December 28, 2007: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I hope that each of you had the opportunity to rejoice and share in the true meaning of Christmas this holiday season. If we had any hopes that our holidays would be less busy here in China, they quickly melted like this morning’s snowfall! Even so, it was a wonderful and memorable Christmas.

Last week was a quieter week for me. I spent the week giving exams, and meeting various people for lunch dates. Brad completed classes in some instances and gave exams in others. On Friday, Brad and I departed for Beijing on a 2:00pm train to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. We spent two nights at the Chongwenmen Hotel, where we enjoyed Western-style accommodations, treadmills in the exercise room, and the one English Channel (CCTV-9) on the television. For dinner we ate at a local Pizza buffet, and enjoyed the long-lost flavors of Hawaiian Pizza and Soft-serve Ice Cream.

Saturday was spent roaming the subways and shopping districts of Beijing. We bought lunch at a grocery store, and then headed for the Silk Market. We found a few Christmas gifts there, and then headed for the Clothing Market. On the way, we walked by the Worker’s Gymnasium and Worker’s Stadium and stopped for photos. We laughed when we saw an Outback Steakhouse, and then a Hooter’s restaurant here in Beijing. Who would have thought? We ended up eating a delicious dinner at the Outback before heading home. Sunday was spent much the same, as we snacked on our mantou (steamed bread), and walked around the Pearl Market to finish our Christmas shopping. After visiting Starbucks, we were on our way back home to our more Chinese-style of life in Langfang. It was a very relaxing weekend in all, and a great time to reconnect with one another, sharing long uninterrupted conversations over meals.

Monday was a hectic day, as we ran around finishing errands, buying groceries, purchasing gifts, wrapping gifts, and preparing food for Christmas. At 7:30pm we participated in the Christmas Program hosted by the English Department on campus. The students put on a fabulous talent show, full of music, theatre, dance, acrobatics, poetry, and humor. Over 1,000 students filled the auditorium, and many more stood in the back, the aisle, and in the lobby trying to glimpse the action on-stage. The foreign teachers were in three acts. Peter sang a song in Chinese, Shannon sang “O Holy Night” while playing her guitar, and Newt, Brad, and I sang our own version of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” which included “12 toilets flushing, 11 mantou steaming (bread), 10 plates of dumplings (jaozi), 9 popcorn popping, 8 Christmas apples, 7 chopsticks (kuazi) chopping, 6 bowls of rice (mifan), 5 laowai (foreigners), 4 chicken eggs, 3 knife-cut noodles, 2 bars of soap, and a pretty lady sitting on my knee.” We had a great time, and by the time we were done, the stage was a mess, and the audience was clapping and laughing as they sang along with us.

After the program, we headed back to our apartment for a candlelight Christmas Eve meeting. Newt led, and we all enjoyed the time of thinking about the true meaning of Christmas, and about our families and friends at home.

Christmas Day was probably one of the busiest Christmases I have ever celebrated. That is probably because I was involved in the food preparation for the first time! On Monday night I was up late preparing for breakfast, and on Tuesday it seemed I rarely left the kitchen. It was a good day though. We began with breakfast a 9:00am in Newt’s apartment. Tony, Lily, and Michelle joined Peter, Shannon, Newt, Brad, and me for the morning’s festivities. We ate egg casserole, apple muffins, orange slices, scrambled eggs, and cinnamon buns. Newt spoke about the true meaning of Christmas and then we exchanged gifts. We each bought a small gift for everyone, and a large gift for one person. It was fun to see what everyone received, and even more fun to play with the gifts! We took lots of photos of our China family, and of our festive Christmas tree.

I took a nap after breakfast, and then prepared for dinner. For dinner we had duck, chicken, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, raw vegetables with ranch dressing, broccoli casserole, jello topped with apples, and homemade biscuits. We ate dinner by candlelight, and talked about the joys of the day. After dinner, we washed up and prepared for dessert, and then Tony and Brad watched “The Prestige” on the television. For dessert we went to Shannon’s apartment for pumpkin pies, mint brownies, Christmas cake, and no-bake cookies. Then we used Skype to talk to our friends in Qinhuangdao and wish them a merry Christmas. It was funny to hear how they had celebrated their holiday here in China, and how they’d figured out how to make homemade egg-nog! The evening ended back in our own apartments as we all called family and friends back home. It was good to hear their voices on this special day.

The days since Christmas have been very quiet by comparison, and I think we were all content to get some rest afterward! The apartment is clean now, the gifts put away, and most of the leftovers eaten. We continue to receive packages from home each day (3 packages in 3 days!) with fun Christmas gifts inside. This morning I had the wonderful opportunity to give two seminars about Christmas in the United States, including its origins and traditions. So it was a great opportunity to share about the reason for the season. Tonight, I also have the opportunity to share another favorite story with our Chinese friends, as I show “It’s A Wonderful Life” to my students. I enjoy these times of sharing with my students, and hope that you will be thinking of them and the conversations that may stem from these times.

As we close out the year 2007, thank you again for all of your support and encouragement. You are our greatest blessings at Christmas time, and our lives and work her would not be possible without you. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Love,
Jessie and Brad

December 16th, 2007 Shake -n-Bake!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Langfang, China is full of the holiday spirit as we prepare to celebrate a Christmas to remember! The main highlight of this week for me has been the baking. On Saturday, Marian and Flora helped me to bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in our little kitchen. This first adventure was a great success, so on Sunday, Zeny and Skye helped me to bake Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yesterday, Cassie and Melinda joined me for a third attempt, this time with Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

All of the girls had a great time running up and down the stairs delivering hot cookies to Newt, Shannon, and Peter. They explained that they had never baked cookies before, and certainly not American cookies. They were quite mystified by the entire process, including the measuring of ingredients, translating the English directions, eating cookie batter, and using the oven. Their looks of wonder and delight in these discoveries were priceless. They loved eating the warm cookies fresh from the oven, and I sent each pair home with two dozen cookies, and later heard many thanks from grateful roommates! It was a learning experience for me too, as I learned to share kitchen responsibilities, to offer them HOT water (the Chinese preference) to drink instead of cold water, and to answer many questions about books, movies, photographs, kitchen tools, mistletoe, Christmas trees, and more!

Aside from baking, Brad invited Joseph over to talk movies, and found greater access to recent American movies through this new friend. Joseph is a student who lives next door to Shannon, and he does a great job of taking care of his American teacher friends. I also invited Vivian to go shopping with me, and we managed to purchase a Christmas tree, tinsel, and a few ornaments at Walmart. She even brought along her camera to snap photos of our Christmas adventure! Then on Saturday, I had a great time knitting with Maria and Wendy. I’m afraid that I found that I am not very talented at this particular form of knitting, as I had to begin again at least 10 times! I dropped a stitch (or more) on almost every line. Brad was quick to remind me that my success (or lack of) in knitting was not the goal of my time, but spending time with the girls was my goal. He also told me that my continuing frustrations were grounds for spending more time with them! I’m glad I have Brad to keep me looking at the glass as half full. ;)

Friday night was a new adventure for all of us, as Brad organized our first-ever American Dancing Night on the Western Campus. It was so much fun! We taught over 300 shy freshmen to dance the Hokey Pokey, Chicken Dance, Virginia Reel, Electric Slide, and Shout! Then we taught them to sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Silent Night.” Wayne (Dean of the English Department) came along for the 30-minute van ride and prepared the sound system for us. He said that such dancing was very rare on this isolated campus, and even more rare in their rigorous high schools. We definitely felt like movie stars as student after student clamored for a photograph with us, and a few words of thanks. They obviously had a wonderful evening learning the American dances and spending time with the foreign teachers. Brad has done a great job of initiating evening events for this special campus, and hopes to continue them next semester as he and Peter will be doing most of their teaching there.

As this week marks the end of many classes, and finals continue for the next few weeks, we continue to covet your thoughts. You can be thinking of our times with students, that they will rich times, full of great discussions. You can hope that our creativity with students will be endless as we discover more ways to enjoy their company and companionship. Please think of our many conversations, both now and in the near future. Please be thinking of the team times—that they will be rich in love and encouragement. Thank you for supporting us, in all your hopes and thoughts.

