We’re able to sleep late after the big day yesterday for Judy and all her performances.  She gets rolling late in the morning, and leaves around 11:30 to prepare for the 2:00 pm matinee.  I kill a little more time and finally get away, arriving 20 minutes early.  The audience fills the room by the time the show starts.  It’s another fun performance.  There have been two students sharing the role of Annie.  Today the lead role is played by an Australian student.  Last night, it was played by an Indian student.  The two performances definitely had a different flavor.

After the show, there is a cast party with a cake and snacks.  Lots of relief on the faces of the faculty is evident.  The secondary principal is nice enough to stay with the students till it’s over, and allow Judy to leave the cast party early.  Shannon, Judy’s faculty friend (and next year’s Elementary Principal) has plans for Judy this evening.  She takes her to a salon in Sanlitun for a pedicure and massage.  While the “girls” do their thing, I accompany her husband.  We find our own massage location.

Later we meet the wives at Homeplate BBQ.  I decide to try the ribs!  They’re really good.  As usual, ribs seem to end up everywhere on my face and body, but they were worth it.  I can’t remember the last time I felt this stuffed since I’ve been in Beijing.

This photo came from a performance Judy’s students did two weeks ago.

Today is “D” Day for Annie.  Performance #1 is tonight.  But Judy has so much more to do today than that.  The Pre-K class is performing at the assembly today.  Also, the BISS choir, which is now all the grade 3, 4, & 5 students, is singing today.  Of course, she’ll be expected to meet all her other classes as well.  This would be a busy day, without the performance tonight.

I travel to BHSFIC for my Friday classes, and get back to the apartment around 3:00.  Our travel agent comes by with our last ticket purchase for our summer travel.  It’s a big relief to finally get all that planning finished.  Now all I have to do is line up a few tours in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, and book our cruise excursions.

I arrive at BISS for the performance about ½ hour before the show starts.  Students and teachers are excited.  It’s a fun show and a good crowd in attendance.  Most of the student-actors are non-English speakers, leading to some really funny accents, and humorous moments in the dialog.  There are some nice musical moments, and overall the performance is well done.  Everyone loves it, and Judy is swarmed by people bragging on the job, she, and the other staff have done.

WEDNESDAY, 2/26/14

Well, this is a new one for us!  Just as Judy was going out the door this morning, she got a text from an administrator announcing that school was cancelled.  Smog!   It’s a smog day.  Teachers were told to stay home and post online assignments for their students.  Lara, the first grade teacher, had been talking about setting up Skype sessions with her students, maybe even two.  The smog readings have been high for a week, but they’re supposed to go down tonight.  A cold front is blowing in.

What to do?  Just like a snow day, we take time to enjoy the morning, then we start working.  Judy gets caught up on work she’s been too busy to finish.  Later in the afternoon, she goes up to school to do some printing.  She has to print a color page for every student’s portfolio (over 100 students).

While she’s gone, I head out for my swim session.  After swimming, it’s back to home and work.  No rest for the wicked.

THURSDAY, 2/27/14

Judy is back to the grind today, after “Smog Day.”  “Annie” performances are Friday and Saturday, so there are lots of little details as it comes down to the wire.

I’m back on schedule at BHSFIC today.  I’m anticipating meeting the orchestra club after school.  I’m also supposed to meet the 10^th grade students in the elective music class.  The weather is beautiful as I walk to the train. 

At school, I find out there is some kind of meeting after school, so no orchestra class after school.  I hang around and attend the faculty meeting that I usually have to miss because of the club rehearsal.  Not much information, except for the discussion about the new grading program we’re all supposed to login and set-up.  I’ve already done it, so I’m feeling “ahead of the game.”   

The big news in Beijing these days is the smog.  It’s not just Beijing.  All of northeast China is suffering.  It’s been really high for several days.  All the television news is discussing it.  It’s page one in the newspapers.  It’s really thick, and visibility is bad.  There is a slight smoky smell of “burning tires”.  The weather people are saying a cold front is coming in on Wednesday night and will blow it all away.

Hearing all the discussion from the Chinese viewpoint, while living with it, in Beijing, is pretty interesting.  There is a lot of talk about the health issues, versus the economic issues involved with shutting down factories, etc.  I’m enjoying observing the internal debate.  I witnessed a scene I wished I could have captured with a camera.  A Chinese woman wearing a smog mask was walking down the street on a heavy smog day.  She had the mask pulled down around her chin, and was smoking a cigarette.  Classic!

