Back to School

Seth and I started up the first week of his LAST year of homeschooling last week.  I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that idea.  We spent the first day discussing his goals and plans and how we are going to put this all into practice.  So far, we are doing well, although I am incredibly busy and am in and out all the time, he is being very conscientious about getting his work done. 

All this running around is due in part to my own studies.  As I've mentioned before I have weekly Chinese classes.  So in between all the other things going on, I'm attending class or studying.  I'm still definitely feeling stretched in this area but I'm seeing some real progress as well.  I find myself falling into a relaxed chat with a lady cross stitching outside (a very popular hobby here) or with the people in the convenience store just outside our gate or one of our neighbors.  This is really nice.  It's really been my goal for Chinese studies all along,  just to be able to chat in an everyday way with the people around me and not feel totally stressed out trying to recall the proper grammar or vocabulary.   Fortunately, I have a very forgiving crowd.  Everyone is so patient and even delighted when I make my attempts at speaking to them that even when I know I've stumbled a bit over a word or something they make me feel very encouraged when I speak up. 

For those of you who don't know, Elyse will be starting school again after all.  This is such a relief this things were a bit up in the air about this. This is her Senior Year and she is eager to get to it.  She's already looking ahead to other schools in order for her to complete her full degree.  There are some promising leads on this.  We'll keep you updated.

Mark's teaching schedule starts up again this week, something he's looking forward to.  He lost a guitar student but gained a new one now.  He knows a large number of good songs in Chinese so this is a coveted skill among folks around here.

There is an upcoming Counseling Conference that he and I will be attending at the end of October, I'm VERY excited about this.

Otherwise we have some good friends in town for a few days.  They normally live in Shangra La, way up near Tibet.  I keep saying I'm going to go visit them, but I don't do it early enough and miss the brief time of nice weather.   But we are going to do some catching up with them tomorrow over lunch before they leave.

Lots of folks who were away for the summer are coming back.  I'm happy about that.  I've missed these guys!  Still others leaving for a while, but that is the nature of things here. 

We finally got our guest room set up just in time for a European friend who is coming to stay for 6 weeks.  She arrives next week!

Well, pardon the rambling blog today, but I'm going to wrap it up here because I have homework to do before class tomorrow.  I'm a bit behind so I better get to it.

Cheers!

Mystery Solved and Building Bridges

Last week I mentioned that we had issues with ringing our door bell repeatedly to be let up but when we did they never came to our door.  We finally figured out what was going on.  Apparently the wires in the building have gotten crossed somehow and when you punch in the number for our apartment it rings someone else's.  When they punch in their number, it rings us.  So we are back to letting people in now that we know they are just trying to get home.  Glad we got that figured out.  I just hope this will get repaired soon.

Something I really love about China is how active everyone is.  Physical exercise is a high priority for people here and it is evident everywhere you go.  Early morning, early evening, to late at night people are walking, running, doing Tai Qi, playing badminton, groups of (mostly) women get together on a regular basis to do choreographed dances together that are lovely to watch.  Sometimes using fans with streaming fabric or fake swords as props for the dance.  Everyone here moves, moves, moves.  I have seen people who were apparent stroke victims, with an arm twisted into an unnatural position and a shuffling gait, but they were still out for their morning walk.   I think we could learn a lot from such discipline.  Perhaps Westerners could exchange a little of our time and energy for all those high blood pressure pills and insulin we have to take. 

Anyway, this morning I was coming back from my run and I saw this bent, thin, old man with a cane walking along the bike lane toward me.  He was wrinkled and toothless and wore a blue Mao jacket and hat.  When he looked up and saw me coming toward me I instinctively smiled.  His face and eyes lit up and he grinned at me.  I said "hello, good morning" to him.  If possible his grin got even bigger and though he didn't say anything he bobbed his head in return greeting.  I didn't have a camera with me so I can't give you and actual picture but I'm going to include a picture similar to him. 

Yesterday I was walking back from my Chinese class.  I was walking down the sidewalk that runs along a river.  A couple of young girls had been playing there and as I walked by they smiled and said hello.  I returned their greeting in Chinese, which seemed to delight them.  Then they showed me a small yellow plastic "jewel" they had apparently found and were playing with.  I said something like "oh, is that yours, it's very pretty".  They smiled and said yes.  Seemingly that was all they wanted so I went on, looking back once over my shoulder to see them still waving goodbye.

