To those of you that remember the blog stories from Guatemala may be disappointed because our China blogs are infrequent and not as humorous. Well not to disappoint you we will finish our time here with this last attempt to describe our time here.
A recent experience may serve to fill your expectations. We were invited to a supper meal from our hiring company on December 31. We received the invitation December 30; with a few adjustments of my class schedule our plan was set. Another teacher R and his wife would travel with us. Going there wasn't an adventure as we have used the fast (bullet) train several times. Arriving at the restaurant at the scheduled time and discovering that we were the only ones there, we waited. An hour later the second group arrived explaining heavy traffic and the others would arrive soon. The second hour passed with a few more teachers and finally the company. We were told that the kitchen closes at 9:00 PM and it is after 8:00 PM. The meal is called Hot Pot; the guests cook their own food in a boiling pot on your table. We have eaten this other times and the average time is 2 hours; the kitchen closed late in order to allow us time to finish. Late seems to be the theme for the weekend.
While in the city, we went for some foods that we can’t buy where we live, such as hamburger, mac and cheese in a box, cheese and other things.
R and his wife had another person to visit; then we would meet and finish shopping; they arrived late and did some quick shopping. From there to the bus that we got off of one stop too late and walked back to the subway; then on to the train. If you remember the earlier problem of late, well we missed the train. The ticket counter exchanged our ticket for a “later” train; 6 hours later and standing room only. Also this is a slow train. Sue and I just sat in the first empty seats; hoping no one would have a ticket for that exact seat. Not so lucky the first try but we both got one in our 2nd try. Not a comfortable seat, straight 90 degree back and no padding. Our train departed at 9:30 PM and an approximate travel time of 2 hours; this made us late for the last city to city bus at 7:30 PM. We could maybe get a taxi but there would be only a few available and at 11:30 PM the usual 100 RMB would be 300 RMB or more. Also we are aware that the train station is outside the businesses area by miles. So plan B; we would get off 1 stop before in a city that we were in only once 6 months before, hoping that the shorter / quicker train ride would get us to a taxi some minutes earlier and more available. We talked a man into helping us with the taxi; he tried but was also late so, he walked fast, we with 30 pounds of groceries and more cautious about tripping on the uneven steps and sidewalks; allow an added thought.
The sidewalks here are not designed for walking, instead may have a parked car, street vendor, and dog tie up area, motorcycles, e-bikes parked or ridden, taxi wait area, and stopping to talk area.
Combined with the other obstacles as telephone pole and pole support wires, bus stop platform, utility access box, street signs, advertising, construction materials, trash deposit area, sitting for restaurants, side walk sales, bathroom zone for any child 4 or younger, musicians hoping for a contribution, uneven, broken, or missing bricks, inflatable (advertisements, decoration, or arches); mobile office for police, children playing, retired sitters, card and chess players, the card players will usually have several kibitzers but the chess players will have 6 to 12 watchers, red carpet approach to a store, delivery truck, mail carrier, and a car because the road is crowded, back to our adventure lost him in the crowd. This is good; the crowd that is because this meant that taxis would expect several riders so there would be several taxis, so we thought. However, if we were the tail end of the crowd, we would be last to get a taxi, we assumed the supply would be exhausted before the demand. We found our guide and he handed us off to another man that we were sitting near. He advised us to pass up on the first group of taxis because they would agree to a low price until halfway home and then raise the price and you have to pay it. I admit that I was a bit apprehensive of passing several taxis. About half way through the park, our helper said wait here for him. This of course added to the possibility of even bigger problems. I assumed all of the taxis that we just passed are now busy and this man just happened to know a “friend” that could “help” us. Combined that we are unfamiliar with this city and our first guide / helper must leave so follow this other person. As my new quote goes …we could be in trouble and “a lot of bit”. My fears have been proven wrong; he returned, talked with a taxi on the far side of the park and insured that the driver knew where to go and even got us a reduced rate. We have not experienced any situation that we were in that mandated fear. In fact, we have made great friends from complete strangers. 2 ladies from our trip to The Great Wall and now Alex. Also note when he left us stranded in the park; he actually went to a corner store and bought us a gift. We are so glad that we have this opportunity to experience kindness above and beyond.
Not that everything is life is a contest. Sometimes it is natural and it just happens that way. Well Sue and I have a contest among ourselves that some may be surprised to hear about.
It is who has the best accident; as of today Sue is ahead having been hit by a car and I was only hit by an E-Bike twice. I am thinking that if I am lucky enough to have a 3rd E-Bike accident that should be equal to being hit by a car. Naturally being hit by a bus or semi truck (they have 22 wheels); this could count as 3 car accidents or 9 plus E-Bike accidents. We are considering the quantity of tires as a guide for our point system but obviously a person lucky enough to be hit by an 22 wheeler would have such a lead that the 2nd place person could be tempted to cheat.
Another draw back to the tire count point system is the 3 wheeled vehicles; they vary from 3 wheeled bikes to 3 wheeled dump trucks loaded with approximately 5 years of sand, bricks 10 levels high and 30 to 40 one hundred pound bags of cement giving it an overwhelming advantage if it and a car where to want the same spot.
All things considered I would not want to be the driver of the bike I saw under the tire of a fire truck and it had only 6 tires.
OK enough about tire count maybe we should consider points for reaction of the accident, such as kicking the man’s tool pouch into the street, how much whining you can do, the volume of conversation between the 2; of course neither knows what the other is saying, the size of the crowd within a minute or 2 and of course you would get bonus points for policemen there to help by picking up things spilled from the basket.
We just found out that typically the driver that was right, obviously no one is ever wrong, should receive money from the other; we don’t know what would be a fair amount but this could easily be converted to points.
As the points stand now; Sue has the most for accident and I have the most for reaction but the contest isn’t over yet. Each is hoping for more points so they can have undisputed bragging rights. See I told you not everything should be a contest.
A side note: Both of us are OK; no injuries just a couple of bruises and bent bike parts.
We will certainly be glad to be back in Wisconsin.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Friday, October 31, 2014
July, August, September, and October
Dennis went for a walk and brought back 4 liters of water for drinking. He was upset at himself because he paid $20.00 and it should have been $2.00. The next day he was filling the small water bottles and had a large drink; well it wasn’t water; he says it tasted like 50% battery acid and 50% drain cleaner. The rest was dumped down the drain. At least we didn’t spend $20.00 on just water.
Another time he went for a walk and also planned to buy a gallon of water. Buying water wasn’t a problem but unwinding his path was. After passing a clothing store named Red Dragonfly; you would guess it’s not like 7-11 on every corner. So stop to think (typically I do not have to think anymore.) Oh yea; I crossed the street to buy the water. That looks like I saw that store before so cross the road, circle the block – hmm no city park still. I don’t want to say I am lost but I don’t know where the park, hotel, or water store is. Let’s see no phone, no map, no name of the apartment. After seeing Red Dragonfly store the 4th time; I considered admitting that I am lost instead; hmm I hadn’t crossed the river before so I better not now. Hey maybe that is the water store; this time I went into the store; yes this is the one. To end this part; I did get back about an hour later and came in through the front door while I left through the back door.
We enjoyed our time with Lidia, saw some of the city and helped her with her paperwork. We were able to encourage her because her sister had passed away the week before. She wasn’t able to go home for the funeral.
