I have a really bad attitude about Mondays. I have many grievances against it. Its the first day of the work week, which comes alone directly after a weekend which was too short. My main complaint against Mondays is that they hurt so much more after an unproductive week. I did not work on school related items as much as I should have this weekend. I did not go to bed last night at a decent time, as I should have. I did not force myself to go into school early this morning, as I should have.
What's lacking here is some serious, assignment-kicking, grade-tackling motivation.
This is what my day looked like--if my day was composed of bullet points only.
What a boring post--please stop now if you can. I don't know. Maybe you have been hypnotized.
Wake-up 90 minutes late (too bad)
Get ready for the day
Take a detour to school because of road work
Finish planning math, social studies, science, and language arts for the week
Mark copies to be made for the week
Write the schedule and date on the board
Write the morning work on the board
Make, print, cut-out, and distribute spelling lists
Finish a pirate research
Make a little house on the prairie power point
make copies for language arts
set up the laptop and projector
keep students on track with morning work
send English Support students to their L.A. class
Teach language arts
Start snack time
finish working on the pirate power point
get the power point from the desk top to the lap top
organize the little house on the prairie workbook we're making
prepare for "book" class
observe my TI teach math class
teach "book" class
role-play a chapter we studied
vocabulary study
dismiss for lunch
eat lunch
prepare for social studies
supervise spelling and handwriting work
teach social studies
dismiss for computer class
make sure students get their eye exams
talk to the nurse about the eye infection all my students have apparently (bummer)
write a reminder letter to parents about our all-day field trip on Friday
Sent the letter to be translated
Print the letter without the translation because it wasn't translated
discuss language arts with my TI
distribute other school related letters
prepare for science class
teach science class
cut cake, distribute goody-bags for student's birthday
have a party
send the student to the principal's office to get a prize
give announcements/homework
have students who are high on sugar pack-up
bring students to the bus
go to the auditorium to get ready for drama rehearsal
rehearse from 3:40--5:00
Take the long way home because of the detour
Grade papers because quarter 1 is just about over
Try to work on more play stuff
eat dinner
have some quiet time
waste time on facebook and blogspot
regret the time wasted
~Julie
have a party
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I Never Thought That I Would...
Ride a bike in China.
Enjoy teaching this much.
Live in a 3-bedroom apartment.
Buy meat from the butcher and not pass out because of my germ phobia.
Help direct a pirate play.
Use chopsticks more often than forks or spoons.
Buy cheap and slightly suspicious DVD's from a shady, hole-in-the-wall store.
Carry toilet paper in my purse.
Make a grocery list according to how much weight my bike basket can handle.
Order McDonalds delivery.
Have curtains and pillows custom made.
Get so excited about packets of taco seasoning.
Never tip the waiter.
Barter for merchandise.
Pay someone to do my laundry, cleaning, and dishes.
Bake food in such a tiny oven.
Ride a bike wearing high heels, like the Chinese ladies do.
Speak broken English so perfectly.
I never thought that I would....but I do.
Enjoy teaching this much.
Live in a 3-bedroom apartment.
Buy meat from the butcher and not pass out because of my germ phobia.
Help direct a pirate play.
Use chopsticks more often than forks or spoons.
Buy cheap and slightly suspicious DVD's from a shady, hole-in-the-wall store.
Carry toilet paper in my purse.
Make a grocery list according to how much weight my bike basket can handle.
Order McDonalds delivery.
Have curtains and pillows custom made.
Get so excited about packets of taco seasoning.
Never tip the waiter.
Barter for merchandise.
Pay someone to do my laundry, cleaning, and dishes.
Bake food in such a tiny oven.
Ride a bike wearing high heels, like the Chinese ladies do.
Speak broken English so perfectly.
I never thought that I would....but I do.
