Halloween masks

 

I spent the last fifteen minutes of each class this week talking about Halloween. I stick with the very innocent parts . . . masks, costumes and candy. The students howled with laughter when I popped up from behind the desk wearing a red Superhero mask with a gold cape!

Tonight was movie night and we very appropriately showed, "Monsters, Inc." I asked the students to make a mask or wear a costume. That part of the evening didn't go over too well as there were only five students who did so . . . out of almost 200! However, I let the audience choose the winners (the girl in the red mask and the Hello Kitty mask) and we were all happy.

The students loved seeing my kids and I in costume! Michael was a big hit with his Ninja self and Rachel wowed everyone with her makeup. It sure was tough getting that stuff off her face, though.

Minnie Mouse ears with sparkles go over very well here in China. My whiskers and nose, along with the ears, generated a lot startled looks and stares as I walked across campus. I have no shame.

Happy Halloween!

Yak Butter?

 

Two years ago, I was introduced to "yak butter." It's pretty much like shortening . . . doesn't have much of a flavor. I use it in biscuits, cookies, etc. Whenever a recipe calls for butter or shortening, I use the "yak butter" instead.

Every time I have purchased this product, I've referred to it as "yak butter." The seller has never corrected me. However, yesterday, I took a friend to this seller and during the course of the conversation, it came out that it's not yak butter at all! The stuff I buy has no smell at all, and it turns out that yak butter has a definite odor. The seller had both items yesterday and we could easily tell the difference.

So what have I been buying for two years?

Margarine!

Breakfast, northwest China style!

 

After my morning walks, I stop by this shop to buy a "bingzi jia cai." This literally means, bread stuffed with vegetables. If I'm lucky, I get there just after the bread comes out of the "oven."

This flat bread is about 4 inches diameter and is simply bread, water a and a wee bit of oil. It's rolled into a ball, pressed flat and then pressed with some sort of circular iron thing. They then place it into a two sided griddle . . . kind of like a sandwich maker. When it's done, it's brown and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. It's amazing!

People like to eat these breads alone or with "stuff" in it. On the other side of the street, you can buy these filled with any meat or veggie you can find! However, this man has my favorite . . . steamed slivered (shoestring) potatoes and carrots, steamed lettuce/cabbage and jalapeno peppers! Oooh la, la! Words cannot describe how good this tastes! It's very filling and after I've had one of these, I can easily go another six hours without eating.

Blessings

 

 

The other day, I found a new bookstore and it was the type of bookstore that is of special interest to me. It had lots of signficant items and I purchased the batik that says "My cup overflows." I put it near my "How Blessed I Am" cross stitch.

Life can be very full here with multiple challenges and blessings. I do like the reminder, though, to be fully aware of my blessings and to recognize, that indeed, my cup does overflow . . . with good things!

Thrill the world

 

 

 

 

Yesterday (October 25) was the annual "Thrill the World" danceoff. This is an event where organizers try to have as many people around the world, dancing at the same time, the line/theme dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." This year was a tribute to MJ since he died this past summer.

Nineteen high school students (including one of their teachers), practiced and prepared for about two weeks and then gathered at the appointed time . . . 8:30 a.m. While the number doesn't look that impressive, it's important to note that midterms are this week. High school exams are incredibly difficult and extra-curricular activities such as these are very discouraged.

These kids took their dance very seriously. It was videotaped and two "official" witnesses were on hand (I was one of them). The international event is definitely organized by lawyers! Each year, they want more and more participants in order to set a world record. (Last year, Austin, TX had 861 dancers!)

For more details on the event itself, you can go to http://www.thrilltheworld.com

(For extra laughs, take a good look at the bystanders. They have this look of "What in the world are these kids doing?" on their faces. Additionally, it turns out that bystanders were segregated by gender . . . men on one side, women on the other. This is primarily due to the interruption of their morning exercise routines!

A somewhat typical Saturday . . .

 

 

 

 

Saturdays are my days to sleep in. No alarm needed and the kids leave me alone. My husband gets breakfast and today, he surprised me with something I enjoy quite a bit. I'm a pampered princess on Saturdays!

But once I get out of bed, the day gets rolling. Today, I cleaned our bedroom, which actually isn't that big of a deal. The room is so small that it holds the bed, two nightstands and two wardrobes. There is no extra space to be found. However, whatever space we have gets covered in dust. Our city is in a very arid area and the dust is a very fine greyish sand that seeps in through every nook and cranny. Our windows aren't sealproof so each week, I have to wipe the place down.

We are blessed with a larger apartment than most, but it is still small on North American standards. It is 861 square feet, but fortunately, most of that space is in the living room.

I got laundry started while I was cleaning the room. I did four loads today and all four loads are hanging up in the living room. The heat hasn't been turned on yet (city controlled . . . November 1 - March 15), so on these cooler days, it takes a bit longer for the clothes to dry. I don't mind them hanging up, though . . . the fabric softener in them makes the place smell great!

