I wish they were actually touring (although we did see adds for CATS in Chongqing) but we have to settle for singing along to the music and dancing around the house. Ok, I'll admit I'm the primary dancer but Alan is still working on visualizing his moves. We may hold a small performance soon, so reserve your seats!
Alan got the Les Mis soundtrack off the wonderful google music in China! It is amazing what you can find on there.
I would post pictures of my leaping, but Alan warned me to stop dancing so as not to bother the neighbors ;-)
-rachel
Monday, November 30, 2009
Holiday spirit: 3 in 1
Our PCs are collecting dust - the new Macbooks have been our primary computers as of late. However, I never downloaded the driver for our camera, so we were not able to use the Mac to upload pictures. But today I did it - so you get treated to a plethora of holiday-related pics.
First - Dating WAY back to when I was in Shenyang, Rachel got creative and decorated "pumpkins." Chinese pumpkins are good for eating, but not for carving. So instead, she painted oranges and gave them out to the kids on staff who came by to trick-or-treat. (so healthy - she would not have gotten away with that if I was here!)
Next, some pictures from Thanksgiving. Rachel posted about our baking bonanza - well, see for yourself.
Finally, we can look ahead to Christmas! I bit my tongue when others played Christmas music, because while I enjoy listening to it, I strictly adhere to the only-after-Thankgiving rule. I may be fighting a losing battle on this, I know...
Above is a massive Christmas tree that Rachel photographed in mid-November, while in Singapore.
But I held Rachel off until this past weekend, when we put up our little tree.
It has LED lights, but half of them are out! The red and green ones do not turn on, so it blinks blue and white. Oh well.
On Sunday afternoon, we went out Christmas shopping - so perhaps that, along with the fact that December is only hours away, is what brings the "holiday cheer" to me more. It was a productive afternoon of shopping - I am excited about the gifts we have bought!
-alan
First - Dating WAY back to when I was in Shenyang, Rachel got creative and decorated "pumpkins." Chinese pumpkins are good for eating, but not for carving. So instead, she painted oranges and gave them out to the kids on staff who came by to trick-or-treat. (so healthy - she would not have gotten away with that if I was here!)
Next, some pictures from Thanksgiving. Rachel posted about our baking bonanza - well, see for yourself.
Finally, we can look ahead to Christmas! I bit my tongue when others played Christmas music, because while I enjoy listening to it, I strictly adhere to the only-after-Thankgiving rule. I may be fighting a losing battle on this, I know...
Above is a massive Christmas tree that Rachel photographed in mid-November, while in Singapore.
But I held Rachel off until this past weekend, when we put up our little tree.
It has LED lights, but half of them are out! The red and green ones do not turn on, so it blinks blue and white. Oh well.
On Sunday afternoon, we went out Christmas shopping - so perhaps that, along with the fact that December is only hours away, is what brings the "holiday cheer" to me more. It was a productive afternoon of shopping - I am excited about the gifts we have bought!
-alan
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Happy holidays!
We spent all day Thanksgiving Thursday teaching school and in meetings, so it didn't feel so much like Thanksgiving. We left school at 5:30 and came home to a dinner cooked by our house helper. It was yummy but not at gorge yourself feast status. Now before you start feeling sorry for us, read the next paragraph.
Friday was our Thanksgiving. We went shopping for a pumpkin and whipped cream in the morning and came back to a day of baking and watching the Lions. I was commissioned to make pumpkin pie and Alan decided he would make pumpkin cake. The entire pumpkin was used! It was the biggest one they had and we yielded about 5 cups of pumpkin puree out of it. Chinese pumpkins are long and more squash like, I found a picture on google, check it out for yourself.
We only had small pie pans (about half normal size) so I ended up making 4 pumpkin pies. It was fun to do the whole process from scratch (except for the can of sweetened condensed milk). I decided to make 2 more chocolate meringue pies.