~Julie
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Coldest Month of the Year
October really shouldn't be the coldest month of the year, and here in Shenyang, October's temperatures definitely do not drop as low as they do later on in the year. Yet I think that October feels the coldest. We still have no heat in our buildings. The heat will turn on eventually, but not until November. So, while it's beginning to reach below-freezing temps outside, we have no heat indoors! It makes waking up at 5 o'clock in the morning torturous! Only a few more weeks and the radiators will come to life and make our apartment and school feel a little warmer in the mornings. They never get very hot, only faintly warm, but somehow they make a slight difference in our comfort levels.
My mom used to tell me, "There's no such thing as cold weather, only poorly dressed people". So, break out the long-underwear and woolen socks, winter is fast approaching!
This past week, I had the privilege of teaching a Tiger Teacher Training. This is a weekly training that the national staff at our school attend for an hour every Wednesday. It was so much fun to present some of my ideas to them. Chinese people are such attentive and respectful students. I could have made a hundred mistakes and they would probably still respect me as a teacher. They are very accommodating and gracious students. I told them at the beginning of my presentation that I hoped to not offend any of them since I knew that there experience and knowledge in education far outweighs my own in some cases. Some of these staff members have a ton of experience, confidence, and knowledge about theories and practices. I hope that it didn't bore them to tears, but I spoke about "Arranging Classroom Spaces". The lady who is in charge or setting up speakers for TTT asked me to speak on this specific topic, which was flattering, of course.
So, I shared the theory behind classroom space arrangements, the purpose of planning effective spaces, and TONS of pictures. I know their English proficiency varies from person to person, and pictures are always helpful. There were probably 60-70 pictures of classroom arrangements and different ways of using spaces. I wish that I could have shared even more! Somehow we got through all of it. Even though it seems like such a trivial subject, it really is important, and I have seen the benefits of having a well-planned out space. The kids enjoy it, and we have plenty of room for literacy work stations now.
I almost wish that I could have had two TTT sessions for this because I would love to have a scavenger hunt with the staff where they would go around the school taking pictures of good examples they find of planning/creative storage/small-group spaces....
Maybe I will get a chance to teach another TTT in the future--they are such appreciative students! One of the points that I shared with them was about having a teacher's desk. I had three questions that if they answered no to, they should consider getting rid of their desk. I also had three questions that if they said yes to, they should definitely keep their desk. The next morning, one of the national teachers that teaches across the hall from me, removed her desk out of her classroom! She said, "I realized that it was too crowded and unorganized in my corner, and there was never enough room for my small group. Now, I share the small group space with my students and only have a small space to keep my teacher things separate"
What a shock! I guess that convicted her! I mean, I still have a teacher's desk...but will probably remove it someday. It takes up too much space and I rather use that corner for stations or small groups. I don't do very much work there. It's mostly just a place to sit when I'm not busy and keep my jacket and backpack. What a waste of valuable space! A coat hook and chair could suffice!
Adam is an amazing husband. He is letting me use his personal computer right now, since mine is broken. He backed up everything on my laptop, which is having issues, put a load of laundry in the washer, cleaned our kitchen, and did a huge load of dishes! Did I mention that he also brought me a mocha from IS cafe? He just announce that he fixed our broken window as well. We had a window in our bedroom that wouldn't close....which meant freezing air would blow on us all night...brrrrrrr!
Now it's off to Carrefour. We need to go shopping very badly. I actually can't remember the last time we went grocery shopping. Adam is having the student council kids come over for dinner and a meeting tonight so that they can continue working on planning some events. Spirit Week is coming up soon, and they are also putting together a lock-in for early November.
My TI is back finally! This has made my life so much easier. She brought me a whole box of Dunkin' Donuts this time! She is very sweet and super helpful. It's very hard to work without her! She has so much experience, a great attitude about teaching, and confidence to teach lessons as well. I haven't had a Mandarin lesson in over a month because she has been gone during my lesson times. I am very rusty now. It's hard for me to even say simple sentences--I'm forgetting so much!
