Coming Home Part 4- Flying

As I sit in Beijing Airport Starbucks, (guess who had to go there), I feel far removed from the life we left behind a few hours ago. The place is crawling with foreigners and everything is modern. The bathrooms have disposable seat covers for crying out loud! And toilet paper!! You have missed our last weeks before departure because we have been unable to access blogger. Even now, in this modern city, no access. I will catch you up as soon as we reach home. Home- It is starting to hit me that we will soon see all our friends and family. I have been a bit numb the past few days. There was so much to do to prepare and the emotions of leaving our new friends and family behind. It hurts coming and going. Ah, the challenges of international life. We will soon be checking in for our flight to SanFrancisco where I should have plenty of time to write. 10 hours layover should be enough. AIYA!!! Many people have asked us what we want to eat first when we get home. Frank wants a nice beer. I don’t know yet, except I am really looking forward to my mom’s bbq baked beans. She is making them for my sister’s wedding this Saturday. Hey, we are country folk, bbq can be served anywhere! I am happy that we will celebrate our 13th anniversary at home in two weeks. I am expecting things to really sink in the closer we get to home and hoping that I won’t be a total basket case by the time we arrive in SC. We will see.

Mandy

Chinese Food

It's a mushroom not some weird organ, just in case you were wondering. You were, weren't you? We have certainly expanded the borders of our taste buds these past 8 months. This mushroom is actually quite tasty and is perfect sliced and served in hot pot. The wierd calabash sandwich however lacks much. It is served at KFC as a "chicken sandwich" in the happy meal. I didn't want a big sandwich and she said it was chicken. NOT! It wasn't gross but I won't eat it again. Peas, carrots, and corn do not belong between two slices of bread. I do not under any circumstances recommend eating stomach of any kind. I had a bad experience, very bad. No need to elaborate, just steer clear!
They say variety is the spice of life. There is plenty of variety in China when it comes to food. Although we spent most of our last week eating western food, over the past eight months, even Frank has widened out in his association. The fruit here is amazing and I will definitely miss the mangoes which grow as long as 10 in or more and are sweet as nectar. You can't beat the prices either. The brown strawberry looking thing is lyche, I think that's how you spell it. The meat is white and has the texture of grape pulp. Watch out for the pit though, it's big. They are sweet and very juicy. Grapes just came in season and there are many varieties available, even seedless. I have even tried Chinese icecream. Believe it or not, among the green tea and red bean flavor which are not so hot, there is a cheese flavor that is really good. Just imagine frozen cheescake and you have it. YUM! I hope you have enjoyed the few recipes I have shared with you. I will post more, so keep in touch. If there is one you would like, just let me know. The culinary arts are my favorite hobby and I will continue to explore strange new eats. Hope Frank continues to be my brave guinea pig!

PB&J

My last private class was today. I wanted to do something fun with food that would only take an hour. I tried no bake cookies at home but they wouldn't stick together. Does altitude affect that? Instead I introduced my students to the All-American PB&J. We learned new vocabulary: Peanut Butter, Jelly, Bread, Spread, Spoon, (no knives), Sandwich, and of course, PB&J! They each made their own sandwich, following my directions. They loved it! Hands on activity while learning a new language has been scientifically proven to enhance recall. It is called muscle memory. It's even better when you get to eat what you learned. Delicious!

Mandy

School's Out

We had our last day of school at the library Sunday the 24th. Minutes before I started, my assistant informed me that a cameraman would be present to take footage for the library records. GREAT!!! We played games and sang songs and then I had to tell them I was leaving. The parents sighed, which I guess is a good thing. After classes were over they all came over for pictures and to tell me thank you. I thought it was so sweet considering I have only taught a handful of classes here. I will miss the kids, they are so cute! See for yourself:

Mandy

Hot Tub Ah! Make Ya Sweat Ah!

