A Few Days in Beijing

We are on our way to a teachers conference in Seoul, Korea but we stopped in Beijing for a few days of sight seeing. After arriving in China's capital city, we were reminded of how crowded China is. There were people every where we turned. The squeeze was definitely on during our visit to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. It seemed that all of China must have been visiting on the same day. The Forbidden City is a museum that used to be the imperial palace. It's construction began in 1406. From within those imposing wall, 24 emperors ruled China for nearly 500 years. It occupies an area of 720,000 square meters and has over 9,000 bays of halls and rooms. It is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Since I love history, I enjoyed the visit. If I had it to do over again, though, I would pay the extra money for the guided audio tour and to see the extra rooms.

One thing that Beijing in famous for is it's variety of foods. One that I really enjoyed is called "Beijing kaoya" or Peking duck. I have tried duck before, but always I found it to be really greasy. The duck we had here in Beijing, however, was not greasy at all. In answer to "what does it tastes like", it definitely does not taste like chicken but instead has a stronger, wilder taste. They combine that tastes with sauces that are a little sweet and tangy, then you wrap the slices duck, combined with scallions and cucumber in a thin crepe like pancake. It was excellent. At another restaurant in Beijing, we had a simple meal of rabbit, chicken, and broccoli. The food was very good but the thing that makes this restaurant nice is that you also get treated to a show. JingJu, or Beijing Opera, is not something that many Westerners enjoy because of the high pitched singing. However it does have interesting parts. The interesting thing about JingJu is the colorful costumes and the various masks that the actors use. It is always a highlight to see how they change their mask with just a jerk of the head. That is the show that this restuarant features. A costumed actress dances around to lively music. The multipule mask changes that are made in time to the music is completely fascinating. I got a little video of it, but my batteries died just as it was getting interesting. Sorry.

Later on we went to Wangfujing Jie, which is a street famous for it's open air vendors. As we were walking along, I was once again struck by the fact that my in laws must have been trying to prepare me for life in China since Amanda and I were married. They were always trying to get me to eat various critters that you can never buy at the local Walmart. For example, just two weeks ago, they served rattle snake (freshly killed by one of the family). On Wangfujing Jie, you find booths lining the street selling all kinds of "xiao chi" or snacks. Some of the things they sell are items that I would not be surprised to find on Morris and Teresa's table. So when the vendors offered me snake on a stick, I thought to myself, "that's not so bad. I have had it before!" (Thanks Teresa) But they also sell things that I think even the inlaws would shy away from. See the pictures below.

- Frank

Our Last Weekend

On our last weekend in the US, some friends took us to an amusement park called Six Flags Over Georgia. It had been about ten years since Amanda and I had last been and we had Lexi, Amanda's niece, with us and it was her first time to any amusement park, so we were really looking forward to going. Superman-the Ultimate Flight, Batman - The Ride, and The Goliath are a few of the featured roller coasters. These rides are not for the faint of heart. After the park, one of my closest friends, took me to Turner Field to watch the Braves play. For those who don't know, I love baseball, and there is something special about being at the ballpark. Where else can you see the Home Depot tools race? I uploaded video of Superman, Goliath, and the traditional singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch. On our last weekend, we had a great time. Thanks to all who made it special. - Frank

Classtime Fun

One of the things that I find absolutely amazing is the fact that we were able to find work, when so many others have been unable to. Not only that, but we are doing the same thing that we did in China. We are teaching English. In our class, we have students from Mexico, Russia, Guatemala, and Turkey. We have really enjoyed teaching adults, instead of the children that we usually teach. We enjoy both groups but this has given us a different set of challenges, and we have had to come up with other methods of teaching. We have been asked many times "How can you teach English to someone when you don't speak their language"? Well, the methodology that we use is based on the way that children learn to speak. Our TESOL instructor holds to the belief that if the students are not having fun, then they are not learning, so we always administer a healthy helping of play in every class. It takes energy, imagination, and a lot of repetition, but we have seen results. I wish someone would use these methods to teach me Chinese. -Frank

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.
Gail Godwin

Move Over Alice...

We have been back in the US for almost a month now. In that time I have experienced a whirlwind of emotions. Our relationships with family and friends have been like a favorite pair of jeans, so comfortable that you can wait to get back into them. In this month, I have been able to spend more time with my parents than I was able to when we lived in Batesburg. So many of our friends have taken us to dinner, invited us over, or come to where we are staying. In so many ways we are made to feel at home. Then there are days when I feel as if we have stepped through some sort of looking glass, into a world where things are not quite the same as they have always been, into a world where things are just slightly out of sync. When things are this way, I often look around to see if I can catch a glimpse of the fleeting tail of the March Hare or the Cheshire grin of a cat perched in a tree. I remember how I used to fit in perfectly. I knew my place in all settings, and I didn’t have to struggle for integration. We stepped out of that life, though, and having gotten off that merry-go-round, you can’t just jump right back on. In every country there is a rhythm to life, an ebb and flow that you get accustomed to with the passage of time. Eight months and eight thousand miles have gotten me acclimated to a different rhythm. I guess I am experiencing a kind of cultural jet lag. Where it takes a week or two to get over real jet lag, I don’t know how long this will last. I do know, however, since we are planning on going back to China, we are still only on the outside looking in.

