My China

We traveled from Siagon to the small beach town of Phan Theit. The beautiful people, white sandy beach, and tropical climate where a great escape from the grey Shanghai winter.

Vietnam War Museum

2007-04-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

vietnam war museum

Siagon Vietnam

2007-04-09T05:14:00.001-07:00

Siagon Vietnam

Click on the image to view photos of Siagon.

2007-03-18T04:53:00.000-07:00

chinese new year

The first graders created a dragon costume in celebration of the New Year . There are many legends about dragons. In the Han Dynasty, people thought dragons could summoun clouds and rain. So when there was arid weather, they would do the dragon dance to seek help from the dragon. This custom has passed from generation to generation and exists even today.

There is no consensus on the origin of mythical Chinese dragon, but many scholars agree that it came from totems of different tribes in China. Some have suggested that it comes from a stylized depiction of existing animals, such as snakes, fish, or crocodiles. For example, the Banpo site of the Yangshao culture in Shaanxi featured an elongated, snake-like fish motif. Archaeologists believe the "long fish" to have evolved into images of the Chinese dragon. The association with fish is reflected in the legend that a carp which is able to leap over the mythical "Dragon Gate" would become a dragon. Several waterfalls and cataracts in China are believed to be the location of the Dragon Gate. This legend is used as an allegory for the drive and effort needed to overcome obstacles and achieve success.

There are four major Dragon Kings, representing each of the four seas: the East Sea (corresponding to the East China Sea), the South Sea (corresponding to the South China Sea), the West Sea (sometimes seen as the Indian Ocean and beyond), and the North Sea (sometimes seen as Lake Baikal).Because of this association, they are seen as "in charge" of water-related weather phenomenon. In premodern times, many Chinese villages (especially those close to rivers and seas) had temples dedicated to their local "dragon king". In times of drought or flooding, it was customary for the local gentry and government officials to lead the community in offering sacrifices and conducting other religious rites to appease the dragon, either to ask for rain or a cessation thereof.

2007-03-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

Fire crackers explode day and night for this week long celebration. Traditionally the loud noise was believed to scare away evil spirits but today they are primarily lit for specticle. This photo was taken outside our apartment on New Years day. I'm amazed by the amount of exploded fireworks our tiny section produced over night

2007-03-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome the year of the golden pig or is it the fire pig? Most in China say golden, but looks like many internet sites offering preditions for the new year are using the flashy term "Fire Pig". It adds to the drama of the predictions for the upcoming year. Chinese fortune tellers say it will be a good time to have a baby, but also warn there will be an upsurge in epidemics, disasters and violent conflicts across the world.Pig years can be turbulent because they are dominated by fire and water – two of the five elements that Chinese mystics say are the basis of the universe, a Hong Kong feng shui master said.Conflicting elementsSince fire and water are conflicting elements, they tend to whip up trouble, he said.A Malaysian feng shui master agreed with him, warning for epidemics and health problems.PredictionsOne of the predictions for this year is that the North Korean communist nation will undergo a power struggle that will bring leadership changes around May.Other predictions include the situation in Iraq will not settle, global economy continues to grow, a Japanese city will be struck by an earthquake, US president Bush will have a bad year and the next president of France will be a lady.

Holiday performance

2007-02-02T19:56:00.001-08:00

holiday performance 1

Here are some pictures of RBIS holiday performance. The students brought Frosty the Snowman to life with a little song and dance and amused and confused the audience with their performance art piece titled, "The Snowman." For the performance," the students recited a poem about a snowman while two students painted his image on a piece of plexi glass. I thought it looked brilliant, but I think most parents are into jingle bells and blinking Reindeer noses. In the end, the choreographed and propped, "Frosty the Snow Man" won the hearts of the audience. Tis the season.

Hainan Photo Album

2006-12-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

china hainan

Thanksgiving in Hainan

2006-12-03T03:52:00.000-08:00

I talked to one of my friends last week and I asked her what she was doing for Thanksgiving. She said she was going to her mother’s house to spend the day with her family. I said,”Oh! You must be so excited!”. Normally I would have offered an apathetic, “Oh, that’s nice.” But not in China where grandma’s turkey is miles away and I'm faced with the street purchase of a deep fried chicken that’s still looking at me when it’s dropped in the pot. Luckily I planned a trip to Hainan islands and was able to prolong eating that street bird. Hainan is located on the warm and sunny southern tip of china and proved to be a much needed break from the busy-hazy streets of Shanghai. I spent three days swimming in the ocean with friends, reading on the beach, and enjoyed every minute of sunshine and blues skies. It was perfect.

