Author Archives: susan

High School Sports Event

Posted on by
Reply

October 26, 2010

Friday was our high school all day sports event.  The students were bused across town at 6:20 am to the Sports Pavilion.  This pavilion is like Cowboy Stadium in Dallas for all the major sports events.  The high school rented it for $8000US, so cheap!   I think about renting Denton stadium for AHS graduation, in comparison.  The western teachers did not have to attend until 3 pm.  Some of us signed up to run a relay!  Yes, that would be me!

The week before the art club painted masks for the opening ceremony.  It is pomp and circumstance when it comes to ceremonies in China.  They like flags and each class had a huge individually created flag to march in with.  Students had different  T-shirts to separate classes and grades.   I had helped one group from the public school paint shirts in my room last week.  They were quite smart in design and I was given one.  My art club won first place for the most creative opening ceremony look!  Go Art Club!

Tess, another seasoned western teacher, Dan and I took a cab to the event.  Dan, Johnathan and I represented the IB teachers against the Chinese public high school teachers.  We are not in the best of shape for running a sprint, ok I speak for myself.  Johnathan is fast but after the hand off I jogged to the next runner, causing us to be in last place.  The public teachers had a couple ringers, like olympic runners that are teachers.

We won a lamp for our efforts.  That lit up my day!

The Love of my Life

Posted on by
6

October 25, 2010

The art market shop I found in a Shanghai alley had a curious bowl of beans.  The first bean I picked up was a nice  big red bean.  It had a set of Chinese characters on one side and on the flip side was an outlined image of a couple.  I turned to my friend Daisy and said what does this say.  She smiled and said “the love of my life!’  Well now, can I plant this bean and grow the love of my life?  The shop owner, Daisy and I decided why not!   Five yuan and I will grow a man!  Maybe I will have better luck with a bean.

Those of you that know me and my love history will know it is not a pretty picture.  The loves in my life include three failed marriages and one failed engagement.  Of these four men, three were addictive personalities whose love in their life was booze and not me.

My bean did not come with instructions, but I imagine this is what I will do to cultivate a good man.

“Do not water with alcohol or fertilize with bull shit!”

Art teachers, art museums and the Pi Lu and Ling Gu temple

Posted on by
1

October 14, 2010

In our school many of the rooms are set up, but they are never used. I see Chemistry labs, woodworking labs, art labs, taxidermy rooms, and so on.  Jonathan, my British colleague says it for ‘show.’  I found a couple of really lovely art rooms with sculpted busts, easels, spot lights and an array of still life items.  No one is allowed in them as they are locked and even double padlocked.  I asked if I could use the rooms, and I get answers like the IB program is taking over and this is for the government public school program.  Yet they sit unused.  Last week on my way to class I noticed this art room was unlocked.  I walked in, and low and behold there was a young man painting a 24x 60 landscape in oils.  His palette had an array of colored dollops of paint nicely organized in a rainbow of hues.  I was so excited to see a real painter and began to chat yet he spoke no English.  Come to find out, after I snagged my art student Joy to translate, he is the government public art teacher.  His name is John Ching Wong and a most handsome man at that.  He invited me to his second floor office, which had a sign printed Art Department Office in English and Chinese.  Finally I have found real art teachers.  Inside he and two colleagues had their desks.  The other art teacher Mr. Drew a short older man with a scruff of a beard shook my hand and pointed to a beautiful watercolor seascape with sculpted gray rocks in the foreground.  It was magnificent.  He painted it.  (Pat Wolf, my watercolor teacher from Taos and Ann Sauve, my Colorado watercolor buddy would be amazed at his expertise.)  I need to take lessons from him, now!  The third man was the music teacher and translated our conversations.  They found out I throw pots and were quite interested in having IB buy a wheel and kiln so I could teach them.  There may be some art trading going on in the future if I can do some negotiating.  When I see John now, he makes a point to say hi or wave.  I have art painting teacher friends!

