Winter is over...already?

Hey folks! It is still February and it will be 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 27 degrees Celsius today. Last week or so I put away my long sleeve shirts and changed our A/C from heat to cool. In our apartment we have wall mounted A/C-H/C systems that we had to figure out since the controls are written in Chinese. We used the heating system for about 3 weeks when the outside day time temperature was around 18 Celsius (mid 60s) and at night around 12 Celsius (mid 50s). That's it! So it was a quick winter and already the weather is getting muggy! Yuck! I'm not going to like it in a few months when it gets warmer. Also, if it is that bad now what until summer! Whoa! That is the way it is around here. When that time comes, every A/C unit in Shenzhen will be working and this is a conservative guess but that will be about 20 million A/C units. That is A/C units in every home, school, and work place. I'm glad I'm not paying that electric bill! PS let me explain the photo above. The box item on the bottom left is what is outside humming away. The long rectangle box is mounted near the ceiling on the wall inside. The other small item is the remote.

Thailand

Friday 23 – Thursday 29 January

We left Shenzhen airport at 11:30PM and flew into Bangkok airport at 1:15AM. We stayed the night in a great hotel near the airport for $23.00 which included breakfast. In the morning, we hooked up with another couple from the school, Abby Morgan, Ed Dame, and Ed’s mom. We took a personal shuttle van to Koh Chang Island via Oasis Sea World.

At Oasis Sea World we watched a dolphin show for about 45 minutes. Then 3 of us from our group got to swim with the dolphins! (We were late in booking it, and they only had 3 spots left. Tom and Ed’s mom opted out.) We got to pet and kiss 2 types of dolphins, the Chinese White Dolphin and the Irrawaddy Dolphin. If you look at our pictures, you will see how different they are from each other and how they look so unreal! They were so soft and sweet and gentle. (The Irrawaddy’s know how to really squirt you right in the eyes!) It was all natural sea water pumped into the pool. We got to be with them for 1 hour. It was an awesome experience.

We finally got to the island and to our wonderful resort…The Dewa. We felt like we were living the lifestyle of the rich and famous! We were treated like royalty. It was so relaxing and quiet. The room had a deep tub for a nice soaking. The breakfast was included, and it was incredible. They had regular breakfast foods of all sorts, including making your omelet in front of you, cheeses, cold cuts, Thai food, pasta bar, and freshly squeezed Mandarin orange juice. We stuffed ourselves. It was so good for Tom. He actually put on 5 pounds which was one of his goals after losing 10 pounds from being sick in December.

We went to a waterfall, did a Tree Top Adventure ropes course, whereupon I fell on a swing bridge and really bruised up my left ankle….but it was great! I walked the beach every morning and Tom and I together every evening. I had 2 different hour long oil massages on the beach, a facial at the hotel spa, and just quiet time reading on the beach. It was just what I needed. Tom got caught up on a lot of sleep and caught up with stuff he wanted to get prepared for school and our fellowship. We ate at various restaurants around the island and every meal was wonderful. We even ate at a place called “Pirate’s Pub.” It was English, but had a lot of Russian food. We were told that a lot of Russian tourists hang out there in the evenings. I had borsch (beet soup with sour cream) for lunch. It was great! We met a Russian couple on our Tree Top Adventure.

We experienced a lot of neat things that we’ve never done before. One night we had a BBQ dinner right on our beach as the sun was setting. Another night we had a nice seafood dinner at another hotel and then took a boat to see the fireflies light up the trees. That was very romantic! We had a lunch on a glass table that overlooked the ocean and our feet dangled underneath. It was an awesome trip and hard to come back to reality.

School's Chinese New Year Program

Friday 23 – Thursday 29 January

QSI, Shekou had it's annual Chinese New Year Program in which Eileen had a part in a dancing scene with other teachers. Everyone had a lot of fun!