Jellyfishing

2006-12-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

One of the days we all decided to go snorkeling. Normally when you go snorkeling it’s a relaxing experience. Not in Hainan. Snorkeling is more a time to test your skills at dodging a “smack” of jellyfish. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the drop site, looked over the edge, and saw fifty jellyfish just hanging out. I was surprised at how terrified I was. It didn’t comfort me that we were in wet suites, wearing garden gloves, and equip with big black rubber flippers. My face, wrists, and ankles were exposed, and I just knew a slimy tentacle would catch my naked skin. Despite my fears I jumped in. I wish I could say I relaxed and enjoyed the underwater scene, but that would be a lie. Remember your first time in a haunted house…all the panic and fear of having some nasty monster jump out of the dark? That’s how I felt. I was so relieved when it was time to swim back to the boat that I got over excited and started heading for the boat as quickly as I could. Just as I was nearing the boat I swam directly into a mass of jellyfish. I felt trapped and horrified. Staring at them wasn’t helping, so I turned on my back, and started swimming backwards towards the boat. It was at that point that I felt a sting on my wrist. One got me. I made it back to the boat and am proud to say I have overcome my fear of jellyfish.

2006-12-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

Our vacation package included a fish massage. It feels even stranger than it looks. Turns out our hotel converted their hot tub into a fish massage water tank. Once you’re in, the tiny fish attack your body and work to remove dead skin. At first, you’re so ticklish it’s almost uncomfortable and all you can do is laugh. After five or ten minutes you adjust, and spend the rest of the time watching the fish poop out your skin. Not so clean, but good to experience.

2006-12-03T03:25:00.000-08:00

Because pearls are prevalent on the island, women of the island often approach tourists with hopes that they’ll sell a strand

2006-12-03T03:17:00.000-08:00

Can you tell these boys, loved havig their picture taken?

Seafood on the beach

2006-12-03T02:38:00.000-08:00

On our last night we ate fresh seafood on the beach. The beach vendors set up pink chairs and foldout tables by a small barbeque on the sand. Next to the BBQ there was a table covered with more than 10 different skewered meats. We ordered some small fish, and my favorite, squid.

Halloween photo album

2006-12-03T02:37:00.000-08:00

china halloween

2006-12-03T01:31:00.000-08:00

I went out on Saturday night with the intention of being a mummy. As I was getting ready and thinking how proud I was of my elaborate bandage wrappings, I realized that going to the bathroom was literally a bust. After an hour of looping bandages across, sideways, and up and down, the thought occurred to me..."This is such a great costume. Why aren't more people mummies. I'm so clever." It was at that point I felt the urge to use the lue and unwrapped an hours worth of work. Not so clever after all. There was no way that I could rewrap and make it to the party on time, so I went as a "Party Monster." Lame, I know. I ripped it off that Macaully Culcin movie about the club kid that gets addicted to crack. I kept some bandages, threw on a pink glitter wig, rubbed green under my eyes, and shaded dark track lines on my inner arms. Yeah. No one guessed my costume. At the party there were some pretty entertaining costumes. I had two favorites. One of my guy friends dressed up as Glen Close from Fatal Attraction. He put on his girl friends black dress and carried around a pot with a hand made rabbit inside. Anther guy at the party was dressed as the sleazy mexican bowler from the Big Lebowski. Hilarious!

Jane Goodall Photo Album

2006-12-03T01:26:00.000-08:00

china jane goodall

2006-12-03T01:16:00.000-08:00

Last friday Jane Goodall visited our school. It was unbelievable meeting such an amazing women. My class spent two weeks learning about her research on chimpanzees, Africa, and endangered animals. The students worked together to trasformed the outside of our class into an African rainforst, created books about Jane, and wrote letters asking her questions about her life. When she arrived on Friday they were all so excited. One little girl asked me, "Is that really Jane Goodall? Or are you just tricking us. Is it her or is it just someone wearing a mask that looks like her?" I love first graders. During her tour of the school, my students presented Jane with a book they created. She loved the book so much that she said she is going to put the cover on her website! Before she left she signed a book for our class that says "Follow your dreams." I'm still overwhelmed and overjoyed by the experience.

