Grandma's Adventures

July 31st..............Home

2008-08-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

The best part of every trip is to come home. It was so fun to see Mike again. He has lost 20 pounds. (I wish I had.) Aimee and Erin came and stayed the night with Leah and Noble. It was great. The house was clean and Mike bought me 4 sets of roses put around the house in different places with notes by each one. He missed me! Clean, fresh air is so refreshing. Now the only problem is trying to change around my days and night. Korea was 17 hours ahead of Anchorage, so I stayed awake all night and had the hardest time adjusting my schedule.

The day after I got home we took Leah and Nobel to the park. It was sunny and a wonderful day to play outside. I did miss my family very much.

DMZ

2008-08-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2008 Wednesday
Went to the DMZ today. Very interesting. I learned so much from the war memorial yesterday and from the DMZ today. It cost $46.00 but it was worth it. We got to go to several important places that were important to the war. We went down into a third tunnel discovered on October 17, 1978. Two others were discovered previous to that. These were tunnels that the North Korean soldiers built to once again invade South Korea. Our guide told us how many people have been killed since the cease fire was signed. He blames the violence totally to the North Korean government. There was an American woman who was killed by the North Korean army just two weeks ago. When they went to investigate it, the North Koreans who shot her said she was inside the DMZ without authorization. I guess it was about 4:30 AM and she was just wondering around. They claim they warned her to stop but she began to run. They said they chased her for 1 kilometer before they shot her. Our guide said that is absurd because she was wearing a dress and she is about 50. But I do wonder what she was doing there at 4:30 in the morning.
The South Koreans feel like the North Koreans are their brothers and they hate the fact that it is divided. They talk about unifications all the time. The real problem is that North Korea has one of the worst economies in the world. South Korea has one of the best. If they were to come together there would be several million uneducated people that would become a major welfare problem for South Korea. The people in North Korea are shut off from the rest of the world. They do not have TV or Internet, telephone, or other communication to the outside world. For several years the North Korean president has been voted the worst dictator in the world. Our tour guide has real strong feeling against Japan, China, and the US. I think he is among the young that do not remember the purpose of the US military in their country. I think most Koreans want us here, but there is definitely a number who want us to go.

July 29 Temple and Korean War Memorial

2008-08-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Got up early and went to the temple this AM. We actually did real well with the subway and made it there in plenty of time for the 10AM session. They were going to have an English session 20 minutes later, but we wanted the Korean session so they let us go with a little translator. It was all beautiful. One thing we noticed in both church and the temple is that everything is smaller. Not just shorter, but the seats are smaller and lower.

We went to the Korean War memorial across the street from the Post. It was a HUGE building and lots of little buildings around it. It was a fabulous tribute to the millions that have died in Korean War history. I was really interested in the Korean War where the US played such a huge roll. I learned so much. I had no idea how come Korea was divided, the roll Mau Tztong played in keeping it divided, the roll USSR had on the division and the way the world was involved in stopping the progress of Communisuim. When the cease fire talks were going on, one of the biggest agenda items was what to do with the prisoners of war. One serious problem is that the Prisioners from North Korea did not want to go home. They wanted to stay in South Korea. North Korea wanted to force them to come back to the north. I was glad to learn about that before we go to the DMZ zone tomorrow. That is still a very sore point for Korea. They want to be unified and for the whole country to enjoy the blessings of a democracy. In fact when the Cease Fire was finally in place, South Korea would not even show up for the signing because they refused to accept the fact that Korea would not be united. Now, 50 years later, South Korea has one of the largest economies in the world, while North Korea is still way behind.

Shopping in Korea

2008-08-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

July 28, 2008
Today was our big shopping day in Korea. It was a lot of fun but we were very disappointed in the variety and the cost. We really thought we could get better deals on most things right in our own Alaska. We spent lots of time on the subway and walking the streets.
I don’t think we have mastered the subway system, but we now know what to look for and we keep our subway map handy. We even went way out of our way to go to Costco in Korea. It was really funny because when we got there neither of us had our Costco card. It had taken us about an hour to find it and there was no way we were going to turn around without trying to get in. We talked the man into giving us a one day pass and there we were. We went right down to the food court….had to make sure it was really a Costco….and ordered a berry smoothie. We were so hot outside and that just hit the spot. We had to go to get some TimTams. We learned about them from a guy at church yesterday. He had actually bought them for the “Linger Longer” that they had after church. He was such a funny guy. He is from Austriala and has a loud, booming voice. He waited until all of us were done eating and all had a TimTam and some hot chocolate. Then he yelled, “Strouth Crike, You little ripper” and we had to yell after him. Then we bit off one end of the cookie, turned it over and bit the other end, then sucked some hot chocolate through the TimTam, then gulped down the cookie. It was a big show, but such fun. I though I needed to get some to take home for family night.
Tonight we went to have Bulgogi. It was ok, but I can do without meat. I really liked the Kimche though. Mike hates it so much, so I was anxious to try it. I even ate some Pipimki (a spicy rice and vegitable dish) at lunch and really liked that. Much of their food is too spicy, but I can eat it as long as there is not much meat.
Tomorrow is our temple day. Looking forward to that.

