Beijing 2009

Wow, Beijing is a cool city! It's huge first of all and it has everything imaginable for foreigners. I loved it. We had a bit of a twist to our trip...one of the girls' wallet was stolen before we even left on the train. It had her train ticket, cell phone (with her contact info and housing for the night) and a significant amount of cash... so to say it was adventurous is an understatement. Stressful would be well put too. But it all turned out okay. She bought another ticket, and we put our cash together and helped cover her for the trip. We got to Beijing early Friday morning and wandered around the city until we found a warm place to be and an internet cafe. We emailed our contact person my cell number and 10 minutes later, she called. However we were already on our way to Starbucks. The cab driver seemed like he knew where he was going but he took us to a place called "super bar street" instead. Apparently the word for Starbucks also is close to bar. Later we found out that there was one about half a mile from our origination point from the bus. UGH..

(this is after an 8 hour sleeper train ride. I was in the least feeling grungy.)

Later on we went ice skating on a small lake, or what I want to call a run-on pond. It was a bit scary, there were areas marked off where the ice was melting and it wasn't very thick. The ice skates themselves were a disappointment. The ankle support was flimsy so it was really hard to skate. But it was worth the experience. One of the girls has two friends that live in Beijing and they came to hang out with us for a few days so they went skating with us and we had a blast.

The next day was my favorite... we saw the Great Wall! I have been wanting to see this for some time and it was magnificent. Part of its greatness isn't just the size or the history, but the physical challenge it offers. There are lots of stairs and they are all uneven. There would be one stair that was about 3 inches high and the next one would be about 10 inches high. So it was a very rocky trek. For another stretch of the wall it was up and down hill steep slopes. I mean you could have been on roller blades or a bike and wiped out either direction. It was so beautiful... the wall is built on a series of gorgeous mountains, or some would call them foothills. But to me, coming from the flat state of Indiana... they are mountains. we were only able to take 50 or so steps and then we had to rest... It was hard work! We climbed a little further up and had lunch and then on the way down by the shops we found another Starbucks! :) I can say that I got my fill.

The next day we went to the Forbidden City and Tian' anmen square. It was cool, but not my cup of tea. Just another thing to see. I am convinced that I don't know enough about either, therefore my excitment is not as high. So I can say that I have been there! :)



In the afternoon we went to the Silk and Pearl Market. In this market is everything known to man. It has about 6 levels and they sell things like trinkets, North Face and jewelry. Not only silk and pearls. That is only a few sections. I got a few souveniers and T-shirt and we did well with bargaining. The key is to always pay only 20% of the price they ask. If you are firm with your price and they still don't come down for you, then you walk away. That is when they negotiate your price.

At first you laugh at how much they want for it, then you are asked to name your price and they laugh at how little you want it for. My trick was to say, "but that's not how much I want to spend"... that seemed to work. Also with the help of one of the girls on our trip, she did lots of the bargaining too. But I think I overpaid for two things but they are both very nice. It was a fun time. They are really aggressive. If I walk by the shops they would say "Lady, you want a bag... I have Prada... What do you want? I can help you... Good deal for you" that was their tag line. It was fun to be strong. In the past I had avoided shopping in stores where the workers were paid on comission, now I think I have mastered it. I just need to say no. :) The age old phrase.

As we were passing through the pearl market, we ran into one the teachers' family. They had been visiting and spent Christmas with us here and we got to know them. So for fun we took a picture with them as waited for their pearl necklaces to be made.

That is the end of this adveture, now onto the next one. Backpacking through southern Thailand! I am sensing that it will an adventure as a challenge. Can't wait to blog more!

:)

My Next Big Adventures ;)

My next adventure will begin in Beijing, China's capital. I'm hoping to see the Great Wall and get some good western food while I'm there, all the while spending lots of money (that's the price you pay for western food in China).

After that, we will be heading south to travel around Thailand. We are visiting some beaches, southern islands and do some trekking on the mainland(maybe riding some elephants!). I am excited to share all this fun with you as soon as I return. We will be back in February, so if you don't hear from me that is where I am!

More news of adventures later!

Christmas Cooking in the bathroom!

So you are probably looking at that title thinking, "what the heck?!" Well, it's true. I made buckeyes (thanks to A. Martha making them for years) and I had to make the chocolate and dip them in the bathroom! It was a funny experience. There were a few challenges in addition to lack of space. One of the major challenges was finding powdered sugar, they don't sell it in China! So, thanks to Zach's good advice (lots of practical knowledge pays off sometimes!) and the ideas of one of the mom's here I made my own powdered sugar. It was a major success. So what I did was get regular granulated sugar and cornstarch and ground it in a blender. For every 1 1/2 cups of sugar I added 1/4 cup of cornstarch. I could have added more but that's the amount I had on hand. The only thing I didn't do well enough was grind it. I could have ground it much finer than I did but the buckeyes still turned out really good. So with some innovative thinking, lots of other's advice and the best use of my resources, I made some pretty good buckeyes.

