Patrice McMahon

On Returning Home

We have been saying goodbyes to lots of friends and familiar places. We've received more going away presents than we deserve and we are spending our days enjoying all of our "lasts"...our last kung pao ji ding (chicken with peanuts), our last hotpot experience (see Hana's blog), and our last visit to Xi'an historical wall.

After saying goodbye to some friends last night, we waded through a crowd of several thousand to find a cab. In the U.S., it would be like New Year's eve in Time's Square. In China, as our cab driver reminded, it is just a normal Saturday night. With cars, motorcyles, bikes and all vehicles bumper to bumper, we crossed several streets. The buses and cars honked while the throngs continued to walk, holding them up, forcing cars to the sidewalk. The sauna-like weather provided just the right touch to make it yet another surreal Chinese experience.

Where do all of these people go? How can they all be laughing and having fun. Families camped out in front of restaurants or on the corner, sharing dinner or a game of Majing. A toddler crossed the road in front of us; I grabbed his hand,looking for a parent. His father walked over and casually took his hand. No one else noticed, no one else cared.

As our cab driver explained that it was just another Saturday night in Xi'an, we went through our traditional story; was this the last time the girls would say how old they were, where they went to school, that I taught at the university?

From the window, we enjoyed the neon lights, pointing at the buildings we somehow missed before and remarking at how exciting X'ian and China are at night.

We so look forward to returning home,but in all honesty, I feel like only now am I starting to understand China, allowing myself the freedom of letting go, being more spontaneous, and learning not to take things and life so personally.

Tomorrow evening (it will be a long day) I will go to sleep in my own bed...there will be no construction to wake me up, no jack hammers, no cranes and no thick dust under my feet as I walk across the floor.

I will be happy and feel safe like I have not felt in many months...but I still will miss China.

My feelings about Home -- Julia

I feel happy and sad at the same time.

While I live in the U.S., I feel like Xi'an is my home. I have lived in Xi'an for so long, I have gotten to know it well and the people are very nice. The friends that we have here include Austrialians, a family from Boulder, and many Chinese people. I miss my friends, my family, my dog, my home and my school.

I will always remember how nice people were here, that they were never mean, and all the attention that they gave us. I will also remember some things that I didn't like so much like: the pollution, construction, how dirty things are, and the beggars. I also won't forgot how some people talk to waiters and waitresses, almost treating them like servants.

Things I will not ever forget in my life: Chinese toilets, baby outfits (split in the bottom area), and how different life is for men and women (men can drink beer but women have to sit and look pretty all the time).

I really miss playing with my friends, being at home, and running with my dog. But I still love all the food in China...!!!

Julia

Going to America

Tomarrow we leave for America, today is our last day, we have already eaten at our favorite hotpot restaurant. If I haven't told you about Chinese hotpot yet then read on, if I have then I apologize for the delay. The Hotpot restaurant is a stuffy room that is filled with vapors from the hot pots. But as soon as you order the meat and vegetables and spices the heat, people, and stuffiness seems to evaporate, because as long as you like vegetables, you like hotpot. You put different meats and vegetables into the pot untill the meats and veggies are cooked, and then drop it into the peanut sauce and of course it is deleicious.
Dipping the vegetables in the savory peanut sauce and eating the fresh vegetables we ate for a consibeaable amount of time for a mere six dollars before dropping by the movie stall and getting the new batman movie Dark Knight with eleven other movies, Dark Knight had come into theatres four days ago. Having completed two tasks we went home.
Their are not many things that I did in China that I regret doing, however I do regret that I did not write more blogs,however instead of blogs my sister and I worked on chinese, and now JUlia who when she first came couldn't read any chinese can now get through her first grade book, and when I came to China I could read little chinese and now I can get through Harry Potter books, though it is still a struggle for some characters. And though I love China I am excited to come back to America tomarrow.
Though my English may now need some inprovements.
By Hana

Going to America

Saying Goodbye to China--LJS Article 7-27-08

Just as the world is descending on Beijing for China’s long anticipated Olympic coming out party, we are on our way back to Lincoln from our semester in Xi’an. If our experiences are any indication, the thousands of Olympic spectators, and the millions tuning in to enjoy this spectacle on television are in for quite the show.