Korea July 27

2008-08-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

July 26, 2008 Saturday
Today was a long day saying goodbye to all our friends, off to the airport, and now in Korea. We got on the correct shuttle bus to the Capital Hotel, got a taxi, and he took us to the Dragon Lodge. We had to drag our suitcases up the hill to the gate, and then to the Lodge. What a sight we were with all our bags. You would think we were not seasoned travelers….well I guess we are not. We spent the evening trying to contact people to find our way to church in the morning. I think we have determined to take the subway. Now someone who has not traveled as much as us may shrink at the idea of being in another country, not knowing the language or our way around, and attempting to find their way in the subway. I think the Lord will honor our efforts. Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story.

July 27, 2008 Sunday
Wehad a good Sunday here. We never heard back from Diane's contact about church so we used every way we knew to find a meeting. The only Korean branch to have an address and directions on the internet, was an English speaking one, so we decided to take a chance on the subway and just went. We had a prayer before we left. While trying to figure out where we were going we found three people dressed in Sunday clothes and finally got up the nerve to ask them if they were headed to church. It turned out they were. They were two Army dentists stationed around here. The woman was one of their wives. They were so wonderful and we just followed them around all day really. We had a wonderful meeting and afterwards the branch had what they called a "Linger Longer", and they provided us with a wonderful lunch/dinner. After that we all took the subway to the Korea temple and walked around the temple grounds. A Korean security guard came over to us and started to talk to us as we entered the grounds. His name is Brother Kim.
When he found out we were from Alaska, he asked if I knew a Brother Mahoney? (did I spell that right?) Anyway when we realized he was talking about Mont Mahoney, he was so thrilled that I knew him. He went and got his coat with an LDS pin on it. He said Mont had given him that pin. He told me he knew Mont 40 years ago and that Brother Mahoney spoke excellent Korean. We took a few pictures and then left. He followed us with his camera and wanted pictures. He was so very sweet. I told him my daughter was in the same ward with Mont and told him that I would relay his love through Aimee. It was such fun. anyway....wherever you go in the church, it seems you find connections
Our new Mormon friends actually went all the way back to the post with us and gave us exact directions for our other trips tomorrow and for our temple trip on Tuesday. I felt like the Lord had blessed us for our desires and provided us with angels to guard and protect us. To be honest, when we left, we really did not know we would ever find the church. We had this lesson on faith in Sunday School. One of the quotes by Br Packer that said faith meant taking a step or two in the dark before we would see the blessings. I felt we were honored to feel that blessing today.

We are safe and thrilled to have this opportunity.

Foot Massage

2008-08-04T01:38:00.000-07:00

One thing I can't leave out before I quit talking about China. We could get an hour foot massage for about $10.00 American money. I did that on three different occasions. It was amazing how good it felt. I am almost embarrassed because it was a luxury I am not used to. But I did like it. Lisa, Diane, Evelyn and whoever else was there would laugh, giggle, and cry when it hurt. These guys or girls who do it train for three years to become certified. Then they make very little money. It was a lot of fun.

Leaving China

2008-08-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

July 26, 2008
We got on the plane to Shanghai and checked into the motel here.

. We had a great time, but we all knew it would be over all too soon. The Alaska girls got together for one more picture and said our goodbyes. Jane Lister and Sue Petersen were off to Beijing. They took an overnight sleeper and then toured Beijing for two extra days.

We had one more night so we immediately went out to Nanjing Street, a famous shopping street here. We ate at McDonalds….ok, that was Diane’s fault. We were all very hungry and to be honest it was good. We then went looking for some cheap pearls and found a few gifts. It was fun. We found a taxi and found our way back safely to the hotel with only about 40 RMB to our combined total. We think we ought to save that to get out of the country tomorrow.
Tomorrow….on the plane to Korea.

There is so much beauty and wonder in China that I will miss very much. These are some girls that were dressed in traditional costumes for pictures.

Getting around in China

2008-08-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2008
Riding in a taxi here is an indescribable experience. The cars come within inches of each other. There is often 4 or 5 cars heading for the same lane, and they just squeeze each other out. We can’t communicate with the driver, there are no seatbelts, and you have no idea where he is taking you. No one seems to get angry or frustrated. It is truly better to sit in the back so you don’t see what is happening. Surprisingly there are very few accidents

July 14, 2008
Had the wildest ride of my life in a taxi tonight on the way to meet our new friends. Every time in taxi here is a really wild experience, but this was truly extraordinary. The cab driver was swerving all over the road. When there was a traffic jam, he swerved into the oncoming lane and literally drove along the double line between the two lanes of traffic. I was in the front seat and would give a lot for a video of what it looked like. Hollywood has nothing on these drivers here. I could not help but sigh and Ooh, and Ahh at every wild turn of his wheel. I know the drivers must have fun scaring these naive American Ladies. Another day…another experience.

