am super psyched to devote myself to studying. This language is so hard but learning it, even a little more than I know now, will make everything in my life a little easier. Communication difficulties are some of the most stressful and frustrating things I have to deal with on a daily basis. It will definitely help with getting to know the culture a little better now. One example of this is the Chinese word for quickly or extremely fast. The literal translation of the word in Chinese is 'on a horse'. Interesting stuff for an anthropology nerd like me.

Hopefully access to the internet will be more consistent in the future. I have had real problems with everything from this blog to my email. I have five days off coming up this week. I plan on traveling to Hubei and going to see the Wall too. Hopefully when I get back I'll be able to post something. Take care. D'sai Jien

In The Throes of Autumn

I have been really lazy with my writing lately. No updates containing any earth shattering or even mildly interesting news. I understand. Things have slowed down here recently. Actually, I am not sure if it is that things have slowed or I have settled. I think it is equal parts both. I was sick recently, missed a couple of classes, but now I am back in full. That slowed things a bit. I also have gained a better handle on the geography of Tongzhou and Beijing so I think that has made it feel a little more like 'home' for me now.

It is getting colder here seemingly every day. There are things about the cold I enjoy now that I will hate after it has settled here for months. I like wearing my jacket and I like being warm in my bed. I hate how cold my feet get without shoes on and breathing in the cold air while outside. The chill in the air reminds me that this is the season for playoff baseball. I have been able to keep up with the Cardinals long strange trip to and through the playoffs with the help of video provided by MLB.com (thanks for the tip Larry). Watching the games does make me a little homesick/jealous. Homesick because I would love to be getting together with my friends at Mike Duffy's Sports Bar and watch the games. I miss the feeling of the collective exhale when our pitchers get out of tight situations and the high-fives that are exchanged when we score runs. I am jealous of Kevin Seltzer and all the other citizens of St. Louis for being able to go to the World Series. I am a cheering section of one when I watch the games live on my computer while still lying in bed at 7:00 a.m. I don't mind it so much but it does make me feel like none of it is actually taking place. It seems like it is all playing out before me and I am the only witness. Strange.

This past weekend I met with Gongbin Wang. Wang is the brother of a university professor my father works with in South Texas. He is a professor at Beijing Normal University. Wang's sister, Jinhao, arrived in McAllen about 15 years ago. I vividly recall going to a dinner at her apartment with my parents. I was around 10 at the time and remember being astounded by the fact that this woman came to a country halfway around the world to teach in a culture she was unfamiliar with. I was shocked and perplexed by the thought of doing something like that. Now...well, the irony is obvious. Here I am in Beijing visiting with her brother. The symmetry of this is very pleasing to me. We had a great time together. Gongbin, his wife, and I went to a small park and museum tucked in the corner of the Forbidden City. Afterwards, we went to eat at a restaurant on the other side of the Forbidden City. The restaurant was beautifully decorated and had phenomenal food. There was a wedding dinner taking place while we were there. After we ate we stepped outside and paused while observing the wedding party. There were people handing out cigarettes on a platter. One would hand out the cigarette, the other would light it. I asked Wang which couple at the table got married and he said it was the couple handing out the cigarettes. After we left the restaurant we walked the grounds of a near by park. It was a very peaceful place. After that we parted ways. They are wonderfully kind and funny people and I hope to get together again with them sometime.

Here are some things that I forgot to include in some of my previous posts:

When Bryne and I went to the Heavenly Temple we also went to the National Gallery which houses some of the finest artifacts related to early Chinese culture in the world (and rightly so). The Jade Suit, a burial suit for some ruler, was on display. This is one of the most famous pieces in the collection. It is like a suit of armor made out of thousands of jade pieces sewn together with golden thread. Really cool.

My camera is on the fritz. This is mainly due to the fact that batteries in China totally suck. They rarely work and when they do they only have enough juice to last for five pictures. Once I get this rectified I will get more pictures up here.

My Chinese TV debut occurred last week. I am referring to the video I made with Kevin, another English teacher from New York, for a TV show that is created by the kids to help them with their understanding of idioms and slang. I should be getting a copy of it soon. It is definitely YouTube material.

