There are several items of note at BISS this week.  Wednesday is “Parent Conference Day”.  Students are dismissed at noon, and scheduled interviews are the afternoon activity.  Because of the schedule shift, Judy’s elementary choir had to move rehearsal to today, prepping for Saturday’s concert.  Today was their first time to use all the props (hats, shakers, jingle bells, etc.).  It was a wild and crazy rehearsal.  The excitement was just too much for some of the students.  There are 36 kids in the choir committed to attend on Saturday.  Judy received an email today from the event organizer telling her the stage was 2 meters by 3 meters (slightly larger than 6×9 feet).  There going to be some creative adjustment of where all the kids are going to stand.

This is also the week when teachers have to inform BISS about their employment commitment for next year.  Teachers who might be adjusting jobs or applying for internal moves to administration get the word about their placement.  If a teacher chooses to leave, they do so without a job in their pocket.  Most that are leaving are hoping to find a job in a different city, looking for new challenges and experiences.  They’re just hoping a job is available in a city they want to live.  If I were young teacher, with a family, it would be a terrifying circumstance.

I spend most of the morning and early afternoon watching the Texas State Marching Contest.  It’s Tuesday morning here, but in Texas it’s Monday evening (14-hour difference now with DST).  The contest is being streamed, and I get the chance to watch the 1A and 2A Finals.  Forsan has a really good finals performance, and end up placing 2^nd (darn), one point behind Shiner HS.  It’s the first chance I’ve had to see my niece Ali performing with the band.  I’ve got so much appreciation, specifically for Forsan, but also for the great performances by all the bands.  I know how busy Ali is with her many school activities, and all those bands are full of students just like her.  It’s amazing how they find the time to put together such good performances.  My hat is off to all those students and their directors.

Needing exercise after all my sitting today, I take a walk to explore a nearby park.  As I arrive, I notice some older guys (older than me) walking out with bags on their shoulders, carrying folding chairs.  I couldn’t really figure out what they were carrying, but I thought they might be musical instruments.  When I got further inside the park, I realized they were carrying kites and reels.  Several guys were flying kites inside.  I’ve seen kites before, but I’ve never seen string reels like these.  Check out the picture below.  The park itself was huge, and would probably be a “happening “ place during the summer.  It looks like they’re beginning to prepare for winter.  The fountains are all turned off, and the waterways are draining.

Check out the string reel in his left hand.

For dinner tonight, we have our “100 day” celebration with the other new BISS teachers and their families.  We meet at the “Duck” restaurant, as we call it, where we had our first big welcome dinner when we first arrived in Beijing.  It’s a fun time.  I haven’t seen some of these people since our first week, so it’s a nice reunion.     

The week starts off smoothly enough with Judy’s departure for school.  I decide I’m getting a haircut and buying groceries.  I get the haircut scheduled and head out.  It takes about 45 minutes, combining the train and walking.  I needed the exercise.  Enroute, I spot a car dealership I’ve never seen before, McClaren.  There are two really exotic looking vehicles inside.  I tried to go in and get a better picture, but a guard inside the door, and a receptionist both indicated NO.  So a picture through the window will have to do.

Since we’re talking exotic transportation, I decided to include a picture of a loaded bicycle.  It’s actually an e-bike running off a battery, loaded with a wide assortment of “who knows what”.  We see bikes like this all over town, but they’re gone before I can get my camera out.  It’s not a great picture, but maybe enough to figure out it’s a bike.  This one has a medium load.  I’ve seen a few few loaded so heavy, they would have problems getting under an interstate overpass.

The haircut is without incident.  The stylist is so meticulous.  He keeps cutting on little spots here and there.  The best part is the shampoo/head massage that occurs before and after the haircut.  It’s a good haircut, but a way better massage, and it happens twice.

After the haircut, I stop and get groceries when I get off the train. I thought I knew better, but I loaded up two really heavy bags, and then had to carry them ½ mile to the apartment.  Maybe I’ll learn what’s reasonable by the time we leave Beijing.

It’s 8:30 am, Monday morning.  Judy got off to school with ease.  I’ve cleaned up the breakfast dishes.  The laundry is in the washing machine.  I’ve actually done most of my class prep for this week, already.  It’s time to write about Sunday.

