Thanksgiving, Take 2

Real Life Education does Thanksgiving in style! I made rosemary mashed potatoes, apple stuffing, and green beans. Mmmmm, the taste of home!


There was so much food! We even had turkey legs that were given to us as a gift. We couldn't bring ourselves to share. Another item on the table, duck tongue. Yes, I tried it! It was alright.
Ohmygosh! They were sooo excited about the forks! I love this group! They're in my Wednesday night class.

Our students had a blast making Indian headdresses. Some of them were pretty interesting.

I rounded the corner just in time to hear Mike say, "Only a southern woman could cook mashed potatoes this good." Darn Skippy!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was several hours into my day before I actually realized it was Thanksgiving. In my defense I was up before the break of dawn... sleepy and freezing my way across town to get my visa renewed.

I came home, warmed some leftover pasta, and started mentally counting off the things that I'm thankful for... Good friends, awesome roommate, warm boots, Hunt's canned spaghetti sauce which costs twice as much here but tastes ten times better... I'm thankful for my freedom and the ability to make my own choices. I'm thankful for opportunities, hard work, and adventure. I'm thankful for the happiness and joy I find in simple things every day and the wonderful people in my life who always bring me warmth, sincerity, hope and smiles.

Life is very very good. Even on the toughest days, when things don't seem right and there are tears in my eyes... I know there's warm sunshine, Reese's Cups, stars in the sky, and good folks all around. That's all I need, and for that I'm thankful!

Tonight we dine on Kentucky Fried Chicken! It's as close as we might get to turkey and they do have corn and mashed potatoes. They are also giving away free goodies with every meal, in honor of Thanksgiving. Then I will go home and begin to prepare some of my favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes for our party at the school tomorrow. Mmmmm, I can't wait!

Mailing Business

Constance has requested my mailing address so I figured I would post it for all.

As far as I know, I can't think of anything that you can't send... however, make sure to write my name above the address and be careful to write it exactly as you see it below. The only package that has been sent to me so far (two months ago) has not made it, so extra caution will help.

Chris gets stuff all the time so I know things can get here, just know that it usually takes a few weeks :O)

Here's the address:
Jinyuan New Yansha Mall
6th Floor Room 607
No. 1 Yuanda Lu
Haidian District, Beijing 100097

If I don't have your address or you don't think I have your address, please send it to me in an email so I can ship goodies out by next week!

Chris got crabs!

From a student! ...Then he gave me crabs!!!

I feel a new past-time coming on!

I got the baby some winter clothes! Isn't he cute??? I love his little backpack!

Check it out!

The other night I read this book in one sitting. I highly recommend!!!

The story takes place in South Carolina and with references to Charleston, Spartanburg, scuppernong jam, and fried okra, it made me more homesick than I could possibly tell you. But it was an excellent book!

Take five of these and call me in the morning!

This week has been an adventure in Chinese medicine!

It started with a four day migraine. Since I'm out of Excedrin I suffered for as long as I could before breaking down and begging for something, anything that would make me feel better. Armed with a post-it note full of migraine symptoms written in Chinese, I marched down to the pharmacy with high hopes. I returned with a box full of pills and a box full of tiny glass bottles of fragrant brown liquid. The instructions were to take five pills three times a day and one bottle twice a day.

Ten pills and one bottle of brown stuff into the game I still had a headache. Fifteen pills and two bottles of brown stuff later, I threw up. I'm not pointing a finger by any means, but I know my body and I know that the herbal meds were partly to blame.

To make matters more interesting, it just so happens that the day I decided to bear arms against my migraine I also started to show symptoms of having caught my second cold. One of my students, the kind soul that she is, brought me loads of Chinese medicine to help me get better. One remedy looks like instant coffee and smells like um... green and roots, and bark, and dirt. I can't do it, I just can't.

I'd love to tell you all the reasons why, but my western cold medicine has just kicked in and I'm happily off to bed!

Bits and Pieces

For the past few nights, I've dreamt in Chinese. Interesting.

I saw this on the way home from work today:


Seeing the kitties made me miss mine so much that it made my heart hurt a little. I miss my babies.

I'm officially a failure at one of the things I promised myself I would do here... I refused to take part in the eating of the silkworms. I said I would try every strange food placed before me. I should have specified that creepy-crawlies are excluded! UGH!

By this, conquer.

In China, success is never trivial and failure is inevitably epic. In a world where easy solutions are as foreign as the food, I have learned not to take anything for granted.

Take heat, for example. For the past month I have come home, dressed in multiple layers of clothing, and encased myself in a sleeping bag in order to watch a couple of hours of television each night. Then, just a few days ago, I had a vision. It said, "By this, conquer."