This wiring was on Nanjing Street in Shanghai. It is a major shopping street for Chinese and foreigners alike. I could not believe how the wiring is arranged.
When driving or walking along the streets this is a common street sign.

I could not get a good picture of the bikes on the street. However there are bikes everywhere.

Shopping in China

2008-07-30T22:07:00.001-07:00

Our idea of fishing?

Going to the grocery store in China is a whole new world. The rice and lentils were out in the open. One time we were watching a lady who works there. She was mindlessly sifting through the rice with her hand. I could not help but think of all the food we eat everyday and where it has been. We saw live snakes, frogs, and fish living in the tanks at the market.

This is what the street market looks like wherever we go. Always, always, hot!

River Trip On the Bund

2008-07-30T16:40:00.001-07:00

Wewent on a river sight-seeing trip down the Yellow River. There is a portion where on the one side you see the old China. It is called the Bunn. On the other side is the new high rise buildings . It was raining…as always here… Some local people asked if they could take our picture. We had a lot of fun trying to communicate. We took lots of pictures and had a ball. There were lots of lighted buildings, however my camera could not focus on them. I had to put in the Aurora building though. I miss Aurora.

Trip down Li River and Reed Flute Caves

2008-07-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2008 Thursday
Way told us about some of the history of Guilin this morning. One of the things he talked about was the Flying Tigers, American pilots who came and helped defeat the Japanese in WW2. Jane Lister’s dad was a Flying Tiger so it was real fun for her to hear they are still famous in China for helping them at that time. He told how the Flying Tigers painted their planes with sharp teeth and pictures of their girl friends. Then we all sang the song Way said the Flying Tigers sang…”You are my Sunshine”.
He told us a little of the minority that lives in Guilin, the Chong and the Cowpat (my interpretation of the way the said the words). He explained what they are famous for and some of the customs of the mountain people. They are wonderful singers and they come together often for festivals and celebrations. They sing, echo, and harmonize, and are famous for the musical abilities. They are famous for the herbs they create for illness. He explained that they don’t have doctors and they know how to heal diseases with the herbs. They grow a lot of rice here. Their houses are made up of many floors. The first floor is for the animals, the second is for the people and the third floor is for storage.
We went on a 3 ½ hour tour on the Li River. It was fascinating how young kids would paddle these canoe boats up to our boat and try to sell their homemade crafts to us. They would open the window of our boat to get our attention. We had to be careful to keep our valuables away from the window so they would not be taken. We had lunch on board. It was interpreting how they cooked our food on the back of the boat. We saw several smaller boats, with local farmers, paddle up and sell the cooks their live chickens for our lunch. It was hard to eat it after that. We saw several water buffalo along the way and some fishermen with the cormorants. I took lots of pictures.
When we stopped we got to go shopping a little bit and found a few items to barter. It was really fun.
The last thing we did before dinner was went to a famous (everything is famous in China) teacher university and got to watch a demonstration with Chinese art. It was good too. Then we came back and went to another hotel for dinner. Tomorrow is our last full day in China.
July 24, 2008 8 AM.
First we went to the Flute Reed Cave. The people used these caves to hide in when enemies came after them or in the WWII when the airplanes would bomb the area. The entrance used to be so small only very little people could enter. Now they have made the entrance much bigger, put in electricity, and good steps to make it all save. The reason it is called Reed Flute Cave is because when villagers were hiding in there there was nothing to do but play music. The flutes would echo through the caves entertaining all who were there. This cave is 500 meters long and amazing. They estimate there are hundreds of caves this big in this area. These caves were discovered (again) over 100 years ago when a boy lost a water buffalo. The whole village went looking for it because it was so valuable and found it crying in this cave. I remember how Tempenogas cave impressed me so long ago, but it was very small compared to this. It was amazing. If I needed to come to China to live, Guilin is where I would choose. It is green and beautiful, with hills and valleys, mountains and rivers.
They then took us to the pearl factory where we learned all about fresh water pearls and sea pearls and why sea pearls are so much more valuable. Of course I did not buy anything, because I cannot afford such expensive things.

