Greetings my loyal reader(s?). Things have been going well for me in Beijing. Life has returned to its normal predictable patterns. My students are doing well, most of the time listening and paying attention. They are still highly entertaining at times, with hidden gems of insight into the world (in a second language) that make me laugh out loud from time to time.
Student names continue to be highly entertaining. Some of my favorites this year are... Lake, Fly, Nike, Bean, Spy and of course Sit. In addition I have a Lindy (pronounced Linda), 2 Yuki’s in the class and a class that features Dran and Duan. These lead to such situations as yelling sit Sit. It has become a favorite activity to go over the English names every year to find my favorites. One name disappointment this year is that my friend Coffee has changed his name. He did pick a good one though, Matthew, but still. Matthew is no Coffee. My Chinese name translates to Tall Sky. Last year, every time that I walked into his class he would say hello tall sky, which I would reply with hello tasty drink. I miss that ritual this year, replacing it with hello me. Not as good, but an able substitute.
In addition to their English names, this past week brought additional entertainment. I had my students fill out a sheet with information about them. This led to a wealth of funny answers. One of the questions asked them to list three things they would like to bring to a desert island. In addition to the normal answers, iPod, computers, cell phones I also got the more creative answers like a camel, a ship and captain, airplane and pilot and finally, my favorite, sexy girls. This sheet also gave me such nuggets as (favorite food section and where) KFC being from France, a wide variety of spellings and general confusion at the failure to follow directions. All in all though, this exercise gave me a bit more insight into what makes my students unique, rather than a mass of faces and bodies that all wear the same uniform, have the same color hair, same eye color and in general, a similar upbringing. Over 100 cities within China are represented within the 7th and 8th graders home towns. This is an impressive list, though the majority come from Eastern provinces. While the majority of the students do hail from China, there are an additional 15 countries represented among the students, including Sweden, Italy and Bahrain. In addition to coming from a wide variety of cities and provinces, they have also made great strides in visiting the world, having visited over 55 countries.
3.31.2009
3.30.2009
Hong Kong Part 1
I spent this past weekend in Hong Kong, a place that I have wanted to visit since I first came to China. I was amazed at both the similarities and differences between this great city and Beijing, constantly remarking on the ways that Hong Kong felt both intensely Western while also leaving no question that it was an Asian city. This juxtaposition left my head spinning at times, though by and large this combination made me very happy. Throughout the weekend, I tried to approach my time as if I had just come from the west instead of another Asian capital. I was constantly amazed by the ways the city was western, though I suspect that had I arrived from home, instead of Beijing, I would have noticed many more Asian aspects of the city.
Small things, things that I never realized how much I miss, constantly reminded me of the differences. People waited in lines, they did not push, even when in a hurry, and generally behaved in public situations. Spitting was noticeably absent, as was loudly clearing of the throat. This does not even begin to address the ease of getting around, the english that accompanied Chinese on all signs of the very convenient subways. These were the ever present reminders that even though the Chinese government is in charge of Hong Kong, there is still a large degree of Autonomy.
It was, however, at the same time an Asian city. Hong Kong resembled the great Chinatowns of the U.S., filled with neon, restaurants emitting intoxicating smells and crowded with life. The streets of Hong Kong are more narrow, more filled with life than most streets in Beijing. Hong Kong surrounds you, takes you in, constantly reminding you that you are in one of the leading cities of the world. The skyscrapers rise up everywhere, reminding you of the business and shopping that the city has built its reputation around. The government has done a much better job protecting the legacy of Hong Kong, keeping the old to complement the new, allowing history to sit side by side with progress, something that seems to have been forgotten in Beijing, where the only thing that matters is the new, the shiny, the innovative.
Throughout my two days in Hong Kong I was reminded of the little decisions that had been made, the focus on making the city as accessible and livable as possible. The subway system matches any found throughout the world. It is clean, fast and convenient, actually dropping you off close to where you want to be. Transfers are easy, a walk across the station instead of out the station, up the stairs and finally, after a ten minute walk, another 5 minute wait for a train, Beijing’s idea of a subway transfer. The airport express offered a quick, comfortable, cheap trip into the city, with trains leaving every 12 minutes, ensuring that you are able to get into the city quickly and easily. The city government though, did not stop at mass transit, they also made sure that on the ground level people could get around easily. There are pedestrian bridges and subways throughout the city, making the compact city very walkable. There is, however, the difficulty that the city is on the side of a mountain, with the inconvenience of walking uphill a constant reminder of the topography. There is a solution though, a series of outdoor escalators that whisk you up to the mid levels of Victoria’s Peak. These run down the mountain during morning rush hour, reversing course and going uphill the remainder of the day. This is a perfect way to get home, get to hotels and visit other parts of the city, neighborhoods that would be excluded from most people’s trips simply because of the difficulty in going uphill.
I am sure that Hong Kong is not a perfect place, but there were times throughout my weekend there when it felt that way. In many ways, this place seemed to encapsulate my life, the mix of east and west, an appreciation and focus on architecture,a place filled with adventure and excitement, but at the same time a comfortable one.
Small things, things that I never realized how much I miss, constantly reminded me of the differences. People waited in lines, they did not push, even when in a hurry, and generally behaved in public situations. Spitting was noticeably absent, as was loudly clearing of the throat. This does not even begin to address the ease of getting around, the english that accompanied Chinese on all signs of the very convenient subways. These were the ever present reminders that even though the Chinese government is in charge of Hong Kong, there is still a large degree of Autonomy.
It was, however, at the same time an Asian city. Hong Kong resembled the great Chinatowns of the U.S., filled with neon, restaurants emitting intoxicating smells and crowded with life. The streets of Hong Kong are more narrow, more filled with life than most streets in Beijing. Hong Kong surrounds you, takes you in, constantly reminding you that you are in one of the leading cities of the world. The skyscrapers rise up everywhere, reminding you of the business and shopping that the city has built its reputation around. The government has done a much better job protecting the legacy of Hong Kong, keeping the old to complement the new, allowing history to sit side by side with progress, something that seems to have been forgotten in Beijing, where the only thing that matters is the new, the shiny, the innovative.
Throughout my two days in Hong Kong I was reminded of the little decisions that had been made, the focus on making the city as accessible and livable as possible. The subway system matches any found throughout the world. It is clean, fast and convenient, actually dropping you off close to where you want to be. Transfers are easy, a walk across the station instead of out the station, up the stairs and finally, after a ten minute walk, another 5 minute wait for a train, Beijing’s idea of a subway transfer. The airport express offered a quick, comfortable, cheap trip into the city, with trains leaving every 12 minutes, ensuring that you are able to get into the city quickly and easily. The city government though, did not stop at mass transit, they also made sure that on the ground level people could get around easily. There are pedestrian bridges and subways throughout the city, making the compact city very walkable. There is, however, the difficulty that the city is on the side of a mountain, with the inconvenience of walking uphill a constant reminder of the topography. There is a solution though, a series of outdoor escalators that whisk you up to the mid levels of Victoria’s Peak. These run down the mountain during morning rush hour, reversing course and going uphill the remainder of the day. This is a perfect way to get home, get to hotels and visit other parts of the city, neighborhoods that would be excluded from most people’s trips simply because of the difficulty in going uphill.
I am sure that Hong Kong is not a perfect place, but there were times throughout my weekend there when it felt that way. In many ways, this place seemed to encapsulate my life, the mix of east and west, an appreciation and focus on architecture,a place filled with adventure and excitement, but at the same time a comfortable one.
2.26.2009
Return to Beijing
So far, every time I have been in Beijing I am amazed at how much the city has changed since I was last here. Only 6 months have passed since the Olympics, but already the shine and formality of hosting the games has faded from the city. Restrictions have been lifted, life has returned to more normal patterns. The large plans to present the best face of the city were executed brilliantly. The streets were clean, plants green, questionable activities removed, manners learned. I am happy to report that most of this has faded, life has mostly returned to normal. The manners have made what seems to be a somewhat permanent return to the city, but the vendors have returned which brings back so much life to the city.
Cars have also returned to the streets, bringing with them pollution and the tendency to see the sun every few days. That said, I will take the compromise though. Beijing is a city that I first fell in love with covered with smog, full of vendors and life. While the Olympics were an amazing event, the city that was presented to the world had little resemblance to the city I know. It was too shiny, too clean and too well behaved.
The other big change has been the weather. Apparently, with my return I also brought snow. For the first time ever during my time in Beijing, we had three days of measurable snow. It provided a nice white covering to campus and a chance to see my students actually acting like kids, playing in the snow, having snowball fights and generally forgetting that they were as formal as they normally are. Accompanying the snow has been a prolonged period of cold weather. I do not remember this from last year, but it reminiscent of my first year here.
School is different while at the same time seeming similar. My classes are the same, but life at school is a lot different. I am spending a lot more time in the office, getting work done, meeting with students and trying to be a presence at the school. Coursework is a bit more than last year, but that is mostly due to the unfamiliarity of Geography. The classes are going well and the lack of a textbook gives me a lot more flexibility in lesson planning.
Cars have also returned to the streets, bringing with them pollution and the tendency to see the sun every few days. That said, I will take the compromise though. Beijing is a city that I first fell in love with covered with smog, full of vendors and life. While the Olympics were an amazing event, the city that was presented to the world had little resemblance to the city I know. It was too shiny, too clean and too well behaved.
The other big change has been the weather. Apparently, with my return I also brought snow. For the first time ever during my time in Beijing, we had three days of measurable snow. It provided a nice white covering to campus and a chance to see my students actually acting like kids, playing in the snow, having snowball fights and generally forgetting that they were as formal as they normally are. Accompanying the snow has been a prolonged period of cold weather. I do not remember this from last year, but it reminiscent of my first year here.
School is different while at the same time seeming similar. My classes are the same, but life at school is a lot different. I am spending a lot more time in the office, getting work done, meeting with students and trying to be a presence at the school. Coursework is a bit more than last year, but that is mostly due to the unfamiliarity of Geography. The classes are going well and the lack of a textbook gives me a lot more flexibility in lesson planning.
9.01.2008
Olympic Reflections
It is truly remarkable how soon a city goes back to “normal” after a major event like the Olympics. Just a week ago the entire world was getting ready for the last events, the last medals and of course the Closing Ceremonies. Today, it feels like it was a long, long time ago when Beijing was at the center of the world’s attention.
