If you research tourism in Chengdu you'll see that Du Fu's Thatched Cottage is featured. Saturday we took the bus to an intersection near the site and walked until we found the gate. We'd been told the park was free ... not so ... it was about $8 US each. What a great experience for a couple of reasons. First, it was the most peaceful spot we've visited since we arrived. The park had many quiet and secluded walks and benches as well as streams and a small lake. Visiting his cottage as well as many buildings that featured the history of Tang dynasty poetry was informative. Spring flowers were everywhere and it was the first really warm day of the year. Our students have great knowledge of the Tang Dynasty poets and appreciate our efforts to gain understanding.
Of course someone with a beard got on the wrong bus headed home. Fortunately we didn't get too far away before we realized something was amiss. With our Dutch background the biggest problem was having to pay the extra fare.
We're headed for HongKong in two days. We'll fly to a city in China. Get on a bus for a two hour ride to the border, go through immigration and be in Hong Kong. Another hour bus ride will actually get us to our final destination. Everyone we've talked to has told us that Hong Kong is a wonderful place to visit. We'll post a report when we return.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
March Madness
I just realized we're missing all of the 'hype' about the FINAL FOUR. Admittedly I enjoy the games, but, all of the analysis and 'hoopla' is overdone. The last few nights we've watched a contest program that features choral groups. After a performance the groups are rated and eventually a winner is announced. The quality of the performances is equal to the finest you'd hear anywhere.
We're hoping to visit a couple of tourist spots this weekend which are a bit further away then we've traveled. We plan to use the bus system, our trusty Chinese/English dictionary, and a map to find our way around. In the meantime we're busy at the office working on English and character lessons and enjoying one full week of not feeling cold!
We're hoping to visit a couple of tourist spots this weekend which are a bit further away then we've traveled. We plan to use the bus system, our trusty Chinese/English dictionary, and a map to find our way around. In the meantime we're busy at the office working on English and character lessons and enjoying one full week of not feeling cold!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Adventure In Utility Bills
Now, with a trip to Hong Kong in the works, we hear that the schools there have been closed for two weeks because of a flu that has been the cause of 3 children’s deaths. This is not what we were expecting to hear. Hopefully there will be no problems. We will probably have to make a similar trip at the end of May if we haven’t received our work visa by that time.
Last night we went to Pizza Hut for the first time. Although we enjoyed it, we’ll probably not return. The pizza was good but twice the price we’d pay at most other restaurants in our area. Interestingly enough they were having an Arabian food promotion. The waitresses were wearing accessories with an Arabian motif and there were several Arabian style items on a featured menu. So here we are in China, in a USA chain restaurant, being served by Chinese waitresses in a sort of Arabian costume, eating a food that originated in Italy but has been changed to meet the Asian taste. To cap it off we went to the Swedish furniture store, IKEA, for a 15 cent ice cream cone. Of course, this morning we shopped at Carrefour, a French store similar to Walmart.
This morning we also went through the adventure of paying our monthly utility and apartment fees, an adventure because no one in the office speaks English and we weren’t sure what to expect. We went to the office prepared with the readings from our gas and water meters, (the electrical meter’s location is a mystery). We also brought along our trusty Chinese/English dictionary, a calculator and what we hoped would be the proper attitude. Both the secretary and the maintenance man were behind the desk when we arrived. After a few minutes of trying to figure things out the secretary finally wrote some numbers on a couple of receipts and showed us the total. We were expecting something in the range of $100US and were pleasantly surprised that the total was about $27US. Since we had used our electric space heater a lot during the past month we’re feeling pretty good about what the cost of living is going to be for us. Also were able to arrange getting a key to access our mailbox. We weren’t expecting any mail but could see that the box was full and felt we should empty it out. The secretary called our friend Charley and explained the problem. Charley called the landlord and called back to the secretary. An hour later the guard at the entrance to our complex waved us over as we walked by and gave us the key. As I’m writing this Kathy is going through the mail and finding that life here isn’t much different than back in the states. Advertisement after advertisement and it even looks like there might be a credit card offer.
It’s raining today but it’s warm enough for us to enjoy walking. We’re planning on walking to Sabrina’s, an import shop, and look for something easier to spread on bread than the butter we’ve been buying, (a New Zealand product). We’ll also head for the university book store looking for a guide to the bus routes of the city. If it keeps raining we’ll probably go to a coffee shop somewhere with a good book to read.
