I got carried away with the walking thing today.  This is what happens when I have my school planning done, and no “hard” deadlines to meet.  It started off with the walk to the train, then from the train to my haircut (gotta look good when I’m home).  After the haircut, I walk over to Solana Mall to pick up a few things Judy needed to finish off her Xmas list.  Oh yeah, I ate a pizza at Tuba Station Pizza.  Really good!  Then I walked over to the nearby South German Bakery for a splurge buy on some bread.  I didn’t need it, but I definitely wanted it, and it tastes great.

After the bakery, I’m still in need of a splurge so I walked to Dragonfly Spa and got a massage.  I’m not sure how smart that was.  The masseuse rubbed some holes in my shoulders and back, or at least I thought she did.  Ouch, I’m gonna be sore.

After the massage, I walk to the train, and then from the train to the apartment.  After dumping some packages, I walk over to Metro to pick up groceries.  I taxi home, and unload the groceries and sacks from the earlier shopping excursion.  Overall, I think I covered between 4 & 5 miles on foot.  This is probably my single day Beijing record.  I am beat, but alive.  I burned some calories, but the bread and pizza offset any exercise.  The knees are feeling ok.  If I can move at all tomorrow, I’ll be grateful.

Judy gets home after school.  She has the sniffles.  We talk some about our packing plan for Friday.  She has a half-day Friday, and I’m home around 1:30.  Our flight to Sanya, China (some people call it “Chinese Hawaii”), leaves around 6:30pm.  Sanya is at the southern tip of Hainan Island, between Hong Kong and Vietnam.  It is tropical, and supposed to be beautiful.  We’re ready for a break, but as always, the work and deadlines between now and then are daunting.  Judy is off to bed early, trying to beat a cold that seems to be coming on.

More social activities are on the calendar for Judy today.  Kelly, the drama teacher at BISS has resigned her position and has to return to Tasmania to teach or lose her teaching position. She thought she had another semester of sabbatical approved in Tasmania, but found out otherwise.  Their school year begins in January, so she’s finished at BISS.  Several of the female teachers are getting together at the Westin Hotel for brunch to have a final activity for Kelly, before she leaves.

I jump in the taxi with Judy, drop her off at the Westin, and head over to the Yashow Market.  I’ve got some final Xmas details to nail down.  I’ve gotten way too comfortable negotiating prices with the vendors.  It should be interesting adjusting to paying marked prices when we’re back in the states.

As I’m leaving Yashow, I’m carrying 4 big bags full of stuff.  One of the outdoor vendors begins chasing me with socks.  She starts off with 5 pair of socks for 100rmb.  I don’t need socks, but she’s not listening.  By the time she’s finished, she has 10 pair of socks for 30rmb.  I never stopped walking.  She followed me across an alley into an upscale mall area, still hawking.  She gives up on socks and tries to sell me a “Gucci” purse.  The purse moves down to 40rmb ($6 – $7).  Guess I should’ve bought it.

I get home and start unloading the sacks, checking items off the list.  When we’re done, it looks like I’m going to have to make one more trip to Yashow before the holidays.  Darn it.  I hoped I was through.

Judy had a great time at her brunch.  There was lots of talking about way too many things.  When people are teaching all over the world, they have contacts all over the world.  Several of the attendees were job-searching, so there was lots of job talk and intrigue to be discussed.

After a really busy Friday, we start slow today.   We finally get going around 11:00 am.  Judy heads over to the nearby mall for some work on her nails, some Xmas shopping, and a few groceries.  I stay home to catch up on some financial stuff and holiday planning.  Tonight is the BISS Christmas party, so our day’s schedule is pointed toward that activity.

We meet the UHN group (about 10 people) at the main gate of the apartment at 5:30pm.  The bus arrives to pick us up at 5:45.  The bus is full of faculty/staff from three of the apartments housing BISS personnel.  Another bus is picking up from several other large apartment complexes.  The mood is festive, but most of the talk is about how warm it’s been this year compared to last year, and the current high pollution level (over 300).  It looks foggy, but there is a slight smoky odor.  It rolled in yesterday afternoon, and apparently went over 400 during the night.  We know it’s bad when we can’t see buildings normally in clear view, less than a mile away.

We arrive at THE ORCHARD, our restaurant for the party.  We’ve been told it sits in the middle of an orchard, and the food they serve is self-grown, and organic.  We can’t see much as we arrive due to the evening darkness, and the fog/smog.  The room and tables are beautiful.  The food is tremendous!  It’s a buffet with turkey, ham, many vegetables, fruits, desserts, etc.   The flavorings are great and taste like “home.”