July 23, 2008 Wednesday Guilin

2008-07-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

I think the best day of all was today. We checked out of the hotel by 8 AM and were on our way to the airport. We had to go through security 2 times, checked our bags and went through a security again. We got on a plane and left a few minutes before 12 noon. We had lunch on the plane and arrived in Guilin (Qui-Lynn) by about 2. It is a beautiful little city (6000, 000 people) in the southern part of China. In fact it is only 500 Kilometers (I think that is about 300 miles) from Vietnam. When I think of all the American history that took place so close to here, it is amazing to me. It is subtropical and full of Limestone Mountains. The have lots of rice paddies that they plow with water buffalo.

The new guide (Dave) or he likes to be called Wei, told us about so many interesting things. They have fishermen who fish with cormorants. These are birds with the ring around their necks that you see in children’s books. He explained that they have to train the birds. They make sure when they are ready to fish the cormorants are hungry or they would not do the fishing. They go after the fish (which they can’t swallow) and bring them back to the fisherman, who then feeds them.
Wei told us there are lots of snakes here, some of which are poisonous. One kind of snake is called “5 steps”. Can you guess why? Because the person gets only 5 steps before he dies.
We went to a huge park where there is a famous rock formation called the camel. It really looks like a camel. He told us that in 1993, Bill Clinton gave a short speech right in front of that rock. We all wondered what he said, but Way did not know. In the same park we saw 2 pandas in a cage. I was glad I got to see them because last time I saw them in Beijing, I did not get a good a good view and it was so crowded in the zoo. There were two monkeys in the trees putting on a show for us. It was very hot.

We also saw some pandas in the park.
Then we went to a place called Folded Brocade. It is 400 steps to a view of the whole city. It was wonderful because it cooled down, and a little breeze came up for a very pleasant climb. However once we got up to the top, it began to pour….literally. Lighting and thunder and huge drops of rain soaked us in minutes. We tried to stay in some shelter but we were all soaked. We all came back to the bus refreshed and happy. I think it was because it was not sooooo hot after the rain.
Anyway, the day was wonderful, and we all feel really good. Nobody is sick now. (Knock on wood).

July 22, 2008-Tuesday... Hongshu

2008-07-30T05:37:00.001-07:00

What a busy day! All day long…from 8AM to 8PM….traveling and visiting different sights. It was so hot today.
We stared with a boat ride around West Lake. (Henry said there are a lot of West lakes in China. That is interesting to me because during the Cultural Revolution in the ‘60’s the west of anything was very evil here. Now there are lots of lakes with that name.) The lake is only 9 miles around and is only about 5’deep. It is a natural fed lake and fish do very well in it. It was just funny to me, because in Alaska, we have so many lakes that are spectacular. But they are very proud of this lake and have done a lot to make it a huge tourist place. I told Henry he needed to come to Alaska to see our lakes.
Then we went to a tea plantation called Dragon Well Green Tea Plantation. It was actually very interesting. They produce green tea and we learned all about the benefits of tea and why and how we should drink it every day. It is even mixed with some flowers to cure diabetes. She talked about how you use green tea for facials, to clean your stomach, it is a natural fluoride, and how it absorbs oil if you put it in your meat to cook. Mike may wonder when he gets the credit card bill for $90 at the tea plantation. JonMarie wanted to buy some and for some reason her credit card would not go through, so I used mine. She paid me later in American money.
We went to lunch…surprise! Chinese food!
After lunch we went to the Leifeng pagoda. It was interesting. There was this bid hill where there were carvings dating back 1600 years. There are 338 Budhas carved in the mountain side. The best part was a Chinese young man heard us talking and stopped to talk. He answered several questions about Buddhism and we started a conversation about politics. He was so kind. He took our emails and wants to email us when he gets home to Beijing. He seemed very intelligent. I asked if I could ask any question about his government and if he could answer his opinion without getting into trouble. He said he could and wanted to know my question. I really did not have one. I just wanted to know about his freedoms. I did not feel comfortable going into detail with him because I did not want to get him in trouble. I do hope he writes. He was very pleasant.
Last we went to this place called Square Bamboo Corner. It really does grow square. It was so weird to touch it. We heard some very talented musicians play in the Yellow Dragon Garden and heard and Opera singer singing. Henry told us an interesting story about the name of this place. He said that there was a little dragon who wanted to grow up to become an adult dragon, but he made some mistake. So he was kicked to this small village. He was put in charge of fire control. A big fire started and he was killed trying to put it out. When he died, only his head was sticking out of the cave. Thus the name, Yellow Dragon Cave. Afterward we went to dinner. I did not think I was hungry, but ate anyway. Every meal is a special occasion here. I feel bad we waste so much food.
We were suppose to get to go shopping again, but did not have time. I have really not spent much money
Interesting facts: Because of the Beijing Olympics they are trying to clean up the air so they are doing several things.
1. They have closed down several factories that produce pollution.
2. Drivers, from now until the Olympics are over, only can drive every other day. According to their license plate number the police can tell who is supposed to be on the road. They are being very strict about it.
It is very funny because when I was here two years ago, the air was so bad and they said it would be cleaned up for the Olympics.
3. Girls cannot inherit land…just boys
4. For so many years families have prefered boys to girls in China. Henry was telling us today that it is now the girls because they are so much cheaper than boys. HUM…

