Monday blues

It is Monday morning. Our new Chicago friends left for the airport on Sunday afternoon, leaving us just enough time to catch our breath before the work week began.

After a week+ of less-than-adequate sleep, constantly having to be on alert, and demanding physical activity, my body is anxious for some true rest. I am feeling a little sick - mostly tired and a slight head cold. The kind of thing that is to be expected after the week we just had.

Today, everyone is dragging. The students and teachers in the upper school all had trips last week, so the energy is low in the building. I would have enjoyed a day of sleeping in...but instead I had to come to school and put some lessons together.

This weekend was our first big packing push. We got together 4 bags of stuff to send back to America. Add that to the 2 bags we sent with my sister...and that means we will be returning to the US with a lot more stuff than we came with. Good thing we got a bigger apartment!

We are also shedding more possessions. We delivered some appliances to fellow staff members, including....our TV! [Actually, I doubt we will miss it at all in the next 2 weeks] Over the coming days, we should be getting down to the bare essentials - just that which will fit in our luggage to come home.

For now, there are still final exams to prep for and special events to attend: award ceremonies, graduation, staff banquet, LOST finale potluck, etc.

-alan

Back home

After 8 straight nights on the road (sleeping in 4 different beds, including one on a train) it was a pleasure to return last night to our apartment in Chengdu.

Overall, the trip was a great success. I believe that we accomplished our goals, and did so while being able to view some of China's more beautiful terrain. Most of the feedback from the students was also very positive. I feel very blessed, and am proud of the work we did over this past week.

That being said, it was exhausting - physically and mentally. There is no down time, no real rest during a week-long excursion such as this when you are in charge. But despite the stress, I had a good time.

We did not take many pictures, but the students will be compiling their memory cards when they return to school on Monday. After that, I should be able to post some online.

This evening we packed some stuff to send back with our visitors from Chicago. (only 4 bags...not too much, right?!?) Some things have been taken off the wall - the first real visible sign of our approaching departure.

16 days and counting.

-alan

Time to go to Yunnan!

The weeks have melted into days, the days into hours, and by tomorrow morning, into minutes. The spring trip seemed like a far-off dream when we first started to talk about it...last October? But our help from Chicago has arrived, our bags are packed, our itineraries printed, our tour guides hired, and our tickets purchased. There's no turning back.

Rachel has been getting noticeably more shrewd lately - we talked with the tour guide owner today, and she berated him with questions regarding the charges on our bill. She got him to knock another 10 kuai off per person, which actually saved us quite a bit. But less necessary was her haggling with the lady at the tea stand over a half-kuai difference on the price of her drink. I'll blame her take-no-prisoner attitude on a raging cold that set in today. She sounds and looks pretty bad right now. Some sleep would help...

It is hard to know what to expect with this trip. I am excited about the location and the activities, but being in charge always brings up unexpected difficulties and complications. It would be nice to be able to travel and just enjoy the scenery, but we have responsibilities to attend to. Unfortunately, my energy level is quite low right now...yet I feel that this trip will require me to be much more extroverted than I would normally care to be. Will it wipe me out for the rest of the year?

-alan

Found it - good timing!

Back in September / October, I lost my cell phone. I looked for it for awhile, but never found it. After a few weeks, I realized that I made/received very few calls - so it was no big loss. Since then, Rachel and I have done quite well with one phone, since we are rarely apart.

Today, we left for our Sunday fellowship and it was raining. I grabbed my raincoat, which I have not used since the fall (it is too lightweight to use in the winter). And there in the pocket, was my cell phone.

It is perfect timing, since we will need extra phones for the folks coming from Chicago this week.

Speaking of, we leave on an overnight train Thursday to Yunnan province for a one-week trip with the 9th and 10th graders. We will spend our time in and around the cities of Dali and Lijiang - both popular tourist spots for adventure-seekers and nature lovers. It is supposed to be a beautiful part of the country, with mountains, water, and sunshine. It has been a chore getting the logistics planned, but I feel the experience will be a good reward of our efforts.

-alan

Concerts, sleepovers, and sale items

Tonight was the CDIS Spring Fine Arts Festival. It is always fun to watch the kids express their talents - 3 bands, a choir, and several solo & ensemble members performed, and a host of artwork was on display. It was a fun night!

Rachel is gone for the night, as she is participating in the semi-annual high school girls sleepover. Thankfully, I was not kicked out for the evening (as I was for the previous 2) and I do not have to sleep on someone else's couch...

We've started selling off those possessions we are unable to take back to the US. Our fellow staff has been quick to reserve a lot of the big ticket items, so I am not concerned that we will be stuck with anything. Rachel will say goodbye to her scooter on Monday - that will be the first biggie to go, sad to say.

-alan

Golf range

Today all the male foreign staff went to a swanky local golf range to hit some balls after school. The place treated us real nice - all the balls we would could hit, plus they called in their resident Australian golf pro to give us free tips. They were looking to woo us into joining their golf club. Unfortunately for them, they fail to realize how cheap most of us are. Fat chance!

Hitting ball on the range in my work clothes, I realized that summer is here. We skipped spring entirely, leaving us warm and sweaty in the humid air. Not that I am complaining - the sunshine and warmth is quite pleasant.

Things are shaping up for our trip to Yunnan. Rachel looked at pictures today of our destinations, and realized that the place we are going looks quite beautiful. That is enough to make her excited!

-alan

Dissection post script

The students successfully dissected the now-dead rabbit during class, but continued with their work while I left the lab to attend my Chinese lesson. They finished and cleaned up by the time I returned.

I looked around for the rabbit, but it was not to be found.

The next day, I asked what happened to it. Apparently one of the bus drivers wanted to take it home....to eat it I presume?

Nice to know that the poor thing did not go to waste. From the dissection table to the dinner table.

-alan