"Treasure Island" is underway! We finished our read through of the script and have started character development. There are 26 kids in the cast! Wow! So much more to be held accountable for! I'm still learning all of their names. Next week we will work more on character development, develop their acting techniques a bit, and introduce them to stage combat! :)
~julie
My mom used to tell me, "There's no such thing as cold weather, only poorly dressed people". So, break out the long-underwear and woolen socks, winter is fast approaching!
This past week, I had the privilege of teaching a Tiger Teacher Training. This is a weekly training that the national staff at our school attend for an hour every Wednesday. It was so much fun to present some of my ideas to them. Chinese people are such attentive and respectful students. I could have made a hundred mistakes and they would probably still respect me as a teacher. They are very accommodating and gracious students. I told them at the beginning of my presentation that I hoped to not offend any of them since I knew that there experience and knowledge in education far outweighs my own in some cases. Some of these staff members have a ton of experience, confidence, and knowledge about theories and practices. I hope that it didn't bore them to tears, but I spoke about "Arranging Classroom Spaces". The lady who is in charge or setting up speakers for TTT asked me to speak on this specific topic, which was flattering, of course.
So, I shared the theory behind classroom space arrangements, the purpose of planning effective spaces, and TONS of pictures. I know their English proficiency varies from person to person, and pictures are always helpful. There were probably 60-70 pictures of classroom arrangements and different ways of using spaces. I wish that I could have shared even more! Somehow we got through all of it. Even though it seems like such a trivial subject, it really is important, and I have seen the benefits of having a well-planned out space. The kids enjoy it, and we have plenty of room for literacy work stations now.
I almost wish that I could have had two TTT sessions for this because I would love to have a scavenger hunt with the staff where they would go around the school taking pictures of good examples they find of planning/creative storage/small-group spaces....
Maybe I will get a chance to teach another TTT in the future--they are such appreciative students! One of the points that I shared with them was about having a teacher's desk. I had three questions that if they answered no to, they should consider getting rid of their desk. I also had three questions that if they said yes to, they should definitely keep their desk. The next morning, one of the national teachers that teaches across the hall from me, removed her desk out of her classroom! She said, "I realized that it was too crowded and unorganized in my corner, and there was never enough room for my small group. Now, I share the small group space with my students and only have a small space to keep my teacher things separate"
What a shock! I guess that convicted her! I mean, I still have a teacher's desk...but will probably remove it someday. It takes up too much space and I rather use that corner for stations or small groups. I don't do very much work there. It's mostly just a place to sit when I'm not busy and keep my jacket and backpack. What a waste of valuable space! A coat hook and chair could suffice!
Adam is an amazing husband. He is letting me use his personal computer right now, since mine is broken. He backed up everything on my laptop, which is having issues, put a load of laundry in the washer, cleaned our kitchen, and did a huge load of dishes! Did I mention that he also brought me a mocha from IS cafe? He just announce that he fixed our broken window as well. We had a window in our bedroom that wouldn't close....which meant freezing air would blow on us all night...brrrrrrr!
Now it's off to Carrefour. We need to go shopping very badly. I actually can't remember the last time we went grocery shopping. Adam is having the student council kids come over for dinner and a meeting tonight so that they can continue working on planning some events. Spirit Week is coming up soon, and they are also putting together a lock-in for early November.
My TI is back finally! This has made my life so much easier. She brought me a whole box of Dunkin' Donuts this time! She is very sweet and super helpful. It's very hard to work without her! She has so much experience, a great attitude about teaching, and confidence to teach lessons as well. I haven't had a Mandarin lesson in over a month because she has been gone during my lesson times. I am very rusty now. It's hard for me to even say simple sentences--I'm forgetting so much!
"Treasure Island" is underway! We finished our read through of the script and have started character development. There are 26 kids in the cast! Wow! So much more to be held accountable for! I'm still learning all of their names. Next week we will work more on character development, develop their acting techniques a bit, and introduce them to stage combat! :)
~julie
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Arrrrrr....