Fishing Villlage

2006-12-03T01:13:00.001-08:00

fishing village

The fishing village

2006-12-03T00:38:00.000-08:00

On day four we ate lunch with another coworker of Stacy’s named Jane. Jane found my red face very funny, as did most of the people on the island. My sunburn turned my skin a bright red and this caused many men, women, and child, to stop to look, point, and laugh. Maybe now instead of “hairy foreigners” they will call us red face foreigners. At the restaurant we ate a whole fried chicken, which was so delicious! They gave us plastic gloves to wear while we pulled apart the chicken. Later in the afternoon we visited the local fishing village, which was so amazing. We viewed the rustic homes on the dusty streets and admired the rolling green hills and rocky cliffs on the sea side. When we approached the center of the village we heard music and loud voices. We walked down the path towards the noises and discovered many villagers seated around a small outdoor stage. On the stage set made of poles and blowing silk cloth were five performers dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and makeup. What an amazing surprise! Just a couple weeks earlier I watched a documentary explaining the role of the traveling performers in fishing villages. Because the villages are disconnected from city life and entertainment, the traveling performers are treasured within their communities. From what I can remember they travel to the villages once a month and perform comedies with a mix of song and dance. I still can’t believe our luck to stumble upon such a rare cultural experience.

2006-12-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

buddhist temple

Buddhist Temple

2006-12-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

On day three we traveled up the mountain to a majestic Buddhist temple that overlooked the ocean and fishing villages. When we arrived we bought red sticks of incense to burn for prayers. One of the old women dressed in black guided me to the alter and modeled the body position and hand movements for prayer. I watched and imitated as she kneeled, put her hands together in prayer, and bowed three times. Then she quietly lowered her hands and placed them palms down on the floor and turned them palm up creating a resting place for her forehead. We raised our heads and repeated these actions a total of three times. After prayer Stacy, Noel, and I grabbed a coin and made a wish at the wishing well. Your wish comes true if you toss the coin and it lands on the yellow earth at the bottom of the well.

Sheng Si Photo Album

2006-12-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

Sheng Si

Gan bei!

2006-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

On day three we visited the Elementary/secondary School where Stacy worked as an English teacher. The school is massive and has a girls and boys dormitory where students from nearby islands come to learn and live. If you can believe it the junior and senior students begin study at 8:00 in the morning and continue until 9:00 at night! Then they sometimes go back to the dormitory and study as late as 12:00. Apparently you’re popular if you are the smartest student, not the sports star or cheerleader. There is very little emphasis placed on sports, but they love basketball. Can you say Yao Ming? After visiting the school we went out to lunch with two of Stacy’s co-workers, Ms. Orange and Louis. Ms. Orange name in Chinese translates to orange in English and coincidently she grew up on an orange orchard. They both were very sweet and insisted on treating us to lunch because it is respectable to pay for friend’s meals when they visit the island. That night another one of Stacy’s coworkers invited us to her home for dinner. Unbelievable! She cooked for 5 hours and there were over 20 dishes served! She continued cooking during the meal and the dishes were stacked on top of each other because the table was not large enough to hold all the food. Everything was so delicious, but it is still very difficult for me to eat the fish because of all the bones. It makes sense that they spit the bones on table. There’s just too many of them to stop and delicately take them out of your mouth. I’m getting better, but still not to the point where I can just chew and spit. Throughout dinner Stacy challenged the men to “Gambai!” It’s popular in China to fill up a small glass with beer and individually cheers each person sitting at the table. Only instead of cheers they say gambai which means bottoms up in Mandarin, and you have to drink all that’s in your glass. By the end of the meal and 30 gambais later, we headed for the islands only bar. Not much was happening at the bar, which is strange because it is the islands only bar, so we joined Stacy’s friend, Mr. Sugar, at a local restaurant. Mr. Sugar was voted the best looking man on the island…well that’s what his friends will tell you and you know what he was pretty handsome. When we arrived we found that he also had much to drink and kept whispering secrets in Stacy’s ear. We only stayed a short while because one of the girls at the restaurant was crying, which made all the other girls cry. Apparently her family did not approve of the man she loved and the tragic romance had brought all the women to tears. We thought it was best to leave and made our way to the islands only disco which is popular for it’s bouncing floor. Once there we ate sweet popcorn, drank more beer, and bounced on the dance floor under the flashing neon disco lights. We ended the night at a KTV station, which is often a private Karaoke room in a hotel. Inside the room were several couches, a table, and a large screen that played music videos while we sang. In China it is more common to have private rooms for Karaoke, rather than a stage in the center of the bar where everyone watches your drunken performance. Would have been nice to have a private room when I gave my superstar performance of “Like a Virgin,” at Friar Tucks in Chicago. There was also that one time at Carroll’s when Alex and I sang, “Straight Up Don’t Tell Me.” Well he sang, I screamed, thinking for a moment I was Janice Joplin, only because the act before us sang Bobby Magee and I felt inspired. Live and learn.