Ok, I failed to mention that we had a thanksgiving potluck dinner with our fellow staff. I like pies, but I wasn't planning on eating them all myself. The problem was that the party was across the complex and on the 6th floor. How were we supposed to bring 6 pies and a double layer cake to our feast? I looked around for a flat surface to carry it all on and found a side of the late Colby's cage. We loaded it up and carried it over. Alan did it solo on the stairs, so strong :-)
The feast was great. We had a 22 lb turkey and loads of delicious sides. I had 3-4 plates of food. We rested for awhile and then tackled dessert. The teachers were weak and barely put a dent in the desserts. We ended up bringing back more than half of what we brought! I was happy with how the pumpkin pie turned out. The fresh pumpkin seemed a lot better than the canned stuff!
It is great to spend time with friends. We have a lot to be thankful for!
-rachel
Friday was our Thanksgiving. We went shopping for a pumpkin and whipped cream in the morning and came back to a day of baking and watching the Lions. I was commissioned to make pumpkin pie and Alan decided he would make pumpkin cake. The entire pumpkin was used! It was the biggest one they had and we yielded about 5 cups of pumpkin puree out of it. Chinese pumpkins are long and more squash like, I found a picture on google, check it out for yourself.
We only had small pie pans (about half normal size) so I ended up making 4 pumpkin pies. It was fun to do the whole process from scratch (except for the can of sweetened condensed milk). I decided to make 2 more chocolate meringue pies.
Ok, I failed to mention that we had a thanksgiving potluck dinner with our fellow staff. I like pies, but I wasn't planning on eating them all myself. The problem was that the party was across the complex and on the 6th floor. How were we supposed to bring 6 pies and a double layer cake to our feast? I looked around for a flat surface to carry it all on and found a side of the late Colby's cage. We loaded it up and carried it over. Alan did it solo on the stairs, so strong :-)
The feast was great. We had a 22 lb turkey and loads of delicious sides. I had 3-4 plates of food. We rested for awhile and then tackled dessert. The teachers were weak and barely put a dent in the desserts. We ended up bringing back more than half of what we brought! I was happy with how the pumpkin pie turned out. The fresh pumpkin seemed a lot better than the canned stuff!
It is great to spend time with friends. We have a lot to be thankful for!
-rachel
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Darkness reigns
It was a sunny Saturday (we are getting a nice stretch of weather) but my apartment was dark on Saturday. The power was out.
From the time I woke up and into the evening, there was a scheduled power outage. There were likely signs up....but I certainly did not look (since they would be in Chinese and I could not read them!). So to me, it was a surprise.
During the day, it was fine because the sun was shining and brought some warmth in. I played Catan in the afternoon - and won. Then I started grading papers as I waited to meet up with some friends for dinner. Unfortunately, it starts getting dark here around 6...and dinner was not until 7. So I graded papers by the light of my Macbook.
Finally, I grabbed a flashlight to find my way down the stairs and out of the complex. It was dark and scary! My favorite was walking down the street, looking into dark restaurants and seeing people eating their food while huddled around candles. All I could see was the gleam of chopsticks as they shoveled morsels of food.
One other strange note from the week - there is a large gas station on the way home from school. This week, as I was riding home in the evenings, I noticed remarkable lines of cars (mostly taxis) waiting to fill up at the natural gas pumps. On Wednesday, the line EASILY stretched for a kilometer down the road. It made me think of the 1970s in the US (not that I was around then...).
AND, most importantly, Rachel arrived back in Chengdu. She is watching the NU game right now. (I already watched it this afternoon. I couldn't wait.) Go Cats!
-alan
From the time I woke up and into the evening, there was a scheduled power outage. There were likely signs up....but I certainly did not look (since they would be in Chinese and I could not read them!). So to me, it was a surprise.
During the day, it was fine because the sun was shining and brought some warmth in. I played Catan in the afternoon - and won. Then I started grading papers as I waited to meet up with some friends for dinner. Unfortunately, it starts getting dark here around 6...and dinner was not until 7. So I graded papers by the light of my Macbook.
Finally, I grabbed a flashlight to find my way down the stairs and out of the complex. It was dark and scary! My favorite was walking down the street, looking into dark restaurants and seeing people eating their food while huddled around candles. All I could see was the gleam of chopsticks as they shoveled morsels of food.