Incredible India

Incredible India
A few years back while we were back in America we met some neat people from Bangalore (or Bangeluru), India. When they returned to their home land, we decided that one day soon we would visit them & their fascinating country. When we found out we were moving to China to teach we planned that this Christmas Break we would fulfill that desire. Now even with the bad news of 26/11 in Mumbai we had everything in hand to go. The most difficult part was getting a visa from the Indian Consulate in Hong Kong. It is a 3 time visit with lots of cash to get a simple tourist visa.
We flew Jet Air, which is a wonderful airline, to Mumbai & transferred to Bangalore. As for Mumbai Airport… it is a difficult mess to get around. You best plan 3 hours between transfers. I, unfortunately, caught one of the nastiest colds ever the day before & was sick as a dog for about 5 days. Shortly after that Eileen got a sever sinus infection. Not the way to spend your vacation days. Well, our friends picked us up at the airport & that was the shot of adrenaline for me. It was so good to see them! The air was cool & crisp as we drove to his parents’ home. It is traditional for families to live together in the same home for awhile from what I gathered. We were warmly greeted & the neighborhoods curiosity. I stayed up for a short while & went to bed. To be honest for the next 4 days I slept & ate. The only thing I remember was wonderful Indian food, which you eat by hand, & sleeping a lot. By Thursday morning I was on the mend & hit the showers for a trip into the city.
Oh, before I go on, our friends live in a very nice area of the city where the property value has sky rocketed. The home is typical of that neighborhood which is comfortable. The way you take a shower in India is either by bucket or a shower head. I used the bucket method & afterwards felt like a new person. Remember I’ve been in bed for 4 day & travelled on one day. The family was so kind to give their western style bathroom for our use & to provide paper products, which is pretty expensive as we found out later. With Eileen now ill we went to one of the many local pharmacies to purchase antibiotics which you can get cheaply & without a prescription. The medicine is western & a trained pharmacist will help you. Now I see why “medical tourism” is big here. Now we’re off to see the sights of the IT capital of India!
Bangalore has 8 million people residing in it. Most of them you can meet on the street any time of the work day as the traffic is amazing in what seems to me chaotic but to them a coordinated dance of anything moving on or near the streets. Many take the public transportation which includes a motor or auto rickshaw. This is a 3 wheeled motorcycle that goes up to 30 MPH & kicks out enough emissions to simulate smoking a pack of cigarettes a minute. Because gas cost over 4 dollars a gallon, diesel is preferred for big trucks or long range vehicles. There is a mix of new & old in Bangalore. What is unique is that just off the major roads you can experience peace with cows, stray dogs, a camel (I kid you not), & people milling about. The number of restaurants equals the number of places to see or things to do, but as I stated earlier I spent most of the time in bed getting over a cold.
We then took an overnight sleeper train to the neighboring state of Kerala, “God’s Own Country.” The train is the primary means for long distance travel for the people & it was packed! We were in the A/C “boggies” or cars which slept 6 to a section with 2 other beds along the walk way. Our friends told us to secure our valuables such as our shoes, purses, etc. which means you sleep with them next to you. The bedding was provided & I was out like a light. It was not the most peaceful rest but this is due to the rocking of the train. I did dream I was in a blender. I found this mode of travel better than flying economy class on a plane as you can lie down, stretch out, & walk.
Kerala is a wonderful state, somewhat like the Big Island of Hawaii with lush coastal regions and mountainous terrain. We spent our time in three cities/towns: Munnar, Thekkady & Palakkad (Palghat). Each place was so different. At Ernakulam (Kochi-the major train station), we woke up from our night journey on the train to drive up to Munnar which is way up in the mountains at least 4,000 feet up! Upon our arrival we purchase motion sickness medicine as all the roads all whine up the steep mountains which makes me car sick. Once there I found the air was so clean & the mountains beautiful. It is an area where tea & coffee is grown in manicured farms for as far as I can see. It was rather chilly at night but this is taken care of by some great Indian cooking at the local restaurant. Also, Vladimir Ilich Lenin is honored in this state as the Communist Party is big here. After spending a couple of days around Munnar it was off to Thekkady.
Thekkady is on a range called the Western Ghats. It is famous for trekking, Periyar tiger Reserve & the elephant rides. It is a drive to get to places so we opted for the elephant ride as riding tigers is dangerous for your health. We did stop by the reserve but the wild life was out to lunch.
We then travelled by car & train to Palakkad to spend time at our friend’s home town & family. They greeted us warmly & on Christmas Day prepared a spread fit for a maharaja or maharani (king/queen). Unfortunately, the time was cut short due to a family tragedy & the family members had to return that night to Bangalore. We return as schedule with the family members having completed the appropriate pooja for the passing of a relative.
We returned to Bangalore to spend the few days left with our friends. We saw their son’s school, spent time with extended family members, & just enjoyed each other’s company. Oh, yes we did our shopping to help the economy but without the gracious presence of our friends, their family & friends India would not have been a complete experience.