On July 10th, we headed to Japan. We spent 2 days in Tokyo; then traveled to Hiroshima and spent 3 days there. It was amazing to see what we the US did to this city. People today are still seeing the effects of the A-Bomb. After this we traveled to Mishima; we were very close to Mt. Fuji. We took a bus to the 5th station and climbed a part of the mountain. Then we traveled to Koyto; an ancient city with lots of temples and history. We then traveled to Tokyo and spent the night waiting for our flight the next day back to China. We arrived in Beijing on July 22 (our 42nd anniversary) and spent the night and took the train back to Handan. Japan and Taiwan are very clean cities and the people were very helpful. There are lots of people but they don’t mob, crowd, push, or force.
We are back in Cixian ; the city where we live. We are learning where the stores are and other things that we need such as the bank, post office, and the school where we will teach.
When we want to go to a bigger town for more shipping options; we take a bus, train, subway, and another bus. It is an all day affair so we only do it every 6 weeks or so.
We have had several chances to experience life here and through a bit of evaluation; we have concluded.
The first moment that a driver notices a situation that deserves attention; their first reaction is to toot the horn, thus the many horns. This drivers’ second reaction is to toot the horn, thus the many, many horns. The third reaction is to get eye contact and toot the horn an extended time, thus quicker eye contact and of course blow the horn because the toots didn’t cause a change. Now the drivers’ fourth reaction is to decelerate, and to blast the horn to show its discontentment that he had to decelerate. The fifth reaction is to look for an emergency plan just in case the next horn blast doesn’t cause favorable actions. The sixth reaction is to maneuver left, right, or stop, causing a situation for a nearby unexpecting driver.
This was written in my mind as biking through town.
Remember we are in China and pedestrians NEVER have the right of way.
The driver with the loudest horn wins.
No school for 2 days. Well today is September 5; this weekend is a holiday here in China; it is Mid Autumn Day or Mooncake Festival. We are on our way to Beijing via the bullet (fast) train, going approximately 200 KPH or 180 MPH. We will spend 3 nights there. We are going to the Beijing Opera. We will also do some shopping for some American products. There is a big warehouse store similar to Sam’s Club but it is called Metro. Dennis also needs new shoes; so we are shoe shopping for size 11 or 12; almost impossible to find but we will see.
Well it’s a week later and we are home from Beijing. We had a wonderful time. We did find shoes for Dennis; it’s a good thing his feet aren’t any bigger; we bought the biggest size they had.
The opera was very interesting; the costumes and makeup was amazing. After 1 ½ hours; we were ready to be done; the music is very high pitched. We came home with 2 suitcases; 3 bags; and an overfilled backpack. We found macaroni & cheese; salsa; corn chips; tortillas for tacos; and cheese (not as good as Simon’s) but good for Chinese standards. In order to get home; we took a taxi; a train; 2 buses; and another taxi.
We visited an antique shop and Dennis bought 2 clocks (in need of repair) that we will be bringing home with us.
Oh by the way; its official we will be home in February. Probably February 1.
We are getting to it; our original contract ended December 10 but with our new school placement; they wanted us to stay until the end of the school year. This would bring us to the end of July. The company was being very generous giving many extras as an attempt to persuade us. Our response; wow you are giving a lot; but NO. But if you maintain your generosity; we will stay until the end of 1st semester mid February. They said no as they needed the full length contract to achieve a profit. Our reply was OK; we will depart mid December. No, no, no, no, no; (most times their seems to be an echo when someone says no it is 4 or 5 times.) The school will not accept us for such a short term. Our reply was OK but that is your problem not ours. After the sting of the moment; they retracted one section of the previous offer and we agreed to the end of 1st semester.
Because this is a private school; exact dates are hard to pin point but definitely before their Spring Festival of mid February; to make things simple; we say early February. Well that is a long way to say; we will be home in approximately 4 months.
Enough about the future except to say we are looking forward to some of the “good life” such as steak or even identifiable meat. There are food stores here in our city but they don’t have several things that we would like and I am sure you take them for granted. So for about half of what we want is 2 cities away. A ¾ hour bus ride at 6 RMB each ($1.00); another bus ride across town; only 1 RMB; a fast train at 100 RMB about 1 and ½ hours; then a subway ride 20 minutes at 8 RMB; bus 2 RMB up to an hour.
OK so now what is on our list; peanut butter, cheddar cheese, hamburger, mac and cheese, canned soup, dark chocolate, cashews, peanuts, ground coffee, canned vegetables, tortilla chips, salsa, spaghetti sauce, mayo, lettuce, and salad dressing.
We try to buy several months supply as the trip takes most of the day and transportation is about $75.00 or about 500 RMB.
Our first grocery day, we didn’t know what bus to use and also advised to use a taxi. A taxi is not allowed near the train station so that adds ¼ mile walk and 30 to 100 RMB. Some things would be cheaper if I looked more Asian; I never considered that being TDH (tall, dark, and handsome) would be a disadvantage.
Please excuse the 2 week delay in writing. I know you are interested but some days I don’t have the energy or ambition to write more. Another excuse is if something of interest or humor; Sue puts it on Facebook and later when I write about it there is less pizzazz (this is a word that I will not teach as it will loose a bit of its oomph.)
We had a great time last Saturday; we Skyped with our 2nd exchange student Anne from Denmark. She is doing great. She still has the same laugh that we forgot how pleasant it is to hear. Also she is just as beautiful as 1995; boy haw time runs. They are expecting their 2nd child in a few months. We did watch Alfred play with his toys; although he wasn’t interested in us. It is odd what things spark another as all last week; I was craving pop tarts (Anne’s favorite snack.)
Other things that interest me; so I write about them and maybe they will interest or entertain you. My foreign coin collection forced me into an antique shop recently. They didn’t have any coins but I did buy 2 antique clocks. Neither work as one stops after a few seconds and the other takes only a few seconds for an hour. And now I really miss my Grandfather clock, or as some Europeans call it “standing wall clock”. Thank you Felix and family; we love our clock.
I bike to school about 1 ½ miles most of it is just fine if you don’t obey the rules and drive as a local. I don’t mean a person that is from this area instead I suggest crazy. One section, I found it easier to get off and walk as the congestion and general chaos is difficult to maneuver through.
I have previous written about the use of horns, I have a new theory. I suggest that there is a type of magic. I haven’t mastered it yet as my bike doesn’t even have a bell. My theory is; all vehicles are invisible. It may sound odd but possible it’s true. As a car is moving down the road and the sidewalk or the bike lane; the driver will see an obstacle (me) and want me to move but assume I can’t see it. However, because the driver believes his car is invisible so I can’t see it; thus the need for the magic horn, and now the car is visible so I can clear out of its way. Reality is proving my theory. Of course; a bus or truck will need more power in its magic horn that is why they come equipped with the much louder air horn, also the motorcycle or e-bike needs less so their hum is sufficient.
To further my evaluation, obviously I am invisible and I don’t have any magic so they just keep coming as they don’t see me. I have found a temporary solution until I get a horn / bell for my bike. I have discovered that kicking or pounding on the car’s also helps. The driver assumes to be invisible so becomes aware of me; however it is proven to not be effective on buses and I haven’t tried it on semis.
It rained here for 4 days because of the typhoon that hit southern China. I was so happy that it stopped raining. We bought a small toaster oven (Dennis calls it an easy bake oven). We can now make toast (the little pleasures). Yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies (not as good as Karen’s) but still good.
It is amazing how hungry you get for things that we can’t get there. The first month back we will by busy eating all the foods that we have missed.
We had 3 days off for October 1 to 3 for National Day (a holiday to remember those who fought in the wars here.) We went back to Beijing and visited a different part of the Great Wall and also The Summer Palace. We had fun but it’s nice to be back in our smaller city. Beijing is just too busy, with too many people. We are planning on returning February 1, 2015. Our last day of teaching is January 31, 2015.
We are so sorry that this blog is way overdue.
We will try for an early December posting.
