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!