To the beach

2006-12-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

On day two we walked to the beach and enjoyed swimming and sunbathing under an unpolluted sky. We were thrilled to have a women on the beach teach us Tai Chi and in turn Noel taught her his version of Irish dancing, which is kicking his feet around like an Irish dancer, but without a predictable step. Others on the beach joined in on the dancing and Stacy taught them the Time Warp, you know from Rocky Horror Picture Show. After dancing, Noel and I entertained with “traditional Chinese fighting.” I hadn’t heard of it but Noel convinced me that for the fight I had to balance on one leg and hold the opposite foot over my knee. Standing up straight, the leg position looks like a number four. Once we were in place we hopped around trying to knock each other down. Being the sore looser that I am, and seeing how much I love to win, I knew I had to be the last man standing. I was successful and the islanders laughed and cheered when Noel tumbled to the ground. The people of the island do not see many “Foreigners”, so I felt we were viewed a little like circus performers. All we needed was a monkey with a top hat, an elephant, and a bearded lady and we could have charged money. That night the headmaster of the school took us out to dinner and we had another incredible meal with many dishes. The most unusual dish was called “The Buddha hand.” At first I thought it looked like a turtles hand and was happy to learn it was instead a type of shellfish. Once you crack it open, there is something similar to a clam inside.

2006-12-02T20:04:00.001-08:00

The ferry

Hop on the ferry to Shen Si Island. Don't forget your boots!

2006-12-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a trip to an island not far from Shanghai. It’s good to know there’s a beach just a ferry ride away…well a five hour ferry ride if tickets are sold out and you have to buy from a seedy scalper who says you’ll ride the hour and half fast boat, which when making a street deal, translates to the slow slow boat. Once on the ferry, we found our seats on the upper deck and were surprised to see they were occupied by a group of rough fishermen playing cards. We pointed to our seats and they pointed to a bench and table by the window. We decided the fishermen, being fishermen, would win the battle over seats, so we smiled, waved and found ourselves a spot in the direction they pointed. The only unpleasant experience on the ferry was the bathrooms. The smell was horrible, so heavy that you could feel it. It’s much better to be a man on the boat. In the women’s bathroom, there is no toilet, just a stall with a drain, and you can imagine what a mess that becomes after several hours on the boat…on a boat…which means stomachs are turning and the bathrooms see the best of that as well. A second after entering the bathroom, I wondered if it was possible to protect my nose, lungs, and eyes from all that was happening, so I held my breath and covered my face with my jacket. Obviously that didn’t work. Breathing is necessary and eyes are needed to navigate around questionable fluids… Is that water covering the floor from the sink or the toilet? Wait is that water? Looks like somebody ate corn for dinner maybe rice. Is there even enough room to step around that? Am I wearing flip-flops? “Yes, Mother. I promise, going to the islands is sanitary.”

Kimchi and foot massages

2006-12-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

I love it here. Schools stress free and there's always something going on to keep me busy. A couple of weeds ago I went out to dinner with the parents of a little girl in my class who is half Swedish and Korean. We went to a fancy Korean BBQ restaurant on the fifth floor of a very elegant building. I love Korean food and was very excited to have food ordered for me. So often I have to point to numbers on a menu and hope I'm not served intestines or chickens feet. Well, everything tasted wonderful. The cool pickled vegetables and spicy kimchi (pickled cabbage or vegetables with hot chili pepper) were a nice compliment to the savory pork and steak tenderloin that was cooked over wood buring coals in the center of our table. Throughout the meal the family showed me how to properly eat and mix the various foods. The meat, rice, vegetables, and peanut sauce are placed in the center of a piece of leafy lettuce and then rolled up, like a wrap. Yum!
After dinner the mother, whose name is Kim, and I went out for foot messages. An unuasaully tall Chinese man messaged my feet. I'm convinced they assigned him to me because my feet are slightly larger than their usual clientele and they felt they needed a big man for the big job. Kim kept saying, "Oh he's so happy to be messaging the feet of a pretty girl from America." I felt he might be frightened. The message was an hour long and it only cost $6 US. It's easy to spoil yourself here because spa services are so cheap.

