When Lilly, our ayi arrives, I head out to Metro for my weekly grocery shopping trip. I meant to start out early today, but couldn’t get myself in gear. When I get back to the apartment, I unload the groceries hurriedly, and head back out to the train. I’m supposed to meet Graham for lunch.

Graham’s wife Deb is a teacher at BISS. They’re from Australia and she’s finishing her 2^nd year at BISS. She has accepted a job at a school in Phnom Phen, Cambodia. The two of them adopted us and showed us the “ropes” of the local cuisine and neighborhood. They helped us discover some interesting foods that were really cheap. Graham works at the British International School as a teacher’s assistant, four days a week. He has Wednesdays off, and we’ve been promising to get together for lunch all year. For whatever reason, it hasn’t happened, but it’s happening today.

We take the train to Sanlitun, and settle on the Blue Frog. They serve great burgers, and I get one with Sichuan peppers to spice it up. It kinda like a Chinese version of a jalapeno burger. We have a great time sitting and talking about traveling in China. Deb and Graham have traveled all over Asia, and I’m trying to get as many good ideas as possible before they’re gone. He has some great “learning” experiences to talk about

After a really long lunch, we walk back to the train. I get off at the station near the Marriott and walk over for a swim session. I’m hoping to burn off a few of the calories I enjoyed back at the Blue Frog. Back home later, I start getting materials ready for my class tomorrow.

Now that I have some table tennis (TT) gear, I need to figure out where to play.  Checking around on the internet, I find mention of several large clubs, but none are near me (as least that I can find.)  I decide there’s no sense traveling and then getting my brains beat out in a club.  I’m gonna find a local park and let some of the locals wear me out.

I walk across the street, into the neighborhood, to a badminton gym.  I thought they might have a few tables and players.  There was a table, but no players.  A few months back, someone mentioned seeing some tables in a park just outside a UHN gate on the other side of the complex.  I walk there next, and sure enough, there are three tables, and people playing on all the tables.

I walk over and sit on a nearby bench to watch.  Within moments, one of the players gestured to me, inviting me to play.  I pulled out my racket and gave it a try.  It took me some time to adjust to my new racket (it’s really good, but different.)  I held up pretty well.  No scoring, just hitting.  I played with seven or eight different players.  They were all curious.  One guy played with a paddle in both hands.  The table was concrete, but the players bring their own net.  There was also a tarp hung up between trees used as a windbreak.  When they finished playing after 45 minutes, they took their net down, untied the tarp, folded it, and hung it up on a nearby hook, ready to be used by the next players.  This group of players seemed to be the regular “morning group.”  They all had their tea, and took turns playing, women and men.  As they were leaving, they were asking my age (I think that’s what they were asking.)

When they finished, I put my stuff up, but a group at another table motioned me over.  This group was younger and played a faster game.  It took some time for me to adjust, but I definitely got faster (I had to.)  They kept giving me the “thumbs up.”  I doubt I could beat any of them in a game, but I could hit with them.  One of the women called a friend on the phone, and they started to try to ask questions, through the phone.  I eventually was handed the phone when they were trying to find out how long I had played.  That’s a tough question to answer since I’ve played since Jr. High, but never really seriously (unless I was playing my son or my brother.)  I ended up spending almost 3 hours playing intermittently with the different groups.

Back home, I had to clean up and get ready to join Judy and a group of BISS teachers at a Sanlitun restaurant.  They were completing the evaluation and review of the Grade 5 Exhibition two weeks ago.  Lots of pizza, chicken wings, and french fries.  Its always fun to sit in a group of teachers from such diverse backgrounds (Canada, Sri Lanka, Australia, Korea, etc.)  So many different viewpoints make for interesting exchanges.

Judy is fired up and ready for school today. With all her major projects finished up, she’s ready to settle down to teaching. Saturday is BISS “International Day” and all the grade levels are performing. She’s been getting all the preparations in place, and this is the week it all comes together. It’s the last major performance for the year.

