THURSDAY, 3/19/15

The Pre-K kids meet Judy at the door when she arrives at their classroom. That’s a lot of energy to rein in!

I’m out early, with a new plan for traveling to school. If I’m going by train, the worst part of the trip (knee pain) is the long walk from the apartment to the station, and the long walk during the two train changes that get me to Yonghegong Station and Line 2. There’s never a chance to sit down on either of the first two trains. Line 2 from Yonghegong is a long ride, but I always find a seat. The taxi ride from the apartment, all the way to school, usually costs between 50 & 60 yuan, and takes 30 to 40 minutes.

I’ve decided to taxi to Yonghegong and catch the train, taking out all the long walking and a half-hour of train riding. The 15 minute taxi trip to Yonghegong costs 20 yuan. Hooray!!! I’m saving a little money, a little time, and a little knee irritation. Success!!!

As I finish class, I find out the orchestra club is planning to meet after school. I’ve got a few ideas about what to play today, and then we’ll get a chance to talk about the rest of the semester. There’s not much semester left, only 4 more weeks. The guitar club guys have decided to record the tunes they worked on while they’ve been at the school. They’ve got it all figured out, and don’t need much from me right now.

FRIDAY, 3/20/15

Judy has a big day with puppet shows with the grade 2 students. She’s had to find musical excerpts to fit each of the different scenarios played out by the puppets. It’s the culmination of her “collaboration” with Grade 2. She’s also helping students participating in the elementary talent show next week refine their musical selections. There are several kindergarten students with 5-minute performances, that have to be reduced to two minutes or less. It’s time consuming, and when she gets home, she realizes she never had time to drink her tomato soup. She had students in her room all-day, including lunchtime. She is famished.

Judy & the Grade 2 teachers. The red sweaters weren’t planned. It just happened.

Grade 2 – showing off their puppets

I taught my classes, ate lunch, and visited with several of my compatriots. I think it’s going to work out for me to travel with a couple of them to Tibet at the end of April. I really wanted to get to Lhasa before we left China, but Judy wasn’t interested. I’m pumped about the prospect of actually getting to go.

I stopped at the Vietnamese Embassy on my way home and picked up our passports with the visas we need for our trip next week to Hanoi and Halong Bay. It was an easy process. I always enjoy the taxi ride through the embassy area, looking at embassies from everywhere (Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Egypt, etc.). While I was waiting for the visa office to open, I killed time watching the guard at the Mongolian Embassy march around opening and closing gates. I kept trying to get a picture, but every time I pulled out my camera, he would stomp his foot, and give the “no” sign with his hand.