I made pizza for dinner. I usually buy a flatbread called naan (somewhat similar to Indian nan), but I never made it out of the apartment do get any. I looked up a recipe for pizza crust with no yeast and it was really easy to make! Simmered up some tomato paste (a bit thicker than sauce) with Italian spices, salt and a wee bit of sugar and put it on the crust. Tossed on a bunch of cheese and baked it.

When it was done, the four of us sat down together, expressed our thanks for our meal (grace) and simultaneously took a bite. We were all surprised at how much it tasted like "real pizza." Here in China, the few times we've had pizza, it just hasn't tasted like "home." We pretty much inhaled the whole thing and Art and the kids started making requests for what toppings they wanted next time. They asked if we could have this every Saturday night. I think a new tradition is in the making!

Best of friends . . .

 

 

I love how my kids generally love being around each other. They jabber back and forth in both Chinese and English and seldom realize what language they are speaking. They are truly the best of friends (in spite of their squabbles) and I hope this friendship lasts for a very long time!

Dream of Red Mansions

 

 

I made it into the shopping center that had its grand opening last week. It's a myriad of shops with a variety of goods. Of course, my radar is always on the alert for cross stitch shops and this one truly captured my attention.

The cross stitch is a design inspired by the book, "Dream of Red Mansions." The following description of the book is taken directly from the cited website.

"A Dream of Red Mansions, written in the latter half of the 18th century, describes the life and declining fortunes of a large feudal family. At the heart of the novel is a tragic love story between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. The author, instead of telling the love story superficially, tries to tap the social origins of the tragedy through probing deeply into the characters' minds and the complicated relationship among them, hence exposing the hypocrisy and cruelty of feudalism and the decadence of the ruling class. The novel goes far beyond the tragic love story, to depict a broad swath of society through describing a series of complicated conflicts and struggles, and ultimately predicting the domed fate of feudal society as a whole. The novel criticizes feudalism, its corrupted politics, marriage system and ethical relationships and passionately denounces its cruelty and inhumanity. In China, A Dream of Red Mansions is praised as an encyclopedia for analyzing feudal society." http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_41669.htm

The cross stitch is approximately 11 feet long and 3 feet tall. I *think* it is stitched on 11 count aida, but it's possible that it is 14 count. The lady in the picture said she stitched the project, but she couldn't tell me how long it took her. She "guessed" it was six to eight months. To be honest, I'm suspicious that she didn't stitch it, but framed it. I've met another woman who was working on this one. She was a shopkeeper as well and it took her eight months to do three women. However, I'll probably never know for sure.

Birthday cakes in China

 

We went to a three-year-old's birthday party on Saturday and this was the cake. I have to admit that the cakes here are quite pretty . . . but they all generally taste the same. Most of them have a white/sponge type cake base (very little choices in cake flavors) with lots of icing. And I mean LOTS! This one had more icing than cake! (But icing here isn't as sweet as it is in the States.) There's also usually quite a bit of fruit included.

Grand Opening

 

 

 

 

Last year, a HUGE pit was dug across the street! I wish I had a picture of this pit, but I didn't think to take one. I had no clue what was going on.

Eventually, the pit was covered and a new public "square" (it's not really shaped like a square) came into being. Lots of people exercise there in the mornings and kids like to ride skates and skateboards around.

There have long been two entrances to the underground area, but no one knew what was going on. Rumors of a market opening were common, but as month after month passed by, nothing ever happened.

However, on October 1st, the doors were flung open! Indeed, a new market had been finished and shops were setting up for business. When my husband and I walked down there, though, there was a flurry of activity of movers bringing merchandise in.

Now, a "market" in China is typically not just one corporately owned store. It's usually a zillion stalls, often with people selling the same thing as the stall next to them. I wonder how any of them make any money. However, it's always fun to see what's available, as sometimes, you do, indeed, find a unique item.

On Friday, the market had its grand opening. Talk about LOUD! They lit off strands upon strands of 10,000 piece firecrackers . . . simultaneously! And if that wasn't enough noise, "cannons" were set off . . . extremely loud cannons! (M-80's?) THEN, more firecrackers were lit! The noise was just incredible! This was done at both entrances of the market. There was a lion dance, two bands and street dancers. It was an amazing sight (and sounds!)

The litter left from all those firecrackers was pretty amazing as well. When one guy started to pick up the trash and toss it into a box (last photo), the strand started to explode again! After that, no one picked up anything!

But can you eat it?

 

 

While the 60th Birthday Party is over (National Day was October 1), many displays are still in place. The other day, I was on the other side of town and saw these flowers.

Huh? They look like cabbage! I had to look them up on the internet . . . sure enough, they are flowering kale. However, what I don't know is whether or not they are edible!