What small steps it takes to begin the process of building bridges.  A smile, a greeting, a minute of time.  Some of my current bridges are only in their beginning stages.  Others aren't complete but have good, sturdy frameworks.  And others have opened up whole new opportunities as more and more we become integrated into the community .

Peace!

A Week in the Life: Sunday

Sunday morning means fellowship at the International Fellowship.  I'm not kidding when I say this is a highlight of the week.  Mark and I head over early since Mark is on the worship team and I am in charge of the sound team. 

We live only about 10+ minutes away from there and we have a key so we usually are the ones who unlock the doors.  The musicians and singers all show up around 9am.  I don't know if you've gotten to hang around musicians much, but they are a lot of fun and there is a lot of friendly give and take as they set up and we get the mikes working.  This week was James on drums ( a new person to the fellowship), Dee leading from keyboard, she is awesome.  Mark on acoustic guitar.  Kevin on sax.  Another Kevin on bass.  Sam and Olivia singing backup.  And Tim on Djembe.  We are really blessed with a good group of really talented musicians to draw from.  They are really professional level. 

About a half an hour into practice, dearly loved friend, Angela comes in to make the coffee for the fellowship.  She is greatly appreciated as you can imagine. 

The name International Fellowship is no misnomer, since there are people from many nations that come together there.  The sanctuary is decorated with at least 31 flags,  there are or have been people in the fellowship from each one of these places and several more besides.  I really love the international flavor of this congregation.  We have so many people from South and Central America that we have a Spanish translator for the service. 

Before the service I connected with the girl I am helping with homeschooling that I mentioned earlier this week.  This will be the week she begins.  We are going to meet again after this week to get a sense of how things are going for her.  

There is no single speaker, since there are so many great people there who have great things to share.  From week to week it can be anyone from the congregation or someone who is passing through.  We have a rich variety to learn from.  Yesterday the man of the hour was Robert from Ireland. 

Yesterday I heard Seth (the NOT social butterfly) say something I never thought I'd hear him say.  "Well, I'm going to socialize for a bit now".  :-O.  WHO are you and WHAT did you do with my son?!?!

After service and the requisite hanging out, connecting time with everyone, we headed out for lunch.  I'm NOT a fast food fan.  However, I do have a teenage son, so for his sake we cave once in a while.  So yesterday we headed to McD's.  A friend, Hetty, from The Netherlands came along with us and we got a chance to catch up over our fries and burgers.  She is facing some real challenges with the work she does and was sharing some of the details with us. 

We finally made it home around 2:30.  I don't know what it is about Sunday, but we are usually wiped out by the time we get home.  So we do as little as possible for the rest of the day.  I spent time blogging, Mark's activity of choice was a long nap (he woke up at 4:30 am so probably a good idea, insomnia's a drag).

In the evening we watched the movie "Pay It Forward" for the first time.  I know, I know, old movie, but we'd never seen it.  We really liked it and for Seth and I is sparked some good conversation.

Well, there you have it.  A week in our life.  I can't say it is especially typical because things can be really random here and you really never know what will arise each day, but I hope it gives you a sense of the things we do and daily life for us. 

I'm looking forward to the week ahead.  I've got some different things scheduled and am seeing more and more opportunities arising.

Questions?  Comments?  Let me know what you are thinking. 

A Week in the Life: Saturday

view from our balcony

I don't know what it is about Saturdays here, but they seem to average on the sunny and beautiful here.  Even though it is not really a day off, still a lot to do on Saturday, somehow it's still nicer to have a pleasant day to do everything on.

This Saturday was much like any other.  We get up just a little later.  But then we get online for our weekly chat with Erin.  Sometimes we get to see Justice on video with her, or sometimes he's already in bed and we just chat and catch up with each other.  It is definitely something to look forward to. 

our local market

Next it was off to the market.  Even though most folks here go to the market just about every day I have not yet been able to shed the habit of a weekly shopping trip.  Although this week the guy I buy my cooked red beans and the market was out by the time I arrived so I may have to go back a bit later in the week so I can make the taco bean salad I was planning for dinner this week.  It's nice going to the market when we don't feel quite so rushed.  We get to chat and connect with people there.  I had to buy something from a little shop and we were talking with the lady that runs it.  She asked if we were from England.  Mark told her no, we were Americans.  Then (jokingly) he asked her what country she was from.  She found that hilarious.  Those kind of simple exchanges, especially when we laugh together really breaks the ice and helps us to grow in relationship. 