Dennis and Sue
Another time he went for a walk and also planned to buy a gallon of water. Buying water wasn’t a problem but unwinding his path was. After passing a clothing store named Red Dragonfly; you would guess it’s not like 7-11 on every corner. So stop to think (typically I do not have to think anymore.) Oh yea; I crossed the street to buy the water. That looks like I saw that store before so cross the road, circle the block – hmm no city park still. I don’t want to say I am lost but I don’t know where the park, hotel, or water store is. Let’s see no phone, no map, no name of the apartment. After seeing Red Dragonfly store the 4th time; I considered admitting that I am lost instead; hmm I hadn’t crossed the river before so I better not now. Hey maybe that is the water store; this time I went into the store; yes this is the one. To end this part; I did get back about an hour later and came in through the front door while I left through the back door.
We enjoyed our time with Lidia, saw some of the city and helped her with her paperwork. We were able to encourage her because her sister had passed away the week before. She wasn’t able to go home for the funeral.
On July 10th, we headed to Japan. We spent 2 days in Tokyo; then traveled to Hiroshima and spent 3 days there. It was amazing to see what we the US did to this city. People today are still seeing the effects of the A-Bomb. After this we traveled to Mishima; we were very close to Mt. Fuji. We took a bus to the 5th station and climbed a part of the mountain. Then we traveled to Koyto; an ancient city with lots of temples and history. We then traveled to Tokyo and spent the night waiting for our flight the next day back to China. We arrived in Beijing on July 22 (our 42nd anniversary) and spent the night and took the train back to Handan. Japan and Taiwan are very clean cities and the people were very helpful. There are lots of people but they don’t mob, crowd, push, or force.
We are back in Cixian ; the city where we live. We are learning where the stores are and other things that we need such as the bank, post office, and the school where we will teach.
When we want to go to a bigger town for more shipping options; we take a bus, train, subway, and another bus. It is an all day affair so we only do it every 6 weeks or so.
We have had several chances to experience life here and through a bit of evaluation; we have concluded.
The first moment that a driver notices a situation that deserves attention; their first reaction is to toot the horn, thus the many horns. This drivers’ second reaction is to toot the horn, thus the many, many horns. The third reaction is to get eye contact and toot the horn an extended time, thus quicker eye contact and of course blow the horn because the toots didn’t cause a change. Now the drivers’ fourth reaction is to decelerate, and to blast the horn to show its discontentment that he had to decelerate. The fifth reaction is to look for an emergency plan just in case the next horn blast doesn’t cause favorable actions. The sixth reaction is to maneuver left, right, or stop, causing a situation for a nearby unexpecting driver.
This was written in my mind as biking through town.
Remember we are in China and pedestrians NEVER have the right of way.
The driver with the loudest horn wins.
No school for 2 days. Well today is September 5; this weekend is a holiday here in China; it is Mid Autumn Day or Mooncake Festival. We are on our way to Beijing via the bullet (fast) train, going approximately 200 KPH or 180 MPH. We will spend 3 nights there. We are going to the Beijing Opera. We will also do some shopping for some American products. There is a big warehouse store similar to Sam’s Club but it is called Metro. Dennis also needs new shoes; so we are shoe shopping for size 11 or 12; almost impossible to find but we will see.
Well it’s a week later and we are home from Beijing. We had a wonderful time. We did find shoes for Dennis; it’s a good thing his feet aren’t any bigger; we bought the biggest size they had.
The opera was very interesting; the costumes and makeup was amazing. After 1 ½ hours; we were ready to be done; the music is very high pitched. We came home with 2 suitcases; 3 bags; and an overfilled backpack. We found macaroni & cheese; salsa; corn chips; tortillas for tacos; and cheese (not as good as Simon’s) but good for Chinese standards. In order to get home; we took a taxi; a train; 2 buses; and another taxi.
We visited an antique shop and Dennis bought 2 clocks (in need of repair) that we will be bringing home with us.
Oh by the way; its official we will be home in February. Probably February 1.
We are getting to it; our original contract ended December 10 but with our new school placement; they wanted us to stay until the end of the school year. This would bring us to the end of July. The company was being very generous giving many extras as an attempt to persuade us. Our response; wow you are giving a lot; but NO. But if you maintain your generosity; we will stay until the end of 1st semester mid February. They said no as they needed the full length contract to achieve a profit. Our reply was OK; we will depart mid December. No, no, no, no, no; (most times their seems to be an echo when someone says no it is 4 or 5 times.) The school will not accept us for such a short term. Our reply was OK but that is your problem not ours. After the sting of the moment; they retracted one section of the previous offer and we agreed to the end of 1st semester.
Because this is a private school; exact dates are hard to pin point but definitely before their Spring Festival of mid February; to make things simple; we say early February. Well that is a long way to say; we will be home in approximately 4 months.
Enough about the future except to say we are looking forward to some of the “good life” such as steak or even identifiable meat. There are food stores here in our city but they don’t have several things that we would like and I am sure you take them for granted. So for about half of what we want is 2 cities away. A ¾ hour bus ride at 6 RMB each ($1.00); another bus ride across town; only 1 RMB; a fast train at 100 RMB about 1 and ½ hours; then a subway ride 20 minutes at 8 RMB; bus 2 RMB up to an hour.
OK so now what is on our list; peanut butter, cheddar cheese, hamburger, mac and cheese, canned soup, dark chocolate, cashews, peanuts, ground coffee, canned vegetables, tortilla chips, salsa, spaghetti sauce, mayo, lettuce, and salad dressing.
We try to buy several months supply as the trip takes most of the day and transportation is about $75.00 or about 500 RMB.
Our first grocery day, we didn’t know what bus to use and also advised to use a taxi. A taxi is not allowed near the train station so that adds ¼ mile walk and 30 to 100 RMB. Some things would be cheaper if I looked more Asian; I never considered that being TDH (tall, dark, and handsome) would be a disadvantage.
Please excuse the 2 week delay in writing. I know you are interested but some days I don’t have the energy or ambition to write more. Another excuse is if something of interest or humor; Sue puts it on Facebook and later when I write about it there is less pizzazz (this is a word that I will not teach as it will loose a bit of its oomph.)
We had a great time last Saturday; we Skyped with our 2nd exchange student Anne from Denmark. She is doing great. She still has the same laugh that we forgot how pleasant it is to hear. Also she is just as beautiful as 1995; boy haw time runs. They are expecting their 2nd child in a few months. We did watch Alfred play with his toys; although he wasn’t interested in us. It is odd what things spark another as all last week; I was craving pop tarts (Anne’s favorite snack.)
Other things that interest me; so I write about them and maybe they will interest or entertain you. My foreign coin collection forced me into an antique shop recently. They didn’t have any coins but I did buy 2 antique clocks. Neither work as one stops after a few seconds and the other takes only a few seconds for an hour. And now I really miss my Grandfather clock, or as some Europeans call it “standing wall clock”. Thank you Felix and family; we love our clock.
I bike to school about 1 ½ miles most of it is just fine if you don’t obey the rules and drive as a local. I don’t mean a person that is from this area instead I suggest crazy. One section, I found it easier to get off and walk as the congestion and general chaos is difficult to maneuver through.
I have previous written about the use of horns, I have a new theory. I suggest that there is a type of magic. I haven’t mastered it yet as my bike doesn’t even have a bell. My theory is; all vehicles are invisible. It may sound odd but possible it’s true. As a car is moving down the road and the sidewalk or the bike lane; the driver will see an obstacle (me) and want me to move but assume I can’t see it. However, because the driver believes his car is invisible so I can’t see it; thus the need for the magic horn, and now the car is visible so I can clear out of its way. Reality is proving my theory. Of course; a bus or truck will need more power in its magic horn that is why they come equipped with the much louder air horn, also the motorcycle or e-bike needs less so their hum is sufficient.