Love always,
Jess (and Brad)

December 6: Happy Holidays!

Hello and Happy Holidays!

Brad and I are currently preparing for celebrating the Christmas and New Year's holidays for the first time in China! We hope that you are each enjoying the season, the snow, and most of all--the real reason for celebrating.

The past two weeks have been full for me as I have joined in Brad in his running routines. Believe me, waking up at 5 am on Thursdays and Fridays to run in the pitch black darkness is not an easy task! Brad still runs twice as fast as me, so I'm not keeping up by any means, but I think Brad appreciates the company. :) We have also been keeping busy with the upcoming Finals, as we write tests, schedule oral English interviews, grade papers, finish classes, and file grades. Finals will continue from mid-December until early January as classes end at different times.

Our routine of meeting with kids continues as usual! The team had our usual "big family dinner" on both Thursdays, hosting about two guests per leader. It's a great time of sharing toasts, delicious dishes, customs, and stories about ourselves. Vicki and I visited the seamstress together last week, and Vivian (a sophomore) and I visited the Kodak store twice together to develop photos. I used the photos to decorate the hallway in our home, so that we can share you with our friends here! Brad arranged a soccer match with some of the boys, during which I watched and chatted with a freshman named Vivian. On Tuesday I judged a debate competition and was asked to give a short speech to the group (about 150 people) when they were finished! I was very nervous, but it all went well. Yesterday I also had the opportunity to go out for lunch with Vicki for a delicious lunch (fish, corn biscuits, noodles, broccoli, carrots, and cucumbers), and we had a great time talking.

Brad and I have also had a lot of fun this week sharing "our story" with my students. The unit in our textbook was on marriage, so I spent the first half of classes showing digital slides of our wedding and sharing our love story. Then Brad showed up for the second half of my classes for a delightful question-and-answer session. The college kids really enjoy talking about relationships, so they told me that it was a wonderful presentation. It was great for Brad and I, as we were able to voice many aspects of our relationship, including our common musical interests, and love for our father. We hope that our presentation may provide fertile ground for many future conversations.

In the meantime, we have been preparing for Christmas. Claire has returned home, and again it is just the team here in Langfang. We are hanging decorations, Christmas shopping, baking, and sharing Christmas with our students. Please continue to think about us and our work here. We long to be with you during the Christmas season, but we know that we are here for a purpose as well. Thank you for your support and encouragement as you think of us daily.

Love,
Jess (and Brad)

November 23: Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the day after Thanksgiving, but looking at the clock I realize that it is still Thanksgiving in the homes of most of our loved ones. I hope that the day has been full of joy as you give thanks for the blessings of the year.

Our last week was full of the adventures of spending time connecting with kids. Brad had the boys over to play Settlers, and we hosted two English corners. The kids requested slide shows, so Brad shared some of our stories, and Shannon shared her sister’s love story. Newt followed up with a message of love and relationships. On Wednesday night I saw Brad off at the train station. I spent the week eating a lot of Chinese lunches and dinners with the girls. I finally took a student (and Shannon and Maple joined us too) along so that I could buy a comforter big enough for Brad and I. We’ve been sleeping under separate twin-sized comforters (on one bed) since we got here! Shannon and I graded papers together, I played volleyball with seven girls, and two students showed me how to prepare frozen jiaouzi (Chinese dumplings). A week later they also showed me where to find the “sweet bread” on campus. The kids are always so helpful!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and it was such a sweet time for us to be together. Shannon and Peter brought bread, cream corn, biscuits, no-bake-cookies, and ginger snaps. Claire brought gravy, chocolate truffles, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pies, and cranberry pumpkin bread. Brad boiled the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Newt purchased the chicken and I provided the green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, and mashed potatoes. Tony and Lily provided the fruit, corn-on-the-cob, shrimp, and wine. It was a feast! And I’m probably missing something too! We ate until we couldn’t eat anymore. There were a lot of leftovers too! Mmmm… After dinner we shared our thanks for our blessings, tossing a small football from person to person as we took our turn to share. Then Newt led us in the Supper. We talked and sang together, then served one another. It was a wonderful time of joy and thankfulness, shared by all.

As I was writing this letter, my family called from their Thanksgiving festivities. It reminded me again of how grateful we are for the love and support of our family and friends. Thank you again for your thoughts, your words, your gifts, and your service. You make our work here possible. Thank you…for everything.

Always,
Jess

November 8: A Brush with Fame

Hi!

These past 2 weeks have been full of new experiences in Chinese culture. Our weekdays have been full of time spent with kids. I had lunch with Vicki on Monday, and she brought me a lovely pair of black and white gloves as a gift. Later in the week she took me to her dormitory room, showed me around their building, and took me out to lunch at the cafeteria. Vivian and Polaris also took me out for lunch to a favorite local restaurant. Joseph and Matthew came over for tea to welcome us, apologizing for their bad manners in not visiting sooner. We even had a random man from India (Hasin) stop by at 9:30 pm last night to meet the “laowai” (foreigners) and speak English with us.

Visiting the college dormitories was an eye-opening experience. I was amazed to find eight girls sharing a single bedroom. There are 34 rooms to a floor, and only two bathrooms for all of them. Yes, that is 272 girls on a floor using 2 bathrooms. The building does not have hot water, so the girls must walk to an outdoor hot water spigot to get water. There are no showers in the building, so they must walk to a nearby shower house, where they pay for their shower on a card. They have no washing machines or dryers. They have no microwaves, or any way to warm up food, and the only phones provided by the college are outside on a wooden shelf. They wash their clothes by hand in the sink, and they hang their clothes to try on their balcony. There are no desks, drawers, or closets. Everything they own must fit on their bed or in a little locker beside their bed. It is no wonder that they often wear the same clothes for days at a time!

Newt returned from the second week of English Week in Qinhuangdao, and no sooner had he returned, then the rest of us left for Christmas shopping in Beijing. Our first stop was Starbucks, which Brad has been craving for some time! On Saturday, we had a great time exploring the antique market, eating “bowza” (it’s kind of like a Hot Pocket) and noodles, and bartering at the Pearl Market.

On Sunday, Peter took us to meet with our Extended Family for the first time since we have been in China. It was so good to sing and talk with so many Brothers and Sisters! We even met a guy from Lancaster, Pennsylvania! Afterward, Peter took us to “Peter’s,” a Cracker Barrel-style restaurant where we ate Hawaiian Pizza and Mexican food. Brad got a German Chocolate milkshake and I got a Mint Oreo milkshake. Mmmm…. Judging by the décor, the place was owed by a Brother as well. Then Peter took us to the International grocery store called “Jenny Lou’s” where we found chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, cereal, and a colander! We were delighted with our finds.

As we were about to leave the grocery store, we noticed one shopper in particular. He reminded us of a Chinese actor that we had seen in a Chinese movie during our drive from Qinhuangdao to Beijing during the National Holiday. The movie is similar to the American film “Click” in which Adam Sandler’s character is given a magic remote control to control the events of his life. In the Chinese version, the man is unhappy with his wife and his life, and is given a magic cell phone that allows him to experience life with many other girlfriends, until he eventually realizes that every woman has her imperfections.

Anyhow, we debated whether he really was this well-known Chinese actor. As we stood there, two Chinese girls walked up to him (and thanks to Peter’s translation) we understood that they were asking him if he was in the movies. He said that he was. Peter decided to be brave, so with camera and Brad in tow, he walked up to the man (whom we now know to be Xu Zheng) and asked him if he might take a photo. So Peter and Brad posed with him, and smiled for a photo. Peter said later that he wasn’t sure if he smiled, because he was shaking so much! After some discussion, we decided that he must have been shopping at Jenny Lou’s to avoid Chinese fans who would recognize him immediately. Who would have thought that we would encounter the star of the only Chinese movie we have seen? Needless to say, our students are very impressed, and eager to see the photograph to prove our adventure.