July 21, 2008 Monday

2008-07-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

Went to the “Leaning pagoda of the East” today. It is 2,500 years old. Called the Crouching Tiger. There was an emperor who died and his son had him buried here. He had all the workers killed so that no one would know how to get to the grave to disturb the grave. Soon after this burial a white tiger was seen close to the grounds. They think this may have been the emperor himself having come back as a tiger. Thus the name “Crouching Tiger”. It is leaning and they have put supports to help it temporarily fix the problem. It was beautiful all around.

We went to a silk factory and saw how the silk worm is raised, fed, etc. I really wanted to buy some silk comforters, but they were too expensive to ship home, and I do not have room to bring them home in my suitcases. I was really discouraged.
Then we drove to Hangzhou about 3 hours away. It is really a beautiful city with 7,000,000 people in it. It has a beautiful lake in the middle of it and is surrounded by mountains. We went up in a high pagoda for an amazing view. We are doing more sightseeing tomorrow. Everyone is tired and I think I speak for most of us that we would just like to sleep in and relax a little. But we must be up by 8 and ready for a full day tomorrow.
Interesting Facts:
-In China they have a very good public transportation system. They can get a pass for $20 a month and ride wherever they want to go. If you are over 60, any bus ride is only 10cents.
-Because of high gas prices, they are now asking every rider in a taxi to pay the driver one more RMB than the meter says. They are really hit by the oil prices too.

Tour Guides

2008-07-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

Each time we got a new tour guide, it was great experience. We had Henry most of the time. I think Henry was a great tour guide, but I think he got tired of us whining and complaining...never me of course. Some of the things he said seemed to be the line that is fed to the tour guides to tell Americans and other foriegners. For instance, once he said that they really do not have a homeless problem in China, because it is against the law. To me that was silly because I had experienced several people, including families, sleeping in the park, under bridges, or other places. I don't believe for a minute that the Chinese government can take care of all the homeless masses. He also told us many other things that I felt brushed over serious problems in their society. However he did teach us a lot, he took care of us well, and he made fun of his government the way an American might.

We only had George for a day. He took us around Nanjing and he really funny. He told us about his family and taught us a lot about the history of Nanjing, where we were staying for the month.

Wei (with Lisa)was our favorite. He took us around Guilin. We had to say goodbye to our tour guide, Wei. We all liked him so much. He sang “Mountain Home” to us. We all joined in and all wanted to cry when he said, “No matter where we travel in life, the best trip is always back home.

Artists

2008-07-30T04:34:00.001-07:00

We got to go to a calligraphy class while we were there. We were supposed to have two more calligrphy classes but they were canceled. I felt honored to be in his presence. He was wonderful.

The man with the fans was at the Confucius Temple painting the most beautiful designs on the fans. I bought one, not because I needed it, but because he was such a great artist.
We met the most interesting artists. The man in front of the water was an amazing man. I have no idea how old he was but I bet he could tell many stories from his life in China. We must have sat with him for 1/2 hour talking to him through a kind Chinese lady who could speak English. I sat and looked through his charcoal, very intricate drawings. I asked if I could buy one and he said no. He spends all his time going from one beautiful spot to another, drawing for the joy of creating. He was so humble and gentle. I wished, at that time, more than almost anything that I could get to know him and learn much from him. It was a very sweet experience.

This was an art professor at the college. She did this painting for us in about 20 minutes and wanted about $100.00 American money. It was good and wonderful to watch, but none of us could pay that for it.

Children in China

2008-07-30T04:22:00.000-07:00

Because there is a "one child per family" policy, most children are raised as a little princess or a little king. They are very loved and cherrished. Most of the time the mother and father go to work and the baby is left home with grandparents. Many times when we saw children, it was with their grandparents. They are the cutest babies I have seen. (Except mine, of course!) Everywhere we went they wanted to take our picutures with their babies. No matter what language you speak, everyone loves the babies.

Teaching

2008-07-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

July 7
July 7, 2008….Monday
Lisa and I woke up at 5:30 and went for a walk. It was not so hot this AM and it was very interesting to see all the people (especially the older people) out in the park. Some were just walking, others doing some form of Tai Chei, and others were running or just sitting on the benches. We only walked about 20 minutes, just enough to get back in time to shower, eat breakfast in the hotel, and then be ready for the bus at 7:40.
We got to school about 8 AM. The teacher/helper came to our workroom to pick us up and took us to our room. My first room is room 107 where there were waiting 28 beautiful little children. I have never worked so hard in my life to put on a wild show to keep their attention. To truly understand the picture you have to visualize stark cement rooms, no room for cute things on the walls, uncarpeted rooms (which made them very loud) and then add to that the fact that the children looked at me like I was crazy and that they did not understand what I was talking about. Some of them are better behaved and more prepared than others. I have a morning class for 3 … 35 minute periods and then a 2 hour lunch break. Then I have a different class for 3 … 35 minute periods. By the time we got back my voice was going and I was so tired.