I get five days off coming up sometime in early November. That should be fun. I will DEFINITLY get out of Beijing this time around. I'll go anywhere; I just need to see more of China.

Alright time for bed. Take care. Be well. Namaste. Shalom, and all that jazz

P.S.- The picture at the top is from the first weekend I was here. I just couldn't put up two consecutive posts without a picture.

Feed Me Part 2

Let me first apologize for the lack of pictures associated with this post. I had an outing to Fragrant Hills Park that I will write about soon. The park was amazing and I have plenty of pictures to share.

But first...

The other day one of the Chinese English teachers invited a couple of us out to dinner. Little did I know she was springing for Beijing Roast Duck. It is a rather beautiful thing. They take a duck and puff it up with air, coat in something sugary like molasses, and roast the hell out of it. It is served with what amount to mini tortillas (except they are paper thin). They are more like spring roll skins. The way you eat this phenomenal thing is by placing some meat in the tortillaesque thing along with green onion strips and a piece of cucumber. The topper to all of this is a plum sauce that almost made me weep it was so delicious.

The Chinese teacher (Cindy) brought along her famous 'hus' (that is her nickname for husband). I call him famous because he kind of is. He directs stage plays and movies all over China. While at this wonderful dinner we discussed possible roles for a white guy. He told me that he will contact me the next time something comes up. Hopefully that will be soon because I can't wait to hit it big on the stage and screen here.

This dining experience was almost textbook. It was virtually identical to the ones outlined in all the books I read before arriving. Cindy's 'hus' was the perfect Chinese host. The first classic thing he did was order way too much food. There were twice as many dishes on the table as there were people. He was also ever vigilant regarding our drinks. Any time any of us got close to finishing our beers or tea he would swoop right in as soon as your glass hit the table and full you right up. He was also very careful to point the spout of the pot away from anyone at the table. This is also customary.

One dish that was served, and served in massive portions of 25 or 50, was duck head. One of the older teachers we were with refused to try it and the look on out hosts' faces were that of disappointment bordering on sadness. Bryne and I immediately decided it was up to us to restore the honor of our hosts. We cracked them right open and were instructed to eat the brain first. So, I did and then moved on to the eyes. There is really not much else to eat on the duck head but the Chinese in the restaurant sure found a way. By the time they were done with the heads there was little left but the bill and eye sockets. This got me thinking about how wasteful they would think out butchers are back at home. People all over the world eat more parts of more animals than we do. Tripe abounds here but it really is the one thing I avoid at all costs. Tripe and organ meat stew are off the menu for me. I have been served organ meat stew in restaurants when I have tried to employ the blind luck method of ordering. All the menus at the restaurants I frequent feature Chinese characters only. 90% of the time I get served something amazing by just pointing to a random dish on a random page. The other 10% consists of organ meat and other things I would describe as detritus. I have recently learned the words for beef, pork, and chicken and these words are proving almost as invaluable as hello and thank you.

Yesterday afternoon Bryne and I were patrolling our beat on the mean streets of Tongzhou when we were approached by a lady handing out flyers for a new night club's grand opening party which was occurring that night. It had a picture of Coolio on the front so we had to go. That night we arrived and the place was packed. No sign of Coolio. They had professional male and female dancers stationed around the dance floor. It was a pretty cool place. There were two Chinese gentlemen sitting at a table near the dance floor and they called us over and handed us beers. They were nice guys but one of them was wasted. His friend was keeping him in control all night. They bought us a few beers as we sat at their table. When the dancers cleared out and people started to get on the dance floor these guys were all over it. They were going nuts and got on a stage with a stripper pole and started dancing like the world was ending. They motioned for me to join them but I was a little reluctant. They then jumped off the stage and physically dragged me up there. (Some of you out there might be thinking, 'Yeah right. I know you and you went willingly.' It was late and I wanted to go get some hotpot before hitting the hay.) They had me in a sandwich on stage while they created new, never before seen dance moves involving a pole. These guys were out of control but we had a fun time with them and they were upset when we told them we had to leave. Many hugs and handshakes were exchanged before we got out of there. A fun time was had by all.