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for thinking of us. We love hearing from you!
Love,
Jessie and Brad

October 30: Fog and Dog

The fog cleared in time for Saturday's Halloween Ball

Two unique happenings from the last week:

On Thursday and Friday Langfang was thick with fog from morning until night. You couldn’t see very far in any direction. Brad’s bus took twice as long to get to the Western Campus. Flights were canceled out of Beijing. And old people and children were warned not to leave their homes. This last thing had us puzzled. Until we were informed that this unusually thick fog was not part of nature, but the result of strong winds blowing thick pollution from Beijing through our city.

On Sunday, Shannon, Peter, Brad, and I went out for dinner. Peter is studying the Chinese language in Beijing, so we value his abilities in both speaking and reading the language. We did not think it unusual when he stopped to read the signs on the outside of the restaurant we chose. We’d eaten there twice before, so we ordered our favorites and ate our meal. Toward the end of our meal, Peter remarked about one of the dishes, wondering what was in it. He said that he was wondering, because the sign on the door of the restaurant read (in Chinese): “This restaurant serves dog meat.”

And on that note…have a great week!

Love,
Brad & Jess

October 29: Kindness, Clubs, and Costumes

Brad and I with the kids after filming of the "fake" English Corner

Dear Friends,

This week has been marked by the cold winds, “Happy Halloween’s,” and warm friends. Monday began with an adventure. I decided that I would go to Walmart on my own to save us a trip together later in the week. I bravely boarded the bus alone, paid my 1 yuan, and rode across town. I successfully made it to Walmart and made my purchases, but only had 3 yuan leftover. I wasn’t worried, because I’d ridden the bus. I walked out to the bus stop, and thought it unusual that there were no people waiting. It was after dark, and I absent-mindedly studied the Chinese lettering on the sign. That’s when I saw it…and remembered. The bus only runs until 6:30 pm. I checked my watch, only to see that it was 6:45 pm. With no cell phone, and not enough money for a cab, I began the long walk across town.

I wasn’t too worried. I had on good shoes, and my bags weren’t too heavy. I was about half way home when an older woman with a bike taxi pulled over and tried to offer me a ride. I declined, but instead of leaving, she pulled over again about a block ahead of me, and waited. When I reached her, she again urged me to get in her taxi. I took out my wallet and showed her that I didn’t have enough money. I politely refused and started to walk away, but she called me back. I finally climbed in, and she shut the door behind me, gesturing that she didn’t want me to be cold. She drove me the rest of the way home, right up to our doorstep. When I got out, I tried to give her my measly 3 yuan, but she wouldn’t take it! Eventually I had to shove it into her gloved hands. I couldn’t believe her generosity in picking up a total stranger on a dark night and driving her across town for free. The kind hearts of the Chinese people continue to astound me as they daily go out of their way to help us.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Brad bought a hat for himself and one for me as a gift. Vicki and I took his hat to the seamstress to be mended (he’d gotten it for a discount since it was damaged). I invited Vicki out to lunch, and Forrest Gump and Marian joined us for dinner.

The end of the week was very eventful! On Friday night, Brad ran the first “English Club” on the Western Campus. These freshmen don’t have the community and conveniences of living on the main campus in the city. There is very little to do, buses to the city are difficult to arrange, and foreigners are a rare sight. So when three “Laowai” (foreigners) showed up to sing songs, play games, and answer questions, it was to a packed house. The room was electric with enthusiasm as Brad and Shannon led “Peace Like a River” and “Dum Dum Didee.” We also brought Shannon’s friend Maple along, and she did a fantastic job of leading the motions. When we left to catch our bus, kids followed us out, shaking our hands and asking us as many questions as they could.

On Saturday morning, Brad and I were up early to meet three students (Marian, May, and James Bond) with a basket of fruit at our door. They asked us to come to a videotaping on Sunday. We would be representing the foreign language department of our school for their yearly evaluation, and possibly appear on local television. All they needed was for us to show up and lead a “fake” English Corner. We agreed to it, and then the kids left. On their heels were two of my students (Maria and Sally), who had sewn some of our clothes that needed repairing. They also brought me a “surprise”, a light pink scarf that they had knit themselves. I continue to be amazed at the resourcefulness, creativity, and generosity of my students here.

Saturday night was the fabled “Halloween Ball.” We all dressed in costumes, Brad as a bucktoothed hillbilly, Shannon as a cowgirl, Peter as “The Shadow,” and I dressed as “Super Woman.” Maple and Vivian showed up to escort us to the ball. We were escorted to the side stage, where the students formed a tunnel for us to enter the area in front of the stage. After resounding applause, students in pairs entered to dance around us. We judged the costumes and ballroom dancing to the best of our ability. Some kids wore masks, some had rabbit ears, some wore bows, gauzy skirts, and colorful ribbons. Then the winning couples were given awards. Following this, all the kids danced to the “Bunny Hop,” “Macarena,” “Electric Slide,” “Chinese Cha Cha,” and “Achey Breaky Heart.” Shannon has been teaching them these dances over the past few weeks, and then they would teach one another. It was so cool to see so many kids having such a great time dancing together! Afterward, the dormitories brought forward their Jack O’Lanterns and we judged those as well. The emcees asked us (the foreign teachers) to do something special, so Shannon sang “So this is love,” Peter sang “Take me to your heart” with James Bond, and Brad and I swing danced to a Chinese song. We danced all night with the kids and had a great time.

On Sunday, I led our morning meeting with only a little bit of nervousness. After a “Double date” lunch, the four of us headed over to a nearby lecture hall for our “video.” This was actually the third video for which I was requested. Shannon was asked to teach a “fake” class, I sat in a “fake” faculty meeting, and I stood in the courtyard “faking” interactions with students. So now we were “faking” an English corner. It was fun talking to the kids anyway, so we just tried our best to ignore the video cameras following us around. Brad taught the kids “Free Falling,” “Country Roads,” and “Dum Dum Didee.” Afterward, the director told me that he’d been to the U.S. making films, and that he might want me to be an actress in a film one day. The kids got a kick out of this, and I laughed and thanked him. It is common knowledge here that foreigners (especially Caucasians) are considered very beautiful and well-spoken, and are often asked to be in radio and television. Peter has actually been doing some voice-overs himself recently. So I appreciated the compliment, and the idea of foreign fame, but am not planning on a career in the Chinese film industry! After the filming, Marian and James Bond escorted us home. Brad exchanged music and photos with James Bond and Marian and I socialized. On their way out, Maple showed up with D.H. Lawrence’s “Sons and Lovers” in hand. She and I spent the next two hours wading through cockney English as we tried to decipher the more complex concepts of the book. By the time she left, I had just enough time to lesson plan before falling into bed!

It was an exhausting weekend, but we had a great time. As Brad says, “There’s no place I would rather be.” Thank you for thinking of us and supporting us! We love hearing from each of you. Take care, and have a Happy Halloween!

Love,
Brad & Jess

2007 Beijing Marathon

So there I was with 23,000 of my closest friends, and by “closest,” I mean shoulder-to-shoulder! It was about 8am Sunday morning in Beijing. We were standing just outside the new Olympic complex preparing for the Beijing Marathon. The weather was perfect for running, and the course was flat.

There were four different races all starting in the same place an following the same route for the first 4 Km. More then 7000 runners were participating in the full marathon, which meant I was running though a sea of people for 26.2 miles. It was amazing trying to fight through a crowd of more then 23,000 runners at the beginning of the race. If I had fallen, I’m sure I would have been trampled. It wasn’t until about 5Km into the race when I felt like I could run freely without bumping somebody.

I finished in 4:36:53, not my best time, but my hamstrings and quads locked up about 10 miles in because of a track-n-field day that Langfang Teachers College wanted me to run in just two days before the marathon. I over did it, pushed to hard at the track-n-field event, and it hurt me in the marathon! Needless to say, I still haven’t reached my goal of completing a marathon in less than 4 hours. After all of my training and with the perfect conditions, I should have been able to do it. Oh well, maybe next time. I’m hoping to run the Great Wall Marathon in May.

