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