One other strange note from the week - there is a large gas station on the way home from school. This week, as I was riding home in the evenings, I noticed remarkable lines of cars (mostly taxis) waiting to fill up at the natural gas pumps. On Wednesday, the line EASILY stretched for a kilometer down the road. It made me think of the 1970s in the US (not that I was around then...).
AND, most importantly, Rachel arrived back in Chengdu. She is watching the NU game right now. (I already watched it this afternoon. I couldn't wait.) Go Cats!
-alan
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sun!!
Thank you God for the sun!!
Our mid-November winter broke today. I rode to school in a thick fog, which by mid-morning was burned away by our long-lost friend, the sun. It warmed the air and brought a smile to everyone here.
My mood improved so much that I took my 6th grade science class outside to collect rocks. We are studying geology right now, and collecting rocks sounded to me like the kind of thing a middle school class should do. In reality, I just wanted to go outside.
I have not posted pictures in awhile, so I thought I would test the camera on the Macbook. Webcams clearly have their limitations.
The sun shining on the street in front of the school...
A picture of where I have spent most of my time this week...
-alan
Our mid-November winter broke today. I rode to school in a thick fog, which by mid-morning was burned away by our long-lost friend, the sun. It warmed the air and brought a smile to everyone here.
My mood improved so much that I took my 6th grade science class outside to collect rocks. We are studying geology right now, and collecting rocks sounded to me like the kind of thing a middle school class should do. In reality, I just wanted to go outside.
I have not posted pictures in awhile, so I thought I would test the camera on the Macbook. Webcams clearly have their limitations.
The sun shining on the street in front of the school...
A picture of where I have spent most of my time this week...
-alan
Fun side of Singapore
Ok, so MUN is a lot of fun, but we have had a little bit of time to have some away from the conference. Enjoy the pictures! The one with the shocked faces is at Clarke Quay and the students watched others being dropped from this really tall swing ride!
I love these kids so much! I think I'm creeping them out because I'm having way to much fun with them :-)
-rachel
I love these kids so much! I think I'm creeping them out because I'm having way to much fun with them :-)
-rachel
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Update on Singapore
This is Rachel reporting from the amazing country of Singapore. I know it is hot and has stormed everyday but I love it! The students are doing well, but of course I wish they would speak out more. I wanted to post some pictures to show what we have been up to on CDIS's first international MUN conference!
Getting on the very cheap Air Asia flight! It was about $180 roundtrip! They don't give out any free food or drinks, but there is a chat feature onboard so we could chat with each other on the plane (our seats were spread out)
The group after a LONG day of lobbying Wednesday. They were really hungry, hot, and tired! We went to Orchard that night and took in the Christmas decorations. We spent a considerable amount of time in Borders :-)
Our ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania, relived after delivering his opening speech to hundreds of other delegates!
One amazing student who got to be second speaker for her resolution. She did a great job on this speech!!!!
Voting in the General Assembly 5 on issues of reforming the Security Council, this resolution failed.
Tonight is the dinner and dance!!! Woohoo!
Ok time for me to go the Commission on Sustainable Development!
-rachel
Getting on the very cheap Air Asia flight! It was about $180 roundtrip! They don't give out any free food or drinks, but there is a chat feature onboard so we could chat with each other on the plane (our seats were spread out)
The group after a LONG day of lobbying Wednesday. They were really hungry, hot, and tired! We went to Orchard that night and took in the Christmas decorations. We spent a considerable amount of time in Borders :-)
Our ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania, relived after delivering his opening speech to hundreds of other delegates!
One amazing student who got to be second speaker for her resolution. She did a great job on this speech!!!!
Voting in the General Assembly 5 on issues of reforming the Security Council, this resolution failed.
Tonight is the dinner and dance!!! Woohoo!
Ok time for me to go the Commission on Sustainable Development!
-rachel
Top ways to cope with being wife-less
1) Work 12+ hour days
2) Bring and extra pillow and an electric blanket to bed to make up for lost heat
3) Turn on music to break the silence at home
4) Turn the heat up, because no one else is around to complain to
5) Be thankful that my house helper is around, otherwise I would not eat any vegetables
Well, it has been a couple days since the team left. I have not heard much from them - other than a one-line email this afternoon from Rachel. So at least I know they are alive!