The funniest thing that happened was that they marked the course by Km, and I didn’t realize that 26.2 miles = 42Km. I thought I was running 44 Km, until I heard someone say we only had 2Km to go at the 40km marker; it was like an early Christmas gift at that point because I thought I had 4Km to go.

We finished inside one of the Olympic stadiums, and it was awesome! It was the closet I will ever come to competing in the Olympics. The music was playing, the crowd was cheering, and we all felt like we had just won the gold medal. I was so overcome when I finished that I started crying. Of course, I could have been crying because of the pain in my legs, I guess we’ll never know. Or, maybe I wasn’t crying at all, and it was just the wet sponges that they gave us. I don’t remember; the point is, I was delirious!

All in all, it was a great day. I ran with Peter Lucas-Roberts for the first kilometer, and he finished in 3:07. Jess and Shannon met us along the way, and they provided the few English words of encouragement that we heard. Afterwards, we took the train back to Langfang, and I slept well!

Brad

October 23: Travel Vignettes

Jess, Brad, Tony, Newt, and Shannon before the 100 meter dash.

Hello Everyone!

Our adventures in China have been leading us to many new places in the past few weeks. It has been delightful spending time with kids, and getting to know the Chinese culture at the same time. What follows is a collection of short stories from our past two weeks:

Brad had James Bond and Bruno over to our place, and taught them Settlers (his favorite strategy board game). They had a good time, so Brad is hoping to recruit more boys to play in the future.

Vicki took me to a seamstress to have a pair of dress pants mended. After sewing on a button and repairing the hem on one leg, she charged me 2 yuan (less than 25 cents) for the two things.

For Peter’s birthday we went to the ever-popular “KTV.” Karaoke is serious business in China! For one hour and 54 yuan (about $8), we were given a private room with soundproof walls, cushioned seating, microphones, and wall-size television to sing our favorite American songs at the top of our lungs. It was Peter’s request, and we had a blast goofing off and dancing around, while our Chinese hosts peeked into the little window on the door.

A student named Faye rode her bicycle from the capital of the province to Beijing for National Day. This ride took her 2.5 days. When she returned, she gave me an Olympic card that had been given to her at the conclusion of her travels. Afterward, she and Felicia took me out to lunch in the school cafeteria for a real student lunch!

We found out that the kids have “Dancing” every Monday and Wednesday night at 8:00 pm in the English Department courtyard. It is so fun to see over a hundred kids forming a giant circle around a couple of students who teach them American dances!

I admired Morgan’s headband at dinner one night, so a week later she showed up in class with one for me. It is brown with bronze gemstones.

Diane, Morgan, Jody, Polaris, Nichole, and Grace insisted on taking me out to lunch on two different occasions. I tried Chinese “Hot Pot” for the first time, discovering that it is one of the few Chinese dishes that I don’t really care for. I also had the experience of being shown a live fish in a bag, before it was served to me! This is a Chinese tradition, and proves that the fish I will eat is fresh!

A student Shannon invited to dinner brought us both beautiful scarves! It is Chinese tradition to bring a gift when you are invited to a meal.

Classes were cancelled on Thursday and Friday last week for the “Sports Meeting.” The meeting began with field performances (marching bands, dance groups, tai chi, releasing of doves, etc) that would have easily been equal with any university in the U.S. They were AMAZING. The crowd was HUGE, with students filling the stadium, and surrounding the track and grounds. Shannon, Brad, and I were asked by the students to compete in the 100-meter dash. Shannon and I competed with the women (30 and under), where Shannon received 2nd and I received 7th out of 8 runners. Brad laughed because they put him in the “31 and older” category for men. He also received 7th out of 8 runners. We were excited to participate, and the kids had a great time encouraging and cheering for us.

For the weekend, Shannon, Brad, and I went to Beijing alone! It was our first time traveling such a distance without a Chinese escort. We made it safely, with the girls staying with Lily, and Brad staying with Peter. On Saturday we ate a late breakfast, and then relaxed at Peter’s. We watched movies, played Phase 10, and met Peter’s friends Dan, Ben, and Michael.

Sunday morning was the Beijing Marathon. We met at Peter’s place just after 6 am and headed to the Olympic stadium. Over 23,000 runners competed in the various races, with over 7,000 registered in the full-marathon alone. Needless to say, it was crowded! The boys fought their way through the crowds, and ran well. Peter finished in 3 hours and 7 minutes, 3 minutes faster than his goal time. Brad finished in 4 hours and 36 minutes, just 6 minutes shy of his goal time. The weather was fantastic, the course had few hills, the crowds were enthusiastic and cheerful, and the start and finish took place in the Olympic stadium. The boys just savored the atmosphere; It was Peter’s first marathon ever, and Brad’s first marathon outside of the Maryland/Pennsylvania region. Shannon and I met the boys at four points along the way to add our shouts to the crowds yelling, “Jai Oh!” (Come On!) It was a great time, and a wonderful memory for the four of us.

There are a few things that you can keep in mind for the future. Brad has arranged transportation to the Western Campus for an “English Corner” once a month. Our first one will be this Friday, led by Brad, Shannon, and me. We will probably grab some of our English majors as well for the trip. Second, “English Week” is currently taking place in Qinhuangdao. You can be thinking of those Americans as they help lead evening events, help teach classes, and travel to Beijing and the beach for sightseeing.

We love hearing from you, and appreciate all of your thoughtfulness. Take care!
Love,
Jess and Brad

October 7th, 2007

Hello from Langfang!

Brad and I have returned from our escapades around the Chinese country to our little apartment in Langfang. It is hard to believe that it has only been a week since we left! Here is the summary of our adventures in traveling:

Saturday
Newt, Shannon, and I taught classes on Saturday morning to make up for the National Holiday. We took a taxi to the bus station, where we found our bus was a half hour late. After boarding our bus, we waited another half hour to leave the bus station. The bus was terrible: trash covered the floors, Brad could not fit his knees into our seat, all of the upholstery was filthy, and the overhead spaces were too narrow for any bags, so the aisle was full of our baggage. It was 4.5 hours of claustrophobia at its worst. On the way our bus driver made extra money by picking up 7 additional passengers who sat in the aisle on stools, including one hitchhiker. Along the way we drove by a truck packed with dogs (including one german shepherd) ready to be menu items for a Korean restaurant. We arrived in Qinhuangdao (Ching-wan-dow) in time for a late dinner before Brad and I headed over to our cushy hotel across the street. We were thrilled to have TV and working lights. Our bathroom had a toilet with water, toilet paper, soap, and a bathtub. It was the first TV, toilet with water, and bathtub we’d seen in a month!

Sunday
After a good night’s sleep, we tried the hotel breakfast, where we only found the Chinese “mantou” (fried bread) to be appealing. So we joined the others for french toast and eggs. We spent the morning meeting with Newt’s five other teachers (Ian, Megan, Mark, Andy, and Shana), and the many other ELT Edge teachers from Qinhuangdao. It was a wonderful time of sharing and laughing and loving on one another. It felt so good to be with so many other Americans after so long! After a large Chinese lunch out together, we came back to the school for the afternoon. Brad played basketball with the boys, Megan made granola, and Shannon and I went out for a stroll around the campus. In the evening, we went to a European-style coffee shop for chocolate ice cream, where we watched the Women’s World Cup Game (Germany vs. Brazil) on television.

Monday
For breakfast we ate Mueslix and Megan’s granola, then bummed around for the morning. We boarded a bus, and halfway across town, we were in our first traffic accident in China. I directed Brad’s attention to a motorcylcist who rode right in front of the bus without even looking up at it. The bus hit the motorcyclist, and luckily our group was all seated. Everyone in the aisle flew forward onto the floor, and I received a goose egg on the back of my head from someone else’s head hitting mine as they fell. One girl got up gripping her ribs. She and her friend got off the bus, and with the motorcylcist, they walked to the nearest hospital. Eventually we got moving again and made it to our destination. For lunch we went to a pizza restaurant for our first pizza in a month! Brad and I shared a Hawaiian pizza, and also had malted tea drinks. Then we walked around the outdoor markets, stopping in the Adidas stores to look for running shoes for Brad. Dinner was late, but the Qinhuangdao group made us a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan, spaghetti, and watermelon. Afterward we again gathered to share thanks and requests. It was a great time of bonding, and it was sad to see it come to an end.

