Shell in China

Week one of our final term is just about done. How crazy is that? Although time is flying by, it is also nice to kind of have a clue what it is I am doing around the department. (The teaching wasn’t ever an issue since Thad and I both taught before coming to China, but department workings were, as still are at times, a mystery.)

Our first week back has been a busy one. This term I have eight classes. Two that are new ones (third-year students that up until this point Thad has taught) and all six of my second-year classes. In class, after talking about what it means to be “rusty” at something, we spent the time cleaning the rust off of our English brains. It took some doing, but it was fun to be back with the students again.

I told the students all about our trip to Cambodia and Indonesia. They especially liked the stories of Monkey Forest, the giant bat I held and Thad’s Hamburgerler incident (see his blog for more on that one!)

This week in class we did a fun dialog activity where the students were to imagine that a pig (last year’s animal) and a mouse (this year’s animal) met. They had to come up with what that conversation was like. While many students had fairly tame conversations, I was surprised in one class when the student playing the “mouse” got very angry with the “pig” about the winter weather in China. She was upset that the pig had ruined the Spring Festival that ushered in her year for so many people! It was actually a really good extension on the activity, but it was also amusing to watch. I made the student who was the "mouse" wear the mouse-ears we picked up to celebrate the New Year in Guangzhou. They were a hit, of course!

One thing we did to clean the rust and get English flowing again could not have happened without the Caldwell Rotary Club. Many of the members generously donated subscriptions to various magazines to go in our Book Nook. It took some work to get them here, but they have finally started to arrive at the college. Over the break I had 20+ magazines arrive! We now get everything from ESPN Magazine to Seventeen to Ranger Rick. I brought them to class and introduced the different magazines and then gave students time to look through them and chat about them. After class on Friday I will take them to the Book Nook, which will reopen on Monday.

Speaking of the Book Nook, I have been working on trying to get more books for it. Currently we are at just over 700, but my goal is 1000 before we leave China in July. To that end, I spent time looking for organizations that donate books overseas. While I found many, the majority of them donate the books, but require me to cover the shipping. I was disappointed to not be able to find any other places that were willing to send books for free. With that said, if you have a few young adult books lying around your house that you no longer want, please contact me and I will give you shipping information! It is pretty easy to just throw a few books in a padded envelope and ship them over. I am grateful to everyone who has already done this!

Overall, it has been a great week. It is nice to be back at work and busy again. I am meeting with the president of the Oral English association this afternoon to try and establish a functioning English Corner for this term, we are ready to roll on weekly films starting this Saturday, we are taking students out to hotpot before the film and I had a group of girls over last night to visit and watch Hitch. On top of that the Book Nook is organized and ready to open on Monday and starting on Tuesday Thad and I will have our office hours in the evening. It’s a lot to do, but I am enjoying having a schedule and work to do!

As we start this last term, we are excited not only about the activities we have planned with students, but also that many friends from home are coming to visit. In May, Josh, Jeremy and Justin will come to visit, meeting us in Chengdu and traveling for a week before coming back here to hang out for a few more. Then, in June, once the school year is finished in Idaho, Shannon will come for three weeks and we will try to get as much of China seen as possible on the weekends.

So, enjoy the coming of spring and we will see everyone in just a few short months!

Alright, this was sent to me by a former (and fabulous) student, Nicole, so I thought I would join in the fun.

TAG! You're it. Here's how you play: once you've been tagged you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 10 people to be tagged.

Fact 1- Things in costumes freak me out. One time I went to a Trekkie bar in Las Vegas (don’t ask why, it wasn’t my first choice of activities!) and I was totally weirded out by the people in costumes. I swear one of them was following Shannon (Miss L) and I around! Totally creepy!!!

Fact 2- At work I am the most organized and clean person there is, but at home I let my true colors shine. When we first bought our house, I didn’t know where we kept our vacuum cleaner for a good 2 years!

Fact 3- I hate tardiness. I hate to be late. I hate when other people are late. I show up to everything WAY too early, just to be sure I am not late. It’s an issue…

Fact 4- In the 6^th grade I got a detention (my one and only!) for throwing my show across the room during music class. The thing is, I didn’t throw it. Jake did! And to this day, no one believes me! I didn’t do it!!! I got the detention on a Friday and was freaked out about it all weekend because I had to have my parents sign the slip and I didn’t want to tell them. I didn’t show them the slip until Sunday night.

Fact 5- The first concert I ever went to was New Kids on the Block. Enough said.

Fact 6- I love office supplies! I find new pens and notebooks and markers and organizing cubbies irresistible!! It is one of the best things about the start of the new school year- new supplies!!!!