Mid-Autumn Festival and Back to Class

This past Friday marked the Mid-Autumn Festival. I am under the impression that the festival is something like a harvest festival centered on the full moon that occurs at this point in the year. The traditional food for this celebration is the mooncake, not to be confused with the equally delicious moonpie. Mooncakes are dense little cakes filled with an assortment of fruit and nut jellies. Each one is filled with a different filling but generally they taste something like fruit cake. On Friday night I sat out in the street and ate a mooncake while watching the fireworks through the ever present smog. There were many people on the street enjoying the holiday with their family members. It was kind of nice.

The day before my friend Bryne and I went to Temple of Heaven Park. This is a large green space in the middle of the city just south of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The park includes two of the most photographed structures in China, The Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Heaven. There were thousands of people at the park but not nearly as many as there were at Tiananmen Square. The complex was built in 1420 as a place for the sitting Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to make sacrifices in order to ensure a good harvest. The north outer wall of the park is curved and the south wall squared. This design reflects the belief that heaven is circular and earth is square. It is a very impressive complex that attempts to balance heaven and earth, man and woman, north and south, and east and west. One thing that I was impressed with was the use of the Phoenix and the Dragon. The Phoenix represents the feminine and the Dragon represents the masculine in traditional Chinese culture. All over the park you see this balance. For every Phoenix you see there is a Dragon to match. Never on any one structure is there more of one than the other. The park is very peaceful and almost seems out of place in the middle of a city that is so chaotic.

I spent a few days in Beijing staying at a hostel in the Hutongs. Hutongs are old neighborhoods dating back from the Ming Dynasty. They are almost like suburbs within the city. Hutongs are small to mid sized homes, shops, restaurants, and ramshackle repair shops that are all connected by a system of alleyways. The small alleyways empty out in to courtyards that are commonly adorned with beautiful flowers and topiary. This is what people call 'Real China'. This is an old school lifestyle that exists to this day in the middle of Beijing. The Hutongs will probably not exists 10 years from now as they are being systematically torn down and replaced with 'economically viable' things like massive apartment towers and office buildings. Hutongs have a distinctive architectural style that is not displayed in any other structures built during the Ming Dynasty. It is sad that such a cultural treasure is being destroyed in favor of commerce. It was a really cool experience walking around/getting lost in the Hutongs.

Now it is back to work. I had to teach today (Sunday) because we were given an extra day off on the Friday before the break. When you think about it, a day off it was not. To boot Bryne is ill and I must take up the slack of his course load this week which means double the work at the same rate of pay. Awesome. I can't complain though I'd rather be working than suffering from impacted wisdom teeth. Impacted wisdom teeth at the age of 26!?! I guess should thank my mom for making me get those taken out over my spring break in high school...but I won't. I'm still bitter. Enjoy the pictures.

Golden Week

October 1st was National Day here in China. The day marks the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Although it is meant as a celebration of the communist takeover of the country it really celebrates the birth of 'Modern China'. The holiday really celebrates the end of imperial dynastic rule in China. They celebrate Sun Yat Sen along with Mao (Mao gets most of the love though). Most people get 1 week off of work to travel and celebrate the holiday. They call this Golden Week.

I celebrated National Day as 1.5 million Chinese are expected to do; I went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I have been to the square before but this was a different experience all together. It was absolutely packed with people. There were giant flower arrangements, and pictures of Sun Yat Sen and Mao erected in the square. When I arrived it was already noon so I decided to get some chow. Most places around the square are extremely expensive as they prey on tourists who know no better than to pay such prices. I decided to head to the south end of the square where the McDonalds is located. I haven’t had McDonalds since I've been here and it sounded pretty damn good at the time, but when I got to the front door I smelled an exquisite scent coming from around the corner. There was a street vendor selling stir fried noodles. I just couldn't bring myself to go into Mickey-D's. The locals were shocked when I took my hand off the door handle. I could sense their approval.

After a hardy lunch I made my way back across the square and took some pictures. As I was clicking away I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a girl asking to take a picture with me. I was confused but obliged. She thanked me and scampered away. Upon seeing this many other Chinese got the same idea. I took four more pictures with people. I think they confused me with a movie star or something, it was crazy.