To further my evaluation, obviously I am invisible and I don’t have any magic so they just keep coming as they don’t see me. I have found a temporary solution until I get a horn / bell for my bike. I have discovered that kicking or pounding on the car’s also helps. The driver assumes to be invisible so becomes aware of me; however it is proven to not be effective on buses and I haven’t tried it on semis.
It rained here for 4 days because of the typhoon that hit southern China. I was so happy that it stopped raining. We bought a small toaster oven (Dennis calls it an easy bake oven). We can now make toast (the little pleasures). Yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies (not as good as Karen’s) but still good.
It is amazing how hungry you get for things that we can’t get there. The first month back we will by busy eating all the foods that we have missed.
We had 3 days off for October 1 to 3 for National Day (a holiday to remember those who fought in the wars here.) We went back to Beijing and visited a different part of the Great Wall and also The Summer Palace. We had fun but it’s nice to be back in our smaller city. Beijing is just too busy, with too many people. We are planning on returning February 1, 2015. Our last day of teaching is January 31, 2015.
We are so sorry that this blog is way overdue.
We will try for an early December posting.
Dennis and Sue
Monday, July 28, 2014
June
So now that we have our Z working visa; we thought this school would be pleased; also we have only received great reviews from students, national teachers, and the headmaster (principal.) We never expected any problems. Well problem number 1; there are 6 – 20 floor apartments being built across the street; this will cause an interruption of electricity and water over the summer so we have to move. Problem number 2; the CEO / manager of the school said she wants younger teachers. I guess that stability and experience are not her priority; so we have to move. There is an immediate opening in Zhengzhou but that city has nasty air quality. The placement agency found a spot in Cixian a smaller city than we are in now. After a Skype interview; we had primary acceptance so off we go. We will finish the school year here and then move and then vacation.
As planning is being examined; we assume Taiwan is our first stop; then maybe South Korea; Japan; and the Philippians on the tail of the circle. We thought about Thailand but maybe not. Anyway lots of maybes have bothered us in May and now in June. But if you consider that I can’t remember most of the past; why would I want to remember the future?
I have two other interesting stories; the first about a national teacher Raymond. During lunch Sue and I usually arrive before most other teachers; we pretend to look forward to our lunch of white rice, green things; sometimes vegetables, tofu, and a thumbnail side piece of unidentifiable meat. About half way through lunch, our assistant Dandan and her roommate Nicole (another teacher that we have had to our apartment for ice cream) joined us. Moments later came Raymond. Before he started eating; he asked “Do you believe in God?” I wasn't ready for that question. Yes, why do you ask? Are you interested to know how or why? Yes but first I want to know; do you have a Holy Bible? I answered yes; and he asked do you know what is in it? Some; yes. I see you have another question. Yes is one of the 12 disciples a woman? I am watching a movie about this. We had follow up conversation at our apartment that evening. I think he is about 25 and when I showed him my Bible; he said this is the first one he has seen.
****This prompts the question; when was your Holy Bible used other than as we did during my school years; used it to press dried flowers. He opened it to Genesis glanced at a few pages and asked where does it say about the Trinity? Approximately an hour later when I knew he would have to leave; I asked what proof would you need in order to believe what I explained? I knew he wouldn’t believe the Bible or the God / Man form of Jesus. I answered my question saying first you must trust God by faith; second for physical proof examine me; it is a bit of a self challenge when you direct someone to see God through yourself. But it should work that way…if they don’t look too close. This certainly does add to the interesting journey that I have had especially if you go back 60 years plus.
Next is Nicole and Dandan; we talked with each to offer them to understand more and get questions answered. Nicole said no thanks although I was explaining as she said no. Dandan is curious but doesn't want to look too deep. We left her with the simple explanation that religion is man trying to reach up to God while Christianity is God reaching to man. The sad news is that we will soon be leaving these 3 friends; the good news is we have had an opportunity to talk with Min one of our interviewers. So we have another open door.
This part of writing and life in general was interrupted Wednesday evening. We were informed we had to move immediately; some problems with our paperwork. We packed Thursday and left Friday WOW!!! If our penmanship is a little rough; we are writing this during our 7 hour bus ride. Our goodbyes were very quick. We will stay in Zhengzhou for a few days doing paperwork and waiting for our things to catch up to us. A very surprising event; here in Zhengzhou. We saw our shadow both Saturday and Sunday.
Have you ever had the thrill of a bus ride for 7 hours with the driver tooting his horn every 5 minutes; maybe more? I am not certain at times what he is tooting at; maybe a leaf blowing across the road; or maybe the trees themselves. City driving is even worse; I counted 37 times in a 5 minute span, that about every 8 seconds. You might expect the horn to wear out with overuse; actually the button wears out first. Some of our city buses have a replacement button.
Well it’s Sunday June 15 and we are on a bus headed to Zhengzhou; we have an interview with our new school. The interview will be teachers and staff watching us teach. They were very impressed and said we were well qualified. Who would have thought that a girl from a small town Brimley and a Kimberly graduate with a GPA of 0.4 would be teachers? (This isn't a typo for the grade point average.) The city’s name is Handan and it will involve a 30 minute bus ride when we need to go to the big city. There we can connect with a fast (bullet) train to connect with most of the country. Fast train is not an exaggeration; it travels approximately 300 KM an hour; that 180 MPH.
Reminding you that we are on this 7 hour bus ride; we do strange things to occupy ourselves. For example calculating this speed, I know that Kilometers are divided by 100 to make meters; meters divided by 100 to make centimeters and so on. Why hasn't someone invented an easier way to tell time? The problem exists with a non consistent year, so we add a day every so often, and then divided by 12 you still come up with inconsistent. A month is anywhere from 28 to 31 days. The next divide by a very inconvient number like 24; take that and divide by 60 and divide by 60 and you have a second. I think that we could do better.
I told you a bus ride was boring and when the mind wanders there’s no telling. We are in a wandering situation right now; physically rather than mentally. Mostly settled in to our new apartment and mostly done with some vacation although we still plan to travel to a preserve to see the Pandas in the wild. We’ve found 2 reasonable sized grocery stores apparently there are 2 more; I found the post office but they said it’s not a post office although they had package, stamps and other things. We are adjusting to our new city although for several days they decided they don’t want to hire Sue and how is that going to work. Some very slow negotiations and even slower resolve; we may have to move back to Gushi. At this very moment, we think not.
We will try to do another section about our vacation but for now I guess we will end this and get it posted.
Dennis and Sue
As planning is being examined; we assume Taiwan is our first stop; then maybe South Korea; Japan; and the Philippians on the tail of the circle. We thought about Thailand but maybe not. Anyway lots of maybes have bothered us in May and now in June. But if you consider that I can’t remember most of the past; why would I want to remember the future?
I have two other interesting stories; the first about a national teacher Raymond. During lunch Sue and I usually arrive before most other teachers; we pretend to look forward to our lunch of white rice, green things; sometimes vegetables, tofu, and a thumbnail side piece of unidentifiable meat. About half way through lunch, our assistant Dandan and her roommate Nicole (another teacher that we have had to our apartment for ice cream) joined us. Moments later came Raymond. Before he started eating; he asked “Do you believe in God?” I wasn't ready for that question. Yes, why do you ask? Are you interested to know how or why? Yes but first I want to know; do you have a Holy Bible? I answered yes; and he asked do you know what is in it? Some; yes. I see you have another question. Yes is one of the 12 disciples a woman? I am watching a movie about this. We had follow up conversation at our apartment that evening. I think he is about 25 and when I showed him my Bible; he said this is the first one he has seen.