A few more pictures commandeered from another teacher's blog! Thankee, me heartie Liz.
Inside Outback--where we ate dinner one evening in Beijing.
Trying to learn stunts and combat for stage fighting. Adam was good enough to practice with me and we can now do kicks to the stomache, back handed slaps, standard slaps, upper-cut punches, and right cross punches. We learned how to fall correctly, and how to react from primary, secondary, and tertiary contact zones. We learned about illusionary and actual targets and how angles can affect combat. My next step is to learn some sequences with daggers and rapiers. Then it's choreography time! Thank goodness for youtube; it's a regular life-saver! Thanks to Adam too--it was fun practicing stage fighting together!
School starts again tomorrow morning. I have mixed feelings about it. I am looking forward to teaching again, but not to constant interruptions. I am excited for our first rehearsal tomorrow afternoon as well! Although the scripts getting printed and bound on time is a little questionable at this point since there is no more spiral binding left and I forgot to put in a purchase request for more. I am also hoping the tech guy at school can fix my personal lap top. It's still acting up. The only program that I can get to open is skype...strange.
I must not forget...we need to put in a maintenance request for our washing machine. It is out of order since Thursday--which is rather inconvenient since we had a lot of laundry to do from our trip to Beijing. Hopefully the maintenance crew will be able to wield their magic soon, or else I will have to find a friend willing to share their laundry machine. The thought of dragging around wet, yet clean, laundry around our apartment complex is not very appealing--but we do what we must!
Adam is out buying toilet paper right now. I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that we have had to buy toilet paper in China. We purchase such large packages, they last forever!
~julie
Inside Outback--where we ate dinner one evening in Beijing.
Trying to learn stunts and combat for stage fighting. Adam was good enough to practice with me and we can now do kicks to the stomache, back handed slaps, standard slaps, upper-cut punches, and right cross punches. We learned how to fall correctly, and how to react from primary, secondary, and tertiary contact zones. We learned about illusionary and actual targets and how angles can affect combat. My next step is to learn some sequences with daggers and rapiers. Then it's choreography time! Thank goodness for youtube; it's a regular life-saver! Thanks to Adam too--it was fun practicing stage fighting together!
School starts again tomorrow morning. I have mixed feelings about it. I am looking forward to teaching again, but not to constant interruptions. I am excited for our first rehearsal tomorrow afternoon as well! Although the scripts getting printed and bound on time is a little questionable at this point since there is no more spiral binding left and I forgot to put in a purchase request for more. I am also hoping the tech guy at school can fix my personal lap top. It's still acting up. The only program that I can get to open is skype...strange.
I must not forget...we need to put in a maintenance request for our washing machine. It is out of order since Thursday--which is rather inconvenient since we had a lot of laundry to do from our trip to Beijing. Hopefully the maintenance crew will be able to wield their magic soon, or else I will have to find a friend willing to share their laundry machine. The thought of dragging around wet, yet clean, laundry around our apartment complex is not very appealing--but we do what we must!
Adam is out buying toilet paper right now. I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that we have had to buy toilet paper in China. We purchase such large packages, they last forever!
~julie
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Of Pirates and Pictures
Well. Here are some more pictures from our trip to Beijing--of the actual traveling part--which I stole from a friend's facebook page. So, in light of piracy, I have bootlegged some pictures. But, I will also give credit--these are Hannah's pictures--and are of the journey from Shenyang to the Sino Swiss hotel. Thus, a special thanks definitely needs to go out to the lovely photographer, Hannah!