From Beijing’s dramatic new monumental architecture that has remade the city’s skyline to the investment of billions of dollars to improve the quality of the air that will fill the athletes’ and spectators’ lungs, China’s leaders have given their capitol an Olympic makeover. Yet, extrapolating Beijing’s modernity onto the rest of China would be a mistake.

While visiting Beijing’s Olympic sites and traveling along China’s well-trodden tourist circuit, it is easy to forget that China remains a vast, developing country with a per capita GDP of around $2,500. Indeed, part of China’s allure is that it combines both of these extremes in one setting. In many ways, China is more a continent than a country, containing within its borders a diversity that rivals Europe’s. The expanse, both geographic and ideological, separating the eastern coastal boom cities that are driving so much of China’s modernization to the western provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang is immense and this, no doubt, poses one of the greatest threats to Chinese stability in the coming decades.

During our last two last trips out of Xian we tasted a bit of this diversity. We first headed northwest to Zhongwei, an outpost on the edge of the series of deserts which have historically formed part of China’s border with Mongolia. For centuries, desertification has plagued northern China and it continues today as growing population and urbanization places increasing strains on limited water supplies. Laid back Zhongwei allowed us an opportunity to combine the excitement of an overnight camel trek into the desert dunes with a leisurely afternoon river rafting excursion down the Yellow River.

Water scarcity is clearly not a problem in water-rich southern China. Our last excursion was to Dali and Lijiang, picturesque towns nestled in the lush mountains of the Yunnan province. Located at the crossroads of the Sichuan and Tibet provinces, this remote area has much in common with neighboring Laos and Burma.

While part of China for centuries, it is easy to see that many of the people in these cities are not ethnically Han Chinese, but one of China’s 55 minority groups. Around Dali, local Bai and Naxia peoples still wear bright blue or red traditional garb and buy and sell their goods in small markets with wicker baskets or babies strapped on their backs. It is a far cry from these timeless village markets and camel camps, to faraway Beijing’s Olympic stadium.

Along with geography, food was a constant reminder of China’s diversity. From Xian’s noodle-rich, somewhat saucy fare to Sichuan’s renowned spicy dishes, we found that both the general Chinese foods and the various regional specialties to be delectable, more diverse and fresher than we had imagined. In the mountain valleys of Yunnan, for example, restaurants are supplied with locally grown produce daily. After choosing our fresh vegetables, they were expertly prepared with just the right balance of garlic, ginger, vinegar, peppers and spices.

Our stay coincided with a year of challenges for the Chinese people. They struggled with uncommonly harsh winter (ice storms that paralyzed parts of the country) and spring storms (that continue to flood the south), but nothing compared to the tragedy associated with the horrific Sichuan earthquake. The Chinese resolve in the face of this tragedy was both heartfelt and inspiring.

It is this spirit of resolve that the government and its people have brought to the Olympic preparations. Wherever we traveled in China, we were met by unbridled enthusiasm and pride for the Olympics. The Chinese government has invested an incredible amount of energy building up the public’s anticipation for these Games as validation of the country’s place as an emerging power. And the people we met seem genuinely excited that the world is embracing China once again.

With our time here drawing to a close, we leave with a deeper appreciation for Chinese hospitality, their unfathomable fascination with Western children, but also a better understanding of the serious issues that await this country. And while it is easy to assume that China’s rise will inevitably lead to conflict with the US, we should not forget that over the past decade China and the United States have developed a deep rooted and mutually beneficial relationship that neither of us can afford to take for granted.

So, it is our hope that China’s coming out celebration this summer will be a huge success and that Americans, while cheering on our own athletes, will tip a glass and offer a traditional Chinese “gumbei” toast to celebrate the accomplishments of the Chinese -- both on the sports field and across the this amazingly diverse country, and will offer them our hope for continued peaceful growth and development in the years to come.