After that experience I headed to the front gate of the Forbidden City. This is where Mao made his famous speech proclaiming the foundation of the new republic. It is also where his massive portrait hangs. Once you pass through the gate you are still not in the actual city itself. Through the gate is a massive courtyard stacked with schlock shops selling everything from cameras and film to posters of Mao. After I waded through the crowd I got my ticket and audio guide and headed inside. The City is magnificent. Huge and sprawling, I almost forgot I was in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world. The ticket I bought also allowed me access to the museum in the city. The museum houses various traveling exhibits. The exhibition I saw was a collection of pieces from 18th, 19th and 20th century Russia. There were various goods and wares that were used by Russian Tsars over the centuries. It was a real unexpected treat to see all that gold and silver but I didn't go to the Forbidden City to see Russian artifacts so after perusing the exhibit I was on my way.

Most of the buildings in the complex are well maintained. There were parts where the original paint and wood could be seen next to the restored pieces. Renovation of several structures was taking place ahead of the tourist rush expected during the Olympics. This was not new to me. I experienced the same disappointment when I went to Greece the summer before the Olympic Games took place there. The difference between the two host cities is that fewer places are closed for renovation here than were closed in Greece. I think that this is because there is a real effort to constantly maintain cultural relics and historical places here in China. I can assume that this is a backlash against policies and actions of the 1960's and 70's.

All around the palace grounds there are mini museums detailing life and culture of the imperial courts that called the Forbidden City home. There was even an exhibit on the early bronzes created for Chinese rulers. Some of the pieces dated as far back as 1600 B.C. Bronze work was perfected and ubiquitous in China around this time. Bronze items were a part of daily life for not only the rulers but for many upper echelon commoners as well. There were combs, boxes, and various vessels of bronze. It was really cool.

I ended up walking around the Forbidden City for almost 4 hours and it was still not enough time to see everything. The City closes at five o'clock sharp and they are serious about it. Guards trolled through the alleys and alcoves and hurried everyone out of there right at five. Outside of the north gate I was bombarded with people trying to sell a little bit of everything. This is the case in most tourist traps throughout China. I refused each and every one of them until I came to a man who was showing me pictures that were familiar yet odd. He had pictures of the Great Wall, but they were unlike any I had ever seen before. They were of sections of the wall that are not reconstructed or renovated. He called it "The Natural Wall". He was offering tours to remote and isolated portions of the wall. He said, and I have read, that the part of the wall that is around Beijing is 630 km long but only 30 km are open for massive tour groups. He takes small groups on what amounts to a hike around the "Natural Wall". I took his business card and look forward to writing about that experience at a later date.

After talking to the tour guide for a while I made my way to Wangfujing. This is an area that has many western stores and lots of glitz to entertain the eye. Near this street is the Night Market. The night market has many stalls lined up down the street all selling many different meats and veggies and stuff on a stick. It is a must for any visitor. I had been before but had forgotten my camera so this time I was there for pictures. You can see a picture above. After taking in the sights and sounds of the market I went to the English language book store for a map and a dictionary. There I met a man who approached me with some questions. He saw that I was an English speaker and had a few questions regarding an English language brochure he was writing for his company. After patiently answering his questions for 10 min. or so he stopped and looked at me and smiled. He told me that he believes in Karma and that by providing him with help I will be rewarded. He told me that I am a very kind man who deserves blessings and he will pray for those blessings. I was totally embarrassed and touched by his sentiments. I just told him to say, "Our company has engaged in the textile business for 40 years." instead of, "The company has had textiles since 40 years." That hardly makes me a hero, but it is strange the amount of English text here that is horribly misspelled and completely incorrect. Maybe there is a job for me somewhere in that observation.

Speaking of observations:

It seems that the Chinese people look at their empires and dynasties as silliness. They see that part of their history as somewhat shameful or irrelevant to today's happenings.

It is cool to see a world map with China in the center. It displays a different world view both literally and figuratively.

Mooncakes are the traditional food associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival. They are little cakes filled with an assortment of fruit jellies or nuts. Some are very good. Some are very bad.

Damon Jones is huge here. For those of you that don't follow the NBA he is a role player who played for the Heat two years ago and now plays for Cleveland. He has a shoe deal with a Chinese company and has 5 story posters on buildings throughout Beijing. The other day I saw a massive poster of him next to a poster of David Beckham. Damon Jones is huge here.

