Back in China & rolling or stumbling along

Well, we made it back mid morning on the 8th of August & got right into unpacking & setting up our new apartment; 3rd apartment in this the start of our 4th year. Thank God our friends Ryan & Lainey unpacked our stored clothes & watered our plants while we were away. If not the clothes would have been covered with mold & the plants would have died. Only 2 pair of my shoes didn't make it, you can see the mold problem. It took a week to get things sorted & the internet pulled in. It feels like home. Because we're a little further from work we went out & bought bikes to commute to work, about 10 minutes. We went out with some new friends & fellow teachers Stephen & Kayla. So now were really into the culture as many do bike around. We stand out because we wear helmets. I began the school year with a cold which lasted about 5 day & now following it up with heat rash, yuck. Good health is not one of my better characteristics lately. The lead up to the beginning of school here at QSI Shekou was rough as in previous years. They don't seem to organize themselves for smooth transition to the first days of school but for me it was not bad. Most of the returning 8th graders will be going into some form of English preparing class as they scored low on the English aptitude test. Fortunately, the school hired qualified ELL teachers to help them & they are a super group of new teachers. For me I'm trying to get into a routine & pace myself. Next week will be our first full week so I'll write more about it then.

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.

End of another school year

Well, yesterday we wrapped up our 3rd year with QSI Shekou. We'll take a nice break to be with family stateside & 2 weeks of training in NYC. Then back for one more year. The classroom was packed up yesterday & I left it with a sigh of relief. It was not a year to be repeated. There were a lot of difficulties & challenges. I felt, along w/ many others, this was a year of disappointments but w/ enough good times to carry us through. The new leadership coming next year will have a lot to deal with.

Now we're packing up our apartment as the current landlord is selling this apartment. We will move close by but to a newer, smaller place. It is quieter & may be a 20 minute walk to the school.

The construction continues but the 1st phase should be done when we get back & that will be one of the most difficult phases. All this is happening to get ready for the university games to be held in August. Also, to jack up the rent because the neighborhood, Shekou, is going "high class." In the mean time everyone has been dealing w/ all the problems that come w/ construction.

Well, let me end it here & you all have a great summer.

Zap 'em dead

With summer weather upon us the humidity has increased greatly along with the number of mosquitoes. Which brings on the small chance of getting some infection like dengue fever, yuck. So we armed ourselves with an electric mosquito swatter (which works on flies) & repellent decanters. The 1st item is about the size of a racket ball racket and the wire mesh is electrically charged to zap 'em dead. They work great if you can get to them pesky boogers. The bugs literally explode on contact even though the tough ones you have to zap twice or smash 'em while they're stunned. The decanters work well. The one pictured has a little light that disperses a liquid scent in a room that mosquitoes hate. I don't smell a thing. Outside I cover myself w/ bug repellent to be safe. Wait...I hear a buzzing noise.