With the words of Constantine the Great driving me forward I took this seemingly useless air conditioner remote and, in conjunction with some serious googling, squeezed heat out of what I thought was a machine which could only be used as a device for torture this time of year.

I danced, clapped, giggled, and squealed with delight as warm air filled my bedroom for the first time in weeks. Yes, the heat will be turned on tomorrow, but for the past few days I have absolutely relished the warmth that I, The Conqueror of the Air Conditioner Remote, have provided.

I am also the proud owner of this beautiful and bountiful boxed set AKA "The Blizzard Box" as entitled on the side:

By this (Diablo II) I plan to conquer the Chinese Language. Let's face it, I've played this game for hundreds of hours. If it doesn't help me with my reading, nothing can. And I won't feel guilty playing it for hours, technically... I'm studying! Oh, and by the way, it only cost me ten bucks!!! Three games, all of the expansions included, and a cinematic trailer for Starcraft II. Nice! (Also pictured, Astro Boy, a magic remote, and my touch lamp Oliver.)

Awkward Silences

Two months ago my biggest complaint was in being surrounded by a million people yet rendered mute by my lack of Chinese. Now that I'm learning more and more Chinese this isn't so much of a problem anymore.

Now I find the awkward silences sneaking in from an unexpected source. Other foreigners.

Last week, Chris and I boarded a nearly empty train and sat directly across from a guy who was a dead ringer for an American. Silence ensued.

Barrier number one: the iPod. It's hard to strike up a conversation with a body that has noisy plugs in its ears.

Barrier number two: While I feel that I automatically have a connection with this other person because we are both foreign, I cannot assume that this person feels the same way. Do they really want me invading their airspace with idle chatter just because there's a chance that we both might know English.

Barrier number three: We are in transit. On the train, off the train. Here for six months, here on vacation. How much conversation can you have with a person in passing. Is it worth unplugging your ears for a couple of minutes?

This random passing of people-who-might-speak-english-because-they-look-like-Americans occurs several times a week. Nine times out of ten, sideways glances and awkward silence connect us like static.

Today I saw iPod Train Station Boy in my supermarket. He was in front of me on the escalator... ears all plugged up. We passed in the cleaning supply isle. He took the checkout beside me and I followed him home. He lives across the street, no I wasn't stalking.

Each time we crossed paths I felt like we were two giant elephants in one tiny room filled with Chinese people. Everyone was staring at us and we both pretended the other wasn't there.

This refusal to talk even though we undoubtedly speak the same language really bothers me. There wasn't so much as a nod or smile or a second of eye contact between the two of us and it was just as much my fault as it was his.

Next time, I say hello. Stuffed ears or not.

Baijiu for Obama

Tonight at chuanr we celebrated this momentous occasion in America's history with a round of Biajiu. (Fear not, biajiu is not for the weak at heart. You aren't missing much if you've never tried it.)

I have to admit that I haven't had the time to aquaint myself properly with the presdent-to-be, however, I am excited that change is on the way.

This morning Chris and I had an election breakfast and watched the coverage live. I was nearly brought to tears as I watched passionate young people wait in anticipation as their nominee of choice was declared the next president of the United States. I was also impressed with McCain's concession speach. I think it was very sincere and was very moved by his ability to step down with grace.

So what do people here in China think? Most of the people that I have spoken with think that Obama will be the source of great change for our country and are very excited for us that he has been selected.

Only time will tell what this means for our country but I am so very proud that so many people my age were motivated to exercise their right to vote. That in itself is such a great success, in my opinion.

Obama Jiayo! (Go Obama!)

Halloween and other scary things!

This will go down as the most hilarious Halloween EVER! We wore our costumes ALL day, even on the train. The looks we got were priceless. People gasped, stumbled, and even oogled.
Our students had a blast at the party. They weren't too keen on dressing up though. I was an octopus. A very bunchy, lumpy, spidery octopus. It was the best I could do given the circumstances.

We even got the kids involved! Here we are making dirt cups. Mmmmm, remember those? I can tell I'm getting old, they were nearly toxic in their sweetness! Below, you see applied behavioral psychology in action. You want something??? Gotta learn how to ask for it first!

3 A.M. Do you see the look of disappointment on my face??? It says "Hey, what's this burger doing in my fish sandwich." I didn't even know that Chris was taking a picture. That's genuine disappointment!!!

In other news I am the proud owner of a Chinese cell phone. Yay! Now I can communicate!

AND I managed to find the object of my most intense desire, tights. Want to hear the irony??? THEY'RE TOO BIG! How on Earth did I manage that one?