"T" in Tennessee!

Pingyao Adventure, Part II

So hmmmm.....where did I leave off.....oh yeah....

Street life within the City wall of Pingyao!  Outside the City wall (okay, not really a city as Pingyao is actually a "county" in the Shanxi province)...there are large buildings and much more modern.

Mao is wearing a warm hat because...you know....it's winter! :)

Beautiful temple.

Big incense

Seven with a VERY big tower of incense!  Folks who are Buddhists pay for the incense and light them at them at the Buddhist temples.  They then bow 3 times in front of the Buddhist altar.  Sometimes they also bow 3 times in each direction, north, south, east and west.  Many times, folks who are Buddhists and are experiencing bad times will go to the temple and light incense and pray to Buddha that their troubles will end or that something they are desiring will come true.  They also give small amounts of money at the altars.  I'm a member of the Christian faith but I think it's important to understand different faiths and practices.  Most folks in China are raised with no religion whatsoever.  As an American, from a nation that is predominantly Christian, it's an educational experience.  There are far more Chinese Christians, however, than Americans think.  They mainly worship in "home churches" as there are basically no Christian churches that Chinese can openly attend.  China is changing, however, and becoming more and more open not only to the world but also to religion.  I honestly think it won't be long before Chinese citizens can openly worship in their chosen religion.  I don't talk about religion with my students unless it is student-led.  Once, a student of mine commented that he figured I was Christian since I was American.  I told him, "Yes, I am a Christian and although many Americans are Christian we also believe in and enjoy the freedom of religious worship" and then told him about all the different faiths that Americans might practice.  Interestingly, most ALL my students know about God and Jesus, even though it's not taught to them in any formal fashion.  As a guest in this wonderful country, I abide by the rules.  So although I don't independently bring up my faith, I am free to explain things when the subject is broached by my students.

One of the altars.  You can see the small bowls of food in front of this altar.  Behind the bowls is steamed bread buns.  This is common at Buddhist altars.

So we were at this temple and Seven "met with" one of the monks and he gave her a handwritten "blessing" on a piece of paper which meant she had to light it and burn it for the fortune to come true.

She lit the paper by special candles and then dropped it in this container.

Imagine my surprise to see this phone mounted on the wall of such an old and famous temple in Pingyao! ha

More spectacular roof adornments!

That's right, folks!  In China, you can play pool outside!

Just so beautiful!  Sometimes I can't believe my good fortune to be experiencing such wonderful sights!

Seven in front of one of the few remaining "intact" 9 dragon screens in China!  There are 2 in Shanxi province!  This is one of them.

Sorry folks, but no more pics tonight!  I'm tired and sleepy and it's time to hit my hard Chinese bed (which has actually become quite comfortable to me).  More pics forthcoming! :)  LL, T.

Adventure to Pingyao, Part I

Having taken LOTS of photos....methinks this might be a four-parter! ha  Hope you're not too bored by all the pics!  So.....as I said, we traveled to Pingyao by train, leaving Beijing at 5:00 pm on the afternoon of January 26th (Chinese New Year's Day) and arriving in Pingyao at 3:46 AM!!!  The guesthouse where we would be staying arranged for a driver to pick us up and take us to the VERY dark guesthouse.  We were surprised that they allowed us into a room (normally you would wait until noon to check in or pay for an extra night).  The room would be mine and Jeanette's but the kang (brick bed...pics later) was SO very big (about the size of a king PLUS a twin) and we were all so tired that we all, yep...all four of us, climbed onto the bed and slept comfortably until 9:00 am!  Later that morning, Seven and her husband, Joe, transferred to their own room.  A kang is a traditional brick bed with padding on top of it about 4 inches thick (yep, very hard but I'm used to hard sleeping surfaces here and it wasn't much unlike my own bed in my Beijing apt.) and the thick down comforters are very, very warm.  We also enjoyed traditional pillows plus more traditional Chinese grain-filled pillows (I opted out of the grain pillows).  So let's see how far I can get tonight with photos.....

Seven and Joe on the train in the "hard sleeper" car in their adorable matching sweaters! ha  Couples in China have no qualms about wearing the same shirts/sweaters.  In fact, it's pretty common and many stores sell matching his 'n hers tops!  Seven thought it was strange when I told her most American couples wouldn't be caught dead wearing the same clothes! ha  Seven is hanging onto the ladder that leads to the second and third bunks in the hard sleeper compartments.

This photo offers a bit more of a view of all three bunks in the hard sleeper cars.  As folks can't really sit up on the 2nd and 3rd bunks....everyone sits on the lower bunks and small side seats in the aisles that fold down until time for sleeping....which is around 11:00 when the lights go out in the sleeping cars (they stay on all night in the hard seat and soft seat cars).  So we had many hours to pass before sleeping time.  I broke out my playing cards and showed Joe a card trick and then showed a young Chinese boy (the son of the man who offered me the duck intestines) how to do the trick.  We talked and chatted until 8:30 when soft sleeper berths became available for Jeanette and I to transfer to.  You see, we were only able to buy tickets for hard sleeper berths and all four of our beds were on the very top.....where I just don't climb up to sleep! ha  So Jeanette and I transferred to a more expensive soft sleeper car ($7.00 more per ticket) after the train stopped at 2 small cities and it was determined that soft sleepers would be available.  Soft sleeper compartments have only lower and upper berths and are much more comfortable and also have privacy in that they have a door to the compartment and individuals lights at each bed. So I slept on a lower bunk with Jeanette above me.  Seven and her husband remained in the hard sleeper car, five cars away from us.  They ended up coming to our car and waking us up at 3:15 so we could prepare for departure when we stopped at Pingyao.  Incidentally, Chinese trains are extremely punctual and when your tickets say you depart at 5:07 (such as ours) then you can be assured that the train will start moving at 5:07!  If you are late, then tough luck!

Seven and Joe on the 3rd (top) bunk!

A photo of our guesthouse courtyard....which is actually a hutong.  Very old and all the "hotels" within the city wall of old Pingyao are actually guesthouses in very old hutongs that have been converted for tourists.  So much culture! :)

Old and beautiful!

This is the door to mine and Jeanette's room.  The door is covered by a thick padding to keep out the cold wind draft!  This is very common in the winter in China.