July 11, 2008

Another day of teaching. After the morning class, I was very discouraged. Today there were 31 kids and they were just awful. The sixth grades only have 16 in there classes…and those kids can understand English. It is so hard to get them to do anything when they just don’t understand what I say. They just talk over me. None of my tricks worked today and I just felt defeated. All my “song and dance” did not work. The afternoon class was much better however and I left feeling better.

Eating in China

2008-07-29T05:09:00.000-07:00

Diane is carrying the beer to someone else's table. We could have all the beer we wanted but had to pay extra if we wanted water.

July 2 Shanghai We had a delicious lunch with standard Chinese food, all food in the middle on a glass “lazy Susan” type tray. It was absolutely delicious. The table was filled with lots of meats and different vegetables, with watermelon for the last course.

Some of the girls eating dumplings

July 5, 2008
The officials of the school took us to dinner tonight. It was a very expensive meal. Sally Lowe is the organizer of this program, said that each plate cost them about 1000 RMB (About $150.00 US money.) It makes me feel bad that they spend so much to impress us, when we really don’t appreciate the food. Some of the food they served for dinner was pigeon, jelly fish, along with the regular fish, duck, rice and many vegetable dishes. I always try some of each food they serve. They served lots of wine and beer. In fact they did not even have the option of water or soda. When we requested some, they brought us our own bottle of coca cola. Finally we asked for water and they brought us bottled water. In most restaurants, we can have one small glass of water and if we ask for water, we have to pay extra.
July 16th
Tonight we had the farewell dinner. There were twenty one courses, including squid, jellyfish, snails, and other fish that looked real interesting with the eyeballs staring at you from the plate. In the opening dinner, the chef brought the fish to the officials to show them it was alive before they killed it to cook. They want to show that everything is fresh. I tried everything. Once again several teachers drank too much and made fools of themselves. Several officials drank a lot too. It is very traditional to drink a lot here.

July 14, 2008

We met Chris and Sarah from the church this evening and they took us to eat in a Mexican restaurant called “Behind the Wall”. It was very different. It was so loud we could not carry on a conversation, there was a big Lab wondering through the rooms, people (including the workers) were smoking. I imagine that is the way it is in real Mexican restaurants. We have to think, once again, this is all part of our experience. My cheese quesidillias were very good however.

One of our favorite things to eat was dumplins found right around the corner from our hotel. We could have 6 dumplings for 4RMB. I could easily eat 12 with cost less than $2.00.

One thing we learned quickly in China is that eating is often messier than at home. Diane loves this picture

Church in Nanjing

2008-07-29T04:49:00.000-07:00

July 6, 2008 Sunday
I slept in until 8AM. It felt so good. We had a little prayer meeting. Jane shared one of her daily devotionals and Mary read a few of her prayers. We sang all the verses of “Nearer My God to Thee”. It was so beautiful and the spirit was there. I shared a few scriptures from Genesis that teaches that God is always present and that as long as we serve him, He will guide our lives. Lisa shared the scripture in 2 Nephi 26:25 about Christ. Evelyn told a little about her life and sacrifices to come on this trip and told everyone how much she appreciated them. Diane said the prayer. It was a very simple meeting with no one begging to hear more about the church. I hope it was ok with the Lord.

July 13, 2008…..Sunday
Got up and got ready to check out of the hotel early. We rode the bus with the group to the new hotel called “Mountain Spring” hotel. It is a much nicer place than the one we were in. We took a taxi to church. It was a great experience. There were only a few people there. The branch president is a Chinese person from Hong Kong who joined the church 30 years ago. He bore his testimony and it was so inspiring. He was studding to be a Buddhist Monk when the missionaries tracked him out. They worked with him for about 6 months before he really paid the price with sincere prayer. He told how his heart burned within him and how he lay in his bed sobbing uncontrollably when he received his answer about the church. There were three Indian boys there (from India) studying to become doctors. One was a member and the other two were his friends. They were all very delightful. There was a girl (Jessica Payne) from California who signed up with a group to teach in China for the summer, but once she got her, they slip her up from the group and she is working by herself in a town close by Nanjing. She is very cute and only 21. I asked her about how her parents felt about her being here in China by herself. She said they are ok with it. It would scare me….as a parent. Then there was a young family here with their only child working. They like it here and plan to stay for several years. That was all except for us four. Lisa played the piano, I led the music. It was very refreshing. It was wonderful to take the sacrament.

