I am home now.  Things haven't changed much since I was here last year.  All of my immediate family has returned to my hometown since my sister's family left town 7 or 8 years ago.  But we are all back now and enjoying it.  Give us a couple of months and that will change.  I just got to visit some friends this past weekend in Oklahoma city and hope to see more friends soon.  Of course I am looking for a job right now so if one of them comes through then I will be busy for a while so I won't be making the rounds. 

 

Hopefully I will keep up a little bit with my blog for a while.  It always seems to be a matter of internet access.  I should be able to get online most days now so I will try to delight you with whatever is on my mind.  And hopefully I will snap a few photos sometime.   

I just saw two close friends leave on May 19th.  Cole and Wendy made their second visit to China after they enjoyed their first visit so much.  They came in on May 2nd and stayed for 17 days of action and fun.  We visited Beijing again as before but this time we focused on the city and sleeping. The jet-lag hit them a little harder than it did last time.  We did get to see the new Olympic stadium for the 2008 games as well as a beautiful part of the Great Wall called Si Ma Tai.  It was my first time to either of those and they were both pretty cool. 

 

After stopping back through my home town to teach a few classes and meet students and teammates we spent the next weekend in Weinan (pronounced "Wayne on".  We stayed with friends there and had a wonderful time even though someone tried on the sly to get a tofu into the lasagna :)   You may ask, "Why Weinan?"  It is located just near the Terra Cotta Warriors.  Xi'An actually claims the warriors but the city is about 30-40 minutes from the actual site.  It is kind of like living in Kansas and then saying you are from Kansas City.  (Kansas City is actually in Missouri folks.) 

 

So we visited the soldiers.  They are pretty impressive.  The fact is though that they were all found in pieces.  They were put back together by special people to make them like new again.  Which of course brought up the question of whether they should be considered new or ancient since they were made in the late 70's again just using the old pieces.  I would assume that your argument would be as good as mine either way so we will just be content to have our own opinions.  But if you want a really new one then you need only go down the street about 2 minutes where they make brand new ones for around $75 a piece.  And they look exactly like the old new ones.  It was all very interesting though, especially watching Cole and Wendy walk through the gauntlet of vendors as you leave.  I think they bought five miniature sets of warriors, 5-10 bracelets, an egg that you play like a recorder, and we took pictures behind hollow terra cotta warriors for a memento.  I had to stand behind the kid warrior because there are only two adult ones in the front and neither Aaron or Cole are as pettite as I am.  I will post a picture. 

 

Needless to say they both got a chance to really see what China is like.  I don't mean to offend but if you have only seen Shanghai and Beijing then you haven't experienced China.  You need to find a place with no subways, traffic laws, and popular attractions to do that.  And guess, the city I live in is a perfect example.  (Ok, there are traffic laws, but newcomers tend to think there aren't.)  Of course my city claims the famous Shaolin Temple as one of it's attractions.  And in traditional Chinese fashion it can be seen after a bus or train ride outside of the city by about an hour.  Looking forward to your visit.

 

Before I get you into a deep philosophical thought process like my blogs usually do.  I want to let you know that a largely populated country on this side of the world has taken steps to disallow access to a lot of online journals like this one you are currently reading.  I just want you to be aware of this as my access to this site may be put on hold indefinitely in the near future.  Four of the people here have already had their sites banished form the realm.  I will always have email but my access to update this site may be stopped without notice.  Not that any of you have been expecting prompt updates on the hour or anything. 

 

On to better things.  Cambodia.  After spending a few days in Siem Reap, where we tasted excellent Mexican food (in a city of 15,000 there was delicious Mexican food, it is hard to come by in my city of 10 million) met some North Koreans, and stepped in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie (a new mother of an adopted Vietnamese boy) we woke up at 5:30 in the morning to pack ourselves into a truck with at least 10 other foreigners and luggage to head to a boat that would take us downriver to Phnom Phen. 

 

After jamming ourselves and our belongings into a very small Mazda'ish truck we took off.  Only to stop and to pick up two more people and three bags.  My friend Derek rode the rest of the way on the cab.  He left a dent.  And the two new people had to lay themselves two deep on top of the luggage.  It was pretty rediculous.  But after a short 35 minute drive we were there so it wasn't so bad.  We got to watch the sunrise for the second day in a row. 

