Another lazy week of summer begins

I love being a teacher.

Not only do I have a meaningful job with decent job security, but I also have summers off. Granted this summer is not completely off, but language classes are nothing to sweat about. Compared to last summer, with all the craziness of travel and trainings, this is going to be a piece of cake.

Monday, I had lessons with a different teacher from last week. My new teacher is our smiley cafeteria director - who continuously encouraged me with hearty zuo de hao's! (good job!) and thumbs up. We reviewed parts of the body, which was quite helpful. Now I am learning vocabulary dealing with sports, which matches quite well with the sports camp that is being held at school this week.

We also went to Auchan (the French grocery store) and stocked up for the summer. We cooked a nice Italian dinner - our first true dinner cooked in a long, long time. I am embarrassed to admit how long it has been!

We have also taken up movie watching. I probably watched less than 5 movies all school year, but we watched 3 in the last week (including movies 1 and 2 of the 'Bourne' series - Bourne Supremacy is next). That is a good sign that we have had time to relax.

This afternoon, we went back to Happy Valley for more roller coaster and water slide fun. Still no long lines =)

Rachel is even [gasp] reading a book right now!

Summer is good. Become a teacher, and you can share in this life!

-alan

Back to work?

This week represented our first true week of the summer season. I started language classes - 2 hours of Chinese per day - while Rachel begins next week. She spent her time this week at school studying independently, like a good student should! The rest of my time was devoted to completing my AP Biology syllabus, which I have to submit to the College Board.

However, we are only required to work half days. I didn't fully comprehend the difference that can make, until living through a week of 8am-12pm days (instead of the 7am-5pm days I pulled most of the year!).

So what are we doing with our time, you might ask? Well, on the recreation front, there was an exciting development this week: 1 year passes to Happy Valley. This Chinese theme park chain opened their park in Chengdu back in January, but we have not had any free time to go. So since our afternoons are largely free through August, we decided to go all in and buy the season passes. They pay for themselves after 3 visits, after all!

On Tuesday, we spent our first day there and tried out most of the rides. Since we were so worn out from all the walking, we also treated ourselves to a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut. It's a tough life =) We went back again on Wednesday, because we wanted to try out the water park. Both days, we were shocked with how empty the park was. Most rides had a wait of less than 10 minutes. This is China - 1.4 billion people - can this really last?

I can't wait to go back.

-alan

We're back on!!

After a month and half without access to the blog, and around 4 months without access to Youtube, we have taken action.

There was a slight cost involved, but we arranged for hassle-free, consistent access to all parts of the internet without having to worry about what is and is not held behind the GFW. '

So thanks again to Eric for his help in posting, but we should be able to be back on a regular schedule of updating the blog from here on out.

-alan

Beijing

From Wednesday through Sunday of last week, we spent our time touring Beijing, the sprawling capital of China. Having finally gone here, we feel some "completion" to our time in China - this is another place, more so than Xi'an, that is a necessary stop when one is in China. Here are some thoughts and pictures from our time here.

To begin, here is a shot of one of the goodies for sale in the night market. It was not just for show - someone was munching away on one of these sticks as I was taking this shot.

Favorite sight: Forbidden City.
Probably the best preserved example of Chinese culture and architecture, it is of little surprise that this was one of our favorites. It was amazing to see how expansive this palace was - every time we would go through a gate, there would be yet another beautiful building in front of us. We stayed for half a day, but still had time to see MAYBE half of the grounds. Through the middle of the Forbidden City is a series of large buildings that served various functional and ceremonial purposes for the emperor. They were all ornate and exquisitely restored, particularly the detail and color of the paint! On either side of this central axis lied dozens of smaller buildings and courtyards, most of which were the residences of members of the royal family and various concubines. I particularly liked the garden, because it contained many interesting rock formations and very old, rare species of plants. It was fun to walk through and imagine the emperors of old strolling through the same area hundreds of years ago.