Fact 7- Someday I want to have a house with a library with one of those tall ladders that roll around the built in bookshelves. I REALLY want a library with a ladder-thingy!

Fact 8- Out of all the Disney princesses, Sleeping Beauty is my favorite for her story, but Cinderella has the best outfits.

Fact 9- My klutziness seems to show more when I am living in other countries. When I lived in the Dominican Republic I nearly broke my ankle and couldn’t walk on it forever. In China, I swear I fall down more than I ever do in America. This past summer, in Xi’An, I tripped over a barrier between the sidewalk and the road and totally face planted in the middle of the road! The worst part was not my scraped and bleeding ankle, but my leftover pizza that went flying! Hello! Pizza is a major commodity here!

Fact 10- I’ve always wanted, but never had, a car with a sunroof. Maybe after China…

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Because Mom doesn't have a blog, she did her 10-things in an email, but I thought it would be fun to share with everyone who knows her! So here are Mom's:

#1. I attended a Kenny Rogers and the First Edition pillow concert for $1!!!!!

#2. I love to go to lumber stores and sniff the boards- pine and cedar. MMMMMMMMMM.

#3. I love buttons- of all sizes and shapes. I used to collect them and just sort them and look at them. Hmmm I think I might start that collection up again.

#4. When I was in high school, a friend Jeanne and I went to Boise with her parents and we went to the capital building and went to the governors office and went in and introduced ourselves to the Gov. and sat down in his office and had a chat with him!!!!

#5. I love children's picture books!

#6. I really dislike - hate - being in the spotlight or up front and speaking to people! I would rather just blend in.

#7. I love pumpkins, sunflowers, and fall leaves. (on the trees or on the ground!)

#8. When I was 15 and 16 I use to drive myself from Council (2 1/2 hours) to Boise to the dentist. Something I would never let my kids do today!!!! Or when they were growing up!

#9. I am computer disabled and technologically disabled!

#10. I would someday like to write a book, probably a children's book. I actually have a manuscript of one I wrote 38 years ago in my file cabinet. About a tumbleweed that is really a troll.

Okay- TAG you are it!!!!!

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Kristina's 10 Things...

#1. I can wiggle my ears...

#2. I LOVE school supplies - a new, empty notebook gives me a rush! I always wanted to go school supply shopping way more than I wanted to go school clothes shopping (though I do love getting new clothes!)

#3. Sometimes I like animals (mostly dogs) over people...

#4. Even though I have flown before, I am terrified of flying, so my trip to Paris this month will hopefully get me over that.

#5. I would love to get a tattoo, but I probably won't ever...

#6. I love to write poetry. I have a notebook of poems I have written, if you ever want to see it (though most of them are pretty dark and depressing because I am most creative when I'm depressed...)

#7. I love kids!

#8. I only ever got one detention in school, and that was when I pulled down a kid's pants at school (in the 3rd grade) because he had a crush on me and wouldn't leave me alone. I cried my way out of it and only had to write him a letter of apology. The funny thing is, we are friends to this day!

#9. I accidentally "hot-boxed" once....I was at my brother's band practice, and one of the band members pulled out a bong and started passing it around. The room we were in was tiny, and the smoke filled it up fast. I was only in there about 10 minutes once they pulled the weed out, but not only was I really nervous and scared about being around drugs, I got a horrid headache from the smell, so I left. Ack!

#10. I like to talk to people about mental illness - it seems like too many people are ashamed or embarrassed about it, and I used to be. But I realize that there is nothing shameful or embarrassing about it, so I try to be open and answer any questions people have. People need to talk about it more rather than keep it inside.

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So, I’ve been staring at the computer screen all afternoon, daunted by four weeks of adventure to catch up on. I promised Mom there would be an update when she got up in the morning, so I’ve got to get to it. I think the best way to tackle this is in sections. So here is the breakdown:

Section I- IST in Chengdu

Section II- Cambodia

Section III- Bali

Section IV- Guangzhou

Are you excited yet?

Section I- IST

January rolled around and it was time for IST again. This is our second, and final, IST. It was held in Chengdu at the Kehuayuan, which is the same hotel we stayed at when we first came to the country, so it was fun to relive that experience a bit. J

Getting out of Chengxian proved to be more difficult than we had anticipated. We do not usually get a lot of snow, but this year we had several days of snow at night and melting in the daytime, which led to a nice packed bed of ice on the roads. Most of the buses out of town stopped running, and because the mountain passes from here to Tianshui (where we get the train) were in pretty bad shape, we decided it would be wise to hire a car to take us. After getting told no by several drivers, we finally got one to say he would go, but then he called the morning of to say he would only go for double the price! Ack! At this point Thad called our waiban, who after some wrangling got the schools driver to take us in, which was fabulous! It took a long time to get there, but it was luxury to ride there in a nice comfy car!

