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!!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
China's Earthquake Update
Jeff and I had just dropped the girls off and we crossing the street. A cart full of wood tipped over; we looked to each other and both silently denied having touched it. Then people started to run out of buildings and we knew something was up.
We both thought that one of the many construction sites had taken a turn for the worse (which would not have surprised us greatly given that they work on these sites 7 days a weeks, night and day). We just couldn't figure out where the problem was.
Everyone was on the streets and Jeff and I realized that we needed to get out of the road. It was not until we saw women praying and folks filing out of every building did we realize that it was an earthquake. Although cranes were close by, we walked back to the girls school to make sure they were ok.
When we got there all the kids were sitting outside, some were visibly shaken (as were we) but we couldn't go in. We smiled at Julia from afar and did a thumbs up. She seemed ok. We returned to make sure Jeff's brother (who had arrived 3 days earlier and was napping) was ok.
After picking Kyle up and seeing everyone's shock, we returned to get the kids. At 4 am there was another tremor and the doors shook...luckily that was all.
We go to Beijing this evening for 5 days...for fun and relaxation we hope. Jeff will run the Great Wall marathon...and we'll enjoy Beijing!!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
LIfe in China
The events of today were a rammed knee, a headache and a relaxing stroll through QingXing park with hundreds of people's stares following you like bees. BUt I don't want to tell you of what has happened today, halfway finished as it is, instead I want to tell you of our second visit to the terracotta warriors. The first visit, for my uncle Kyle who is currently traveling with us in china.
We left early in the morning, breaking our fast by devouring fruit and yogurt before settling for some fried dough, called yotiao, strait from the burning oil, then we took a taxi downtown where my Uncle enjoyed his first trip in a taxi where he fully understood that in China their were no traffic rules, we arrived at the train station and walked to the bus station that was just to the right, passing the train station we all looked around in awe, my parents sister and me, because their were no people by chinese standards and my uncle because their were so many poeple by AMerican standards even from someone coming from Atlanta.We boarded a bus, and tried to bribe the bus driver and pay for a ticket for my sister, but they wouldn't go with that my sisterhad to ride on someones lap. We survived the ride with nausea enfulging us like a shadow and arrived at the terracotta warriors light headed and dizzy.We entered the complex and after a short walk we ended up going into the theatre first to get a backround on what we would soon see. The movie was amazing and definetly gaze us a backround and I took notes for my history project on china that I will later post on here, the leaving we found ourselves face to face with the last farmer alive that had discovered the terracotta warriors!
We left early in the morning, breaking our fast by devouring fruit and yogurt before settling for some fried dough, called yotiao, strait from the burning oil, then we took a taxi downtown where my Uncle enjoyed his first trip in a taxi where he fully understood that in China their were no traffic rules, we arrived at the train station and walked to the bus station that was just to the right, passing the train station we all looked around in awe, my parents sister and me, because their were no people by chinese standards and my uncle because their were so many poeple by AMerican standards even from someone coming from Atlanta.We boarded a bus, and tried to bribe the bus driver and pay for a ticket for my sister, but they wouldn't go with that my sisterhad to ride on someones lap. We survived the ride with nausea enfulging us like a shadow and arrived at the terracotta warriors light headed and dizzy.We entered the complex and after a short walk we ended up going into the theatre first to get a backround on what we would soon see. The movie was amazing and definetly gaze us a backround and I took notes for my history project on china that I will later post on here, the leaving we found ourselves face to face with the last farmer alive that had discovered the terracotta warriors!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Panda Heaven
A highlight of our stay in Chengdu was a half day stop at their renowned Panda Breeding Center, a world class research and breeding facility on the edge of town. For a variety of reasons, giant pandas are notoriously difficult to breed. This center, the closest of several research centers and preserves in the Chengdu area dedicated to panda research, has an enviable record at successful births, with one supermom recording more than 10 babies.
The center is located a beautifully landscaped facility that uses walls of bamboo to lead visitors into the central area housing the giant pandas. We first went to the area where young adults were just settling into their morning feeding of specially grown bamboo pods. The four adolescents that were out when we arrived were very laid back, seemingly comfortable with endless waves of tourists who come in to gawk. With all the food they could consume at their feet, they were content to lay back and enjoy the show of oohs and aahs. There was a little bit of stealing going on, but nothing too provocative. They have a wonderful enclosure that allows them ample space to play and move around. Amazing, beautiful animals – a gift to see so many of them enjoying each other so much.
