Updated on August 4, 2011
For book lovers abroad
I had a friend visit this past weekend. Her visit was amazing for many reasons.
- In my line of work where the people around me are constantly changing, it’s a real blessing to catch up with someone who has known me the entire five years I’ve spent overseas.
- It was great to talk about the lessons each of us have been learning.
- I had an excuse to cook many of my favorite things including: lemon pasta, the best Italian herb bread (recipe to come soon), my favorite spring salad (recipe to come soon), strawberry meringue pie, and baked apple crepes. It was nice to take a break from the quick-prep meals that have been filling my diet of late.
- She introduced me to me new favorite website: The Book Depository. They ship books for FREE. Anywhere in the world…including China. My luggage just got a whole lot lighter…or more correctly, I just made room to carry back a whole lot more parmesan cheese. This website is dangerous, very dangerous, for me. It took about five minutes of having the address before I made my first order: Peter Hessler’s Country Driving. Free shipping, people. To China. I know I’m repeating myself; I just can’t believe it!
- Her visit gave me a reasonable excuse to ignore the 100+ pages of senior research thesis papers that I need to edit. Speaking of, I need to go put the next 15 minutes before students come over to use.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Proof that I don’t always have it all together
Here’s my breakfast. My breakfast rendered somewhat inedible. I got distracted and forgot I was reheating these muffins in the oven…until I caught a whiff of a distinct smell emanating from the kitchen. I walked in to see a tiny stream of smoke coming up from my little oven. These were very pale white muffins to start with. And, confession, they were the kind you simply add milk to and throw into the oven. Things have been a little busy lately. Which means I find myself trying to do about five things at once. Which means at least one of those things usually ends up as a disaster. Take exhibit A above. Exhibit B would be walking out the door to go to class earlier this week with my make-up halfway done. In the middle of applying make-up, I thought of something I had to do, and after going to do that completely forgot my original task. That is, I forgot it until I was halfway to the teaching building, wondering if I had managed to put blush on both cheeks or just one. It’s a good thing my students think I’m beautiful regardless.
Moral of the story? Multi-tasking is not always a good idea. I’m off now into the snow to judge a speech competition. Don’t even get me started on the snow. After that I have a friend coming into town, which means I’m quite joyfully going to set aside my piles of grading and whip up some dishes that require the addition of more than one ingredient.
Updated on August 4, 2011
The man behind the curtain
One of my very first thoughts as I woke up this morning was “I do not want to go outside today.” I could hear the wind fiercely howling outside my window and my curtains had that notorious brown hazy look that signals large quantities of dust in the air. Thewind has been so strong today that it (or objects carried by it) managed to break some of the windows in the number one teaching building (photo obviously not taken today).
Upon arriving in my classroom this morning, I noticed that one of the classroom window’s outside panes was indeed broken. Fortunately, there was also an inner pane of glass that prevented the room from becoming a wind tunnel. A few minutes before class began several workmen came in to examine the damage. I went about my business of setting up my computer and passing back papers, and was happy when the men exited the room just before class began. I proceeded to pass out a quiz, and returned to my perch at the front of the room to carefully watch for any student who might attempt a peek at their notes. About halfway through the quiz, I almost let out a full fledged scream. All of a sudden, a man peeked out from behind the curtain in front of the broken window. I was under the impression that all of the workmen had left, so the sudden appearance of this face was quite frightening. He must have seen the fear in my eyes, for he quickly hid himself again behind the curtain.
I continued with my class (what else was I going to do?) and the man continued to hide out for the next twenty five minutes or so. I have no idea what he was doing behind the curtain. Perhaps he was making sure the broken shards didn’t blow into the classroom? Perhaps he had a keen desire to learn English? Perhaps he was pretending to be the Wizard of Oz?
About thirty minutes into the class, his two workmen buddies appeared again with toolboxes and proceeded to loudly discuss and go about their repairs. I attempted, somewhat unsuccessfully, to hold the attention of my students and continue the lesson. Five or ten minutes later, the men finished their work (what that work was, I’m not entirely sure, I couldn’t see anything different about the broken window after they left) and class returned to normal. However, I have a feeling I will forever be wary of the curtains in that classroom.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Easter festivities
Easter arrived as a gray, dismal, dirty, windy and cold day–none of which could dampen our celebratory mood! Since none of the adults wanted to venture outside, the annual kiddo Easter egg hunt (in which about 10 adults with cameras frantically run after four small children just trying to find a few eggs) was moved indoors. Other than that slight change in plans, everything went off without a hitch.
The Clements eagerly anticipated having Lucy to celebrate with them at all future Easters.
Ra Ra (Sarah, a former teammate) came into town to join in the fun.
Robb was showing off his recently acquired tattoos, which read “trust” and “obey”. He got the tattoos right here in our small China city. Yes, we all think he’s crazy.
The gang patiently awaited the somewhat late Sunday dinner. Tiny toaster ovens + large groups of people + general acceptance that things never go as planned = holiday meals never served on time. Wu apparently was checking to make sure his deodorant was still working.