Tuesday
Tuesday was another travel day. We were up early in the morning, boarding a bus to Beijing. This bus was much nicer, with ample room for legs, clean upholstery, and no trash. They even showed Chinese movies during the trip! In Beijing we were awed by all of the skyscrapers and many American venues. We dropped off our bags at Tony and Lily’s apartment, and then headed for Tiananmen Square. We got to see the brand new National Theatre (a giant egg in a man-made lake), the entrance to the Forbidden City, and thousands of people in the capital for the holiday. The Square was beautiful, and covered with flower sculptures celebrating National Day. After taking a lot of photos, we went to dinner in an authentic tea house, complete with live music and shadow puppets! George Bush Sr. actually ate there during his presidency!


Wednesday
The boys (Newt, Brad) slept at Peter’s apartment, and the girls (Shannon, me) slept at Tony and Lily’s apartment. Lily cooked eggs for breakfast, and then we headed out to the Temple of Heaven. It was beautiful! The inner temple is surrounded by vast gardens (lots of roses!), perfectly designed forests, and pavilions. Brad and I went into the inner temple area alone (the others had already seen it), and loved the architecture, painting, history, temples, walls, and altars. I grew dehydrated and fatigued from the sun, so I drank lots of water and orange juice with lunch at a lovely little bakery. After lunch we went to the Pearl Market, where Brad and I purchased 2 winter coats (Colombia $40 and North Face $26), 2 pairs of shoes (Puma $20), and 2 intermal frame hiking backpacks ($13 each). The Pearl Market is INSANE to say the least. Everywhere you go you are pursued by aggressive sellers calling “Lady, Lady, Lady!” Then you have to barter for EVERYTHING. The sellers start very high, and the buyers start very low. And the sellers DO NOT want you to walk away. I had to peel one lady’s fingers from my arm repeatedly because she would not let me leave her booth. The Pearl Market is not for the faint of heart, but you can get things for dirt cheap if you’re willing to argue for them. Afterward we went to dinner at a Chinese place near Tony and Lily’s. After dinner, the boys left for Peter’s, and the girls stayed up late sharing our love stories and encouraging one another in our relationships with our men.

Thursday
Thursday was our final travel day. We met up with the boys, and Lily made us a spaghetti breakfast. We spent the morning looking into Cellphones and visiting a bookstore. We’ve decided to hold off on a cellphone for now, because the prices in Beijing were too expensive. We ate lunch at a bakery, and then took the train home to Langfang. The train was about as insane as the first bus! We took the cheapest “hard seat” train, and it was obvious when we got on. There was trash everywhere, and we had to ask people to get out of our seats. Apparently there is no limit to the number of tickets sold for hard seat cars. The aisles were jam-packed with people standing for the entire one hour trip home. They kept bumping and pushing, and no one respects personal space or stands in a line of any sort. We were told that a girl from Qinhuangdao rode to Shanghai in this manner, standing on one foot for the entire 13 hour journey. I was glad we had seats! It really makes me miss American transportation systems. I slept the whole way though, so I barely noticed the passage of time.

So now it’s the weekend, and we have been recovering. We’re back to washing clothes, mopping the floor, checking the Internet, eating with kids, playing games with kids, and grocery shopping. Things should be pretty routine for the next couple of months. I hope you are all doing well. We think of you often, and love hearing from each of you.

Love,
Jess and Brad

September 28: A Slower Pace

Abby and Ricky

Hi everyone!

I hope you are doing well in the United States! Brad and I have had a fun and tiring week in Langfang. Next week we will be off from our classes for the National Break. We were surprised to find out that we had to "make up" the classes that our students will miss during their "break." Such a concept would be unheard of in the U.S! So some classes doubled in size, and in other places we had to add extra classes. Shannon, Newt, and I will all be teaching classes on Saturday morning, while Brad had to teach classes of 70 students for four hours straight on Thursday and Friday. When it's all over though, we will leave on Saturday for a week long vacation in Qingwandou and Beijing.

Brad and I went out on a double date Wednesday night with Abby and Ricky, a young couple from one of my classes. Although I had invited them to dinner, Abby played the part of host, ordering 7 large dishes for the 4 of us! This is Chinese custom. Needless to say, there were lots of leftovers! Also in typical Chinese fashion, Ricky paid the bill before Brad and I ever saw it, despite our insistence that we pay for the meal. After dinner, we walked outside and across the street. Just as we reached the other side of the road, we heard a car peel out behind us, and then a large bang. As we later figured out, a car of four drunk men sped up in an area full of pedestrians, hit another car (which kept going), swerved and went over a hedge, hitting a streetlight and knocking it over onto the bike lane and pedestrian sidewalk. The car was totaled. It's amazing that no one was hurt! We ran over to check it out since we were so close, but were quickly shooed away. The Chinese find car accidents very embarrassing, and discourage onlookers. It's too bad their embarrassment doesn't lead to better driving, since most drive like maniacs.

The rest of our lives are falling into a more predictable routine. Brad runs every day but Sunday, I run about four mornings per week, and Shannon runs in the afternoons. We have "family dinner" with just the four of us on Tuesday nights, and "student dinner" with kids on Thursday nights. We touch base with one another and regroup on Wednesdays and Sundays. Our lunches and other dinners are spent with our students, or enjoying simple American fare in our apartment. Brad usually spends at least one evening a week playing sports with "the guys." He is currently warming them up to the idea of playing board games with him (Settlers, Puerto Rico, etc). He is also working on convincing the Western campus to allow him to run an English Club or Square Dance Night there. Around the apartment Brad washes and hangs the laundry, and I do the trash and dishes. I mop the whole apartment once a week, and Brad picks up the daily supply of bottled water and yogurt. We are enjoying the slower pace of life, and all the new discoveries we are making each day. We miss you and think of you every day!

Love,
Jess and Brad

Upcoming October 21: Beijing Marathon!

Good News!

Peter (Lucas-Roberts) was able to get Brad registered for the Beijing Marathon on October 21! It begins at Tienanmen Square, in front of the Imperial Palace, and ends at the National Olympics Sports Center. You can look it up on-line at www.beijing-marathon.com. There are currently 5,000 runners registered for the full marathon. 6, 163 people ran the full marathon last year. As an International Marathon, it draws people from all over the world. The top ten runners last year were all from Kenya, Japan, or China. Brad and Peter will both be running, and we hope to be there to cheer for them!

Love,
Jess

Sept 21, 2007

Hi everyone!

How is life in the United States these days? Brad and I are doing well. I just talked to Mom and Dad this morning, so I enjoyed hearing about life at home! I hope you are all looking for the beauty of each day and learning to appreciate the privileges of living in our home country.

This week has been a week of observations. There is so much to take in here! First, I was able to make it to the grocery store and back alone! It is only a short walk, but in the past we have always shopped in large groups. Brad was tired due to his first full week of commuting and teaching, so I tried it alone. I was very excited to find familiar products like Oreos, Ritz crackers, Chips-Ahoy, brown sugar, fruit cocktail, and a wide variety of ice creams! I also located eggs, but was surprised to find that they do not box their eggs by the dozen, but dump all of them into a large crate, which you must sort through to find the ones that you like.

The stores here usually have similar clothes to what we have at home, but the quality is usually a little lower and they are cheaper. In other words, it appears that all of China shops at our equivalent of Kmart, or the local Rite Aid, for what they need. There are some nicer products in the malls, Walmart, and downtown shops, but the prices are similar to those in the U.S., which is very expensive to the locals. As far as style goes, the girls are much more modest here. I have seen no one dressed immodestly...no short skirts, no low-cut shirts, and not a single tank-top. (Maybe they don't wear tank-tops since they do not shave their armpits). The girls dress up more, often wearing dresses, skirts, and heels. Light skin is preferred to dark skin, so they envy us Americans. The girls usually carry beautiful lacy parasols on sunny days, and brightly colored umbrellas on rainy days.