We had difficulty deciding whether to go shopping or sightseeing, so we decided to combine the two activities.  If we were going to one of the markets on a weekend, we need to be there when they open, to beat the crowds.  The weather is so beautiful today (mid 60s, light wind, really low pollution) we go looking for a park.  As it happens, Chaoyang Park is very close.  Solana Mall is next door.  It’s after 1:00 when we leave the apartment, so my first goal is LUNCH.

We taxi over, and head into the mall looking for a new meal experience.  The mall sits next to a lake, and there are several restaurants with outdoor seating by the lake.  It’s too nice to pass up.  We end up having a really good pizza, while we bask in the afternoon sun.

Basking in the sun!

More basking!!

After lunch, we wander through the mall.  My pictures don’t do it justice.  It’s fairly new, with interesting architecture.  I was beginning to think it wasn’t that big, but we went inside a door, down an escalator, and there were 3 floors underneath that spread out endlessly.  We found stores we hadn’t seen since we’ve been in Beijing.  This is good, and bad, at the same time.  Although I brought plenty of winter clothes to Beijing, even I start shopping sweaters and jackets.  There are so many options.  We buy a few things, but overall show great restraint.  Solana Mall may be a real problem for us.  It’s too close, and too unique, and even I enjoy the visit.

This picture just doesn’t do justice to the interesting design of this mall.

Back at the apartment, I enjoy catching up on all the marching band activities back in the states.  Clovis HS is in Utah/Nevada at a BOA contest, and made the finals.  Former students of mine in Clovis have students in the band.  It’s fun to read about their “kids” experiences and successes in Facebook posts.  In fact, when I get a chance to check in on Facebook, it’s really interesting to read about former students and their current family experiences.  Many of them are doing “band contest” right now, and they’re all over the country. 

Martin HS performed at the BOA Super-Regional in San Antonio.  I know how hard that field of competitive bands is, and it’s great to hear they placed 22^nd.  I worked with many of the students in the band, either at Martin, or at Boles JH, so I have more than a passing interest in how they are doing.  I know all too well how hard everyone (staff, students, and parents) has been working.  It’s fun to hear about their many successes this year.

On a more personal note:  GOOD LUCK FORSAN HS BAND, and my niece Ali.  She’s one of the drum-majors for the band.  They’re headed to the Texas State Marching Contest in San Antonio this week.  The Forsan band is one of the perennial top-runners, and they’ve got a great opportunity to win it all this year.  Why?  Well, because their director, Jim Rhodes is a great director, who knows how to prepare his students to be successful, year after year.  Oh, did I mention that Ali is one of the drum-majors?  GOOD LUCK!  ENJOY THE PERFORMANCE ALI!

We’ve decided today is the day to find Beijing’s “Music Street”.  We’ been hearing about it since we arrived.  Apparently there is a street where several blocks are nothing but music stores with every kind of music instrument for sale.  Judy needs 20 sets of jingle bells for her choir.  She also needs the same number of small shakers.  They have a performance next Saturday (Dec.9) at a nearby hotel for a Rotary Club holiday bazaar.

On the train over the Beijing’s “Music Street”.

We establish where we’re going and decide to take the train.  You don’t want to miss your destination, when no one speaks English where you’re going.  The trains aren’t too bad today.  We find the street, and it is definitely full of music stores.  We walk past store after store, filled with woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, guitars, pianos, and traditional Chinese instruments.  I end up getting a lesson on a Chinese traditional flute from the guy whose name is on the flute.  I struggle a little with my hand position.  It’s going to take some work.

Interested in a sweet potato? There are some cooking in the pot on the left.

Interested in an Erhu?

This is a Zheng, a Chinese zither.

A Yang-Qin, or Chinese Dulcimer

Performers were out, up and down the street.

A couple of Erhu performers/teachers, out on the street.

My Chinese flute lesson, with the teacher whose name happens to be inscribed on all the instruments in the shop.

We find a store with the instruments Judy needs, and spend some time counting, and making sure we have the correct paperwork to get reimbursed.  It’s tougher to get reimbursed here than it is in AISD.  We taxi home, and get some serious nap-time in after lunch.

