Let's go Boating Together...in a Dragon Boat

The sky put on a show for us as it transitioned from day to night and just as it was ending we were surprise by another show. Jon, Ryan, Emily, Cameron, Kim, Ken, Nancy, and I had just finished dinner at Jin Jiao Zi, where we like to eat dumplings, and had decided to walk back home. Jin Jiao Zi is very close to Military Square, which is more like a park and a place for people to gather, and even is complete with an underground market, than anything relating to the military. I think it is called Military Square because the military use to use the underground part where the market now is located.

"Look," Emily said as she pointed towards the center of the square, "the fountains are finally on!"

Hearing this I jumped for joy with my student Nancy. All year long students and Chinese friends have told us of the fountain show in Military Square and how wonderful it is, but that it is only in the summer. And all year long, whenever I walk in the square past the still fountains, with hundreds of fountain heads everyone, I wonder just what they all do. Emily, Kim, Nancy, and I rushed over in anticipation of seeing the whole show. The music filled the air with a stately sound and the water followed right along with it. The colors teased, twinkled, and shined as they shifted to fit the music and the water.

"Oh, it looks just like they are dancing!" exclaimed Nancy mesmerized by the fountain.

"I know, it is beautiful. Oh, look at these, they are my favorite because they look like sea shells," I replied.

We watched the fountains until the end of the show, which ended with them shooting the water up consistent enough to show the nightly news on it. With the person's face so big in front of you, and on seemingly nothing, it almost was like what you might imagine would happen when someone was sending you an important secret message. It definitely made the nightly news a little more interesting.

The fountains put on quite a show, but they couldn't have found more relaxed and ready audience. That day was the Dragon Boat Festival Day, a holiday for China. So the schools have four days of holiday for it. None of us had any classes that day and instead were just enjoying the day as it came. On the Dragon Boat Day it is tradition to eat Zong Zi, which is rice with a date inside wrapped in a leaf. It is very sweet and reminds me of the flavor of sweet tea. Naturally, I love it. The holiday couldn't come at a better time for us IECSers. The last few weeks were a whirl-wind of activity and emotion.

A few weeks ago, a lot of us were really looking forward to the coming of English Weeks at our schools and coming of some Americans with it. The week would have actually been going on right in this moment, if it had not been canceled at all the schools. The schools could not allow so many foreigners from the US to come right now because of Swine Flu. It seems a little hard to understand, especially in light of all the money, time, work, and thought put into these weeks. I know there is a bigger plan though, and I am continuing to learn to trust more and more. Our boss, Newt, was already in China when the weeks finally got canceled, and so he asked all the teachers to come to Beijing to be together one last time. It was a much needed time after the hit of no English Weeks and a sweet gift of time to be altogether for the last time. If the weeks were not canceled the team probably would not have had this time together. It is so good to be able to come together and encourage one another. The Baodingers also managed to squeeze a trip into the Bird's Nest. The third time truly was the charm for me because it was on this third trip to the Bird's Nest that I finally made IN. The inside was honestly a little smaller than I imagined it to be, but impressive none the less. We pretended to be spectators and even went and ran around the field a little bit. While there the Olympic mascots came out in big blow-up suits and danced around the "Beijing Huanying Ni" (Beijing Welcome's You) song from the Olympics. It was was fantastic.

Besides just getting a good trip into Beijing and getting to see the whole team, we've also had some great time in Baoding. Tony came to visit here this past week and got a chance to spend some good time with students. We now have some fellow brothers and sisters in Baoding! I am so overjoyed about it! This also serves to remind me just how my timing is not always right.

The holiday is also nice not just to rest from what just happened, but as a time to prepare for what is ahead...the finish! We have about three weeks left before heading home (June 22nd), and in this time it seems there is so much to do. We will wrap up all our classes, spend some last times with students, and prepare to take the trip home! Keep us in your thoughts as we do all these things!

**Sorry for no fun pictures or videos...some of these things are not working where I am at right now

OHIO!

A murmur of voices droned along in my classroom as I strained my voice trying to teach my students the 50 Nifty United States. Then in a moment of clarity in my Thursday afternoon class, the students’ voices all rang-out clear and strong “O…HI…O!” Before the singing could continue, giggles ensued after as my students recognized their struggle and accomplishment at all the same time. It literally took about a minute to get them tuned back in (well slightly tuned) and singing again. My students are all taking an exam soon on the Geography and things of that nature soon and I now know if nothing else on the exam they will know Ohio is the name of a state. I feel like the past week or so was a little like this moment in the room, going along at a paced a little faster than I can keep up with, but having moments of complete clarity and collective joy! Last weekend, I had the honor of visiting my good friend Ashly’s (Deng Xia: Said like dong she-a) home in Shijiazhuang. Just to be in a friend’s home in China excited me, but I had know idea all that was in store for the weekend! Emily and I rode the train to Shijiazhuang together and from the moment we stepped into the crowded streets of the city and spotted Ashly until the moment we stepped into the cluster, not line, of people waiting for the train to go home, her family treated us like honored guest. Some of the things we did include visiting Buddhist temples, seeing the training area for the female ping pong Olympic athletes, visiting a family manor, shopping, more shopping, climbing a mountain, walking on a road over 1000 years old, and a little more shopping. One of my favorite moments came when we were shopping with Ashly. Emily and I were looking at the jeans and Emily commented, “I don’t really like skinny jeans.” Ashly turned and looked at Emily, and with all sincerity in her eyes said, “Oh, do you wear fat jeans?” Emily then explained to Ashly we don’t have “fat jeans” as a style, but that yes, she does like the other type of jeans better. I love funny little language moments, and I know that I make them all the time as I struggle to learn and speak Chinese! Her family also did an awesome job at feeding us over the weekend. It is always fun to eat with lots of Chinese people, because as Americans here we often get in a rut of ordering the same things over and over and over again and have a hard time venturing out and trying anything new. Emily and I discovered some lovely red wine flavored pears we love. We also found some new spicy chicken that is quite delicious. One night, Ashly’s family did feel sympathy for us Westerns and decided to treat us to the Western restaurant in her town. At a Chinese meal, you order dishes for the whole table and everyone shares, so for a Western person to go to an Eastern table or vice versa it can be quite a change. I think the dinner that night was one of the largest I’ve had in China! There was salad, soup, fries, pizza, fruit, chicken, stake, and desserts…probably enough food to feed a crowded bus load in China (and that’s saying something!). Overall, the weekend was a blast both in spending time with a good friend and in learning about my Chinese brothers and sisters.
I also have shared some joy at a few other meals this week. Emily and I whipped up some chili and invited over some of the other foreign teachers to come and dine with us. It was a night of great conversation and great eating. The next night, we also had the delight of dining with fellow teachers, though not in our homes but in restaurant we call Sophie’s Palace (one of fellow teacher’s Sophie was the first to take us there). Mike and Wen Jia, along with their daughter Mckayla, are here this year to teach with us and it was delightful to get to know them a little better. It is not hard to find conversation and good company.
The team now is getting ready for some visitors from the US who are coming on the English Week here. We are hoping at the moment it will happen, because there is a lot of concern with visitors from the US and the Swine Flu. We are expecting the best though!

With Ashly and Emily visiting the sites!

At the Western Restaurant after our feast!

On the top of the mountain

In front of Ashly's home with her family!