I had an amazing time at the Olympics, and want to attend every four years (every two years?). I do not, however, want to attend as a resident of the host city. I want to be a tourist. During these last two weeks I did not like the feeling of being mistaken as a tourist over and over again. I know this city very well, speak a little of the language but still was lumped into the same category as the visitors that were constantly lost, usually (somewhat) offensive and spoke no Mandarin. I guess at some level I will always be a tourist in foreign countries, but I guess in my arrogance I think of myself as above the fray. One of the low points came when dealing with an American visitor (it is always the American’s isn’t it?). I was waiting for this couple to pay for their cab so I could take it back to my apartment. The gentleman tipped the cab driver (a very unnecessary and not understood practice here). I said to the American, don’t do that, you will ruin it for the rest of us. He responded…son, don’t tell me what to do. I do as I please. I wonder why people like that ever leave their homes is they are going to travel to the rest of the world with arrogance and determination to only look at the world through your own culture’s perspective. But alas, that is not really a story about the Olympics.
My experience was highlighted by great action on the field (written about in my last two posts) but also great experiences outside of the competitions I was fortunate enough to witness. One of the highlights was the very (at times overly) helpful volunteers that were present at every venue, making sure that each and every person had a great time at the Olympics. For me, the volunteers really went above and beyond their call of duty while watching the Brazil and Argentina match. Ed and I arrived there two hours early to make sure that we would see every single aspect of the event. Our seats were in a section where the rows were pretty close together. Because there was no one seated around us that early, I put my feat over the row of seats in front of me since I had very little leg room. Eventually a volunteer came over and asked me to remove my feet. I complied, but explained to her that I did not have enough leg room in these seats. After a few minutes I sat on the back of my seat with my feet on the ground. She again came over but this time, instead of asking me to change how I was sitting, she instead offered an alternate seat. Turns out there were a few seats reserved for VIP’s which apparently we qualified as. The seats were much better and the leg room was more than sufficient. This small gesture made a lasting impact on me, and made sure that I came out of the entire Olympic experience with a positive impression.
One of my favorite places to be during the two weeks of festivities was on the Olympic Green. Unfortunately, the only way to get there was to have a ticket, but I had four events on the green which allowed me sufficient time to explore all of the nooks and crannies of this massive space. The venues and their design were by far the best aspects, but there was also sponsor pavilions, souvenir tents, food and many other things to while away an afternoon. This was the height of activity, though I feel that it would have been an even better atmosphere had the public been allowed here without tickets. It would have been a mass of people adding to the excitement and atmosphere.
Beijing did an incredible job as hosts, making sure that their best face was put forward for the world. In the days since the close, the weather has been a bit worse, the counterfeit goods have returned to the streets and there is a bit less willingness to help on the streets. While I do not really think that the weather is a result of leniency by officials, the others certainly are. Beijing was a good host. There are numerous issues that have been well documented about China as a host country, their policies and lack of freedoms. China is a nearly impossible place to fully understand. On top of that, there are other, better writers who have spent plenty of ink on these issues so I am choosing not to address them here. I do, however, feel the need to mention that the air has been good (compared to last year) this year, even before the games. Not great, but for Beijing and China it has been good. In addition, Beijing Taxi drivers are not as directionally challenged as the American (Western?) media has made them out to be. I have, at times, felt that the coverage China has received has been unfair and un-insightful, choosing to poke at the (very) easy target of China. There are many things that are wrong in this country, but then again there are few countries that do not have issues. I am biased, I love this country and her people, even with all of the flaws. My time here has been wonderful. Even though it will soon come to an end, I will leave with very few bad memories. The Olympics were a fitting way to end my time here, a massive party that the whole world attended, a showcase for what China has achieved and a preview of what it plans to achieve in the coming years.
I had an amazing time at the Olympics, and want to attend every four years (every two years?). I do not, however, want to attend as a resident of the host city. I want to be a tourist. During these last two weeks I did not like the feeling of being mistaken as a tourist over and over again. I know this city very well, speak a little of the language but still was lumped into the same category as the visitors that were constantly lost, usually (somewhat) offensive and spoke no Mandarin. I guess at some level I will always be a tourist in foreign countries, but I guess in my arrogance I think of myself as above the fray. One of the low points came when dealing with an American visitor (it is always the American’s isn’t it?). I was waiting for this couple to pay for their cab so I could take it back to my apartment. The gentleman tipped the cab driver (a very unnecessary and not understood practice here). I said to the American, don’t do that, you will ruin it for the rest of us. He responded…son, don’t tell me what to do. I do as I please. I wonder why people like that ever leave their homes is they are going to travel to the rest of the world with arrogance and determination to only look at the world through your own culture’s perspective. But alas, that is not really a story about the Olympics.
My experience was highlighted by great action on the field (written about in my last two posts) but also great experiences outside of the competitions I was fortunate enough to witness. One of the highlights was the very (at times overly) helpful volunteers that were present at every venue, making sure that each and every person had a great time at the Olympics. For me, the volunteers really went above and beyond their call of duty while watching the Brazil and Argentina match. Ed and I arrived there two hours early to make sure that we would see every single aspect of the event. Our seats were in a section where the rows were pretty close together. Because there was no one seated around us that early, I put my feat over the row of seats in front of me since I had very little leg room. Eventually a volunteer came over and asked me to remove my feet. I complied, but explained to her that I did not have enough leg room in these seats. After a few minutes I sat on the back of my seat with my feet on the ground. She again came over but this time, instead of asking me to change how I was sitting, she instead offered an alternate seat. Turns out there were a few seats reserved for VIP’s which apparently we qualified as. The seats were much better and the leg room was more than sufficient. This small gesture made a lasting impact on me, and made sure that I came out of the entire Olympic experience with a positive impression.
One of my favorite places to be during the two weeks of festivities was on the Olympic Green. Unfortunately, the only way to get there was to have a ticket, but I had four events on the green which allowed me sufficient time to explore all of the nooks and crannies of this massive space. The venues and their design were by far the best aspects, but there was also sponsor pavilions, souvenir tents, food and many other things to while away an afternoon. This was the height of activity, though I feel that it would have been an even better atmosphere had the public been allowed here without tickets. It would have been a mass of people adding to the excitement and atmosphere.
Beijing did an incredible job as hosts, making sure that their best face was put forward for the world. In the days since the close, the weather has been a bit worse, the counterfeit goods have returned to the streets and there is a bit less willingness to help on the streets. While I do not really think that the weather is a result of leniency by officials, the others certainly are. Beijing was a good host. There are numerous issues that have been well documented about China as a host country, their policies and lack of freedoms. China is a nearly impossible place to fully understand. On top of that, there are other, better writers who have spent plenty of ink on these issues so I am choosing not to address them here. I do, however, feel the need to mention that the air has been good (compared to last year) this year, even before the games. Not great, but for Beijing and China it has been good. In addition, Beijing Taxi drivers are not as directionally challenged as the American (Western?) media has made them out to be. I have, at times, felt that the coverage China has received has been unfair and un-insightful, choosing to poke at the (very) easy target of China. There are many things that are wrong in this country, but then again there are few countries that do not have issues. I am biased, I love this country and her people, even with all of the flaws. My time here has been wonderful. Even though it will soon come to an end, I will leave with very few bad memories. The Olympics were a fitting way to end my time here, a massive party that the whole world attended, a showcase for what China has achieved and a preview of what it plans to achieve in the coming years.
8.25.2008
Olympics, Week 2
My Olympic experience has come to an end. I just finished watching the last event on TV while waiting for the Closing Ceremonies to begin. These two weeks were simply amazing. To be in the city that they were happening is an experience that I think will need some time to really sink in. To be able to attend as many events as I did was simply incredible. After experiencing these games on the front lines I know that I want to be back, to be present at the games again in the future. While watching on television may give a bit better view of the action, nothing matches the excitement of watching in person.
Week two brought more excitement and new events. Even though swimming had concluded by week two, I really feel like this past week offered more excitement and more enjoyment for me. The week started with a trip back out to Changping, the city and district where my school is located. I caught the women’s triathlon in the beautiful setting of the Ming Reservoir. While the nature of the sport meant that we were not able to see the entire race unfold before us, we were able to see most of the swim as well as the transitions. In addition, the athletes made their way through the stadium every lap offering us ample opportunities to cheer them on. Emma Snowsill, an Australian ran away from the competition, closing with a very fast run to pull away from the field. I was hoping for an American medal, but it was a near miss as the top American finished in 4th place.
That afternoon I got to watch Track and Field at the Bird’s Nest for the first time. The venue was amazing and the show that the athletes put on was even more incredible. This night offered just about everything we could want to see. We got to witness a World Record, an American victory, an American sweep (1,2,3 in the Men’s 400m Hurdles) and an appearance by the new World’s Fastest Man. The World Record closed out our night and was set by a complete princess, the Russian Pole Vaulter. She had only jumped two times when she had clinched the gold medal. She did not end there, continuing to jump to set first the Olympic Record and then, on her last attempt, the new World Record.
Tuesday was supposed to be an off day for me, but my friend Ed convinced me that we should try and see what prices scalpers were asking for the Football (soccer) Semi-final between Argentina and Brazil. The price was not too ridiculous so we found ourselves in the 8th row for this incredible match. We got there early to find that we did not have that much legroom in our seats. I put my feet on the seat infront of me but was quickly told that this was not allowed. A bit later I draped my legs over the seat and was again told that this was not allowed. Finally I sat on the back of my seat to await the beginning of the match. Soon the usher came up to me again but this time, instead of saying that this was not allowed, told us that she was sorry that the seats were so close together. To make up for this, she offered to move us to other seats. There were some seats reserved for VIP’s and offered not only more leg room, but also a much better view. It was a great example of the helpfulness of the volunteers at these games. Most of the time they were more than ready to help. The seats offered us a great view for the convincing 3-0 victory fro Argentina. The match featured some of the world’s best players and was one of the highlights of the games for me. Argentina went on to win the Gold and was very deserving of this. They were clearly the class of the field of the matches I saw.
Thursday morning brought me back to the Water Cube for the last time. I got to see the semi-finals of Women’s 10m platform diving. The skill of these divers was incredible and I was treated to a display of Chinese dominance in this sport. As someone that is afraid of heights, I cannot imagine why people would choose to throw themselves off of such a height as sport. I sat next to a couple that was friends with American diver, Laura Wilkinson, yet another perk of being at the Olympics.
On Friday I got to see another session of Track, this time featuring yet another World Record as well as an American victory in the Decathlon. The World Record came in the 4x100 relay by the Jamaican’s and was the third World Record for Usain Bolt. It was impressive display by the entire Jamaican team. I also got to see the latest in the line of the American Decathlon champions, Bryan Clay. It was a bit anti-climactic, but still cool to watch. He had such a large lead after the first 9 events that he really did not need to race the final event, the 1500m. He crossed the line last, but still was the gold-medalist based on his 470 point lead entering that event.
I ended my event schedule with a trip out to the west of Beijing to watch the Men’s Mountain Bike race. French rider, Julian Absalon, who from the third lap on rode away from the field, won this pretty easily. What made this event so much fun to watch was that we were allowed to line the course, without being restricted to a seat or seating area. This allowed the spectators to move around and see different aspects of the race, not only the start/ finish line.