Tonight, there is a bowling tournament sponsored by WAB (Western Academy of Beijing).  Six different international schools are participating.  BISS has two men’s teams and two women’s teams involved, six members on each team, representing secondary and elementary.  I’m on the elementary men’s team.  We have shirts, and everything. The secondary men’s team from BISS has won 10 of the last 14 years.

This is the back of my bowling team shirt. BARBARIANS RULE!

We bowl 4 games.  I start really slow, rolling an 84 (yeah, an 84), including several gutter balls.  But I start to figure it out a little and my back loosens up.  Next game, I bowl a 123.  I bowl a 149 on our third game, and we end up using the third game totals for our top team score to turn in.  WE WIN!!!!   WE”RE BAD!  I’m not sure what we won, outside of bragging rights, but that’s all I need.

Judy didn’t attend the bowling event, opting out for dinner with some of her school friends.  They enjoy a meal in a Malaysian restaurant in our nearby mall.  Shannon, from Australia, also lives in UHN, so she comes by our apartment after the meal.  She and Judy are still solving the world’s problem when I get home.  She’s a lot of fun, and so full of Australian twists on the English language.  It’s all I can do to keep from secretly recording her while she’s talking.

Shannon’s a great teacher, so dedicated and concerned about every student she comes in contact with.  When Judy was tracking BISS last spring through the website, she kept talking about one teacher who was involved in everything.  The teacher did the elementary choir, was always posting pictures and student work, and seemed to be at the center of most of the activities in the elementary school.  It was Shannon. There’s nothing like an enthusiastic young teacher to reinvigorate you.

No school for me today.  I get the chance to catch up on the blog and update our finances (I’m logging all our expenses, and I mean all). I also plan on a nap or two.  I keep looking for reasons to walk somewhere and buy groceries, but I’ve done such a good job of keeping us stocked up, we really don’t need anything right now.

Judy does have school.  There is a Halloween Dance tonight for the secondary students.  She’s feeling guilt about not volunteering to help.  She’ll probably stay late after school and help set-up, then come home before the party starts.

She ends up staying late, but spends all her time catching up on her own work.  She arrives home feeling great about the completed work, but guilty because she didn’t help.

WEDNESDAY, 10/30/13

I woke up this morning wondering if I’d be able to move after all the golf course walking of the past two days.  The stiffness was not as bad as expected, so I was able to take care of everything  needing attention.  The internet was better, so I’ve been able to do some work on my music classes.  After I spent time on school work, I started cooking up some of the chicken I purchased yesterday.  I fried some of it, and used the rest in a chicken soup.  I’m actually getting pretty good at putting together a stew/soup.  Since the nearby market closed, I’ve used more canned vegetables, but it’s still pretty tasty.  The Tabasco sauce we found has added the “back home” spice we’ve been missing.

It’s business as usual for BISS.  The school is back into “regular” mode after all the stress of the accreditation visit last week.  Now Judy has begun to worry about how much work has to be done before the end of the semester.  It’s only six weeks away!  One of the “new” staff members has begun to organize a “100” day celebration, marking the fact that we’ve been in China for 100 days.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been here that long!

THURSDAY, 10/31/13

It’s school for me today.  As I walk out of the apartment complex headed for the train, I see a few young kids, surrounded by photographers, posing for pictures in their Halloween costumes.  There are several spots around town decorated for Halloween (the mall, especially).  We’ve seen costumes for sale in some of the stores. 

Some kids posing for pictures in their costumes. Check out the photography team, in the orange fleece tops.

At BHSFIC, all the 10^th graders are off campus, involved in a team-building activity.  My 11^th graders will be in class, but the school is really quiet.  I slowly realize that my clubs won’t meet today.  I’m glad I didn’t spend too much prep time getting ready.  I get home early, ahead of the train “rush hour”.  Since the 11^th graders are off campus tomorrow, doing a ropes-course team building activity, I won’t have classes.  I’m treating tonight like a Friday night, living life on the “wild side”.  I’m planning to stay up late (probably till 9:30).

Judy doesn’t have the luxury of a Friday off, so she arrives home planning to work.  However, fatigue sets in after dinner, and she dozes off during our “West Wing” episode.  She gives up and heads off to “slumber land”.  When did we get old?