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.