Testing out the hospital

This week I had chance to test drive the medical system where I live. I became ill as the weekend came upon me. A great way to start off some much needed time to relax. I thought I was catching a cold that everyone around here loves to share by not covering their mouth when they sneeze. It goes along with that spitting thing they do with great frequency. Well by Monday I wasn’t any better, in fact I was worse off. So off I went to a new local international clinic about two and half blocks from my apartment. They opened the same time we got here about five months ago. They also direct bill our insurance company or in other words they accept our insurance. They were quick to take care of me and gave traditional medication for what the doctor thought was the cause of the problem. But he recommended I stay overnight for observation at the clinic. Great! Well to make matters worse and to get to the meat of the story, the medication didn’t work and it’s off to Shekou People’s Hospital in the local ambulance.
If I wasn’t so sick I would have been laughing all the way to the hospital. Then I would have started crying once I got to the hospital but I knew Shekou People’s Hospital is better known as Old Shekou Hospital. It is not the place to be when you’re sick or injured. But it is a hospital. In fact we were told that if we had the opportunity due to illness or injury to call the school and they would transport us with a bilingual staff member to the Beijing University Hospital of Shekou. A top notch place I’m told. The clinic I went to has a contract with Old Shekou and that is where I was packed up to go. Prior to going the doctor told the nurse twice I needed a stretcher and should not walk to the ambulance. “Yes doctor!” Off went the doctor to take care of more patiences and the ambulance from a left over era arrived. No stretcher but a carrying chair with tiny solid rubber wheels. It was like a hand truck you use to move boxes but in the form of a chair with handles on the back and front feet of the chair. I’ve seen and may have used one before. Two guys are supposes to carry the person sitting in the chair in order to move around tight corners. Unfortunately, there is no other guy but me and a guy from the hospital. So down I sit and the pain began to add to the pain I was in from my illness. Out the front door and we wait by the elevator to take me to the ambulance. The door opens but then a discussion ensues with the guy pushing my chair, a cleaning lady, the staff member from the clinic, a door man from the building, and may be the ghost of the Chairman was there but I was on the verge of passing out by then. Eileen, my wife was there so I’m counting on her memory. Well, we don’t take the elevator.
Down the ramp we go on to the cobble stone court yard of the megaplex of buildings the clinic is located in. Remember this thing I’m on has solid rubber wheels and did I mention cobble stone court yard…oh yes, I did. Down the ramp we go and I’m thinking, “Glorification day for Dave! Glorification day for Dave!” Sorry for that but my sister-in-law Donna will understand this side line story. Okay in my case the guy didn’t let go of my chair but I’m bumping around the court yard that is wide enough to drive a couple of tanks around! Why couldn’t that bring the ambulance right up the building you ask? I don’t know. Now we’re coming up to the ambulance where the other guy is wondering where we were. He drove the hearse, I mean meat truck, I mean the ambulance to pick us up.
A whole 30 meters! He pulls out a, guess what, a stretcher! This thing was rather rusty but down I plop and with out being strapped in off I go into the cavern of no return. Okay, according to Eileen this thing was full of stuff that should have come toppling down on my head which may be a new kind of Chinese pain killer. The thing was last cleaned when Ronald Reagan was in charge of...California! You felt ever bump along the way. Fortunately, we’re at the hospital after 5 minutes. I now go to head to a toilet and made my way through a smokers’ heaven, yes they do smoke in the lobbies of this place. The bathroom reflected the decorum of the entire hospital. Old peeling gray paint, broken fixtures, leaking pipes, windows that may close but have enough cracks in them for ventilation, bugs testing out the latest drugs, burn marks from guys putting out their smokes and the “left over” from the guy before me floating around for target practice in a toilet that was missing a seat. Now down I seat in a wheel chair that was around when wheels were discovered that they work better if they were round. The rust trail down the hallways is one way to see which direction the patience went.
Off they push me to get an ultrasound. No go, can’t see a thing because there is too much urine in the way. Drain this guy’s bladder, the major reason why I’m there. Off we go up stairs to the doctor’s office and I plop myself on the table. I was told I was going to get drained one way back in the clinic but the Chinese doctor was go to drain me his way, which was best way I was told later. After a very painful process a tube was inserted and the fluid from within was now out! Oh, the table I was on was made of wood next to an open window with vines growing through it. The world at that moment heard me hit the high notes with great vigor. So now let’s head back down to get an ultrasound. You can walk there or you can sit in this wheelchair. Where’s the stretcher or gurney? Oh those guys are on a lunch break. Okay, I’ll sit because I’m a bit tired from get a tube job just a minute ago. I’m now being wheeled toward a set of out side cement stairs that has a fire escape sign above the door. Ah, what a kind doctor, I thought. He wants me to get a breath of fresh air! Nope, get up and walk downstairs to the next floor. There I’ll get you another Ben Hur aged wheel chair to take you to the ultrasound office. Hey, did they move the elevators we just used to get to your office or are they on a lunch break?! Forget I mentioned it. I walked on down without much trouble and should have continued to the Sonar Room to check for fish in my belly because when I got downstairs I waited for the wheel chair to arrive from the repair shop, one round wheel and the other an octagon. Okay, they discovered my problem using the sonar and down we go to the first floor to get the meds and check out.
The clinic had their driver pick us up a nice large car and drive us back so I could receive the treatment of antibiotics in their care for the next few days. We could have taken the ambulance but they were busy, oil change maybe. I can say despite the outer functions of the local hospital they were quick. Of course the reason for this is the contract the hospital has with this western clinic gives us expats priority treatment, so I’m told. I hope you had a nice laugh but the story I tell is true. Also note where I went is just one hospital in Shenzhen. The entire city has more than one. I’m sure their elevators work.