The courtyard of the Tian Yuan Kui Guesthouse....which is much more appealing in the warmer months, I'm sure.  Still...I found it very beautiful and there's huge advantages to traveling in China in the colder months when there are not very many western tour groups!

The beautiful lobby/restaurant of the Tian Yuan Kui Guesthouse.  Most of the employees speak basic English so that was very nice for me! :)  Still, I used my limited Chinese as much as possible with them.

More guesthouse action.

The Tian Yuan Kui Guesthouse offers American breakfast items so I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.  The toast was "toasted" on the stove and came with no butter, etc.  So I asked for something to put on my toast.  They brought me these things! ha  Yep, that's chocolate sauce, honey and chili sauce! ha  When I asked for jam...lo and behold....they brought me strawberry jam!  Delicious!

Every morning, a little traditional Chinese parade goes down the street in front of our Guesthouse.  I barely caught a photo of it.

One of the pedestrian streets (although motorbikes occasionally went by) and you can see one of the City wall towers in the distance.  Pingyao is one of the few Chinese cities which has an "intact" City wall.  It's very beautiful.  Photos of that to come.

Local life on the street corner....selling one of my favorite things....skewered fruit covered in a thin sugar coating!

Tribute to the Year of the Cow/Ox!

We paid 120 RMB ($18) which allowed us entrance (for two days) to 18 famous sights in Pingyao.  I only made it to five on this day before returning to the Guesthouse for a rest after also walking halfway around the top of the City Wall.  The others knocked out an additional 6 while I rested and checked email at the Guesthouse! ha

Beautiful porcelain table and stools!

So cool....and so nice to visit places without big high-rise apartment buildings!  A bit of real China here!

As you know....I love photographing the adornments on the roof edges of traditional Chinese buildings.

Seven and Joe acting a little silly!

Just like Americans in very old photographs, folks didn't smile for the camera! :)

As Seven explained, the big limestone round stone was used to crush rice and other grains back in the day.

Beautiful intricate Chinese papercuts!  These are cut by hand and the cost doesn't come close to reflecting the amount of time put into its' creation!

Seven and Joe making a heart design.  They enjoyed their first wedding anniversary on our trip to Pingyao!  I enlightened Joe on the American customs of what husbands buy for wives on their first wedding anniversary! ha  They just laughed.  Chinese folks just don't buy into all the gift-giving on such occasions like Americans/Westerners! ha  Probably why Chinese are so good at saving money!

So I'm tired and ready for bed.  I had 15 more photos I'd hoped to post for Part I but it's just not in the cards tonight! ha  So this might be more like a 5 or 6 post for the trip to Pingyao.  Hope you've enjoyed the photos thus far!  Feel free to leave a comment.  Loving life in China, T.

Trip to Pingyao Teaser!

I am back home in Beijing! :)  The trip to Pingyao was wonderful, as I expected it would be!  We took the train to Pingyao and then returned by air via Hainan Air tonight.  The trip was full of unexpected surprises such as being interviewed for CCTV (the national network here in China), seeing a famous Chinese dancer and also a famous Beijing director, eating duck intestines, holding a monkey and other wonderful experiences!  It's late (early morning) and I've just barely reviewed the 400+ photos taken.  Here just a few photos until I can organize them into respectable blog entries.

As the train left Beijing we witnessed a beautiful sunset!  I've often traveled by train to other cities in China but usually I board the train at night, sleep on the train, and arrive at the destination the next morning.  This time, we boarded at 5:00 pm so we had about an hour of daylight to enjoy.

It didn't take me long to strike up "conversations" with some of our bunkmates and when I offered some chips to a Chinese man, he quickly reciprocated by offering me one of his favorite Chinese delicacies.....duck intestines!  Yes, I tried it.  No, I didn't like it.  No, not at all! ha ha 

Although I did take a bite....this photo is purely for the blog! ha  I did not drop that long duck intestine into my mouth and eat it! ha  So I don't care for duck intestines.....still, roasted duck meat remains my favorite Chinese dish.

My travel companions were Jeanette, a friend and the mother of one of my students, Seven (friend and teaching colleague) and her husband, Joe (his Chinese name is ZhouQing, which is pronounced Joe-Ching so I call him Joe, which is actually his family (last) name).

Me, Jeanette and Seven at the Wang Family Compound about an hour outside of Pingyao.

Joe, Seven, and Jeanette.  And please remember.....no spitting in the famous spots! ha

I hope to go through all the photos again soon and choose the best ones to post.  Maybe tomorrow.  I have tomorrow off and then return to work Saturday but no teaching until Monday.  LL, T.

Just words, folks....just words! :)

So yesterday was my last teaching day for the next 9 days!  After doing 10 straight days, it's nice to have some down time.  Yesterday evening, I took my work clothes to my wash lady next to my apt. building and dropped them off.  I'll pick them up tomorrow.  She does a great job and it's very inexpensive.  I've washed everything else (underwear, sleep clothes, socks, etc.) in preparation for my trip to Pingyao in a couple of days.  I'm now watching the first four seasons of the O.C. which is bringing me lots of enjoyment! ha  So today, I'm lounging on my couch in front of the telly and I hear a knock on my door!  The only people that every knock on my door are pizza delivery folks (and I know they're coming) or the occasional visit from the neighborhood committee folks who keep tabs on who is living where. ha ha  Who was it?  It was one of the Ayi's (cleaning ladies) from my workplace! ha  She's Chinese, of course, and doesn't speak English!  She brought me 2 bags of frozen jaozi (stuffed dumplings which folks eat especially during Chinese New Year), some great sweet pecans, a bag of Chinese New Year candies and two bars of Hershey chocolate! ha ha  What a sweet woman!  I was so surprised.  I apologized profusely for the dishelveled state of my apartment and we sat down on the couch.  What do I do?  I can't really communicate with her...only being able to say very basic things in Chinese.  I broke out my dictionaries and also called a friend who translated a few things at the beginning of her visit and at the end of her visit.  In the middle we communicated with hands and facial expressions. :)  I got online and used the online dictionary and showed her some photos from home and also from my recent Christmas Eve party which she attended.  All in all, we had a great visit but it just really brought home to me that after living here for a year and a half my Chinese really should be much better. My excuse is that I am a full-time English teacher where I am paid to speak only English and I just don't have the time to study the Chinese language like I would need to study in order to speak more fluently.  Still.....her visit was a welcomed surprise and we had a nice time together. 