Last night we went to Pizza Hut for the first time. Although we enjoyed it, we’ll probably not return. The pizza was good but twice the price we’d pay at most other restaurants in our area. Interestingly enough they were having an Arabian food promotion. The waitresses were wearing accessories with an Arabian motif and there were several Arabian style items on a featured menu. So here we are in China, in a USA chain restaurant, being served by Chinese waitresses in a sort of Arabian costume, eating a food that originated in Italy but has been changed to meet the Asian taste. To cap it off we went to the Swedish furniture store, IKEA, for a 15 cent ice cream cone. Of course, this morning we shopped at Carrefour, a French store similar to Walmart.
This morning we also went through the adventure of paying our monthly utility and apartment fees, an adventure because no one in the office speaks English and we weren’t sure what to expect. We went to the office prepared with the readings from our gas and water meters, (the electrical meter’s location is a mystery). We also brought along our trusty Chinese/English dictionary, a calculator and what we hoped would be the proper attitude. Both the secretary and the maintenance man were behind the desk when we arrived. After a few minutes of trying to figure things out the secretary finally wrote some numbers on a couple of receipts and showed us the total. We were expecting something in the range of $100US and were pleasantly surprised that the total was about $27US. Since we had used our electric space heater a lot during the past month we’re feeling pretty good about what the cost of living is going to be for us. Also were able to arrange getting a key to access our mailbox. We weren’t expecting any mail but could see that the box was full and felt we should empty it out. The secretary called our friend Charley and explained the problem. Charley called the landlord and called back to the secretary. An hour later the guard at the entrance to our complex waved us over as we walked by and gave us the key. As I’m writing this Kathy is going through the mail and finding that life here isn’t much different than back in the states. Advertisement after advertisement and it even looks like there might be a credit card offer.
It’s raining today but it’s warm enough for us to enjoy walking. We’re planning on walking to Sabrina’s, an import shop, and look for something easier to spread on bread than the butter we’ve been buying, (a New Zealand product). We’ll also head for the university book store looking for a guide to the bus routes of the city. If it keeps raining we’ll probably go to a coffee shop somewhere with a good book to read.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Confession
Okay, a little confession to make here, the Pennas are becoming regulars at the local McDonald’s. Often during our lunch break we’ll walk the few blocks to the landmark Golden Arches where we will get a coffee and a hot chocolate to go. We bring the drinks back to our office and enjoy them as we start our afternoon. Today, when we walked through the door, the girl behind the counter recognized us and immediately poured the coffee and began the machine making the hot chocolate. We didn’t even have to ask. For people who seldom have darkened the door of a McDonald’s for years this is a bit embarrassing.
We were delighted to spend some time over the weekend with Jake and Rain, Chinese friends we met last summer. We were treated to a 5 course Chinese meal , (eating corn with chopsticks is still quite a challenge), and enjoyed great conversation as we renewed our friendship. The bus ride back on a 1 quai bus also gave us a story. (FYI – there are two levels of bus service 1 quai and 2 quai. A quai is worth about 14 cents. The two quai buses are air conditioned in the summer and make fewer stops; the 1 quai buses make more stops and are not air conditioned). Anyhow, we got on the bus and it wasn’t long before a man indicated that people should give up their seats for us. Since we had heard, in Chinese and English, the recorded announcement that they play on buses, “Please give up your seat for the disabled, the pregnant, and the elderly,” we weren’t sure whether we were being honored as foreigners or pitied because of our age. We’ll let you decide.
The change in weather, (it’s spring here), is appreciated. Think May in Michigan and you’ve got a good idea of what’s going on here. The flowers are beginning to bloom and the temperature varies between cool and warm each day. Last night we were able to sit at an outside table at our favorite restaurant, “Peter’s TexMex”, and use our computer to call our grandson and wish him a happy birthday.
In our English teaching we’ll be using a poem by the famous poet Du Fu about spring to encourage discussion. Almost everyone in this country has considerable knowledge about the poets from the Tang dynasty and are often able to recite many from memory. It’s a great source of discussion in our office to bring up one of Du Fu’s poems. One of his poems, “Welcome Rain on a Spring Night” was written in Chengdu, the Brocade city. You can find it on the internet.
It looks like we’ll be making a trip to Hong Kong at the end of the month due to a problem with our work documentation. Currently we are allowed to remain in the country 60 days after our entry date. Leaving and returning will give us another 60 days. We may have to leave again at the end of June if the papers are not forthcoming. We hadn’t planned on this but will enjoy it anyhow.
We were delighted to spend some time over the weekend with Jake and Rain, Chinese friends we met last summer. We were treated to a 5 course Chinese meal , (eating corn with chopsticks is still quite a challenge), and enjoyed great conversation as we renewed our friendship. The bus ride back on a 1 quai bus also gave us a story. (FYI – there are two levels of bus service 1 quai and 2 quai. A quai is worth about 14 cents. The two quai buses are air conditioned in the summer and make fewer stops; the 1 quai buses make more stops and are not air conditioned). Anyhow, we got on the bus and it wasn’t long before a man indicated that people should give up their seats for us. Since we had heard, in Chinese and English, the recorded announcement that they play on buses, “Please give up your seat for the disabled, the pregnant, and the elderly,” we weren’t sure whether we were being honored as foreigners or pitied because of our age. We’ll let you decide.