****This prompts the question; when was your Holy Bible used other than as we did during my school years; used it to press dried flowers. He opened it to Genesis glanced at a few pages and asked where does it say about the Trinity? Approximately an hour later when I knew he would have to leave; I asked what proof would you need in order to believe what I explained? I knew he wouldn’t believe the Bible or the God / Man form of Jesus. I answered my question saying first you must trust God by faith; second for physical proof examine me; it is a bit of a self challenge when you direct someone to see God through yourself. But it should work that way…if they don’t look too close. This certainly does add to the interesting journey that I have had especially if you go back 60 years plus.
Next is Nicole and Dandan; we talked with each to offer them to understand more and get questions answered. Nicole said no thanks although I was explaining as she said no. Dandan is curious but doesn't want to look too deep. We left her with the simple explanation that religion is man trying to reach up to God while Christianity is God reaching to man. The sad news is that we will soon be leaving these 3 friends; the good news is we have had an opportunity to talk with Min one of our interviewers. So we have another open door.
This part of writing and life in general was interrupted Wednesday evening. We were informed we had to move immediately; some problems with our paperwork. We packed Thursday and left Friday WOW!!! If our penmanship is a little rough; we are writing this during our 7 hour bus ride. Our goodbyes were very quick. We will stay in Zhengzhou for a few days doing paperwork and waiting for our things to catch up to us. A very surprising event; here in Zhengzhou. We saw our shadow both Saturday and Sunday.
Have you ever had the thrill of a bus ride for 7 hours with the driver tooting his horn every 5 minutes; maybe more? I am not certain at times what he is tooting at; maybe a leaf blowing across the road; or maybe the trees themselves. City driving is even worse; I counted 37 times in a 5 minute span, that about every 8 seconds. You might expect the horn to wear out with overuse; actually the button wears out first. Some of our city buses have a replacement button.
Well it’s Sunday June 15 and we are on a bus headed to Zhengzhou; we have an interview with our new school. The interview will be teachers and staff watching us teach. They were very impressed and said we were well qualified. Who would have thought that a girl from a small town Brimley and a Kimberly graduate with a GPA of 0.4 would be teachers? (This isn't a typo for the grade point average.) The city’s name is Handan and it will involve a 30 minute bus ride when we need to go to the big city. There we can connect with a fast (bullet) train to connect with most of the country. Fast train is not an exaggeration; it travels approximately 300 KM an hour; that 180 MPH.
Reminding you that we are on this 7 hour bus ride; we do strange things to occupy ourselves. For example calculating this speed, I know that Kilometers are divided by 100 to make meters; meters divided by 100 to make centimeters and so on. Why hasn't someone invented an easier way to tell time? The problem exists with a non consistent year, so we add a day every so often, and then divided by 12 you still come up with inconsistent. A month is anywhere from 28 to 31 days. The next divide by a very inconvient number like 24; take that and divide by 60 and divide by 60 and you have a second. I think that we could do better.
I told you a bus ride was boring and when the mind wanders there’s no telling. We are in a wandering situation right now; physically rather than mentally. Mostly settled in to our new apartment and mostly done with some vacation although we still plan to travel to a preserve to see the Pandas in the wild. We’ve found 2 reasonable sized grocery stores apparently there are 2 more; I found the post office but they said it’s not a post office although they had package, stamps and other things. We are adjusting to our new city although for several days they decided they don’t want to hire Sue and how is that going to work. Some very slow negotiations and even slower resolve; we may have to move back to Gushi. At this very moment, we think not.
We will try to do another section about our vacation but for now I guess we will end this and get it posted.
Dennis and Sue
Thursday, June 12, 2014
May
Our last post was abruptly ended so a bit of continuation.
We had an up and down April – our best friend died the 16th of April. Sue got home two days before and had a lousy time; saying goodbye. I was able to use Karen’s guarantee of heaven to explain God's love and Jesus' redemption of man. It sure seems like an uneven exchange; Karen going to heaven so I can explain about it, but . . .
May wasn't much better with the ups and downs. We should have received our work visa before starting; but didn't. We expected it within the first 90 day visa; but we didn't. Then got an additional 30 day extension that should have allowed enough time for the work visa but again didn't. We got an additional 90 day visa surely expecting to receive the up graded Z working visa and after 30 of these days nothing. So we advised our hiring company; CZZ that if we didn't get it by the end of May; we were quitting. You would think that they would respond quickly but instead stalled. Yes, we did get our work Z visa May 30, the very last day before we were to submit our resignation. The process is a bit of paperwork and leaving the country; so we went to Hong Kong. We had to submit one day and receive the next day (with a rush application.) So we use the wait time to go to Macao; this gives me 34 and Sue 32 countries that we have visited, vacationed, or lived in.
We almost had an early return but we have to guess that “we are not done here yet.” Our plans continue; we teach until June 13; go on vacation when and where we don’t know yet and then teach again around September 1.
Our summer vacation was planned to be in Taiwan and Thailand with a few other shorter stops. Well in case you only get “American” news not everything is calm in Taiwan; mostly because of the government getting bribes to allow for outsourcing of jobs. It probably seems odd to you wondering, what is the difference if America imports from China, Taiwan or wherever. From this side of the world; it is very important. Our expected R & R in Thailand’s beaches is maybe not the best decision as the military coup and the ousted president and her brooked cabinet puts the country on edge with the red shirts against the others.
Then there is Japan wanting to regain some extra islands near China; off shore drilling in others’ water. North and South Korea showing more aggression at one another. Russia and Ukraine / Crimea problems are as only one country away. The Philippians is still in near disaster after last years’ hurricane.
Will keep you posted as to our future plans and also our vacation plans.
Love,
Dennis and Sue
We had an up and down April – our best friend died the 16th of April. Sue got home two days before and had a lousy time; saying goodbye. I was able to use Karen’s guarantee of heaven to explain God's love and Jesus' redemption of man. It sure seems like an uneven exchange; Karen going to heaven so I can explain about it, but . . .
May wasn't much better with the ups and downs. We should have received our work visa before starting; but didn't. We expected it within the first 90 day visa; but we didn't. Then got an additional 30 day extension that should have allowed enough time for the work visa but again didn't. We got an additional 90 day visa surely expecting to receive the up graded Z working visa and after 30 of these days nothing. So we advised our hiring company; CZZ that if we didn't get it by the end of May; we were quitting. You would think that they would respond quickly but instead stalled. Yes, we did get our work Z visa May 30, the very last day before we were to submit our resignation. The process is a bit of paperwork and leaving the country; so we went to Hong Kong. We had to submit one day and receive the next day (with a rush application.) So we use the wait time to go to Macao; this gives me 34 and Sue 32 countries that we have visited, vacationed, or lived in.
We almost had an early return but we have to guess that “we are not done here yet.” Our plans continue; we teach until June 13; go on vacation when and where we don’t know yet and then teach again around September 1.
Our summer vacation was planned to be in Taiwan and Thailand with a few other shorter stops. Well in case you only get “American” news not everything is calm in Taiwan; mostly because of the government getting bribes to allow for outsourcing of jobs. It probably seems odd to you wondering, what is the difference if America imports from China, Taiwan or wherever. From this side of the world; it is very important. Our expected R & R in Thailand’s beaches is maybe not the best decision as the military coup and the ousted president and her brooked cabinet puts the country on edge with the red shirts against the others.