After the adults, we moved to the main event, the enclosure with the cubs. These little balls of fur were so cute as they chased each other, and their caregiver, around their equally spacious and generously supplied play area. There were probably about 8 of them in total – running in and out of their indoor play area, interacting with the attendants. They seemed less aware of our presence than the adults and were much more mobile. We watched several of them climbing the structure, wrestling and playing on the slide. In an adjacent cage, visitors were able to pay to have their picture taken with the older adults, an option that we declined.
The research center also includes a rather large area for red pandas, a raccoon like animal that is related (through their mutual love for bamboo) to the giant pandas. Not nearly as cute, these isolated animals are placed in large pens that force them into unnatural proximity that leaves some of the red pandas earless - tell tale signs of a secret pecking order.
We watched them for a bit before going to a theater where they showed an informative video on their breeding habits and the work of the research center to help increase their numbers. Our half day tour ended with a quick trip through the museum where you could find out more about this odd, 6 million year old creature that has transformed itself from an aggressive carnivore to such a docile symbol of the need for global efforts to protect increasingly fragile ecosystems.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Our trip to Chengdu---Day One and Two
We have just returned from our trip to the southwest province of Sichuan. It was fantastic! Let us tell you a little about our trip. We left on Saturday morning on a plane. It took only one hour to get there. When we arrived, we went straight to our guesthouse. Our guesthouse looked like a regular building on the outside but inside the courtyard it was magnificant! There was a garden and a pond and lots of animals. For example, frogs, fish, rabbits, kittens, and guinea pigs. They also had toys for kids, books to read and swap. They also had a great kitchen where they made Chinese, Sichuan food and FRENCH fries!!! 
On our first day there, we relaxed and went to an ancient temple. We heard monks chanting. It was a very peaceful place. On our second day we went to a nearby mountain and hiked up for about 4 hours. When we got to the top, it was an amazing sight...although almost everything was blocked by mist..you could smell all the green. Along the way were little villages where you could sleep or buy food but we wanted to go all the way to the White Cloud Temple. And we made it!!!
By 5:30 we were at the monastery. There were no other tourists there so it was just us and the
monks and the people who took care of the temple. After we told them we wanted to spend the night, they showed us our rooms which were quite nice if simple. We had dinner with the monks..after they finished praying and then did some drawing and reading while looking over the mountain.
In the morning we woke to the sound of a gong...before sunrise and then had breakfast with the monks. It was also Hana's 11th birthday. It was a fun way to spend her birthday.
Going down the mountain my mom had a nervous breakdown. Every second my mom would order Hana to hold onto the rail (and Dad would keep telling my mom that it would be ok). I , on the other hand, was not nervous. My sister wasn't either. We counted over 6,200 steps going down.
When we got down the mountain, my mom started crying saying that we were so lucky to be alive.
We went back to Chengdu and our guesthouse to attend the Opera. The Sichuan Opera was fire-spitting, mask-changing and jaw-dropping. The acrobats were cool; the two
women laid down on their backs and rolled a table on their feet and also a huge container made out of wood. It was amazing!!!Ok. We will put up some pictures soon...of the monastery, pandas, monks, the mountain and then an ancient village that is not even on the maps!!!
Julia and Mom
(with pics by Dad)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Pollution
Everyone talks about the pollution in China. I am not sure any of us has really addressed this in much detail...and I won't here. All I wanted to say is that as I look out the window of my office today, I can't see beyond the building that is right next door. Usually, I can a soccer field that is near the office as well as numerous buildings on campus and beyond but today, for whatever reason, the whole city is caught in a brown, dust-like fog. We thought it would rain today but so far only more and more dust particles and heavy air.
Jeff went out for a run; I can't imagine that he' go far.
Beyond the trees, I see absolutely nothing though I can hear construction site noise on three sides. Not sure why the weather suddenly changed today; yesterday it was bright and in the 70s but today we could cut the air with a knife.
Ah, spring in Xi'an!
Jeff went out for a run; I can't imagine that he' go far.
Beyond the trees, I see absolutely nothing though I can hear construction site noise on three sides. Not sure why the weather suddenly changed today; yesterday it was bright and in the 70s but today we could cut the air with a knife.