After over a week of Chinaitis (the stomach version), the chance to relax at a nearby hot springs was welcome. How we missed that this place was so close is beyond me. We have already made plans for regular visits once we return. About an hour out of our city, depending on traffic, we reached a smaller city famous for its hot springs. A friend had done some research and found a Japanese one where all the pools are outside. Most of them are just rooms with tiled pools and the water is piped in. This place however was perfect! Twenty different pools spread out over several acres of dense forest. You can spend all day and go in every pool for as long as you like. There is a restaurant when you get hungry, bathrooms (with paper) and a bar with fresh fruit juice, tea and beer. They even deliver to your pool. Some of the pools were unique. Coconut milk, Sour Apple (like soaking in an apple martini), Strawberry Kool-Aid( which put Frank over the top, soaking in red kool-aid? Can life get any better?) Orange, Rose Water and one with fish that eat your dead skin. That was freaky. It tickled me so bad I couldn't put my feet in without laughing. I have spent years building up the callouses on my feet and the fish swarmed so heavy I couldn't see my feet. I would have had to spend the whole week in there to see a difference. Braver souls immersed their whole body in the pool. More power to them! It was definitely the noisiest pool. Frequent gasps and squeals and even screams as the little fish nibbled away. Massages are extra, but clothes are not a requirement so we passed on that. I learned my lesson months ago. Since we were the only foreigners there, we were a spectacle, and many people came to the tubs we were in to make conversation. This was not relaxing since my brain had to go into gear, but it was worth it since we made several new friends to visit once we get back. My favorite pool was the coconut milk since it made my skin feel so soft, and the rose water which had rose petals floating in it. It was so fragrant, and that's where we were surrounded by people eager to meet us. The cool temperature and a gentle mist of rain added to the occasion making our day a wonderful and memorable experience. If anyone comes to visit, we will you take you there. How's that for bribery?

Mandy

"OWWWW!"-Eddie Murphy as James Brown

Chinese Exam

We have been sick with Chinaitis for the past few days and canceled our classes for the week. Our teacher however, made sure that we did not miss out on taking our exam and e-mailed it to us. The whole exam thing was my idea, I actually asked for one. You can imagine Frank's expression at that moment. I actually enjoyed taking it, it was the most challenging study I have done in months. Again, imagine Frank's expression when I told him. I know, I am a nerd, sorry. I have not really enjoyed learning Chinese because class has not really challenged me. This did and I spent three hours this morning finishing it without ever getting bored. I hope my grade reflects that. This is the most excited I have been over learning this language in quite awhile and that is really sad. Maybe I should ask for tests every week. I don't want to imagine Frank's expression on that.

Mandy

"Fill in the blanks? What blanks?"-Mandy

New Job

Ironically, now that we are so close to coming home, I suddenly find work. It's part time and only for this month but was greatly needed. I also have two classes at the same place Frank teaches. This job though, is at a kindergarten about an hour away. I teach and play games with two classes for a half hour each while the teachers take pictures of me. Then I wait for an hour doing nothing until its time for the parents and grandparents to pick up the kids. Then, I am to stand at the door so they can see me. You see, I am a display. Look, we have a foreign teacher at this school. The fact that I will only come twice a week, not teach the same class and be gone in a month is all irrelevant because the pictures say this school has a foreign teacher. This is a very common practice in China, and while it doesn't help the children very much, it does supply work. The hour I waited was spent watching a few teachers practice a dance for a program to be held at the end of the month. They even let me join. It made the time pass quickly. The only downfall to this job is the traffic I have to get through to go home. I was on the bus for 2 hours. I listened to my MP3 player and tried to make conversation so the time would pass faster. I am very glad to have the extra work. I hope when we return, that this sudden rush of job offers picks up where it left off.
Mandy

Bubble Bath!!!

The friends who stayed with us a few months ago gifted us with the use of their bathtub. For those of you blessed with Western bathrooms, this may not seem much, but believe me, when the only bath you have had in 7 months was at a spa with absolutely no privacy and full of unashamed women, this was almost emotional! She even added bubbles! And stout beer! Even in the states, I preferred showers over baths but I lasted a whole half hour. It was wonderful. Frank of course was in over 2 hours. It was such a gracious and thoughtful gift. Funny how even the littlest things mean so much when you haven't had them for so long. I don't know if we will be able to handle having a Western bathroom at our disposal for three whole months! Too much luxury!
Mandy

Coming Home 回国家 (hui guo jia) Part 3

We have three weeks to go before our return for the summer. Emotionally, I am already gone. Mentally, I am trying to focus on life here keeping my routine of work and study. And there is a small part of me that is even hesitant to go home. That is the most surprising of all. Perhaps it is the fear that things can never be the same, coupled with the fact that we don't plan to stay home. For the past seven months we have traded the stresses of life in America for life here. There is a very big difference, with life being much simpler here. Just planning our return has brought back some of that stress. What will we do for work, will our house sell, will we be able to buy our return tickets, all these things weigh on my mind. I know that help will always be there but that doesn't stop this worry wart from thinking about it. I have been told that it takes a few trips back and forth from home to get used to these conflicts, but that it does get easier. And I have faith that true friendships can't be severed by time and distance.

Mandy
"Expectation postponed is making the heart sick"-Wise Man