back home

It's Sunday night. We arrived back at our apartment around 8pm - it is 9pm now, still not unpacked. We had to play with the dog and inspect the (minor) damage and messes inflicted in our absence.

Now, we're both exhausted and ready for bed. A day off from school tomorrow would have done wonders for our health and well-being. But alas, it is not to be. Ironic thing is, the conference theme was "Quest for Excellence." Well, I can guarantee you that not too many teachers are going to be energetic enough tomorrow to do a whole lot of questing for excellence in their lessons. We'll see. Perhaps my colleagues have been inspired.

All in all - good trip, great city.

Now to settle in and get some sleep.

More on the trip (and more pictures) to come.

-alan

Happy Thanksgiving from Hong Kong!

It's Thanksgiving and we're currently sitting in McDonald's (to use the internet, not to eat Thanksgiving dinner - don't worry). We did have to work though - we are here for a teacher conference and so our day was spent in various seminars. Not quite the same as spending the holiday in the US.

Here's a picture from Thanksgiving dinner - Italian food!


We toured the city on Wednesday - it is very fun! Like New York, at least from what we've seen.


More to come later - we only have 20 minutes of free internet!!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!

-alan

strange weather...

I can't see anything outside my window, because the fog is so thick! Literally, it looks like someone put a white sheet up against my window.

To Hong Kong!

And we're off!

We've spent the evening at home, getting ready for Thanksgiving in Hong Kong by blogging, playing with Colby, and internet searching for various ideas of what to do in HK. Rachel is taking care of most of those details - she is her father's child, after all!

I'm marginally looking forward to the conference. I'm hopeful that it is worthwhile - though any use of the phrase "professional development" sends shivers down my spine, especially if it involves working on Thanksgiving Day.

But, now it is time to pack and then get to bed. (I can't wait to try out our new electric blanket!!) We leave right after school tomorrow, so there's no time to spare.

Pictures and blog posts to come. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

-alan

A puppy post

I thought it was good to post a couple videos of Colby before we left for Hong Kong, so you could see him in his puppy glory. We've taught him a few commands - sit, go to bed, come - but we're still working on the potty command. Not quite there. Here's another video of him playing. Notice his favorite hiding spot - under the coffee table.



Our ayi and some boys from the school will be taking care of him when we are away. I hope he doesn't get too sad with us gone!

Finally, we had some friends from our team over this weekend. It was nice to see that Colby played nicely with them. Not too crazy, not too scared...he did well. Here's the evidence:

-alan

Cold - the good, bad, and a dilemma

Though I have posted a little bit in relation to the cold, I thought it was time to discuss the situation in a little more detail.

First, the good.

It is mid November, and there is no sign of frost or snow anywhere to be found. The temperatures are getting up into the 50s regularly, and it is generally more agreeable outside than it would be right now in Chicago or Detroit. Looking ahead, it will get into the 40s come winter, but it will generally stay above that magic freezing line. No more shoveling out in the mornings, no more freezing in the car waiting for it to warm up, no freezing skin as I wait for the bus. I must say, it was nice to watch football games this weekend, and see firsthand the temperature difference.

Then there's the bad.

In a land where insulation is non-existent, we live and work in concrete blocks. Now, I won't knock concrete (so as to prevent my Chicago concrete friends from getting too mad at me) but it is better for its strength and durability than its insular properties. So as a result, the temperature inside is only a few degrees warmer than the temperature outside. So while 50 in November is not bad, 55-60 as an indoor temperature leaves me chilly. Add to that a lack of central heating, and you have a recipe for chills that lead to sniffles

So what do we do? Load up on layers. I feel like everyday when I go to school, I am dressing like I am going to a Northwestern football game - long underwear and lots of layers. We had to go out and buy some long underwear, which Rachel was kind enough to model for you...

So what's the problem?

We have heaters, but they work inefficiently. Our friends here scold us for thinking that it is cold, or for considering using the heaters. So it gnaws at my social, financial, and environmental sensibilities to run them too much. Yet, if I am cold, should I not do what is necessary to stay warm? I don't think it is a coincidence that both Rachel and I got sick this week.

So what to do? Tough it out in the cold until I get used to not having feeling in my toes when I'm home? Or throw caution to the wind and huddle in front of our space heaters?

Until a decision is made, we live life with a feeling much colder than the temperatures outside would suggest...
-alan

Sunday night

Victory! Though I really wanted to stay in bed this morning, Rachel eventually roused me in time to watch Northwestern outpace Michigan for a 21-14 win on Saturday. It was beautiful to watch the boys in purple ascend to 8-3 at the cost of Michigan falling to the inconceivably embarrassing 3-8. Since the opportunities are few, I will relish this victory over a perennial Big Ten powerhouse. Though Michigan is a shell of its former self and far worse teams have beat them this year, it was sweet. I'm also much happier about this 60 degree weather here in Chengdu, after watching the sleet and snow that was coming down in that game. Yuck.

Which makes me think - it really feels different. Not quite like November in the Midwest. I have no concept that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. The weather and lack of American advertising/holiday retail means I am mentally stuck in October.

We were at Ikea earlier today, and they did have some small Christmas trees and decorations. Though we went all out last year for a huge live tree, I am not feeling the Christmas spirit right now. At least not enough to go out and load up on the decor, especially since we'll be leaving town for the holidays. But, we'll see if I cave (or if Rachel pressures me into it) once December rolls around.

