Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Naps and Things
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My fingers are numb with the season getting colder. The clouds are murky and grey from the
contamination of this opaque country. A cacophony of a violin a baby crying and
an annoying Chinese voice coming from my terrace. I passed on taco night this
evening since I was napping and dreaming of talking dinosaurs- yes it has been
one of those weeks. It has been
about four weeks since returning back to China and it feels as though I have
not left. Things are at a rapid flow and excitement and adventure are coming
around the bends, just the way I like it.
We have been teaching the kids the Thriller dance and it has
been coming along nicely….
Hong Kong weekend trip is coming up…
Mongolia is coming up….
As of the past few weeks:
The FFF Man... AKA Feisty Frustrated Finger Man..Watch where you point that thing...
What a great finger puppet show...
The FFF Man... AKA Feisty Frustrated Finger Man..Watch where you point that thing...
What a great finger puppet show...
The same expat rituals have been occurring in this community
as usual. People chasing hedonism
with cathartic and materialistic ways… Nothing new…. Moonies.. I will say
nothing more… I will avoid that place at all cost…. it seems worse then ever
now… older men in the desperate search….
Paname and Jelly Fish.. If you need to get your dance on and
you are in need of Chinese BBQ…
However do not
attempt to go to this place sober. ..
Once when I was
in the 6th grade I saw caterpillars mating. This mental image has stayed with me. For the readers: Caterpillars mate in massive orgies and “wiggle”
in a circle group. It is the most repulsive visual, this reminds me of Paname and
Jelly Fish…. “Mating Caterpillars”....
Back In China
An individuals soul on the hunt for the unknown. Knowing is getting to
know the unknown. Five weeks in the states and the eager -readiness to
return to the great red motherland of china is at a high boil. The
noodles are ready to be cooked, eaten and digested.
Embarking on the long journey back feels like a time warp. I had three hopes for the return back: to sit by interesting people, to have a good nap, along with a drool. All of which occurred.
Having to be at the Dallas airport at 4 in the a.m. I decided just to stay awake. What was I doing in the wee late hours of the night? I will put this vaguely- I was having a splendid time and lost in the abyss of the night. With a nasty Texas thunder storm rolling in ( of all nights) I was concerned there would be delays.
Relieved at my wrongness my first flight was to San Francisco. I sat by a delightful older man from India. He had been living in the states for the majority of his life and was a veteran. We spoke of everything from nuclear bombs, Pakistan/India boundary issues and the aspects of life. At some point we both fell asleep. When waking the flight was almost over and I would wait three hours on my layover.
Eventually, the three hours passed and the flight to Tokyo is boarding at the pace of a snail. This concerned me since I only had an hour lay over in Tokyo.
Walking on the international plane, I have never seen seats so crammed and small. As I found my seat, I looked at the lady I would be sitting next to for the next ten hours and said "what kind of engineer designed this plane?" "Ha, a man of course ! " she remarked quickly. I knew we would be getting along.
This woman was American / Japanese , returning back to Japan for the anniversary of her mothers recent passing. Luz was her name and we talked up a bigger storm then that one that decided to roll into Texas. She pulled out all sorts of Japanese snacks and insisted that we shared. I tried to sleep the majority of the flight. Concerned with my short lay over in Japan, I addressed this to the stuartress. An older lady from Norway. Understanding of my concerns she let me sit in business class for the last painful hunch of the flight so I could make a quick escape off the plane.
Entering the Narita- Tokyo airport I had almost forgotten how attractive Japanese men are.. Wow... Oh ...wow...
I made the connecting flight to the du and met an interesting young man from Chengdu. He was returning from the university of Washington- coincidentally, the same university to which I am applying to doctoral school- to visit his parents. We chatted it up and also discovered we had the same exact iPad covers and would be sitting next to each other on the flight.
The driver was waiting for me when I landed in Chengdu. It was late and and I had way too much luggage. Before I had left Chengdu, I moved apartments to the 5th floor. In the in between time I had forgotten the code and apartment number. Big problem. However... problems are always solved....
Embarking on the long journey back feels like a time warp. I had three hopes for the return back: to sit by interesting people, to have a good nap, along with a drool. All of which occurred.
Having to be at the Dallas airport at 4 in the a.m. I decided just to stay awake. What was I doing in the wee late hours of the night? I will put this vaguely- I was having a splendid time and lost in the abyss of the night. With a nasty Texas thunder storm rolling in ( of all nights) I was concerned there would be delays.