Thad and I went down to Chengdu a few days early: him to go play poker in Nanchong and me to eat some Pete’s and Pizza Hut with Kristen. I was surprised in Chengdu by waking up to snow the first morning we were there! It is the first snow they’ve had in 15 years and I was by no means prepared for it! Since we were headed to Cambodia and Indonesia after IST, my cold-weather clothing choices were quite limited. Kristen and I stayed at a hostel not far from PCHQ, where we spent our days reading and drinking hot chocolate at Pete’s. Not a bad way to spend a few days.

IST itself went off without a hitch. I think it wasn’t as good as last year’s, but a lot of that is due to the fact that with only six months to go, people weren’t really into sessions on how to teach since they’ve got it all figured out by now. Most of us were there for the socializing anyway, so it was good! One night we had a talent show and PC bought pizza, so that was great. Thad made a slideshow for it of everyone’s pictures from the last year, which is posted on his blog. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out! It is awesome and was a hit at the talent show.

Oh yeah, I did one other thing during IST- see pictures for details. (Yes Mom, it’s real and yes, it hurt!)

Section II- Cambodia

After a few days of snow (the first in 15 years) and a lot of meals at Pete’s, IST was over and time had come to travel! This year the it

inerary included about a week in Siem Reap, Cambodia, almost a week in Bali, Inodesia and then back to the mainland, Guangzhou for the New Year itself.

We left Chengdu in a light snow, with layers of clothes on to keep warm. We had a layover in Shenzhen (not long enough to go anywhere) and then another (all night!) in Kuala Lumpur. It was a great feeling to get off the plane in KL to a blast of warm air and the knowledge that the long underwear would be shoved into the bottom of my backpack for a few weeks. We had the night to kill in the KL airport but we thought there was a VIP lounge we could stay in for a small
price. It was late when we got there though and after looking around we couldn’t find anything along those lines, so we circled the wagons (or dropped the bags at it may be) and settled in for some sleep on the floor. I think Thad is the only one who got much sleep since he was exhausted after staying up late for one last night of poker in Chengdu. I read and watched people for most of the night.

Our flight was at 7AM, which put us into Siem Reap a little after 8AM. Once we were settled at the Gol

den Banana (our guest house) we opted for some food and then a nap! We were beat! Our driver told us that we could get our tickets into the Angkor Wat complex for the next day that evening and essentially get to see the sunset over the temples for free. Figuring that was the best plan, we took a xiuxi and then headed out to get a three day pass for the complexes.

The first evening we climbed a short trail to the top of a hill where we were able to explore and the

n watch the sunset over the valley below. It was amazing! (The pictures with the blue shirt are from that night.)

The next morning (brown shirt pictures) we got up at 4AM so that we could watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat itself. We got there is the pitch black and wandered into the temple until we found a good place to see it. It was cloudy that morning, so while brilliant colors were not to be seen, it was still beautiful. Thad got some great shots of the sky turning from dark to gray to blue. While Erin and I were sitting and watching (Thad and John had wandered off with the cameras) we suddenly heard commotion in the trees behind us. It was if they had come alive with the sunrise. When we turned to look they were filled with monkeys! I guess the sunrise is their wakeup call. They were fun to watch from a distance (unlike our experience at Monkey Forest, of

which you will read

later!)

We spent that whole day visiting different temples in the area. My favorite was Bayon, which has huge faces carved into tall columns. Everywhere you go, they are watching you. This part of the complex was thought to have been built in the 12^th century and the four faces on each of the tower are images of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and that they signify the omnipresence of the king. It was amazing to see and my favorite of the day. (Yes, I am doing the robot in front of the temple..I have no idea why...)

The next day was filled with more temples and sites (gray tank top pictures). On the second full day my favorite temple had to be Ta Prohm. This one is famous because it is where part of Tomb Raider was filmed, but I loved it because it was beautiful to see the giant trees that have overtaken the stone walls of the complex. We went to this one in the afternoon and were exhausted, but I enjoyed the huge trees and beautiful stone walls. Of course, we had our picture taken with the tree from Tomb Raider while we were there. I also really enjoyed the elephant carvings at one of the other smaller areas where we stopped. The sun was glaring down by the middle of the afternoon, but the elephant created a nice shady spot to sit and take in the views.