 

We stopped in what is pretty much a squatter community on the banks of a very small tributary.  Everything was on the water.  Except for all the people trying to hawk their wears to the travelers.  The main commodity was the baguette.  For the next half hour after getting off the truck and onto the boat all we heard was, "Sir, baguette.  Baguette Sir?"  (I hope you read that with a second language speakers pronunciation and a french accent.)  The french had a lot of influence in Cambodia.  And their baguettes have remained.  It was weird because you felt as if you were being forced to buy them.  Nevermind the fact that it was 7 am and I would be on the boat for 6 hours.  "You will never make me buy one of these "baguettes!"  That is exactly when Aaron says, "Wow, these things are awesome."  So I bought one, the boat left, and I wished I had bought five.  They were awesome.  Almost worth the whole trip.  As we left we started to realize how vast this waterworld was.  We started to see shops along the way.  We saw a school floating on the river.  We saw a church on the river.  It was pretty amazing.  After about 30 minutes at 10 mph we were pretty frustrated even though there was a lot to see.  But then we hit the open water of the lake and we picked up speed.  While we were traveling we were able to go out on the deck of the boat.  The boat itself was the loudest thing I have ever been next to.  If you went to the back it sounded as if you were standing behind the engine of a jet. 

 

After six hours, four cokes, sadly one baguette, and a couple of sunburns later (Aaron's was noticably worse than mine) we arrived at out port, Phnom Phen.  We got off the boat to the cat calls of the took took drivers who would take us anywhere in Phnom Phen for a dollar.  We grabbed the first guy and told him we wanted a hotel, hostel or whatever.  He gave us the dollar ride to pretty much the nearest hotel he knew.  We got a good deal for two beds and took it.  We enlisted for the next day's journey to the killing fields and wherever else we may want to go.  Everything was set.  A place to sleep, a ride wherever we wanted.  Even with a sunburn life was looking good. 

 

Check out the boat ride photos.  I will get to the next day in the next day or so.  :)

After classes finished I headed off to Shanghai with Aaron.  He is new to China so I accompanied him to Shanghai before his flight to Thailand for classes and then our annual conference.  I did meet up with my old student and good friend, Fiona, for a couple of meals and some good English practice.  (Her's not mine.)  Aaron left the day after we arrived and since I didn't need to be in Thailand for another week I thought I would make my way south to China's most beautiful destination: Guilin.  Who wouldn't want to go?  It was only a short 28 hour train ride away.  And since I just enjoyed my 13 hour ride from my hometown I couldn't see why not. 

 

Guilin is located in one of China's southern most provinces.  It is probably visited by a few million people each year.  I would definitely stay clear of it during either of the National holidays or the spring festival, which starts tomorrow so if you are there then get out.  But the Chinese people all rate it as the second most beautiful place in China.  (Foreigners like to use that rule where you drop the highest score when rating things here.  I think it comes from figure skating or diving or something.  But the best things in China tend to be the best to that particular person because of some relationship they have to it.  You know, like your parents being the best.  We are all a little biast so if we add up everyone's second choice then we will probably come away with an excellent choice, right?)  So, it must surely be the most beautiful.  And since I have lived in China for three years then I figured it was a good choice for one last mid-year visit. 

 

Little did I know there is a strange swirling of the jet stream 41 hours south of my city by train.  Apparently somewhere during those 41 hours we crossed into the twilight zone because when I arrived in Guiling it was rediculously cold.  It was colder than Shanghai and my home city which was farther north still.  In fact, the yellow river that draws the east-west line in China for places with heat and no heat is just 30 minutes away from my apartment.  That is how far north I live.  Guiling on the other hand is just a few hours drive from the Vietnam border.  And yet there I was.  Lugging my two back packs (I carry one in the front) through the streets of Guilin wearing shorts and a t-shirt looking for a place to stay the night. 

 

I assumed it was cold because it was night when I arrived.  I was wrong.  It was just cold.  I was there three days and it never got warmer.  Apparently it was a strange occurance because all of the places that I tried to stay didn't have heat either.  The one room I stayed in the longest was actually the coldest.  I could see my breath in the room the whole time whether it was daytime or night time.  It was cold. 

 

Did I mention I was on my way to Thailand and thought I would just stop through?  Yeah, warm stuff was left behind.  I had one pair of jeans and a thin jacket.  Everything else was shorts and t-shirts.  I would have to say that it was one of the most miserable trips I have ever experienced.  I would love to blame the terrible weather for all of this but it could have also been the long train ride or the fact that I was traveling alone for my first time in China.  Pain is always a little less painful when you can share it with someone.  Or maybe it is more bearable because you are more willing to carry it for the sake of the other. 

 

Ok, I am done complaining.  Guilin was a beautiful place.  It rained all three days I was there as you can see in the photos.  It was foggy most of the time so I didn't get those beautiful pictures I had hoped to get.  The weather took away my ability to take photos that really showed how beautiful it was but I was able to see the beauty firsthand.  Int the pictures you can see the reason for the beauty.  There are hundreds of those little karst mountains in every direction.  They fill the horizon no matter where you go.  It makes for a good time.  Be prepared to bargain your socks off.  The people there deal with tourists every day and will give you the good foreigner price any chance they get.  One of the famous things in this area is the bird fishing.  I have some shots of the little men on their rafts with two little birds.  These birds dive for fish.  So the locals tie a string around their necks so they can't swallow the catch and go out fishing with them.  It is really impressive.  After a hard days work they will untie the string and give the birds a treat for their hard work. 