Favorite meal: Peking duck.
Our first day in Beijing, we wanted to go out for some good Chinese food. Since the most famous food to get in Beijing is duck, we decided to go for it right away. After getting some recommendations from the internet, we picked a place a short subway ride away. It was awesome - the duck came out on a metal cart, and the chef carved it for us as we watched (and nibbled on our other dishes). For those of you who are not aware, Peking duck is a slow-roasted duck that produces a crispy skin. You eat it in small flour wrappers with crunchy veggies and plum sauce. It was a unanimous favorite, because the decor, food, and wine were all excellent. [Other notable meals: Beijing (non-spicy) lamb hotpot and the BBQ brisket at Hard Rock Cafe]

Favorite experience: Climbing the Great Wall.
What is iconic of China if not the Great Wall? This was easily Rachel and I's favorite overall from everything we did in Beijing. It was big, as expected. It was cloudy, which was also expected. But it was NOT crowded, which was a pleasant surprise. I was very happy to get some pictures of the wall without a single person to be seen anywhere. The wall represents an interesting turnabout for China - what was once symbolic of China's introverted fear of outsiders is now one of the biggest draws for foreign travelers. We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain - the wall follows the tops of mountain ridges - and walked along the top for a good 2 hours. It was an amazing experience, and one I would be happy to repeat if given the chance.

Most surreal moment: Visiting Tian'anmen Square.
This square is very new by Chinese standards - in its current form, it is less than 60 years old. It is also very big, even by Chinese standards! On all sides are huge, Russian-style buildings (including one holding Mao's body, which we did not go to see). In in the center were hordes of Chinese tour groups - easily recognizable by their matching hats and flag-bearing tour leader. It was surreal, however, being there and thinking about all that has happened in this place in those last 60 years. It was not a place that would wow you - it is far too utilitarian, in stark contrast to the nearby Forbidden City, to do that - but it is a place that conjours up images of many of the events that have considerably shaped this nation's history since 1949.

Most Chinese moment: Haggling for souvenirs in the markets.
Chinese people love bargains (well, doesn't everybody?). In the markets in Beijing, though, they take bargaining to a whole new level. The markets are full of small vendors selling bags, clothes, souvenirs, etc. to anyone in earshot. They call out in many languages to beckon you to stop and look at their goods, sometimes very aggressively. (In a short time, you get very sick of saying 'no thanks.') Once you find something you are interested in, they grab their giant calculator and punch in an exorbitantly high price. (I wonder if any foreigners actually pay that initial price?) Then, we would step in (well, usually Rachel would) with some fast-talking Chinese and wow them with our skills. After demanding more reasonable prices, we would set our price and they would refuse it. We would then put the merchandise down, walk away, and wait for them to come running after us. They were desperate to sell, and would always match our price, which was around 90% less than what they initially offered. The level to which you would bargain them down was amazing - I wonder how low we could have gone and still allowed them to make a profit!

AND

Being 'taken in' by the Chinese police.
One unfortunate moment on the trip was on our last full day, when we got off the subway and my Dad discovered that his camera was missing. It had been taken from his camera bag. After sulking over lunch, we went back to the subway station to file a report. We were taken by security down a long, dark corridor into the police office, but quickly whisked out again when we found the officers sleeping at their desks. After waiting a few minutes (long enough for them to wake up and put their hats on) we were taken back in. We stayed there nearly an hour -at first, describing what happened to them and letting them make some phone calls. They notified some colleagues in another office and we were told we had to wait for the tourist police to come so we could fill out necessary paperwork. So we waited while Rachel chitchatted in Chinese with the officers (she routinely surprised the people she met - one officer laughed because her Chinese was more standard than his own) about our vacation, the sights in Beijing, life in Sichuan, and so forth. Finally, an officer came in...but he was merely a driver. He came to take Rachel (the translator) and my Dad (the victim) to another police station to file the report. (Luckily for my Mom and I, there was not enough room in the car and we had to go back to the hotel to rest.) So they traveled to the station and were taken into a conference room. There, they replayed the specifics of the camera's theft to one official after another. The police took a detailed description of the event and all kinds of other seemingly unnecessary information - which all amounted to 4 full pages of Chinese print. Rachel begged for mercy and pleaded with the officers, exclaiming in Chinese, "we are not the thieves! Let us go!" They were not very sympathetic. Finally, the document was finished and they were ready to leave.....when they were told that they had to repeat the process, this time writing out a detailed report in English. Exasperated, Rachel worked to finish the report while they both wondered exactly why they volunteered to go through this process. Though they were simply being helpful, all involved - the police, Rachel, and my Dad - all knew that it was just paperwork and would do nothing to get the camera back. So nearly 4 hours after initially going to the police in the subway, the job was done and my Dad got a wonderful lesson about Chinese bureaucracy. The best part, though, was at the end - they got a ride back to the hotel in the back of a police van, with its lights flashing. That left quite an
impression on the bellboys!