Early November

Sunday, Nov. 9

Tom took a Chinese friend with him to Shenzhen to try to get his computer fixed. When our shipment came with our brand new computer a couple of months ago, Tom plugged it in and “poof” it blew the motor. Apparently, you had to switch it in the back over to 220V. Something we failed to realize….never assume the automatic.

While Tom was away, I went with a couple of ladies to get a coffee and then have a pedicure for about $7.50US. It is so nice and relaxing. It is fun to feel a little spoiled.

We had to go to work tonight for a social as part of our Professional Development.

Friday / Saturday, Nov. 7-8

We had the day off so we went to Hong Kong to pick up our visas for India. We got there at 9:30 when they opened and paid the fee. We were then told that we had to come back at 5:00 to pick them up. They didn’t explain that to us when we turned in the application last month. It was very frustrating not to know that. Thankfully, we had planned to spend the night, but it was still irritating We ping- ponged back and forth between 3 stops on the Metro. After we left the Indian Consulate, we went to our hotel which was 2 stops away. We checked in and then went to a big mall to purchase a camera. We had a great salesman. His name was Funky Lo. He was great. He showed us many features on the Cannon IXUS 860 IS. He cracked us up!

After a nice lunch in a French Deli, we went back a stop because Tom had to go back to the dentist for some gum repair. Then we went back another stop to get back to the Consulate to wait in a long line to pick up the visas….at least it moved quickly. Then we went back to the other stop to have a really nice dinner (to celebrate our 14th anniversary….Nov. 19). We went to a place called Jimmy’s Kitchen. The name sounds like a little diner, but it was a very nice restaurant. I had Epicurean Scallops and Tom had Beef Wellington. Both meals were fabulous!!!! We then pinged back to our hotel. It was very nice.

The breakfast the next morning at the hotel was fantastic. They had both eastern and western style buffet and made to order omelets. They even had nice sliced Swiss and Brie cheeses (a very expensive item in China). We went up on a Tram to Victoria Peak. Tom does not like heights, so he did not go out to look at the view once we were at the top. There were a ton of shops up there from cheap stuff to very expensive. I found a nice shop to get gifts to take with us for when we go to India for Christmas. Once we left there, we went across the street to a nice park. They had a nice restaurant there that looked out over a pond with a waterfall. We had Italian food. It again was very good. We were both tired and decided to take the early ferry back which left at 3:15. We accidentally took the wrong directions. There are two central ferry stations. One is called the Central Pier. We had to walk quickly about ½ a mile to the Central Station. Then we were running. We made it just in time. They were actually holding the ferry for us as we were running down the stairs. I was so hot and sweaty….but we made it with all our purchases stuffed in our now heavy backpacks.

Wednesday / Thursday, Nov. 5,6

Wednesday and Thursday we had to say at the school until 8:30PM for parent/teacher conferences. They were only 15 minutes long and all ours went very smoothly. One Korean family said they would like to invite Tom and I over for a genuine Korean meal. I’m looking forward to that. I snuck out for ½ an hour on Thursday to go with Suji to get a Starbucks…just needed a good break. I had a 4 hour stretch of no conferences and yet, we had to stay!