(Enter a brief intermission while we chowed down on foods not frequently consumed in China such as poppy-seed chicken, bacon green bean bundles, foccacia bread, pecan pie and cheesecake. I was too busy eating to even think of taking pictures.)
After dinner, pre-household-Easter-Egg-hunt, we attempted to get a decent shot of the kids. We began our attempt with just three of them.
Three kids who find it exceedingly difficult to pose normally for longer than one second (if even for that long). Trust me; they were not asked to assume these poses.
As if we weren’t already failing in our attempt at a semi-presentable photograph, we added the fourth kid to the mix. And things disintegrated even faster.
At this point parents are pleading, “Please just stand up! Ok, smile nice! No, not like that. A normal smile. We are not looking for eggs until you stand still and smile nicely. Now move closer…” (You can probably guess said parents’ locations based on where each kid is looking).
The kids quickly tired of these instructions.
And (once again) things disintegrated into mayhem.
Ummm…I think we’re done with the group photo shoot.
With all hopes of four kids standing upright and smiling nicely abandoned, the kids headed off to our homes for the Easter egg hunt. As usual, a large contingency of camera toting adults followed them to capture every triumphant find.
After searching high and low for eggs (the real kind…not stuffed with candy…it’s a tough life living in China) everyone retreated to their respected abodes for a nice long nap and dreams of flowers and green grass and new life. We can hope right?
Updated on August 4, 2011
Why I’ll never be able to cook Chinese food
The Chinese are extraordinarily precise about a number of things. Angling in the wrong direction one tiny dash in a character can completely change the character’s meaning, or render it meaningless. Children’s coloring books have one page showing exactly what the finished product should look like next to an empty page. The child who in their coloring can most closely replicate this finished product is praised. When learning to write compositions, students are given a model that they then imitate. Imitate to the extent that most Americans would label it as plagiarism–a fact that leads to a great deal of frustration in my writing classes. I always have to weigh whether or not to give my students examples. If I don’t, they may misunderstand the concept. If I do, I’m sure to read the same exact phrase with (maybe) slightly different words 26 times.
With all of this preciseness, one might expect Chinese cooking to be very exact. On the contrary, cooking is perhaps the one area of freedom from this rigidity. Nothing is measured. There are no exact times. No exact temperatures. No exact order. Just throw this here, and put that there for a while, add a bit of this, maybe some of that. I admit there are times I cook “western” dishes like this, but only with dishes that I’ve mastered and become very comfortable cooking. This method is not how I learn to cook. Consequently, I doubt I will ever become a half-way decent cook of Chinese dishes.
The other reason I’ll never master Chinese cooking is simply because I’m lazy. Why go to the time and trouble (and mound of dirty dishes that must be washed by hand) when the same dish is prepared ten times better right next door? If I ever move back stateside and start missing Chinese food, I may want to actually learn how to cook for myself. I understand now would be the time to learn…but right now? Zero motivation.
All that being said, I think there may be one dish I might be able to perfect. Some students came over tonight to learn how to make banana chocolate chip muffins and to make Coca cola chicken wings for me. This dish is as wonderful as it sounds…chicken wings slow cooked in coca cola until there’s only a thick, sweet, gooey sauce left. So simple, and so good.
(Notice the mostly empty bowl of wings. I was too busy devouring them to bother taking a decent picture.) Some of the steps the students did before arriving, but I think I might just be able to manage this one. My students, on the other hand, found it quite hilarious and ridiculous how precise American cooking is. The measuring spoons and cups just blew their minds. We may have creative freedom in the classroom and in our coloring books, but when it comes to the kitchen, we’re all about precision.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Sunday Snapshot: Twins!
At the end of the week, I had the great privilege of visiting my friend and colleague Jasmine and her three week old twin boys. I met Jasmine my first year teaching at the university, and we became good friends over bi-weekly hot pot dinners. We had a set menu at our favorite joint, and we talked about everything from teaching, to culture, to the more serious affairs of life over steaming pots of veggies and meat. In the past 10 months, Jasmine got married, moved to the nearby big city, got pregnant, started a PhD program, found out she was having twins, finished her first semester of her PhD program, and gave birth to two precious little boys. Talk about major life changes!
There are many traditional beliefs and practices in China associated with childbirth. Some are rarely practiced today, but others are quite rigidly adhered to. One of the more common practices is keeping the mother at home for the first month. Jasmine has yet to go outside since returning from the hospital, and is under the careful watch of her mother and aunt.
Something tells me Jasmine doesn’t mind too much. The sacrifices her aunt and mom make to help out in anyway they can are truly beautiful. The even more phenomenal fact is that I doubt they even view this service as a sacrifice. The few hours I got to spend in their house was a stunning glimpse into the familial love in China.
The older brother of the twins is Jing Bo.
Despite the fact that he is a mere minute older, in Chinese culture, the distinction is quite important. The very first thing Jasmine told me when I first walked into the room–before she even gave me the twins’ names–was which one was the elder brother. There are two words for brother in Chinese–one to describe “older brother” and one to describe “younger brother”.