 

Sorry I didn't have more photos.  I was literally huddled in my bed most of the time.  I am soft like that.  But if you are reading this then you probably already know that.  Next stop, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

ok, I am back.  I know that you are surprised my two frequent visits to update my site so close together.  Nothing terrible has happened.  I am just visiting the nicest internet cafe i have ever seen or been to (assuming that I had been to one at a time when I couldn't see).  So I thought I would take the time to write to you again and say hi and maybe elaborate a little bit on my past few weeks.

 

If you don't remember, the chinese school year follows the lunar new year when it comes to the winter break.  So this year the 18th of this month is the lunar new year.  Since we finished teaching after the second week of january we have almost two months until classes start up again.  That is really cool since we will have a lot of time to travel around and see things but not so cool because traveling costs money and two months of traveling is a lot of money even when you are traveling on a budget. 

 

I have come to believe that China is the budget traveler's paradise.  Things there are just cheap.  Southeast Asia is cheap too but I have the advantage of knowing China a lot better than I do other places and therefore can bargain a lot better and have the ability to ask the right questions.  (Like now in Bangkok.  Aaron and I are staying at a cheap guest house.  I asked most of the right questions but let an important one like "Do we have hot water?" slip past.)  In China I know most of the things they try to skimp and save on.  Down here it is all relatively new.  So we get stuck every now and then.

 

Needless to say most teachers save up throughout the semester so they can travel during the winter break.  It is definitely cheaper to travel within China but it is nice to stick around down here in the sun too.  Just as an example here is what my teammates are doing this break.  Two are traveling to India.  Two are stay8ing at the beach in Thailand for a while.  And two are returning back to the school.  And then Aaron and I have our own plans.  A lot of teachers have the chance to return to the states for a month or so.  Of course America is probably the most costly place to travel so usually they have relatives who want them to come home and pay for them. 

 

Anyway, Aaron and I will leave in the morning for Shanghai.  We will stay there for a couple of days and then we will leave for a small island that is part of Korea.  It is called Jeju do.  I made some good Korean friends right when I arrived in China.  We have been friends for over three years now and so I am going to visit.  I am really excited to go.  Even though this particular island is known as the honeymoon island.  Trust me, Aaron and I aren't that close.  :) 

 

I still haven't had a chance to post any pictures, but when I do I will be sure to give you a better commentary of my travels.  So, be sure to study up on Guilin (China), Cambodia (Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields), and Jeju island in Korea.  There will be a test.

Sorry again about the absence.  Heard that before right?  Well, I have been away from home for over a month now and have not had easy access to the internet.  I should have some free time in the next couple of days to update everyone on my oh so interesting life.  This past month has been interesting as I have again visited Thailand for about 3 weeks and was able to stop over in Cambodia as well.  On my way down to Southeast Asia I went through Guilin which is one of China's most beautiful locations.  And believe it or not I am not done yet.  I will be making one last stop in Korea.  Our winter holiday this year is almost two months long due to a  late lunar new year (Feb. 18) so I have a lot of time on my hands.  Now don't think I am over here living the high life.  I make a rather meager salary that does afford me the opportunity to travel but I have been able to perfect the art of the $4 a night room and $2/per meal eating habit.  (I have lost ten pounds since leaving home.)  But I get to see some really amazing stuff.  I am not on my own computer now so I will have to upload some new pictures as soon as I get the chance.  I have a seen some very different settings with some very different history.  SOme of it has been exciting and some has been heavy (the Killing Fields in Cambodia).  I will give you more soon.  I am in Bangkok at the moment with Aaron and will leave in two days for Shanghai before heading to Korea.  Wish me luck!!!

Here I am!!!  I am sorry that I have not updated my site in what probably seems like forever and has pretty much been, well, forever.  I finished traveling for my work at the end of November and then lost most of my motivation for all things besides teaching.  I also ended my cellular internet card service as I only bought 3 months worth.  And the internet at my school is terrible.  Not to mention the fact that there was an earthquake in Taiwan that has brought most of China's internet service to a standstill.  I have not been able to do anything online for the past few weeks due to this problem.  So I am sorry.  I still can't do anything but am just lucky enough to have a window of opportunity between about 3 and 4 am to get some stuff done.  Not quite the most convenient time but it will have to do.  I am however leaving for Thailand in a week.  At that time I will be able to update you on the various happenings in my life at regular intervoles.  Of course I am going to be a lot more busy in Thailand than I have been this past month so please don't think that it is just a vacation.  I have about 40meetings, some seminars, a sexual harassment course (everyone is going), and a week of conference to attend there.  But I will get the chance to play a little bit too.  I will be sure to update some photos soon and of course my blog as I am going to be stopping in Guilin, Guangxi which is supposed to be one of China's most beautiful locations on my way to the Kunming airport from which I will be going to Thailand.  Be sure to check back here in a couple of days.