The change in weather, (it’s spring here), is appreciated. Think May in Michigan and you’ve got a good idea of what’s going on here. The flowers are beginning to bloom and the temperature varies between cool and warm each day. Last night we were able to sit at an outside table at our favorite restaurant, “Peter’s TexMex”, and use our computer to call our grandson and wish him a happy birthday.
In our English teaching we’ll be using a poem by the famous poet Du Fu about spring to encourage discussion. Almost everyone in this country has considerable knowledge about the poets from the Tang dynasty and are often able to recite many from memory. It’s a great source of discussion in our office to bring up one of Du Fu’s poems. One of his poems, “Welcome Rain on a Spring Night” was written in Chengdu, the Brocade city. You can find it on the internet.
It looks like we’ll be making a trip to Hong Kong at the end of the month due to a problem with our work documentation. Currently we are allowed to remain in the country 60 days after our entry date. Leaving and returning will give us another 60 days. We may have to leave again at the end of June if the papers are not forthcoming. We hadn’t planned on this but will enjoy it anyhow.
Monday, March 3, 2008
English Lessons
What an experience! Last night we went to Sichuan University to take part in English conversation with students. We didn’t know what to expect. When we arrived at the location, a large open area in front of a sports arena, we sat down on the edge of a large sort of platform. Within minutes we both had a few students conversing with us. The questions began to fly. Within a few more minutes both of us had a dozen or more students listening to us. We talked about everything from evolution to marriage, sports team to politics, and food to pollution problems. Two hours quickly went by. This was one of our most exciting evenings so far. We’re looking forward to going again this coming Friday.
During the weekend we walked to the IKEA store twice, once on Saturday and again on Sunday. Each time we walk there we try to find some new streets to follow. This time we walked along what’s called the Third Ring Road which is an expressway that circles the entire city. The number of new buildings going up on the south side of the city is impressive. No matter where we looked we saw sky-cranes being used to build apartment buildings. An interesting aspect of the construction industry is that the workers often live in a barracks type building right on the site. Many of the laborers are from the country to work.
Yesterday we began teaching English for a large Petrochemical company. Our students were engineers and research chemists who are trying to improve their English skills in order to be able to communicate with the many foreign customers who visit their company. On our first day on the job we probably learned more than they did as we weren’t quite certain what to expect. Working at this company will also force us to get used to the bus routes. A taxi costs about $5.oo for a one way trip, a bus costs about 15 cents. Of course riding in a taxi is more direct and comfortable, but, the round trip cost is quite different.
A recent noon hour exploration through the neighborhood around our office led us to a narrow street we hadn’t been on before. One of the restaurants along the street had large jars in the window filled with something. Being curious we walked up and checked them out. The jars are filled with snakes being soaked in some solution. Those of you who know Steve will probably understand why this restaurant will not be high on our list of ‘’can’t miss’’ opportunities. We are very grateful for the number of restaurants we’re finding that serve food we’re familiar with.
During the weekend we walked to the IKEA store twice, once on Saturday and again on Sunday. Each time we walk there we try to find some new streets to follow. This time we walked along what’s called the Third Ring Road which is an expressway that circles the entire city. The number of new buildings going up on the south side of the city is impressive. No matter where we looked we saw sky-cranes being used to build apartment buildings. An interesting aspect of the construction industry is that the workers often live in a barracks type building right on the site. Many of the laborers are from the country to work.
Yesterday we began teaching English for a large Petrochemical company. Our students were engineers and research chemists who are trying to improve their English skills in order to be able to communicate with the many foreign customers who visit their company. On our first day on the job we probably learned more than they did as we weren’t quite certain what to expect. Working at this company will also force us to get used to the bus routes. A taxi costs about $5.oo for a one way trip, a bus costs about 15 cents. Of course riding in a taxi is more direct and comfortable, but, the round trip cost is quite different.
A recent noon hour exploration through the neighborhood around our office led us to a narrow street we hadn’t been on before. One of the restaurants along the street had large jars in the window filled with something. Being curious we walked up and checked them out. The jars are filled with snakes being soaked in some solution. Those of you who know Steve will probably understand why this restaurant will not be high on our list of ‘’can’t miss’’ opportunities. We are very grateful for the number of restaurants we’re finding that serve food we’re familiar with.
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