After we got back Mark had to head off to class.  His contract is running out with this school, but they REALLY like him so they have asked him to sign a new one.  He is really considering what he should do, because it does help our income but it also eats into his time for "other" stuff.  But he's also seeing it as a bridge to connect with people.  Please remember us as he considers this.

While he was gone I caught up on some computer work and then started studying a Counseling book related to the Member Care work I do here.  There is a Counseling conference coming up in October and I am looking forward to it and want to be prepared.

About every other week, Mark and I try to go out and do something.  As it happened this Saturday there was a special deal on a "Dinner and a Movie" at a place called Nordica.  It is a art gallery/performance venue/cafe.  So  after Mark got back from class we went over there.  It was raining lightly but we made it over without getting too wet.  We had a nice dinner.  Since there was a bit of time before the movie we walked around outside.  It is coming up on that holiday where people burn paper offerings to relatives who have died.  A paper car, house, play money, cell phone, anything they would like.  So all along the sidewalks were either small fires as things were being burned or piles of leftover ashes.

Then it was time for the movie so we went back.  It was set up in a back room with couches and floor pillows and projected on bedsheet.  It was called "Across the Universe"  Kind of a rock opera based on Beatles songs.  Very interesting.

Because we were riding double the battery on the bike was starting to run down.  We took our time heading back trying to conserve the battery.  Usually we make it all the way home, even if just barely, but this time we had to walk a few blocks.  We also discovered that the back tire had gone flat.  Oh well, lol.  It is parked in the garage and will get repaired sometime on Monday.

Because the movie ran late and we had to push the bike we didn't get home till after 11pm.  Late night tonight, early morning tomorrow!

Cheers!

A Week in the Life: Friday

Morning prayers, weighing in, email, breakfast.

Mark headed off the class at 8:30.  I headed out for my run.

After a shower I got online for a Skype appointment with a fellow coach.  He and I are working together on a Micro Lending project and I check in with him regularly to report back how my clients are doing and what our next steps are.  We had a really good and encouraging meeting and feel like we are making some real progress and are starting to get a handle in some obstacles we needed to work out. 

Spent some time on the computer catching up with emails and blogs.

Mark got back from class a bit after noon.  Lately he has been putting in  some extra quiet time  as he faces decisions coming up and trying to get some clear direction on what needs to change and what needs to continue.  He and I spent a bit of time on that together before I headed off to class.

Today is Friday, which means an afternoon Chinese class.  I walked over and arrived in good time.  I had a very good class.  I'm getting lots of chances to talk with Orchid about some rather deep subjects.  Today she and I spent a bit of time talking about marriage.  She has noticed that Mark and I and another couple we know have very good relationships with our spouses.  She finds this amazing and intriguing.  This gave me a chance to talk about what we've learned and what has helped us throughout the up and downs of normal married life. 

Walked back home.  Since, again, Mark was going to be gone tonight we took some time from our afternoon to watch the new Planet of the Apes movie.  Seth got a phone call inviting him to a youth barbecue.  So he left for that.  Mark and I threw together a simple dinner (veggie curry over potatoes) and watched the end of the movie.  Then Mark was off.

So after working on a few Zumba steps I figured I had put in enough exercise for one day (or so my sore legs are indicating) so called it good.

The rest of the evening I will be planning my shopping list since Saturday is Market day for me, blogging and emailing. 

To my faithful readers, I'd love to hear your comments and questions.  Feel free to drop a line.

Cheers!

A Week in the Life: Thursday

A regular start to the day, checking email, weighing in, yada yada.

Mark was off today, but was spending time getting ready for upcoming classes.

Today I (Jamye) had an appointment with a friend.  She and her family are from Brazil.  Just last week a young lady arrived who is here to help them by homeschooling their two daughters.  The Mom and I had talked homeschooling before and knowing that the teacher that has just arrived was rather nervous about it all we decided it would be good to meet and discuss things.