This evening....I finally got "cleaned up" (ha) and went out in search of food for the next couple of days since Chinese New Year (Monday) is upon us.  Before grocery shopping, I stopped in a specialty store that sells Beijing delicacies and is very, very busy at this time of year.  They sell all kinds of homemade bean paste-filled cookies (don't grimace....they are really VERY good) and cakes that folks give as gifts during Chinese New Year, as well as many other things.  I hand-picked a box of cookies and cakes by pointing to what I wanted and how many (using just one hand! ha  I'm good at using one hand to indicate any quantity from 1 to 10 just like the Chinese do).  You know the hand movement you make that's like a gun?...that means 8 here! ha  Anyway....I paid for my box of goodies and then walked across the street to my hairdressers where I frequently get my hair washed and dried.  I gave them the box, indicated it was for everyone in their workplace and told them Happy New Year in Chinese!  They were very surprised! ha  I say it's good to be very kind to the folks who handle your hair with scissors in their hands! :)

After food shopping I returned to my apartment, stopping for a few minutes to watch folks setting off fireworks in my apt. complex courtyard.  So far, no more fires! ha  The noise from fireworks is only going to get worse and worse as the days continue.   Tomorrow night, New Year's Eve here, will be the biggest night for fireworks at midnight!  I'll try to take some videos.  It's only in the past few years that shooting off fireworks in Beijing has been legal as it was forbidden for many years as too dangerous with so many people living here.  Not sure what made them change their minds but folks are all about the fireworks now!  Then Monday evening I leave, along with Jeanette, Seven and her husband, for Pingyao by night train.  We'll spend 2 nights and 3 days in Pingyao (about 12 hours from Beijing) and then fly home on Thursday evening (for the same price as the train ticket would cost).  So probably no pics until I return but you can sure that I'll take lots while I'm there! :)  LL, T.,

Horace the Dancer Dances Again!

Today, after my regular Winter Camp class, I taught little Horace, my private student!  He's been enjoying dancing to a new song.....Crazy Frog to the tune of "Popcorn."  If you don't know about crazy frog then just go to youtube.com and type in "Crazy frog" in the search box and look for the one to "Popcorn."  You'll see it.  It's the underwater one!  There's lots of crazy frog videos! ha  The video I took of Horace is great!  He looks a little strange as he "dances" but that's because he's trying to imitate all the moves of crazy frog and the underwater robots as he dances! ha  Horace will be 8 in early February and he's been my private student at EF since he was 6, when I began teaching him in October, 2007!  I treasure every lesson I have with him as they will end all too soon! :(

Here's his video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgIU32bQijA

Enjoy!  LL, T.

Fireworks Gone Bad!

In China, New Year's Eve is rather quiet!  The first year I was here on New Year's Eve I hung my head out the window of the 24th floor expecting to see fireworks going off all over the city!  It was totally quiet! ha  That's because Chinese celebrate the CHINESE calendar New Years.  This year, according to the lunar calendar, Chinese New Year is January 26th.  Folks start celebrating here early!  So a few days ago tents selling HUGE fireworks went up on nearly every street corner!  I'm talking about the kind of fireworks that only certified professionals are allowed to set off in America.  Here, it's okay to buy and set off HUGE fireworks.  As I said, they start early.  So I've been hearing them for a few nights now.  When folks in my own complex set them off, it comes with all the car alarms also going off.  I'm used to it.  Last night, however, around 10:00 pm I heard 4 big BOOMS!  No problem.  It's common.  Yet....after the booms I heard distinctive SCREAMING!  So I rushed to my porch, slid open my window and hung my head out and looked down!  Folks in my courtyard had set off fireworks right next to a shrub line and all four BOOMS had caught the shrubs on FIRE!  And let me tell you, having not had rain in weeks and weeks, those little shrubs flamed up like a match to a bundle of paper!  The flames were big and high!  The screams continued until folks ran inside the buildings and brought out fire extinguishers!  And yes, there were cars parked RIGHT NEXT to the huge flames!  The flames were extinguished quickly and no firetrucks showed up.  Still....I'm wondering if the folks who own those cars will know who is responsible for the now ruined paint job on their cars! ha  I took a couple of pics this morning when I left for work....trying hard to hide the fact that I was taking photos lest someone think bad of me.

These shrubs are now TOAST!  They will surely need to be dug up and replaced this Spring!  What looks like snow is the chemical residue from the fire extinguishers!

When the owner of this cars sees this....he's gonna be pissed! ha  But knowing Chinese....he will discover who set off the fireworks and he will demand "payment" and most likely get it.  Chinese don't really "cut and run."  They own up to mistakes and this car will likely need a new paint job. I couldn't get a pic of the side of this car (which faced the fire) without attracting too much attention.  But you can be sure that the paint job on the side of this car is RUINED. :)

This week I've been teaching Winter Camp.  During the year we have two periods where it is considered the "peak" season.  When students go on Spring Festival break (Chinese New Year), they are out of school for four weeks.  During this time we hold a 3 week WINTER CAMP which is a time when students come for classes for 3 hours every day for 3 weeks.  This is possible because they are out of school and being out of school is not a time of leisure for them.  They have LOTS of homework to do during this time.  My older students showed me the volumes of homework they were assigned during their 4 week break.  They then told me that the teacher has no time to actually grade it...he/she just looks to see if it's done and check it off!  So I said, "Oh, well, you can just mark any answer, right?"  They laughed and nodded their heads but then told me that when they return to school they will be tested on all the material they are given so if they don't actually study it then the teacher will know!  Man....!  When I told them that when American students are on Winter break....they have no homework and just enjoy time with family and friends....they were SO jealous!  They have the same kind of thing in the summer.  They are off from mid-July until mid-August and during that time we hold a six week Summer Camp!  It's a hard time for us teachers because during that time we only get 1 day off every 7 days.  But I'm used to it now so it's okay.  The kids are great! This Winter Camp I am teaching HFLow and HFMid classes.  These are 7-10 year olds with varying degrees of English abilities, the HFMids being the ones who understand me better.  Our lessons this Winter Camp are about different countries and we are teaching a different country every day. So far, we've had lessons on Italy, Egypt and today, India.  Tomorrow is Ireland. :)  Here's a couple of pics from my HFMid class:

This is Henry (in red) and Jack.  Jack's English is good enough for him to understand me.  Henry's level is a bit lower.  However, Henry can nearly outspell everyone in the class despite his inability to have a conversation in English.