Lijiang and more of Dali

This area of the Yunnan province has about 5 different ethnic groups and many people travel to the mountain city of Lijiang to see the Naxia peoople, one of the last matriarchical societies in the world. Chinese and Western alike flock there because of the so called "free love" or open relationships that the Naxia women have; women make all the major decisions, own the property, and are in charge of the children. I guess the only real difference is that at least here in Yunnan they acknowledge what is true everywhere else...women rule!!

Our Dali adventures

Sometimes I don't think I know enough adjectives to describe all that we have seen and experienced in the last two weeks. Maybe some pictures will help. These were taken in the Yunnan province in China's south, at the crossroads of Burma and Tibet. We were planning to spend time elsewhere but travelling by bus and in the mountains takes a long time...and can be difficult and dangerous. So, we opted to stay in the Dali area. This is a picture of a Bai woman we bought a baby backpack from...not that we'll be needing this but it was beautiful.

greetings from Dali

We have finally found a peaceful place in China. It is in Dali, in the Yunnan province and close to Tibet.

We first travelled from Xi'an to Chengdu (close to where the earthquake took place in May). We stayed at our favorite guesthouse in China, visited with the family and went back to see the pandas. We then took another train to the to the city of Kunming. We had read that this was the place to go if you wanted to see some of China's 55 different ethnic groups and find a place to relax.

The ride to Kunming was as picturesque as it could have been. We meandered in and out of tunnels and through valleys. Although the ride was a staggering 19 hours, it went by quickly. The trains here can be very comfortable. Since we all have beds in the same compartment, we can close the door, play cards, read our books and watch the world go by. And that's just what we did on route to Kunming. Julia is now an avid reader, which means that we can all occupy ourselves for hours and when we got bored with our books, we played bull or spades to pass the time. After a really good dinner from the food car, we settled into our soft sleeper beds and got a decent night sleep. Despite the amazing landscape the train did not lurch and groan its way through the mountains. It was smooth ride. The green mountains were interrupted only by huge powerplants or factories and depressing looking villages of several thousand and then the train continued.

By 11 the next morning (we got on at 4), we were in Kunming. The problem was the rain...it rained and rained the whole time we were there and after two short days there we decided that we would take a 5 hour bus west to Dali.

Arrving in Dali you know immediately that you've landed somewhere special...even if you are not quite sure why it is so special, though the mountains on both sides and the lake are ...[now hana is writing] quite beautiful, their are the amazing mountains rising spectacularly from nowhere and you find yourself wondering if you have ac cidentally stummbled out of china, for Dali was the firzt city in china and we say this with an hour in Dali experience, the only place is china we could truly relax in! THen there was the lake, 6th largest in china and the lake seemed to add to the mountains and perfect our view of Dali being a city that we could stay in for a while. DOn't you agree that with the mountains and the lake it immediately seemed like we were in a new and exotic place, but then out our bus window came the whirlwind of green grass and rice fields and farms bursting with all kinds of vegetables, farmed by exotically dressed people fresh from the mountains hiking along the side of the road or farming the fields in their interesting garb,. another shower of color that excited us for we had come from Kunming that had on record for the last two days stopped raining for one hour, already from this first view we liked
Dali, and we shall record the happenings in Dali in a few days, however I will tell you we were right to like Dali, for Dali had a lot more interesting things to do then you would think.
Written first part by Patrice and the last part by Hana

Two Sides to a Coin

(This is something that we wrote for a website called And Now for the Good News.com)


On the first day of class, a graduate student from Xian’s Jiaotong University reminded me that, especially in China, “there are always two sides to a coin.” Experiencing China’s May 12 earthquake while living in the Xi’an with our two daughters, we have indeed seen both sides of what is beginning to be called China’s 5 12 disaster coin.