Then there is Japan wanting to regain some extra islands near China; off shore drilling in others’ water. North and South Korea showing more aggression at one another. Russia and Ukraine / Crimea problems are as only one country away. The Philippians is still in near disaster after last years’ hurricane.
Will keep you posted as to our future plans and also our vacation plans.
Love,
Dennis and Sue
April
Well my week started on Monday, after my computer was not working for the weekend.
I found out Monday that Karen was taken to the hospital; I had just talked to her on Friday. She said she had a sinus infection, went to see the doctor and got some medicine. On Sunday night she called Eden (her daughter) to have her take her to the hospital. By Wednesday; the medicine didn't seem to be working. The doctor's thought she has run of the mill pneumonia. On Wednesday night they put her on a ventilator; she had pre-determined that they would only keep her on it 4 days. 4 days will be up on Sunday night. I left China quickly to see Karen and also support Eden, Kim, and Shane; Karen’s daughters and son, and get some myself.
We are praying for God’s will; however we don’t want her to die; it’s too soon. I know she would be happy to be with Guy but we are selfish. She never did stop missing him even after 16 months.
I arrived on Sunday late morning because of smog in China; my plane left late missing my connection in Detroit. I went straight to the hospital; Karen was in ICU; she could write letters down, so we were able to communicate. They had her on morphine and Propotol so she slept a lot.
The doctor advised another day on the ventilator. On Sunday night, Karen decided to stay on the ventilator. By Tuesday, the doctors said she was doing better; they took her off the ventilator. Wednesday morning; she took a turn for the worse but didn't want the ventilator put back in. By Wednesday afternoon; they took her off oxygen and she passed away at 6:53 PM. We planned the funeral for Monday, April 21 at 11 AM with visitation at 10 AM. Many people came to celebrate her home going; she is now with Guy, in Heaven.
The week after the funeral we spent the week cleaning out the house. I left to come back to China on Friday, April 25 and arrived on Saturday night, April 26.
Dennis was happy that I was home. We are continuing to teach and get ready for the end of the semester. It will be summer break for the students. Dennis and I plan to do some traveling.
Dennis was talking with our TA (teachers’ assistant) about Karen and her readiness and eagerness to get to heaven. She asked how can you know? I was very happy to explain the knowing comes from Jesus not ourselves. She had never considered such an idea. We are alert for another opportunity to explain God’s redeeming grace. The news of God using Karen on her last day was a blessing and a reason to rejoice but for now the sadness seems to grip most that knew Karen.
I found out Monday that Karen was taken to the hospital; I had just talked to her on Friday. She said she had a sinus infection, went to see the doctor and got some medicine. On Sunday night she called Eden (her daughter) to have her take her to the hospital. By Wednesday; the medicine didn't seem to be working. The doctor's thought she has run of the mill pneumonia. On Wednesday night they put her on a ventilator; she had pre-determined that they would only keep her on it 4 days. 4 days will be up on Sunday night. I left China quickly to see Karen and also support Eden, Kim, and Shane; Karen’s daughters and son, and get some myself.
We are praying for God’s will; however we don’t want her to die; it’s too soon. I know she would be happy to be with Guy but we are selfish. She never did stop missing him even after 16 months.
I arrived on Sunday late morning because of smog in China; my plane left late missing my connection in Detroit. I went straight to the hospital; Karen was in ICU; she could write letters down, so we were able to communicate. They had her on morphine and Propotol so she slept a lot.
The doctor advised another day on the ventilator. On Sunday night, Karen decided to stay on the ventilator. By Tuesday, the doctors said she was doing better; they took her off the ventilator. Wednesday morning; she took a turn for the worse but didn't want the ventilator put back in. By Wednesday afternoon; they took her off oxygen and she passed away at 6:53 PM. We planned the funeral for Monday, April 21 at 11 AM with visitation at 10 AM. Many people came to celebrate her home going; she is now with Guy, in Heaven.
The week after the funeral we spent the week cleaning out the house. I left to come back to China on Friday, April 25 and arrived on Saturday night, April 26.
Dennis was happy that I was home. We are continuing to teach and get ready for the end of the semester. It will be summer break for the students. Dennis and I plan to do some traveling.
Dennis was talking with our TA (teachers’ assistant) about Karen and her readiness and eagerness to get to heaven. She asked how can you know? I was very happy to explain the knowing comes from Jesus not ourselves. She had never considered such an idea. We are alert for another opportunity to explain God’s redeeming grace. The news of God using Karen on her last day was a blessing and a reason to rejoice but for now the sadness seems to grip most that knew Karen.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
More Adventures in China
We picked up Lidia on our way home from Shanghai; at the airport in Hefei, China and then attempted to buy bus tickets for our trip back to Gushi. Well only 1 seat left on the bus so we spent the night in a traditional Chinese hotel; up 3 flights of stairs; small room with 3 beds (hard as a rock); a typical Chinese bathroom (squatty potty); shower but no towels.
We were able to get the bus back to Gushi on Tuesday; we relaxed at home for a few days and planned the rest of our time with Lidia. By the way she is one of our Guatemala daughters that is on her 5 years of international studies in Taiwan.
We left Gushi on Tuesday, January 28 and headed to Zhengzhou we arrived the evening of the 28th; the taxi driver told us it was 85 KM away from the city; he said 300 RMB; we said 200 RMB and he said OK. After we arrived; it was only 35 KM so we paid him 100 RMB; half the miles; half the cost; he wasn't happy. The next day we figured out the bus system and were able to get to the city for 5 RMB. This is what happens when you book a hotel that says it’s in Zhengzhou but it was a different district (who knew?) While we were in Zhengzhou; we went to a museum; walked through a park; walked around the city. We had Hot Pot (an experience); when we get to the restaurant; they give you a menu and you pick out the meats and vegetables that you want and they bring a big pot to the table with a heater underneath and then you add the meat and vegetables to this boiling liquid broth until it’s cooked. Then you use your chopsticks to pick out what you want to eat. The owner of the restaurant could see that I (Sue) was having problems with chopsticks so they went down the street and bought a fork just for me; when we were leaving the restaurant; they gave me the fork to keep; what a memory!
On Sunday, February 2; we boarded the bullet train (bullet for shape and speed) for Beijing. It was only a 2 hour ride; after we arrived we had to figure out where Yanqing was. This is where our timeshare was. After many questions; Lidia figured out that we needed to take an additional train. Lidia now knows; Spanish, English, and Chinese. After we boarded the train; we were sitting next to a young lady so we asked her if this was the train to Yanqing and she said yes. Her Mother, Father, and sister were sitting in the seat right in front of us. Her sister Beth was very happy to have some Americans to talk with to be able to practice their English. We talked for the entire 1 ½ hour train ride. We found out that Yanqing was the city that this family lived in. When we arrived in Yanqing; Beth helped us get a taxi; (she was concerned that we would be charged too much); she went with us to the resort and helps us get checked in. Once we reached the resort; our room wasn’t ready so they gave us 2 separate rooms (one for us and one for Lidia); they said our room would be ready tomorrow but it wasn’t so we stayed in these rooms all week. This was a 5 star resort built for the 2001 Olympics but no money has been used for repairs or updates. I guess it is now a 2 star resort. The girls asked what we were planning to do this week; we said sight see the area; visit the Great Wall; sight see Beijing and relax. They said they had a car and would pick us up on Monday morning and they would take us to the Great Wall. WOW!!! We said that would be great but we didn't want to inconvenience them.
Beth and Clara picked us up at 7:30 AM and we drove to the Great Wall; we bought tickets and proceeded up the Wall. We climbed up (I never knew there could be so many steps) and back down. What an amazing site. We climbed for about 2 hours and took lots of pictures along the way. People kept stopping Dennis and wanted to have their picture taken with him; several children also because they said he looked like Santa Claus.