I’ve been getting restless. I’ve completed most of my class prep for the rest of the year. All I have on my plate is grocery shopping and swimming.

I decide it’s time to pursue another hobby. Since table tennis is the #1 sport in China, I figure this is great time to develop my own game. I’m not that good, but I can beat a few people (mainly my son and my brother). I need a racket/bat/paddle, and I’ve found a sporting goods store where I can purchase one.

After I get on the train, I decide to detour on a sightseeing trip. There are several places Judy has visited on BISS trips that I haven’t seen. I’m also scouting some weekend trips for the two of us. I take the train to Behai Park. It’s a really large park with a big lake. There are lots of small rental boats on the lake.

View from the north end of the lake

Battery powered “Tulip Boats”

The gentlemen had a speaker set-up, and was “conducting” this lady in a song as I walked up (check out the baton in his hands).

I think he’s trying to sell his songbook. The music on the large page is written in the Chinese simple notation.

After walking through the park. I walk out and across the street to Jingshan Park. It’s another beautiful park with the highlight being the tall hill in the center. It’ overlooks the Forbidden City, but also has a great view of the rest of the city. Unfortunately, there are many stairs. It’s a real hike to the top, but the view is worth it! I’ve posted a link to a short movie below.

After leaving the park, I hire a rickshaw for a ride to the sporting goods store in Wangfuging (one of the main shopping areas in Beijing). I make my purchase of a racket (the official name), and the rubber surfaces that are glued to the racket. There is a huge selection available. I walk out fully “geared up” and ready to tear up the table tennis world (or vice versa).

I finish the outing with a train trip to the Marriott for a swim session, and then home. We catch a couple of “Lost” episodes and then hit the sack.

We enjoy a very lazy Sunday. Judy is working hard to finish several of the major projects she’s in the middle of. She spends pretty much the entire day finishing one project and then moving on to another. At the end of the day, she has knocked out a bunch of the major chores that were hanging over her head. She is ready to celebrate!

We’ve been putting off going out anywhere today so she could finish up all the computer stuff. When she finally finishes up, we don’t feel like going out, so we order from “Avocado Tree”. It’s a “Chipotle” copy, with the big burritos, black beans, guacamole, etc. It’s really good. We get a chicken burrito, a burrito in a bowl (no tortilla), two chicken tacos, and several orders of chips/salsa/queso. Judy does the largest damage on the queso and chips. It’s a glorious end to a productive day for her.

The morning starts off kinda lazy. Judy’s working on curriculum, but the internet is so slow, she can’t get much done. We leave late in the morning to go over to the Marriott. I’ll swim and she’s going to use the hotel wifi to get some work done.

After the swim, we walk down the street to Kro’s Nest Pizza. I’ve been a few times previously, but this is Judy’s first visit. We get some french fries and a really large pizza. I don’t what I was thinking? We taxi home when we’re done, with plenty of extra pizza to spare. Judy goes back to work on her curriculum project and I start getting ready for my trip to the Beijing Guoan soccer game tonight.

Steve and Josie – all geared up for the game

A couple of the BHSFIC faculty (Steve and Josie) meet me at Sanlitun, near the Worker’s Stadium. Steve purchased tickets from scalpers as he walked by the stadium. With tickets in hand, we go find some food. After dinner, we run the gauntlet of street vendors selling Guoan gear. I buy a light jacket and a scarf (when in Rome, etc.). The game is fun. Guoan ends up winning at the end on a penalty kick. The crowd is entertaining they are really organized as a group. I admittedly haven’t attended too many soccer games, so I don’t have much to compare it to. I attached a link below to a short video I made at the game.