These are the kinds of meetings I really look forward to.  Two things I am very passionate about (among many, I want to do EVERYthing) are homeschooling and helping people successfully transition into a new culture and lifestyle.  We had a very good meeting and I think she is feeling better about beginning next week.  But we also plan to meet every week or two to see how things are going for her. 

I got back home in time for a late lunch.  Since Mark was going to be home in the afternoon but gone in the evening we stole a couple of hours for some family time.

Originally I had a Coaching appointment scheduled for today but my client had to postpone til next week.  This wasn't really a bad thing because  I have been working on an editing project for a friend and I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing that up so I could get it emailed to him the same day since he is hoping to publish soon.  Took some time of focused concentration but I got it done and felt I had done well.

Mark left for a goodbye/teacher's appreciation dinner for a student he has been preparing to study in the States.  Her Dad has several businesses and seems to really love to bless others in his prosperity.  One of the things he shared with Mark was his desire to open some good nursing homes for elderly people in China.  He seems to have a really compassionate heart towards them.  He is also hoping Mark will teach him some music since he loves music and heard that Mark was gifted with this.

After dinner I worked on my Chinese homework for tomorrow's class, got most of it done :)

Since I had no time to walk or run today I did the free step on Wii Fit Plus for an hour and a half while watching Star Trek.

An odd thing that has been happening the last few days is that our door bell is being rung constantly.  The way most all complexes are around here work is that you punch in the number of the apartment you want to go to and they ring you in.  Well, someone, we have no idea who, has been calling to ring in.  We let them in a couple of times thinking they were coming to see us but they never did.  This went on for about 3 days.  Mark started asking them who they were but they were giving unclear answers.  So we stopped letting them in.  If they live here they should have a key, if they are visiting they should be ringing the folks they have come to see.  Not sure what is up with this, but just last night they tried to ring in at least a half a dozen times.  Hopefully this will stop soon.

Pray for London.

Peace!

A Week in the Life: Wednesday

Well, since our weekends tend to be busy, so our day off tends to be mid week.  That was the case today.  Although honestly I did intend to get a few things today.

Morning Prayers, breakfast, watched the news, then went for my run.

peppers drying

Mark had left for his morning class. 


On my runs I just do laps around our complex, past the security guards doing their daily drill, the ladies sitting and knitting, the grandparents pushing their grandkids in strollers or walking them to school, green or red peppers drying in the sun.  Normal life. 


Once I was back home I checked email.  While doing that Elyse came online for us to chat for a while.  We usually manage to chat once a week, but we never know when it will be so I have to be flexible when she gets on.  She is currently wrapping up her last week of being a camp counselor for the summer.  We are working on her being able to start classes for her last year at Elim.  But things are still up in the air as to that.  It has been causing us a bit of stress.  I was getting kind of worked up as we talked about that.  Seth came out of his room and saw that I was upset and gave me a big hug and told me everything was going to be ok.  What a great kid.

Just after lunch Seth headed off to the children's home he helps at from time to time.

After Mark got home from class he had to pick up some books for one of the classes he will be teaching later this week.  We decided to make the most of it, get out of the house and have a bit of a break together.  So we doubled on the electric bike to the other side of town and picked up the books.  Bought a couple of slushy type drinks and found a place to sit and just talked and read together for a little while and then headed home.

By the time we got home Seth was back and we settled in to working on supper.  This proved a bit tricky, perhaps because of something I ate, I started having stomach "issues", which involved me dashing to the bathroom periodically.  Mark did most of the cooking this time around. 

We have been doing some counseling by email with a very close friend so we spent some time working together on an email for them. 

Also, somewhere in the course of the day I set up a couple of meetings for later this week one for a member care situation and one for a Micro Lending project I am serving as a Coach for here.

Feeling a bit drained because of my stomach issues so I'm going to chill for the rest of the evening.    Glad I got my run in before this hit.

Cheers.

A Week in the Life: Tuesday

Tuesday Morning.

Woke up and did Morning Prayers.  Mark and I spent some time talking and checking our email.

Found out that without a miracle Elyse won't be able to go back to school for her last year due to lack of finances.  This is a hard one to deal with and we are really wrestling with it all.