These feelings don’t last too long because usually someone does something to reach out and pull us in. Our first week back, our friend Chuck, had us out to his place on the lake. Two weeks ago, Amanda and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary. To celebrate it with us, my parents, her parents, and our close friends Mark and Sharon and Mike and Jeanie all took us out for nice dinners. Our friends Mike and Kelli even put us up in a hotel for the weekend. At a big three day event that was held in Columbia, we could barely walk around without friends coming up to us and welcoming us back with open arms. Then just two days ago, the Smith family had a big cookout at their place so that we could be with more friends. The love and acceptance has truly been overwhelming. - Frank

Cheshire Cat: If I were looking for a white rabbit, I'd ask the Mad Hatter.
Alice: The Mad Hatter? Oh, no no no...
Cheshire Cat: Or, you could ask the March Hare, in that direction.
Alice: Oh, thank you. I think I'll see him...
Cheshire Cat: Of course, he's mad, too.
Alice: But I don't want to go among mad people.
Cheshire Cat: Oh, you can't help that. Most everyone's mad here. [laughs maniacally; starts to disappear]
Cheshire Cat: You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself

I Passed. Really!

Just a quick follow up on my exam. I passed. I really did! I actually made an 86. A solid "B". That is the good news. The bad news is that after making all of that progress, I am returning to the US where I will not get to use my Chinese as much. Unfortunately, speaking a language is not like riding a bike. If you don't use it, then you lose it. So, even though being home is going to be great, I hope I don't forget the things I have learned. So I guess that will be the true test. Let's see how I do in three months. - Frank

Class is Out

Today, I taught my last class for the semester. It was one of my best days teaching, not becuase it was my last, but because of my students. There is something amazing about the brains of children. The capacity that they have for learning is truly astounding. I have only had these students for about four weeks, but in that time I have seen their confindence in the use of English grow. When I first began teaching them, they knew a few of English words but they seldom used them due to being somewhat shy around a foreigner. Today, however, they seemed to come out of their shell. I broke the class up into groups of four, put a picture on the board, and gave the groups ten minutes to write down ways to describe the picture and what they saw. After the time was up, one member of each group had to stand in front of the class, and talk about what they saw. We all know the old saying that a picture says 1000 words. Well, my students impressed me with their vocabulary and descriptive thinking. For example, the picture was of a man sleeping in a bed. One of the students said about the picture "I think he is having a good dream". I asked why he said that, and he told me "because the man is smiling". Another said that the man had a cheap bed. In explanation he said "it was because the bed was bowed". I was very impressed. In the span of a few weeks, they have began to take the vocabulary that they knew, added it to the new vocabulary that I taught them, combined that with the grammar patterns that they were taught, and then use it in abstract thinking. I am looking forward to the fall semester. Working with them and seeing their progress encourages me in my efforts to learn their language. - Frank

Should I Get In the Hot Tub?

Last week we were invited to join some friends as they visited the nearby hot springs. I was sick all week so I really didn't feel up to going but then I realized that we will soon be leaving China and I had better seize the opportunity while I have the chance. Going to a hot spring, spa, and resort is definitely not something we can afford in the US. Also, if I didn't go I would be passing on the opportunity to relive a classic SNL (Saturday Night Live) skit; James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub. (If you have never seen this skit, check it out at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdjv5ZwQcdQ) So on an overcast, cool morning we made the hour long trip to the spa. Once we arrived, it didn't take long for me to realize that I had made the right decision. The resort had over twenty pools, filled with different types of water. There was a coconut milk pool, a green apple pool, and a pool with rose petals. One pool had tiny fish in it to eat the dead skin off your body. Basically, the fish serve as a glorified loofah. In Japan, this is a very popular and very expensive treatment, but we got to experience it with the price of admission (which was less than $20 US). One of my favorite pools was filled with red Kool Aid. Don't worry, I know it looks like I tasted it but that was all staged for the picture. As I settled into the water, however, I did say the obligatory "Oh Yeah"! We finished our visit to the spa with a dip in a traditional hot tub. One of our friends said it looked like I was in the pot of some hostile natives, slowly cooking. Thankfully though, the natives were friendly and the only thing they were cooking was good Chinese food for a good price. Five of us ate for around $15. All in all, I am very glad that I listened to my friends and accompanied them. We now know of a nice place to visit this winter, when it is cold what can be better than being in a hot tub. - Frank