The Last Steps #15

After 5 months of travel Pat and Denise start their final leg back where it all started, China! In this episode they reflect on their travels; what they’ve experienced, learned and enjoyed. They talk about the people they’ve met and the food they’ve eaten. They discuss the impact of American culture on the world. Yet all in all  Asia is not that different. People are people with all the same hopes and desires.  Lastly we’ve found travel is easier than we’ve ever thought. Language is not as big of barrier as we anticipated. It’s OK winging your travel and booking one way flights a mere week or two in advance. Finally we’ve learned much from other travelers and from the locals. It’s been great making friends along the way. Plus we’ve been able to take  a 10000000 steps, and count them.

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Malaysian Musings #14

In this episode Denise and Pat muse about their adventures in Kuala Lampur Malaysia.   They talk about the architecture and traffic (or lack thereof compared to the rest of their travels) and the  welcoming and helpful locals. We visit a number of interesting tourist sights from Hindu Temples to Mosques as well as Buddhist temples and a pair of strange and interesting spiritual caves. We babble  about monkeys, birds and of course participate in a balanced conversation regarding the quality of street food.  It’s different! Great fun we’ve had  and a destination we believe you too should experience.

Hindu temple…. great music

Mosque – Denise dressed to kill

Monkeys at the Batu Caves

 

Classic Kuala Lampur

 

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Vietnam Vagabonds #13

Pat and Denise have just arrived in Vietnam and talk about their adventures in Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An. Vietnam is a very old country with a rich and honored history. But Vietnam is hardly the old man of  Southeast Asia,  but instead, the new kid on the block. Hanoi is an incredibly bustling city with entrepreneurs and mom and pop businesses springing up every few meters. The wars fought with the Americans, French, Japanese, Chinese and Mongols are mostly forgotten by average people. What we experienced was a open door policy and a deep desire to make us customers. The food is terrific and the beer similar to all other Pilsners in the world. We have much to share from city life to country bicycling on China Beach.

 

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Pat and I enjoyed walking around Zhengzhou and Xi’an.  We saw tree lined neighborhoods, river paths, parks, and busy city sidewalks.  Families pushed their babies in strollers and held their toddlers’ hands.  Men and boys fished along the rivers.  Women played with children on blankets or mats in the grass.  In the morning and evening large groups of folks would gather in the parks to do Tai Chi, yoga, dance, or any variety of exercise together.   We saw a man cracking his whip; it looked artistic, almost like a dance with scarves.  Quite often we saw a group of older men gathered together around small tables on the street or in the parks playing cards, chess, board games, or some type of dominoes game.  The malls were full of young people drinking Starbucks or eating ice cream.  Many people walked while looking at their i Phones!

  

The Chinese dressed just like westerners: shorts, jeans, t-shirts (often with Disney or super hero pictures.). Business people wore dark pants and white shirts, the women heels, skirts and dresses.  It did not look that different from the states.  Students wore uniforms to school, not just Best but all schools.

Of course we saw somethings that were unique to China.  One thing that really stands out were the street cleaners in Zhengzhou.  They were large vehicles, almost like garbage trucks, and they ran 24/7.  There was always a new building going up or one coming down so it could get quite dusty. ” Watering” the streets helped to control the dust.  We always knew when they were coming  because they played American Christmas carols.  The one that sticks in my head is “Oh Christmas Tree”.  I heard this everyday in my office at school and I was on the sixth floor!

Acupuncture advertisement

The grocery stores often had music playing in them along with sales people on microphones selling something.  At first the grocery stores were overwhelming.  We could find things we wanted, yogurt, bread, fruit, peanut butter etc. but we had to do it while reading the Chinese language, listening to Chinese around us, and the loud music.  These are all things you get used to as a tourist in another country but I do remember not finishing my shopping at times because I was overwhelmed.  It gave me a new appreciation for what our young bilingual students feel that first week of school.  One very cool thing at the grocery store was how children would sit in the book aisle and read and browse through the books.  I loved seeing them read!

Very few people spoke English in China, yet many of their businesses had English names.  Many times the names did not make sense or I felt that they got lost in translation.  We would see the same things on t-shirts, they didn’t quite make sense.

Being “foreigners” was quite interesting.  On the bus a young girl was giggling and she held up her phone and took our picture.  Pat and I were sitting outside at the mall in Xi’an and two young boys, 8 and 10, came up to us to ask if they could practice their English with us.  Of course we said yes, they were delightful.  They asked us our name, where we were from, how long we were in Xi’an, about our family.   Then they thanked us, wished us safe travels and took our picture.  Here are Pat and Victor!

Here are some other pictures from China!

They love “Hello Kitty”

This is like a bouncy house on the water!

At the end of day, the school was locked with a chain and a lock.

Petting zoo on the street!

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Playground in the mall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone loves Eric Carle

 

 

Subway in Zhengzhou

That’s Pat, playing around!

Fast food

Drying clothes – Asian style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Pictures

    

 

 

 

 

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“It’s like Forrest Gump said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’ Your career is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. But everything you get is going to teach you something along the way and make you the person you are today. That’s the exciting part – it’s an adventure in itself.”    ~Nick Carter

I came to work in China for the adventure; more adventure than I expected! No regrets!  I learned how we are all the same and some ideas for the future.