All in all, I could not ask for a lot more out of the events that I got to see. I plan on offering my overall analysis of the city during this time in my next post a bit later in the week. The chance to see the games in person was amazing and an experience that I recommend to everyone. The chance to witness the spectacle, competition and nationalism that accompanied the Olympics was more than I could have imagined.
Week two brought more excitement and new events. Even though swimming had concluded by week two, I really feel like this past week offered more excitement and more enjoyment for me. The week started with a trip back out to Changping, the city and district where my school is located. I caught the women’s triathlon in the beautiful setting of the Ming Reservoir. While the nature of the sport meant that we were not able to see the entire race unfold before us, we were able to see most of the swim as well as the transitions. In addition, the athletes made their way through the stadium every lap offering us ample opportunities to cheer them on. Emma Snowsill, an Australian ran away from the competition, closing with a very fast run to pull away from the field. I was hoping for an American medal, but it was a near miss as the top American finished in 4th place.
That afternoon I got to watch Track and Field at the Bird’s Nest for the first time. The venue was amazing and the show that the athletes put on was even more incredible. This night offered just about everything we could want to see. We got to witness a World Record, an American victory, an American sweep (1,2,3 in the Men’s 400m Hurdles) and an appearance by the new World’s Fastest Man. The World Record closed out our night and was set by a complete princess, the Russian Pole Vaulter. She had only jumped two times when she had clinched the gold medal. She did not end there, continuing to jump to set first the Olympic Record and then, on her last attempt, the new World Record.
Tuesday was supposed to be an off day for me, but my friend Ed convinced me that we should try and see what prices scalpers were asking for the Football (soccer) Semi-final between Argentina and Brazil. The price was not too ridiculous so we found ourselves in the 8th row for this incredible match. We got there early to find that we did not have that much legroom in our seats. I put my feet on the seat infront of me but was quickly told that this was not allowed. A bit later I draped my legs over the seat and was again told that this was not allowed. Finally I sat on the back of my seat to await the beginning of the match. Soon the usher came up to me again but this time, instead of saying that this was not allowed, told us that she was sorry that the seats were so close together. To make up for this, she offered to move us to other seats. There were some seats reserved for VIP’s and offered not only more leg room, but also a much better view. It was a great example of the helpfulness of the volunteers at these games. Most of the time they were more than ready to help. The seats offered us a great view for the convincing 3-0 victory fro Argentina. The match featured some of the world’s best players and was one of the highlights of the games for me. Argentina went on to win the Gold and was very deserving of this. They were clearly the class of the field of the matches I saw.
Thursday morning brought me back to the Water Cube for the last time. I got to see the semi-finals of Women’s 10m platform diving. The skill of these divers was incredible and I was treated to a display of Chinese dominance in this sport. As someone that is afraid of heights, I cannot imagine why people would choose to throw themselves off of such a height as sport. I sat next to a couple that was friends with American diver, Laura Wilkinson, yet another perk of being at the Olympics.
On Friday I got to see another session of Track, this time featuring yet another World Record as well as an American victory in the Decathlon. The World Record came in the 4x100 relay by the Jamaican’s and was the third World Record for Usain Bolt. It was impressive display by the entire Jamaican team. I also got to see the latest in the line of the American Decathlon champions, Bryan Clay. It was a bit anti-climactic, but still cool to watch. He had such a large lead after the first 9 events that he really did not need to race the final event, the 1500m. He crossed the line last, but still was the gold-medalist based on his 470 point lead entering that event.
I ended my event schedule with a trip out to the west of Beijing to watch the Men’s Mountain Bike race. French rider, Julian Absalon, who from the third lap on rode away from the field, won this pretty easily. What made this event so much fun to watch was that we were allowed to line the course, without being restricted to a seat or seating area. This allowed the spectators to move around and see different aspects of the race, not only the start/ finish line.
All in all, I could not ask for a lot more out of the events that I got to see. I plan on offering my overall analysis of the city during this time in my next post a bit later in the week. The chance to see the games in person was amazing and an experience that I recommend to everyone. The chance to witness the spectacle, competition and nationalism that accompanied the Olympics was more than I could have imagined.
8.20.2008
Olympics...week 1
The Olympics have been an incredible experience. The sights, sounds and overall atmosphere in Beijing during the last week has been like nothing I have experienced here before. The competitions have been amazing and the city has certainly put on its best face.
The first week of competition brought me to a wide variety of events. I have been very impressed with my seats so far, very pleased that the least expensive tickets did not put me too far away from the action.
The first event that I went to was Rowing. Unfortunately the weather was less than perfect but being at the Olympics for the first time more than made up for this downside. It was a humid day with a bit of rain so visibility was a bit of an issue. On a 2 kilometer course we were only able to see about the last 750 meters of the racing, though a large video screen did help make up for this. By the end of the session the rain had started to fall harder and eventually the session was called off until the next morning. We had other things to see in Beijing that kept us from coming back out to see the rescheduled event, but our taste of Rowing made us want to see more of the games. Looking back, this was probably my least favorite of the events that I saw. The level of excitement was tempered by the weather and lack of
visibility.
Day two brought us back out to the Shunyi Rowing Venue, but this time to watch White Water Kayaking. This has been, one of the most enjoyable events that I have seen. Our seats were general admission and because of the threat of rain most people had moved to the top of the grandstand. This left the lower rows open offering a perfect view of the course. The action was continuous and the announcer made the atmosphere much more entertaining than rowing. Even with only one competitor on the course, there was always something to watch. We witnessed our first American success of the games, cheered for the eventual Bronze medalist from Togo and met parents of kayakers from both Great Britain and Australia. This was a top-notch event that I would have loved to catch a second session.
The following morning I left my family to go through the Forbidden City while I made my way to Field Hockey. This is a sport that I knew little about but was filled in on the rules and strategy by the Australians sitting next to me. I was supposed to see two games but ran into some difficulties getting to the venue. I left my ticket at the apartment so I had to backtrack to pick these up. On my way back to the field, my bus broke down. I got off and instead of waiting for the next one, decided that the walk could not be that far, 30 minutes later I was still en route. Once I finally settled into my seat I was very happy to once again find that my seats were much better than I had anticipated. I was in the third row, right behind the goal.
Later that same day, the boys in the family went to Beijing Worker’s Stadium for Football (soccer). We saw Brazil and Nigeria play followed by Sweden and Canada. This was the final match in group play for the women and determined who would go onto the next round. Brazil won the first game. They have gone on to advance to the final this week where they will play the United States. In this match we got to see a hat trick by Christiana accentuated by a bicycle kick goal. The second match was taken by Sweden. We once again had great seats, though the legroom was a little bit tight.
The last few days my family was in Beijing I had a few days off from spectating. When they went to Xi’an, I stayed back to watch Volleyball and Swimming. Volleyball is another sport that, while familiar with the basics, I do not really follow. In the two matches that I saw, I saw Russia beat Algeria and Brazil dominate Kazakhstan. Brazil was clearly a dominant team and my pick to win the gold medal. After watching Volleyball I made my way to the Olympic Green to brave the crowds, buy some souvenirs and take in the sights and sounds of this area. The line to get into the Beijing 2008 official store took me almost and hour to navigate but I really did not have much else to do between events. The Green was amazing, showcasing the architecture of the venues and of course the official sponsors as well. The weather was beautiful, clear blue sky and dry air, a rarity this time of year in Beijing. Following the afternoon of taking in the Green I finally got to see some swimming. I had applied for a lot of tickets but wound up with only this one. I saw the preliminaries of the Women’s 50 Free and Medley Relay and the Men’s 1500 Free and Medley Relay. This broke my string of good seats as I was way far away from the pool. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to be there and can now say I have been to Olympic swimming. I saw a new Olympic Record in the 1500 by Grant Hacket and a near miss in the 50 Free by Cate Campbell.
To close out the first week I saw what has been the best match of my experience so far. On Saturday I had Water Polo tickets to three early round matches. The first was a close match between Italy and Germany, the second a blowout but the third was where the real excitement was. The United States played the defending World Champions, Croatia. The U.S. needed a victory to put itself in a position to automatically move to the semifinals. The team played excellent defense and came away with a 7-5 victory.
Over the first week there were many highlights but if I had to say, I appreciated and got more excited over the team sports. It is much more exciting to “pick a side” instead of cheering for individuals. This also helps brings the nationalism aspect into play. There will be more to come but for now this is a recap of the first week of events for me.
The first week of competition brought me to a wide variety of events. I have been very impressed with my seats so far, very pleased that the least expensive tickets did not put me too far away from the action.
The first event that I went to was Rowing. Unfortunately the weather was less than perfect but being at the Olympics for the first time more than made up for this downside. It was a humid day with a bit of rain so visibility was a bit of an issue. On a 2 kilometer course we were only able to see about the last 750 meters of the racing, though a large video screen did help make up for this. By the end of the session the rain had started to fall harder and eventually the session was called off until the next morning. We had other things to see in Beijing that kept us from coming back out to see the rescheduled event, but our taste of Rowing made us want to see more of the games. Looking back, this was probably my least favorite of the events that I saw. The level of excitement was tempered by the weather and lack of
visibility.
Day two brought us back out to the Shunyi Rowing Venue, but this time to watch White Water Kayaking. This has been, one of the most enjoyable events that I have seen. Our seats were general admission and because of the threat of rain most people had moved to the top of the grandstand. This left the lower rows open offering a perfect view of the course. The action was continuous and the announcer made the atmosphere much more entertaining than rowing. Even with only one competitor on the course, there was always something to watch. We witnessed our first American success of the games, cheered for the eventual Bronze medalist from Togo and met parents of kayakers from both Great Britain and Australia. This was a top-notch event that I would have loved to catch a second session.
The following morning I left my family to go through the Forbidden City while I made my way to Field Hockey. This is a sport that I knew little about but was filled in on the rules and strategy by the Australians sitting next to me. I was supposed to see two games but ran into some difficulties getting to the venue. I left my ticket at the apartment so I had to backtrack to pick these up. On my way back to the field, my bus broke down. I got off and instead of waiting for the next one, decided that the walk could not be that far, 30 minutes later I was still en route. Once I finally settled into my seat I was very happy to once again find that my seats were much better than I had anticipated. I was in the third row, right behind the goal.
Later that same day, the boys in the family went to Beijing Worker’s Stadium for Football (soccer). We saw Brazil and Nigeria play followed by Sweden and Canada. This was the final match in group play for the women and determined who would go onto the next round. Brazil won the first game. They have gone on to advance to the final this week where they will play the United States. In this match we got to see a hat trick by Christiana accentuated by a bicycle kick goal. The second match was taken by Sweden. We once again had great seats, though the legroom was a little bit tight.