The art museums in town are small but unique.  The contemporary museum houses many oil paintings of Chinese representational peasantry life, scrolls of traditional ink landscapes and calligraphy plus a variety of modern art.  They had two of the worst Picassos’ I have ever seen.  I hope they are on loan!  The old provincial museum across the street had a magnificent collection of serigraphs by a local artist.  They were a combination of decorative almost Aboriginal in design compositions of everyday Chinese life, some very humorous in bright colored opaque inks.  I would have bought a dozen of these, if they were for sale.  Anna my art student had accompanied me on my quest for museums.  We were fortunate to see a sign to the Pi Lu Buddhist Temple, and off we went many blocks through some dank alleys.   Walking by a beggar man with no legs leaning on a dirty sofa cushion on the edge of the street, I realized how fortunate I am.  Anna is Buddhist and this temple was a find for her.  She and I heard chanting and proceeded to the center of the temple.  As we walked in many people were kneeling on sloping pillows chanting and praying.  We watched and walked around the building then climbed all the stairs to the top to view the golden Buddha in the main room.  This was a site to see, the ceiling was lavishly painted in a bright colored design to enhance the Buddha’s presence.  10,000 Buddha’s restaurant was housed on this level.  The smell wafting from the door way was that of old fried grease and soapy dirty water.  We weren’t hungry nor would we be for hours after smelling this odor.  As we walked the bald Buddhist men in saffron robes made their way to the courtyard, I couldn’t stop staring at them.  They were intense at staring back at me as well.  Guess neither of us had seen anything so amazing.  Then many local women removed their long robes to unveil their street clothes and walked out and on their way home.  Was this women’s prayer day at the temple?  Anna had taken me aside and she showed me how to pray Buddhist style.  On your knees, hands together in prayer, bow placing your hands down on the pillow next to your knees, then flip your hands over and back up into prayer mode.  Do this three times and each time pray for something, like security, prosperity, happiness whatever you want.  It was a lovely way to pray.  She was excited to tell her mom about the temple and would bring her.

Taking photographs is an obsession.  Iris, another art student invited me to Purple Mountain for a photo shoot.  We met in front of the school last Saturday morning and to my surprise, her mom couldn’t come so her dad’s driver took us.  She presented me with a gift of green tea from a nearby tea grower, in beautiful golden tins.  What a treat.  We photographed Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum having walked some 350 steps to the top.  Dr. Sun Yat-sen is a revolutionary hero of the people.  He was instrumental in removing the emperors from the Chinese government.  Next we rode a charming little open air tram to the Ling Gu Temple and Pagoda.  A Buddhist temple yet no longer used as such, more like a museum with dioramas of the revolution.  Iris is a quick walker and hurriedly climbed the circular stairway to the top of Ling Gu Pagoda.  The sun was shining and many of our photos have wonderful cast shadows through arch ways and decorative windows.  Iris captured children sliding and climbing up sculpted walls.  I liked photographing the old people in their traditional clothing.  Lunch time, more Chinese family style food served at the food court near the temple.  Iris’ mom and dad met us there and we had the best eggplant, potato and green pepper dish along with seven or eight other dishes.  Another feast!  Iris’s dad wanted to know how long I had been using chops.  Six weeks, I replied.  He thought longer.  For me if you’re hungry and eat with sticks, you must learn how quickly so you can cram it down and not starve!  I am nimble with the chop sticks!

Pizza with the doc and Ice Skating with students

Posted on by
Reply

October 17, 2010

A week and not one blog has been typed although many things have happened from going Ice Skating to seeing more temples, a mausoleum, meeting the other art teachers on campus,  going to art galleries and eating so much more interesting food.    My internet problems were resolved.  It was up and running on Friday.  Then I started messing with the computer and wham, I can’t get internet access.  So I am hoping Jonathan can fix this tomorrow.  So tonight I am typing and uploading some images for the blog tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to Samantha my wonderful daughter, her birthday was today in Austin.  I did see her on Skype before I messed up the computer.  She had long blond extensions in her hair and was looking lovely.  Hopefully her birthday gift from China will get to America soon.