-alan

Xian

After a week away from Chengdu, Rachel and I are back and settling into the summer routines. It was a great trip. We were worried a little about having to walk too much and how my Dad would do, but it was not an issue at all. Both cities were fairly easy to navigate, and the amount of English spoken was higher than in Chengdu. However, it did not really matter, because Rachel has become such an expert with her Chinese =) There is a lot to report on from our vacation, so I will start with a post on our our 3ish days in Xian.

(This is Rachel in front of the Bell Tower, in central Xi'an)

City: Xi'an
Favorite site: Terracotta Warriors.

This is one of the "must-see" stops for any tour in China, so it is about time that I took my wife the history teacher to see these famous 2000+ year old statues. We toured the 3 pits (though they more closely resembled airport hangars) that contain the remnants of a vast army meant to protect the first emperor of the Qin dynasty following his death. This was the first of several "wow" moments for me, when I had a chance to see with my own eyes something that I had only ever read about. Coming from a country with so little ancient history, it is amazing to see the hundreds of soldiers on display, so long after they were constructed.

Favorite meal: Yang rou pao muo (lamb and bread soup) at Lao Jia Sun.
After a tiring day in Xian, we trekked several blocks looking for this restaurant, stopping every 50m to ask someone for directions. Each time, they kept pointing and gesturing in the general direction but never could tell us exactly where it was. But thanks to Rachel's persistence, we found it - and it was worth the walk! The 5th floor restaurant was packed full of diners, but we snagged a secluded table in a semi-private room. We each ordered the signature dish and awaited further instructions. First, we were each given a bowl and 2 round pieces of unleavened bread. We worked for a good 15 minutes breaking the bread into teenie tiny pieces (sorry Dad - not easy for arthritic fingers!) and depositing them into the bowl. Then, the waitress whisked the bowl away and deposited them into a tasty lamb and noddle soup. We gave the bread a minute to soak up the broth, and ate it up good! Yummy!

Favorite activity: Biking the Xian city wall.
Xian is a very old city - by some reports, the first city in history to top 1 million residents (over 2,000 years ago!!). Back in its heyday, the city was a leading center of trade between China and the west thanks to the silk road. As such an important city, is needed some major protection - and this wall looked pretty effective at that! It was over 10m high, and wide enough for 4 chariots to ride side by side. City walls are such a foreign concept to an American, so it was cool to be on top of it and view the city from that perspective. My parents rented a pedicab to take them around the wall, while we rented a tandem bike and cycled the whole wall.

Overall impression:
A great city to visit for a short time. I am struck more and more about the unique position of China - our costs (hotel and food) are so much less than you would have in North America or Europe (example: 4 star hotel for $60 per night), but it does not have that 3rd world feel of going to Manila or Bangkok. That being said, I think that Xi'an is a good one-time visit for us. It was cool to see the warriors, but I do not feel a need to go ahead. I am happy to live in Chengdu.

-alan

The Great Firewall

According to the Wall Street Journal

[http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/06/09/social-networking-returns-to-china/],

multiple social networking sites were blocked in China for the past 2 weeks. Several of those sites are back online as of June 9, but Blogger appears to have joined the naughty list along with Youtube, and has not been brought back up. Thanks again to Eric for helping me work around this - I hope this doesn't blacklist you from future business ventures.

In terms of vacation, things continue to be eventful. In some ways, I feel as though I am repeating the steps of the Weddle's visit in April - see the pandas, eat at Zoe's, go to English corner, tour CDIS, etc. In other ways, however, things are unique. The pace is a little slower (I'm not complaining!). The cab rides are a little quieter (Liz and Rachel - a powerful combination). And some new destinations have been added to the list.