Hope all is well. Take care. Stay tuned.

from slow motion for me, to more than a feeling.

I started this week thinking that I seem to be getting into a real rhythm in regards to my work schedule. I am starting to become a little bored with the classes and routine of it all. Thank god the National Day holiday is just around the corner. I think it will serve as a source of reinvigoration and when I come back I can work with the same gusto I had upon my arrival when everything was still new and fresh.

That being said I had a great time teaching my first geography class of the semester. My teaching partner and I are offering two sections of the class a week. The first is on Wednesdays and is for the Senior 1 students (the students with less English), and the second section on Thursday for the Senior 2 students (the students with more English). I taught the Senior 2 class and it was awesome. These kids have a great vocabulary that they like to show off which is different for me. I only teach Senior 1 normally and its like pulling teeth trying to get those kids to talk. Because of their vast vocabulary I was able to speak at a pace which is more conversational. Although it is not an English class many of these kids are in the class to be exposed to English at a higher level. I told them that if they want to study at an American university they will be taking classes on subjects they know little about and the teacher will not be speaking at a snail's pace either. So they loved that explanation and all paid attention for the rest of the lesson.

I started the lesson by presenting pictures of places to which I have traveled. They had to guess where the pictures were taken. They were good at that exercise. So then we got into an in-depth conversation about each country I had pictures of; Greece, Canada, US, and New Zealand were all extremely interesting places to them. We talked about everything including, but not limited to, culture, natural features, native peoples, and climate. I had one girl who had spent one year at a high school in Tilden, Texas. I can't imagine going from Beijing to Tilden. What a culture shock. I spoke with this girl after class and we discussed her experiences in the USA. She told me about her host family and how all the family members were shocked to find out she didn't know who Jesus was. That sounds like a hilarious situation to me, hell even she was laughing as she recounted the experience. She ended up traveling all around Texas and even got to go to Prom...with a boy!! She showed me a picture of her and her date that she keeps in her wallet. I told her that we will try to incorporate her experiences into a class on American youth culture.

Today is Friday and I can't even understand the boredom I felt earlier in the week. Everyday I see something on the street that is amazing (or shocking, whatever the case may be). Like last night, I saw about 20 or 30 old women with wooden blocks. They were singing traditional songs and banging out the rhythm on a street corner, amazing. Earlier this week I ate seahorse on a stick, shocking.

Just talking to people and seeing things through their eyes really reminds me of why I came. I'm not really here to teach English, that is not my passion. I came here to learn, understand, and participate in a culture where I am an outsider. Every time I eat something new or talk with someone about traditions, views, or even just sports I am renewed with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and peace. Oh, to be a stranger in a strange land.

Feed Me

Food is very important to Chinese culture. The colloquial term for hello actually translates to 'have you eaten today'. Every time I speak at length with someone they invariably ask, 'Do you like Chinese food?' I do, and they love that. Tonight I had traditional Mongolian Hotpot. I had this upon my arrival to Beijing but this was the best I've had so far. Hotpot is quite the spectacle. It is a pot filled with broth and set over a gas stove in the table. The broth has hot peppers and is accompanied by a sesame dipping sauce. When you order hotpot you get various meats and veggies to put it in the broth. It is kind of like fondue but much more flavorful and with chopsticks. The meats and veggies and not really what you think. I had cow esophagus, cow stomach, greens and veggies of various unidentifiable sorts. All sound strange but are actually not unlike anything you've ever had.

The best food can be found in the street. There are many different kinds of buns, dumplings, noodles, and rice available where ever you go. They say the street food is somewhat unclean and I can't argue. The conditions in the 3 walled restraints where I eat are less than clean. But the food is so good and hot that I don't think twice about it. Sometimes when I am eating in such a place I imagine my mother being horrified. When there are so many people doing the same thing, and I've done it so many times, I know its ok. Here are some pictures of Kevin, Cindy, Vivian, and I at our Hotpot dinner. Hope all is well.

Teacher's Day Weekend Activities

Sunday in China was Teacher's Day. It is day when all are to honor teachers across the nation. For the historically informed the dubious nature of the holiday is obvious. Because I was told that the discussion of the events of 1960-1970 will be censored I can not get into specifics here. Consult your history books please. Here at LuHe we celebrated the day in style.