When the earthquake happened, we quickly compared it to our natural disaster reference point - Hurricane Katrina, but within a day we realized that disaster and the Chinese response was quite unlike anything that we had seen in the U.S. On television, in newspapers and through the internet, we’ve learned about the extent of the destruction, and the statistics are horrific - as of this writing, over 69,000 confirmed dead, some 20,000 still missing, over 350,000 injured and more than 15 million displaced. Given that more than one-third of the country’s population lives on about two dollars a day, responding to this level of death and destruction might seem daunting, if not impossible.

Evidently not for China and certainly not for Chinese people, who have cultivated a way of life based on overcoming the challenges they have faced over their long history. While not diminishing the human suffered stemming from this epic disaster, we have been impressed by the response of key sectors of the Chinese nation; namely, the central government, the growing non-governmental organization (NGO) sector, and, most of all, the Chinese public, all are confronting this challenge with an admirable sense of purpose and unity.

We are sure that western newspapers have covered the destruction in great detail. Hopefully, they have complimented the Chinese government for its rapid, serious response. But the underlying story of the triumph of human character is, as always, more difficult to capture. The story behind the statistics is the impact that this event has had on galvanizing the “Chinese street,” where concern and resolve are palpable. While people are transfixed by images from the disaster area that are broadcast on a variety of media, there seems to be little desperation or hopelessness. Instead, there is a “roll up the sleeves and get to work” determination, and surprisingly, deep gratitude at the outpouring of outside support.

When we turn off the television and discuss what we as a family have learned from the events of the last two weeks, we find ourselves marveling at how the Chinese are confidently if quietly dealing with this unprecedented tragedy – a disaster that continues with every aftershock, mudslide and potential flood.

It seems like every school, organization and business is raising money for Sichuan, and young people all over the country are out in the streets looking for donations or giving blood at the many mobile blood vans that are out in full force. Those who cannot give, like the 75 year old woman from Sichuan, are volunteering or giving in other ways. A tear-evoking example is in the Sichuan policewoman with a newborn child who was nursing multiple infants whose mothers were either killed in the quake or too traumatized to care for their children. The deeply felt national concern over the fate of affected children has been moving. On 22 May, there were 1,697 orphans, but just a day later, the number dropped to 494; and rest assured, despite the country’s developing status, there are more people willing to adopt than there are orphans from Sichuan.

And then there are the heartbreaking, but inspiring stories told by people who have lost the most; a man who lost his wife and daughter but thanked everyone who has helped him deal with his loss; or parents who wrote in the local paper that as sad as they are that their only son was lost, they are grateful that one of his teachers was so devoted to her class that she ran back into the school to save more children. The teacher was found pinned underneath the school holding two of her students. Or, the parents who responded to the death of their only child by expressing gratitude for he six years of joy that they had with him.

Although parents and the country as a whole mourn their losses, life goes on in China at its normal breakneck pace. Children in Sichuan are back in school and high school graduates are taking their college entrance exams in tents. Relief efforts are already transitioning to reconstruction and within a week, there will be temporary shelter for between 50,000-100,000 people. The central government has promised that within three months there will be temporary houses for at least 1 million people. Factories throughout China have been working 24-7 to ensure that food and shelter are provided for the victims. Over 100,000 thousand people in uniform remain deployed throughout the region to move boulders, clear clogged lakes and carry in food, water and other emergency supplies, despite the instability caused by aftershocks and flooding in the region.

On the international front, the government’s openness to this scale of this disaster resulted in an unprecedented outpouring of aid, with relief assistance coming from more than 40 countries. China’s 5 12 has also helped bring Taiwan and China closer than they have ever been, with China’s President noting how moved he was by the “brotherly love and care” shown by the Taiwanese. Similarly, relief efforts have also created an opportunity for China and Japan to reexamine their age old conflicts.

Domestically, the earthquake may also prove to be a watershed event for the Chinese government, which has displayed remarkable openness and honesty concerning the events, the extent of devastation and the difficulties ahead. It has also opened the door to cooperation between the government and non-governmental relief and aid organizations. China has long hoped to develop this sector more fully and the scope of this disaster seems to have provided the stimulus the government needed to more fully engage this group. If a more robust NGO sector is an eventual outcome of this tragedy, it is quite likely that it will lead to a higher quality of life for all Chinese and even more international engagement.