Watched NBC Nightly News on ITunes.

Mark left at 9:30 for class and would be gone all day.
I asked Seth to take the electric bike to Wicker Basket to buy some tortillas for one of our suppers this week.

Tuesday is Chinese class day for me.  Since it is only just over a1 1/4 miles away and a good way to get my exercise I walk from here.  I loaded up my backpack with the books, notebooks and pencils I would need.  Walked down the stairs, past our neighbor's door who faithfully burns her incense each day and out the door.    On my way out the gate I saw a set of twins walking hand in hand, looked about 2 years old, had no hair but were wearing matching ruffled pink dresses.  Too Cute.

I made it to class in good time and had a really good class.  We usually spend about half of the 2 hour class just in conversation so I can speak and understand clearly and the other half on bookwork.  We have some very interesting conversations during the classes about a wide range of topics and we both talk a lot about our lives and families.  Today, I was telling Orchid, my teacher, about my experience with cancer.  One thing she asked me was if I had been afraid.  She has a different worldview than I do so this was a good opportunity for me to explain where I look for strength and hope.  We've been having more and more of these kinds of talks lately.  It will be interesting to see where it leads.

I walked back home and climbed the 6 flights to our apartment, ate lunch and spent some time on my computer.

Seth and I continued with "The Screwtape Letters".

Then I had to leave for a Life Coaching appointment.  I went down to the underground garage for my electric bike and headed out.  From where we live it is about a 45 minute drive.  In spite of the fact traffic can be hectic and you are weaving and dodging your way through vans, cars, and pedestrians in the "bike lane" I really enjoy these rides.  You just have to be very aware of what is going on around you at all times.  People will do the most unexpected and outrageous things coming at you from any direction on the compass. 

Arrived at my appointment in good time.  My client and I meet at a nice place overlooking a small street known as "Foreigner's Alley" where there are a lot of different kinds  of restaurants and stores with imported goods.  It's a good halfway point between where she lives and where I live.   Also the place we meet is a business whose profits go toward helping people get free of drug addictions.  Many of the employees are former addicts now gainfully employed.

The Coaching appointment went well and we enjoyed our time together. 

Stopped off at the DVD store there and found Kung Fu Panda 2.  Looking forward to seeing that with Mark and Seth.

By the time I got home Seth had headed off for his bi-weekly karate class (he's getting quite good at that) and Mark was back from his classes.  Since I was home past our normal dinner time we yo-yo'd it.  (YO-YO= You're On Your Own).  Good thing we had some sandwich and salad stuff ready.

That is today.  Seth is still at karate, Mark prepared for tomorrow's classes and I am tying up my blog and writing my to-do list for tomorrow.

Cheers!

A Week in the Life: Monday

So I thought I'd write about an average week in our lives.  Every week is a little different or a LOT different so I just picked this one to starts.  I probably should have started this on Sunday but I didn't think of it till today. 

Monday.

For me (Jamye)  have no classes or appointments on this day and I try to keep it that way because it is the day I gear up for the week.

Got up this am and weighed myself as usual.  I am now in the "normal zone" according to Wii Fit Plus, the only area of my life I think that term could even remotely reply. 

Mark left for his morning English class. 

Checked my email and discovered a serious issue had come up that I had to spend some time on.

Went for my run.  I could see if I didn't get it in right away I wouldn't get it in at all.

Checked my email again and found another serious issue that I needed to deal with.  I hope this isn't going to be typical for the week.

Headed to the kitchen.  On Mondays I usually make some do ahead foods to save myself time later in the week.  Today I made my favorite hummus recipe (I use this on sandwiches instead of mayo) and a crockpot of spaghetti sauce. 

Next, time to read with Seth.  Although he is on break from homeschooling for the summer we enjoy being able to do this together.  Today we finished "Blood Brothers" by Elias Chacour (awesome book!) and continued "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis.  He says it is creepy how well C.S. Lewis seems to know what's going on in your head. 

Found out we have some friends moving and spent some time arranging a ride for Seth since he is going to be helping.  He has been going to a children's home about once a week to help out with whatever they need.  This week it will be carrying the stuff from floors 1 and 2 up to floors 3 and 4.