Counterfeit Fifties and Tears

2006-12-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Life in Shanghai is going great. Many have asked
and yes, it often smells...real bad...like a
rotten horror. The stench comes in waves and
causes a physical reaction much like being
slapped. Other than that, life's not so surreal.
Except for everyone is Chinese and speaks
Mandarin slang and everything is written in
Chinese. Imagine that in China! Things that
should be simple, like buying and installing a
printer for my computer, are not, because I live
in China, and the installation CD is in Chinese.
Culture shock has only led me to cry once, and it
was less out of desperation than instinct and
necessity. A couple days after moving into my new
apartment I took a taxi home from IKEA. Yes IKEA.
There's no escaping self-assemble Scandinavian
furniture, even in China. However, all the
products are also written in Chinese, so again
something simple like buying a sheet set for a
double size bed is complicated. (Also bed Sizes
are defined in units of inches or centimeters or
meters for all I know) Back to the taxi home. So,
I handed the driver a fifty to pay for the ride
and he held it up to a tiny blue light under his
rear view mirror, then looked back at me and
started pointing and shouting at the fifty. I
didn't need to know the language to understand
that the fifty was counterfeit. Well that's all
the money I had and since I don't speak mandarin
slang, I couldn't say "that's all I have or take
me to the bank." The more I tried to smile,
point, and shrug my shoulders the angrier the
driver became. Seeing that the sweet stupid
innocent foreigner routine was not working I
decided crying was my out. And it was. He stopped
shouting and pointed to the door.

2006-12-02T19:11:00.001-08:00

Shanghai August

More food

2006-12-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

I can buy almost anything American at grocery stores. However it is very pricey, so I limit my purchases. At all times my fridge is stocked with cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, strawberry jelly, and peanut butter. I haven't eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for years and it's my favorite comfort food in China. Little restaurants and window vendors are also great for a quick bite. Many venders sell all kinds of steamed dumplings that are fantastic for snacks and breakfast. They are usually filled with chives, sweet red beans, sour cabbage, or seasoned meat. My school also has chefs, yes plural, who prepare pastries for snack in the morning and afternoon and served huge plates of food for lunch. The lunch menu varies from Chinese to American cuisine and is always fresh and so tasty. Last week we had chicken alfredo with buttery carrots and a creamy potato pea salad. It's so good. This week they just finished building a cafe in the cafeteria and they are now serving luscious cakes and coffee in the morning. I had my first cup today and it was amazing! As you can imagin there's no Dounkin Donuts or Starbuck on the way to work, so I've done without for the last month. That first sip was like heaven.

Chicken bones and stinky tofu

2006-12-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

I went to dinner last night at a Cantonese restaurant. It was very traditional and tasty. We ate warm salad cooked in soy sauce, hairy beans-a lot like warm seasoned edamame, a radish-beef stew, crunchy pork which was so savory, and a chicken dish. I enjoyed all, but the chicken. I took one bite and it was filled with bones. The lighting was poor so it was difficult to get a good look at the meat, so I just put it in my mouth and expected to taste chicken. Unfortunately for me being the novice Cantonese chicken eater that I am, I was shocked to discover little meat and instead, found my mouth to be filled with a rubbery chicken skin sack loaded with bone chips. I tried to be polite and navigate the bones out of my mouth , but I'm just not that skilled and had to spit the whole lot out into my napkin. After that I avoided the chicken.
Today I ate another interesting Taiwanese specialty called stinky tofu. It smells like a strong mix of Limburger cheese and a street festivals porta potty. Very foul, but I though I should still give it a try. Many people love it. Well it tasted like it smelled but it didn't have bones so this time I was able to swallow. Later found that the tofu has to soak for a couple of hours in a brine of literally rotten vegetables and shrimp. It is potentially so noxious that, if not careful, it can be contaminated with pathogens and maggots. This fermentation process is responsible for it's magical smell and taste. Yum. Come visit China.