This is outside of the Shenyang train station. There are literally thousands of people standing around here, milling about, waiting for arrivals, waiting for their trains, trying to catch taxis or buses. It's an insane place to be, if you are not one for crowds. But it gets worse. You must go through security. It frustrates a bit, honestly. The lines for security check-in are less like lines and more like herds of cattle in a slaughter yard. You push and shove your way towards the metal detectors. Fight to have your bags placed on the conveyor belt, and walk through the detector as fast as you can before you are cut in line by thirty Asians. I might sound a little bitter right now--and I probably am--I am not on speaking terms with this process. It doesn't like me, and I don't like it. Whew! Ok, once you're through the security check-in, you must find your gate, fight to have your ticket punched by the door-guard person, and then fight to retain your place in line until the gates are opened. Then in its through the gates that you shove and push, before you can even think about finding your train car. After you find your train car, you must fight your way inside, down the aisles, and to your seat. Usually, you have to fight to have someone move out of your seat, and then find a place for your luggage in the overhead compartments. It's quite an exhausting process and could be made much easier if only a few variables were shifted around.
There's a McDonalds here--you can order food of course, but the price is standing in long, vicious crowd/lines whose idea of personal space does not include the "bubble".
The boarding area to get on the "Fast Train". Maybe it's just me, but the train is not that fast. After riding it a few times, I can see why it is faster than the slow train, but it's not a bullet by any means. It's like the metra, but with nicer seating.
...And magical doors.
The backs of our heads.
Fellow teachers! Liz, Amber, and Irina.
Adam and I.
The train yard.
Lots of country side in the space between Shenyang and Beijing.
We saw field upon field, and many farmers working along the way. They seem to do most of their labor on their own without heavy machinery.
This is the slow train.
You can also pay for standing space on the fast train--this means no seat--four hours of standing up on the train for the trip between Beijing and Shenyang. This is probably one of the reasons why so many street vendors sell tiny collapsible stools that people can use when they get tired of standing up in the aisles. No body seems to be standing up in this picture--but on the way back from Beijing, there were at least 10 people standing up, perched on stools, or sitting on newspaper in our train car.
The Beijing train station that we arrived at. However crazy the Shenyang train station is, the experience of getting off a train in Beijing makes our city look quaint. There are many more people in Beijing, and I am not sure how the feeble denizens can make it through the masses without harm. I have a bruise on my arm still from getting whacked really hard by a stocky kid. I'm not sure why he took it upon himself to punch my poor arm.
First we used the subway and it was very crowded. Then we hitched a ride on the airport shuttle--which is cleaner, less crowded and air-conditioned. We were heading towards the airport because the hotel where the conference was being held was located near the airport. Also, there is a Burger King in the airport! Guess where we ate lunch...
Inside the Beijing airport. It's a beautiful airport--the ceiling is really awesome. Next time I am there, I will take a picture for my dad and brother. I think that they will appreciate the design of the roof.
From the airport we caught taxis and found ourselves at the Sino Swiss hotel. Adam and I had to wait a few hours for our room to be cleaned. It definitely paid off in the end, since we were assigned such an awesome suite!
Well. There's a small piece of what it's like to travel in China. Sorry if I sound a little bitter about the traveling in crowds part--I'm still adjusting to public transportation here!
~julie
This is outside of the Shenyang train station. There are literally thousands of people standing around here, milling about, waiting for arrivals, waiting for their trains, trying to catch taxis or buses. It's an insane place to be, if you are not one for crowds. But it gets worse. You must go through security. It frustrates a bit, honestly. The lines for security check-in are less like lines and more like herds of cattle in a slaughter yard. You push and shove your way towards the metal detectors. Fight to have your bags placed on the conveyor belt, and walk through the detector as fast as you can before you are cut in line by thirty Asians. I might sound a little bitter right now--and I probably am--I am not on speaking terms with this process. It doesn't like me, and I don't like it. Whew! Ok, once you're through the security check-in, you must find your gate, fight to have your ticket punched by the door-guard person, and then fight to retain your place in line until the gates are opened. Then in its through the gates that you shove and push, before you can even think about finding your train car. After you find your train car, you must fight your way inside, down the aisles, and to your seat. Usually, you have to fight to have someone move out of your seat, and then find a place for your luggage in the overhead compartments. It's quite an exhausting process and could be made much easier if only a few variables were shifted around.