Today my landlord Dr. Wuzhong, his wife An Li, their daughter and I went to lunch on the east side of town where all the universities are located.  They wanted pizza, which was just fine with me, because after two months of Chinese food, a good vegetarian pizza was a nice change.  My landlord is a cardiac surgeon and his wife a nurse.  We drove by his hospital in the downtown area and he was very proud to point it out for me.  The doc speaks English and studied in Baltimore some years back.  He is very kind and loves his little five year old daughter.  She about wore him out today demanding so much of his attention.  To our surprise there was a three story Christmas tree in the courtyard of the strip mall where The Cheese Pub was located.  All of us wondered why a tree in October?  We saw two weddings on our way, one in a procession which the doc followed.  All the cars were red and his too.  He thought that would be fun.  Then we saw another one on a hill and everyone was dressed in traditional Chinese attire.  I couldn’t get a photograph as we were moving too fast in our other wedding procession.

Saturday was my day to take the students Ice Skating.  My role as sponsor is easy.  Esther, our CAS lead teacher drove us to the Sports Pavilion, which is a modern architectural pavilion with red wing like arches.  This is where the youth Olympics will be held in a few years.  The students took the metro and met us.  This “field trip” did not include a school bus, as the Chinese don’t use buses.  Everyone is responsible for their own transportation. Afterwards Esther wanted to show me the suburban sprawl. We drove looking at the continuous apartment high-rises that were recently built.  I noticed not as many people as downtown by my apartment.  It was quiet and nice, reminded me of Frisco in an odd way.  We went to the “Wanda” Mall which was large, new, clean and very western.  So many places to eat!  Esther chose a noodle shop.  We ordered a soup fondue pot full of noodles.  A large platter of many ingredients came for each of us.  Hers was seafood, mine vegetables.  What fun it was to cook our own noodle soup.  Afterwards she took me to Walmart!  Yes, I finally found a Chinese Walmart.  It was not like an American Walmart, as I couldn’t find buttered microwavable popcorn, or other western needs!  I did get a cozy alternative down blanket which I put on my bed, under my fitted sheet, to create some more cush.  I am sleeping better and actually slept in for the first time this morning.

More fireworks must stop writing and watch.  Ah—the life of being able to see miles from my windows.

The Story of the Clanging Heart

Posted on by
1

Story of the Clanging Heart

October 13, 2010

There was a large space.   Within the space were numerous small puffy cherry colored hearts.  They were nestled next to each other shoulder overlapping shoulder.  They sang a tune.  It sounded like hum hum hum.  They were identical, except for one.  This one jumped up and ever so often made a noise of a clang.  The one that jumped up never was able to cozy up with the others and began to feel different and left out, although he looked the same.  It seems he needed to jump and ring out.

Then one day all the hearts turned over.  In the process the hearts turned over on top of the special one.  He was now underneath all the hearts and couldn’t jump up.  He listened to the hum, hum, hum.  It was nice.  He tried the tune, and his sound was ah, ah, ah.  He felt all the hearts touch him.  Shoulders were comforting him, this was different.  He slowly became one with the cluster.

Another day came.  The hearts rolled over.  The special one was no longer small and puffy.  He was much larger than the rest and flat like a heart shaped pancake.  Hearts were on top of him.  The tiny hearts were jumping up, this time they landed on him.  He was so large that he felt many hearts leaping and singing.  They were like him long ago.  His song hummed. They were the same but different.

The moral of the story:   Life, we are all one in the same jumping and clanging to our own beat.

Are you wondering where this came from?  I woke up at 4 am and this was in my head.  I could illustrate it.  Am I reading too much Confucius and becoming a philosopher?   Do I need a softer bed?

Michael Bolton is a hit in China! Ha, ya’ll!

Posted on by
2

October 7, 2010

Up at 6:30 am, I can never sleep in.   A Latte is in order, using a coffee filter, tea strainer and IKEA frothier with my S.I.T. ground coffee, I whip up a strong one.  Today I think I will look out the upstairs balcony window.  Across the way is a young man pacing on his roof top terrace with a book in hand.  I saw him yesterday morning doing this.  Is he studying for a test?  SAT exams are coming up.  They are not offered in China. High school seniors planning to go to college abroad or in America will need this test for their application.   Students travel to Hong Kong to take it on October 8th and 9th.  The flight is over two hours, I can imagine the expense.  I look further down to the courtyard and there are twelve people in three rows doing Tai Chi.  That looks easy so I stand up in my purple night gown and brown fuzzy knee length robe and begin to follow the movements.  This is interesting, the movements give the impression of slowly moving your prana around and then there is a quick movement to push it off of you.  I like this.  It might get rid of bad spirits.  Although I moved half way around the world you would think I had gotten away from the bad spirits, but who knows, maybe a little Tai Chi is in order.  I brew another cup of coffee and trot back to my perch on the balcony. The class is over but two students remain practicing with red fluffy fans.  The movements are fluid and almost hypnotic.  This is quite enjoyable to watch, much better than TV.