Judy received her “trophy” for winning the Clue game (check the picture).  There is a gift exchange, 50rmb max ($9).  We brought a couple of hats (pictures).  They were highly sought after in the stealing that took place during the exchange.  There was dancing for those that wanted to participate.  I reverted to doing a few card tricks, so I was busy for the rest of the night, working from table to table.

Check out Judy’s “Trophy”.

A little card magic (manipulation, whatever).

Our hats for the gift exchange, on a couple of the many heads they visited during the party.

The BISS Head of School, Gwynn Underwood, and his wife Amy. He’s from New Zealand. She grew up in Boston.

A few of the BISS faculty, letting their hair down!

The buses pick us up at 10:45 and we head home.  We can see some beautifully decorated malls on the drive home.  Everything seems in such a holiday mood.  It’s cold and still.   The heavy fog adds to the aura, except it’s smog and the reading is over 400 now.  Just a reminder we’re in Beijing.

Tonight is a big night for the BISS Choir.  36 students are participating tonight.  The bus isn’t leaving until 5:00pm, so the students have to be entertained after school, until departure.  There is nothing like trying to corral that many students for that long in a small room.  Judy has snacks and a movie ready for the kids.  The buses depart on time.  The traffic is really slow on the 3^rd Ring Road, but the group arrives at the Renaissance Hotel as scheduled.

The hotel had told Judy they would have a meal for the students.  Judy expected burgers or hot dogs, or similar kids fare.  The hotel turned the students loose in their fancy seafood buffet with no limits.  The results were hilarious.  A few of the students had every color of ice cream imaginable on their shirts when they sang.  You’ve never seen so many desserts on one plate at a few of the tables.  The students got their money’s worth.

The amazing thing for me about the evening was how well the choir performed.  After all the chocolate, desserts, snacks, after-school bus ride and many other distractions, they sounded great.  They looked so cute and christmasy (?).  The hotel was decorated to the hilt, and the tree was very impressive.  It was a great evening.  I’ll post pictures when we get some.  One year ago, we had no idea we’d be having this kind of a Christmas season.  December in Beijing, unbelievable!

We ride the bus back to school with the six remaining students whose parents didn’t attend the performance (back to reality).  It surprises me how much of Beijing is decorated for Christmas.  Driving at night gives us a chance to see all the decorations and lights.  The kids are all picked up when we arrive, and we’re home much earlier than I expected, ready for some sleep.

WEDNESDAY, 12/4/13

Judy has her last choir rehearsal of the semester today.  Yea!  They’ll crank up again after the Xmas break.  I spend the day working on planning for my classes till the end of the semester.  I have six classes left, and I don’t want to worry about them while we’re back in the US.

THURSDAY, 12/5/13

Today is about the same as yesterday for Judy as she works toward the Christmas break and prepares for her program.  There is a lot to finish before we leave and there seems to be enough time.

My classes go well, but there are a lot of students absent today.  Many more will be absent tomorrow.  They are traveling to Hong Kong (a 4 hour flight) to take the SAT tests on Saturday.  Earlier in the semester, several of the students traveled to Singapore (5 hours) for the SAT test.  No distance seems to be too great.  I remembering hearing students complain about the distance to testing sites in the DFW area.

Orchestra Club is frustrating again.  Many students are attending tutoring classes for upcoming SAT tests.  I work with the five that are here, and we make good progress.  My problem is the after-school club is way down the list of priorities for students working to qualify for admittance into US universities.  When are they going to get their priorities right?

Judy’s bus issues are solved.  Thank goodness!  She called and let me know that all approvals were done and the buses are scheduled.  WHEW!  She also successfully turned in all our travel paperwork and forms for reimbursement  half the taxes that have been deducted from her salary.  It’ll sorta be a Xmas bonus.  Not sure when we’ll get it, but it’s completed and “in the pipeline.”

I work on class ideas, and then decided to buy tickets for Swan Lake, by the Kiev Ballet Company.  It’s in January, but I’ve wanted a better look at the NCPA, the National Center for the Performing Arts.  I jump on the train, and arrive at the site.  The train has a station that unloads into the basement of the Center, so it’s an easy commute.  I get the desired tickets, and walk around a little, checking out the facility.  Without purchasing a ticket for a tour, I really can’t see much, until the evening of our show.

After my brief walk-around, I decide to walk by Tian’anmen Square, and the Forbidden City.  We haven’t taken an official tour, but I can’t come to the US, and not have at least laid eyes on these places.  They’re next door (it’s actually a pretty long walk, the blocks are really big around here).  I go through an ID checkpoint, first, and then later, my bag goes through an x-ray machine.  There’s a lot of security in the area.  The British Prime Minister has been here for two days, and VP Biden is coming in tomorrow.  The Chinese don’t want to take any chances on protests, bombs, etc.