There's a McDonalds here--you can order food of course, but the price is standing in long, vicious crowd/lines whose idea of personal space does not include the "bubble".
The boarding area to get on the "Fast Train". Maybe it's just me, but the train is not that fast. After riding it a few times, I can see why it is faster than the slow train, but it's not a bullet by any means. It's like the metra, but with nicer seating.
...And magical doors.
The backs of our heads.
Fellow teachers! Liz, Amber, and Irina.
Adam and I.
The train yard.
Lots of country side in the space between Shenyang and Beijing.
We saw field upon field, and many farmers working along the way. They seem to do most of their labor on their own without heavy machinery.
This is the slow train.
You can also pay for standing space on the fast train--this means no seat--four hours of standing up on the train for the trip between Beijing and Shenyang. This is probably one of the reasons why so many street vendors sell tiny collapsible stools that people can use when they get tired of standing up in the aisles. No body seems to be standing up in this picture--but on the way back from Beijing, there were at least 10 people standing up, perched on stools, or sitting on newspaper in our train car.
The Beijing train station that we arrived at. However crazy the Shenyang train station is, the experience of getting off a train in Beijing makes our city look quaint. There are many more people in Beijing, and I am not sure how the feeble denizens can make it through the masses without harm. I have a bruise on my arm still from getting whacked really hard by a stocky kid. I'm not sure why he took it upon himself to punch my poor arm.
First we used the subway and it was very crowded. Then we hitched a ride on the airport shuttle--which is cleaner, less crowded and air-conditioned. We were heading towards the airport because the hotel where the conference was being held was located near the airport. Also, there is a Burger King in the airport! Guess where we ate lunch...
Inside the Beijing airport. It's a beautiful airport--the ceiling is really awesome. Next time I am there, I will take a picture for my dad and brother. I think that they will appreciate the design of the roof.
From the airport we caught taxis and found ourselves at the Sino Swiss hotel. Adam and I had to wait a few hours for our room to be cleaned. It definitely paid off in the end, since we were assigned such an awesome suite!
Well. There's a small piece of what it's like to travel in China. Sorry if I sound a little bitter about the traveling in crowds part--I'm still adjusting to public transportation here!
~julie
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Feels Like Fall
Just a few of the fall decorations around our apartment. Some is new--sent in the mail from Adam's mom--some is hand-me-down stuff from families who have moved away (Christa!). Anyway--it surprisingly helps a lot to have some autumn colors around when you don't get to see many trees changing colors, or go apple picking, or drink cider.
It's hard to see, but there are leaves hanging on the door, and a turkey on the door handle. We also have a few other things hanging around the house, but didn't get pictures of those items. Seems strange to take pictures like this and post them. But, it's for those of you who like to see pictures of the ordinary. Here's another reference point for you. Pictures help sometimes.
This picture makes me smile. The Momence Johnsons sent us some baby pumpkins from their garden! These pumpkins traveled a long way to get to China! :)
Enjoying some hot drinks in my pumpkin cup.
Update about "Treasue Island". We were finally able to decide on and post our cast list last Wednesday. I am very excited for this year's cast and hope that everything will go well with rehearsals. Opening Night is in about four and a half months! Now comes the hard part for me. How to get a talking parrot. How to make someone look like he has one leg. How to make a set that looks like a ship from the 18th century. How to choreograph fight scenes.
We cast everyone that auditioned. What a great feeling! About 25 students this year are in the play. I am excited to see how the production will go. Hopefully we will be able to raise the bar even higher. :)
~julie
It's hard to see, but there are leaves hanging on the door, and a turkey on the door handle. We also have a few other things hanging around the house, but didn't get pictures of those items. Seems strange to take pictures like this and post them. But, it's for those of you who like to see pictures of the ordinary. Here's another reference point for you. Pictures help sometimes.
This picture makes me smile. The Momence Johnsons sent us some baby pumpkins from their garden! These pumpkins traveled a long way to get to China! :)
Enjoying some hot drinks in my pumpkin cup.