Over the weekend the kitchen was sadly neglected and we had a large pile of dishes to deal with, it took all 3 of us, but we got it done.  I should have taken some before and after shots.

Mark spent a lot of his afternoon preparing for a class, quiet time and resting.  His sleep has been off and he is trying to catch up.

I had some quiet time and then studied for my Chinese class tomorrow.  Recently I have been feeling like I"m making some progress and that is quite motivating so I'm going to milk that motivation for all it's worth.

Dinner-pasta with eggplant patties topped with the spaghetti sauce. 

After dinner, Mark and Seth cleaned the kitchen, I hung up some laundry.  Then Mark challenged me to a game of golf on Wii.  I don't know when I'm going to learn.  I cannot beat him!!  Oh well.  I trust this is good for my humility.  It's sure not good for my temper.

That's it for today, next will be a movie, Mark and I will read together and then to bed.

Family Date

I was looking back over the last few posts and it looks like all we do is party!  Not really true.  I guess I just think of writing about something interesting that has just happened.  So I'm going to do it again.  But in upcoming posts I will write some "day in the life" stuff.

First of all, let me say that we have a somewhat wacky schedule.  Mark especially, he is one busy dude.  His weekends are always full of classes he is teaching and other responsibilities, they are far from relaxing.  So not being daunted by the calendar, we simply rewrote our week.  So to speak.  The calendar may still say Wednesday, but in our house it's more like a Saturday, since it's Mark's one day off.  Seth is on break from school for the summer except for a few things to tie up too. 

About a month ago we were given 3 gift certificates for the new Starbucks opening down town.  We were all ready to get out of the house and do something different so it was time.  Today was gorgeous.  Brilliant blue sky, nice even temperature, sunshine, like I said, gorgeous. 

We have 2 electric bikes that get us around town so Seth took Mark's bike and started off, Mark and I doubling on my bike.  It was a bit of a ride, especially working our way through the traffic on BeiJing Lu.  One guy we saw couldn't be troubled to wait for traffic to move and drove up onto the sidewalk, went for about a block, found an opening in traffic and went back on the street.  The bumper sticker saying "If you don't like my driving, stay off the sidewalk" is no joke here. 

We made it down to Starbucks about 11am only to be told that becomes of some advertising performances, the wouldn't be serving until 1pm.  This wasn't going to work as I had a Coaching appointment at 2pm back at home, on the other side of town. 

But it was a beautiful day to just walk around in the area.  So we found the Dairy Queen not far away and had an ice cream lunch.  What are days off for? 

It was fun, funny, low key, laughing and talking and walking around.  We each came home with something reflective of our tastes. 

Seth bought a couple of Wii games
Mark bought a much needed new hat, and a new flashlight.
I came home with a new plant.  Any day with a new plant is a good day.

Now back home after my meeting, did some chores, spaghetti sauce in the crock pot.  All in all, a really nice day.

And we still have Starbucks to look forward to.  Next time.

Chinese Labor Day

Cookout! 

This last week held the holiday of Chinese Labor Day.  There  is a local language school at which Mark is a teacher of English, and I am a student of Chinese.  One special thing about this school is that they like to host fun events to mark the holidays as they come by.  I like this in a school!

So, although the weather had been a bit unpredictable the choice was to celebrate by going on a cookout.  Way to the South end of the city (we live on the North end) is a beautiful Park called Hai Geng.  I love parks, especially here.  The Chinese seem to take great delight in green spaces, much to my joy, and even just the inside area of an apartment complex is beautifully arranged and planted.  So you can imagine the time and energy spent on parks.  

We all met at the school and then traveled by taxi and van to the park.  We walked in and took a meandering path past groups of card players, people playing Chinese instruments,  groups of grandmas and grandpas with their grand children, and trees, flowers, and large ponds with water lilies. 

lady selling bowls of charcoal

We came to an area all set up for cookouts.  There was a long straight sidewalk that turned off the path we were on.  And on each side of the sidewalk were a line of tables set up for Chinese barbecue.  A round or square table with a circle cut in the middle and benches around it.  A bowl of charcoal could be purchased from a passing cart and put in the middle where the hole was and a grate placed over it for cooking.