Relieved at my wrongness my first flight was to San Francisco. I sat by a delightful older man from India. He had been living in the states for the majority of his life and was a veteran. We spoke of everything from nuclear bombs, Pakistan/India boundary issues and the aspects of life. At some point we both fell asleep. When waking the flight was almost over and I would wait three hours on my layover.
Eventually, the three hours passed and the flight to Tokyo is boarding at the pace of a snail. This concerned me since I only had an hour lay over in Tokyo.
Walking on the international plane, I have never seen seats so crammed and small. As I found my seat, I looked at the lady I would be sitting next to for the next ten hours and said "what kind of engineer designed this plane?" "Ha, a man of course ! " she remarked quickly. I knew we would be getting along.
This woman was American / Japanese , returning back to Japan for the anniversary of her mothers recent passing. Luz was her name and we talked up a bigger storm then that one that decided to roll into Texas. She pulled out all sorts of Japanese snacks and insisted that we shared. I tried to sleep the majority of the flight. Concerned with my short lay over in Japan, I addressed this to the stuartress. An older lady from Norway. Understanding of my concerns she let me sit in business class for the last painful hunch of the flight so I could make a quick escape off the plane.
Entering the Narita- Tokyo airport I had almost forgotten how attractive Japanese men are.. Wow... Oh ...wow...
I made the connecting flight to the du and met an interesting young man from Chengdu. He was returning from the university of Washington- coincidentally, the same university to which I am applying to doctoral school- to visit his parents. We chatted it up and also discovered we had the same exact iPad covers and would be sitting next to each other on the flight.
The driver was waiting for me when I landed in Chengdu. It was late and and I had way too much luggage. Before I had left Chengdu, I moved apartments to the 5th floor. In the in between time I had forgotten the code and apartment number. Big problem. However... problems are always solved....
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Black feet in China.
Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That could hold you dear lady from going insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge....
I am now allowed to blog and "facebook it up" in landlocked Chengdu, China with the use of a VPN. After several weeks and a mixed blur of spicy food, a cacophony of sounds, interactions with a diverse crowd, things are still happening at a fierce velocity. The survival tools of living in China are the following: Open mind, expect the unexpected and a sense of humor. Additional tools my include: tissues on hand for the squattie potties and survival Chinese vocabulary. International teaching is an expereice of world culture and veracity of perspectives.
That could hold you dear lady from going insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge....
I am now allowed to blog and "facebook it up" in landlocked Chengdu, China with the use of a VPN. After several weeks and a mixed blur of spicy food, a cacophony of sounds, interactions with a diverse crowd, things are still happening at a fierce velocity. The survival tools of living in China are the following: Open mind, expect the unexpected and a sense of humor. Additional tools my include: tissues on hand for the squattie potties and survival Chinese vocabulary. International teaching is an expereice of world culture and veracity of perspectives.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Destination Departure
“You have to begin to lose your memory, if only in bits and pieces, to realize that memory is what makes our lives. Life without memory is no life at all, just as an intelligence without the possibility of expression is not really an intelligence. Our memory is our coherence, our reason, our feeling, even our action. Without it, we are nothing.”
-Luis Bunuel
http://www.fotopedia.com/wiki/Chengdu
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Count Down to China
July 27th 2011
It was my last day in Houston -a typical hot and humid summer day. After about two years of teaching special education there, I am about to embark on a new adventure. I accepted a position to teach special education and intensive English in Chengdu, China. Excitement and curiosity of my new adventure is sinking in as my departure date creeps up. I am now at my parents house in Dallas for the "in between" time. I am pretty much set to leave - I have packed two large suit cases and a carry on. There is nothing better to me then to be able to work with students and travel. I believe it will offer an unique perspective to teaching and students with special needs. I look forward to this new chapter in my life.
It was my last day in Houston -a typical hot and humid summer day. After about two years of teaching special education there, I am about to embark on a new adventure. I accepted a position to teach special education and intensive English in Chengdu, China. Excitement and curiosity of my new adventure is sinking in as my departure date creeps up. I am now at my parents house in Dallas for the "in between" time. I am pretty much set to leave - I have packed two large suit cases and a carry on. There is nothing better to me then to be able to work with students and travel. I believe it will offer an unique perspective to teaching and students with special needs. I look forward to this new chapter in my life.
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