The last few days my family was in Beijing I had a few days off from spectating. When they went to Xi’an, I stayed back to watch Volleyball and Swimming. Volleyball is another sport that, while familiar with the basics, I do not really follow. In the two matches that I saw, I saw Russia beat Algeria and Brazil dominate Kazakhstan. Brazil was clearly a dominant team and my pick to win the gold medal. After watching Volleyball I made my way to the Olympic Green to brave the crowds, buy some souvenirs and take in the sights and sounds of this area. The line to get into the Beijing 2008 official store took me almost and hour to navigate but I really did not have much else to do between events. The Green was amazing, showcasing the architecture of the venues and of course the official sponsors as well. The weather was beautiful, clear blue sky and dry air, a rarity this time of year in Beijing. Following the afternoon of taking in the Green I finally got to see some swimming. I had applied for a lot of tickets but wound up with only this one. I saw the preliminaries of the Women’s 50 Free and Medley Relay and the Men’s 1500 Free and Medley Relay. This broke my string of good seats as I was way far away from the pool. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to be there and can now say I have been to Olympic swimming. I saw a new Olympic Record in the 1500 by Grant Hacket and a near miss in the 50 Free by Cate Campbell.
To close out the first week I saw what has been the best match of my experience so far. On Saturday I had Water Polo tickets to three early round matches. The first was a close match between Italy and Germany, the second a blowout but the third was where the real excitement was. The United States played the defending World Champions, Croatia. The U.S. needed a victory to put itself in a position to automatically move to the semifinals. The team played excellent defense and came away with a 7-5 victory.
Over the first week there were many highlights but if I had to say, I appreciated and got more excited over the team sports. It is much more exciting to “pick a side” instead of cheering for individuals. This also helps brings the nationalism aspect into play. There will be more to come but for now this is a recap of the first week of events for me.
8.16.2008
Part 2
We only had about 10 days together as a family, and in that time we did a ton, saw a ton of the country and overall had an excellent time. As our family tends to do, our major activities were centered mostly around the meals that we ate. We had a ton of good food in the time while only scratching the surface of the options in the cities we visited.
On the 3rd of August they arrived in Shanghai. After checking them into the hotel and our hostel (both nice, though the hotel was incredible). We made our way to a massage and dinner. After that they crashed and woke me up early in the morning since they were just a bit jet lagged. We went to the Urban Planning Institute (an awesome place, much better than it sounds even if it sounds cool) to get an idea of the layout of the city. This, like about everything I had planned, took a lot longer than I had anticipated. This was the hottest day we had during their time here and that, coupled with the jet lag made for a bit of a rough day. We had dumplings near Yu Gardens and then went back to the hotel for a rest. We capped off the night with dinner and drinks at Cloud 9, the highest bar in the world. It makes for incredible sights and a memorable night. The next morning we waited in line for the Shanghai Museum, did a bit of shopping and had a great lunch at a place in the French Concession. In part because of so many people we took a long time to eat (over 2 hours) and then separated to shop some more on our own. By the end of the afternoon we were all tired and ready for our second stop. For most of us this was Tibet, the Grandparents made their way to Guilin.
In Tibet we arrived and acclimated to the altitude with varying degrees of success. Making it more difficult was a number of unsettled stomach's. Almost everyone was affected but we cannot figure out a culprit. It seems to finally have passed though and by the end of our time here everyone was feeling better. In Tibet we just relaxed at our gorgeous hotel the first day. Dinner was delicious but I was the only one that had much of a appetite. I finished off my Mom's, both Sister's and Brother's meal (or at least parts of it). We had started the day at 4:30 so we had an early night to get ready for the next day. The following morning we went through the Potala Palace. This was my second time through my favorite building in the world, but I had remembered very little of the history of it, making the tour very interesting. It is a breathtaking place (literally and figuratively). In the afternoon we made out way to the Barkhor for a bit more retail therapy. The things we bought were by and large relatively cheap things, but they are things that cannot be found anywhere else in the world (or so I like to think). Even if you can, the fact that they were bought in Tibet makes it so much cooler. The next morning we went to a Monastery and the Tibetan Summer Palace. Both very cool and worth the time but by the end all of the Buddha's were beginning to run together. Oh well, it is just like cathedrals in Europe…after a while, they all look the same. The most shocking thing about Tibet was the amount of police and military that were stationed there. It was super intimidating at first, but by the end I was kind of used to it. Most of them had guns but almost without exception they seemed like they did not want to really be there. The Tibetan people were just as generous, friendly and beautiful as I remembered them. They are happy to see foreigners starting to return. Our guide said that last year he had 2000 tourists but this year we were only his 3rd tour due to the regulations set by the Chinese government. It is sad, especially since so much of their economy relies on tourism income.
I was sad to leave, but excited to show off Beijing to the family. Tibet was the most memorable for me, as well as my favorite part of the trip. I did not feel like I was in charge there and was happy to just follow along. I did not have an itinerary in mind which made all of lives better. I knew there were some things that I wanted everyone to see, but I needed a refresher as well since it had been four years since I was last there. I was amazed at the changes that were there and felt very fortunate to be back.
We got into Beijing late at night and had some issues meeting up in the giant Beijing airport. On top of that, we had two different places to go and no transportation arranged. This made for the first of a few stressful situations for me, but it all worked out in the end. The weather in Beijing was less than ideal, rainy but not too hot. It seemed like every site we went we could only see a little part of it, though my family assured me that they still loved every minute of it. Our first day consisted of the Temple of Heaven, lunch at Café Zarah (my families favorite in Beijing), a trip to the Tailors and then Rowing tickets. Rowing was a bit wet, in fact, it got delayed because of thunder towards the end.
This first taste of the Olympics is still my least favorite of the events I have seen. It just was hard to get excited about watching a 2 km race when you could only see a bit of it because the humidity, fog and rain which made visibility almost nonexistent. After this we went out to Duck with my Tutor Han Yang, her husband and May (my co-teacher). To help us (me) relax we went for another massage after dinner.
The next day we went to the Summer Palace, had a delicious lunch at the Olive and then went to White Water Kayaking. This was awesome. We had great seats, it was exciting to watch and I finally felt like I was getting into the Olympic spirit. This was one of the highlights for me and I know that my Dad really enjoyed it as well. After this we went for a bit of shopping, braving Wangfujing street and the Olympic Store. The next day they tried to go to the Forbidden City while I had Field Hockey tickets but they had problems meeting up and ended up only having about 45 minutes to see this gigantic site, a trip that normally takes between three and four hours. We had a great lunch and then broke into two groups. The girls going with my friend Annie and Mamie, for a bit of shopping and a trip to the Chinese Salon while the boys went to Soccer. I had a great time at the games and we had great seats.
Wednesday was spent shopping, eating, a second trip to the Tailor for fittings and finally out to the 798 Art District. We had a great dinner helped by a bit of wine and apple brandy at a great French restaurant followed by yet another massage. The last day was spent at the Great Wall. It was a gorgeous morning, but on our way back it started to pour. We were supposed to visit my school, but it was raining too hard so we did a drive by and then headed back to Beijing to see my apartment and have a delicious normal Chinese meal. The bill came to about 25 U.S. for the 8 of us and it was one of the best meals that we had. Another good day and a good way to end their time here. I said goodbye to them at the train station and they are now in Xi'an, hopefully enjoying it there. It was great having them here and hard to say goodbye. I am pretty sure that they all enjoyed their time here even if there were times where I did not make the best tour guide.
I feel like I have taken enough of your time so I will save more Olympic stories for the next day or two.
On the 3rd of August they arrived in Shanghai. After checking them into the hotel and our hostel (both nice, though the hotel was incredible). We made our way to a massage and dinner. After that they crashed and woke me up early in the morning since they were just a bit jet lagged. We went to the Urban Planning Institute (an awesome place, much better than it sounds even if it sounds cool) to get an idea of the layout of the city. This, like about everything I had planned, took a lot longer than I had anticipated. This was the hottest day we had during their time here and that, coupled with the jet lag made for a bit of a rough day. We had dumplings near Yu Gardens and then went back to the hotel for a rest. We capped off the night with dinner and drinks at Cloud 9, the highest bar in the world. It makes for incredible sights and a memorable night. The next morning we waited in line for the Shanghai Museum, did a bit of shopping and had a great lunch at a place in the French Concession. In part because of so many people we took a long time to eat (over 2 hours) and then separated to shop some more on our own. By the end of the afternoon we were all tired and ready for our second stop. For most of us this was Tibet, the Grandparents made their way to Guilin.
In Tibet we arrived and acclimated to the altitude with varying degrees of success. Making it more difficult was a number of unsettled stomach's. Almost everyone was affected but we cannot figure out a culprit. It seems to finally have passed though and by the end of our time here everyone was feeling better. In Tibet we just relaxed at our gorgeous hotel the first day. Dinner was delicious but I was the only one that had much of a appetite. I finished off my Mom's, both Sister's and Brother's meal (or at least parts of it). We had started the day at 4:30 so we had an early night to get ready for the next day. The following morning we went through the Potala Palace. This was my second time through my favorite building in the world, but I had remembered very little of the history of it, making the tour very interesting. It is a breathtaking place (literally and figuratively). In the afternoon we made out way to the Barkhor for a bit more retail therapy. The things we bought were by and large relatively cheap things, but they are things that cannot be found anywhere else in the world (or so I like to think). Even if you can, the fact that they were bought in Tibet makes it so much cooler. The next morning we went to a Monastery and the Tibetan Summer Palace. Both very cool and worth the time but by the end all of the Buddha's were beginning to run together. Oh well, it is just like cathedrals in Europe…after a while, they all look the same. The most shocking thing about Tibet was the amount of police and military that were stationed there. It was super intimidating at first, but by the end I was kind of used to it. Most of them had guns but almost without exception they seemed like they did not want to really be there. The Tibetan people were just as generous, friendly and beautiful as I remembered them. They are happy to see foreigners starting to return. Our guide said that last year he had 2000 tourists but this year we were only his 3rd tour due to the regulations set by the Chinese government. It is sad, especially since so much of their economy relies on tourism income.
I was sad to leave, but excited to show off Beijing to the family. Tibet was the most memorable for me, as well as my favorite part of the trip. I did not feel like I was in charge there and was happy to just follow along. I did not have an itinerary in mind which made all of lives better. I knew there were some things that I wanted everyone to see, but I needed a refresher as well since it had been four years since I was last there. I was amazed at the changes that were there and felt very fortunate to be back.