One difference I noticed between this cookout and ones I've attended in the US is that the cooking in the US is preparation for the main event of the party.  While here, it seems the cooking is all part of the event.  As we sat around the table, one person seemed to be the unofficially declared cook, but there were plenty of onlookers and helpers as we used chopsticks to turn the meat, move cooked food to the edges and undercooked food toward the center.

Baba!

One thing that was NOT different was the abundance of food, grilled beef, chicken wings, potatoes, and other grilled veggies, hot dogs, and Baba.  Baba is a really delicious flat bread cooked over the fire and was homemade by one of the teacher's Mom.  Yum!

The day was a perfect temperature, although the rain seemed to come and go throughout the day.  But there were awnings stretched over all the tables, and the wind wasn't blowing so this troubled us not at all.

Events like this help me stretch my Chinese without feeling out of my league.  Because of the mixture of students and teachers the conversations were all an interesting conglomeration of English and Chinese. 

We met an American family at the picnic that are also students at the school.  They have 4 small children and are doing an amazing job of helping their kids learn the language in a low stress low key way, by simply speaking to them as often in Chinese as in English.  Making it a normal part of their vocabulary. 

So for an American who used to have to wait till September for Labor Day here was our headstart.  I think maybe though, I'll still celebrate in September too!  That's the nice part about being a part of 2 cultures, twice the holidays, twice the food, twice the fun.

Happy Spring!

Concert!

First let me start off by saying, I apologize for going more than 2 months between posts.  Almost 3!  But due to Internet/computer problems (and moving to a new apartment) it was out of my control.   But I'm back and hope to be able to write more consistently after this.

So, this last Saturday I was asked to run sound at a "Cultural Exchange" concert on the outskirts of Kunming.   Previously a group of musicians from Australia had passed through and held concerts near a local college.  It was a huge hit and everyone had a great time.  What makes this even more impressive is that several members of the group got sick almost right after arriving and a couple of them even had to go into the hospital to hook up to IV's to get rehydrated.  But these guys were the epitome of "the show must go on" because if they weren't in bed they performed and sometimes got up to perform and then headed straight back to bed.  They were real troopers.

The concert held last Saturday was a follow up to the earlier ones.  We are really fortunate to have some great friends here who are also professional level musicians and sound techs.  So a friend drafted a group of us and planned the concert.  As with any first time thing it was a great trouble-shooting event for us.  Helping us see what worked, what didn't and how to improve the next time.  At one point Drew, (a professional skateboarder and husband to Dee, the keyboard player) had to bring out some forgotten cymbal stands.  It was just about the time the taxi drivers take off for dinner and no one seemed to want to stop for the red-headed foreigner with his arms full of drum stands.  At one point he was literally running around the middle of the intersection trying to get someone to stop!  Oh, for a video of that moment.

We got the stage set up and the sound checked and we began.  These guys are no group of random people trying to stay on key but real quality performers.  So although when the first song began there weren't many people in the room, by the time the second song began it was standing room only.  Everyone really, REALLY enjoyed the music.  At one point a less than sober gentleman from the hotel had wandered in and very helpfully tried to assist the keyboard player and drummer.

We were received very enthusiastically by the audience and we hope to be doing more of this this year.


After the concert, we broke down the equipment, loaded it into the van and then headed off to the obligatory late-night-after-a-concert stop at McDonald's.

Until next time.  Rock on!

Home Again, Home Again

Hi Everyone!

I'm home again from the mountains.  What a time I had, it was really great.   So many things happened that I'm trying to think of how to condense it all into one reasonably sized post.

The city we live in is already fairly high up in altitude (higher than Denver, CO) but we went up a good deal higher on this trip.   The bus trip in itself was really something.  Because of the holiday EVERYONE was going home.  Fortunately we were among the first passengers on the bus so we were guaranteed seats.  But, as is common, along the road we would stop to pick up more passengers going our way.  Soon it seemed like we were in one of those old "how-many-people-can-you-shove-into-a-vehicle" contests.  We were joined by people, luggage, buckets, stools, and a tv set. 

From the village we went up the mountain in a trailer hooked to the back of a small tractor.  A rather jolting ride once we got off the paved road, but so worth it. 

We spent one week there.  Everyone was sooooooo hospitable.  So much so I felt I was in very real danger of being fed within an inch of my life!!  Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious, but everyone everywhere seemed determined to feed us as much as possible.  Ok, I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of the pig heart dish, but everything else, but terrific. 

