当然，可以！ (Dangran Keyi) – Of Course You Can!

Things are a little different here in China. For instance, every morning on our way to class we pass a group of people, most of them elderly, exercising. Now what makes this scene different is not only the equipment but what they do with it. One day as we were passing we see an elderly lady hop (and I do mean hop) up on to a set of parallel bars and swing herself up on top. Now her body perpendicular to the bars, so she inserts her legs between them and begins to do a maneuver that is like a reverse sit-up; one moment her head is hanging down to the ground and then she raises her body up horizontal to it. Now, I am sure that China is not the only place with ultra-flexible grandmas but most of the older ladies that I knew back home would dislocate joints just thinking about trying that move. But here, “hey Grandma can you do that?” 当然，可以！Of Course You Can!
Another example of how things are different is how the parents encourage their children to talk to perfect strangers, especially if they are foreigners. Take the little girl pictured above. She and her mother sat next to me on the bus. Almost immediately the mother told her to say “hello” and tried to get her to carry on a conversation with me. It seems that she had recently started English lessons and her mother wanted her to get in free practice. In other developed countries, parents usually try to shield their children from any contact strangers, and they get especially testy if you try to talk to their children. But here “hey that family looks nice, can I say hello to their cute little boy?” 当然，可以！Of Course You Can!
One last example of how things are different here can be seen in the picture of me below. Due to my chosen profession and other extenuating circumstances, I had to shave just about every day. But here “hey I wonder if I can grow a beard?” 当然，可以！Of Course I Can! – 付伟国

A different language is a different vision of life.
Federico Fellini (1920 - 1993)

一 个星期 (Yi Ge Xing Qi) – One Week

We are really settling into our lives here. Amanda with the talking thing (she is really coming along). Me with the eating thing (I actually am starting to enjoy spicy food). It seems though, that no matter how exotic the climes, things can become routine. So what is a week in our lives like?
星期一 (Xingqi yi) – The week usually begins here much the same way as the rest of the world… Wishing the weekend was one day longer. This is especially the case for me because bright and early we have school. Intellectually, I know how important going to school is, how much I need it, and how much it has helped. But what does not liking school have to do with intellect? I guess there are a lot of nouns that we could replace “school” with and those sentiments would still be true for a lot of people, i.e. work, the gym, Walmart. Anyway, I usually wake before the sun at around six thirty. I get up and check my email, see if anyone has left a comment on either of the blogs (we love hearing feedback), and our course check and see what is going on in Packer land (This season things are not looking so good. You would think it is because Brett is in New York but he doesn’t play defense). After that I go over the lesson for the day, and it is off to school. After class we either go somewhere for breakfast and to do homework, or we go home to do the same thing. Once homework is done, I start stretching to get ready for basketball and Amanda meets one of our friends in the city. Once we return home we eat dinner and unwind before bed.
星期二 到星期五上午(Xingqi er dao xingqi wu shang wu) - Tuesday thru Friday morning
These mornings are the same as Monday, school followed by homework. After we are done with our homework, we usual go our separate ways into the city to find people with whom we can 练习 (lianxi) or practice the things we have learned. I guess I am making progress because I don’t mind going places without my “wingman” anymore. In fact, when I am alone I seem to do pretty well communicating. “Pretty well” might be overstating things a bit, but at least I can get rudimentary thoughts across. We try to lianxi Chinese everyday with people. It serves a twofold purpose. Not only do we work on speaking and comprehending Chinese but we also meet a lot of really interesting people.
星期六 (xingqi liu) – Saturday morning we sleep in. Well, Amanda sleeps in; I am up at my usual time. I do sometimes sleep until seven so I guess that is sleeping in for me. How I wish I had cartoons to watch! I now understand the importance of Saturday morning cartoons while I was in school growing up. After a week of studying hard, the brain needs to unwind and there is something therapeutic about Bugs Bunny. Would doesn’t laugh at the antics of Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and the gang? After breakfast though, I usually do more studying, but in English. I don’t mind this studying at all. In fact, it always seems to give me the strength needed to muster up boldness and overcome any reticence that I may have. It is like food for a hungry man. In the evening we usually get with some of our waiguoren (foreign) friends which also serves to incite us to keep working.
星期天 (xingqi tian) – Sundays are often spent in one of the many parks here. The Chinese have a knack for parks. They are simple but wonderful places to relax. Last Sunday as I strolled through a park I came across a group of old people playing Mahjong. I decided to watch for a little while so I asked them if they would mind. They gave me the warm traditional welcome 欢迎 欢迎. One of the ladies tried to explain the rules to me but I got more out of it by just watching. Mahjong is a fast paced game that they really enjoy here. There is also a variation of chess that is popular with the men here but so far the rules are beyond my ability to comprehend. I think I will Google Chinese chess, and see if they have the rules online. On Sunday evenings we do whatever homework we have left, 预习课 yuxike or preview the next day’s lessons, and watch a movie or TV on the computer. Then it is off to bed so that the week can begin again.
Having stated all that, we have 一个星期 (yige xingqi) before our routine changes temporarily. We are approaching the end of the first three months of our stay, so we are going to have to make a visa run to Hong Kong. We were originally planning on going to Thailand but with the recent unrest we have diverted to HK. We have heard it is a wonderful place to visit. As always, of course, we will keep you posted. – 付伟国 Fu Wei Guo (my Chinese name)
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