We got into Beijing late at night and had some issues meeting up in the giant Beijing airport. On top of that, we had two different places to go and no transportation arranged. This made for the first of a few stressful situations for me, but it all worked out in the end. The weather in Beijing was less than ideal, rainy but not too hot. It seemed like every site we went we could only see a little part of it, though my family assured me that they still loved every minute of it. Our first day consisted of the Temple of Heaven, lunch at Café Zarah (my families favorite in Beijing), a trip to the Tailors and then Rowing tickets. Rowing was a bit wet, in fact, it got delayed because of thunder towards the end.
This first taste of the Olympics is still my least favorite of the events I have seen. It just was hard to get excited about watching a 2 km race when you could only see a bit of it because the humidity, fog and rain which made visibility almost nonexistent. After this we went out to Duck with my Tutor Han Yang, her husband and May (my co-teacher). To help us (me) relax we went for another massage after dinner.
The next day we went to the Summer Palace, had a delicious lunch at the Olive and then went to White Water Kayaking. This was awesome. We had great seats, it was exciting to watch and I finally felt like I was getting into the Olympic spirit. This was one of the highlights for me and I know that my Dad really enjoyed it as well. After this we went for a bit of shopping, braving Wangfujing street and the Olympic Store. The next day they tried to go to the Forbidden City while I had Field Hockey tickets but they had problems meeting up and ended up only having about 45 minutes to see this gigantic site, a trip that normally takes between three and four hours. We had a great lunch and then broke into two groups. The girls going with my friend Annie and Mamie, for a bit of shopping and a trip to the Chinese Salon while the boys went to Soccer. I had a great time at the games and we had great seats.
Wednesday was spent shopping, eating, a second trip to the Tailor for fittings and finally out to the 798 Art District. We had a great dinner helped by a bit of wine and apple brandy at a great French restaurant followed by yet another massage. The last day was spent at the Great Wall. It was a gorgeous morning, but on our way back it started to pour. We were supposed to visit my school, but it was raining too hard so we did a drive by and then headed back to Beijing to see my apartment and have a delicious normal Chinese meal. The bill came to about 25 U.S. for the 8 of us and it was one of the best meals that we had. Another good day and a good way to end their time here. I said goodbye to them at the train station and they are now in Xi'an, hopefully enjoying it there. It was great having them here and hard to say goodbye. I am pretty sure that they all enjoyed their time here even if there were times where I did not make the best tour guide.
I feel like I have taken enough of your time so I will save more Olympic stories for the next day or two.
8.06.2008
Family Trip part 1
I know that I have not written as much this year, and with the recent over two month break in between posts I probably lost all of the readers that I did have. But I am going to try and redeem myself in the next few weeks. Not to make excuses, but my excuse has been that I have yet to leave Beijing….at least until today. For the next two weeks I get to play host to my family, taking them all over China. This means stories of trips, experiences and things that for me are out of the ordinary. I realize that the life I am living over here is far different from the life I live at home and for most of you that means interesting stories, but it is hard to write about the everyday (for me) on a consistent basis. Please accept my apologies and check in between now and the end of September. In addition to the family trip, rumor has it that there is a big event or two going on in Beijing in the upcoming months. It should be an exciting time and I will do my best to fill you in on the details in the coming days and weeks.
Those few loyal readers that I have know that I have a love/ hate relationship with Chinese trains. I have had some great memories from past trips and some good stories as well. See Xi’an 2007. I came down to Shanghai again on the train yesterday. For those of you that think you are patient people, I invite you to spend a night sitting in a train car in China. I would not describe myself as a patient person. At times I get frustrated pretty easily here in China since the American (Western) idea of personal space is not really translated well into a country of 1.3 billion people. The people of China share space with each other every day of their lives and see nothing wrong with crowding complete strangers on public transportation, in lines and on the street. The idea of a line is somewhat foreign to the Chinese, but in all fairness, the government has worked hard to change this in preparation for the Olympics. This has not totally caught no, but as a whole it has improved.
As for on the train, this comfort with sharing space seemed to mean to my fellow passengers that they believed it was ok to talk loudly the entire night when everyone else on the train was trying to sleep, playing cell phone games with the speaker on, loudly clearing their throat’s and generally believing that they were the only ones on the train. I am exaggerating a bit and was able to sleep for a little while, but the cost savings of traveling in a seat instead of a sleeper was perhaps not worth it. That said, I survived and made it through the night without totally snapping at anyone. I stewed a bit, mumbled to myself, sent angry (or so I thought) looks in the general direction of the culprits and then realized that I could do nothing to change their behavior. I put my headphones on, found the softest music on my ipod and tried to fall asleep.
I am now in Shanghai, what I have long proclaimed to be my favorite city in China. I am no longer sure if this is true. Every day I spend in Beijing makes me like that city a bit more, even the bad days. I am, however, struck by how different the two cities feel. I have been here for a few hours but the differences are noticeable if hard to quantify. Shanghai is just a more accessible city, more modern, more western friendly, easier to walk around and even a bit cleaner (though this is not the case during the Olympics when the cleaning crews in Beijing have been out en mass). Shanghai is more fashionable, but Beijing ren (people) are friendlier and the more time I spend with them, the more I realize that this is more important. It took a while, but I can now say that I consider myself a beijinger instead of a foreigner that is in Beijing because of the Olympics.
Those few loyal readers that I have know that I have a love/ hate relationship with Chinese trains. I have had some great memories from past trips and some good stories as well. See Xi’an 2007. I came down to Shanghai again on the train yesterday. For those of you that think you are patient people, I invite you to spend a night sitting in a train car in China. I would not describe myself as a patient person. At times I get frustrated pretty easily here in China since the American (Western) idea of personal space is not really translated well into a country of 1.3 billion people. The people of China share space with each other every day of their lives and see nothing wrong with crowding complete strangers on public transportation, in lines and on the street. The idea of a line is somewhat foreign to the Chinese, but in all fairness, the government has worked hard to change this in preparation for the Olympics. This has not totally caught no, but as a whole it has improved.
As for on the train, this comfort with sharing space seemed to mean to my fellow passengers that they believed it was ok to talk loudly the entire night when everyone else on the train was trying to sleep, playing cell phone games with the speaker on, loudly clearing their throat’s and generally believing that they were the only ones on the train. I am exaggerating a bit and was able to sleep for a little while, but the cost savings of traveling in a seat instead of a sleeper was perhaps not worth it. That said, I survived and made it through the night without totally snapping at anyone. I stewed a bit, mumbled to myself, sent angry (or so I thought) looks in the general direction of the culprits and then realized that I could do nothing to change their behavior. I put my headphones on, found the softest music on my ipod and tried to fall asleep.
I am now in Shanghai, what I have long proclaimed to be my favorite city in China. I am no longer sure if this is true. Every day I spend in Beijing makes me like that city a bit more, even the bad days. I am, however, struck by how different the two cities feel. I have been here for a few hours but the differences are noticeable if hard to quantify. Shanghai is just a more accessible city, more modern, more western friendly, easier to walk around and even a bit cleaner (though this is not the case during the Olympics when the cleaning crews in Beijing have been out en mass). Shanghai is more fashionable, but Beijing ren (people) are friendlier and the more time I spend with them, the more I realize that this is more important. It took a while, but I can now say that I consider myself a beijinger instead of a foreigner that is in Beijing because of the Olympics.
4.17.2008
Middle School...Trends and Thoughts
To my surprise I looked out into my class the other day and realized that I was back in Middle School. I know that I teach Middle School kids, that is not what I mean. Instead, the trends that were popular in the early 90’s when I was in middle school are trends here, or maybe they are just eternally popular to middle school students regardless of the time period. In the last week I have had to reprimand kids for throwing koosh balls around class, writing on their clothes in permanent marker, writing on their shoes, stickers and painting their fingernails. So I know that two examples are not that strong of a point to make, but there are just the few things that I have seen in the last two weeks. In addition kids are wearing side pony tails again, a new fascination with office supplies, decorating everything with their favorite things (band, shape, movie star, sports star) and other things that are distinctly middle school behavior, if not exactly just from the early 90’s. Ok, so pretty much just the koosh balls and side pony tails come from the early 90’s. Things like video games have advanced, cell phones were never a problem in my middle school classes when I was in school and I am sure that there are a few other things in the classroom that had not even been invented yet.
There is one fascination among my students that I just do not get....they love tape. Tape you ask? Yes, scotch tape, packing tape, duct tape....they just cannot get enough of the stuff. I know that there was a fascination with duct tape a few years back in the U.S. but to be honest it is not that popular over here. The thing that really grabs the students attention is good old packing tape. They use it to “tape themselves in” to their desks, cover their desks with it, tape each other’s clothes, play with the stickyness during class and generally waste a ton of otherwise perfectly good tape on useless things. I have tried to understand the attraction and I am pretty much at a loss. I think that it probably is a result of spending too much time in class, looking for absolutely anything for entertainment. When you have reached that point where anything will do...why not tape?
I have begun to think about the trends in Chinese education more and more. I am at one of the “best” schools in China, with an equivalent reputation to the famous prep schools in New England. That said, my students are by and large uninterested in school, not prepared for the work that is expected of them and incredibly rich. This trend, that the rich are less interested in school is in some ways the opposite of what we find in the U.S. I think that typically, the lowest levels of the socio-economic spectrum in America are the ones that do not find the (at least stereotypically) value in education, that they think they are unable to tap into the resources of the education system, that they will not be able to get ahead through education, instead they turn to athletics, gangs and crime to “get ahead”. While again taking in stereotypes and trends, I have found the exact opposite to be true here. So many of my students are wealthy, leading them to complacency since they have the knowledge that they will end up with a good paying position in their parents company. They feel that they do not need to put in the work to get ahead. They will have everything handed to them on a silver platter. The poor here, however, are much like the generations of the post war era in the U.S. They really feel like they need to pay attention during school, that education is the way that they can get ahead, that they can become wealthy within the next generation. I think that optimism is something that has really captivated the country, that for the rising middle class, there is nothing that they cannot accomplish within “new China”. I think that in many ways, this optimism has been abandoned within the U.S., in fact, I do not think that Barack Obama was that far off when he claimed that the lower classes in American are bitter and angry. There is no longer the feeling that through ahrd work and education, people are able to make a better lives for themselves.
I am not saying that everyone in China feels that they can get ahead, there are many, many people that are still living in complete poverty, but there are many that do feel that through education they can get to the next stage in life...by and large though, these students are not found at my school. In their mind, these students already have it made, they are already bound for success.