So, while no country or person ever welcomes tragedy, especially something of this magnitude, the earthquake has taught us a great deal about China’s true character and its people’s resilience. It has also reminded us that the other side of even a dark coin may hold the promise of a brighter future.

Patrice McMahon is a Visiting Professor at Jiaotong University in Xi’an, China. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska.

Jeff Cole is the Associate Vice President of the School-Community Partnerships at the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation

Sha mo continued

THe scenery was amazing a series of dunes that were golden and desert stretching as far as you could see, our shadows were sort of pretty, as the shadows of a camel are not pretty but sort of cool.

After two hours of riding we stopped and ran up hills dragging the sled with us, it was fun riding down but not fun coming up so after two rides a piece, we collapsed on the sand and continued riding, after another hour the heat came leaving us gasping and forcing me to tie a scarf on my head, and put on sun glasses, we stopped for lunch, feastingon fruit and vegtables before sledding and building a small civilization to the Spade Goddess, praying for a good hand in our next game of spades. CLimbing back upon the camels we continued again.

ANd that is where I will start tomarrow.
Hana

"Sha mo" Desert

We certainly saw the desert.

WE traveled North west into a small town by the name of Zhongwei, arriving in a town with a half a million people, able to view from our window the golden fingers of sand sneaking into the horizon and into the village.



Our first day in Zhongwei we visited a daoist and buddist temple, where we later joked the monks were trying to fatten us up, for as soon as they saw us they threw us fruits that were supposed to be offerings to the gods. Julia got into the act by feeding the pigeons in the park in front of the temple.



IN a while we found out why, because upon entering the daoist versioin of a haunted house which had also once been a bomb shelter we walked along in the dark, feeling along the rough stone, in complete darkness, and then suddenly a motion activated light would flicker on black lights and light up errie albiet gruesome daoist statues of people cutting up other peoples tongues, and it didn't help that everyone took this chance to try and frighten each other as much as possible, by hiding at every turn jumping out unexpectantly. WE joked that the monks were planning to lock us in to haunted house and that was why they had given us so much food, and when we saw the open door were relieved. Once outside we were able to enjoy a common "ride" here in China - a plastic bubble that allows you to run on the water.



The next day we woke early and traveled to the desert, after stopping at the remains of the Great Wall which now looked like a hill, we rode on to the desert, here we mounted our faithful steeds, this time which were camels.




At first it took a while to adjust to the odd swaying motion of the camels which could not be described as comfortable, though we were on lots of packs and blankets however after around an hour of riding like this we got used to suddenly being thrown into the air and back down again as a normal routine. Then were able to enjoy the desert. We had ridden for 20 minutes through a grassland before riding across a highway and into what we viewed as a desert. We were an odd group, the five camels were hooked together by their noses, the loop going through there noses not alonging them to stray far, we tried not to look at it too much because when we looked at it we screamed "Ow"!In our head.
Sorry-dinner I will finish in a second

Are Chinese really New Yorkers on steriods?

I returned to Beijing the other day to do some research and realized, as a I was waiting for a cab...for over an hour...I started thinking that Chinese are really New Yorkers on steroids. But they really aren't because no one ever loses their temper here...it is amazing.

New York city is not really like Beijing...New York seems small by comparison..perhaps it is because I know New York better? But it is hard to imagine the density here, particularly in Beijing and especially at the train station's taxi stop on rush hour. But imagine if you will several thousand people mulling around a taxi line that winds itself around in three different ways and as the taxis drive up, so do other kinds of vehicles, people on bikes and plenty of pedestrians...in a tiny two lane road.