The older brother was awake almost the entire time I was over. Apparently that’s the longest stretch he’s ever stayed awake. Grandma said it’s because he was so excited to meet his American aunt. The excitement was clearly written all over his face.
The younger brother, Jing Ran, slept the entire time.
He clearly was not impressed by his American aunt–even when his brother tried to get his attention.
The Chinese are usually quite paranoid of catching a cold, especially when it comes to babies, so I was quite shocked when they unwrapped Jing Bo so I could get a picture of his cute little toes.
Jasmine has assigned me the great privilege of giving the boys their English names. Now that I’ve met them and heard more about their little personalities, I feel a little more equipped for the task. I’ll let you know what I decide!
Updated on August 4, 2011
A chance of meatballs
In case you haven’t noticed yet, our team likes to throw memorable birthday parties. Our team is also quite young at heart–none more so than our fearless leader Wu. Consequently, we decided there was no better theme for his birthday bash than our favorite movie this semester, “Cloudy with a chance of meatballs”. We had a smorgasbord of food items that fell from the sky in the movie, and an awesome spaghetti and meatballs cake.
We dressed up Wu as his favorite character from the movie, the monkey Steve. In case you haven’t seen the film, Steve is outfitted with a device that verbalizes his profound thoughts, which range from the self-focused “Steve!” to his favorite snack “Gummy bears!”.
Both Sam and Rach dressed up as “Sam Sparks”, the perky and nerd-in-denial weather reporter.
Jude rounded out the movie cast as the main character and crazy scientist Flint Lockwood.
A good time was had by all, largely due to the great plenitude of delicious food, among which was a replica of the Jello house in the movie. In the movie, Flint and Sam spend the day hanging out in the Jello house, so we made sure to actually put a person in the replica. Can you find him?
Happy Birthday, Wu! Thanks for all of your hard work!
Updated on August 4, 2011
How far will you go for that perfect picture?
Alternate title: Yet another reason people stare at me in Asia
My friend Lisa, who I traveled through Southeast Asia with this past winter, had stored some of her pictures on my computer. The other day as I was looking through them I came upon this gem. If I see a shot, I’ll do just about anything to get it (remember this story from the fields?).
Updated on August 4, 2011
China bits and pieces
After classes today I’m off to the “big city” to visit a Chinese colleague, and dear friend, who recently had twin boys (also known as the Chinese jackpot when it comes to child bearing). The secondary goal is buying cheese, pasta, and other western goodies from the import store. On my way out, I wanted to leave you with two interesting pieces about China. The first is about the respective abilities of Westerners and Chinese when it comes to squatting, and will provide quite a few chuckles (especially for those who have braved squatty potties in China). The second, pictured below, are some interesting numbers from China.
Via: Online Schools
Updated on August 4, 2011
What are the chances
You may have already figured out that I have a great amount of affection for the Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are extraordinarily delicious, and are made from ingredients I can actually find in China. Her wit and stories of farm life keep me entertained. And her photography assignments and tips keep me challenged. Yesterday as I was browsing her site I found the newest assignment: “green”. I must admit, I chuckled when I read that. There is nothing green where I live (yet). In fact, brown and gray are the dominant hues. Gray cloudy skies. Brown dirt blowing in from the Gobi desert. Brown muddy ground drenched from large melting snow and ice drifts. Gray coal dust covered remaining snow and ice drifts.
Mmmm…that’s what I’ve been breathing in all winter! I bet my lungs are looking real good. Consequently, for the current assignment I decided against hunting for a speck of green outside, and instead went scrolling through my photo archives. I stumbled upon this picture that perfectly fits the bill:
This photo has got to be one of my favorites of my adorable nephew, who even more appropriately fits the assignment because he’s a Saint Patty’s day baby. Like his aunt, his eyes change color with the shirts he’s wearing. Blue shirt? Blue eyes. Green shirt? Green eyes. I can’t wait to get back to the States this summer to smother this little guy with hugs. And to take hundreds of pictures.
On another note, also while on the Pioneer Woman’s site yesterday I decided to leave a comment to enter to win a Kindle. I have left dozens if not hundreds of comments on her contests. My grand dream is winning a kitchen aid mixer and having her pay to ship it to China. Considering the fact that around 20,000 people enter most of her contests though, I gravely doubted I would ever win anything. I’ve had mixed feelings about the kindle. I love my books. I love the feel of the paper, the smell of age, and the memories of where I got each one. An electronic machine just can’t hold the same significance. However, after lugging around 10 pounds of books on my back while traveling for six weeks I was a bit more interested in the Kindle. I’m all about simplifying my luggage. The grand sum of all these musings was the conclusion that while I probably wouldn’t buy a kindle, getting one for free (with $75 to spend on books) would be quite wonderful.
And guess what? I won. Yep, I beat the impossible odds and actually won something from the Pioneer Woman. She should be happy she’s shipping a lightweight Kindle and not a heavy mixer across the pond. Winning was wonderful, but what made my day even more wonderful was the fact that I didn’t need to wear long underwear (for the first time in months…excepting the time in Thailand) and I aced my Chinese writing quiz. No abundance of gray and brown can squelch my mood!
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