It was eight in the morning and I was woken up by what Aaron called "white noise".  All I remember was that the school's loud speakers were blasting one type of music and there was a totally different genre coming from another source but at equal volume.  It was a battle from the start.  Whose song volume was going to win out?  Whoever won, I was awake a lot earlier on a Saturday than I had hoped to be.  So I at least made good use of my time by doing some dishes, cleaning my house, doing some laundry, and writing a few Christmas cards.  Don't worry, yours is in the mail.  But just know that sometimes the mail from this side of the world often gets lost or gets returned for no other reason than because it does. 

 

After lunch Aaron and I decided to take a walk around campus and see what all the commotion was about.  Another teammate characterized it as a carnival but we were going to find out first hand.  There were definitely enough balloons to make for a good carnival.  Unfortunately there were no rides.  There were a few dancing lines.  And a lot outdoor computer setups.  Most noticable of all there was a huge loud speaker for almost every booth that was blaring that booth's theme music.  (Here in China there is a lot of noise during your daily routine.  That is what happens when you put a lot of people in a not big enough area.  You get a lot of noise.  So naturally if you are trying to attract attention to your product or new store or club then of course you just play music that is louder than everyone elses.  And that is where the club fair was, "white noise".)  And of course at each booth was a person more than happy to hand you a pamphlet filled with information about their club.  Aaron took the first one and then had to proceed to deny the oncoming flood thereafter.  One of my rules in China is that if you do not make eye contact with people that want to sell something, then they won't bother you for too long.  But if you have ever shown interest in something, whether a street vendor or at any kind of market in China then you know that every single person that is trying to sell something will not leave you alone from the moment you pass them until you leave the market.  (There are two reasons for that, first, a chance to hawk you wares to a foreigner to show your hawking skills to the other sellers, and second, because the foreigners could easily be talked into paying a nice mark up on the product and you come away with a good profit.)  So Aaron took the paper.  And because I was with him I came home with 23 beautifully written in Chinese descriptions of school clubs.  It was a good time though, aside from the music.  And we met a lot of new people and learned about some of the things that students can be involved in at our school.  It was a bit odd that there was an English Village.  Not the idea so much as the practice of it.  We never heard English and all of the signs were in Chinese.  Go figure.

 

The coolest thing about the fair was that each club made their own billboard describing what it is their club does and why the students should join their club.  I tried to get as many photos as I could.  They are beautiful pieces of artwork.  Most Chinese writing is beautiful to me.  I can't do it and most things I can't do are beautiful to me, or at least more valuable.  I couldn't translate the signs either so I tried my best to give you an idea of what they might be.  I would guess that I am wrong for most of them, except for the Christian Mathmeticians Club.  I think that one was pretty obvious.  Take a look at the photos I posted.  I think you will be interested.

 

 

I think it is unanimous.  Most foreigners in China hate riding buses.  I took a survey and didn't get one positive response.  I should probably expand my search beyond Aaron and Vince, the two guys who have been riding the bus with me for an hour to the gym a few times a week.  It never seems to fail.  As soon as we get to the bus stop to begin our trip (it is literally the very first stop since our school is officially in the North 40) people just start coming out of the woodwork.  And if you have ridden a bus in China then you know that if more than five people show up at any stop then there is a mad rush to get on first, yes even if it is the first stop.  So, mi amigos and I have devised a one and one plan.  One way we ride the bus, supposedly when it is not busy, and on the way home when it is definitely busy we take a cab.  Between the three of us we can do this three times a week and only pay once for a one way trip ($5). 

 

We just experienced our first snow on Thanksgiving.  It wasn't much but it was snow and there is something about seeing the pure white snow that just warms the heart.  Two days later we found ourselves at the gym again.  Not sure why.  We all look exactly the same as three months ago.  There is something about going through the process of working out that fools your mind into thinking that your muscles are bigger.  Whatever.  This particular day was raining, a lot.  We had just finished dinner ($3.50 for three guys).  And upon leaving we found a cab as a lady was getting out.  So we waited for her to get out.  I made a joke about Aaron having to ride in the front.  (I wanted him to pay because he wanted to go to this store before we ate.)  As we were all laughing hysterically at my witty sense of humor this man and his mom and two daughters practically sprint to the car and start getting in.  I think Aaron ended up opening the door for one of them it was so sudden.  It was straight out of a movie. 