Sunshine on my shoulders . . .

 

. . . makes me happy! It's been dreary the past couple of weeks. When it hasn't been raining, it's been foggy. When it hasn't been foggy, it's been smoggy. When it hasn't been smoggy, it's been overcast.

However, these week, the sun has reappeared and it's been gorgeous! This is a photo taken from my office window. It's an incredibly clear view of the mountains (hills?) in our area. Just breathe deep and enjoy!

Fast Food

 

Western fast food is repidly making inroads in the Chinese restaurant market. The most common (especially in the large cities in the east) are KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut.

Our city has 15 KFC restaurants . . . the most recent being a drive-thru! I'll have to get a picture of it soon. However, there are none in our district. In order for us to get to the nearest one, we either have to take a taxi that can cross a bridge restricting bus traffic, or take a bus that has to detour to another bridge and then backtrack . . . which takes twice as long as the taxi! Needless to say, we don't go very often . . . in fact, I don't think we have been once since the start of the semester.

We were delighted to discover this little place just down the street from us. It's menu is almost the same as KFC, but the cost is about half of KFC! Also, the picture menu is identical to KFC . . . we are very happy campers. The chicken chunks (popcorn chicken) is all white meat and the french fries taste just like home! We eat there about every ten days.

Best Buds

 

 

It's really fun to see our children develop strong friendships with neighbor children. This little boy was in Michael's kindergarten class here, but now goes to a different school. His parents work in the art department on campus, which is near our apartment building. They often go in to their office on weekends and their son comes over to our house. He's like a surrogate son to us and we enjoy him and his parents quite a bit. (Michael likes this boy in spite of the appearance of a choke-hold!)

China is a relationship-based society. It takes time to develop these relationships and since we are foreigners, it takes even longer. This is our third year in this city and we feel that this year is the beginning of friendships getting deeper. We are becoming more and more a part of the local community and while I still think people are waiting for us to leave (because, that's what foreigners do . . . they don't stay around very long), people are more than used to us.

Our school has had many foreign teachers before, but not many of them have had their children in the local school. This has made a huge difference in our relationships because we are "just like" everyone else. Well, almost "just like" . . . we have two children instead of one, but even that isn't too uncommon around here since minorities are allowed to have more than one child and we live in an area with lots of minorities.

However, they see us struggle with getting Michael to do homework. They see us cheering our kids on in performances and sports meets. They see us juggling classes and family . . . all without having grandparents around. This opens a door of communication and friendship that is appreciated by all.

Pretty in Pink

 

Can you tell from the photo that Rachel just loves the color pink?!?! She never tires of it.

The other day, we walked to a bookstore to buy a math book for her assignment. She was so excited to have it (we had gone to four other bookstores before we found it) that when we stopped to eat in a nearby restaurant, she immediately started to do the work. Please note . . . she is in fourth grade and she is REQUIRED to do her math homework in INK! This started last year! This is one thing that I don't like about the Chinese education system . . . there is little tolerance for imperfection or mistakes. If she makes a mistake in her homework, she has to place a little piece of white correction tape over the error and then write the correct answer.

And yes, she is left-handed!

Raindrops keep falling on my head!

 

 

The first few weeks of October seem to always hold a switch between hot and cold; rainy and sunny. It seems that this year has seen more rain and less sun.

A couple of weeks ago, a furious storm rolled through and was immediately followed by a burst of sunshine. The sun was quite startling as it had been cloudy all day and the storm was quite dark. I glanced out the window in surprise at the bright sunlight and lo and behold, saw a rainbow! I think this is the first rainbow I have ever seen in my years in China. I KNOW it's the first one I've seen in this city.

I ran to get my camera . . . I wanted to record this reminder that promises are indeed, kept, no matter where I live in the world.

Quality Man

 

I don't normally take pictures of "Chinglish" or bad translations, but sometimes, I just can't resist! This was one of those times! Who can resist a "Quality Man At Affordable Price?" I told my husband that he couldn't buy or wear such a shirt because his quality was priceless!

Church building

 

As I mentioned, there are countless temples in my city and approximately 30 mosques. There are one or two church buildings. This is the biggest one located downtown and while I've heard of a second one, I'm not sure where it is.

Christian missionaries have a long history in China, both good and bad. It's a complicated story and one that I won't get into, but if you'd like to read about it from the Chinese perspective, then please go here:

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/zjxy/t36493.htm

This particular church building houses a vital body of people who are part of what is known as the Three-Self Protestant Church. (China does not recognize the Roman Catholic church.) "Three-self" refers to self-administration, self-support and self-propagation.

While there are only one or two "official" church buildings in any given city (our city has a population of 3.5 million), there are usually dozens or hundreds of groups of people meeting in what is known as "house" churches.