It is totally insane..but as pushy as everyone is, no one loses their temper and smiling is the general rule. God only knows what they are saying to each other, as they roll their suitcases over each other's toes and push ahead of each other in line, but still no one loses their cool. It just doesn't happen in China. And after all of the mild pushing and positioning, they start to chat with each other and laugh, even offering cigarettes or something to eat. I mean, we are all in this together...right? But...still at the end, the women ahead of me pushed to get the next taxi..but the women who were right ahead of them didn't even notice. I guess they could understand. We were all on an overnight train and had been waiting for so long...so as the cab pulled up and the women in front of me hesitated and walked slowly, I thought about jumping ahead of them and grabbing the next cab..and then turning around to smile.

Great Wall Marathon

Proud to say that I completed the Great Wall Marathon a couple of weeks ago. It was a fantastic setting - an isolated, well preserved and restored section of the wall about three hours outside of Beijing.

This was my sixth marathon to date and I used this event to help keep me in shape during our stay here in Xian. What runner could pass up the chance to run a marathon on the Great Wall? Despite the obviousness of this course's difficulty, I completely underestimated the severity of the challenge. It was not really a traditional marathon, more of an endurance test. It began with about a half mile of flat terrain before you started a couple of miles up a winding hill to to the wall. Once on the wall you go up and down the thousand year old steps for about a mile an a half across this rugged mountainous area.


After a careful and slow descent down a very steep, rugged path the course is flat for a while before you begin an series of ups and downs across meandering hills, through three small villages, along a worn goat trail - all the while being encouraged along by very friendly townspeople. The combination of kids and older folks was amazing and gave you quite a boost.


However at mile 22, just about the point at which you hit the dreaded runners wall, you return to the Great Wall for a repeat performance. Only this time you have to go up the steep staircase (1000 plus steps, easy) to get to the wall and then face its unique challenges. I was monkey crawling at this point. The payoff is the descent down the back side of the course, by that point a very welcome site.



I finished in 5 1/2 hours and was very, very happy to have completed. Surprisingly, I had perhaps my fastest recovery to date - and did quite a bit of really nice site seeing over the next several days. The only thing I couldn't face were stairs...

Chai

Probably one of the most important characters in modern Chinese is "chai" meaning to pull down, dismantle. Ever since the horrific Sichuan earthquakes, Chinese television has been flooded with images of damaged buildings in various stages of being further dismantled. However, this nature caused destruction pales in comparison with the chai that goes on in the name of urban revitalization.

Chinese cities can accurately be described the world's biggest construction sites. Beyond the cranes, the dust, and the lattice work of scaffolding that dot the urban landscape, the image that I identify most with this construction boom is this chai character. It appears overnight, painted on the face of buildings to mark an area for demolition - once Chai appears the normal life of the area changes and all energies are focused on relocation, salvage and demolition. With a major new redevelopment project underway in our comfy apartment in Xian, we've been given a front row to this hallmark of China's rise.



The day of the Sichuan earthquake was also the day that demolition began on a 6 - 8 block area directly behind our apartment. Chai characters appeared all over the district along with legions of black garbed police moving into the neighborhood telling the residents that it was time to go. They had been given much advance notice about general development plans (a nice, modern mixed use residential area desperately needed to address the adjacent University's housing shortage), but as these things go, it is always a difficult realization for residents to make. There was a weird sense of disbelief - the earth was literally shaking beneath their feet as the inevitable order finally occurred and chai appeared. Despite the fear of quakes, people rushed to get things out of their dilapidated buildings as the metal recyclers and other scavengers moved in and started carting away anything of value.



Within a week the demolition began - heavy machinery complemented by hands on wrecking crews wielding sledge hammers. While it has been fascinating to watch the deconstruction of a whole community happen from our back window, the constant rat-a-tat-tat of heavy machinery chipping away at brick and concrete and the resulting dust clouds have tested our patience.

So while we watch the images of widespread natural destruction and human tragedy on the nightly news, we spend part of our days watching the much more focused destruction of our neighborhood. By demolishing at least a hundred medium to large scale buildings, we now enjoy new vistas - a fresh field of construction cranes working on another residential tower rises from the edge of the rubble. We now have three such developments, with a total of seven such multi-storied buildings, rising within view of our front and back windows. Amazing.