There is also a lot of discussion about the East Asian issues between Japan, Korea, North Korea, the Phillipines, and China.  There are lots of prickly issues, and lots of heated talk.  Everyone is sniping at each other, and there seems to be purposeful antagonism between all the parties involved.  Some of the BHSFIC teachers traveled through Tokyo during the school break, and couldn’t get Chinese currency exchanged in the Tokyo Airport.

SATURDAY, 2/22/14

Judy is ready for a little rest and relaxation today.  She heads over for a haircut, and I tag along in the taxi.  I walk from the Hilton (where she gets her haircut) to the Marriott for a swim session (about ¾ mile).  When I get to the pool.  I realize I don’t have my phone.  I open the iPad to send Judy a text and let her know, and there’s a message from Judy (sent from her computer) letting me know that she also forgot her phone.  Thank goodness for all our other techno stuff.

After my swim, I walk back to the Hilton.  Judy is waiting in the lobby.  We head out the door, and walk over to Dragonfly Spa.  It’s just a few blocks away.  Judy wants to try their manicure/pedicure options.  This neighborhood is an embassy/consulate neighborhood.  We walk by the US Embassy enroute.  Many of the businesses cater to Westerners.  I’m going to kill time in Fatburger and Starbucks.  Darn!  We buy a few groceries in the downstairs grocery (every mall area seems to have a basement grocery market).  Afterwards, we taxi back to the apartment, ready to spend the rest of the day on schoolwork.

SUNDAY, 2/23/14

Today is a big day for “Annie”.  Rehearsal starts at 9:00am, and finishes at 4:00.  The rehearsal goes well and it’s all beginning to come together.  There are the usual irritations with student absences, due to “whatever”.  Judy’s been dreading this day, and looking forward to it, at the same time, knowing that they’re going to get a lot done.  There’s a huge sigh of relief when she gets home.

Deb, our Australian friend, is celebrating her 50^th birthday with a large group of friends from BISS.  We’re having brunch at Mosto, a really nice restaurant in the Sanlitun area.  I end up sitting with some of the long-timers from BISS.  I ask lots of questions about travel in Asia, where they’ve been, what was the best place, etc.  I’m looking for travel destinations for our future travel.  These guys have been everywhere.  There are way too many places to go, and too few holidays

Finally, I get to teach a class.  It seems like forever since I’ve seen anyone from BHSFIC.  Class goes well.  Near the end, some of the students are called out of class to get inoculated for Chicken Pox.  One of the 11^th graders has it, so everyone’s getting shots.

After class, I get a chance to talk to some of the teachers about their break.  They didn’t get a Xmas break, so most of them went home to visit family for the first time since coming to China.  They also chaperoned groups of 10^th grade students (8 to 12) at a US high school for two weeks.  BHSFIC would pay airfare one direction if they agreed to sponsor a group.  The teacher’s job was to go up to the school during the day, and make sure the students were doing okay in their classes.  The students are at the schools for 4 weeks, but the teachers are tag-teaming the groups.  Everyone gets two weeks with kids, then two weeks at home with family.  There is a lot of coordination to make all this work, with flights, etc.  Coming home, the recent snowstorms in Japan caused some cancellations of flights (they were all flying through Tokyo).  Nothing like being stuck in an airport with a large group of kids for a long time, but I’ve been there before myself.

I talk to the principal, Serene, about the extra class she wants me to teach this semester.  The 10^th graders (about 18 students) had an elective Music Appreciation class last semester.  They want to keep the class going, but the teacher can’t come this semester.  I’m bored enough to accept the job.  It will mean a little extra work, but it will also mean a little extra income each month.

Judy has “Annie” rehearsal after school.  They’re making progress, but the performances are a week away.  She is worn out when she gets home, so we spend a quiet night watching “West Wing” episodes. 

What was supposed to be a teaching day for me has turned into something completely different.   I decide to finish up all the laundry, now that the washing machine is working correctly.  When that finishes, I walk over to Metro for my weekly grocery stop.  Lillie gave me a list of cleaning supplies we’re low on.  I’ve haven’t made any of these purchases since we arrived in July.  I sort of over-bought back then.  I didn’t know what we needed, so I bought lots of everything.

