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
Friday, September 21, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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
Thursday, September 13, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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
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
Monday, September 10, 2007
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
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)
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
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)
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
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
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
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