Otherwise, I have very little exciting to say. I have been working more than I should (It was 9pm when I left school on Wednesday. I take all the bad things I ever said about Cheng and her indentured servitude to Ladder-Up.) I still do not really feel "caught up," but I am getting there. I have written some good labs, and the progress report grades I submitted this week were much better than the quarter grades (in terms of how many D's and F's I gave out). So there are good things to say about it all - but I would not say it has been much fun!
Tomrrow's Friday....will I finally get home before 7??
-alan
2) Bring and extra pillow and an electric blanket to bed to make up for lost heat
3) Turn on music to break the silence at home
4) Turn the heat up, because no one else is around to complain to
5) Be thankful that my house helper is around, otherwise I would not eat any vegetables
Well, it has been a couple days since the team left. I have not heard much from them - other than a one-line email this afternoon from Rachel. So at least I know they are alive!
Otherwise, I have very little exciting to say. I have been working more than I should (It was 9pm when I left school on Wednesday. I take all the bad things I ever said about Cheng and her indentured servitude to Ladder-Up.) I still do not really feel "caught up," but I am getting there. I have written some good labs, and the progress report grades I submitted this week were much better than the quarter grades (in terms of how many D's and F's I gave out). So there are good things to say about it all - but I would not say it has been much fun!
Tomrrow's Friday....will I finally get home before 7??
-alan
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
All alone
Yesterday after lunch, Rachel headed on a bus to the airport with 7 students. By now, she is surely in Singapore - chaperoning the students who are attending a regional Model UN conference.
I survived the first night just fine. Actually, without Rachel around I felt no guilt in turning on the heat...so I was nice and toasty. Our home heater works pretty well! Last year, some other staff scared us into using it sparingly, but I think that my mental (and physical) health necessitates using it more.
Grades are due today - I hope I will not be here too late finishing those up. I have a backlog of things to score, so Rachel being gone came at a convenient time.
Looks like I will living the life of a hermit this week! No time to play :)
-alan
I survived the first night just fine. Actually, without Rachel around I felt no guilt in turning on the heat...so I was nice and toasty. Our home heater works pretty well! Last year, some other staff scared us into using it sparingly, but I think that my mental (and physical) health necessitates using it more.
Grades are due today - I hope I will not be here too late finishing those up. I have a backlog of things to score, so Rachel being gone came at a convenient time.
Looks like I will living the life of a hermit this week! No time to play :)
-alan
Monday, November 16, 2009
Update on the cold
Despite the rain and frigid temps, I went this afternoon to play tennis. Having some physical activity actually helped - got the blood pumping.
The forecast calls for a low of -1 tonight, and a high of 2 tomorrow.
The return of winter is quite a trial for me. I hate grumbling and complaining. I try to avoid it when possible. It's just not healthy for the soul. But my weakness is the cold. I hate being cold. And for the last few days, the cold has been near-constant. I seem to have inherited my father's poor circulation, so my hands and feet never seem to get warm. It seems strange, since the rare sub-freezing day of Chengdu is nothing compared to the prolonged winter chill of the Midwest. But here, there is no respite. The heaters make life inside bearable, but they do not make it warm. Thus I bundle and wait for the spring.
There is one bright spot - bed. Our electric blanket and thick Ikea comforter emerged from storage yesterday. So after a day full of chilled toes and frozen fingers, I slip under the covers. My skin absorbs the warmth. My muscles relax. A smile comes across my face. And I commence 8 hours of unmitigated, joyful, warm rest.
I suppose that the degree of cold makes relief from it all the more sweet.
Now let's see if that snow in the forecast comes true or not...and dream of the UAE...
-alan
The forecast calls for a low of -1 tonight, and a high of 2 tomorrow.
The return of winter is quite a trial for me. I hate grumbling and complaining. I try to avoid it when possible. It's just not healthy for the soul. But my weakness is the cold. I hate being cold. And for the last few days, the cold has been near-constant. I seem to have inherited my father's poor circulation, so my hands and feet never seem to get warm. It seems strange, since the rare sub-freezing day of Chengdu is nothing compared to the prolonged winter chill of the Midwest. But here, there is no respite. The heaters make life inside bearable, but they do not make it warm. Thus I bundle and wait for the spring.