Sunday, Nov. 2

We went out to dinner with our friends Mike and Suji from Virginia. They just got back yesterday from being in the US for 3 weeks taking care of arrangements for her father’s sudden passing. We took them to a Brazilian restaurant that is just across the road from us. We had heard from our Brazilian students that this was the best restaurant to go to, but we didn’t know what to expect. It was an all you can eat BBQ and salad bar. You go to the salad bar first and get all your side dishes. Then they come around with various cuts of meats just off the grill. We had several cuts of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, shrimp wrapped in bacon, pineapple, and corn on the cob. It was all sooooo good. We had a good time with them and were able to let them relax and laugh.

Saturday, Nov. 1

The School had their “Autumn Fair” today. It is the same as a huge Halloween party…(including a haunted house) they just don’t call it that. Tom volunteered to be one of the targets for the “wet sponge toss.” He’s such a good sport. We both volunteered to be hall monitors for an hour and then to clean up afterwards. Everything went very smoothly. There was a great turn out and it seemed like everyone was having a great time.

Friday, Oct. 31

Since my class missed dressing up like a character from a book last Friday for Spirit Week, we dressed up today. I dressed like the BFG (The Big Friendly Giant). I had a bald head and big huge ears. The giant gets his English all mixed up. I talked like him all day, and the kids loved it. (Yes, I was looking reduncalous, but it was fun!)

October Happenings

Friday, Oct. 24

I took my class to Fairy Lake Botanical Park about an hour from Shekou. The bus ride alone was an experience. While driving on the freeway, our bus driver missed his exit. So what did he do? Well, the only natural thing….he started backing up the bus!!!! It’s pretty scary that it didn’t even freak me out. We backed up about a hundred feet, and finally the other teacher sitting next to me in the front seat who could speak some Chinese, communicated to the driver that going backwards was not safe with a bus full of children. He needed to be driving forward and just take the next exit. He argued with her for a few minutes until she told him that his boss would not want him to be driving unsafely with children. He quickly put it back in a forward gear. It was amazing that the other cars were not even honking at him.

The park was very nice. We visited the cactus area, the shady plant area, and the petrified forest. They have transplanted these petrified trees from all over China and made a little forest there. It was pretty cool.



Thursday, Oct. 23,

I was walking home from work and ran into about 10 ladies from work. They were going to have dinner at a “hot pot.” They asked me to join them, and I decided to be spontaneous and let Tom fend for himself. I was so glad I did. I had so much fun. Three of the ladies that came were Chinese and did the ordering. We went into a private room with a big table with a hot plate in the center. The waiter brought in a big shallow pot divided into two parts filled with soup broth. Stella ordered all kinds of vegetables and some very thinly sliced raw beef. One half of the pot was for the meat. Everyone put some veggies and beef in the hot pot and in a few minutes, it was ready to eat. They also had various sauces for you to blend. I copied Helen Du. We mixed soy sauce, some vinegar, sesame sauce, mashed garlic, and mashed ginger. It was great. They had several slotted ladles to take out your veggies and meat. We put what we wanted on our plates and put sauce over them. It was sooooo good and very healthy!!!!




Monday-Thursday, Oct. 20-23


We had Spirit Week at school. We had to dress in school colors, have “crazy hair” day, dress backwards, and Pajama Day. I had a punk rock black wig and black glasses. A lot of people didn’t realize it was me. All day long I was calling the kids “Dude.” Every other word was “Dude!” One kid in my class actually shaved his head to look like a soccer ball! Pajama Day was my favorite. We took it easy that day and ended with the kids laying on the bean bags and me reading from The BFG. It was good to have a fun week.


Saturday, Oct. 18

I went to Dong Men today with a group of ladies from work. Five of us shared a taxi and hung out together for the afternoon. Our main purpose was to go to a huge fabric warehouse to buy material to have some clothes made. We had a lot of fun. I bought some material to have a blouse, skirt, and a pair of pants made. You had to bargain for the price of the material. It was pretty funny. One guy kept trying to get me to buy some plain cotton material for 23 Yuan a meter. I stuck to 20. He yelled at me, “OK!” He thought I was a good bargainer. He had to climb on top of some material and do a balancing act to get out the bolt I wanted. Now, I need to take the material to the tailor.