There is one fascination among my students that I just do not get....they love tape. Tape you ask? Yes, scotch tape, packing tape, duct tape....they just cannot get enough of the stuff. I know that there was a fascination with duct tape a few years back in the U.S. but to be honest it is not that popular over here. The thing that really grabs the students attention is good old packing tape. They use it to “tape themselves in” to their desks, cover their desks with it, tape each other’s clothes, play with the stickyness during class and generally waste a ton of otherwise perfectly good tape on useless things. I have tried to understand the attraction and I am pretty much at a loss. I think that it probably is a result of spending too much time in class, looking for absolutely anything for entertainment. When you have reached that point where anything will do...why not tape?
I have begun to think about the trends in Chinese education more and more. I am at one of the “best” schools in China, with an equivalent reputation to the famous prep schools in New England. That said, my students are by and large uninterested in school, not prepared for the work that is expected of them and incredibly rich. This trend, that the rich are less interested in school is in some ways the opposite of what we find in the U.S. I think that typically, the lowest levels of the socio-economic spectrum in America are the ones that do not find the (at least stereotypically) value in education, that they think they are unable to tap into the resources of the education system, that they will not be able to get ahead through education, instead they turn to athletics, gangs and crime to “get ahead”. While again taking in stereotypes and trends, I have found the exact opposite to be true here. So many of my students are wealthy, leading them to complacency since they have the knowledge that they will end up with a good paying position in their parents company. They feel that they do not need to put in the work to get ahead. They will have everything handed to them on a silver platter. The poor here, however, are much like the generations of the post war era in the U.S. They really feel like they need to pay attention during school, that education is the way that they can get ahead, that they can become wealthy within the next generation. I think that optimism is something that has really captivated the country, that for the rising middle class, there is nothing that they cannot accomplish within “new China”. I think that in many ways, this optimism has been abandoned within the U.S., in fact, I do not think that Barack Obama was that far off when he claimed that the lower classes in American are bitter and angry. There is no longer the feeling that through ahrd work and education, people are able to make a better lives for themselves.
I am not saying that everyone in China feels that they can get ahead, there are many, many people that are still living in complete poverty, but there are many that do feel that through education they can get to the next stage in life...by and large though, these students are not found at my school. In their mind, these students already have it made, they are already bound for success.
3.26.2008
Sports in China
So far, my time here has been dominated by sports. I suppose that in an Olympic year this should not be so surprising, but I did not expect sports to take such an overwhelming presence in my life here. Last entry you read about my involvement with the Olympics. This has continued, and I am still overjoyed to know that I have a small role in the presentation of the upcoming Olympics.
Even outside of this, I have spent a lot of time watching sports. I have been here for 5 weekends and already have witnessed three sports events here. The 1st weekend I was here I attended one of the 1st events that the “Water Cube” hosted. This is the venue for the Olympic Aquatic events. Beijing is hosting a series of test events in each of the Olympic Venues, a series called Good Luck Beijing. The World Cup of Diving was held in the Water Cube back in Mid-February. This was my only chance to see the inside of the cube before the Olympics, but tickets were sold out. Trying my luck, I showed up the morning of the competition, hoping to find a ticket for sale. I was shocked at just how many people were selling their tickets, but at a pretty steep mark up. It was worth every penny. The competition was exciting, but the real star was the venue. This is a massive, beautiful pool that will be a showcase for the games. The architecture is unique and stunning. The inside is light and a big, a great place for a Swim Meet. It holds a ton of spectators, far more than any permanent pool in the United States does.
Two weekends ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played two spring training games in Beijing. A large group of teachers went to watch the first Major League Baseball games in China. It was ok at best. The environment and games were less than exciting, the stadium was a nice place, but nothing compared to the Major League Stadiums back home. It felt like a minor league game, especially as we were surrounded by people that did not really understand the game. The stadium ran out of food, people cheered for regular plays and the atmosphere was one of more confusion than excitement. A fun experience, but not one that I need to repeat.
Finally, last weekend I went to the Good Luck Beijing Water Polo matches. These were the best in terms of excitement of the three I have seen so far and made me really miss coaching that sport back home. The level of play was high, the venue was nice (different than the Water Cube) and the fans were interested, if not wholly knowledgeable. It was at these matches that I had a conversation with an Australian that shared a great quotation with me about the upcoming Games. The Australian are sport crazy which is why they enjoyed hosting the Sydney Games in 2000, Greece loved to host the Athens Games in 2004 since they enjoyed the history that goes along with being the original host, China’s Beijing Games will also be successful and the people will enjoy themselves since they are being told to. This is the perfect encapsulation of the Chinese attitude towards this event. There is excitement, but it is almost a forced excitement, people are caring about things that had never entered their minds before. They are being told that they will cheer loud, told that they will warmly welcome the world and told that the games will be a success. With this direction, there is really no doubt in their minds that this will be the case.
Even outside of this, I have spent a lot of time watching sports. I have been here for 5 weekends and already have witnessed three sports events here. The 1st weekend I was here I attended one of the 1st events that the “Water Cube” hosted. This is the venue for the Olympic Aquatic events. Beijing is hosting a series of test events in each of the Olympic Venues, a series called Good Luck Beijing. The World Cup of Diving was held in the Water Cube back in Mid-February. This was my only chance to see the inside of the cube before the Olympics, but tickets were sold out. Trying my luck, I showed up the morning of the competition, hoping to find a ticket for sale. I was shocked at just how many people were selling their tickets, but at a pretty steep mark up. It was worth every penny. The competition was exciting, but the real star was the venue. This is a massive, beautiful pool that will be a showcase for the games. The architecture is unique and stunning. The inside is light and a big, a great place for a Swim Meet. It holds a ton of spectators, far more than any permanent pool in the United States does.
Two weekends ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played two spring training games in Beijing. A large group of teachers went to watch the first Major League Baseball games in China. It was ok at best. The environment and games were less than exciting, the stadium was a nice place, but nothing compared to the Major League Stadiums back home. It felt like a minor league game, especially as we were surrounded by people that did not really understand the game. The stadium ran out of food, people cheered for regular plays and the atmosphere was one of more confusion than excitement. A fun experience, but not one that I need to repeat.
Finally, last weekend I went to the Good Luck Beijing Water Polo matches. These were the best in terms of excitement of the three I have seen so far and made me really miss coaching that sport back home. The level of play was high, the venue was nice (different than the Water Cube) and the fans were interested, if not wholly knowledgeable. It was at these matches that I had a conversation with an Australian that shared a great quotation with me about the upcoming Games. The Australian are sport crazy which is why they enjoyed hosting the Sydney Games in 2000, Greece loved to host the Athens Games in 2004 since they enjoyed the history that goes along with being the original host, China’s Beijing Games will also be successful and the people will enjoy themselves since they are being told to. This is the perfect encapsulation of the Chinese attitude towards this event. There is excitement, but it is almost a forced excitement, people are caring about things that had never entered their minds before. They are being told that they will cheer loud, told that they will warmly welcome the world and told that the games will be a success. With this direction, there is really no doubt in their minds that this will be the case.
3.16.2008
Olympic Contribution and Life in China
So I realize that I have not updates in a while. I cannot believe that I have already been in China for almost a Month. The transition from home to China was essentially seemless this time. I went from a life in the U.S. to a life in China with no real transition period in between.
In the month I have been here I have already moved into a second apartment in the city, gone to twice weekly Chinese lessons, a weekly english tutoring appointment, a little thing called classes, Sunday morning workouts with a Master’s swim team and even taught a few classes every week. I love the life here and feel like my schedule is full (in a good way) this semester in ways that it was not last year. I am spending a much greater portion of my time doing things, experiencing China than last year when I had so much free time that a lot of my time was spent watching movies and browsing the internet. This year I am even feel a greater connection to my students, which is due in great part to 1.) the fact that I am returning and many of my students already know me and 2.) my students see me around campus a lot more than they did last year.
My classes have had their share of ups and downs. There are those classes that I walk out of thinking “those kids did not understand a single word that came out of my mouth” and those classes which I am simply amazed at the level of questions that the kids ask, showing without a doubt that they are interested in my lecture and are getting what I wanted them to get out of the lesson. As a very general rule, I find myself enjoying my 7th grade classes more than my 8th grade classes, though there of course are exceptions. I think that this may be due to the fact that the 7th grade students are ordered by their level of English Language, with all of the “good” English speakers in the same classroom. This is something that the administration of the school simply forgot to do for the 8th graders.
That is, in short, what classes and life have been filled with over the last few weeks. I am getting ready to give my 1st test, which last year, caused me a lot of frustration with the scored that the kids received. Hopefully this year, things will be better.
Life outside of the classroom has been good, but busy. The highlight of my 1st month back was this past Wednesday, during my English Tutoring appointment with my friend Liao. Liao Yuan works for BOCOG, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. Normally during our meeting we just talk, working on basic conversational English. This past Wednesday, however, she had work for me to do. I can now claim to have made a significant contribution to the Beijing Olympics. I am more than a fan, I have actually worked for the Organizing Committee. I spent our meeting editing the announcements that will be made in English over the PA system at the Softball Venue, Fengtai Softball Stadium. The announcements had been translated from Chinese to English by University students and a lot of the language was directly translated, making sense, but not sounding right to an English ear. I have been walking around in a great mood since this meeting, knowing that the announcements that are read during the Olympics were shaped, in part by me. Needless to say, for as big of an Olympic fan I am, this is a huge honor and a pretty big deal for me.
Greeting from Beijing,
Gao Tian
In the month I have been here I have already moved into a second apartment in the city, gone to twice weekly Chinese lessons, a weekly english tutoring appointment, a little thing called classes, Sunday morning workouts with a Master’s swim team and even taught a few classes every week. I love the life here and feel like my schedule is full (in a good way) this semester in ways that it was not last year. I am spending a much greater portion of my time doing things, experiencing China than last year when I had so much free time that a lot of my time was spent watching movies and browsing the internet. This year I am even feel a greater connection to my students, which is due in great part to 1.) the fact that I am returning and many of my students already know me and 2.) my students see me around campus a lot more than they did last year.
My classes have had their share of ups and downs. There are those classes that I walk out of thinking “those kids did not understand a single word that came out of my mouth” and those classes which I am simply amazed at the level of questions that the kids ask, showing without a doubt that they are interested in my lecture and are getting what I wanted them to get out of the lesson. As a very general rule, I find myself enjoying my 7th grade classes more than my 8th grade classes, though there of course are exceptions. I think that this may be due to the fact that the 7th grade students are ordered by their level of English Language, with all of the “good” English speakers in the same classroom. This is something that the administration of the school simply forgot to do for the 8th graders.
That is, in short, what classes and life have been filled with over the last few weeks. I am getting ready to give my 1st test, which last year, caused me a lot of frustration with the scored that the kids received. Hopefully this year, things will be better.