After Metro, it’s time to swim.  I’ve figured out how to turn a swimming session into a whole afternoon.  It’s a half-hour walk.  The swim itself is takes me ½ hour.  Then I have to sit in the hot tub for while, contemplating life.  After the hot tub, I sit at one of the tables on the pool deck, reading an English version of China Daily, or the iPad, or both.  It’s actually pretty interesting getting the world’s news through the eyes of China.  When I finish reading, I shower, and usually head home. 

Today though, I have a mission.  Judy needs me to find some snacks (donuts or something) for the “Annie” cast for Sunday’s rehearsal.  This is pretty tough work, finding snacks, but it’s job I’m well suited to.  I looked earlier at Metro, but didn’t find anything suitable (by my high standards).  I’ve decided to check out the South German Bakery for pastries.  Samples will need to be taken.  They really don’t have what I need, but I did pick up a fresh loaf of German bread that should taste really good, heated, with some butter.

As I head home from the bakery, I call Judy to check in.  She had been headed home, but a group of BISS faculty were headed to Bluche to celebrate Mark’s (Brit) birthday.  He’s been at BISS for 11 years.  Also, the new drama teacher has arrived and she’s going to be at Bluche.  When the taxi arrived at Bluche, the driver had been so erratic and angry, Judy was afraid to continue to the apartment.  She decided to get out at Bluche and join the party.  I guide my taxi over to Bluche, also.  I don’t want to miss out on any fun.

The new drama teacher is in attendance.  She has been teaching in New Zealand for 25 years, but she’s Scottish.  There are a lot accents flying around the table with the Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Brits, Scots, Americans, and Spaniards, all adding to the conversations.

The real fun of the evening is hearing Shannon talk about the Jackie Chan experience from Tuesday.  As it turns out, the producer (he’s a big-time name in China) has a pre-schooler at BISS, thus the invitation for BISS students.  Shannon ends up serving as the “wrangler” for the 35 primary age student participants.  She is ideal for this role.  No one could have handled it better.  She gets the chance to work with both the producer and Jackie Chan very closely as they set-up and shoot the footage.  Shannon has some great pictures of the whole process, and is obviously right in the middle of it all, talking, and planning with Jackie Chan himself.   She showed us the pictures on her computer, but had to sign a release stating she wouldn’t send them out, or I would have some posted here.

Shannon was so impressed with how well Jackie Chan worked with everyone, herself, and the especially the students.  He was genuine, warm, helpful, and personable.  Sometimes that isn’t the case with a “star”, but he was right in the middle of everything, including the kids.  One of the kids knocked over some paint (the students were all painting, as part of the scene).  Mr. Chan was the first one to get to the mess and start cleaning it up.  The really funny part of the day is that the students didn’t really know anything at all about Jackie Chan, so to them, he was just another guy, who kept getting in their way.

TUESDAY, 2/18/14

I spend the day downloading video materials for my classes on Thursday & Friday.  The internet is so slow it takes forever.  I walk over to the Marriott later for my daily swim.  The walk is always interesting.  There are lots of vendors selling food items.  Some of the carts smell so good, but they look so dirty, and I’m not sure what kind of oil/grease they’re using to cook with.  One of these days, I’ll get the courage to experiment.  That should be a good story.

Judy has so many loose ends dangling at BISS.  “Annie” is staring her right in the face, but one of the main parts of her job is to collaborate with all the grade levels.  Every time she turns around, someone is needing a piece of music, or the piano played, or a piece of music taught to their students for an assembly.  All this on top of the curriculum she is supposed to be teaching.  Some days she comes home, pulling her hair out.  Other days, she is pumped up and can’t wait to get back.  Teaching never changes.

WEDNESDAY, 2/19/14

I wake up today and the internet was really fast.  I hurriedly get going looking for materials to download.  There are not many days when the internet is this strong.  It’s a shame how much of my life these days is driven by internet speed.  While I’m working, I get an email from BHSFIC telling me my classes for tomorrow have been cancelled due to a math competition for all the 11^th graders.  It’s been a long time (5 weeks) since the end of last semester.  I was actually looking forward to meeting the class tomorrow, as well as the Guitar Club, and the Orchestra.