Family life is beautiful in China. Everywhere you turn, people have their children with them. Children generally ride on the backs of their parents’ bikes, in a stroller, or walk alongside. Mothers, fathers, and grandparents care for the children, and often groups with children will gather in common areas for the children to play and socialize. I have not seen a single baby wearing a diaper, but I have seen many baby butts! There is usually a slit in the rear of a baby's garment, allowing for parents to steer the child to a nearby bush or bit of dirt when it has the need. In the mornings, children ride on a bus or on the back of a parent's bike to school, wearing their colorful backpacks. They return again in the afternoons, much like in the U.S. One main difference that we have learned is that the "rod" has not been spared in China, and children are rarely disrespectful to their teachers, lest they incur the subsequent discipline.

Our students are so different from American students. They are NEVER disrespectful. They are quick to apologize for any mistake, quick to offer assistance, and very eager to learn. They smile throughout class, treat one another kindly, and eagerly participate in most exercises. They are a teacher’s dream. At 7am it is not unusual to see students reading books all over campus. Most of my students are 5-10 minutes early for classes, so it is very noticeable if I come in at the last minute! Many will also hang around after class to ask questions. There is no homophobia in China...in fact, there are few admitted homosexuals at all. Girls especially hold hands everywhere they go, and they will often take my hand as we walk together. Even boys will occasionally hold hands. The students impulsively compliment, "Teacher, You're beautiful!" One student last week asked if my hair was naturally curly. I told her it was, and she asked if she could touch it? After touching it, she said "Oooohhh...” There is a childlike innocence in the college students here, that is absent in the Western world.

Brad began 8 of his 9 classes this week. The first two weeks of the freshmen year are spent in military training. As I run in the mornings, I can hear the gunshots as they practice, or watch them move around the fields in perfect formation. Brad takes a campus bus 30 minutes to the Western campus, which adds a good hour to his day each way as he goes to and from classes. (10 minutes to the bus, 10 minutes early for his bus, 30 minute ride, arrive 10 minutes before class.) He finds the trip tiring and nerve-racking because the buses do not have shocks, and the drivers go very fast for such large awkward vehicles. He spends the time listening to his Ipod or reading a book. So you can be thinking of him as he commutes each day.

We have many exciting things coming up soon!

First, tonight (September 21) all four of us are attending V.A.N. English Club for biology majors. We have been asked to lead music, games, speaking, and questioning about English.

Second, September 25 is Mid-Autumn day in China. It is similar to our Thanksgiving. Families come together to celebrate by eating “moon cakes” at midnight. Shannon says that our students may bring moon-cakes to us in class.

Third, October 1-7 is National holiday. It is called a “golden” travel holiday in China. We will be leaving on that Saturday for Qingwandao (sp?) which is a popular seaside vacation area. We are going there to visit the other five people on our ELT Edge team. On Tuesday we will leave them, and then go to Beijing for a few days to see the sights.

Fourth, Peter is running the Beijing Marathon on October 21, and is currently working on getting Brad registered. If that goes through, both Brad and Peter will be running in this huge marathon that attracts thousands of locals and foreigners each year.

Again, thank you for keeping us in your thoughts. We miss you!

Love,
Jessie and Brad

Sept 16, 2007

Shannon with her crown and cake

Hi everyone!

It has been an eventful week. For those of you who didn’t know, Friday was Shannon’s 25th Birthday. Newt, Brad, and I agreed to purchase a cake for Shannon. After spending all week scoping out bakeries (we even found cheesecake for Brad!), we found that our own grocery store makes cakes to order. So on our “date night,” Brad and I went to the grocery store to order a cake. We decided on a beautiful white cake dripping with chocolate sauce, with warm brown roses and little silver pearls crowning the top. Unfortunately we could not communicate with the people in the grocery store bakery. Fortunately a girl saw us struggling, and raced across the store to bring back her friend who spoke English. They were able to communicate to us that the cake would be ready in 20 minutes. So we strolled around the store until the cake was ready.

Shannon’s party was a festive occasion! Her cake came with a crown, making her the birthday princess. It also conveniently came with plastic forks and paper plates. We munched on cake, popcorn, and grape soda. Peter wrapped his gifts in old sports magazines from home, and then gave them to her later, including a DVD of “Singing in the Rain.” Shannon said she had received phone calls all day from her students, even whole dorms of girls, singing “Happy Birthday!” Students gave her all sorts of little gifts, and most of my students in my Friday class made her cards. We had a ball, and the next night, Peter took her out for a birthday dinner. Shannon said it was very special birthday, indeed!

Yesterday was Saturday, and after a relaxing morning, Brad and Peter joined James Bond, Peter #2, and Forrest Gump to walk over to the basketball courts for a few pick-up games. They had a good time playing, while Shannon, Forrest, and I watched from the sidelines. The younger boys they played turned out to be freshmen that will be in our classes next week!

Yesterday evening, Newt walked over to “English Club” with Brad and I. Brad had planned games, songs, tongue twisters, and a full schedule at Shannon’s prompting. Shannon and Peter went to a different club last week, and found 160 students stuffed in a classroom only meant to hold 60 students. We didn’t know what to expect, but we couldn’t have been more surprised. We were led to the second largest lecture hall on campus, stadium seating, and 200-300 students waiting to burst into thunderous applause the moment they saw us. They clapped for everything we said or did. Newt made bird noises into his microphone spontaneously, and the whole place shook with applause.

We had such a good time. Our three female hosts (May, Felicia, and Melody) were very prepared. They asked us to introduce ourselves, and then they asked us to play the games they had prepared. We played 2 Truths and a Lie, Tongue Twisters in teams, Simon Says, and Name that Tune. Name that Tune was the funniest, because they asked us to put headphones on our heads and listen to the Chinese Music that they played. Then we had to sing the melody into the microphone for the crowd to guess the song. I was laughing so hard at the ridiculously difficult lyrics that I could barely sing at all. But the crowd loved all of our games. They also asked Brad to play a song on the guitar, so he played John Denver’s “Take me home, country roads” because it is Chinese favorite. Melody showed us later that she had recorded him singing on her cell phone! At the end of the evening, they asked us some questions about our home country and ourselves. We were a big hit at their gigantic “English Club” and we had a lot of fun.

Afterward, the kids gave Newt a ball cap, and gave Brad and I two stuffed pigs that look like they are kissing. There is a pull-string between the pigs, and when you pull them apart, they come back together making a sound like kissing lips, and squealing “I love you!” The kids told us that the amorous pigs are Brad and me. They are so funny! Anyhow, I’ll talk more later. I hope you are all doing well!

Love, Jessie and Brad

Sept 13, 2007

I went to the Western Campus for the first time this morning. I thought I was just visiting to become familiar with the campus and find my classrooms. However, as we walked inside the main building I was informed that I would be giving a 10 minutes speech about who I was, and then I was ask to “encourage the student to work hard at their English.” What was funnier was that I had about 30 seconds to prepare a speech that 200 freshman would hear.

It went well! It seemed like everything I did brought about mass applause. I told them my name was Brad, applause. I told them I was married, applause. I told them we grew up near Washington DC, earth shattering applause! It was almost like a “State of the Union” address, except that they didn’t stand, and I always had bipartisan support! I ended by telling them they should learn English, and we should learn Chinese so that our two counties could strengthen their friendship. They applauded, and in unison, they said “friendship,” as if they where the Martians from Toy Story.

After my speech I found my classrooms, and I read a book as my escort continued with an hour long speech about the importance of English and their futures…..no applause.

Thank you for thinking about us,
Brad

Sept 12, 2007 Noon

Hi everyone!

Life is settling into more of a rhythm here in Langfang. I’ve been teaching 14 hours per week, and will pick up four more hours next week. Brad has been teaching for 2 hours per week, and will pick up 16 more hours next week. I’ve been adventuring around campus with my camera, photographing the beautiful or intriguing sights around our new home. They are posted on facebook, if you are interested in seeing them!