In class on Friday the students all wished me a happy teacher’s day and acted especially good for me. The teachers were invited to a function at the school that evening. We were told there would be fruit and carrot cake. It seemed informal enough. Wrong.

We went to Wagner Hall (a glorified gymnasium) where there were tables lined up along the east and west wall and at those tables were 100 teachers and grapes galore. It was a real reception. They had several speakers and a special translator for us. The speakers were followed by a special (extremely tame) entertainment session. The Korean teachers sang a Korean song, the dance teacher did an interpretive dance to mark the day, the eldest teachers put on a ballroom dancing exhibition (ballroom dance is a common hobby among the aged here). Then came the karaoke. The science department sang, the headmaster sang and then they poked and prodded until the la wei sang (la wei is the term for foreigner and one of the few words I know and can pick out of a conversation, its cool that I know when people are talking about me on the subway or in the bank). Many of you know that I have a real weakness for karaoke so you will also know that it took very little coaxing for me to sing. Bryne and I sang Love Me Tender. We were awful but they loved us for attempting it. Our horrible performance was followed by a music teacher playing a traditional Chinese instrument. It was kind of like a 5 string guitar held upright and played with 5 finger picks. It was incredibly amazing. It was by far the highlight of the evening. After her came the accordion player (not as good), and then disco. They played one song and immediately everyone formed a conga line and marched around the room. As quickly as the dancing had started it ended and everyone returned to their seats. They closed with the performance of an old song that I was told was a tribute to Mao. All in all it was a strange evening but extremely satisfying despite the lack of the promised carrot cake.

That evening a few of us went out and continued our karaoke antics at a bar here in town. We were the only customers and ended up singing 10 songs, a veritable concert of humiliation had there been anyone else in the bar.

The next day there was a knock on my door. It was one of the Chinese English teachers. She said she was here to pick me up to go to the farm with her mother. I was confused but complied because I was told that invitations to outings are rare and should not be refused if you ever want to receive one again. So me, the teacher, and her mom went to "the farm". It was cool. I thought of Garry Seltzer as we walked through the acres and acres of grapes, peaches, sunflowers, pears, and peanuts. I even ate the lotus. They had a small pond so the mother and I harvested a lotus pod, opened it and ate the seeds inside. It was a lot like a peanut and if I ever get my computer to comply you can see the pictures.

After the farm the three of us headed back to their house where the mother proceeded to cook me a feast for lunch. It was a very traditional Chinese household. The mother lives with the daughter and the daughter's husband. The three of them together. It is common so I guess mothers in law and sons in law have a VERY different relationship here, or else it is hell for both. On the menu were dumplings, pumpkin porridge, and stir fry vegetables. I was told that the more I ate the more likely I was to be invited back so I loosened my belt, took a deep breath, and packed it away almost to the point of illness. It was delicious.

That night all the teachers were treated to a special performance by the Chinese National Opera. I don't know how familiar any of you are with Beijing Opera, I know I knew nothing of it before I came, but its very interesting. There is extensive makeup and face paint and elaborate costumes to denote each character. There is something like 20 main archetypal figures in Beijing Opera. The music is generally not pleasant to the western ear. Lots of high, shrill singing accompanied by loud bangs that occur at seemingly random intervals. It is very hard to really convey the musical chaos that occurs. The banging and piercing sounds were contrasted by singing solos in a very high pitch that were accompanied by beautiful string music. The costumes, acrobatics, and face paint were amazing though and worth putting up with the music.

Today I lesson planned most of the day and really reflected on what it means to be a teacher in China. I have it good here. Most of the Chinese teachers can barely eek out a living and work much longer hours than I. The conditions are rough for them but they do a great job despite all that. Hats off to them. Happy Teachers Day.