For example, we visited the Sichuan Provincial Museum, which just reopened in May. It was chocked full of fascinating artwork and crafts, all of which predate all of American history by a few thousand years. I was impressed with the quality of the building and the displays - it was all at American-style museum quality. Well worth the visit.

We have also done a lot more tea drinking, since we have made stops at several tea houses. My Dad professes to be a non-tea-drinker, but he has already sipped on three occasions. Here we are at the teahouse in the People's Park:

And last night we made a trip to the Sichuan Opera (it is not so much an opera as a cultural variety show). Rachel and I had been once before, but this was a better-quality show. The costumes and talent were top-notch. We were not close enough to feel the heat of the fire blowing in our faces during the grand finale, but it was a good time.

Only a few days left in Chengdu - we leave Monday for Xian!

-alan

Pandas!

Today we made the trip with my parents out to see the pandas, at the breeding center just north of town. It was a cool morning (considering it is June) so it was perfect for panda-watching. We saw lots of them out and about - the young ones wrestling, the older ones munching bamboo robotically. We also had some close encounters with some peacocks, which gave some nice variation to the morning. No babies currently being born, so we did not have the chance to see those slimy, pink newborn pandas. I'm happy about that.

My parents and I were excited to go and see them. They are darn cute.

But as you see from the picture, Rachel's third trip to the panda center was met with decidedly less enthusiasm!

-alan

Frog Legs

During finals week, one of my highlights was running a frog dissection as part of the Biology final exam. The week prior, my Chinese co-teacher went out to obtain specimens for the dissection; he came back with a large plastic bags of live frogs....from the grocery store.

(Some things are just easier in China!) We popped them in the fridge, and I brushed up on ways to humanely kill frogs.

The tricky part about that is, frogs are capable of surviving a lot.

Getting them cold doesn't kill them like it would a mammal. They simply wait it out until their body warms, and off they go. So, I had to learn how to destroy their brains and sever their spinal cords in order to be sure they were actually dead (and not going to "spring" back to life on the dissection table). It was a little gruesome and the city boy in me did not like it one bit.

But, the activity was a complete success, and the students learned a lot. There was only 1 needless decapitation and 0 resuscitated frogs, so I was happy. Next time though, I need to work this out with the cafeteria, so that they serve frogs legs for lunch that day :)

-alan

Family Fun

My parents arrived on Saturday night, very late. Their plane landed after 11pm, and we all did not go to bed until after 1am. Despite that start, they have adjusted well to the change in time and we have had an active start to our vacation.

We have not had too much Chinese food, though....tacos, Zoe's BBQ, etc have also been a part of the meal plan as well. We shall see how adventurous we will get!

Sunday we traveled downtown for the international fellowship and had lunch afterwards. Back at home, we watched the Red Wings win while hanging some pictures in our living room. That got Dad on a kick about how to possibly improve our Slingbox image....apparently you get used to watching fuzzy internet TV after a year away from having satellite.

Monday, we went to the bulk market and the tailor. Dad is getting a suit made, while Mom got fabric to reupholster some chairs back in Michigan. Then we went to Tianfu Square to see Mao....while he was there, the fountains in the square were off and it was not too interesting. One day, the subway will be open and that place will be much more happenin'. From there, we went to the "People's Park" and watched the old folks dance and sing, then sat for a cup of afternoon tea. Relaxing!

Tuesday we mostly recharged - a tour of CDIS and a chance to ride the scooters. So we should all be rested for our trip tomorrow to the pandas!!

-alan

Last day of school

Today is the last day of school!  This morning, we will have a half day
of school with the students.  Finals are done and there is no more
grading to do.  That alone is reason to celebrate!

But this morning there will likely be some bittersweet moments - much of
our time will be a "goodbye" ceremony, in which students are given the
opportunity to say their last sentients towards those who will not be
returning next year.  There is always a good percentage turnaround -
even though most of the staff will be here, economic problems elsewhere
are forcing a good number of families to leave.

As expected, my official birthday was busy and not so fun (and it was
punctuated by the Red Wings' loss in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup
Finals...) but yesterday we had a fun BBQ and get-together to celebrate
the end of the year and birthdays.

And finally, only 1.5 days until my parents will be arriving!

-alan