It was a new experience for me to work with a private school.  Some of the students live on campus during the week and go home on Friday for the weekend. Other students take the bus or their parents drop them off.  The first day of school was just like the first day at PH Miller.  Many cars and buses pulling in with students.  There was an aide on each of the buses (sweet). The students got off the bus, some little ones crying, and there was a staff member to meet them and take them to the right classroom.

The first day of school there was a whole school assembly where they talked with the students about the theme for the year which was related to space and exploring new ideas.  Students were a part of the assembly, introducing teachers at times (I think).  Students were also recognized for volunteer work they did over the summer or other special activities they may have completed.

Classes started at 8:30.  In the middle of the morning there was a 30 minute break for students called “Stretch Time”.  The students went to the gym to do some exercises, this was in addition to PE.  They also had 10 minute breaks for water and the bathroom every 40 minutes.  I really liked this aspect of building in breaks in the middle of instruction.

There was a long lunch break from 12:00 – 1:20.  Students ate lunch in their classrooms.  After lunch, the first and kindergarten students took a nap.  The kindergarten rooms were structured so that the kids could nap in their classroom.  The first grade went over to the dorms (where we lived on the third floor) and took their naps in rooms on the first floor.  The older students, grades 2 – 6, had club time.

Kindergarten Classroom – nap time was “upstairs”.

Bathrooms – No copyright laws in China!

 

Students went back to class around 1:20 or 1:30 and were in school until 4:30 or 5:00.

Dinner was at 5:30 for the students who stayed on campus.  After dinner they would be outside for awhile and then go into the dorms.  The students stayed on the fourth floor above us.  Pat and I enjoyed listening to them moving around.  There was always the sound of chairs moving and kids walking around but at 8:00 or 8:30 it was lights out and we didn’t hear a sound.

Communication with parents was very important at Best.  There were grade level meetings for parents before school started.  There was a Power Point presentation that introduced staff and told parents about what they could expect for their children in the coming year.  The weekend before school opened parents and students came to school to register.  There were games for the students to play.  Students who were boarding dropped their supplies off in the dorm.

 

Parents received daily communication about what their children did in school.  For the Reach program, which was the new English program this year, the teachers completed a Learning Log each night.  It consisted of “I Can statements”, learning activities, and homework.  All of this information came right off of the lesson plans.  To keep it simple we agreed that all teachers would have the same “I Can statements” and homework every night.  The teachers would plan their own learning activities, the art of teaching.  Teachers would turn in their lesson plans a week ahead of time and we would cut and paste this information into the learning logs.

This was our biggest challenge as school started, communicating with parents what the new program entailed since it was very different from how English was traditionally taught.  In the past English instruction was broken up into 4 areas, reading, speaking, grammar, and writing.  There was a separate class for each.  Now the students were getting all of their instruction in one 90 minute period.  This experience already has me thinking about communication with parents in the future.  I think of the many changes in our classrooms every year with the Common Core, Anti-bullying, instructional materials, etc, it is no wonder our parents are not sure how to help their students.

I truly enjoyed our students, kids are the same everywhere.  The first time I visited the school a little kindergarten girl came into the hallway and when she saw me she ran behind her teacher.  I was the first foreigner she had ever seen!  Once school started we taught the students how to line up, raise their hands, and to walk in the hall.  However, I think first grade students cannot help themselves, they all like to skip down the hall when they get the chance!

Outdoor play area.

Library

Room full balls – like at McDonalds!

PE supplies

 

There was a pool in the center of the school which they only used during the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

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Teeming Thailand Temples

Chiang Mai Thailand is teeming with Buddhist temples. In this episode Denise and Pat share they’re experiences visiting the many Thailand temples throughout the city and nearby country. They climb up mountains, forded creeks, climbed down into caves and negotiated narrow sidewalks with zooming motorbikes to see the wonders.

Some of the Thailand temples are big, some small, some immaculate, some fallen away. No matter their state of repair, all are beautiful in their own way.

This is Doi Suthep in the mountains.

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Thailand Travelogue #11

In this episode Denise and Pat discuss their new destination, Chiang Mai Thailand. Known for it’s elephants, temples and smiles, they discuss first impressions of this bustling and welcoming town in this Thailand travelogue.

Filled with history, they struggle to understand the past given few signs are in English. Yet it’s an easy city to live in given most people speak a bit of English and if they don’t, try hard to please.

Chiang Mai is the capitol of Northern Thailand. It’s a city between the mountains, warm, humid and just finishing the rainy season. Very livable and they look forward to a long stay. This Thailand Travelogue merely touches the highlights.  They look forward to sharing more in upcoming episodes.

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As soon as Pat and I decided to go to China many people started sharing their experiences with us.  That the food was great was a common thread and they were right! Everything was wonderful, even when we didn’t know what we were ordering and just pointed to the menu!

For breakfast we bought eggs, yogurt, bread, and peanut butter to eat in our room. Lunch we ate at school.  At night we went out to the street vendors or small restaurants.  It was all fabulous!