Life outside of the classroom has been good, but busy. The highlight of my 1st month back was this past Wednesday, during my English Tutoring appointment with my friend Liao. Liao Yuan works for BOCOG, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. Normally during our meeting we just talk, working on basic conversational English. This past Wednesday, however, she had work for me to do. I can now claim to have made a significant contribution to the Beijing Olympics. I am more than a fan, I have actually worked for the Organizing Committee. I spent our meeting editing the announcements that will be made in English over the PA system at the Softball Venue, Fengtai Softball Stadium. The announcements had been translated from Chinese to English by University students and a lot of the language was directly translated, making sense, but not sounding right to an English ear. I have been walking around in a great mood since this meeting, knowing that the announcements that are read during the Olympics were shaped, in part by me. Needless to say, for as big of an Olympic fan I am, this is a huge honor and a pretty big deal for me.
Greeting from Beijing,
Gao Tian
2.25.2008
Back in China
Well, it is that time of year again. As my good friend Nancy said, there are now 6 seasons to the year. Winter, Matt Leaves, Spring, Summer, Matt Returns and finally Fall. That will be the case again this year as I am once again in my “2nd Home” Beijing. The departure this time was much more low key, missing was the apprehension of what lies after, replaced instead by feeling of excitement and almost necessity. As the date of my flight drew closer I expected the feeling of nervousness to replace the excitement but I am please to say that it never really did.
I have now been in Beijing for a week and have found it nothing short of amazing the difference that a year makes. I feel so comfortable here, I am not “an old teacher” confident in the knowledge that I know where to find things, how to get things done and what being in front of a classroom means. I am able to show others good places to eat, what to do on the weekend (get out of Changping as quickly as possible…) and all the other things that go along with being experienced. Even my own social confidence is so much higher this year since I know that I can thrive here. It is just nice to be back. The weather has helped as well. We have even had some clear…really, truly clear blue skies. I know that it will not last but it has been nice while it has. I was able to see the mountains that ring the city from the city, something that I am not sure ever happened a year ago. I was also able to see from Dongzhimen to Xizhimen, across the city a pretty miraculous thing.
My time in Beijing has been spent getting ready for classes, rediscovering old favorites and making new friends. The one major highlight of my time here so far was Saturday morning when I made my way into Beijing to attend the FINA World Cup of Diving in the Olympic Swimming Venue, the water cube. This is a very impressive building that is among the two showcase venues for the Olympics. Photos will be posted at my flickr account soon that show the unique structure of the pool.
I hope that everyone that is reading this is doing well. I will write more later as I continue to experience a city that is getting ready to host the world. Please comment or write as the year goes on. I love to hear bits and pieces of what is happening on the other side of the world.
Gao Tian
I have now been in Beijing for a week and have found it nothing short of amazing the difference that a year makes. I feel so comfortable here, I am not “an old teacher” confident in the knowledge that I know where to find things, how to get things done and what being in front of a classroom means. I am able to show others good places to eat, what to do on the weekend (get out of Changping as quickly as possible…) and all the other things that go along with being experienced. Even my own social confidence is so much higher this year since I know that I can thrive here. It is just nice to be back. The weather has helped as well. We have even had some clear…really, truly clear blue skies. I know that it will not last but it has been nice while it has. I was able to see the mountains that ring the city from the city, something that I am not sure ever happened a year ago. I was also able to see from Dongzhimen to Xizhimen, across the city a pretty miraculous thing.
My time in Beijing has been spent getting ready for classes, rediscovering old favorites and making new friends. The one major highlight of my time here so far was Saturday morning when I made my way into Beijing to attend the FINA World Cup of Diving in the Olympic Swimming Venue, the water cube. This is a very impressive building that is among the two showcase venues for the Olympics. Photos will be posted at my flickr account soon that show the unique structure of the pool.
I hope that everyone that is reading this is doing well. I will write more later as I continue to experience a city that is getting ready to host the world. Please comment or write as the year goes on. I love to hear bits and pieces of what is happening on the other side of the world.
Gao Tian
12.31.2007
The Best Year Ever
Any period of time longer than say one hour will have its share of ups and downs. Even the best of days will have their negative moments, but I can say, that even with some major lows in 2007, this year was my best year ever. There were numerous highs that far outweighed the major lows, both of which, if you are willing to continue reading, I will tell you about.
If at the end of 2006 I was to guess which way 2007 was going to end up, it really could have gone either way. The move to China was such a major undertaking, a dramatic change from what I knew there was no way to know which way it would end up. I can say, without question, the move to China was one of the best things I have ever done. The move from my comfort zone challenged me to try new things, get comfortable in sometimes uncomfortable situations, make do with what I had available, meet new people, appreciate what I had in my life and generally take advantage of life’s opportunities, never being content with the status quo.
Elizabeth Gilbert, in her memoir "Eat, Pray, Love" talks about how each place, each person, can be encapsulated in one word. She claims that Rome's word is sex while the Vatican's word is power. I was challenged to find a word to describe myself, the word that I finally settled on was experience. I am not content to be shown a picture of a place, I want to be there, experiencing it for myself. This has never been more true than in 2007. Maybe it was luck, but I was able to experience more of the world in 2007 than ever before. My experiences in China were well documented here so I will not go into too many details, however, I will say that the friends I made and the experiences that I had were far better than anything I expected prior to departure. The number one highlight of the trip was living in Beijing, experiencing all that city has to offer. I now think of Beijing as my own, with at least some knowledge of some “hidden” places, off of the tourist track. The other standout moments of the trip came from my experiences outside of Beijing, the new places I visited in Shanghai, and the city of Xi’an. While the Terra Cotta Warriors were a bit of a disappointment, the food and people of Xi’an more than made up for that. I am looking forward to my return to Beijing, I am certain that this time will be at least as rewarding as my first time as an ex-pat, perhaps more so since I will have less of a learning curve as I again immerse myself in a foreign culture.
While my time in Beijing certainly made for a great year, what really set this year apart was what occurred after I left China. The trip home was more than I could have hoped for. The people I met, the experiences I had and the places I visited were beautiful and memorable. The trip home was not without it’s low points though. A month of travel by yourself can make you lonely no matter how many people you encounter. The friendships made while traveling are generally temporary ones, lasting just as long as your paths are crossed, typically for a day or two. The necessity to remake friends becomes a bit tedious after a few days, much less almost a month. That said, I know that my experiences would have been greatly altered if I was traveling with someone else. Whether this alteration would have been for good or bad no one will ever know. The other low point was that my grandmother, Lois Jasperse passed away while I was on my way back home. While I know that she was suffering from poor healthy, a death is never easy to deal with, not being in the same country removes you even further from the grieving process.
When I got back to the State's, the run of great experiences continued. Coaching this fall went extremely well, capped by a Second Place finish at State Meet. I was also named Michigan D2 Coach of the Year, a unexpected honor to cap a very successful year. The finish to this swim season was the absolutely perfect way to end that chapter of my life, however, it also showed me how much coaching means to me. The relationships that I have formed through coaching have rarely been matched in my other endeavors. In part because of the success at the end of the year, I will be back next year to coach FHC again. Maybe it is a bit of hubris, to come back and try to match the success that we had this year will take a huge effort, but an effort that I feel is worth it. The finish to 2007 is icing on the cake, showing me that, even if it was not clear to me before, all of the time that I have spent on deck coaching has been worth it.
The year was capped off with yet another trip, this time over Thanksgiving to Costa Rica. This was my first time south of the U.S. and was very different than Europe and Asia. Our weather was a bit rainier than we expected though this may be foolish since it was the rainy season. The rain forest, volcano and wildlife we saw were impressive. This highlight for me, however, was learning how to surf. Drew, Em and I spent 2 hours on the Pacific Ocean waiting for the good waves. We were successful on a few and I cannot wait to go again. We did forget one major thing, sunscreen and spent the next week in pain. A lesson learned.
In December I got a phone call with more bad news, Michael Mowers was found dead in New Mexico. Michael was just 22 years old. I had spent a few nights at his place when I first returned to the U.S. and to hear that he was dead came as a total shock. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the events surrounding his death, answers that may never be found.
This was a year unlike any other and with it come some favorite things. So without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things...2007 edition.
Best Album...Feist, The Reminder- This was the soundtrack of the second half of the year. The music is infectious, even if it is somewhat ruined now that she is the iPod girl. That said, the songs on this CD will forever have some very good memories associated with them. China and Brandy Alexander, Russia and the Park and State Meet and 1,2,3,4. This is an pop album that will remain on my frequently played list for quite some time.
Best Journey...Trans-Siberian- This trip is something that I have wanted to do for quite some time with a fair amount of expectation that went along with it. It did not disappoint. The six and a half days on the train were incredible, even with a bit of sickness. Time will only make the memories better. The sights, relaxation, food (or lack thereof) and people were what made this an unforgettable journey.
Bonus Prize...Trip home from Xi'an. Made for the best story and one of the most uncomfortable experiences in my life. That said, now that it is over I would not have wanted to do it any other way. Standing for 12 hours will never be forgotten.
Best Meal...Lamb Chuar and Paomo in Xi'an. Sitting in the Muslim Quarter on rickety plastic stools sharing great food and beer with Traci ranks as one of my all time top dining experiences. The evenings in Xi'an assured that I can never really enjoy American Chinese food. It just does not compare to the real stuff, whatever that may be.
Best Day...November 16th. Finals of State Meet. It will take a lot for another day to match the positive emotions of that day. Everything went right, a rare occurrence in Swimming or anything else for that matter. I am so proud of how the girl's swam.
Best Year...2007! I hope that 2008 is close to as memorable as 2007 has been. I will share with you that journey here. Wishing you a Happy New Year!
If at the end of 2006 I was to guess which way 2007 was going to end up, it really could have gone either way. The move to China was such a major undertaking, a dramatic change from what I knew there was no way to know which way it would end up. I can say, without question, the move to China was one of the best things I have ever done. The move from my comfort zone challenged me to try new things, get comfortable in sometimes uncomfortable situations, make do with what I had available, meet new people, appreciate what I had in my life and generally take advantage of life’s opportunities, never being content with the status quo.
Elizabeth Gilbert, in her memoir "Eat, Pray, Love" talks about how each place, each person, can be encapsulated in one word. She claims that Rome's word is sex while the Vatican's word is power. I was challenged to find a word to describe myself, the word that I finally settled on was experience. I am not content to be shown a picture of a place, I want to be there, experiencing it for myself. This has never been more true than in 2007. Maybe it was luck, but I was able to experience more of the world in 2007 than ever before. My experiences in China were well documented here so I will not go into too many details, however, I will say that the friends I made and the experiences that I had were far better than anything I expected prior to departure. The number one highlight of the trip was living in Beijing, experiencing all that city has to offer. I now think of Beijing as my own, with at least some knowledge of some “hidden” places, off of the tourist track. The other standout moments of the trip came from my experiences outside of Beijing, the new places I visited in Shanghai, and the city of Xi’an. While the Terra Cotta Warriors were a bit of a disappointment, the food and people of Xi’an more than made up for that. I am looking forward to my return to Beijing, I am certain that this time will be at least as rewarding as my first time as an ex-pat, perhaps more so since I will have less of a learning curve as I again immerse myself in a foreign culture.