There is one bright spot - bed. Our electric blanket and thick Ikea comforter emerged from storage yesterday. So after a day full of chilled toes and frozen fingers, I slip under the covers. My skin absorbs the warmth. My muscles relax. A smile comes across my face. And I commence 8 hours of unmitigated, joyful, warm rest.
I suppose that the degree of cold makes relief from it all the more sweet.
Now let's see if that snow in the forecast comes true or not...and dream of the UAE...
-alan
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Monday morning complain-a-thon
It's hard NOT to complain on a day like today...
1) The weather. Today, I rode to school in the rain...which is normally not nice, but it was made worse by the fact that the high temperature today is 5 degrees. Tomorrow it is only supposed to be 3! This part of the country is not supposed to get that cold. I am sitting in my classroom in a sweater, long underwear, and a hat just to keep out the cold. The forecast calls for snow on Tuesday/Wednesday. But in Chengdu, there is snow MAYBE a couple time per decade. And all this in November. No fair. I do not want winter yet.
2) Grades due Wednesday. I've got some stuff yet to finish. Ugh. Rachel and I spent part of our Saturday and Sunday at school as well!!
3) Substituting. 1st period freshmen English.
4) Cold rain = no tennis today. Most likely.
5) My brother beat me in fantasy football.
6) The fruit flies in my AP class do not seem to be reproducing.
On the brighter side of life, NU won a rivalry game in football against Illinois this weekend; I am going to McDonald's with the boys volleyball team to celebrate today; Rachel is going to Singapore tomorrow so at least ONE of us will get a warm respite from Chengdu; at least my classroom is warmer than Zack's.
-alan
1) The weather. Today, I rode to school in the rain...which is normally not nice, but it was made worse by the fact that the high temperature today is 5 degrees. Tomorrow it is only supposed to be 3! This part of the country is not supposed to get that cold. I am sitting in my classroom in a sweater, long underwear, and a hat just to keep out the cold. The forecast calls for snow on Tuesday/Wednesday. But in Chengdu, there is snow MAYBE a couple time per decade. And all this in November. No fair. I do not want winter yet.
2) Grades due Wednesday. I've got some stuff yet to finish. Ugh. Rachel and I spent part of our Saturday and Sunday at school as well!!
3) Substituting. 1st period freshmen English.
4) Cold rain = no tennis today. Most likely.
5) My brother beat me in fantasy football.
6) The fruit flies in my AP class do not seem to be reproducing.
On the brighter side of life, NU won a rivalry game in football against Illinois this weekend; I am going to McDonald's with the boys volleyball team to celebrate today; Rachel is going to Singapore tomorrow so at least ONE of us will get a warm respite from Chengdu; at least my classroom is warmer than Zack's.
-alan
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Random mishaps
Last week, we were on our way to school (on our scooters) when I noticed Rachel was no longer behind me. I waited for a bit until I finally saw her approach me....and pass me. Wondering what was going on, I catch up to find out that her brake line had snapped. So she was without brakes.
Thankfully, the roads are empty in the morning so we made it to school with no trouble. (getting it home was more of a challenge, though! I drove it fine, though my shoes have some telltale wear on the bottom due to my need to slow down fast) Apparently, this is not a rare occurrence (not that comforting...) but the situation was made worse because Rachel's front brake did not work either. So yesterday Rachel had it fixed. Total cost? 2 RMB. A little more than a quarter in USD...
Also, my cell phone was lost about a month ago. To be honest, I have not missed it. In the US, my phone was mostly used to call Rachel. Now, we work together and are rarely apart for very long. Most of my friends are also my coworkers, so they are in close proximity on a daily basis. Besides, I had made enough of a habit of leaving my phone off, that they stopped calling me. So despite Rachel's pleas otherwise, I am content to live without.
Last, and certainly least - another taboo broken. I thought that my male-ness exempted me from the unintentional ridicule of students (look back at previous posts from Rachel about the things that students will say to her...). I NEVER get comments about my hair, my clothes, my speech, etc. However, this week one quiet 6th grade girl (of all people!) told me flat out that I look like a mouse. Well, I have her volcano test still to grade, so perhaps I shall exact my passive aggressive revenge....mwahahaha!