Update about "Treasue Island". We were finally able to decide on and post our cast list last Wednesday. I am very excited for this year's cast and hope that everything will go well with rehearsals. Opening Night is in about four and a half months! Now comes the hard part for me. How to get a talking parrot. How to make someone look like he has one leg. How to make a set that looks like a ship from the 18th century. How to choreograph fight scenes.
We cast everyone that auditioned. What a great feeling! About 25 students this year are in the play. I am excited to see how the production will go. Hopefully we will be able to raise the bar even higher. :)
~julie
San Hao
Went for a short bike ride one day--for coffee and supper. Took some pictures to share with you!
There has been a lot of road construction underway on San Hao Jie--which is the main road near our complex--this is where the construction workers live. They had a few tents set up under a bridge on San Hao. This is where they slept, ate, and probably bathed. I was shocked at the conditions in which they lived. They literally sleep on top of boards that are balanced on cinder blocks. They have a few pillows and a blanket to keep them warm. Their sleeping space is very tight, since they share it with many others.
There's always construction going on, wherever you look.
On a corner of an intersection sits a little man with a cart. He fixes bikes for cheap prices. He reads a newspaper during down time. Need a seat for kid on the bike of your bike? Need to pump air into your tires? Need new breaks or wheels? Have a rusty bike chain? He's the man.
Adam, getting on his bike.
Some weird little variety show that we passed on a connecting side-street. It was bizarre. I couldn't see very well, but part of it involved a man sticking his head in a balloon to techno music.
Road construction at night.
This picture amuses me. These people are lining up for the bus. In a country where people very rarely line up for anything, they are somehow complying to this rule--that if you wish to have a seat on the bus, line up!
On another street corner, getting ready to go into a restaurant for dinner.
Before we go to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Adam buys some drinks for us at this little side store.
The strange teas you can drink at the restaurant. There are animal organs in those drink canisters. I'm not sure how they are supposed to help people.
~julie
There has been a lot of road construction underway on San Hao Jie--which is the main road near our complex--this is where the construction workers live. They had a few tents set up under a bridge on San Hao. This is where they slept, ate, and probably bathed. I was shocked at the conditions in which they lived. They literally sleep on top of boards that are balanced on cinder blocks. They have a few pillows and a blanket to keep them warm. Their sleeping space is very tight, since they share it with many others.
There's always construction going on, wherever you look.
On a corner of an intersection sits a little man with a cart. He fixes bikes for cheap prices. He reads a newspaper during down time. Need a seat for kid on the bike of your bike? Need to pump air into your tires? Need new breaks or wheels? Have a rusty bike chain? He's the man.
Adam, getting on his bike.
Some weird little variety show that we passed on a connecting side-street. It was bizarre. I couldn't see very well, but part of it involved a man sticking his head in a balloon to techno music.
Road construction at night.
This picture amuses me. These people are lining up for the bus. In a country where people very rarely line up for anything, they are somehow complying to this rule--that if you wish to have a seat on the bus, line up!
On another street corner, getting ready to go into a restaurant for dinner.
Before we go to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Adam buys some drinks for us at this little side store.
The strange teas you can drink at the restaurant. There are animal organs in those drink canisters. I'm not sure how they are supposed to help people.
~julie
October Holiday
Here in Shenyang, this week is a break from work in honor of the 61st anniversary of the People's Republic of China. This means that there is no school for us for a whole week! One of the advantages of teaching at an international school is that you get to celebrate both Chinese and American holidays! The first five days of break, we were in Beijing for a teachers conference. Because we were busy with the conference most of the time, we did not do many tourist activities. It was a very busy week for Beijing anyway--there were a lot of people in the city to celebrate their Golden Week. After the conference was over, we did go to the Silk Market to make some purchases. We ended up buying another suitcase as well because we had accumulated so much stuff throughout the conference and shopping around.