啊呀 Aya! I Think I Bruised My Brain

Our first week of school is done. It was quite a week. In five days we covered 10 chapters. We were required to learn 120 vocabulary words. That includes recognizing the character, being able to write the pinyin (phonetic spelling), with correct tone. We were given a test Friday. We thought that it would be a selection of the words. We were wrong. We were tested on every last character that we covered. Our teacher, 上老师 (Shang Laoshi), is a very sweet lady but she clearly has lost touch with reality. Her expectations for us are too high. Every day after class she gives us tons of homework (I thought I gave that up with high school), and we have to practice writing characters that she test us on the next day. On top of that we have our other studying to do, and just being able to buy the daily necessities can be an experience that we have to struggle with. Aya! I think I bruised my brain. (This is one of the Chinese words that I know really well is aya. It is an interjection that denotes surprise or pain. If you have been keeping up with the blogs then you know that I have had many slapstick moments that give me the opportunity to use it.) You know how if you work out too much, or if you haven’t worked a muscle group in recently, you can hurt yourself? Well since they say the brain is like a muscle, does the same thing apply? I think so! There are parts of the brain that I have been using to learn Chinese that have clearly not seen much action for awhile. So that I don’t seem too negative about school, I am actually learning. When we walk down the street or go to the store we get to put into practice the things that we cover in class. Being able to recognize more characters is really helping our comprehension. Studying 语法 (yufa or grammar) is helping us understand how to use the words we know properly. It is hard work but there is also an expression that is used in connection to exercise. No pain, no gain. I sometimes think back to when I was a training officer with the fire department. When we had recruits to train we really worked them hard. We pushed them to the brink of mental and physical exhaustion and beyond. When their bodies and minds were ready to give up but the task was incomplete we would have to motivate them. Sometimes, we would use an encouraging word. Other times it would take a kick in the pants kind of like they do in a boot camp. But we would always remind them why they were willing to put themselves through so much. They had a goal. They wanted to be firefighters. To reach, that goal they had to train themselves even if it hurt. Well for me (I speak only for me because Amanda loves class and is doing really well, of course),when things get tough and I am getting to the point of total mental fatigue then I have to give myself a mental kick in the pants. I usually do this by picturing Jack Veal, one of my fellow training officers, in my face yelling at me. (Jack is a master motivator and is full of funny quotes.) Also I think about what all this hard work will accomplish. One out of every three babies born in the world is Chinese. There are huge Chinese communities in just about every country on the planet. My goal is to be able to communicate well enough so that I can teach them. A magazine that I read once says that people learn best if they are taught in the language that they speak in their heart. I want to be able to speak to their heart. So, I guess I will push pass the mental fatigue, and get back to my homework. – Frank
We have something in common. Your mama and my mama are both mamas. – Jack Veal
If you gonna be stupid, you better be tough. - Jack Veal

