Class Choas

Here is a chuckle of a video. Some of these students were coming to end of term so I taught them how to play PIT with some cards I got them to make. "Pit" is a game that mimics stock market trades, and normally it comes in a neatly, very expensive package of cards. I modified the game to help the students practice English vocabulary and remind them of different options of foods from the various food groups. It also emphasizes foods that we should have more of or less of depending on their point valuation. The video was their 3rd or 4th round when they were starting to get really into it. Nice group, a good laugh:)

serenity

we escaped to a hotel for the weekend. it has been a great escape thus far.
the pool is amazing. the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi pampering that follow a good gym workout are sheer tranquility, priceless refreshment.

on another note, if ever traveling this side of the globe, be sure to check the distance scale on google maps when attempting to find restaurants within 'walking distance' from the hotel... OR just pack some powerbars, water and emergency rations for the unexpectedly extended trek. we got there, yes, Friday night was Italian cuisine, and we made it to our destination after some vigorous power-walking, but do you think I (Ben) learned my lesson, nope, deja-vu came over us once again this morning when trying to find a local breakfast place. tonight i will not be called out on watching a third strike. street address (check), geographical landmarks (check) small not-to-scale map (check) restaurant name in English (check) and in Chinese (check)... i hope this is all i'll need to knock this one out of the park.

in other related news, exam week just finished, the final term starts on Monday and we have a week long holiday first week in may. after this holiday its back to school for 6 more weeks, which brings us to June exams and our first year at Maple Leaf will be in the books. time flies when you're... well time just flies, even though in the moment it might only feel like a plod, hindsight speeds things up.

back in the blogosphere

April has arrived and with it SPRING!! The blossoms are decorating the trees, the orange-clad public works workers are out in full force and watering the winter beaten grass, the spring/summer flowers are being plated and most importantly the blue skies have graced us with their presence. We have been enjoying some balmier temperatures, up to 20 degrees this past weekend, have said goodbye to our winter boots and thermal underwear and are counting down the days until we have a weekend getaway!

Recently we've been impressed at the amount of people packing the local park to fly kites, enjoy the greenspace and have family time. The usual sight is a set of grandparents, or two, with parents in tow, all fawning over one extremely over-dressed young toddler. The poor toddler has on enough layers to keep him safe from even the fiercest arctic winds and these layers make it cumbersome for him to even wander in the greenspace. When finally able to move, like a prisoner trying to inch along in shackles, the squirt can barely enjoy himself without being apprehended by over-zealous grandparents protecting him from any slight tumble.... what ever happened to teaching kids to wipe themselves off, brush off their hands and get up and carry-on?? This park scene is in complete contrast to the comings and goings in the local vegetable market, where five to seven ragamuffin children weave in and out of the foot-traffic like F-16's dogfighting with each other. When one of these young ones takes a tumble, the whole troupe gathers 'round to enjoy the sight of one of their own down for the count. Having realized what has happened, the floored youngster regains their footing and the chase resumes. Contrasts continue to be a daily encounter captivating our emotions and thoughts.

With the internet on the fritz, it has allowed for more time to be spent in literary works. Any suggestions or must-reads would be gladly accepted. Christina, though a lover of books, has found a new passion for needle work. As I sit and read, Christina is beside me, spotlight shining on the white grid as it awaits the squinting artist to stitch the next color of the masterpiece.

my eyes cloud with the fog of myself, but haze drifts clear when I see you near.

I think I have been challenged quite deeply lately, in how I approach the world and people around me. There is a lot we carry, and a lot we hold, and I am reminded of how easy it is to hold tight but just how easy, if we choose, it also is to let go. Blindness and fear provokes so much in this world, and it is easy to look, judge, and then unknowingly perpetuate what we see, simply in our judgment and harsh contempt of it. Here, in our very affluent TEDA, its easy to get frustrated with people budging in lines, almost driving over your toes, honking at you while they barrel in their BMW towards you in your own bike lane, short change you in a taxi and play deaf when you ask for the change, spit, stare, and unabashedly insult.....but this is hardly everyone, it just seems to be a prevailing accepted norm amongst seemingly many. But there are a precious handful who somehow hold joy and sight. People's eyes say so much. I said to Ben as we were walking today, that I don't understand the many scrunchy grumpy faces, yet even as I spoke there was a nod and a smile back at my foreign face. Later, the tailor we went to see was full of expression and patience, his assistant was more than thrilled to chat and give any aid, a coffee Barista was eager to attempt her broken English, though shy and unsure, she smiled and served gladly. Yes, this is a very different place, one I cannot even begin to understand, but when you remember there are diamonds found in many places, you only must look, you can definitely see them highlighted and shining right through and just beneath the veil of silt. And sometimes, I am just as much adding to the silt, so who am I to judge. Somewhere, beyond myself is when I can only begin to become a diamond.