I used Dove dark chocolate which added a nice kick. It wasn't the cheapest recipe to make, but it was well worth it. I kind of feel like Monica on the episode of "Friends" when she made candy for her neighbors and they all came pounding on her door and called her "candy-lady". Except, I won't stay up till all hours of the morning! Anyway. that was the highlight of my Christmas.

OOH, another fun trick I tried and learned....My Aunt Martha always makes sour cream sugar cookies every Christmas and I wanted to try them, except it's impossible to find sour cream here. So, the girl I was making cookies with suggested we use yogurt, there's plenty of that here. So we made them and iced them, they turned out fantastic once again. :)

Many of you know about our crazy card game called Hot Rum... no, there's no alcohol, just lots of competition which brings out our best side! (sarcasm added) I taught the kids how to play and I won with 200 points (I would have beat Mom's record of 45 if I had laid down on Pat Hand)

So I am super happy and I have managed to bring a little bit of the Kaehr Christmas to China! (I also taught everyone how to play dirty bingo for a gift exchange, which would be from the Schini side!)

So, if you are wondering how we celebrate Christmas in China... we like to call it China-Style!

Anyway. Thanks for reading as always.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thanksgiving in China

TURKEY BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, Thanksgiving was a better surprise than I thought. In the morning there was a Turkey Bowl game and the bitter cold weather made it really feel like home.

We had lunch at the fairly westernized cafe on campus. It was really good. We had lots of awesome food; they had a turkey and pumpkin pie, (I missed the pie but pigged out on a bowl of sweet potatoes with marshmallows instead).




Here is the large array of ymmy food and the table next to us.

These were some of my table buddies for lunch!

Starting out, I felt a little sad being away from home knowing that my family was all together with you me. That quickly was remedied with loving people around me who were all feeling the same thing. It's funny what a place like a college dorm will do to people. It brings families and singles much closer together than otherwise any where else in life. People all say that Peter Hall is a unique place, and that it is. Every one here is like a big family. We function like a family sharing stress with teaching, challenges with cultural differences or just with each other and we are not afraid to say what we really think. Their seems to be not much of a social barrier as it does in the professional world. Sometimes I don't feel like being social and I turn off my lights and lock my door (those are my hermit crab days). We have the freedom to do that here. It's awesome. :)

I have already started decorating for Christmas. I cut tons of snow flakes while I had a couple of skype conversations and while I watched a few movies. It's amazing how much I can get done in a couple of hours! The funny thing is that I used the old marked up copies of my lesson plans! (don't worry, I have them backed up on my hard drive AND email) I also bought some white lights for my room and living room. They will still be nice to have up even after Christmas. These are very cheap, low maintenance decorations.

We are planning on doing a White Elephant Christmas party next weekend with all the teachers before they leave for break. I think having the parties and baking cookies will help chase away the blues. However, I had the coolest realization the other day. I was walking to a store on campus and a thought came to me, "I get to spend Christmas in China!" Whoa! How cool is that? I have been so sad and down in the dumps but ever since that day I have had a new joy that is making my attitude so much better. I am actually able to fully enjoy myself. I really think it had to do with some culture shock. There are four stages of culture shock; excitement, withdrawal, adjustment and enthusiasm. Hmmm, I think I know which stage I am in! :) There are quite a few other teachers sticking around for the break so I think that will help me out a lot. My biggest fear was that I would be stuck here with nothing to do. But I am looking forward to having movie nights, shopping days, cooking together with everyone... I've even heard rumors of mattress sliding into the main square of campus...on the ice...(mischievous plans are popping into my head!) If any of that happens I will be SURE to take pictures! :)

Thanks for reading! I hope to share the rest of my adventures with you soon!

Oh yeah! One more thing! I recently received the largest jar of honey I have ever seen!


The cool part is that it's local honey and it actually can help fight local allergies! But I don't usually get allergies so I will just enjoy it on toast! MMMMMM

Past...Present...Future...?

So this is a lesson I have been learning... no matter the circumstances in life it is impossible for anyone to be completely certain of their future. How can a person know?... it says in a book we all love (ecc) that man cannot know anything about his future. As I am learning to hear fathers voice more clearly in my life I am learning many principles as well. One of these principles is that father is not in the past (so we can't live in the past) and he is not in the future (so we cannot live in future or what I like to call "fantasy land"). He is in the present. That is something I am learning. He wants us to live in the present and wait for his ble55ing$ to come so he can prove his f@!thfulne$$. I am so adamant about "knowing" my next step to the point that it is all I can think about at times. I am learning to lean on him and put my trust in his plan. I cannot control anything if I want to be in his will. His words to me right now are "rest". That is difficult when there seems to be a lot happening at home and in the lives of those I love. The main thing to remember is that father is s0v#re!gn but he is also good. He will give me his best and I will not be dissatisfied with the results. because he watches out for us and gives us the desires of our hearts...that is, when we delight in him!) I think that this may be a common thing that many humans (and many f0ll0wers at that) struggle with. So I am sure I am not alone on this.