-alan
Thankfully, the roads are empty in the morning so we made it to school with no trouble. (getting it home was more of a challenge, though! I drove it fine, though my shoes have some telltale wear on the bottom due to my need to slow down fast) Apparently, this is not a rare occurrence (not that comforting...) but the situation was made worse because Rachel's front brake did not work either. So yesterday Rachel had it fixed. Total cost? 2 RMB. A little more than a quarter in USD...
Also, my cell phone was lost about a month ago. To be honest, I have not missed it. In the US, my phone was mostly used to call Rachel. Now, we work together and are rarely apart for very long. Most of my friends are also my coworkers, so they are in close proximity on a daily basis. Besides, I had made enough of a habit of leaving my phone off, that they stopped calling me. So despite Rachel's pleas otherwise, I am content to live without.
Last, and certainly least - another taboo broken. I thought that my male-ness exempted me from the unintentional ridicule of students (look back at previous posts from Rachel about the things that students will say to her...). I NEVER get comments about my hair, my clothes, my speech, etc. However, this week one quiet 6th grade girl (of all people!) told me flat out that I look like a mouse. Well, I have her volcano test still to grade, so perhaps I shall exact my passive aggressive revenge....mwahahaha!
-alan
Volleyball pictures
As promised from long ago, I managed to get some pictures from the volleyball tournament in Shenyang.
We played a total of 5 matches - we lost the first one, but won the next 4. With each match, the boys confidence got higher and higher.
I was not really sure what a "coach" did during the games - there was a limited amount of substituting and direction to give, but most of the work was left up to the players. However, we did have timeouts, so I could give them pep talks.
The gym was big and cold. No heat. So I kept the jacket and hat on the whole day. In the time between matches, the players would wander over to other courts to watch the other CDIS teams play. Many bought panda hats before they went (our school mascot is the panda, of course!), so it was easy to tell which kids were from Chengdu.
Right as we started playing, the middle school girls won their division. I like this image of our panda mascot leaping in the air!
And finally, here is our captain picking up the trophy that our team won. Yay!
I have not actually taken them out to celebrate...but ice cream seems to be in order. Am I right?
-alan
We played a total of 5 matches - we lost the first one, but won the next 4. With each match, the boys confidence got higher and higher.
I was not really sure what a "coach" did during the games - there was a limited amount of substituting and direction to give, but most of the work was left up to the players. However, we did have timeouts, so I could give them pep talks.
The gym was big and cold. No heat. So I kept the jacket and hat on the whole day. In the time between matches, the players would wander over to other courts to watch the other CDIS teams play. Many bought panda hats before they went (our school mascot is the panda, of course!), so it was easy to tell which kids were from Chengdu.
Right as we started playing, the middle school girls won their division. I like this image of our panda mascot leaping in the air!
And finally, here is our captain picking up the trophy that our team won. Yay!
I have not actually taken them out to celebrate...but ice cream seems to be in order. Am I right?
-alan
Monday, November 9, 2009
What I made for dinner
Sorry no pictures, but I just wanted to update you all that I have kept up with my promise to cook once a week. There was a week that I thought I wasn't going to have a chance, but Xue Mei didn't come that day leaving me an opportunity :-)
(i just killed 2 mosquitoes, i wish there was video of me jumping around on the coffee table)
Anyways, my dinner was a collection of sides mashed potatoes, pumpkin (alan calls it baby food), broccoli, and zucchini and red onion. Alan walked in as I was going to cook the sausage so I left the meat up to the man, and I left to run an errand.
I admit I love buying and cooking veggies, but I am very intimidated by meat. I like to eat it, but how do you cook it? I have made many dishes with chicken breast and ground meat both of which I can clearly handle, and only one meal that featured a steak or piece of meat. Any tips are appreciated!
-rachel
(i just killed 2 mosquitoes, i wish there was video of me jumping around on the coffee table)
Anyways, my dinner was a collection of sides mashed potatoes, pumpkin (alan calls it baby food), broccoli, and zucchini and red onion. Alan walked in as I was going to cook the sausage so I left the meat up to the man, and I left to run an errand.