 

As we moved down the road in a different taxi and just a little bit wetter because of the prolonged time in the rain we were all laughing at Vince because he was the one who said something to the man who stole our cab.  We were laughing because we all wanted to but we were glad he was the first because then you realize it is useless and pretty funny at the same time.  So we were laughing a lot when we got a flat tire.  Yeah, we stopped laughing.  I have never been in a car that got a flat in China.  Not sure what to do exactly.  I assumed that she would call AAA and wait.  And that we would get out and try to get another cab.  Nope!  Our less than 100 pound female cab driver, in her high heeled boots, decided to change the tire herself. 

 

Hey, it was cold out.  And raining, don't forget.  Not to mention we were still ticked off about being cab mugged.  (I seriously thought I was going to need to throw down.)  But, of course, being gentlemen, we decided to get out and help her change it.  (By help I mean I handed her my umbrella and let her watch.)  Unfortunately I had Larry and Curly with me so changing the tire turned into quite an interesting moment in my life.  First, the jack was jacked.  (I realized later the car was not properly breaked.)  Second, it was dark out.  Third, it was raining (rain is really wet if you haven't been in it for a while.)  Fourth, it was really cold (notice the down coat and stocking cap).  Fifth, we parked up hill.  And finally, apparently Chinese cars don't have lugs and lug nuts.  They jus have a lugish nut combination.  By that I mean there is just one piece, like a big bolt.  So I had to align, with my freezing hands in the dark, the four holes in the wheel with the four on the axle.  No lie, got it the first time, right after complaining a lot about how impossible this would probably be.  During the process however I remembered I had my camera in my bag.  Since Aaron was occupying the umbrella space with the driver I told him to document the moment.  Be sure to check out the new pictures on the blog.  The one of my butt is his first take.  He has a good eye.  What can we I say?  We got r' done though.  And when we finally got home we even got to pay full price for the ride.  It was a good day.  Cold, but good!

I came up with a new theory this last week.  I was asking students about their hometowns.  Of course in the questioning comes one about the size of the city.  Inevitably in China there is no sure answer.  For my city I have read estimates of between 4-6 million people.  I have also heard upwards of 10 million because of the number of migrant workers in the city.  Who knows?  I don't know a lot about populations estimates of Chinese cities.  What I do know about is KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut.  Don't laugh.  This is serious science going on here.  I have done a lot of traveling in China and I have also done a lot of eating as well.  I could probably name 95% of the Mexican restaurants in China.  And I can definitely name the big 3 western eateries.  If you know anything about China then you know that KFC is the first western restaurant to arrive in a city that is not family run (the restaurant not the city).  No acceptions.  And the last to arrive is Pizza Hut.  So here is my theory.  I have seen cities with no KFC's.  Generally a no KFC city is below 300,000 people.  Now there are acceptions to this rule but please bear with me.  If there is one or two establishments then the chances are that the city is in the 300,000-500,000 range.  Once a city hits three KFC's then it will usually have a McDonalds coming shortly thereafter.  So, if a city has a McDonald's then the size is usually around 500,000-1,000,000.  At this stage the cities might have multiple establishments of either the KFC or McDonald's variety.  After a city gets a McDonalds then it can receive a Pizza Hut, the epitomy of western food, right?  If a city has a Pizza Hut then it is a given that the city is over 1 million people.  However, my city of between 5 and 10 million only has one Pizza Hut.  So, where as the number of KFC's and McDonalds establishments do have an affect on determining the number of people, the Pizza Hut is not necessarily the same.  Now, this system of calculation is affected by the location of the city as well as by the economic standing of the city.  If it is in the east and wealthy then it may have a larger number of establishments for a smaller number of people.  Therefore the system must be interpreted by a person that has the ability to know the area as well as the general wealth of the people.  So, if I ask a student if their city has a Pizza Hut then I can plug that data into my theory and know that it is one of 100 cities in China that have the privilege of owning a Pizza Hut, and so on.  Give it a shot the next time you are in China.  Just ask how many KFC's there are and then find out the location of the city, east, west, south, or north and you will be able to give as accurate a measure of the population as anyone in China.

