Eclectic posting from an non-OSHA approved state

I apologize to everyone for how long it has been since I updated my blog. In some respects, I have felt too busy to update my internet space. At the same time, I have also felt a bit lazy. So please forgive me for my own lack of motivation.

For all you electricians, I thought it might be nice to see how the other side of the world works on power lines. This crew of two men were stringing new lines, as a group of teachers and students were eating dinner one evening. I loved the fact that the two men used an aluminum ladder for their purposes and that the ladder was an extension ladder, rather that a step ladder. One of the students in our group is a photographer for the yearbook. He snapped shots along with me. However, he told me that one of the men was saying in Chinese that he did not want his picture taken. The student said that the man was smiling when he said it, so I do not know if the electrician said it in earnest or not. Would someone please call OSHA!

As some of you have heard, the "Super Magic" has been give a rest. He still takes up room in the garage where I store my transportation, and I plan on making the necessary repairs to make it functional again. Yes, the magic seems to have worn off. I just do not think the Super Magic was meant for anyone over 150 pounds. I bent crankarms simply by pushing down too hard. This, in turn, led to many broken pedals. One significant crash did quite a bit of damage to the handlebars and one shifter. So, one weekend ago, I went out with the singular purpose to buy a new bike, a sturdy bike. With that in mind, I searched for the bicycles the water carriers use. The water carriers in Kunming ride bikes with special racks on the back that carry anywhere from four to seven of those Culligan water bottles, the kind you see in office buildings. These are stout bikes, plus they have a cool name: Feng Huang (pronounced Fung Hwahng). It means Phoenix. For 360 kwai, approximately $45, I now have a bike that looks as old as the hills, but runs like top. Plus it has a basket. Cool!

As many of you from my home fellowship in Whitefish are used to doing, KIA sponsored a Fall Festival on the weekend prior to Halloween. The event hosted game booths created and run by the high schoolers and middle schoolers. Most of the students came in some sort of costume--not scary please. The elementary students played the games and generally had fun. The event was a fundraiser for the youth center. We raised nearly 8000 kwai, which will pay for over half the year's rent of our youth center. For my part, I did not have a costume. However, as my mother has taught me, sometimes all one needs is a silly foam nose and a few tricks. Therefore, with quite a bit of help from a fellow teacher (Miss Carpenter, who teaches 5th grade, and who came as Annie Oakley) I managed to fascinate the younger students with a couple stupid slight-of-hands, some gymnastic manouvers and some, dare I say, dance steps.

Traffic has received some play time in my emails, but I thought it was about time everyone received a glimpse of the biking situation here in Kunming. Through books and other people's accounts, I have learned that not all Chinese cities have as many cyclists as Kunming. Chengdu, larger city north of Kunming has a pollution ordinance, so even a higher percentage of the population of that city commutes on bicycle. Other hillier cities have scooters and motorcycles, but not cyclists. I am sorry the picture is so dark. This is a shot of traffic on the way home from school. It is approximately 18.30h. You will notice the free flowing mixture of automobiles with bicycles. The intersections can be particularly wonderful to negotiate. As the above picture of my new bicycle shows, I now own a bell, and I practice using it the same way the Chinese utilise theirs. I ring it even when no one is within 100 yards of me. This gives anyone who wants to the time to move into my line of movement, efficiently forcing me to use my brakes until they squeal and squeak like nearly all other modes of transportation. Because my bike is new, it does not have a rattle, although I believe I might have been able to purchase that with the bike itself. I decided to see how long it will take to receive that item for free. One week and one day and counting.

Thank you so much for your frequent emails and words of support. I also lift everyone back home up, because life is difficult everywhere. To be honest, I do not know which is worse, not understanding a person who is speaking English, or not understanding a person who cannot speak English. May He that sustains His creation sustain each of you minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day. Grace, Peace and Blessings be yours on this, His day.