Two nights ago, we had the most wonderful meal that we have had in China. We met with the other English faculty from our school, and they treated us to dinner. We took taxis to what appeared to be a greenhouse not far from our school. Inside, the building was full of plants, especially ferns and bamboo. It was like being in a rainforest! The paths between tables and “rooms” were actually slats of wood, with little bridges and gazeboes scattered among them. Bamboo or bead curtains, and large amounts of foliage defined the “rooms”. We have already decided that when our families come to visit us, we will take them to this place!

The meal began with the choosing of seats, as they spread the Americans out between the Chinese hosts. Brad was made to sit at the head of the table, meaning that he was always served first! We were offered wine, sprite, tea, and rock sugar before the food. Newt asked if we could have only a little bit of wine, but could we please have Sprite too? We had to giggle when they brought us our little bit of wine, and poured our Sprite right into the wine! Then they proceeded to serve the same thing to our Chinese hosts also! We love their hospitality here. Every few minutes someone announced a toast and we all clinked glasses. In China, you honor someone by “clinking” your glass lower than that person. So everyone competes to hold his or her glass lower than everyone else does! Brad is getting very good at this competition.

The food was amazing…and it just kept coming! Dinner began with smaller dishes: broccoli in a buttery sauce, lotus roots in honey, and shrimp rolled up in thinly sliced meat. Following the first plates were flayed bass, squid with miniature sesame hamburger rolls, mushrooms and eggs with tofu, and pork cooked in a pumpkin that was also edible! A chef brought us a whole duck and sliced it in front of us. It was served with “burritos” as we call them (though they are thinner than at home), sliced onions, and two different kinds of duck sauce. After the duck was fully served on the plates, which also had duck heads, they brought us soup made from the bones of the duck. In this way, nothing went to waste. Following the duck soup was a bowl of “porridge” which tasted like grits, or hominy. Shrimp fried rice completed the meal (rice is traditionally the last dish served, to fill you up if you aren’t full yet.) There were many many more dishes, but I can’t remember them all!

Our wonderful dinner ended with Wayne trying hopelessly to get Brad to pronounce the word for rock sugar (“bien cah”)! The Americans thought his pronunciation was fine, but the Chinese kept laughing at his words and telling him it needed to be further back in his throat! He was finally only able to say it correctly when he had the “bien cah” in his mouth! After dinner we flagged taxis back to campus to rest after our grand meal. There are so many things to tell, but we will write more later. Take care!

Love,
Jess and Brad

Sept 9, 2007(by Jess)

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday (Saturday) we all rode the Number One bus over to People’s Park, where we spent the afternoon. Newt thought there were some shops there where he could buy something to hang on his wall, but there wasn’t anything there anymore. The bus was VERY hot, and we were glad to get off!

So we went to McDonald’s. Aside from the Chinese writing everywhere, you’d have never known we were in China! Brad had a fish patty, which he said was as good as or better than any he’d ever had back home. I had a spicy chicken sandwich and a chocolate milkshake, and both tasted the same as they would back home. The only things we noticed that were peculiar were green-bean pies in the place of apple pies (crazy!) and corn as an alternative to French fries.

We walked around People’s Park afterward, with Shannon’s boyfriend, Peter Lucas-Roberts, who is studying Chinese in Beijing this semester. Next semester, when Newt leaves, Peter will join us on staff here at Langfang Teacher’s College. We like having him along because he makes Shannon smile so much, and because he speaks Chinese so well!

Today (Sunday) we started the morning with a group meeting time. We sang songs, talked to Bono, read his book, described our regrets from this week, shared our thanks, and thought of our many students. We are so thankful for the many times we have spent with students this week!

Brad and I attempted to find someone to mend holes in two articles of clothing. We didn’t have any luck, but two of our students came up and offered to take our clothes to be mended and bring them back to us on Tuesday. So we left our clothes with them and met the rest of the group to go shopping with a student named Queenie who showed us where to find art for Newt’s wall. Queenie reminds me of a Chinese Cher with her hippie-style clothes and her long dark hair that hangs past her waist.

After strolling around a very large furniture warehouse-type place with our petite escort, we headed back just in time to meet the men installing our Internet! We were thrilled to finally be able to get on the Internet in the privacy of our own home, rather than in a public office. So if you are keeping up with us on facebook, we were finally able to get on for the first time! Brad is actually working on loading our photographs on facebook right now.

Thank you for thinking of us each day we are apart. We love you all.
Jess (and Brad) Distad

Sept 8, 2007 (by Jess)

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday I had 2 classes, because one had been rescheduled from Thursday. When I came into my second class, there was the excited murmur of “oooohhh…” that follows Americans everywhere, and then a low repeating whisper of “jessica…jessica…jessica.” This impressed me because it was my first time teaching this class, and I hadn’t even introduced myself yet. Following this was a low murmur of “brad…brad…brad.” This surprised me even more because they apparently already knew that I was related to him. At the end of class, when I asked them if they had any questions about me, they asked if I could talk about my relationship with Brad! I don’t know what it is that caught their eye…perhaps his size and amazing good looks?…but they have noticed Brad. After class, students asked me if Brad would play soccer with them, if Brad would come to their sports meetings, and if I ever ran with Brad around the playground? It was very funny, and Brad got a kick out of it when I told him later. In addition, it was funny because the student asking a lot of the questions chose “Forrest Gump” for his English name.

Otherwise, yesterday was date night. Brad and I went out to Walmart which is right next to a giant mall. In front of the mall was a huge musical fountain shooting water into the air, and lit by colored lights. Inside the mall it is at least four stories. From top to bottom in the middle of the mall are waterfalls running down glass, lit with white lights. From the ceiling hang giant round balls (like Christmas ornaments) covered in all varieties of bright flowers. Each floor in connected by glass-sided escalators, with brightly colored flowers filling the entire area between the pairs of escalators. The first floor had red tulips between all of the escalators! The mall had most of the same kinds of stores you would find in the U.S., including Nike, Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, jewelry, winter coats, KFC, and more. Afterward, we went over to Walmart and found tuna, peanuts, raisins, relish, maonnaise, peanut butter, bananas, milk, sugar, water, lightbulbs, and Mr. Muscle. We already have eggs, oatmeal, honey, jelly, and bread, so we are learning to make our American favorites for breakfast and lunch to balance all of our Chinese dinners.

After Walmart, we got into a taxi, thinking that the driver understood our broken Chinese as we told him where we wanted to go. Instead, he turned and went the opposite direction! Brad started waving his arms and the driver tried to get him to write in Chinese where he wanted to go. But Brad and I can’t write Chinese of course! After parking and turning on his 4 ways (in the middle of the road), the driver did a u-turn in the middle of the highway, and Brad had to point the way back home. It was funny as the driver kept muttering in Chinese and Brad kept trying to tell him the number of yuan in Chinese. It was comical ride, but we made it home okay.

Today was “Teacher’s Day,” so the kids brought us both fruit baskets and cards to thank us for teaching. The baskets have grapes, bananas, plums, watermelon, pears, oranges, and apples in them, to add even more variety to our diets! So we are getting on well. I hope you are doing well in the U.S! Today we are off to People’s Park to spend the afternoon walking around the park and shops. Talk to you later!

Love, Jessie (and Brad)

Sept 7, 2007

Today, I played basketball with three of my students for an hour and a half. It’s amazing, I’m just as bad at basketball in China as I am in America. James Bond, Bill, Peter, and I were all on the same team and we played against a team of Japanese Majors.

It was a game of English majors vs. Japanese majors, so I felt like there was a bit of pressure to do well, but when it was all over and I asked what the score was, nobody knew. I was astonished, nobody was keeping score. I thought somebody was keeping score because they kept saying something in Chinese after each made basket but, it must have been “good shot,” “nice play,” or something like that. Whatever it was, it was in Chinese, and obviously, I didn’t understand. We were just playing for fun! This is a concept that is definitely foreign to me but, it’s a concept that would be good for me to learn. Normally, I’m too competitive.

Afterwards, we went to “Double Happiness” for dinner with Newt and Shannon. It was packed; I guess a Friday night in China is similar to a Friday night in the USA. It seemed like the streets busier and the restaurants where fuller, as if everybody was celebrating the end of the week.