All in all, it was a fun, and long, weekend. We were reminded of many good things during the conference, ate lots of good food, and shopped at a foreign imports store. Here are a few pictures.
Adam at a Starbucks in Beijing. Drinking his sweet, chocolate frappecino.
Adam's food at Peter's one night---spicy peppers stuffed with cheese and chicken (I think).
One side of the table, at Peter's.
The other side of the table.
My food....chicken sandwich.
Picture of one of the aisles in the foreign import store. Look at all the choices for boxed mixes! Lots and lots of choices.
The cheese selection at the foreign import store. So many choices!
At the banquet at the ISC conference. Look how cute Maddy is!
Ok, this picture is not the greatest, but you can see our room a little bit. For some reason that we cannot understand, we were somehow placed in a very nice suite at the hotel where the conference was being held. We had a two story room. There was a living-room and bathroom on the first floor and a bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. Very cool!
Adam's shoes that his mom sent him. They are a little odd--he gets lots of comments about them from both the foreign and national communities here. Ironically, we saw several pairs being sold at the Silk Market in Beijing. There were different colors for men, women, and small children--how funny is that? Adam was tempted to buy another pair. Everyone wants to know whether or not he is wearing toe socks as well.
(btw...that is not my foot above, just in case you were wondering)
Did you ever wonder where all the Sizzlers went? Apparently they migrated to China.
Silk Market entrance.
Can you see Adam? Probably not, but he IS there somewhere. Trying to pick-out a watch since he broke his a few weeks ago.
How about now...Can you see Adam?
Adam was tempted to buy white loafers--not seen in this picture--but decided not to in the end. Oh brother.
One of our friends bartering for shoes at the Silk Market.
Adam discovering the toe-shoes.
She was asking for too much money.
Had to buy another suit case as well because we had accumulated so much stuff at the market, foreign import store and conference.
Waiting to meet up with friends after our shopping experience.
Went out to the Outback Steak House for another friend's birthday dinner.
~julie
All in all, it was a fun, and long, weekend. We were reminded of many good things during the conference, ate lots of good food, and shopped at a foreign imports store. Here are a few pictures.
Adam at a Starbucks in Beijing. Drinking his sweet, chocolate frappecino.
Adam's food at Peter's one night---spicy peppers stuffed with cheese and chicken (I think).
One side of the table, at Peter's.
The other side of the table.
My food....chicken sandwich.
Picture of one of the aisles in the foreign import store. Look at all the choices for boxed mixes! Lots and lots of choices.
The cheese selection at the foreign import store. So many choices!
At the banquet at the ISC conference. Look how cute Maddy is!
Ok, this picture is not the greatest, but you can see our room a little bit. For some reason that we cannot understand, we were somehow placed in a very nice suite at the hotel where the conference was being held. We had a two story room. There was a living-room and bathroom on the first floor and a bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. Very cool!
Adam's shoes that his mom sent him. They are a little odd--he gets lots of comments about them from both the foreign and national communities here. Ironically, we saw several pairs being sold at the Silk Market in Beijing. There were different colors for men, women, and small children--how funny is that? Adam was tempted to buy another pair. Everyone wants to know whether or not he is wearing toe socks as well.
(btw...that is not my foot above, just in case you were wondering)Did you ever wonder where all the Sizzlers went? Apparently they migrated to China.
Silk Market entrance.
Can you see Adam? Probably not, but he IS there somewhere. Trying to pick-out a watch since he broke his a few weeks ago.
How about now...Can you see Adam?
Adam was tempted to buy white loafers--not seen in this picture--but decided not to in the end. Oh brother.
One of our friends bartering for shoes at the Silk Market.
Adam discovering the toe-shoes.
She was asking for too much money.
Had to buy another suit case as well because we had accumulated so much stuff at the market, foreign import store and conference.
Waiting to meet up with friends after our shopping experience.
Went out to the Outback Steak House for another friend's birthday dinner.
~julie
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