Alice called last night while I waited on wedding fire crackers to explode and wanted to meet in the center of the city to listen and buy some music.  I hailed a taxi and off I went.  The city is different at night, with all the lights and many people bustling around.  I meet her at a foot bridge and we walked to a side street and into a CD shop.  Sawyer is there chatting with the owner, they are friends.  We look at music and it seems the Chinese are in love with some of my favorite music from 90’s.  Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, and Kenny G are their favorites.  To all of my art teacher friends, Mr. Garrott, Miss Gilly and Mrs. Arago you put up with my Michael Bolton posters and music, guess what they are hits here and now!  Ha, I told you this was good music.  Now a whole country loves them too!  I ended up with some old Beatles, Hall and Oates, Norah Jones and Sheryl Crow for 15RMB each.  The discussions centered on what Americans listen to now.  I had to break it to the shop owner Bolton is no longer a big hit in America.  Americans move on to newer musicians and melodies.  He just couldn’t believe me!

We walked down the street and there were night vendors set up on the sidewalk.  I checked out burlap looking shoes, PJ’s and then my eye went to some old Chinese art books.  Ah ha, a find!  I ended up with two, one on Ceramics and the other on paintings.  They are fabulous, colorful and of course in Chinese.  But art is universal, who needs words?

Someone is shooting fireworks this morning, I can’t see where they are coming from in the daylight, bummer.  I woke up about 1 am hearing a huge display of Roman Candles go off.  In a variety of colors and array of lights, it was like a dandelion explosion.  Then a phone call from Possum Kingdom followed.  My realtor is renewing my property contract in the Hills over PK.  Anyone interested in two acres overlooking the lake?  It is too far for me to vacation!

Chinese laundry

Posted on by
2

October 6, 2010

Looking out the living room window I see a wedding at the 5-star hotel across the street.  It looks like a magnificent event with two or did I see three chefs?  Wish I had a pair of binoculars so I could see what’s happening up close.  Remember the TV show “Friends” and how they always looked out of their New York apartment window and would see the naked guy in the apartment across?  I think I could do that here, looking into thousands of apartment windows and seeing what’s happening.  Or they could be looking at the blonde western girl running around in her apartment in a purple night gown!  Ha which is funnier?  Ok back to the wedding, I hear something in Chinese from loud speakers, are they married yet?  What fun, maybe there will be a firecracker event to follow?  Maybe I can take some photographs.  Hey Alex, I need some help with night exposures and fire crackers.  I remember your wonderful photos last year in HL art class.  Gee I wish you were here to help me with my photography.  This is the fourth wedding party I have seen around the city in the last few days.  I was told it is good luck and good fortune to marry during the week of the National Holiday (remember this is China’s 4th of July!  Well sort of, I don’t they are celebrating independence from Britain.  Maybe it is just a happy week to be Chinese.  I’m happy to be in China and to be living the oriental lifestyle.  Shoot some firecrackers, would you!