THURSDAY, 5/8/14

Yea! It’s a teaching day for me. When I leave the apartment I’m not sure of my schedule today. I know I’m meeting the 10^th grade class, but I don’t think the 11^th graders are meeting. They’re all taking AP tests at various times for the next two weeks, and when they aren’t taking tests, they have “self-study.” Sure enough, when I sign in, I’m told that 11^th grade classes won’t start meeting regularly until the week of May 19. Even then, the 11^th graders will only meet their non-AP classes on a morning schedule. They won’t have any afternoon classes. I’ll have an adjusted schedule of one combined class of 11^th graders on Thursday and then again on Friday.

Since the majority of the students in my Guitar Club and the Orchestra Club are 11^th graders, we don’t meet the clubs either. Without a club meeting, I’m able to attend the regularly scheduled faculty meeting. We get a BHSFIC calendar for next year. Now I can begin to think ahead about our travel opportunities for 2014-15.

FRIDAY, 5/9/14

I spend time today, getting hotel and flight reservations set-up for Baton Rouge when we go back to the US in July. I also needed a hotel reservation for San Antonio for TBA. I have to attend a judging clinic this summer if I want to keep my judging credentials current in Texas.

Judy has another full day of classes, as well as performances at the BISS assembly with one of her grade levels. When she gets home, she’s beat and ready to crash. We finish off the busy week with a couple of episodes of “Lost” (we’re finishing Season 5.)

TUESDAY, 5/6/14

I’ve hit on an idea for my 11^th grade music classes. I’m going to create an accompaniment for “Happy” on Garageband. We’ll divide the classes into rhythm, bass, melody groups, and teach each group their part, using the accompaniment as a support tool. I think the segments are short enough, and easy enough that even the non-musicians in the group can have fun. Ideally we can sing it as a group at the end of the year.

Of course, this requires that I revisit my rhythmic and melodic dictation skills. Then I have to spend the time to create the Garageband tracks. Creativity has never been my strongest asset. Eventually, I’ll need to put it all into Finale so I can have something written out to teach from. This is beginning to sound like a lot of work.

Judy comes in early after school today. She has lots of computer work to do, and decided to work at home instead of school. She’s beginning to work on the PYP curriculum. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? IB is changing how the source materials and class planning procedures are organized. Judy’s next project (besides teaching 10 grade levels) is to redo all her materials. She had been swearing she wasn’t going to do this, but she couldn’t just “not do it.”

WEDNESDAY, 5/7/14

Today was a new one for me. Judy needed some video clips downloaded from the internet to take to school. I went straight from the bed to the computer, found the clips, and got them downloaded to her computer before she left. When she walked out, I returned to my chair and the computer, and didn’t move again until she came home after school. No shower, no lunch, etc. I got engrossed in writing out “Happy”. It took forever, but I figured out a lot of new things on “Garageband” and “Finale”. This should make it much easier to the next time I have a project like this.

Judy heads back to BISS, staring ahead at a full week of school. My job today is to take her passport, with the new residence permit (for 2014-2015) and get her a new temporary residence permit. I walk over to the police station, and the registration process proceeds without incident. Next, I hike to the subway station and travel to Sanlitun for lunch. After listening to Judy talk about the Moka Café yesterday, I decide that’s my lunch destination for today. I enjoy a really good steak and avocado wrap.

After lunch, I walk to a nearby China Unicomm office. I purchased local service and a simm card for our iPad in August and it ran out on May 1. It’s time to figure out how to renew or update it. The clerk was able to help me figure out how to pay additional monies for the service @ 80rmb per month (about $13.50 monthly). I buy enough ahead to last through July of 2015. I figure whatever decision we make about returning, we’ll at least be around in July.

As I leave the Unicomm office, I pass by a crepe shop. I’m in need of a small caffeine boost, so I sit outside on the terrace and have a crepe and some coffee for a “pick me up). It’s never boring watching the unique characters walking around the streets of Beijing. After the snack, I head out to the train and the Marriott for a swimming session. After swimming, it’s back to the train, and a visit to the grocery store for some milk for breakfast tomorrow. It has been a full day of walking and train riding, but I got quite a bit accomplished.