Brad

Sept 6, 2007 (by Jess)

Today was an eventful day. We had to get up at 5am to meet a "bus" or van, to drive 4 hours into a city whose name we cannot pronounce. (It was only supposed to take 3 hours, causing Brad to sing Gilligan's Island..."a 3 hour tour.") We had to make this long trip because, although Beijing is only one hour away, it is in a different province. Climbing into our "bus" was much like most other vehicles in China...it appeared to be at least 5 years too old to still be on the road. Seatbelts were only provided for the driver and as a luxury, a seatbelt was provided for the front seat passenger, but it had no buckle. Most Chinese vehicles come equipped with no seatbelts, which is quite worrisome when you consider how most of them drive. Both our escort and our driver immediately lit up a cigarette (a very common occurrence), causing all of us to holler that they please open some windows!

Leaving Langfang, we observed the many buildings with bars on the windows. Brad and I started humming "bars on the doors, and bars on my heart." In fact, few buildings lack barred windows, including our own apartment building. Aside from the bars, there were also a lot of murals on buildings, manicured hedges everywhere, mile after mile of trees planted in straight rows, and ornate stone "fences" interrupted periodically by large stone lions. The trees are all painted white 1/2 way up, and then a single ring of red tops the white section. It is quite striking to see a whole forest like this. The land was mostly flat during our drive, and covered with corn fields. Brad said that it reminded him of Iowa. There are also large park areas with what appears to be colorful children's playthings. Instead, these are public exercise equipment for adults. Even at 6am this morning the streets and parks were full of people jogging, walking, sweeping, eating, stretching, and even dancing!

The driving experience is like none other I have experienced. The horn in China is a form of communication, almost constant from vehicle to vehicle. It is like perpetually shouting "Here I am! Here I am!" Brad laughs at the signs of the side of the road that show a bugle within a circle with a line through it. "No bugle-ing!" The vehicles ignore the signs though. Some roads do not have lines up the middle to separate traffic going opposite directions. This causes driving to evolve into a daily game of "chicken" between opposing vehicles. The shoulder is not off-limits in China. A 2 lane highway easily becomes 3 lanes with vehicles passing on the lop-sided shoulder. Drivers in China make New York City drivers look like polite little old ladies. They zip through traffic, ALWAYS cutting EVERYONE off, just barely missing pedestrians, bicyclists, mopeds, electric scooters, carts, and wagons loaded with goods by mere inches. What continues to amaze me is that all the pedestrian traffic pretends as if the cars did not exist, often walking or riding across busy highways and intersections, or just stopping right in the middle of the street. There are no rules to driving that are apparent, and stop-lights and signs appear to all be optional. Vehicles swerve and lurch, honk and pull out into traffic with sudden unpredictability.

Our physical was unusual to say the least. First we were photographed again, even after providing 20 photos that we had taken recently. Then they took our blood using fresh needles. Unfortunately, they couldn't find a vein on me, so after digging around a bit, they asked for my other arm. Argh. I hate when they do that! Anyhow, then we were given cups to pee in, in a restroom lacking both toilet paper and soap. I refused, and finally someone provided toilet paper and we found some soap. I was asked to remove my blouse for a chest x-ray (I had another shirt on underneath), and then we had our ultrasounds. They smeared COLD jelly all over our bellies, and told us to puff out our stomachs. I was not pregnant, but Brad tells me he is pregnant with twins. Then we had our blood-pressure taken, and stood on a machine that I think measured our height, but it looked like a transportation device from Star Trek. Next we had our eyes examined, our mouths examined (Say "Aaaah"), and our color blindness checked. Finally we had our EKG performed, which was quite bizarre. First they smeared jelly on me. Then they took two cords that looked like jumper cables for a car and put one on my foot and one on my arm. Then the lady took 2 cords with fuzzy ends on them and she yanked up my shirt and stuck them on me! I didn't know whether to laugh or yell for Brad to come save me! With all that electric stuff, a piece of paper printed out of a machine a long zigzag line. Then she yanked it all off, and I was done. I felt so violated...like we should have at least had a conversation beforehand! :) We were all laughing about the craziness of it all afterward.

We had lunch at a hotel restaurant, where we ate some very unusual foods that were mostly unappetizing. I did discover sugar cubes though, and happily sucked on them throughout the meal. Anyhow, while I'm mentioning it, could you send us a bunch of those little instant anti-bacterial soap bottles? The ones that don't require water? Thanks! Anyhow, again, it was an eventful day. I hope you are having a clean and safe time in the cleanest and safest country in the world! :) Talk to you later. We love you!

Jessie (and Brad)

Sept 5, 2007 11:54am

I woke up at 6am this morning and felt like I had been run over by a train. My head is still aching. My headaches haven’t been that bad since I’ve been in China, but it was difficult to get out of bed this morning. Everything seems to take so much longer when I have one of these headaches; by the time I made it out the door for my two mile run it was 10am.

However, it turned out to be a good thing. I only made it 1 mile before I finally had to just walk because of my head. At that point a student named Leo found me and we walked together for my final mile. We talked about sports and English, and he asked me if I played in the NFL in America. It was a good walk.

Last night we went to dinner with three of our students, James Bond, Bruno, and Maple. Afterwards, helped us buy some groceries. They told us that apparently, the students are “fascinated with my appearance and character.” I guess I had to travel half way around the world to find somebody other then Jess that was fascinated with my appearance.

Feeling the Mountains Tremble,
Brad

Sept 4, 2007 9:30am

Newt, Shannon, and Jess had their first classes yesterday, and although they were a little nervous, everything went well. I’ll be leaving for my first class in about 20 min; it’s the only class I’ll have this week.

Last night, the four of us ate at a restaurant that we like. We call it “Double Happiness.” I don’t have a clue how to say it in Chinese. We’ve had the same waitress the last two times we’ve been there. Her English name is Jenny, and she is a student at our college.

Tomorrow, I will probably go to the other campus to see what is there. It’s is suppose to be about a 30min bus ride away. Eight of my nine classes will be on that campus, but they don’t start for two weeks.

Thinking of you,
Brad

Sept 3, 2007 10am

I went for a run in the rain this morning. It poured last night, but it had tapered off to just a drizzle this morning. The cool rain actually made my run much more comfortable then usual. It was the first time I’ve been able to run without distraction in China. While I ran last, it was like I was suffering from sensory overload as I listened to the different language and looked at my new surroundings.

Jess’ classes started today. After my run I walked Jess to class, and wished her well; it almost felt like we were college students again as I walked with her and carried her books. My first class will be tomorrow at 10am. Everybody back home will be getting ready for bed, on Monday night, at 10pm eastern time when I am walking into my first class at 10amTuesday morning.

Later today, I will finish my lesson plans for tomorrow, and I’ll probably try to find a set of speakers that I can use with my IPod. I wanted to use my IPod for teaching, but the speakers I have will not adapt to the voltage in China. The IPod works well, but the speakers I have are cheap.

Otherwise, we are doing well. Last night the four of us (Newt, Shannon, Jess, and I) ate leftovers and worked together on our lesson plans.

Again, hopefully we will have an internet connection in our apartment soon. At that point we can post some pictures on facebook.

There is so much more I wish I could tell you. Until then, you are in our thoughts,
Brad

We've Found A Renter!

We will be meeting with a renter on Monday to go over the lease. So, it looks like we will be able to get a one-year lease on our house for $950 per month, and we'll have to cover the rest of the mortgage.

Everything looks good at this point, and this has been a huge relief for us.

Now, we just need to finish packing and storing our belongings this week.

Thank you for thinking of us!

Our House Needs to Sell or Rent

We've had three families look at our house in the last three days, and although we are grateful to finally have people interested in renting, they all have poor credit. Basically they are all high-risk

We are still expecting another couple to come today to consider buying.

We leave for China in 11 days, and we are planning to sign over "power of attorney" to my father if it doesn't sell or rent by then.

Packing!

Welcome to the blog, we're just packing for China.