This is Sean and he's a little sweetheart!  He was born in Singapore and went to an English-speaking kindergarten.  His spoken English is great.  But he is not quite 7 and like most 6 year olds...he has trouble keeping still! ha  He chatters away during the whole class but he chatters in English! ha  He's a sweet boy with great energy so I've been hard-pressed to reprimand him too much.  He's just too cute! ha  ha

Today....at the end of class I decided to show the kids a little youtube video.  I showed them the "Bare Necessities" song from the Jungle Book!  They loved it! :)

They're all gathered around the computer screen.  At EF, we are very fortunate to have computers in every classroom and be connected to the internet.  I rely on the internet heavily as many times when the students don't understand something I can very quickly pull up an image on the internet or even go to the chinese/english dictionary site and show them the word in Chinese with the english translation.  This ability has proven to be invaluable and aids greatly in understanding things.  EF Centers are truly state of the art when it comes to their classrooms and teachers are very fortunate to have this ability!

They LOVE cartoons! :)  It's nice to reward them with a little 3-4 minute cartoon at the end of class!  They really enjoy it!

Today was a high smog (pollution) day!  This being my second winter here in Beijing I can tell you that we have far more "blue sky" days in the winter than in the summer.  I'm not sure why because much more coal is used in the winter.  Today, I looked out and saw that there was no need for my sunglasses.  No sun to worry about shining into my eyes as I traveled by taxi to work (I always take a taxi to work when it's an early arrival because, you know, it's 20 minutes by taxi or 60 minutes by bus and it's just too early to try and catch a bus!).  But know that the sun IS there.  It's just not a "glaring" sun on a blue sky day.  The sun is very muted and you're able to completely stare at it.  Even though it's due to the pollution...I think the sun is very beautiful on days like today.  Weird, I know.

See what I mean?

Incidentally, it's important to know the Chinese words for "go faster, go faster!" when you are a foreigner!  Many times, taxi drivers, when they are transporting a foreigner, will drive very slowly and carefully.  But I have that "need for speed" especially when I might be late for my class! ha  Two days ago I was just that....late for work.  So the taxi driver got on the 4th Ring Road and was traveling slow so I told him "go faster, go faster." ha  I told him in Chinese, "I'm a children's English teacher" and then I told him in Chinese, "9:00, 9:00!" ha ha  He understood that I was about to be late for my class and let me tell you....that taxi driver started whipping through traffic like there was no tomorrow! ha  I hung on to the handle above the window as we whipped from lane to lane and was only 3 minutes late for my class! ha  The fare was 30 RMB ($4.50) but I threw two 20's at him (giving him a $1.50 tip, which he barely had time to protest as folks just don't tip here), said Zai jian and xie xie (Goodbye and thank you!) and hurried into my work building! ha  LL (Loving Life), T.

EF CNY 2009!

If you've been reading this blog for a while then you know that last year for Chinese New Year we had a grand EF party for ALL EF employees in Beijing....Kid's schools and adult schools combined!  This year, however, we are feeling the economic pinch even in Beijing so the party was scaled down and broken down into three separate parties on 3 consecutive nights at different restaurants with different centers attending each one. Ours included 3 adult centers and 2 kid's centers....and we had a great time.  And get this?  It was held at the "Excel Bistro" which really is an American "Steak & Egg" restaurant!  I kid you not!  I talked with the manager, a Canadian, who told me there are actually three Steak & Egg joints in Beijing!  So the menu was totally western food!  We had lasagna with garlic bread, various salads, fruit and for dessert, PIES!  That's right....REAL pies! ha  I chose Banana Cream Pie and it had real pieces of bananas in it just like it should! :)  I was "food happy"! ha ha  Each Center was to put on a skit and an "EF Commercial" so for our Center, I did the commercial....solo! ha  I rewrote the lyrics to Petula Clark's "Downtown" and sang a funny song about EF.  It was well received, got some laughs, and I really enjoyed doing it!  Those who know me know that I don't mind embarassing myself, especially if it gets folks laughing!

These are some of the incredible folks I work with!  They have really made my time here so special!

To the left is Seven (in red) and Nyah and to the right is Cathy, my Center Manager, and Jack, the Regional Director for EF Kid's Centers in Beijing.  Both Cathy and Jack are wonderful people and I have a lot of respect for them.  They have both played a big part in my happiness working for EF in Beijing!

Me and Nathan (an Australian teaching at BJ2 Kid's Center).  When this photo was taken he hadn't even drank all of these yet:

ha ha ha ha!  Nathan does appreciate his Chinese beer! ha 

Me and Seven!  She had her hair professionally styled for the party and it looked great!

Seven was very proud to tell me she paid 20 RMB ($3.00) for her hairstyle....something that would have easily cost around $50 or more in the States!  As I also enjoy getting my hair washed and styled for just 15 RMB.....I'm going to SO miss this when I return!  My "hair guys" are so great and when I walk into the salon across the street from my apt. they know exactly what I want.  Wash it and dry it straight! ha  I had it done before the party and this time an employee took lots of photos of me getting my hair dried straight with his cell phone.  I noticed this, of course, and started smiling and throwing up the "victory" sign for him and they LOVED it! ha  When I was all done they took more photos.  I can guarantee you that I am the ONLY westerner that they have as a customer and even though a fancy schmancy hair salon has opened on my side of the street in front of my apts....I wouldn't dare betray these guys by going there! ha  Although I can't communicate well with the folks at my favorite hair salon, they are very kind and patient with me and we get along just fine! ha  No need to make any changes.

Lots of the folks at the party!  It was also nice to reconnect with some Americans that I know who teach at the adult schools!  It was a wonderful evening and after it was all over me, James, Seven and Christina headed out to find a taxi to share a ride to our respective homes.  Not easy!  It was very cold and when it's so cold....it's hard to find a taxi....especially later at night!  We were successful only after about 30 minutes of walking down several streets in search of an empty taxi!  At the party we had lots of "lucky draws" which were names drawn for prizes.  I'm sorry to say I didn't win anything!  boo hoo! ha ha  LL, T.