Bathrooms in China

2008-07-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

The bathrooms in China are a real trip. Some are just holes in the ground. Some are very nice ceramic tiles that are kept nice and clean. Most are while porcelain and most need cleaning much more than they are. At the school, as in most places, you always needed your own toilet paper. The toilet paper does not go in the toilet but in the garbage close by. Most bathrooms, especially the public ones, did not have soap and several places they did not have water. We always made sure we had toilet paper, wipes, and disinfectant. The school did have water but no soap for public use. They were not cleaned while I was there for the two weeks.

Nanjing School

2008-07-28T01:35:00.001-07:00

July 5, 2008 Saturday
We got up and ate breakfast at the hotel. Same foods.

They sent a bus and went to the school. (Nanjing Foreign Language School.) It took us about ½ hour by bus. It is as big as many college campuses. During the winter 4,000 students go to school at a time. Most of the kids board there as well. There is 500 staff. There is staff housing right by the school where single teachers can live for free. The adults and children eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in the cafeteria. We will be eating lunch and dinner there while we are teaching. This is a private school and even though parents pay 7,400 RMB a semester for their young children to go there, no one can get into the school without testing. That is over $1000 a semester. The kids start in grade one which is comparable to our Kindergarten at age 6. However, when Chinese children are born they are considered one year old, so they really start at age 5 American years. There are 240 students in grade one. Public schools cost parents about 2,000RMB a year. The older kids who go there pay even more than 7,400 RMB.

Elementary school goes from grade 1-6. There are 1,800 children in this age group. Middle school goes from age 7-12 and there are 1,900 more in this age group. For high school, they can go to the International school or the University school (all on the one campus). If the children qualify for the International school it, means they prepare to go to a college outside of China and study language, or they choose a major field of study and work so they can get into a prestigious Chinese university. This is a highly sought after school. Because families can have only one child, they are willing to pay enormous amounts of money for their children to learn. They take education very seriously. If a child got in trouble they could get expelled. That would be a disgrace for their family. Most children who graduate from Nanjing Foreign Language School get accepted wherever they want to go.

I will be teaching 2nd grade (comparable in age to 1st grade). I will have one class in the morning and another group of children in the afternoon. We spent the whole day planning. I think it will be fun.
This campus is only 5 years old and houses 4,000 students during the school year. You would not believe the cracks in the walls. The floors are dirty. Children can not sit on the floor and we can't change the desks around. Can you imagine going to a school where there is no toilet paper...the children must bring their own and no soap in the bathrooms. Yet this is a very prestigious school.

We saw lots of goats around eating the grass on campus. I think that the goats were the lawn mowers. I did see one person in China mowing lawns. But on campus, they just used the goats.

This is our workroom where we did all our prep. The girl on the right is Christina. She was our gradelevel partner. She is a doll. She is from California and travels all over by herself.

The evening we came to Nanjing, they had a welcome celebration with fireworks.

Nanjing

2008-07-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2008

Nanjing. Today we toured Nanjing, a city of about 7 million people. It was very hot, about 100 degrees. The city itself is about 2,400 years old and was the capital of China through 10 dynasties. It is surrounded on three sides my mountains and is very green and beautiful. This is where I will spend the next two weeks. I learned a lot and found it very interesting. A lot of wealthy people live here. To buy a nice apartment in Nanjing it will cost you about 11,000 RMB per square meter. (That is about 160 dollars per meter.) When they buy an apartment or house here, you are really only renting it because the people only have the right to it for 70 years. Then it is turned over to the government because all land belongs to the government.

We first toured the mosuliam for Dr.Sun Yatsen. He was one of the original revolutionaries. He was educated in Hawaii and then in Europe to become a medical doctor. He came back to his native China to help better his country. He found the people very depressed because the warlords were stealing, raping, and keeping the Chinese people in constant poverty. His goal was to give the government back to the people. He is one of the countries heroes, for both the Communists under Mao Se Tong, and the Nationalists under ChangKie Shek.

Then we went to a famous cemetery where soldiers of the revolution are buried.

We ate lunch at a local Nanjing diner. It was very interesting because the traditional meal consists of 16 small servings....8 soups (one was made of congealed duck blood) and 8 solid foods. I tried some of everything, but did not eat much.

We got to go shopping today in the little shops. It was a lot of fun to bargain. My purse that I bought two years ago broke and I needed one to carry my personal belongings. So I bought one for about $6.50 American money....50 RMB. Mary Lum surprised me how good she was at bargaining ....so quiet and getting things so cheap.

The last tour we took was to the Nanking massacre museum. It was the most troubling thing I have seen so far. There were 300,000 men, women, and children that were brutally butchered in a 6 week period of time by the Japanese. The Japanese troops took over Nanking on December 13, 1937 and by January 1938 all those people were killed. The individual stories were the most horrific.