Speaking of culture, Patti has been curious about the laundry issue in China, so I am devoting this blog to doing Chinese Laundry.  My little washer is nice, except it is written in Chinese, so I had it deciphered onto a green post-it.  (By the way “post-its” doesn’t exist here; I brought these from the states!)  My laundry detergent smells great and we all know how I like good smells.  The washer is only connected to cold water and I was told to do a warm wash, you boil water and pour it in.  Ok I did that for towels, seems to work.  Then after it is “dry”, that’s what the Chinese say, actually it is the “spin cycle” in America.  It is now ready for the dryer.  Don’t have dryers in China, ok they do but not in my apartment.  I actually haven’t seen one here, but know they do exist.  Where, I don’t know?  So in my case it is a walk upstairs to my master bedroom, open the sliding door and out onto the balcony.  This is where I have a clothes line pulley system.  You turn the lever and down comes one line which I bought a couple little hanger thingies to hang unmentionables on.  Then when this line is full you move the handle to the other lever and roll this pile up in the air and the other line rolls down.  I know what a wooden clothespin is, do you?  I actually bought some at the Suguo!  Cheap ones at that, cause they sprang apart, and I have bits and pieces in my nightstand drawer.  My balcony faces the south, which is good luck.  This side gets all the sun so clothes dry faster.  I like the balcony it is enclosed with glass panels which move and let you open them up and get a nice breeze.  Hanging clothes reminds me of my childhood in Plano when my mom did laundry.  She hung it out on the clothes line and the sheets and towels would get so stiff.  I remember the wind blowing them and me having to hang and bring them in.  I am reminded of hanging Ruth Ann’s diapers one after another.  Mom will recall when I was three I had a “blankie”, she would wash it for me and I would go hold onto it as it hung to dry.  It had a satin border and I recollect how cool it was on my face when I was warm.  Now that is a long time ago, and I still like blankets, as I brought my down comforter in the satin coverlet with me to China.  Still like that cool feeling when it is hot.  Since I don’t have anyone to hang onto, this is a good replacement, soft, cuddly and no emotional attachment.

8 Million and the “Joker”

Posted on by
Reply

October 5, 2010

I was trying to figure out my metal rice box container on rollers located under my kitchen cabinet when Michael called and said meet him at S.I.T (Sculpting in Time) for lunch.  Many of the taxi drivers don’t know where this ex-pat place is so I called Alice to get it said in Chinese.  The last time I had a driver drop me off, I ended up a couple blocks away and was lost.  There are no outstanding landmarks and every place begins to look the same, especially if you can’t read Chinese characters.   This time I was dropped off right in front, need to get Alice to write that out for me in Chinese.  I met up with Michael and he introduced me to Derrick and Annette, a married couple from England.  Derrick and Michael taught together last year.  They have an electric bike to buzz around in and said their drive is 25 minutes from their new place in the “burbs!”  A long way, but they have more western furnishings, like a “UK bouncy” bed and dryer!  The population of the city was a major discussion.  I read it was 2.8 million.  The men said hardly, it was more like 8 million.  In five years it has doubled as people want to be closer to the conveniences of the city and better jobs.  No wonder I think it is so huge, it’s like New York.  Alice and Sawyer joined up for lunch.  Then the three of us took off walking and searching for light bulbs.  We actually found a vendor on the street that had what I needed, so I bought three.  This business of being able to find specialty items in specific places persuades me to buy extra.  I ask for a business card, so I can find his place again.  My wallet if bulging with business cards after living here a month and a half.

Sawyer wants to watch movies so we head back to my place.  He invites a movie editor friend visiting from Beijing.  His name is “Joker” like in the Batman movie.  What is it with strange American names, Chinese people give themselves?  He brought an old Michael Douglas movie, “The Game.”  Joker says it is one of his favorites.  It is an old 90’s movie and edgy.  I wasn’t too excited about the plot.  Afterwards we had a discussion about what Americans watch on TV.  He has a preconceived notion Americans watch old movies, like black and whites from the 40’s up to the 80’s!  He likes “Bonnie and Clyde” and watches it repeatedly.  I am thinking Americans are more interested in new flicks, not old stuff like on the Turner network.   The discussion went to political land accessions of China, such as Taiwan, North Korea and Tibet.  Are these separate countries or Chinese?  Would I be arrested if I wore a “Free Tibet” T-shirt?  Sawyer said, nah, not that many people can read English and would just pass me by on the street!  Now if I was in Tiananmen Square that might be different.  Ok no protesting there!  The conversation over democracy whiffs in the air and we decide China is becoming democratic and maybe the US is becoming socialist!  Are the countries flipping beliefs? Somehow the conversation drifts to an in depth debate about ghosts.  We discuss “The Sixth Sense.’  Joker and I agree it is an intense movie.  He doesn’t believe in God or ghosts!  Oh my, I can debate this issue for hours.  He has no idea what metaphysics or theosophy is so we can’t get to in-depth. I am reminded he just like movies, which is why, he is a movie trailer editor.

I realize without my cell phone, internet or TV I spend much of my time in discussion with people.  I like being connected and not distracted.  I like the cultural education I am getting.