The One About the Food!

Tonight I was fortunate enough to be invited by Nicole (one of my students) and her mother, Jeanette, to eat at the most famous Xin Jiang restaurant in Beijing.  They have previously taken me to a famous roast duck restaurant.  I'm so lucky to know someone who knows all the great restaurants in Beijing!  Tonight's dinner was spicy hot and delicious.  I went through 2 bottles of water and several cups of tea!  Go here to read all about this wonderful, fiery food of the Uyghurs:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_cuisine

We began dinner with a delicious bowl of cool yoghurt. 

Delicious sweet rice with sweet carrots and so good! Yes, that's a leg of lamb and it was great!

Chicken with potatoes and handmade wide noodles (underneath) and peppers....lots of peppers! :)

Delicious xinjiang flatbread, called "naan."

See my fork?  For the first time in any restaurant here, after an employee watched me struggle to get a slippery potatoe onto my chopsticks, he brought over a knife and fork! ha  Yes, I used that fork!

We also had broccoli and another dish of lamb chops with vegetables.  The above are lamb kebabs and absolutely delicious with all the spices on them.  Here's a close-up just for Arlie, who should come here and learn to make them and put them on his menus for catering!

Roasted mutton on a stick!  Delicious!  They are covered in chili pepper, salt, black pepper and an herb called "zir" which gives it the unique flavor that it has! 

Another wonderful dinner in Beijing and I'm appreciating time spent with friends here more and more as my life here will come to an end all too soon!  Jeanette is from Xinjiang province and she promises to travel there with me.  We are also planning to go to Chengdu so I can see the pandas!  So many wonderful cities left to see.....so little time!  But I'll be returning to visit.  Oh yes!  Many times!  This is my second home now and I have friends who are now like family to me.  LL, T.

Another Beautiful Day of Hope!

Today, on our day off, several of us traveled out to Hope Foster Home to play with the children! :)  Eight of us represented six countries.  Robin, at Hope, now calls our little groups the "United Nations."  There was myself, Simone (S. Africa), Alan (Australia), Jojo (China), and 4 friends of Simone from China, the Phillipines and Korea! :)  We traveled by subway all the way to Terminal 3 (the new int'l terminal) of the Beijing Capital Airport and from there took a taxi to Hope's home.  We had a wonderful time with the children and then Hope was kind enough to offer us their van and driver and he took us back to the airport for our return subway trip.  All total, it takes us nearly 1.5 hours to reach Hope from our respectives homes.   A trip well worth the travel time!

When I walked into the "Nemo" playroom....these kids looked at me with a little trepidation (Uh, she looks like someone we've seen before)...and within 2 minutes they were all vying to be picked up!  I had to sit down to accommodate all of them at once.  Can you see how happy I am?

This is Jojo with a very "active" young girl! :)

The kids show us their great kindergarten room!

These two little ones have severa cleft palates and are awaiting the right age (6 months) and weight (6 kilos) in order to get the corrective surgery they need.  Until then, Hope will care for them and love them.  Afterwards, they will eventually be adopted.  China only allows married couples to adopt so no worries about my returning home with a little one.

 This is the front of Hope.  There's a big tree blocking a view of the front doors.

 Our little bunch of happy campers leave Hope for a short van trip to the airport to catch the subway.

We had to go inside Terminal 3 to get the elevator down to the level where we could catch the subway and saw this sight.  It's a beautiful fake blossoming tree with lots of lucky red envelopes hanging from it representing Chinese New Year.  Lots of travelers have written their own messages on the lower red envelopes in many different languages, hoping that their wishes come true.

We had a wonderful day at Hope!  I think I'll be visiting Hope several more times before my eventual return to the States. :)  

To my bro:  sorry, no street food this go around but don't give up hope! :)  LL, T. 

Another Day in my Life.....

It seems my brother has been "spoiled" by my many blog entries of late as he now messages me with "UPDATE, UPDATE!" ha ha  So these pics are just for my bro on the other side of Earth in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee!

Today, Saturday, is a heavy teaching day.  My last class, TB5A, is my most accomplished English-speaking students, as I've said before.  They are really far beyond the material in our coursebook and I'm sometimes hard-pressed to create ways for them to learn new things.  Sometimes we go on little adventures outside the classroom.  Tonight, I asked them, "So what do you want to do?"  They said, "Please, Teresa, let's go outside!"  So out we went.  All their parents know that I occasionally take them outside the Center on little adventures and all their parents have given approval for such "antics." ha   So tonight (the class begins at 4:20 pm and ends at 6:40 pm) I told them, "Okay, there's a DVD store we can visit down the street so let's go and we will be speaking only English on this adventure!" ha  Off we went.  As I've also said before, our little adventures always attract a lot of attention as local folks observe this big tall American walking with a group of Chinese teenagers and yelling at them, "Stay together!," "Watch out for cars!," "Hold up!" ha ha  We walked quite a ways to a DVD shop I know about just inside the 3rd ring road.  I bought several DVDs in English and a few of my students also bought English DVDs (which I always encourage them to watch....without Chinese subtitles).

It wasn't that the shopkeeper was surprised to see a bunch of teenagers in her shop.  She was surprised when she heard us all speaking in English about all the different movies we were looking at.

We truly invaded the store! ha

Sophia (the girl who made me the beautiful Christmas card) holds her purchases as Payne, in his cool black jacket, looks intently at the selection.

A street vendor selling delicious "warm" nuts.  And if you think these little "jaunts" of ours don't produce learning, tonight one of my students said, "If you can borrow me some money...." and I was able to explain that he should say, "if you can loan me some money..." or "Can I borrow some money...."  So these little adventures give my students and I the opportunity to explore "real" English in a "real" setting and I just love doing this with them.  I bought several of them some street food delicacies and enjoyed a delicious "New Zealand-flavored chicken leg" myself!  So it's good for everyone! :)

We eventually headed back to our Center and the students really had a great time.  I'm so happy to know that my students' parents trust me to always keep them safe and allow me the opportunity to take them outside in a setting where we can speak "street" English.  It's a good experience for everyone.