Big week upcoming - basketball tournament in Qingdao (many students will be gone for that), my first official observation, progress reports due, new units to be started in all 3 science classes, and perhaps still time left for a visit to Papa John's. Oh yeah!

-alan

travel plans

After 4 months in Chengdu, things are kicking into high gear!

In 2 weeks, we will be going to Hong Kong for a conference over Thanksgiving. We'll have at least a day and a half though (and I'm hoping for more) to spend on our own in the city.

Then over Christmas break, we'll be in Kaohsiung, Taiwan visiting Rachel's parents.

And the recent news - we bought plane tickets for our Chinese New Year vacation! We'll spend 3 days in Kota Kinabalu, which is in Malaysia's section of the island of Borneo. Beach, sun, tropical forest, and relaxation await!
Then off for 4 days in Singapore for lots of yummy food and shopping.

Finally, we'll spend 2 days in Kuala Lampur and see what the urban side of Malaysia is like.


Then back to cold, cloudy Chengdu :(

Not that I'm complaining - yesterday was sunny and warm. At least 70, for sure.

Jealous? I hope so :)

alan

life as a single parent

I couldn't hack it.

After 3 days alone with Mr. Colby T. Poopsalot, I am ready to admit that I prefer the tag-team method to caretaking.

That being said, he's got some new toys now and I am optimistic his behavior will improve. Rachel even thinks he grew during her weekend away. I have been teaching him "the clicker" - which is a positive reinforcement method that seems like something even I can handle without too much trouble. We'll see.

alan

home alone!

Rachel is off tomorrow EARLY morning to fly to Tianjin for the weekend with a few students. That means I am all alone! I suppose I have the puppy now to keep me company, but I am not ready to let that nasty puppy breath curl up with my at night. Finally I have something around that makes my wife's breath seem not so bad!

[we'll see how long it actually takes her to notice that little comment! hehe]

But it should be a fun weekend - the highlight being an afternoon of bowling and my first-ever trip to Hooters! (yes, THAT Hooters is open now here in Chengdu)

alan

Puppy love

There's been requests for the puppy story...

But there is not much to tell!

I'd been giving Rachel puppy eyes when it comes to pets ever since we came to China. (remember the near-bunny experience, anyone?) But, the dogs at the pet markets are all disease-infested (close living quarters, dirty living conditions). So, the opportunity was never really there. But also, we figured the 5th floor made dog life difficult. Too high to go outside, not high enough to have a rooftop garden. So, the dog question was ruled out.

But Rachel's 8th grade student brought in 3 puppies to sell as a fundraiser for a local orphanage. They were the talk of the school for a few hours, as all the kids wanted to hold and pet them. They were legitimately cute, and fairly well behaved for being handled by so many. One got sold, and many kids showed interest - so the pressure was on. Neither Rachel or I wanted to be the first to say yes, but in the end we both caved and bought him before we could talk ourselves out of it (like I talked myself out of the bunny). So we sent him home in the school van, and stuck him in the spare bedroom that night.

The next day (parent-teacher conferences) we took him to school (on Rachel's scooter, believe it or not!) because it was going to be a long day. Other than biting some parents' toes and pooping beneath some coworkers' desks, it went pretty well.

So in the week since then, the puppy has found his home on the enclosed porch - which has morphed quickly from rarely-used clothes drying space that it formerly was. (though we still have clothes out there, which I am guessing won't help their smell too much) He seems happy and healthy - a few fleas when we got him, but those have cleared up - and eager to chew whatever we give him. He's mostly living life out there for now, until we get some training done and can trust him in other quadrants of the house.

Now, there is just the matter of reading the dog training book we got from our friends and figure out how this pet thing really works!!

alan

post-election in China

Strange - it seemed like election day would never actually arrive! My Mom always loved election day - not because she is a political junkie, but because she cherishes the day that non-stop political commercials and commentary will be off the TV and normal life can resume. And yes, it seems as though Obama-McCain (and the primaries before that) has had its place as a staple of the media for as long back as I can remember. (though, I must say, I'm not sure at this point how far pre-China my memory actually stretches back to)

For me, it was really fun to watch the parties going on in Chicago. I kind of wonder if I would have gone downtown, or would I have been too lazy and just watched on TV. Maybe Rachel would have dragged me out there. Well, it seems like I missed out on a fun celebration and one of those precious "I was there when...." stories for the grandkids.

Here, the celebration was much more subdued. And by subdued I mean non-existent. I do know of one person outside my household here who voted Obama - there could be more, but they stay in the silent minority. My American students reacted with loud displeasure all election day (I was in school all day as election returns came in through the night in the US) as their hopes of a McCain comeback were squashed. While their political views were not surprising, the things that came out of their mouths were...

"I think he's the anti-Christ."

"Obama loves abortions!"

"Obama was sent by Satan."

"Shhhhhh. I'm gonna tell you a secret.... Obama is a HOMO-SEXUAL."


Oh well. Maybe by the next election cycle I will know better how to raise the bar of political discussion in my classes!

alan

....and Colby was his name-O

Here are some pics of our cute little puppy, Colby! He came home with us on Thursday. No, we were not planning on getting him when we went to school in the morning, but we couldn't resist his little whiny look.




Good news. I think he learned where to go potty (at least for tonight)in his luxurious porch world

As I write he is trying to bite my feet (we are still working on that). I think he is pretty awesome. He isn't loud at all but still has a lot of personality.


-rachel

it's a boy!!!!

so we broke down and added a new member to our household...can you guess which one he is????
More info to come...