I admit I love buying and cooking veggies, but I am very intimidated by meat. I like to eat it, but how do you cook it? I have made many dishes with chicken breast and ground meat both of which I can clearly handle, and only one meal that featured a steak or piece of meat. Any tips are appreciated!
-rachel
Non-NU Weekend Fun
On Saturday we had a relaxing time "downtown." We first took a shopping trip to our favorite sporting goods store and loaded up on some winter gear. Alan bought 3 pairs of gloves and got some new long underwear which he excitedly said he could wear under his current long underwear for 3 layers of protection from the winter chill. We'll see if he gets that desperate. I got a nice purpley-wine colored fleece, refraining from trying to fit into the kid's size that was a more NU purple.
We then went to IKEA and spent a little time shopping and a lot of time loitering. Oh, I love IKEA...it is nice to have one that is relatively closer than schaumburg
My highlight of the day came when went to the tailor and picked up a new suit (which i wore today to model proper MUN attire) and a new pair of pants. I love getting custom made stuff! It fits and it is so cheap!
We then met our teacher friends at the bowling alley for Brian's birthday. I did quite well for myself with scores of 115 and 131. In the first game I had a shot at Alan but I choked...
We topped off the evening with some wings and a little icecream from McDonalds. My belly was a little too full by the end. I'm glad the suit still fit!
-the long lost rachel
We then went to IKEA and spent a little time shopping and a lot of time loitering. Oh, I love IKEA...it is nice to have one that is relatively closer than schaumburg
My highlight of the day came when went to the tailor and picked up a new suit (which i wore today to model proper MUN attire) and a new pair of pants. I love getting custom made stuff! It fits and it is so cheap!
We then met our teacher friends at the bowling alley for Brian's birthday. I did quite well for myself with scores of 115 and 131. In the first game I had a shot at Alan but I choked...
We topped off the evening with some wings and a little icecream from McDonalds. My belly was a little too full by the end. I'm glad the suit still fit!
-the long lost rachel
Sunday, November 8, 2009
BIG WIN!
NU 17 Iowa 10
Northwestern gets its first win over a top 5 opponent since Eisenhower was president. (though they did beat #6 Ohio State in 2004) While some may argue that the win was made possible due to the injury to Iowa's quarterback, I would say that the injuries to NU (including to their top 2 quarterbacks) meet or exceed those of Iowa. So, I will hear no such excuses. NU wins! I can officially raise my bowl hopes beyond Detroit...there is hope for a warm-weather bowl.
I am glad I did not check my email, facebook, or talk to any college football fans this morning. They surely all would have revealed the score.
It was also strange to be leading for most of the game. This was much more of a hold-on-for-dear=life victory, as opposed to the standard adrenaline-pumping-come-from-behind-to-miraculously-win kind of games that NU tends to have. But still it was satisfying.
I am also glad it was a road game, so I do not have to feel like I "missed out." I would have watched it on TV no matter what.
In other news, the 7th grade continues to be ravaged by illness. The number of absent children and the number of mask-wearing kids hovered around 3-4 all week, so I am curious if things will return to normal by tomorrow. I have not heard of confirmed H1N1 cases, so for now we do not have to worry about the school being closed. (not that I would mind having a Swine Flu Day, assuming I was not sick...)
Finally, this past week my false idea about taxis was crushed. I have been in many taxis, and taken many rides in which I seriously thought my health and well being were in danger. Considering the number of accidents one sees on the road and the ways in which drivers drive, this fear is legitimate in my eyes. However, I told myself that taxi drivers must be experts in offensive driving, because despite their erratic behavior I had never seen a taxi in an accident. Thus, I was safe in a taxi. But this week I saw an accident involving THREE taxis. It was not too serious - some damage, but not enough to cause bodily harm. But it shattered what was, in my mind, the perfect driving record. Maybe I am not so safe after all when I place my life in their hands...
-alan
Northwestern gets its first win over a top 5 opponent since Eisenhower was president. (though they did beat #6 Ohio State in 2004) While some may argue that the win was made possible due to the injury to Iowa's quarterback, I would say that the injuries to NU (including to their top 2 quarterbacks) meet or exceed those of Iowa. So, I will hear no such excuses. NU wins! I can officially raise my bowl hopes beyond Detroit...there is hope for a warm-weather bowl.