It was cold and windy so we were bundled up with hat and gloves. I would recommend not going in February; wait for warmer weather. After climbing down; we went for some coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to help us warm up.
That night Beth and Clara wanted to take us for Hot Pot for supper; we had a wonderful time together. I did much better this time with the chopsticks.
On Tuesday; we went to Beijing to visit Tienanmen Square, The Palace Museum, a shopping street, and enjoyed being in Beijing.
On Wednesday; Beth picked us up and we climbed to the top of a pagoda; you could see the entire city of Yanqing. We then went to a traditional Chinese restaurant and had very traditional food for this area of the country. We sat at a table with a turntable on it. They placed 12 different dishes on
the turntable and we began to eat; it was very good. Sometimes I had no idea of what we were eating; maybe I don’t want to know. We were given a drink that looks like milky tea; it was good; I found out later that it was a tofu drink.
After lunch we headed out; we visited Guyaju (Ancient Dwelling Site) Cave Houses; these were houses build in the side of the mountain where people lived; it was very interesting.
After visiting the Cave Houses; we then traveled to the Ice Museum; they had statues made from ice; including a house, animals, and lots of horses because this is the year of the horse. Everything was lit up with lights. We were there around 4:00 PM and Beth said let’s wait until it gets dark because it is much nicer at night.
We found a little restaurant where we had some hot chocolate, and then some orange juice; well surprise the orange juice was served hot. Most drinks are served hot. When it got dark; we walked around and saw all the different things made from ice; they all had lights and it was beautiful. It was so cold; but well worth it. Beth suggested we take the back roads home as the highway would be very busy. OK picture a country road such as Greiner road; now picture this road with cars parked on both side that for some odd reason; I am guessing most don’t want to get their tires dirty and park on the payment. Now picture cars going east and west with occasional walkers not getting their shoes dirty. Someone decides to do a u-turn or better described as a triple W turn. We are not sure how busy the highway was but we can only assume faster than this, although not as entertaining.
On Thursday; we took the train to Beijing and went to an Antique Coin Museum. Dennis enjoyed this so much and Lidia was along and helped to explain the different dynasties and information that was only written in Chinese. After the museum, Lidia and I split up from Dennis and he went to find another coin museum (you can only look at old coins for so long) and we went to find Silk Road (a 6 story building full of shopping). On our way; we found a Mexican Restaurant and had lunch there; it was pretty good for being cooked by Chinese people. Afterwards, we went shopping and found souvenirs; DVD movies, and a typical Chinese shirt for Dennis. We met Dennis and took the train back to Yanqing. We then took a taxi to Longlongchang Restaurant where we met Beth and Clara and had Peking Duck for supper. This duck is served sliced thin, with onions, cucumbers; a special dark sauce and you put this altogether in a thin tortilla and eat it like a burrito. It was very good. Afterwards we went back to the hotel looked at pictures; played Chinese chess, and talked. We finally went to sleep around midnight.
On Friday; we slept late until 10:30 AM. We went to Wal-Mart and then walked home. We enjoyed our walk around the city and our relaxing day of do nothing. We bought the fixings for a salad and had that for supper that night in the hotel and then Dennis and Lidia played Chinese chess.
On Saturday, we enjoyed the day of walking around the city and just looking. We once again bought the fixings for a salad and made this for supper again (We are missing having fresh salad because in our city you can’t buy lettuce.)
We packed our suitcases and got ready to leave on Sunday morning; we were taking the train to Xi’an (pronounced She On.) We would spend 5 nights here. We saw the Bell and Drum Towers, some of the several hundred as big as 8 feet. the Wild Goose Pagoda, the Terra Cotta Warriors. We also enjoyed walking around the city. The Terra Cotta Warriors were amazing and so life like.
We boarded the overnight (sleeper) train to head to Hefei on Friday, February 14. We had a soft sleeper; still hard by American standards. There for 4 beds in a room 2 uppers and 2 lowers; there is a small table with a thermos bottle for hot water (the Chinese drink hot water; they believe cold water is bad for the stomach. There was heat on with no way to adjust it; we were sweating. We arrived in Hefei at 6:00 AM; took a taxi to our hotel again in Hefei but in a different district; once again a 30 minute taxi ride.
We took a bus (the wrong way) and then got on the bus going the right way; we were leading towards Carrefour (an international store with western products.) We got off the bus; asked a few people; and walked a few blocks; we finally found it. After shopping, we went back to the hotel and relaxed. Lidia left on Sunday morning and we took a bus back to Gushi.
We are back at teaching school getting ready for our next adventure this summer.
We were able to get the bus back to Gushi on Tuesday; we relaxed at home for a few days and planned the rest of our time with Lidia. By the way she is one of our Guatemala daughters that is on her 5 years of international studies in Taiwan.
We left Gushi on Tuesday, January 28 and headed to Zhengzhou we arrived the evening of the 28th; the taxi driver told us it was 85 KM away from the city; he said 300 RMB; we said 200 RMB and he said OK. After we arrived; it was only 35 KM so we paid him 100 RMB; half the miles; half the cost; he wasn't happy. The next day we figured out the bus system and were able to get to the city for 5 RMB. This is what happens when you book a hotel that says it’s in Zhengzhou but it was a different district (who knew?) While we were in Zhengzhou; we went to a museum; walked through a park; walked around the city. We had Hot Pot (an experience); when we get to the restaurant; they give you a menu and you pick out the meats and vegetables that you want and they bring a big pot to the table with a heater underneath and then you add the meat and vegetables to this boiling liquid broth until it’s cooked. Then you use your chopsticks to pick out what you want to eat. The owner of the restaurant could see that I (Sue) was having problems with chopsticks so they went down the street and bought a fork just for me; when we were leaving the restaurant; they gave me the fork to keep; what a memory!
On Sunday, February 2; we boarded the bullet train (bullet for shape and speed) for Beijing. It was only a 2 hour ride; after we arrived we had to figure out where Yanqing was. This is where our timeshare was. After many questions; Lidia figured out that we needed to take an additional train. Lidia now knows; Spanish, English, and Chinese. After we boarded the train; we were sitting next to a young lady so we asked her if this was the train to Yanqing and she said yes. Her Mother, Father, and sister were sitting in the seat right in front of us. Her sister Beth was very happy to have some Americans to talk with to be able to practice their English. We talked for the entire 1 ½ hour train ride. We found out that Yanqing was the city that this family lived in. When we arrived in Yanqing; Beth helped us get a taxi; (she was concerned that we would be charged too much); she went with us to the resort and helps us get checked in. Once we reached the resort; our room wasn’t ready so they gave us 2 separate rooms (one for us and one for Lidia); they said our room would be ready tomorrow but it wasn’t so we stayed in these rooms all week. This was a 5 star resort built for the 2001 Olympics but no money has been used for repairs or updates. I guess it is now a 2 star resort. The girls asked what we were planning to do this week; we said sight see the area; visit the Great Wall; sight see Beijing and relax. They said they had a car and would pick us up on Monday morning and they would take us to the Great Wall. WOW!!! We said that would be great but we didn't want to inconvenience them.
Beth and Clara picked us up at 7:30 AM and we drove to the Great Wall; we bought tickets and proceeded up the Wall. We climbed up (I never knew there could be so many steps) and back down. What an amazing site. We climbed for about 2 hours and took lots of pictures along the way. People kept stopping Dennis and wanted to have their picture taken with him; several children also because they said he looked like Santa Claus.
It was cold and windy so we were bundled up with hat and gloves. I would recommend not going in February; wait for warmer weather. After climbing down; we went for some coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to help us warm up.