These are statues of Pee-shues. (I have no idea how they are really spelled). The are children of a dragon and a lion. They are the symbol for financial success. They are all over Nanjing.

YuYuan Garden

2008-07-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the YuYuan Garden, built over 600 years ago. That was the same time as Marco Polo visited China. Diane and I went to this same garden the last time we went. It was really beautiful.

We went to the YuYuan Garden, built over 600 years ago. That was the same time as Marco Polo visited China. Went to dinner at another traditional Chinese restaurant. We were all dead tired.

Pearl Tower

2008-07-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pearl Tower to get a great view of the city. That is the same tower Diane and I went to the last time we were in Shanghai. It is a very high, round, tower, where you can see 360 degrees around the city. The tower is much higher but where we stopped was up about 260 meters. It is very high but is dwarfed by much higher skyscrapers. A skyscraper is anything above 30 floors, and there are over 4,000 of these in Shanghai.
We ate lunch at the Mongolian bar-b-que and then went to the jade factory. It was really nice but I did not see anything worth the money it cost so I did not spend money at all. Several people in our group spent a lot of money there…..more than I want to spend the whole trip. I did buy an ice cream bar for about 50cents. It was wonderful.

Interesting Facts

2008-07-13T02:32:00.000-07:00

1. Tibet became part of China over 1000 years ago. Now they are wanting their freedom. If New Mexico wanted freedom from the United States, would we give it to them?
2. 85% of the Chinese people are Han. They may only have 1 child per family. The other 15% are minorities. They many have more than one child per family. I f a couple is married and they are both single children, they may have two children. If one of them comes from a family of two children, then they can only have one baby.
3. In the US we call people who are not working “Unemployed”. In China they are called “off duty” because the government is the employer and if they don’t have work for their people then they just say the people are off duty.
4. The dragon is very important in China. All dragons are male….so they must mate with another animal to have children. The most famous of these children is called the “Posh shoe” (That is my way to spell it…I am sure it is not even close to being correct.) That is the cross between the dragon and the lion. It represents good fortune and lots of money.

Shanghai 18,000,000 People

2008-07-13T02:22:00.000-07:00

This is our first hotel in Shanghai and the view from our window.

Wed. July 2, 2008 Shanghai
Our plane arrived in shanghai about 11AM. The flight from Korea took just about 11hours and 30 minutes. We made it through customs with no problem. The customs agent looked long and hard at my 5 year old, short hair, 20 fewer pounds, picture before he let me in however. On the way to meet the bus we were going down a moving side walk, sort of an escalator, and someone in front got stuck. Everyone begin to get bogged up and I fell under some suitcases. I got scrapped up but no one was seriously hurt. Diane Thayer moved fast to get luggage out of the way and was yelling at me to get up. I think she averted something that could have been very serious. I am glad she is my friend.

We got on the bus and begin to go to where we had lunch. Our tour guide, Henry (American name) told us some very interesting things. Shanghai is the second biggest city in China. Another city has has 32,000,000 people. Shanghai has 18,000,000. We saw the famous magnetic levitation train which is the fastest rail in the world. It goes 260 miles per hour. It was built by the Germans but turned out to be way more expensive than they had planned. It cost them about 1.5 million dollars per mile. We may get to ride on it the last day we are in China. He gave us two rules for walking on the streets of Shanghai. 1. Cars don’t stop for pedestrians. 2. The braver one has the right of way.

This is Sally Lowe. She is the coordinator of the whole program. She was very organized and took good care of us. She was born and raised in China, but now teaches in Los Angeles.

Stopover in Korea

2008-07-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

We had a four hour layover in Korea. They had a little cultural craft table. We had the choice of things to make. The ladies helping us were so cute.

On the Way to China

2008-07-13T02:03:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2008 Monday opps July 1…12:11 AM
I just got on the plane going to China by way of Korea. Left Alaska about 12 hours ago. Had a very very long night flying to LA. I was on the same flight as Lisa Weight and Jane Lister. Once in LA we took a shuttle (about 6:30 AM) to the Hotel Radisson. Jane had reserved a room for the day. I immediately went to sleep and slept for about 3 hours. When I got up Debbie Arnold picked Diane Thayer, Jane Lister, Lisa Weight and I and took us around the area. We ate lunch at a little restaurant called Scotties. It was a very reasonably priced and tasty. Debbie works there as a waitress.
Then we rented bikes for $7.00 an hour. We rode bikes a bike trail…along busy streets and on the bike path around the beach. It was a beautiful day. …about 75 degrees, a slight breeze. What a nice day. We then walked down to the Redondo Beach and waded in the ocean. Debbie brought us back to the motel around 6PM. We took showers and went to eat. Right after that we took a shuttle back to the airport. It was a great day. Kevin and Debbie love where they live.