On our last day of our three day pass (black shirt pictures) we went to see a complex that is a bit away from the others. Called Banteay Srei, it is known for being a different color (more pink than gray) than the other sites and has carvings that have withstood the test of time in intricate detail. This area is much smaller than some of the others we visited, but as we sat and looked at it from the edge of a pond that surrounds the site, I couldn’t imagine the number of hours it would take to create something so detailed and precise.

Later that same day we went out to a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. The land in the area is so expensive that many people can’t afford it so they live on their boats. There is even a boat for the school (in the picture you can see the enclosed area for PE classes) and a church on a boat. I think we all felt a bit torn about visiting there because we were tourists in their poverty, but on the other hand our tourist dollars help them. I am glad I saw it, but feel guilty about it at the same time.

The last full day we were in Siem Reap we ran into some other Volunteers (2 of the other married couples) who were also there on vacation, so we all made plans to go to a Cambodian dinner and dance show. The show was fun, but a bit like what I would expect on a cruise ship. We had a nice evening hanging out with the others though.

As I have been typing this I have had my picture file open, trying to figure out which ones to post. I feel like there is so much to talk about and share, but my fingers aren’t typing well. (We got home to an apartment that hasn’t had heat it two weeks and it is just a little above freezing in here! The space heater is all of six inches away from me!) I will put up a bunch with this and then some of you are just in for the longest slide show ever when I get home in July!

Stay tuned for Section III- Bali!

Section III- Bali

Bali didn’t start off well for me. On our way from Cambodia to Indonesia we had another layover in Kuala Lumpur. (That is where I am being the luggage guard while everyone else is on potty break!) We had a few hours to kill, so we got some McDonald’s and played cards on the floor of the airport. A few hours later, on the plane, something started feeling not so good in my belly. I’ve had food poisoning before (thank you Argentina) and knew what was coming. Needless to say, I had a miserable flight, but kept everything in until we landed, at which point I made a mad dash for the airport bathroom and was sicker than a dog! Not pleasant! My first night and day in Bali were spent either hugging the toilet or curled up in the fetal position in bed. Not paradise at all…

By the middle of the first full day I ventured out to the hotel pool, which was beautiful. Everyone else had been down to the beach and shopping, but they came back to keep me company as I healed.

Bali was pretty low-key for us. We spent the time relaxing (our hotel had a HUGE tub!), swimming and hanging out. One day we went jet-skiing, snorkeling, banana-boat riding and on a visit to Turtle Island. That was my favorite day of the trip. The snorkeling wasn’t all that great. My terrible swimming skills freak me out in the ocean and I end up hyperventilating in the mask. I am a champion floater, which is all that is really needed, but knowing that I can’t touch the bottom if necessary totally freaks me out and then I am a mess. So, after a few minutes of miserable snorkeling, I went back and hung out at the boat while the others enjoyed the fish. I didn’t mind though…sitting in the sun like a lizard is always fine by me!

Turtle Island, now that was cool!! We got there and were instantly handed a baby sea turtle. They are super cute, but man are their little flippers strong. If you don’t hold them just right they beat you with the flippers, which in my case just made me laugh hysterically and almost drop the little guy. After playing with lots of sea turtle of all sizes, we were then handed a giant fruit bat to hold. They are surprisingly soft and fuzzy! Then it was on to different birds and a snake scarf rounded out the trip for me. It was so much fun to play with all the little critters.

Our second critter experience was less fun. We went to Monkey Forest, which recalling the run-in with a monkey last year, I should have passed on, but it sounded too good to not go. Monkey Forest surrounds a temple, and the monkeys are protected. (It should have been me that was protected.) We bought bananas at the door, but the monkeys knew we had them and swarmed. I handed the entire bundle over to Thad because I didn’t want to encourage the creatures to get near me. One climbed his back to get a banana. While cute from a distance, I was terrified of them up close. I spent the entire time spinning in circles trying to figure out where they were all at. There was one super cute little baby though. It was small enough that it still clung to its mom, but every once in a while it would venture a few feet away until it realized the mom was not nearby, at which point it would scramble back to her protection. The little guy reminded me of a kitten when they are learning to pounce and attack, but are so terribly uncoordinated! Super cute! I wanted to take that one home.

Overall Bali was good, but I liked Cambodia better. Bali was nice and relaxing, but there wasn’t much to see as far as cultural sites go. I did find a KrispyKreme and have more than my share of donuts for a few days though! And of course, it had to happen somewhere, I got my requisite sunburn…