Wrapping Up the Summer in the U.S.

We’re now into our last phase of our summer break. After our time in NYC we flew to So. Cal. & spent time w/ my dad & our friends the Andersons. One of the best things about going to my dad’s is to visit all the thrift stores & load up for stuff we need for the following year. Over the last 5 months, my dad has been collecting educational DVD for my class. Then he & I went to check out a WWII air museum in Santa Ana named Lyon’s Air Museum. It was great because they had a bunch of Durenberger cars on special display. Later we caught up w/ our good friends, the Andersons. They we’re going through a major renovation at their home & it will be wonderful when it is completed.

Now we’re spending time in Modesto & San Jose. With most of the “work” portion of our summer break out of the way we’re spending time w/ family. The one thought that hit me when we spending time w/ family have been on the theme of growing old. I spent some great time w/ my father in Redondo Beach & yesterday we spent time w/ Eileen’s dad & his wife. The experience of growing old was evident in the interaction w/ our parents. For me, it was as if I was looking at my future self. The difficulties of aging gracefully were a reality that makes me write out these thoughts. Then there are nephews & nieces that span a wide range of years that reflect what were past life experiences for Eileen & me. Today is the day when many will go & worship the Ancient of Days. I will attend w/ many others & think about growing old & this odd title for God, the Ancient of Days. Somehow, I see the two intertwined in a manner that is very supportive for me in seeing each morning & evening. Soon it will be back to Shekou, Shenzhen, China for another busy school year; another year to live through, age gracefully, & live out another series of life experiences.

The Teacher's College of Columbia University

The Teacher’s College at Columbia University has been around for a long time. It has produced a lot of teachers for the city & state. This Readers & Writers Workshop is about 30 years old & proven very effect to help students improve in both topics, especially for NYC students. I feel quite like the odd duck here with all these very smart teachers who have majored teaching reading & language arts or elementary teachers who spend a lot of time in this subject. Most of the 1,200 attendees were elementary teachers and then middle school. They were generally female, Caucasians in their twenties or early thirties. Enjoy the photos!

NYC, Manhattan & Columbia University

So we got an apartment in Washington Heights of Manhattan for our 2 week stay. A friend recommended to find an apartment called vrbo.com. It was a wonderful resource. The neighborhood is mostly Hispanic I would think Puerto Rican. It is next to a park & full of people playing soccer, board games, or just hanging out. Unfortunately, the occasional smell of pot is in the air. I get the impression that everyone knows everyone. English is the secondary language so I feel like I’m back in China as being a minority. The price of stuff is way up around here. I heard an elderly man complain that after rent & food he has little left. The city is just old. Eileen said it is like a huge movie set that represents a former Eastern block city that is in decay. We did check out the Teacher's College of Columbia University. It is a nice place & I can see why it is one of the nation's best schools.

Back home in the Bay Area

Well we are back in the USA & it has been a wonderful two weeks with Eileen’s side of the family in San Jose & Modesto, CA. Besides eating very “American” foods we caught up with the time change & the lives of her family. The first couple of days we spent taking care of banking issues, junk mail, cell phones, & other personal business. It was amazing how much junk mail we got while away. I went through the pile & contacting publishers to take us off their mailing list. It was neat to see everyone & enjoy the surroundings. The two cities above seem like ghost towns compared to Shenzhen. People laughed at us when we said how clean the air was in San Jose. We went to Big Basin & Yosemite Park for one day trips. Those trips brought back such wonderful memories of what was once our home turf. Ah, it ain’t home anymore & the shape it is in is pretty bad. On the surface you wouldn’t notice anything bad but look & ask around, than you see the problems of a bad economy. Still a lot of “for lease” signs on industrial buildings & lay offs have become the norm. The attitude is pessimistic. Churches are just getting by w/ shrinking budgets. A few have house payments that are more then the worth of the home. Well, we are preparing for our NYC leg of this summer trip for the Reading & Writing Workshop at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. Write more then.