Ah, spring in Xi'an!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
A Field Trip at School By Julia
Prologue: Today, I had a field trip with my class. Here are some of the things we did but also how I felt about the trip.
This afternoon we walked from our school to Jiaotong University. It took about 20 minutes to get there. Since everyone was singing on our walk there, I didn't get tired at all. Although I didn't know the words and couldn't sing, it was very pretty. My teacher had a tiny silver whistle to keep the kids attention (there are about 65 kids in my class and there were only two teachers). The whole first grade went on this trip and our class got to be at the front of the line.
The most important thing in China is sharing food, and that is what we all did on our field trip. At different points during our field trip we would stop and share our food ( three quarters of what I ate was from other kids). The snacks: included sugar-coated dried fruit, chips (that's what I brought), mousse jelly (yogurt on the top, jello on the bottom and fruit in the middle). My favorite new snack was afrench fry like snack coated with tomato.
We also did a lot of playing which included: a tag-like game where the person who is it wears a crown, catching something that felt like silk that was from a dandolion.
The biggest difference between American and Chinese kids is that Chinese kids cooperate a lot more than American kids. They share a lot, they form lines easily, they usually hold hands as we exit the school gates and at recess time, they always play together nicely. Maybe it is because of China's population; with so many people, they need to cooperate more.
The reason I liked this trip so much was the feasting and the playing. I am still struggling with trying to know what people are saying to me because I feel badly if I don't answer them. Here are some of the words and sentences I now know in Chinese and use almost every day:
1. hello
2. let's go outside and play
3. I am Julia ...wo shi Julia
4. i need to go to the bathroom...wo men cho cho wen ba...
5. can i borrow your pencil...je wo ee jer bee
6. good bye...zi dian
7. my sister's name is hana...ta shi hana.
8. hello teacher...lou shi how
9. i love my mom, dad and sister..wo i eye...mamam,..wo eye..baba...wo eye jeje
10. do not touch me! ..ba dong..wo
11. see you tomorrow...ming tien jen
12. can you or can you not give me homework today....ni neng bu neng gao su wo jia ting zuo ye.
So...as you can see, I am really starting to speak Chinese...
I miss you all...my family, my class and all of my friends!!!
This afternoon we walked from our school to Jiaotong University. It took about 20 minutes to get there. Since everyone was singing on our walk there, I didn't get tired at all. Although I didn't know the words and couldn't sing, it was very pretty. My teacher had a tiny silver whistle to keep the kids attention (there are about 65 kids in my class and there were only two teachers). The whole first grade went on this trip and our class got to be at the front of the line.
The most important thing in China is sharing food, and that is what we all did on our field trip. At different points during our field trip we would stop and share our food ( three quarters of what I ate was from other kids). The snacks: included sugar-coated dried fruit, chips (that's what I brought), mousse jelly (yogurt on the top, jello on the bottom and fruit in the middle). My favorite new snack was afrench fry like snack coated with tomato.
We also did a lot of playing which included: a tag-like game where the person who is it wears a crown, catching something that felt like silk that was from a dandolion.
The biggest difference between American and Chinese kids is that Chinese kids cooperate a lot more than American kids. They share a lot, they form lines easily, they usually hold hands as we exit the school gates and at recess time, they always play together nicely. Maybe it is because of China's population; with so many people, they need to cooperate more.
The reason I liked this trip so much was the feasting and the playing. I am still struggling with trying to know what people are saying to me because I feel badly if I don't answer them. Here are some of the words and sentences I now know in Chinese and use almost every day:
1. hello
2. let's go outside and play
3. I am Julia ...wo shi Julia
4. i need to go to the bathroom...wo men cho cho wen ba...
5. can i borrow your pencil...je wo ee jer bee
6. good bye...zi dian
7. my sister's name is hana...ta shi hana.
8. hello teacher...lou shi how
9. i love my mom, dad and sister..wo i eye...mamam,..wo eye..baba...wo eye jeje
10. do not touch me! ..ba dong..wo
11. see you tomorrow...ming tien jen
12. can you or can you not give me homework today....ni neng bu neng gao su wo jia ting zuo ye.
So...as you can see, I am really starting to speak Chinese...
I miss you all...my family, my class and all of my friends!!!
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