Work It

There is a strange phenomenon that takes place in China. It is called hard labor. I am constantly shocked by the speed with which seemingly monumental construction projects are completed and with the most rudimentary of tools.
For example, there is a long walk way that crosses the campus. It is about 600 yards long and 10 yards wide. When I arrived workers had already began laying cobblestones and repaving the entire stretch. On August 27th they had completed 1/10th of the first day of school on the 4th of September the entire project was completed.
This is especially amazing considering not one electric or motorized tool was used. All the concrete was mixed by hand; stones were laid by hand with out the aid of a level. The old concrete was removed not by jackhammer or air hammer but by pick axe. I am no engineer but the finished product looks beautiful. Only time will tell us about the quality of their work.
Most of the workers are imported from rural areas. They are provided with at large tent which they set up on a corner of the campus. There they lived for the duration of the project. Once the project was completed a large bus came and took them all away.
Last weekend some of us were returning from a night out on the town in Beijing by taxi. Our car was diverted from the main highway due to construction. Construction! At 2:30 a.m. there were about 100 workers welding, pouring concrete, and doing whatever else it took to build an extra level to the highway.
All around China this scene is replicated on a daily basis. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week people are working to prepare this place for the future, not just the Olympics, but for China's entry into the pantheon of world powers. There is a general sense of pride in all of the things these people do. Even the guy who massaged my back while I was urinating was proud to be doing it and was giving his best effort.
There are many jobs that seem unnecessary to us in the States. There is a lady who has a microphone and a loud speaker and sits at the front of the bus. All she does is tell people to be careful when exiting the bus. She also tells people to back away from it as it slides into the bus stops. This is the extent of her job. That’s all she does. There are ladies at the subway station who tear tickets. They have machines that do the same job in the same station but only 2 of them, not enough to handle all the traffic. I've seen these ladies eyeing these machines. Looking at them and possibly wondering how long they will keep their jobs.
I saw something amazing the other day. If only I had my camera. I saw a homeless man, lying on his pad of colleted cardboard with his sheet of tattered cloths, talking on his cell phone. His cell phone! This is the kind of stark contrast and inconceivable incongruence that is extremely common here.

Classes Begin

Monday marked the first day of classes for me. While you were all enjoying the Labor Day holiday (and I hope you all did) I taught my first Conversation class. It is really a misnomer because it is just 55 kids piled high in the class room and me at the front commanding things and trying to get 55 kids to speak in English leads to chaos. I was well prepared and the kids were enthusiastic and well motivated. Our first lesson was about Labor Day. They felt sorry for me that I had to work on my holiday, nice of them. As the class started my nerves melted away and I relied on the material the other teachers and I prepared beforehand and things went swimmingly.

One thing that is required of the kids in English classes here is that they pick an English name. They rarely pick conventional names and that makes for a lot of fun. Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about: Cyclone, King (a girl), Milk, Arm, Smell, Hot Sauce (like the And1 basketball player), and last but not least Allen Iverson. I have Allen Iverson in my class. He wont let me call him just Allen or just Iverson, but the whole thing all the time. I really get a kick out of it. I think it is kind of awful that they are forced to change their name. They do it so that the foreigners (in this case, me) have an easier time addressing them. I encountered this in the classes I taught in St. Louis and was somewhat horrified by the reasoning for it then. I thought that maybe I should get a Chinese name and make everyone refer to me by it, but I think its better to not rock the boat.

My FEC class is a whole lot more intimate with only 18 kids. These are the kids I'll see every day until spring festival break in early February. I have some Korean kids in this class and they have excellent English skills when compared to their Chinese counterparts.

As I said before my schedule is pretty light. I have 5 FEC classes a week. Today I have to present my idea for an elective course to be taught by me and my teaching partner. We are going to submit a curriculum for a geography class. Props to Larry, Rachel, and Lee Hamilton for supplying me with a plethora of books on the subject. That class (should it get approved) will meet once a week and will be comprised of kids who have elected to take an extra class of their choosing. This should be a lot of fun because they will want to be there and should be pretty excited about the material. They don't know much about life outside of their home towns let alone across the planet. They want to know all about the US and my family and friends. I have prepared a lesson using pictures from home of all of you, so whether you like it or not these kids are writing essays about you. It should be fun.

Observations and Notes:
I have seen very few birds here. It seems that the birds have been replaced by bats. Bats everywhere, its almost surreal.

The weather is gorgeous here now. Initially it was very hot here but now it is very nice, blue skies too.