I am glad I did not check my email, facebook, or talk to any college football fans this morning. They surely all would have revealed the score.
It was also strange to be leading for most of the game. This was much more of a hold-on-for-dear=life victory, as opposed to the standard adrenaline-pumping-come-from-behind-to-miraculously-win kind of games that NU tends to have. But still it was satisfying.
I am also glad it was a road game, so I do not have to feel like I "missed out." I would have watched it on TV no matter what.
In other news, the 7th grade continues to be ravaged by illness. The number of absent children and the number of mask-wearing kids hovered around 3-4 all week, so I am curious if things will return to normal by tomorrow. I have not heard of confirmed H1N1 cases, so for now we do not have to worry about the school being closed. (not that I would mind having a Swine Flu Day, assuming I was not sick...)
Finally, this past week my false idea about taxis was crushed. I have been in many taxis, and taken many rides in which I seriously thought my health and well being were in danger. Considering the number of accidents one sees on the road and the ways in which drivers drive, this fear is legitimate in my eyes. However, I told myself that taxi drivers must be experts in offensive driving, because despite their erratic behavior I had never seen a taxi in an accident. Thus, I was safe in a taxi. But this week I saw an accident involving THREE taxis. It was not too serious - some damage, but not enough to cause bodily harm. But it shattered what was, in my mind, the perfect driving record. Maybe I am not so safe after all when I place my life in their hands...
-alan
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Growing political minds?
I overheard this hallway conversation moments ago:
"If I could get every person in America to read 1984, I could get President Obama impeached like that. [snaps fingers]"
Political ideologies aside, it is nice to see the kids thinking cross-curricularly!
-alan
"If I could get every person in America to read 1984, I could get President Obama impeached like that. [snaps fingers]"
Political ideologies aside, it is nice to see the kids thinking cross-curricularly!
-alan
Seasons changing
This morning on the way to school, the moon was out and clearly visible in the sky above me. This is remarkable for many reasons - (1) the sky is clear enough for the moon to show. No clouds, no smog. That means today will probably be sunny and warm! (2) During the morning scooter ride to school, it is still dark. No daylight savings time in China, so I will have to live through the next 4-5 months of less morning light. I wish school started just a little later so that it could be light when I wake up. That would be so great!
So despite the sunshine and warmth of the past few days, sickness is everywhere here. The vomiting child on the volleyball trip seemed to spread his germs to others, so each day there are a significant number of kids from that trip absent. Yesterday in my 7th grade science class, there were a half-dozen kids in surgical masks. It was a startling sight to see, but when it was quiet and I listened to the cacophony of coughing fits across the room, I understood better.
-alan
So despite the sunshine and warmth of the past few days, sickness is everywhere here. The vomiting child on the volleyball trip seemed to spread his germs to others, so each day there are a significant number of kids from that trip absent. Yesterday in my 7th grade science class, there were a half-dozen kids in surgical masks. It was a startling sight to see, but when it was quiet and I listened to the cacophony of coughing fits across the room, I understood better.
-alan
Sunday, November 1, 2009
I'm back!
After a sleep-deprived and chilly visit to Shenyang, I am back and resting comfortably in Chengdu. Yes, it was cold - there was snow on Saturday morning. Happy Halloween.
Actually, it reminded me an awful lot of Chicago. Northern China's weather is actually quite similar to the midwest...cold and dry.
The good news: We won! Chengdu took 1st place in the middle school boys and girls divisions. We got a trophy and everything! I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow.
The bad news: One badly separated shoulder (not a pretty site) and one puking middle schooler.
But all in all, it was a nice trip. Winning helps. :)
-alan
Actually, it reminded me an awful lot of Chicago. Northern China's weather is actually quite similar to the midwest...cold and dry.
The good news: We won! Chengdu took 1st place in the middle school boys and girls divisions. We got a trophy and everything! I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow.
The bad news: One badly separated shoulder (not a pretty site) and one puking middle schooler.
But all in all, it was a nice trip. Winning helps. :)
-alan
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