And it all starts with chai.

Thinking about our trip to Chengdu

It is hard for us to think about our trip to Chengdu.

We had such a magical time there but when I go to bed at night, I keep thinking about the kind monks who took us in at the monastery at the top of the mountain. The monastery was/is right between the epicenter of the earthquake and Chengdu.... We cannot imagine that the monastery made it but we have yet to hear anything.

It will take weeks if not longer for people to make the four hour trek up the mountain. I know that I would never return now...

The monks were young and old and they celebrated Hana's 11th birthday with us. We were the only people staying there and it was such an incredible experience.

A couple of seconds can change everything....

The girls are back to school. Parents still linger in front wondering if they are doing the right thing. What if another aftershock hits and it is closer to Xi'an. We've had over 160 aftershocks that register more than 4. We haven't felt them but wonder when this will all be over.

The governments now worries and admits that a harder phase awaits the country: rebuilding and developing the region. Within a week, they expect to have temporary housing for between 50,000-100,000 people. Given that 5 million are homeless, this is certainly not enough but it is a start. Factories and people are working round the clock (not that new or surprising for China) and people/students are descending on the area to volunteer and help out. They are looking for foster parents to take care of the thousands of children who are stranded and possibly orphaned by the experience.

We are looking forward to less eventful weeks in China.

Our recent trip to Beijing

Some pictures from Beijing. This is Julia and the boys in front of the Forbidden Palace.

The day after the earthquake we took a train to Beijing. We had read that on any given day there are 2,000 cranes working on Beijing. It seemed like many more.

Although the city is modern, it is massive and many parts of the city are in rubble as new facades are constructed and the city prepares for the Olympics in August.

Earthquakes

The first real earthquake was on the May 12th at 2:28, as you know at my school, their are two halves of the school day, at 12:00 there is a lunch break till 2:30, and so school had not yet even started for the second half when my desk started to shake. I had my chinese book out and was copying a character when the desk started shaking, I looked over at my desk mate Luyan, to see why she was shaking the desk but as I glared at her I realized she too was glaring at me!Then suddenly we both realized that we weren't shaking the desk, and so we started looking around,and I noticed that not only was my desk shaking but also the TV, walls and windows all were shaking as well, for a moment my whole class stared in stunned silence, then my teacher yelled, "DI JIAN!" Earthquake. Then everyone started screaming and yelling and running for the door, of course I didn't know what they were talking about, I had never learned the word for earthquake, I had never needed to, so as everyone screamed around me I calmly put away my chinese book and contemplated whether or not to bring a book. Finally I decided against and went with the crowds. We reached the playground and I found it was hard for me to stand strait, I kept falling forward or backward, and I thought that I was just dizzy. We stayed there for an hour and a half then parents came to pick up their children, it had given us all quiet the scare.
Hana

Chaos continues

Yesterday we returned from Beijing...we were tired by the time we got to bed. At 12 am we got a phone call saying that they expected another aftershock and that we should be ready to leave our building at any time. After an hour and a half we went back to bed. In the morning,we heard that the aftershock came and was a 5.4...but we felt nothing.

I walked the girls to school (Jeff is with his brother traveling around the southeast)...when we got to school there was a crowd and some kids were going in and others were returning with their parents...I let the girls go in to check.

As I turned around, I saw hundreds of eyes upon me; parents outside waiting to see what the official word was from the school authorities: would they cancel school or not?

I wish I had a camera. Knowing how much people love children here, having only one child and knowing what has happened just hours from here...the thousands of children who were trapped and killed from the devastation. All I saw were empty, sad faces looking at me, wondering -- I am sure --- what I was doing there and why had I dropped my children off?

The girls returned and told me that school was optional today..again...as there was another aftershock at 5.4..not far from here.

Today they are expecting/predicting yet another afterschock....oh well, life remains interesting...esp when there is a huge construction project behind our apartment and in front of it...hard to know where the shaking is coming from!!

China's Earthquake Update