My teaching partner's name is Brynne (brin). He's from Hull in England. He is hiella. He loves the NBA so lets start thinking about Fantasy Basketball again. He has me doing fantasy soccer. Should be interesting.

Soccer is on TV all the time here. Premiership, Euro 2008 qualifying, local leagues, men, women, under 18, whatever. Badminton is also on and as you all may or may not know I love badminton. There are courts all around my campus populated constantly by kids and teachers alike. Fencing was on TV the other day. Now that I think about it there are many Olympic type sports on TV here. Either they always follow these sports or this is a warm up for the people ahead of the games in '08. Sports are hiella.

First Impressions

Hello from China. I hope everyone is doing well. I have received e-mails from many of you and I really appreciate being kept abreast of goings on in the USA.

Sorry for taking so long to get this first email out but I have been quite busy since arriving and I just found out there is internet access in my hotel. They have been working us pretty hard since we all arrived...but we'll get to all that in a little bit.

My time in LA was great. I got to spend time with every member of my family out there so that was nice. The trip out was a little hectic with delays in LA and SF but me and my baggage both made it so I can't complain too much. The plane ride was the worst I've ever had. I was seated in the middle of the middle section of seats. The flight was packed to the gills. The movies were 16 Blocks (average to bad), She's the Man (surprisingly hilarious), and Pride and Prejudice which I refused to watch.

After 12 hours ( we arrived 45 min. ahead of schedule somehow) I arrived in Shanghai and met up with 5 other members of my group (3 Americans, 1 Israeli, and 1 Brit). From there we took the 3 hour private bus ride to Changzhou. Shanghai was beautiful at night from a distance. We finally got to the hotel around 10:00 p.m. local time. The hotel is amazing. It is brand new and not actually open to the public yet. They are conducting a dry run of sorts. Everything is way too fancy for me. The next day we woke up early and met everyone else from WITT and took a bus to the local college's campus to begin training. Training sucks and is way too long. We spend 10 hours a day in an un-air conditioned room listening to stuff we have already been told before we arrived. I got to meet the other teachers I'll be working with and they are all super cool. There are 2 older ladies (40's and 50's) from New Zealand, 1 dude from England, and another American guy. Most of the 60 or so teachers are from either New Zealand or England but there are teachers from Canada, Australia, and the USA as well although we Americans are definitely the minority. Over half of the teachers are 40 or older whit the other half around my age.

One of the ladies in my group actually worked at our school last year and has really filled me in on all the juicy details. The accommodations sound like they should be above average when compared to the accommodations the other teachers will have in other cities. They have people going to some way out of the way places throughout China. I really lucked out with being placed in Beijing. Tomorrow we will have our 3rd day of training. Thursday will be our last day of training here in Changzhou and Friday we will be flown to our respective cities.

And now for observations and silliness

Last night a handful of us went out to dinner at a really cool little restaurant. It was located in Kevin's favorite place, the mall. It was actually a really nice place that had grills at each table and served raw fish, chicken, beef, shrimp, squid, and pork that you cook yourself at your table (pork is the national meat for sure). Four of us had a big dinner and 4 beers apiece for a total of 300 yuan which is like 40 dollars.

After that we met some others at a club recommended to us my the concierge. It was so tacky. Lasers and lights and loud music...it was great. When we walked in all eyes were on us. We are the only white people in town so we attract a lot of attention. They had scantily clad girls pole dancing on a stage in the middle of the bar. No stripping though. We drank a fair amount and as a result had to use the restroom. It was a trough style urinal and there were two bathroom attendants. As I began using the facilities I was approached by both attendants. They proceeded to give me a back massage and shove a piece of gum in my mouth. It was alarming to say the least. With all of that distraction I of course got stage fright so the whole incident lasted a lot longer than it should have. It was crazy. I also used a squat pot for the first time. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I still prefer our method. As you might have predicted the night ended with me dancing on stage entertaining the locals. They really loved us by the end of the night. The people here are sooo nice and friendly. They are fascinated by the thought of life outside of China.

Sorry this was so long. For those of you who have read to this point, congratulations and thank you. I am still investigating the blog situation but this form will have to do for now.

I miss you all dearly and would welcome any visitors at any time. This place is sooo cool. Take care and I hope to be in contact again soon.