Lijiang – A Crossroad of Cultures

We arrived in Lijiang at sunrise, and it seemed like the entire city was asleep. When we agreed to go on holiday with our friends, we did not know what to expect. But as the sun rose over Leaping Tiger Mountain, we realized that we were in for a treat. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is not hard to see why. Lijiang, like so many places in China, is a city steeped in history. It dates back over 800 years. It was a major player in trading due to the old tea horse road which wound its way over 4000 km through the southwest Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and played a very important role in the development of China. Different Chinese ethnic cultures, such as the Dai, Yi, Han, Bai, Naxi, and Tibetans, have met, fused, and developed along the historic road. It is also famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. So when you combine the stunning panorama, the history, and the people into one place, you have the recipe for a wonderful time.
We spent the day walking through the ancient village, bartering with vendors hawking their goods, and taking snapshots to enhance the memories that were being made. At almost every turn there was a postcard worthy picture of a person, place, or thing. Do you realize that over five hundred years before Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and the others penned that famous document that gave birth to a nation; this city was not only in existence but thriving. It is stunning to think that there is not one city in America that is as old as Lijiang, and it is not even close to the oldest city in China.
Amanda has already reported on our wonderful dinner (if you missed it checkout mandachino.blogspot.com) but I just have to say if you ever visit Lijiang you have to visit a Mexican restaurant called Frosty Morning. Now, who would have believed that among all the different cultures you have here in Yunnan, there would be an authentic Mexican restaurant, run by a Mexican family, or that they would have a burger there that I rate as one of the top three burgers I have ever eaten. I could probably rate it higher than that but I don’t want to seem like I am exaggerating. Honestly, I can’t remember having a better burger. Not only was the burger first-class, the fries were crisp and hot, and the beer was ice cold and smooth. (Can it get better than that?)
We ended our evening in Lijiang, once again taking in the view of the city only this time at night. The city skyline was completely lit up with shades of red, orange, green, and yellow coming from the sweeping roof tops and hanging laterns. In the town square there was music playing and people were literally dancing in the streets. We walked along one of the many streams flowing through the city and gazed at the reflected light off of the water and breathed in the pleasant aromas emanating from the many restaurants. It was almost sensory overload but in the most wonderful way. Now we were looking forward to what the next day would bring. – Frank
Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers, that the mind can never break off from the journey.
Pat Conroy (1945 - ),


http://brucesabroad.com/www.brucesabroad.blogspot.com/Ljiang%20pics.doc

It's All the Same, Only Different

I know it seems like we do a lot of traveling but that is actually not the case. Mostly our lives are a lot like they were back home. We have pretty much settled into a routine. We started school this week to help us improve our Chinese. Our teacher is very nice and extremely patient (a very important quality to have while trying to get me to say my tones correctly). After school, we usually have homework to do but we also try to spend a portion of each day meeting people that we can talk to. Usually that is not hard because many Chinese are really curious about foreigners and enjoy talking with us. Often I get stopped by people on the street who just want to say hello. I have met quite a few people that way. On Mondays, I go to one of the local universities with a couple friends to play basketball. ( Yes Mom, I know I am getting too old for that but it is a great way to stay in shape and, truth be told, I love it.) The first time we went to play, I thought that since basketball was invented in America, we would not have any trouble staying on the court. The rules of the court are the same as back home; if you win, you keep playing. Well, after watching some guys play for awhile, we realized that things were not going to be so easy. Some of these guys are really good! Also, since there are so many people wanting to play, the games go to four points. That means that every possession counts. The games are usually intense but fair. The sportsmanship of the players is nice too. They call their own fouls and seem to play for fun. The first time we played, we stayed on the court most of the day. yesterday was a different story. There was this one team that routinely won five or six games in a row. The first time we played them, they won easily. The second time the game was much closer. They won 4-3. The third time we played them, we played to our strength. They had a guy guarding me who was 4 foot 6 inches so I had over a foot height advantage over him. So, basketball 101 dictates that I get down low, the rest of my team clears the lane so that I can shoot right over top of him. Our strategy worked, we won but I would learned later that I had just tugged on Superman's cape. The next time they came up to play us, not only did they put a taller guy guarding me, but "mighty mouse" now had something to prove (if you remember that not losing "face" is very important here. The entire court was surrounded by people who came to see the waigouren play. My posting him up and scoring three of four points on him in that situation fired him up. I continued to guard him but it took all I had to do so. This guy was quick. Just think about the physics involved. He is lower to the ground, so when he dribbles the ball gets back to his hands faster. Add to that they he has a lower center of gravity, so he can make cuts much quicker than the average person. Finally, I am probably 15 years older than him (aw youth, where have you gone?). You can probably tell by the strategic placement of my excuses that I didn't do too well. Just to give you an example let me describe one possession: he has the ball, I am thinking to myself "OK he is not getting by me". He goes left, I went left. In my mind I am thinking "OK. I have still got him". He dribbles right, I go right. I am still in front of him, barely. I am thinking "Please pass the ball!'. He crosses over and goes left again, I fall flat on my butt, he goes right by me. As that happens there is a loud "OOH" from the crowd. I am reduced to one last defense. I fervently wished "Please miss it. Please miss it". It seemed like eternity passed as I waited for the inevitable cheer that would come as he hit the shot. Thankfully, it never came. He missed the lay-up. (That left me a little face.) My team rebounded. We went on to play a few more plays. They still won must of the games the rest of the way. Mighty mouse was all over the place. He was a scoring machine. Afterwards, an old cliche came to mind: It is not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. It seems that saying is true at this court. No matter what the outcome, everyone seems to enjoy themselves, even when they fall. - Frank
Not every age is fit for childish sports.
Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC)
One man practicing sportsmanship is better than a hundred teaching it.
Knute Rockne (1888 - 1931)

http://brucesabroad.com/www.brucesabroad.blogspot.com/Basketball.doc