The spin cycle on the washing machine has not been working for about a month.  It was an intermittent problem for a while, but after we returned from the US, it quit being intermittent.  Every time I run a load of washing, I have to wring it out by hand.  The Chinese New Year interfered with getting help to get it repaired.  Today, the repairman arrives, as well as our landlord, and the three of us get it fixed.  I manage to describe the problem, the repairman fixes it, and the landlord produces the warranty.    

Soon after they depart, Lillie, our ayi, walks in.  She hasn’t been here since Xmas.  I’ve done my best keeping the place picked up, but she’s going to have her hands full today.  I clear out and head for my afternoon swim.  She needs a clear field when she goes to work today.

Judy is so busy today, she doesn’t even get a report on the Jackie Chan commercial.  Maybe we’ll get some info on Thursday or Friday.  I’ll bet there are some good stories.

SUNDAY, 2/16/14

Today, Judy gets a chance to relax a little, and prepare for a very busy two weeks.  “Annie” is two weeks away. She manages to find several projects around the apartment that I didn’t realize needed doing, but that’s not unusual.  I spend most of my day working on arrangements for the BHSFIC orchestra/band.  It’s such an odd instrumentation, I have trouble figuring out how to sort out the parts.  Combine that with my lack of familiarity working with the software programs I’m using, and it adds up to a lot of time.

MONDAY, 2/17/14

BULLETIN!  Judy called from school to tell me that a media producer was visiting the school.  He was looking for students to participate in a “Promote Beijing” commercial with Jackie Chan.  The producer is a friend of the family that owns and administrates BISS.  The commercial is supposed to be filmed tomorrow (Tuesday), so they’re scrambling to select a group of about 35 students to be involved in the project.  The producer and the “Head of School” walk from class to class, hand picking students that best suit their needs.  They casually walk into Judy’s room and ask if any of the 1^st or 2^nd graders can sing.  Naturally, the kids that could sing are not the ones originally selected to participate, but they get added to the list.   

The really fun part of an operation like this is the logistics.  The selected students have to take a letter home with instructions for attire, schedule, and permission.  Then they have to show up the tomorrow, dressed correctly, with properly signed permission letters.  There will be tons of questions as soon as those letters get to the parents.  Everyone is excited to see Jackie Chan.  I hope it all comes together.

I spend the afternoon getting a haircut.  I always enjoy walking by the McLaren car dealership that’s near the hair stylist.  I flirted with the idea of buying a McLaren hat, but hurriedly left when I realized they were the equivalent of $100 USD.  I walked down the street past the US Embassy, enroute to the Marriott for my swimming session.  It’s about ½ mile.  I had seen signs advertising “Lady Street”, very near the Flower Market.  As it turns out, it’s a huge market underneath the Flower Market specializing in women’s clothing and jewelry.  It’s always a surprise to me how these huge market areas are hidden at the end of a dingy alleyway, or in the middle of what looks like an impoverished area.

Judy has an all-day professional development session today on “How to Teach Non-English Speakers”.  She’ll have a chance to use her highly honed skills for seeming interested, when she has little or no interest in the subject matter.  It’s an important topic for teachers in international schools.  The presenters have great ideas and have worked on their presentation.  The techniques are best applied in a classroom where individual problems can be addressed.  Judy’s class instruction is not individualized so much of the information doesn’t apply.  Last year, new teachers had to attend two-hour sessions on Monday afternoons for 8 weeks.  This Saturday class is an improvement.

After the class finished, Judy and Shannon (close friend from Australia, and next year’s elementary principal) hurriedly pack up and head off to a baby shower.  Mei Lei, wife of Roger, the 2^nd grade teacher at BISS, is having a baby in a few weeks.  A baby shower is a new concept for several of the teachers, so there is lot of explaining about the activities and games.  Judy has a great time, and the shower is a huge success.

The husbands of many of the shower attendees get together at another apartment for a poker night.  I joined the group.  It’s been years since I’ve played poker, so there is a learning curve.  I’m not heading out on the pro poker tour, if anyone is wondering how I did.  It was a really fun night.  Anytime I get a chance to sit around and talk with such a diverse group, I love it.  Australia, Israel, US, England, and Canada are represented.  Lots of verbal jabs are exchanged.  I did hold my own at that part of the evening!