That night Beth and Clara wanted to take us for Hot Pot for supper; we had a wonderful time together. I did much better this time with the chopsticks.
On Tuesday; we went to Beijing to visit Tienanmen Square, The Palace Museum, a shopping street, and enjoyed being in Beijing.
On Wednesday; Beth picked us up and we climbed to the top of a pagoda; you could see the entire city of Yanqing. We then went to a traditional Chinese restaurant and had very traditional food for this area of the country. We sat at a table with a turntable on it. They placed 12 different dishes on
the turntable and we began to eat; it was very good. Sometimes I had no idea of what we were eating; maybe I don’t want to know. We were given a drink that looks like milky tea; it was good; I found out later that it was a tofu drink.
After lunch we headed out; we visited Guyaju (Ancient Dwelling Site) Cave Houses; these were houses build in the side of the mountain where people lived; it was very interesting.
After visiting the Cave Houses; we then traveled to the Ice Museum; they had statues made from ice; including a house, animals, and lots of horses because this is the year of the horse. Everything was lit up with lights. We were there around 4:00 PM and Beth said let’s wait until it gets dark because it is much nicer at night.
We found a little restaurant where we had some hot chocolate, and then some orange juice; well surprise the orange juice was served hot. Most drinks are served hot. When it got dark; we walked around and saw all the different things made from ice; they all had lights and it was beautiful. It was so cold; but well worth it. Beth suggested we take the back roads home as the highway would be very busy. OK picture a country road such as Greiner road; now picture this road with cars parked on both side that for some odd reason; I am guessing most don’t want to get their tires dirty and park on the payment. Now picture cars going east and west with occasional walkers not getting their shoes dirty. Someone decides to do a u-turn or better described as a triple W turn. We are not sure how busy the highway was but we can only assume faster than this, although not as entertaining.
On Thursday; we took the train to Beijing and went to an Antique Coin Museum. Dennis enjoyed this so much and Lidia was along and helped to explain the different dynasties and information that was only written in Chinese. After the museum, Lidia and I split up from Dennis and he went to find another coin museum (you can only look at old coins for so long) and we went to find Silk Road (a 6 story building full of shopping). On our way; we found a Mexican Restaurant and had lunch there; it was pretty good for being cooked by Chinese people. Afterwards, we went shopping and found souvenirs; DVD movies, and a typical Chinese shirt for Dennis. We met Dennis and took the train back to Yanqing. We then took a taxi to Longlongchang Restaurant where we met Beth and Clara and had Peking Duck for supper. This duck is served sliced thin, with onions, cucumbers; a special dark sauce and you put this altogether in a thin tortilla and eat it like a burrito. It was very good. Afterwards we went back to the hotel looked at pictures; played Chinese chess, and talked. We finally went to sleep around midnight.
On Friday; we slept late until 10:30 AM. We went to Wal-Mart and then walked home. We enjoyed our walk around the city and our relaxing day of do nothing. We bought the fixings for a salad and had that for supper that night in the hotel and then Dennis and Lidia played Chinese chess.
On Saturday, we enjoyed the day of walking around the city and just looking. We once again bought the fixings for a salad and made this for supper again (We are missing having fresh salad because in our city you can’t buy lettuce.)
We packed our suitcases and got ready to leave on Sunday morning; we were taking the train to Xi’an (pronounced She On.) We would spend 5 nights here. We saw the Bell and Drum Towers, some of the several hundred as big as 8 feet. the Wild Goose Pagoda, the Terra Cotta Warriors. We also enjoyed walking around the city. The Terra Cotta Warriors were amazing and so life like.
We boarded the overnight (sleeper) train to head to Hefei on Friday, February 14. We had a soft sleeper; still hard by American standards. There for 4 beds in a room 2 uppers and 2 lowers; there is a small table with a thermos bottle for hot water (the Chinese drink hot water; they believe cold water is bad for the stomach. There was heat on with no way to adjust it; we were sweating. We arrived in Hefei at 6:00 AM; took a taxi to our hotel again in Hefei but in a different district; once again a 30 minute taxi ride.
We took a bus (the wrong way) and then got on the bus going the right way; we were leading towards Carrefour (an international store with western products.) We got off the bus; asked a few people; and walked a few blocks; we finally found it. After shopping, we went back to the hotel and relaxed. Lidia left on Sunday morning and we took a bus back to Gushi.
We are back at teaching school getting ready for our next adventure this summer.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Updates from China
Hello:
You may have gotten used to the style of my writing but be assured I am not a published author therefore; I am at liberty to change.
Today’s blog will be just a mosaic picture of some of the unique experiences.
So here we go; an opportunity to learn Chinese has intensified our empathy for these Chinese students attempting to learn English especially the multiple sounds from our vowels. In order for us to say a style of the U; it sounds something like SZUER with a whistle but it’s only one sound. So far I have gotten closer than Sue because she can’t whistle. I thinking of becoming a professional mime…this language is difficult.
This quote is never to be repeated when I am in Wisconsin; “the most appetizing thing on my plate is broccoli.”
We took the bullet train (called that because of its shape or because of its speed.) Traveling at 182 MPH.
We experienced a new definition of cruise control; the bus driver would accelerate heavy until surpassing his desired speed; he would shift to neutral and cruise; 30 seconds later repeating the process. The uncomfortable part was this was almost a 7 hour bus ride; our seat was directly over the engine.
We recently were somewhat surprised by the price of a few items; 1st surprise – 2 scrap pieces of plywood cost $10.00; 2nd an apple (it was very large) cost $19.00; a steak; although it did look like a nice cut of meat cost $58.00 per pound (we bought none of these items.)
A taxi driver becomes very upset when he is expecting a $30.00 fare and only receives $15.00; the passenger is upset when expecting a 50 mile trip but received only 18 miles.
A suitcase full of canned goods is very heavy.
For those of you who are inpatient for spring; be assured the trees will bud; the dandelions will bloom and the mosquitoes will survive.
I hope that your tomorrow brings some interesting things as well.
Dennis
You may have gotten used to the style of my writing but be assured I am not a published author therefore; I am at liberty to change.
Today’s blog will be just a mosaic picture of some of the unique experiences.
So here we go; an opportunity to learn Chinese has intensified our empathy for these Chinese students attempting to learn English especially the multiple sounds from our vowels. In order for us to say a style of the U; it sounds something like SZUER with a whistle but it’s only one sound. So far I have gotten closer than Sue because she can’t whistle. I thinking of becoming a professional mime…this language is difficult.
This quote is never to be repeated when I am in Wisconsin; “the most appetizing thing on my plate is broccoli.”
We took the bullet train (called that because of its shape or because of its speed.) Traveling at 182 MPH.
We experienced a new definition of cruise control; the bus driver would accelerate heavy until surpassing his desired speed; he would shift to neutral and cruise; 30 seconds later repeating the process. The uncomfortable part was this was almost a 7 hour bus ride; our seat was directly over the engine.
We recently were somewhat surprised by the price of a few items; 1st surprise – 2 scrap pieces of plywood cost $10.00; 2nd an apple (it was very large) cost $19.00; a steak; although it did look like a nice cut of meat cost $58.00 per pound (we bought none of these items.)
A taxi driver becomes very upset when he is expecting a $30.00 fare and only receives $15.00; the passenger is upset when expecting a 50 mile trip but received only 18 miles.
A suitcase full of canned goods is very heavy.
For those of you who are inpatient for spring; be assured the trees will bud; the dandelions will bloom and the mosquitoes will survive.
I hope that your tomorrow brings some interesting things as well.
Dennis
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