FRIDAY, 5/2/14

Judy slept better last night. Our plan for the day is to rest and relax, and let Judy recover as much as possible. We pretty much met the criteria. I did make it over for a swim session. Later, in the early evening, we walked over to the mall, and found a new place to eat, Cloud Nine. It had lots of exotic foods (stewed pig intestines, etc.), but we were able to find a green bean dish, a potato dish, and a sweet & sour chicken option. They were all good.

SATURDAY, 5/3/14

Judy is feeling feisty today, so we decide to explore a little. We’ve heard about an area called “798 Arts District.” It’s supposed to have lots of shops and cafes. We grabbed a taxi and started giving directions to where we thought it was. When we arrived in the area, nothing looked like what we were expecting. After driving around the neighborhood, and frustrating the taxi driver (he had no idea what we were doing or what we were looking for), we give up. We have him drop us in a nearby neighborhood we recognized. We looked at several lunch options, eventually settling on the “Irish Volunteer Pub.” We had a pizza and some fried dumplings. It was a very ecletic place, declaring itself “a hockey bar.” We enjoyed the meal, and watching out the windows at all the unique individuals walking and driving by.

Back at the apartment, it’s back to the grindstone, working on our computers, preparing for the week ahead. When we get bored, we watch a few “Lost” episodes.

SUNDAY, 5/4/14

Judy has a big day of “girls” activities planned. A group of five BISS faculty are headed to Lily Nails for nails, massages, and lots of discussion about life in Beijing. Then they’re headed to the Moka Café, a small restaurant to finish off the day.

I work on some class planning (maybe I’ll one sometime soon), before I head over to the Marriott for a swim session. After swimming, I decide it’s time for my own massage, so I walk over to Drangonfly and enjoy a one-hour session. It’s going to be a tough transition back to the US when this all ends. The generally cheap cost-of-living in Beijing, combined with cheap massages, and an Ayi who cleans our apartment (including laundry and ironing three days a week) sure has us spoiled.

HOLIDAY! IT’S MAY DAY, or LABOR DAY here in China. Our ayi, Lilly tried to go home for the weekend, and couldn’t get a train ticket. Deb, our Australian faculty friend at BISS put together a “girls” trip for several of the faculty. She had everything in place, except she couldn’t get plane tickets, and had to cancel the trip. Lots of people are traveling today. I’m curious what Beijing will be like this weekend.

Judy had such a bad night with her cough, she got up this morning and started talking about going to the doctor. She called the clinic and got an 8:30 am appointment. We arrived right on time. Judy completed the paperwork and was quickly taken to a room. Minutes later, she walked through, headed for an x-ray. When we walked out of the clinic at 9:30 am, after paying $8.00 for everything, she had seen a doctor, had bloodwork and a chest x-ray, and received 3 prescriptions. She’s got no excuse for not getting well now.

We walk up “embassy street”, arriving at the “Lady’s Market”. We’re just exploring. I’ve been here, but Judy hasn’t. It’s not open yet, so we find a little café, and have a strawberry smoothie while we wait. A German gentleman joins us and we have an interesting chat, hearing about his postings working with the German embassy. Like many of our experiences, it’s interesting to hear his view of the world, and Beijing. We talk about Dirk and the Mavericks (Mavs just lost game 5 to the Spurs). He talks about getting up at 3:00 am to watch Bayern Munchen get beat by Real Madrid in the big soccer match yesterday.

We eventually walk through the Lady’s Market, and end up in the Flower Market, one floor above. We’re in need of plants for our fountain, and also find some nice flowers to add color to the apartment. Judy heads home to begin work on the fountain, and I walk further up the street for a swimming session. I’m doing everything I can to avoid missing a day in the pool. Back home later, we enjoy the evening with some “Lost” episodes. We’re into Season 5, so we are working hard to not get “lost” in the story.