While my time in Beijing certainly made for a great year, what really set this year apart was what occurred after I left China. The trip home was more than I could have hoped for. The people I met, the experiences I had and the places I visited were beautiful and memorable. The trip home was not without it’s low points though. A month of travel by yourself can make you lonely no matter how many people you encounter. The friendships made while traveling are generally temporary ones, lasting just as long as your paths are crossed, typically for a day or two. The necessity to remake friends becomes a bit tedious after a few days, much less almost a month. That said, I know that my experiences would have been greatly altered if I was traveling with someone else. Whether this alteration would have been for good or bad no one will ever know. The other low point was that my grandmother, Lois Jasperse passed away while I was on my way back home. While I know that she was suffering from poor healthy, a death is never easy to deal with, not being in the same country removes you even further from the grieving process.
When I got back to the State's, the run of great experiences continued. Coaching this fall went extremely well, capped by a Second Place finish at State Meet. I was also named Michigan D2 Coach of the Year, a unexpected honor to cap a very successful year. The finish to this swim season was the absolutely perfect way to end that chapter of my life, however, it also showed me how much coaching means to me. The relationships that I have formed through coaching have rarely been matched in my other endeavors. In part because of the success at the end of the year, I will be back next year to coach FHC again. Maybe it is a bit of hubris, to come back and try to match the success that we had this year will take a huge effort, but an effort that I feel is worth it. The finish to 2007 is icing on the cake, showing me that, even if it was not clear to me before, all of the time that I have spent on deck coaching has been worth it.
The year was capped off with yet another trip, this time over Thanksgiving to Costa Rica. This was my first time south of the U.S. and was very different than Europe and Asia. Our weather was a bit rainier than we expected though this may be foolish since it was the rainy season. The rain forest, volcano and wildlife we saw were impressive. This highlight for me, however, was learning how to surf. Drew, Em and I spent 2 hours on the Pacific Ocean waiting for the good waves. We were successful on a few and I cannot wait to go again. We did forget one major thing, sunscreen and spent the next week in pain. A lesson learned.
In December I got a phone call with more bad news, Michael Mowers was found dead in New Mexico. Michael was just 22 years old. I had spent a few nights at his place when I first returned to the U.S. and to hear that he was dead came as a total shock. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the events surrounding his death, answers that may never be found.
This was a year unlike any other and with it come some favorite things. So without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things...2007 edition.
Best Album...Feist, The Reminder- This was the soundtrack of the second half of the year. The music is infectious, even if it is somewhat ruined now that she is the iPod girl. That said, the songs on this CD will forever have some very good memories associated with them. China and Brandy Alexander, Russia and the Park and State Meet and 1,2,3,4. This is an pop album that will remain on my frequently played list for quite some time.
Best Journey...Trans-Siberian- This trip is something that I have wanted to do for quite some time with a fair amount of expectation that went along with it. It did not disappoint. The six and a half days on the train were incredible, even with a bit of sickness. Time will only make the memories better. The sights, relaxation, food (or lack thereof) and people were what made this an unforgettable journey.
Bonus Prize...Trip home from Xi'an. Made for the best story and one of the most uncomfortable experiences in my life. That said, now that it is over I would not have wanted to do it any other way. Standing for 12 hours will never be forgotten.
Best Meal...Lamb Chuar and Paomo in Xi'an. Sitting in the Muslim Quarter on rickety plastic stools sharing great food and beer with Traci ranks as one of my all time top dining experiences. The evenings in Xi'an assured that I can never really enjoy American Chinese food. It just does not compare to the real stuff, whatever that may be.
Best Day...November 16th. Finals of State Meet. It will take a lot for another day to match the positive emotions of that day. Everything went right, a rare occurrence in Swimming or anything else for that matter. I am so proud of how the girl's swam.
Best Year...2007! I hope that 2008 is close to as memorable as 2007 has been. I will share with you that journey here. Wishing you a Happy New Year!
9.16.2007
Hiatus...
I am taking a break from posting while in the United States. I am planning on returning to China sometime early in 2008. I will begin updates again when I have more information about my return and of course of my adventures when I do return.
7.30.2007
Trip home Overview
There are some trips that are simply a way of getting from point A to point B, there are others that seem to be life changing experiences at the time, but turn out to be a simple collection of memories as time passes, then there are the truly life changing, the trips that have a paradigm shift in which you learn things about the world and most importantly, yourself. I firmly believe (and hope) that I am in the midst of one of these life changing trips. I am currently making my way across Norway on what can only be described as a breathtakingly beautiful trip… which of course means that you are free to ask why I am on my laptop rather than looking out the window. The places that I have experienced on my trip home have been fantastic, places that I already wish I was back in. The itinerary for the trip was such that I got just a taste of many different places, rather than the chance to really explore the inner workings of any one city. This has made for a frenetic pace, the feeling that I am constantly on the move. That part I am ready to be done with…but the places that I have been to, I can never be done with those.
Moscow was incredible, and very unexpected, like nothing I had ever imagined Moscow to be. It was a perfect transition between Beijing and Europe. Still slightly stuck in the communist era, but a big modern, bustling city firmly headed towards taking it place as a major European capital rather than the head of the Eastern Bloc.
St Petersburg stepped a bit closer to feeling like a European city, full of 18th century architecture, overwhelming museums, expansive palaces, historical sights and everything else that you would hope to find in European Capitals. The weather was hit or miss in St Petersburg, but that did little to take away from the splendor of this former Russian capital. It felt like I was in Amsterdam (the city St. Petersburg was modeled on) or Paris (the good parts). With just two days here, I had barely enough time to scratch the surface, making a cursory run through the Hermitage collection, a visit to Peterhof and a cathedral or two. There was so much here that I still want to see that a trip back is inevitable.
Helsinki was spectacular is a completely underwhelming way. It was calm, quiet, beautiful, and underwhelming. This is the only city where I felt like I did everything that I wanted to. Helsinki is a place that I could see myself living in, but I am not sure if I ever need to vacation there again. The people were outstandingly friendly and helpful which made my stay a complete joy. The food was excellent (though pricey), and the weather was good. It was a good midpoint for the trip, a rest before experiencing the rest of Scandinavia.
Stockholm has been my favorite stop so far. This is a wonderful city, full of history, beautiful architecture, water everywhere, good food and great museums. I could have spent another two or three weeks in Stockholm, there was way too much to do in the two days I had there. The best museum of the trip was found here, the Nobel Museum, which celebrates the achievements and lives of the Nobel laureates. The one downside of Stockholm, or for that matter all of the places I have been, was that they are not cheap places, you pay for the great weather, friendly English speaking people, clean cities and great infrastructure. That said, Stockholm is a must visit for everyone.
Oslo was the most recent place where I rested my head, and another great place. Oslo had a more industrial, big city feel to it than the other Scandinavian capitals, there was a certain charm to this. The museums here were excellent, showcasing Norway’s maritime history and unique place in the history of Europe, playing the role of neither power nor pawn, instead taking a place as intermediary, at times asserting their views into the shaping of European and World history.
The Capitals (and former Capitals) I have so far visited are now being left behind, for the more tranquil Norwegian interior and coastline. Bergen, the gateway to the Fjords awaits, sure to be even more impressive than anything I have experienced yet. After that, it is homeward bound, a time to return to the States after 6 months away. I am at a loss that it has only been 6 months, there are times whne it feels like much, much longer than that, but also times when it feels like there is no way that it has been that long. This trip and time away from home has taught me a lot, about the world and myself. The lessons learned in these last 6 months are bound to shape the decisions and experiences of the remainder of my life. I am thankful of the opportunities that I have had, the support that has been given to me in order to live through the experiences I have had.
Moscow was incredible, and very unexpected, like nothing I had ever imagined Moscow to be. It was a perfect transition between Beijing and Europe. Still slightly stuck in the communist era, but a big modern, bustling city firmly headed towards taking it place as a major European capital rather than the head of the Eastern Bloc.
St Petersburg stepped a bit closer to feeling like a European city, full of 18th century architecture, overwhelming museums, expansive palaces, historical sights and everything else that you would hope to find in European Capitals. The weather was hit or miss in St Petersburg, but that did little to take away from the splendor of this former Russian capital. It felt like I was in Amsterdam (the city St. Petersburg was modeled on) or Paris (the good parts). With just two days here, I had barely enough time to scratch the surface, making a cursory run through the Hermitage collection, a visit to Peterhof and a cathedral or two. There was so much here that I still want to see that a trip back is inevitable.
Helsinki was spectacular is a completely underwhelming way. It was calm, quiet, beautiful, and underwhelming. This is the only city where I felt like I did everything that I wanted to. Helsinki is a place that I could see myself living in, but I am not sure if I ever need to vacation there again. The people were outstandingly friendly and helpful which made my stay a complete joy. The food was excellent (though pricey), and the weather was good. It was a good midpoint for the trip, a rest before experiencing the rest of Scandinavia.
Stockholm has been my favorite stop so far. This is a wonderful city, full of history, beautiful architecture, water everywhere, good food and great museums. I could have spent another two or three weeks in Stockholm, there was way too much to do in the two days I had there. The best museum of the trip was found here, the Nobel Museum, which celebrates the achievements and lives of the Nobel laureates. The one downside of Stockholm, or for that matter all of the places I have been, was that they are not cheap places, you pay for the great weather, friendly English speaking people, clean cities and great infrastructure. That said, Stockholm is a must visit for everyone.
Oslo was the most recent place where I rested my head, and another great place. Oslo had a more industrial, big city feel to it than the other Scandinavian capitals, there was a certain charm to this. The museums here were excellent, showcasing Norway’s maritime history and unique place in the history of Europe, playing the role of neither power nor pawn, instead taking a place as intermediary, at times asserting their views into the shaping of European and World history.
The Capitals (and former Capitals) I have so far visited are now being left behind, for the more tranquil Norwegian interior and coastline. Bergen, the gateway to the Fjords awaits, sure to be even more impressive than anything I have experienced yet. After that, it is homeward bound, a time to return to the States after 6 months away. I am at a loss that it has only been 6 months, there are times whne it feels like much, much longer than that, but also times when it feels like there is no way that it has been that long. This trip and time away from home has taught me a lot, about the world and myself. The lessons learned in these last 6 months are bound to shape the decisions and experiences of the remainder of my life. I am thankful of the opportunities that I have had, the support that has been given to me in order to live through the experiences I have had.
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