One day a friend and I were taken by motorcycle to another village on the opposite mountain from us.  Because of the mountainous roads it was either a steep uphill or a steep downhill, bracing so as not to crush the driver in front of me or bracing the other way so as not to slide off the back.  But the scenery was breathtaking.  Mountains, streams, trees, fields.  Really amazing. 

We got to the other village a bit on the late side, but as always, they must feed us.  So we had dinner around 1:30am.   We spent a good deal of time before that just sitting around the wood fire, eating sunflower seeds and talking.  I could see how bonding this is for the people of the village.  Friends and neighbors chatting and eating.  Young and old welcomed and heard. 

Another striking thing were the stars.  Being up in the mountains and away from city lights the night skies were brilliant.  It made me wish I recognized more than The Big Dipper and Orion's Belt, but it was beautiful nonetheless. 

A lovely, lovely time.

Cheers!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Chun Jie

Greetings to all Wilson fans out there.  While most of our friends and family in the US are pretty much recovered from the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year season, Chun Jie (Chinese New Year) is just starting to get under way. 

Imagine the crowds of Christmas shoppers in the stores that you frequent and multiply it by at least 3.  Bright displays, holiday music, loads of candy and gifts that will be exchanged.  And those few eager souls who just HAVE to shoot off a few fireworks now.  Oh yeah, fireworks stands on the street corners.  Imagine a long Christmas break combined with HOURS of Fireworks on the night of Chinese New Year.

This year is the "year of the Rabbit"  saying goodbye to the Tiger of last year.   Last year we sent our grandson, Justice, a stuffed Tigger.  Maybe Bugs Bunny this year?  We'll only have to do 10 more animals and he'll have the complete set.

Something that is happening in our complex, that I assume has something to do with the celebration is that on bushes all around are spread long green leafy vegetables for drying.  Sometime I'm going to take Mark and the dictionary and ask someone what they do with that vegetable and if it is for some sort of special holiday food.  I'm very curious about it all.

The coolest thing for me (Jamye) this year is that I'm going on a trip up into the mountains with a friend for Chinese New Year.  We will be visiting the home town of a good friend, stay with her family and get to share her families celebration.  I'm really looking forward to that!  I hope to bring back some really good stories and pictures from this.  I just hope I can keep up with my running program while there, I've been doing really well and want to keep the momentum moving along.

Well, to all our dear friends and family out there we hope you have a very good Chinese New Year Day whether you celebrate it or not. 

Now off to pack!

Happy New Year

We had a great New Year's Day.  As far as our city goes it was no big thing.  That's coming up with Chinese New Year. 

While many people like to go out for New Years, we had a homey, low-key day.  We had received a package from home on Christmas Day.   Among other things there were chocolate chips, pecans and dried cranberries.  So giving ourselves the day off for the holiday we decided it was a good day for baking. 

Now, our kitchen is rather small.  If people know where things are in there and you coordinate your steps you can get two and if very careful three people in there.  But we were game to try.  So Mark, Seth and I set about our cookie baking day.  We did the standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, of course. If Mark ever has to request a "last meal" I have no doubt that chocolate chip cookies will figure in the menu.  And because I am a big fan of dried cranberries I found a good recipe online for cookies with cranberries online.  If you are interested here is the recipe:

Cranberry Cookies

The house smelled wonderful with batch after batch of cookies coming out.  Then we got out some of our games.  Seth is very much like Mark, something of a ham, so the game of choice was Guesstures.  I am normally a bit self-conscious with that game, but since it was just the 3 of us it was a lot of fun and no pressure.    We relaxed, ate cookies, chicken nuggets, watched a movie for most of the afternoon. 

After that Mark and I went out on our bi-monthly date.   It was Mark's turn to plan so we went to a favorite restaurant not far from here,  Wicker Basket, for dinner.   After that Mark had arranged for us to got to a friend's hostel to use their private lounge.  He had brought his guitar and we just had a good time singing together.  Then a movie on their big screen tv.  Public Enemies ( Johnny Depp!) if you are interested. 

So, I guess party animals we're not, but it was a pleasant way to ease into the New Year. 

Cheers!