It’s quite a sight.  Tian’anmen Square is huge.  There are visitors everywhere, but the site is so big.  Very impressive!  I finish up, and walk further down the road to Wangfujing Street.  It’s a famous street where you can eat scorpions on a stick, snails, pig entrails, donkey meat, and many other delicacies?  It’s really interesting, but for some reason, I’m not hungry this afternoon. 

My day is uneventful.  I get up around 6:00 am, do my stretches and exercises, and eat breakfast.  I spend a little time writing on the blog before I walk the mile over to Metro for my weekly grocery stop.  When I get back, I spend some prep time for my classes this week, and Judy arrives home a little later.

Her day was less satisfying.  She has a program Friday.  Her choir is singing at a Renaissance Hotel Christmas Tree Lighting.  The choir is prepared and the kids are working hard.  Judy’s frustration is with the bus request system.  She’s been working on it for over a week now, and it’s still not resolved.  As with everything else she does, she reads the instructions, completes the paperwork, turns it in, and waits for verification.  Then she gets the usual: 

Why did you use that form?  That’s the wrong form.

Why did you send it to him/her?

Do you have your account number?

Do you really need 2 buses?

We’ve changed to another form.

The money should come from another budget!

Etc., Etc., Etc.

She’s been in several offices multiple times trying to get it right, and keeps getting the run-around.  None of the written instructions are correct.  No one will take the “bull by the horns”, and solve it.  They just keep sending her in circles.  Then, when the paperwork is completed and awaiting final approval, it sits on someone’s desk for 2 or 3 days?  She’s not a happy camper tonight!  How can such a small school have so much red tape?

Judy’s up and around early.  They have a musical rehearsal this morning from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  They’ve only been able to have one rehearsal per week for an hour after school.  It’s tough to put it all together in that minimal time frame.  They tried every possibility, but because of tournaments, etc., they had to settle on Sunday morning.

The rehearsal goes well. The large block of time allowed them to really solve some of the major choreography and blocking issues.  The performance date in February is creeping up, and the Xmas holiday (3 weeks), and Chinese New Year (10 days) both occur before then.  It’s a race to get it all solved (and remember it after two long breaks).

I get on the train and head over to Maliandao Street (Tea Street), for a lesson in tea.  One of the teachers at BHSFIC worked in the tea business in an earlier life, and is going to help/guide me down the correct road on tea.  It’s a blast.  The culture and customs around drinking tea in China are very old, and full of many traditions.  He gets me taught, and I get loaded up on tea and paraphernalia.  I’m ready for a relaxing night of drinking tea around the radiator.

Thinking about the day wears me out!  It was long, but fun.  We started out traveling over to the “Silk Market”, trying to finish up our Christmas shopping.  We arrive around 9:30am, well ahead of the crowds.  The vendors are scrambling, trying to get us into their shops.  We keep hearing “good deal, first sale today, good price”, and many other variations as we walk by.  You don’t dare stop until you’re serious about looking.  It’s hard to get out of the small vendor stalls without buying.  They do everything but physically block you in.

After we get back to the apartment, we start cooking the fresh green beans we’ve cleaned and snapped.  When they’re done, we dress for the evening, pack up the beans, and head over to the home of Judy’s principal, Kyra Gailis.  We’ve been invited for Thanksgiving dinner, and it’s a huge spread.  She’s cooked a turkey, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes.  She did all of this with a small portable oven, only slightly larger than a toaster oven.  It’s a great meal and fun to talk about everyone’s Thanksgiving experiences in other countries.  Kyra grew up in Florida, but her parents live in Texas now.  Her husband is Latvian, and they lived and taught in Latvia for many years.  Dani, the secondary principal, is Austrialian, and has experienced Thanksgiving in the Phillipines, and Vietnam, as well as China.  Anthony, the Middle Years Program Coordinator, is Greek, and had varied Thanksgiving experiences in Europe.

After dinner, we beg out, and head over to party #2 for the evening.  Mindy, the BISS athletic director is celebrating her 35^th birthday at a Japanese restaurant.  Mindy is from Iowa, and her boyfriend is Australian.  We arrive late, but just in time for the food to arrive.  We’re both stuffed, which works out just fine.  Eel, squid, and sushi are not at the top of my list for a meal.  In fact, they’re not anywhere on our list of foods.  There are a few beef dishes that are served, and we snack a little, enjoying the company.  Several continents are represented with Australians, New Zealanders, a Spaniard, a Brit, some Chinese, and a few Americans.  It makes for a varied view of the world.  As the evening winds down, I get a chance to perform a few of my card tricks.  This is my first attempt in performing these in a long time, so I’m a little shaky, but it eventually works out, with the appropriate amazement from the group.  (Whew, it was close a few times).