Bonkers!

Yes, thats right, I am going bonkers! The internet here is insanely slow, completely unreliable, and seems to have a stubborn mind of its own! For those of you who are trying to spend some time giving up the facebook surfing, Ben and I have you beat, try 7+ months of every so often ATTEMPTING a facebook perusal, only to be shot down, spit up, and left on your side for more trampling and taunting from the China internet warriors. Fear provokes so much in this world, I tire of the fear that dictates the stringent methods of so many elements of our lives here right now. Seriously, its a miracle I'm even able to post this to you all! Ah, the wonders of the world, after being here for this much time, I have discovered that perhaps those ordinary giant rock heads bursting from green fields in beautiful gusty far off fields, are far from wonders of the world in comparison to many other perplexing puzzles, the rock heads become mere phenomenons. Come to some places in the East and you will wonder. Thankfully, not all of the east leaves me in such a trivial state. There are cities and places that seem to have far more awakened spirits and actual eyes.....but here, I find myself in a place where I am in serious contemplative confusion. What is up is down and when you have figured that out, its not actually down, its left and right at the same time. Do you get it? Details will have to be discussed at another date.

Safe and Sound

So, for all those who are wondering if we are alright, with all the action going on over here in the east, we are fine, and thus far, quite unharmed by any of the happenings lately. For some reason people have been blowing some things way out of proportion, in reference to the for reaches of areas being affected. We will let you know if anything changes, but for the moment, all the activity is worlds away.
The only troubles we are dealing with since all these events is INTERNET troubles! Seems China is tightening its hold because of many world events happening right now, which makes it difficult to maneuver through what would normally, back in Canada, be so simple. So, while we have waited for aid on our cyber troubles we have been creative in how we spend our time. Bike rides with the warmer weather coming in, badminton, and squash continue. We have also been finding creative ways to cook. For example, did you know that you can make the most FANTASTIC homemade yogurt using a rice cooker?!!? Who woulda thunk?! UHT milk is mostly what we drink here in the East and it is perfect for yogurt making, because you just pour it into the rice cooker bowl, with a couple tablespoons of starter, leave the cooker on warm, and VOILA! 4.5 hours later, perfect YOGURT! Yesterday we took some of that fantastic yogurt and made some tzatziki sauce for dinner. It was so full of flavor and so easy, who needs facebook when you can have food like this!? Anyways, the lesson, if you don't have a really good yogurt maker, and you want cheap healthy yogurt, just set the rice aside a moment and warm away:) (For you yogurt lovers in North America, UHT milk isn't everywhere, so make sure you boil regular pasteurized milk until it starts to froth then let it cool down to around 30 degrees Celsius before putting it in the pot.)

MARCH

It's already March!! We've almost been back in China for a month since our holiday and we've had a snow fall, a few -10 Celsius days, broken badminton strings, a new found love of squash (the game not vegetable), some very tasty meals at our favorite local restaurants, and smoothies for breakfast every morning.

The new semester has settled quite nicely and we're plugging right along. Students know the drill a lot better this semester and after a few weeks their English is coming back to them. Who knew 5 weeks away and you could forget what the English language was, is and how to use it.

We've made a purpose to see more of China this semester and so we look forward to exploring more of Beijing, Tianjin and some of the areas closer to home. Hopefully we remember to bring along the camera and snap a few shots while we're at it.

Today on the way to school we saw a most interesting sight. After the recent snowfall there are patches of grey snow strewn helter-skelter throughout the city. Today we saw a team of city workers sweeping the snow into piles and removing it so that another team could come in and 'weed-eat' the brown-winter beaten grass. The irony of it all being that the grass hasn't grown much at all in that it has been below zero degrees since mid November, and yet somehow, somewhere, someone decided that it was time to scalp the grass with a 'weed-eater' no less. I guess the brown dried out soil is more aesthetically pleasing than brown-winter beaten grass.

China never ceases to amaze.