Right now I am laying in bed.  I am wearing body armour (like long underwear for the athlete), a shirt, shorts, snow boarding pants, socks and a stocking cap.  I have been this cold before.  Most of those times, however, I was camping in the mountains (either in Colorado or Sichuan) or I had fallen out of the boat while white water rafting.  There are two reasons for my coldness.  The first is that buildings in China are made to last.  They are made from concrete and steel.  Aside from that there is a coat of paint on the inside and outside of most buildings.  Once, when I was camping near Winter Park, Colorado.  I was told if I took some of the hot stones from around the fire and put them in my sleeping bag then they would keep me really warm.  I took two nice and toasty rocks from the fire.  They were so hot I could barely hold them.  I rolled them down to the bottomof my bag and slept like a baby.  Well, I slept until around four in the morning when the stones had lost their heat and began to turn to solid ice or so they felt.  I am sure that I was butt of a pretty good prank that night.  Here in China my apartment is somewhat similar to that sleeping bag.  Since it is made of stone and steel it can get really cold.  It was actually warmer outside today than it was inside.  But when the sun goes down it just turns nto a giant refrigerator.  The second reason for my being cold is because someone doesn't want to turn the heat on.  Our building is heated old school with the hot water pumping through the radiators.  When it is on, our building turns into a nice oven.  Last year it came on around October 25th.  The rest of the city has heat going through it.  (Somehow in China the heating systems can run throughout the entire city to all of the city's buildings, even in this rather large city of millionsof people.)  Someone in the city obviously feels that there is need for heat.  Unfortunately those people who make the decisions don't live on this campus. 

 

 

Am I pumped or what?  My Wolverines are fighting for the National Championship this year in college football.  For the first time ever in the history of the Big Ten the number 1 and 2 teams in the country are meeting.  I know, you are expecting me to be disappointed by the fact that I can't watch the game here in China.  But you are wrong!  There is a sweet new computer software that allows you to watch television anywhere in the world if you have a high speed internet connection.  Normally my internet is not high speed in practice.  In theory it is supposed to be but usually I can't even download email.  But with this new television software it just opens up and flows.  So usually me and a couple of the guys here hook the computer up to the television through s-video and kick back and watch american television on our tv's here in China.  Unfortunately watching live television from America in China consists of figuring out what time it is in America.  And it just so happens that if I am going to watch the big game on Saturday, I need to get up at 4am here.  Will I do it?  I plan on it.  However, I will get on a train tonight to return home from my semester's travels.  So I will be pretty tired for a couple of days.  I actually just saw that 48 of the fifty states in America that voted said that Ohio State would come out on top.  I am pretty sure that China is rooting for Michigan.  Needless to say, if I am getting up at 4am to watch football I had better be really pumped up about or else sleep might sound better.  You better watch the game too!!!

So what do you think?  Do you like my pictures?  I sure enjoy taking them.  It helps me to remember a lot of things about my situation.  In some ways I hesitate to take so many pictures because I feel that I may lead some of you to believe that all I am doing here is traveling and taking pictures.  I do travel a lot but I am sure busy with my work.  I just had some great conversations tonight with some new friends.  My pictures help me remember.  They help to save things for me for a time when I am not so busy.  For a time when I can look at them and see with a different perspective what it was that I was able to experience.  And in a way I hope that they bring you along for the ride.  I have been on a three year adventure now.  I have seen a lot of places within China and in Asia in general.  In so many ways my life here has been so easy.  And in others it has been one of the most difficult things I have ever encountered.  Sometimes there are things so familiar that I forget I am so far removed from family and old friends.  Other times I may even be so disturbed by what I am experiencing that I feel helpless and lonely.  And instead of allowing my emotions to swing to such drastic extremes back and forth I just take a picture.  Sometimes I share them with you and sometimes I just save them for me.  Some of you may have had similar experiences or been in the same places.  Some of you may not even be able to imagine what life might be like in a place so removed from your culture or location.  So I take pictures.  Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words.  Sometimes they are unexplainable but easily understandable.  Either way, I hope that you can continue to be a part of my life as I live.  I hope that through a photo you can see a smile, a tear, an emotion that will help you to understand that life here looks very different in many ways but is in essence very similar to what all people know.  I hope you can see that He has a love so great that He raises the sun to shine on all of us here just as He does where you are.  Enjoy!!!