Most dishes center around rice, noodles, or dumplings.  They where either stir fried or in a soup that includes vegetables and a variety of spices and herbs; you could generally choose beef, chicken or pork to be added.  A point of interest about how chicken was prepared.  The Chinese cut up the chicken including the bones, so don’t be surprised if you all of a sudden you need to spit something out!

All the food is not brought out at the same time.  As soon as a dish was ready, the cooks brought it to the table.  This seemed a little strange at first but then we realized it was a great way to share and try different foods. The tables would often be set with small plates or bowls for sharing. Chopsticks were the perfect tool for picking out exactly what you wanted!   Pat and I are now the proud owners of a beautiful set of chopsticks.  They will always be on our table!

Below is just a small sampling of our experiences with dining in China.

Eating at the mall!  Great food courts.

 

Hot Pot!

Hot Pot is a great way to eat in China with a large group of people.  Each person chooses a “soup base”, beef, chicken, tomato, spicy, veggie, etc.  The broth is brought to you in a pot with a “Bunsen Burner” under it.  The server lights it for you.  Now watch as your soup comes to a boil.  In the meantime, everyone chooses what they want in their soup:  mushrooms, salad greens, noodles, pork, shrimp, etc.  All of this is placed on the Lazy Susan in the center of the table.  Once your “soup” is boiling you can place what ever you want into it and when it is cooked, enjoy!  This is a lot of fun and great way to try many things.

These are some unusual things we saw or bought from the grocery store.

Pigs Feet.

100 year old eggs. (They are boiled in tea.) These were interesting to eat, like a hard boiled egg but jammy. We didn’t eat many of these.

Parts of chickens and whole chickens, including their feet!

We also saw a variety of vegetables, fruit and rice.  If we had stayed longer in China we would have explored some of the options.  If we were homesick though, we could always find something from the USA!

Pizza Hut Menu – this was a great pizza – China style!

This was a surprise!

Cheese is hard to find in China, so this was a real treat!

 

We found a Wal-Mart!

Street Food is always the best.  Someone needs to invent an app that can capture smells because this is the best part of buying food on the street – the smells.  The cooks take such pride in their food.  They prepare every dish with care.  I regret not taking more pictures of everything we ate and the cooks!

Getting ready!

Grilled corn!

These were taken at the Muslim Market in Xi an.  We saw so many things that were hard to capture in pictures.  Noodles and naan (Muslim bread) were made on the street.  So many spices and herbs to smell!

Nothing is wasted here!  Everything was used down to the bone!

Herbs and spices simmering to be added to your meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hong Kong Chronicles

In this episode Pat and Denise leave the austerity of China for the glitz and glamour of Hong Kong. We speak on length of the vistas of Victoria Harbor, riding the Big Bus and drinking craft beer. It’s great to be back in the West. Yes Hong Kong is in China, but it feels like the British Empire.

Stunning architecture and clean ocean breezes are a welcomed relief from the dust of China.

 

The new and the old

 

 

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Zhengzhou is a city that is in a state of flux.  The Chinese government has designated Zhengzhou as the transportation hub of the country.  Consequently old neighborhoods of street markets and street vendors are being torn down to be replaced by tall apartment buildings and shopping centers.  It seemed that every block had banks, cell phone stores, and restaurants; yet were no coffee shops, except for the occasional Starbucks.  There is construction everywhere, the sound of jackhammers never ends.  There is a layer of dust over everything.  The city is a study in contrasts from the families who lived in the street markets and store fronts to the CBD (Central Business District) with modern hotels, shopping, and parks.  However, the roads are the same everywhere; full of buses, cars, taxis, and e-bikes.  No traffic rules.  Roads under construction.  E-bikes and cars parked on the sidewalks.  

When we first came to Zhengzhou we lived in a neighborhood of street markets and vendors.  There were carts full of fruits and vegetables.  Women selling dumplings and noodles.  Store fronts selling toys, clothing, paper goods, and e-bikes.  There were some areas that had open space.  Sometimes there were toys and playground equipment there were kids could play.  At the end of August this neighborhood was designated to be torn down and new construction would begin.  It was amazing!  Over one weekend all of these families packed up their belongs in old cars and trucks.  All that was left was trash and empty buildings.  It looked like an apocalyptic scene out of a movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

This is a neighborhood that had a lot of nice restaurants and bars.

We moved to another school near the end of August.  The neighborhood here was quite different.  There were no street vendors, other than the occasional cart full of watermelon.  The streets were still busy but the stores were more modern and “upscale”.  It was interesting to see the contrast in these two neighborhoods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, despite how “third world” some of Zhengzhou looked the transportation system was super (really easy if you spoke Chinese). Pat did a great job figuring out the underground system and the bus lines, there were so many but it was all online which made it very easy to use.  We would decide on a place to go and Pat would get on his phone to figure the best way for us to travel.

 

Gas stations were not on every corner, which was a surprise when you think of the million of cars on the road!

Zac’s BBQ and Lazy Tap Micro Brewery were a great place to go when we needed to be back in the USA!

The menu at Zac’s, it was also in English!

A tasting at Lazy Tap’s.  The owner here had over 15 beers on tap!

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