Payne bids me farewell at the end of class! ha ha  My camera lens was dirty and I didn't discover this until I loaded up these photos! ha  These students are able to engage in lengthy conversations and this is what I really enjoy; just talking with them and all of us exchanging ideas and opinions about things.  We have had some great conversations about many subjects that are currently affecting their lives and will affect their lives in the future. 

Every now and then (okay, actually quite frequently), I come across something in the supermarket that I just have to buy and try out.  When I saw this "Earthpea Compressed Biscuits" I knew I had to buy it and see what it was all about.  Turns out, the "compressed" biscuits inside had nothing to do with "peas" (which I detest) and were very HARD biscuits that had a "peanut butter" flavor.  Not displeasing at all....just very hard! ha ha

Hard and VERY compressed.....very hard! ha

I don't think I've ever visited a DVD store here and exited without a purchase!  This is my haul from tonight.  Since the value of the U.S. dollar continues to fall, these movies, which once cost me 75 cents, now cost me $1.00 each.  Still, a terrific bargain, right?

There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.  This year we celebrate the "Year of the Ox!"  I am an Ox as I was born in 1961.  So the Year of the Ox has been celebrated when I was born, 12 years old, 24 years old, 36, and this year, 2009, I'll be 48.  The Year of the Ox! :)  My son is also an Ox and in 2009 he will celebrate his 24th birthday!  You can find MANY cute stuffed oxen on the streets for sell and I'm sure I'll end up purchasing something "Ox" related to celebrate this important year for me while living in China.  The above are New Years cards.  Last year, when I had folks over to my apt. for a New Year's Eve party I opened my window at the midnight stroke but there was NOTHING.  No fireworks, no nothing! ha  The fact is, Chinese folks celebrate CHINESE New Years, which according to the Chinese (lunar) calendar is January 26th this year.  So on the night of January 25th you can be sure that all the fireworks going off here will truly challenge the eardrums! ha  Last year I was in Changchun so this year I want to be sure and be in Beijing.  I will be leaving the night of the 26th by night train to travel to the "ancient" city of Pingyao to see what's to be seen and experienced there and I can't wait.  A friend is traveling with me and we have reservations at the Tian Yuan Kui guesthouse where we'll be sleeping on kangs (traditional brick beds heated from underneath).  Though I'm sure it won't be the best sleep I've ever had.....I'm looking forward to it! :)  LL, T.

A Fantastic Day in Beijing, Part III (Final)

So now we continue! :)  We left off with a photo of Simone in front of the famous Temple of Heaven!

Beyond Simone you can see some of the skyline of the central part of Beijing where high-rise buildings are restricted.

The inside of the temple.

A little fun with the camera and shadows.

Happy faces! In the background you can see how old the stones are and how they're getting chipped away!  You can see the smooth wide walkway in the middle where only the Emporer could walk.

Beautiful building....beautiful sky.

Beijing is a HUGE city.  I know relatively few folks within this City.  So imagine our surprise when we ran into Jason and Sean, who are Americans teaching at one of our other Kid's Schools here in Beijing!  They are both from Florida.  So from right to left is Simone, Jason, Tamara, Sean and the 2 folks on the far left are friends of Jason's from Florida who are here visiting.

We're heading towards the Echo Wall.

The wall around this little temple was a complete circle.

So with Tamara and Simone on one side and me far on the other side of the circular wall, we faced the wall and spoke to each other.  Our voices echoed around the wall and we could actually carry on a conversation!  So cool.

Very old and very beautiful.

So here's an interesting little story.  This is another circle with a stone whereupon if you stand on it and speak or sing your voice is extremely amplified.  Only the person standing on the stone can hear the amplification, not others standing around you.  The Emporer would stand here and talk to the gods.  But there were many tourists who thought it was just a great place to take a photo and were doing so, just like I took this photo of Simone.  Obviously, they didn't read the sign that suggested you speak or sing while standing on the stone because they weren't saying anything....just taking photos of each other standing on the stone.  So, of course, you know it....I just couldn't stand it!  I stood on the stone and sang a portion of the Star Spangled Banner and then a song in Chinese much to their amusement! ha  We indicated that they are supposed to stand on the stone and THEN speak to hear their voice magnified as if they were speaking into a microphone.  Several did as we indicated and it was so cool to see their surprised expressions when they heard their own voice so magnified! ha  So I did my part in educating some Chinese sightseers about this spot. ha  I should be a tour guide.....

More shadow fun!  Can you guess which one is mine? ha ha

Gorgeous colors!  And that white dot is the moon!  A moon and bright sun day.

Read the sign.  Very interesting as the Emporers would call it "watching the burning" as all offerings to the gods were burned in this big green fire pit at the end of the ceremony.

As we walked back through the park to the entrance next to a subway station we came across this man flying a beautiful eagle bird kite that he made himself.  The Chinese are experts at kite-making and kite flying!  Check out this elaborate mechanism for kite flying.  His kite was WAY up high!  The "string" is actually fishing line type string and would be hard-pressed to break.  Still, he said that sometimes the lines get crossed with other kite flyers.

You can barely see his kite.  It was far up in the sky.

The filament is threated through a hole that's padded (in white) and prevents breakage.

Still walking towards the exit to the subway we stopped off at a toilet, which was a 3-star toilet! ha  They go up to 5-star public toilets here.  This one was very nice and clean and provided both western and Asian (squat) toilets.  They also provided toilet paper, which you tear off from a central roll before going into the individual stall. :)

Along the way we encountered more "exercising" which in this case was waltzing.  My hat goes off to the tall westerner dancing with the Chinese elderly lady.  She noticed me taking the photo and gave me a big smile.  When the song ended, the "western tourist" attempted to leave but she grabbed onto him and he continued dancing with her! ha  So nice to see.

Walking out of the park and to the subway where we went our separate ways, Simone and Tamara on one subway line and Seven and I on the other.  We had a wonderful day together with wonderful weather!  I love days like this and on this day we experienced incredible Chinese culture and history and shared friendships. :)  LL, T.