Another area I am learning to work in is the area of doubt and unbeli#f. I read recently that this is one of the most judged $!ns that a f0llower can commit. It is so easy to doubt and not trust what has been spoken or impressed upon in my inner most part. However, having the discernment to hear accurately is an acquired skill that needs much practice. So as I am on this journey with father, I am learning many new things and I am sure that I will continue learning many more no matter where I am in life. That is what life is about... trusting. walking with father and remaining teachable. It is difficult at times but when we let go and pick up his yolk and his burden, it becomes much lighter to bear.

be s#nsat!ve with your w()rd$ in c()mm#nts! :)

Thanks for reading...

From Basketball games, to getting a flu bug to bike riding through farms...

This has been an eventful week and weekend for me. The start I was asked to play in an inter mural basketball game for foreign teachers verses the Chinese teachers. I am shocked that actually had a good time playing. It was so funny. The first team we played actually handed me the ball when we had both grabbed it, in the middle of the game! It was funny to watch during the breaks. Girls playing basketball, where nearly none of them have ever played on a real team before with Chinese women who thrash and hug their opponent is truly entertaining. I hear there are pictures on the students web pages, but as soon as I track some down I will post them. :) So we won the first two games and we have three more to go. I guess we are getting better as we go, but for now, its a really fun way to just laugh at myself and let go.

(we ended up undefeated and I got the "what do I do again?" award. I thought that was appropriate!) 12/29/08 updated

This weekend I got a flu bug. As I was eating my eggs Friday morning at breakfast I began to feel really queezy. I went to class and still didn't feel well so I slept all day. I heard of a good remedy for an upset stomach... baking soda and hot water. I had already drank about 4 glasses of just hot water from the water cooler and then the soda really helped. I slept for about 2 hours on Friday. I was able to eat more than rice and fruit. However, I missed the trip to Kaifeng because I still didn't feel up to walking around all day with people. Kaifeng is a beautiful city, from what I hear and it is know for it's snack food. After hearing that I decided that I had better take it easy and skip it this time. It is only a little over an hour away and I am thinking of going over the Thanksgiving weekend. So for Thanksgiving, the school gives us the option to have classes with out rescheduling them, so what did I do? Of course I canceled them! I am having my holiday! I only have one class, so at first I was debating if I should just keep it but I decided not to. That way I can Skype home that mornign and hear all the pre-thanksgiving hustle and bustle.

(note to my family, please get on Skype Wed or Thursday so I can talk to you! I want to see EVERYBODY!)

So onto the bike ride... We had a very relaxing time today. We went to the country side and once we left the limits of the school it was dead silent1 I was amazed because it is a rarity in China to have dead silence. There is always something going on. It was just the break i needed. It reminded me of the farms back home with all the corn feilds and trucks rolling through. There was even the lovely smell of manure that took me back to good ole' South Bend. So I'd like to share some of the pictures with you from our bike ride this afternoon. Their were 6 of us from the school so enjoy!

Culture Week

Every year the school puts on an International Culture Week. Basically it's the foreign teachers' job to put on this event. The week is split up into five days and five nights. The first day is China day which the school does itself, because face it, who better to put on an authentic Chinese day than the Chinese themselves? So then the next day is the rest of Asia featuring the Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and some of the Middle East. The next day is Latin America Day... that was my day. I was in charge of the entire Amazon Rain forest. I dreamed really big on this one but I feel it went over fairly well. There was paper mache-ing, lots of paint, cutting leaves, making anacondas and so much more. So there is this really cool dolphin in the Amazon called the River Dolphin and its pink! So I thought that I would make one. Basically I gave a picture to the carpenter and he designed the frame out of steel wire and I paper mached it. I think it turned out pretty well, thanks to the amazing carpenters!

Next was the lovely and alluring canopy of the Amazon with informational fun facts spread through out... also the occasional anaconda...
We found this really cool fabric and sent it to the tailor to make us a couple of 25 foot snakes. they turned out to be like huge sock puppets but they served a good purpose. The students either really liked them or were really scared... the reactions were all in Chinese of course and they all seem to have the same type of expression... kind of happy yet embarrassed but also surprised. I also sent a picture of an 8 foot crocodile to carpenter and he made him pretty perfect too. I painted him dark green and added some teeth but he was camouflaged by the grass. The clean-up crew didn't even see him!

There were palm trees and information boards all around. It was a lot of hard work, yet enjoyable and it turned out to be a hit. So my thoughts on culture week... NEVER again but worth it!

Thanks!