I have a little free time today.  I am waiting to make a phone call but my friend is busy so I will write in my blog.  Hope you don't mind.  I have been reading "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton.  Ever read it?  I really like it.  I love books like this one because they make you think.  You can't help but think if you read it.  I wish I was able to craft words in a way that would wrap around other people's minds and infiltrate their being.  But I can't.  So I will use the words of those who can.  At one point he makes this statement, "The sense of the miracle of humanity itself should be always more vivid to us than any marvels of power, intellect, art, or civilization.  The mere man on two legs, as such, should be felt as something more heartbreaking than any music and more startling than any caricature.  Death is more tragic than even death by starvation."  In that last sentence he really sparked my interest.  Why is it so easy for us to overlook the magnificance of life (humanity) and focus on the smaller things? I recently wrote about seeing a girl hit by a car and watching her lay motionless in the street.  My first instinct was to think of how tragic it was to be in such a situation.  But the whole world in is in such a situation.  We all die, do we not?  The fact that death exists at all is the most tragic.  Who can escape it?  Is there another way?  And I am not painting a picture of anger at the One who allowed death into this world.  To allow life in this place requires that death accompany it.  The worst part of the whole thing is that I quickly lose sight of what is so important in life.  Living!  I begin to focus on always being healthy and free of pain.  In this world that humanity has shaped, I focus on finite instead of the infinite.  I focus on the pain of death instead of the life that is behind it.  How will I ever succeed in this world?  There will always be pain, suffering, anger, and death.  What hope do I have in money, my career, my friends, or family?  All of those things too will pass away.  But let me grasp the Infinite that is unmovable.  That I too may be swept into eternity. 

Yesterday was my second official visit to a zoo here in China.  Both times feeding the animals was encouraged.  I like that.  Unfortunately I am too acustomed to not feeding the animals so I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Well, except for the time when we paid 5 yuan to go inside of Monkey Mountain.  Who wouldn't do that?  Let me tell you who.  Everyone except Aaron and I.  Scaredy cats if you ask me.  Just because rabbies cases have risen by like 1000% in China this year isn't a good enough reason to miss out on this opportunity.  If you notice in the pictures there are five consecutive shots of Aaron getting yelled at in Chinese.  I was lucky enough to catch that on film.  Apparently his method was one that might provoke monkey attack.  We made it out ok, but only after a huge monkey tried to beat Aaron to the door.  That's not hard to do if you know Aaron. 

 

It was the first time I have seen cats and squirrels in a zoo.  I actually think there were a couple of different kinds of dogs too.  One of the odd things, there were many, was that the leopards were all caged up in a small space and the lions, tigers, bears, and emus all had their own vast resorts.  Maybe resort is the wrong word since the bears were eating carrots.  I don't think carrots make for a good bear meal.  I also saw hippos eating peanuts and a monkey that was catching some kind of food with his instead of his hands like the others.  That was pretty cool.  We all took turns after that trying to do the same thing but we weren't as good as the monkeys. 

 

I must mention one last thing and then I will finish.  There are three photos of a girl in a glass enclosed room playing with snakes.  I think we that saw this would unanimously decide that this was one of the most disturbing things we have ever seen, if not the most.  I wish my articulation was better but it was just wierd.  I paid a little extra so three of us could go into the snake room.  There was this strange music playing the whole time but we weren't really sure why.  As we made our way past the snakes that all looked the same and the sea turtles that were crammed in so tight that there was barely room for them to move we came to the origin of the music.  The girl in the glass room.  At first it was like, "oh cool.  A snake show."  But as we watched it just seemed almost as if this girl did not want to be there.  As I took the pictures I started to realize something was not normal.  There was just something about her demeanor.  I could be way wrong but it almost seemed like she was being forced into the room.  I will leave it at that.  I don't want to creep anyone out but I was creeped out.  The oddest thing I saw at the zoo yesterday was a human.  I just wasn't expecting that one. 

All I need is a little more time.  Just give me until Sunday to have a new post on my blog.  By then I will have visited my city's zoo.  A zoo where you can in fact feed the animals.  I am looking forward to it.  I have high hopes.  I know it is not as good as some zoos in the northeast where there budget is a little strapped.  In those places you can actually pay for the zoo to feed a cow to the tigers while you and other spectators watch.  It is a rather good answer to not being able to supply food to the animals because you don't have enough money.  But I would say that it might also make for an interesting dilemma for animal activists.  Do you stop feeding the cows to the tigers for the protection of the cows?  This would of course cause the demise of the tigers.  Unfortunately at my zoo we don't have that interesting dilemma.  I will be sure to take pictures of me feeding something to animals.  If you are lucky then we will find the game where you can shoot a bow and arrow at live chickens.  If you actually hit one then you get to keep it.  Wish me luck!!!