A Fantastic Day in Beijing, Part II

So....after we learned that the Underground City was closed, for now, we traveled on to the Temple of Heaven Park, but not before having a great lunch together!  We were all hungry and I didn't take any photos of the great dishes we enjoyed which included pork meatball with cabbage soup, shrimp, beef and greens, spicy green beans, egg-fried rice, fried sweet potatoe cakes and delicious jasmine tea!  I did, however, take a photo of the remnants! ha

See all those peanut shells on the table?  The couple sitting across from us insisted on giving us a load of peanuts! ha  We were grateful and really enjoyed them! :)  So cool!

The last time I visited the Temple of Heaven park was 3 years ago when I was visiting China.  The temple you see here was then encased in scaffolding and green netting as it was being "refurbished" as many sights were due to the then upcoming Olympic year.  So this is the first time I could actually see this beautiful Chinese temple where the Chinese Emporers worshipped.

At this park, there are many elderly Chiense (who can enter for free) that come here to exercise and socialize.  They dance, play cards, play traditional Chinese instruments and generally have a great time socializing which tourists love to view.  We had a great time walking among them and seeing their activities.  In China, folks usually "retire" around 50 years old.  Oh, to be Chinese.  I could retire in a mere 2 years!

Much to Seven's embarrassment (ha), I always want to join in and have many times "threatened" to join in dances with Chinese folks or singings! ha  One day, I'm actually going to do it.  On this day, I did sing a children's song in Chinese in front of some Chinese tourists....but that comes later in this entry! ha

These folks were dancing to some Chinese music from a boombox. :)  I recorded their dance and will be uploading it to youtube.com so check out youtube soon and search for "tinchina" to see my video of this great couple!  This man had on a "cowboy" hat with his long beard and black leather coat and reminded me so much of my cousin, Roy Odum.  It is said that everyone in the world has a "doppleganger" which is someone who looks exactly like them.  I believe I have found Roy Odum's doppleganger!  ha

This couple really put on a little show. So great to see.  Watch for the video! 

This Chinese gentleman was playing the jing-hu, a traditional two-string Chinese instrument principally used to accompany Beijing opera.  Because Seven was with us, we were able to chat with him with Seven translating.  He was especially amused to learn that Simone was South African (Simone is Chinese by race, but South African by nationality and birth).  He proudly pulled out a coin from his pocket, a South African rand coin! :)  Simone laughed with joy at seeing this.  He told her he thought the coin was especially beautiful and elaborate and she promised to return to the park and bring him a paper bank note from South Africa. :)  He played many songs for us and when he began playing "Are you sleeping, Brother John" I began singing it in Chinese (which my students taught me) and he was very surprised! When he learned that the four of us were from four different countries (America, Canada, South Africa and China) he called us the United Nations. :)  Brief moments like this with local Chinese citizens are absolutely priceless to me.  So to say that this day was very special is an understatement!

Simone in front of the Temple of Heaven!  Such a beautiful day here in Beijing today!

So here's the deal.  My blogging site is now acting up and not properly loading my photographs so I'm going to save this entry and will continue with our great day tomorrow, which will be "Part III."  Cheers everyone!  LL, T. 

 

 

A Fantastic Day in Beijing!

Today was just one of those days, ya know?  We all have good days.  Sometimes, however, you have a day that you know will forever be imbedded in your memory!  A day spent with good friends, good conversation, good food and wonderful scenery in a beautiful city!  Today was one of those days!  I organized a little trip to Beijing's Underground City.  This is a place where there are a series of tunnels which are very historic.  It's where ice was kept during Emporer times and later was used in the defense of Beijing should important officials need to retreat underground for safety.  It's said that if all the tunnels were put end to end, they would be as long as the Great Wall.  I kinda doubt that but still, it's an extensive tunnel network.  Most Chinese citizens don't even know these tunnels exist and when I told Seven this is where we wanted to go, she had to do internet research to discover the exact location because she had never heard of this place.  True, the entrance is very hard to find.  It's in the middle of an alleyway leading to many hutongs where most tourists would never venture.  So Seven, Tamara, Simone and I met at the Qianmen subway stop on Line 2 and set out for our day of adventure.  The day was to take many twists.....

Seven, Tamara and Simone.  You can see the West Gate entrance to the Forbidden City in the background.

My attempt to take a photo of all four of us with my arm stretched out was nearly successful! ha  We're just missing Simone's lower face! 

 

So we're walking along the sidewalk and Seven tells us that these grates used to be public toilet covers!  We said, "Yeah, right."  But she swears that in days gone by you could just lift up the grates and go to the bathroom!  Gives new meaning to the words, "public toilet!" ha ha

Simone was kind enough to give us a little demonstration of those days gone by! ha ha

We were going to now jump on a bus to get closer to our destination but after looking at the map, figured out it was just as easy to walk there!

And only by walking...can you come across peculiar sights worthy of photographing!

 This is the alleyway we walked down leading to the entrance to the Underground City.  This alley lead off to many old traditional hutongs (old Chinese neighborhoods).  In recent years, MANY hutongs have been destroyed in Beijing.  Now....there is a push to save them.  Good to know because they are FULL of history and should be preserved for future generations.  Many folks still live in hutongs.  Most living in hutongs are very poor but there are refurbished hutongs where very rich people now live in incredible accommodations and those residences even have covered garages.  Amazing, and very, very expensive.

If you were to walk down this narrow hutong alley, you would find entrances to many homes through the twists and turns of the alley.  So very rich in history and I just love walking among places like this.

Generally, folks who live in hutong residences do not have bathroom facilities.  They use public toilets located among the alleys. This is one of them.  They don't offer much privacy and are always "squatter" toilets.  I became accustomed to using "squat" toilets 3 years ago during my visit here and they don't bother me to use at all.  Some westerners, however, hate them and will "hold it" for a very long time just to get to a western toilet! ha  Here's a more graphic pic! ha

Those ridges are for traction! :)  It's good to have traction when you're squatting!  Many times the floor around squat toilets is a little wet.  Yeah....I know.....eeeewwww! But this is a fact of life here and it's really not so bad at all.  And in case you're wondering about showering, folks who live in residences without bathroom facilities shower in public places where you can pay a few cents to take a shower.  And....if you're thinking that folks must really smell if they can't shower every day, you're wrong.  It's very rare that I encounter the smell of body odor. 

Another hutong alley and you might think I'm crazy, but I just think they are beautiful!  Such history!