John Mayer! and no Houston Hair.

Posted on by
Reply

John Mayer

October 3, 2010

How do you spell John Mayer?   I bought a CD by him today.  I realize it is pirated because my dyslexic mind saw the title John Marter and never realized it was misspelled.  The picture was of John Mayer but it is a Chinese copy.  I am laughing at this minute looking at the CD cover and listening to the CD.  It’s fabulous, with a DVD of him as well…. And I paid 10 Yuan for it.  I have a feeling I will be in the disc store more than anywhere now.  John Marter, wonder if the John Lennon was Jon Lemon?

Filo and Colina which they pronounce Fin-o and Cole-leah-a accompanied me shopping today.  Does anyone understand the way Chinese spell in English?  We went to Aqua City and had a great time looking at clothes and shoes.  H&M is my favorite shop.  Sam got me hooked on this place when I was in Boston.  Sam I found some really cute skinny legged jeans that bunch up at the ankles for 149 Yuan ($22.50) OMG they are so cute, even the girls liked them.  Shoes, well that was another thing, they are so different than in the US, much more fashionable and unique, but cost more than in the US.  So no shoes today!  Can’t pay $50-80 yet…..  I like DSW in the states and $25 shoes.  Got a toaster oven, yeah now I can “sort of” bake!  Found Kenya coffee in the Starbucks and it is the same price world wide, but you know me and a good cup of java!  KENYA is best, I could thank Kyle for that lesson.  Patti, I found this little gadget at IKEA to frappe warm milk into froth.  I can now make a real latte without a coffee maker.  I found coffee filters and use them to drip my African coffee.  I am getting milk from the milk lady on a daily basis at 6:30 am for 59 Yuan a month.  Someone tell me how cool is it to have milk delivered to your door?

The sun was out all day, with a nice cool breeze.  It was lovely.  I mentioned to the girls I was having a good hair day, because my curls were still curly at 3pm.  It is so humid and damp here or hot and sweaty that my hair ends up damp and sticking to my head like when I lived in Houston.  (Remember “Houston Hair?”)  I told the girls we need to curl their hair, cause no one has curly hair here.  Little did I know that it is unacceptable to have curly hair in China!  They told me that Chinese only have straight hair and if they curled it that would be against the rules at school.  So am I going against the rules?  Yes I guess I am, but I am a teacher and they said that was ok.  Would they look too much like a western girl?  Interesting, so I guess I need my “Free Tibet” shirt and curly hair and I would be a real rebel!  Someone make me a Free Tibet shirt, I am feeling like I need to be a hellion today!

During this beautiful clear afternoon I took pictures out my penthouse balcony windows and realized I could see the furthest point of the Yangtze Bridge.  Wow, it is really far, there are many mountains way off in the distance and countless high rise buildings, and apartments.  It’s amazing how much you can see out my windows, just miles and miles of skyscrapers with people in every window.  China has a huge population and I just never realized what a large place this is.  You can see it all from my window.  I love my view, it is amazing and fascinating.  Fireworks go off almost every hour all over the city and they are spectacular from my view.  I love it here.  China and Chinese people are fantastic.  Americans thought this was a black hole, but I have news for you it is really a red nation of lovely warm friends. Red, yes the color is everywhere and on everything.   I actually feel tall here!  Sarah how do you like that, I can call people here “little ones” like you call me.  Wait till you get here, they will really stare at you, probably more than me!  That makes me laugh, “tall one!”

Jenny and Lynn are thinking I need to date!  Lynn thinks he has some professor friends at Nanjing University that he might set me up with!  OMG!  Dating again, I don’t know!  All my American friends said I would come back with a Chinese guy, I don’t know!  I just don’t think so!  Do you think there is anyone out there that can actually care for me?  I am such a hand full. Jenny is so cute, she says husbands should take care of their wife’s, why would you marry one if he didn’t?  Duh, I did!  Let me count three times I believe!  Women here presume not only should men take care of you, but they should provide a home for you as well.  Like purchase land and a house for you.  Well somewhere I went wrong, and did not get this message in America!  What was I doing working three jobs and paying for it all?  Hello!  I am in China and learning my lessons!