I have been sober now for most of my adult life.  Being sober is an interesting thing.  There are so many different things in life that can confuse and distort our minds other than just alcohol.  One time in college I was literally in terrible physical sickness because of some things I had done that I knew I shouldn't have.  A good friend of mine, after observing me for a few days, finally spoke up and said, "You are doing this to yourself.  Get over it."  In other words, my own mental anguish over something was causing my own sickness.  Sure enough, his words sobered me right up and things returned to normal.  Sometimes family matters can have a similar effect.  Sometimes dating relationships can wreak havoc on the mind and body and their ability to function in a normal way.  And usually after an outside influence that is not bogged down with the same issues comes in and addresses the issue then things start to clear up.  There is definitely something powerful about friendship.  For some reason it can keepus sane or sober.  Now, if you will, throw yourself halfway around the world.  Pick yourself up only to find yourself surrounded by a totally different culture, which is exhilarating at first.  Another aspect to think about is that most of your friends, those sobering people in your life have been left behind where you came from.  And the food tastes different.  Can you imagine the things that your mind can concoct?  One time some of my friends thought I had run a man over in a parking lot and then driven away.  They believed this because he was accusing me of this.  The more they thought about it the more disturbed they became until finally I saw them and was able to assure them that this was untrue.  But for a moment those feelings of fear and pain and possibly distrust had become so real.  Sometimes all it takes is a glance.  Sometimes it is a hug.  For me in my first fall in China it was a friend's short story about his family.  I was not in high spirits which can be the case in the fall in China.  One day I got an email containing a sotry about a friend's family I knew well.  And honestly that was first time that I had really laughed in over a month.  But whatever I had been mired in I had finally broken through with the help of an unknowing friend.  What is it that is causing you to be dragged out of reality?  Do you need a hug?  A hand?  An old friend who is wiser than they know?  What in this life can sober you?  And if you know what you need then why do we so often stay away from it?  Out of fear of rejection?  Disappointment? Some people can't imagine what life would be like without ever having drunk alcohol.  Others may not have a clue what life is like being mentally sober.  Where are you?  What is is that is bringing you down?  Is it location?  Spiritual?  Mental?  Without those helps around us, outside of us, then we would all be big messes.  Myself included!!!  So thank you all for reaching out to pull me up.  I hope that one day I can have the blessing of being the rock that you need that will bring reality back into focus. 

How are you doing today?  I am doing pretty good.  I am just preparing to go on another official visit to a few schools.  I will be heading down to Anhui province tonight on an overnight train.  Thankfully with my new phone I can sleep in comfort because it has an Mp3 player.  I have only been on one train in China where no one was snoring excessively loud throughout the night.  I am looking forward to the trip though.  I will be gone for two full weeks visiting three different schools.  That would mean that I would miss a few classes while I am gone.  However, I have a good friend Aaron who is willing to cover my classes for a couple of weeks.  It isn't too much work but when you have to start making up a few weeks it can really add up. 

 

So how is the weather back home?  Is it getting cold yet?  It is starting to cool down here.  Last year it was already pretty cold by this time.  I would say that we have been pretty lucky.  I just missed the Carthage Maple Leaf Parade last weekend.  Just thinking about it brings back a lot of good memories.  I would have loved the chance to walk down Grand and stop by and visit Coach Armstrong and the Aaronsons on the corner.  I probably would have seen a lot of old friends.  I may even have seen my mom cruising around in her police car somewhere.  I am sure everyone had a great time. 

 

The third school I am visiting is my old school, Yangzhou.  I am happy to be going back for a few days.  I really miss my old friends.  By old friends I mean the foreigners as well as my old students.  I hope that I have the chance to visit with a few of them in between my different meetings.  Going back to Yangzhou is somewhat like going back to Carthage.  When I go back I see different people I first met when I arrived in China.  I might see tham at the local "Welcome" restaurant or walking through the campus somewhere.  It is always nice to see a stranger's face light up whenever they realize they are not actually a stranger.  I am looking forward to that.  Well, I hope to see you soon.  We will only be strangers for a moment, I promise!!!

If you are a person who believes in luck then today is my lucky day.  Well, it is lucky for my blog at least.  In China it is a well known fact that the number 8 is rather lucky as it sounds similar to the word for wealth.  The longer you stay in China the more you will learn about this luckiest of numbers, 8.  When you get a cell phone you can just have any old number for free or you can pay more money and receive a lucky, one with the number 8 in it.  The more money you pay the more 8's in your number.  (I took the free one.)  You might soon find out that the wealthy people in China who have automobiles will also spend a lot of money to purchase a special license plate with more 8's on them than the normal plate.  I find this a rather strange thing because wealthy people have already been blessed with the gift of wealth so why the need to get more luck.  You may notice that the workers who line some streets waiting for jobs to come by are holding signs that say, "888".  Usually the signs say what the individual is skilled at doing.  Apparently some of these guys are just good luck so why not advertise that.  Once you are aware that the 8 is so lucky then you start to notice more and more.  So today when I logged on to my blog I realized that it had just recently received its 888th visit.  Wow!!!!!!!!  I am a lucky man, or at least my blog is.  I am almost certain that most of those visits are from people looking for a random mix of words that I have used in my writing instead of actually people interested in what I have to say.  But, hey, what does that matter considering how lucky I have become.  I just figured I would make you more aware of the luck that I have.