Cool doorway!

I tried my best to get this little puppy to come up to me but he was having none of my American antics!  So cute.

We finally made it to the doorway entrance to the Underground City and were met with this sign! Boo hoo!  Funny that it was written in Chinese English!  It says, "May be. it'll open next year."  Well, you can't really see it but some tourists have written, "Well, MAY BE we'll come back next year!" ha ha  So we were disappointed but we were very close to the Temple of Heaven Park so that became our next destination.  We took a bus 2 stops up and then had a great lunch together before going to the park.  Because I have so many photos to post....I'm going to save this entry and continue with "Part II."  Stay tuned.

Lang Lang Plays Piano!

This past Saturday night I went with Wendy, a colleague and friend, to see Lang Lang in concert at the Indoor Stadium (the Olympic stadium near the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest).  Lang Lang is 26 years old and is a fantastic and accomplished pianist.  He played the piano in the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics!  He presently resides in the States.  He began piano lessons at the young age of 3 and his parents pushed him very hard to be the best.  He succeeded!  It was a wonderful experience to hear and see him play with a full orchestra!  I was surprised to see a few westerners in the orchestra and there were also lots of westerners in the crowd!  I have never been to Olympic Park and it was amazing!  I wish my camera had been working well but it wasn't so I only have a few indoor pics (which aren't very good).  Seeing the big Olympic Tower lit up and the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube (all lit up in blue) was just fantastic!  I will return and take proper photos soon!  Promise!

The stadium fills up!

You can't really see Lang Lang, but he's there....at the piano!

That's Lang Lang in the gold suit!  His first suit was black with rhinestones on it!  At intermission he changed into the gold suit.  It brought back a childhood memory. I took piano lessons for 3 years, from about 9 years to 11 years and during that time my parents took me to see Liberace in concert twice in Nashville.  Liberace, an incredible and flamboyant pianist, was known for his costume changes during concerts and I will never forget the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville going completely dark and out came Liberace in a suit lined with tiny lights and all the sudden he lit up in white lights! ha  Anyway....it was a great concert and a great time with Wendy, who plays violin and has just recently begun piano lessons! :)  After the concert, hundreds and hundreds headed towards the subway, me included.

 

It was about 10:00 pm and the subway was packed!  This is a pic of everyone coming up the stairs from Line 8, transferring to Line 10.

See the big blue square?  That's where I was and I was traveling to the end of the line to the left, which is the Bagou station, the end of Line 10, which is a short walk from where I work.  From there, I took a 30 RMB ($4.50) cab ride home.  What a great evening! :)  Now....I'm going to work on an entry about my incredible day today at the Temple of Heaven park with friends!  Lots of photos! :)  A two entry day!  Woo hoo!  LL, T.

My Second New Year's Eve in Beijing!

Last year, I had a big Christmas Eve party at my apartment!  I bought tons of beer.  Tons of beer was not consumed! ha  So I had another party a week later on New Year's Eve!  Still....I was left with lots of bottled beer!  I gave some away but still actually had 3 big bottles of Chinese beer in my fridge when I had my Christmas Eve party this year! ha  This year, for New Year's Eve, I met a few friends and colleagues and we traveled to Wangfujing to the Outback Steakhouse restaurant for a little western dining! :)

Outback is actually a U.S. chain.  Not Australian.  I've eaten at Outback in the U.S. twice.  I've eaten at Outback in Beijing three times (so far).  There's 2 in Beijing.  I'm telling you, folks, it is absolutely delicious!  Even better than the U.S.  Our chicken and steak dishes were SO good! ha  All the waitstaff speak English and they serve SWEET tea! ha ha  I drank 4 glasses and visited the WC twice! ha ha

You KNOW we had to start our dining adventure with a bloomin' onion! :)

Shelagh (with the victory sign) and Tamara (our teacher from Canada and her first trip to Outback) and Jojo, who works with EF at another Center and is a sweet friend of mine!

James (an Aussie) grins with his mouth full of delicious steak! ha

Shelagh and Jojo try their best to cut up their steak and chicken with a knife and fork! ha  I ended up cutting up their meat for them which they appreciated! ha  No chopsticks at Outback!

After eating, we were all stuffed! ha  But James had "pre-ordered" some cheesecake and we all had a bite with some delicious blueberry sauce! :)

After eating, we walked down Wangfujing (pedestrian shopping street) and onto a side street where there is a wonderful display of "night food"  My camera was acting up (I must get a new one) so no pics but there's all kinds of good and delicious and also strange foods that you can enjoy!  Like snake on a stick or scorpions, or silkworm larvae, etc.  But they also have delicious fried banana balls with powdered sugar on top and delicious strawberries covered in a thin spun-sugar coating, etc. So it's not just about "exotic" type foods.  We then walked towards the east entrance to the Forbidden City, stopped to buy some gloves for Jojo (it was bitter cold), and then proceeded down a street towards Tiananmen Square.  I decided we should take a little jaunt through a hutong! ha  The last time I did this (on the very same street) it was three years ago and Liyin and I decided to venture into a hutong to see some traditional Chinese homes.  This is fine to do and the hutong alleyways are public.  But if you go through a door into a courtyard then that's a private area.  We did this and were taking photos of the courtyard (to about 3 homes) when a man came out and told us that we had no business being there! ha  He was right.  Our mistake.  It would be like noticing that someone stepped onto your front porch and was taking photos of your porch and your front door and your house!  ha  This time, we merely walked through a hutong and admired doorways, not entering into any courtyards.  We traveled towards Tiananmen by foot and stood in front of Chairman Mao's photograph and told him Happy New Year! ha  It was just before 10:00 pm.  At 10:00 all the lights that outline the buildings in Tiananmen Square go OFF!  So we are standing there and all the lights start going off.  It was actually pretty cool!  We then walked on down to the West Tiananmen Square subway station and went our separate ways.  I was back in my apartment around 11:00 and turned on the TV to watch New Year celebrations.  A very good New Years' Eve with good food and good friends.  A wonderful way to end 2008! :)  LL, T. 

Happy New Year!

It took me a while but I created a little gift for you!  Let me know if you like it.

Download 2008 BJ

A faster way, however, to view the "movie" is here, at youtube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3-bjv6pEd0

Cheers!  T.