Face Lift/Final Preparations/New Paint Job
I spent five wonderful weeks in the Flathead Valley of Montana, soaking in the sun, riding my bicycles, and making preparations to return to China. I slept in maybe a few too many times, and ate hamburgers and French Fries with relish (and I do not mean the condiment), even as I longed for 'real' Chinese food with fresh lajiao (hot pepper). And after five weeks, my return flight actually snuck up on me.
When I return from China, I carry two large duffles full of gifts for various people, and when I return to China, the same is true. Most of the gifts are for Miss Suli, who is pictured below proudly wearing her new "Whitefish, Montana" tee-shirt. As anyone can see, she hardly needs a "Face Lift," but she always enjoys items from the States, and this so happened to be a rather sunny day during the rainy season. Therefore, she had plenty to smile about, and I love her smile, so please forgive me for indulging myself.
Other than taking care of Suli, my first order of business upon returning to China was taking care of my mountain bike. It may not have needed a "Face Lift", but it certainly needed new cables, a cleaning, and the derailluers adjusted. The weather right now is so wet that the trails have turned into heavily rutted landslides with the occasional quagmire of clay. So, instead, Suli and I took our bikes onto the roads and pedaled our way over the Western Hills to Tuan Jie Xiang, a village/area in the next valley. We ate some noodles then made our way back to Kunming. While the pace was leisurely, the ride still turned into a nice, four-hour, tour/workout. Incidentally, my bike performed wonderfully and Suli looked beautiful.
As almost any informed person in the world can tell you, 08 August marks the beginning of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. All of China counts down the days until the flame officially enters the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, and Kunming is no different. As Suli walked around Cui Hu (Green Lake) while my bicycle received its tune-up, we happened to stroll past the Green Lake Hotel, where they were holding a pre-Olympic countdown gathering. Nearly a dozen large urns (seen in the photo below) contained real flames to mark the coming Olympic flame. Also, as one can see in the photo, the pedestal marked the fifteen days that remained until the Games. Now, as the "Final Preparations" are being made, there are only ten days left until the world comes to China, and while I will not be going to Beijing to see, first-hand, the events, I look forward to seeing how China's results will affect her people. I also look forward to see how the overall results will affect the students I teach, who are from all around the world. You will not see me on the television, but you will see the nations my students and I represent.
Beijing is not the only city that has received a "Face Lift." Kunming too is going through a number of additions. Right outside my apartment window, the once relatively busy four-lane road (Er Huan Lu) is being turned into a two-level, four-lane expressway. The lower level will eventually handle the local traffic, while the upper level will cater to traffic looking to get across town in a hurry. Over the last year and a half, this construction has brought with it a fair amount of noise and dust, but with the rapidly rising number of automobiles traveling the roads of Kunming, this addition (among others) is much needed. So, I do not mind a little noise, and I just keep my windows shut during the day to keep the dust in my apartment down.
Lastly, even as our school prepares to move locations for the 2009/10 school year, some of our students asked if they could beautify our lunch tent for the last year on this campus. Our lunch tent, a large, green, Korean War-era structure turns (depending on the weather) from a dark, cavernous furnace to a dark, cavernous, ice box and back again throughout the school year. Russell, one of this year's seniors, asked if he could design a mural for the tent to at least give this meeting place a little color and atmosphere. With the administrations approval, Russell, with the help of his family and friends, has created a relaxed, beach atmosphere, similar to Thailand or Malaysia. While the fumes linger (we hope they dissapate before school starts), the "New Paint Job" is a welcome change.
These Olympics, Face Lifts, Final Preparations, and New Paint Jobs are sure to make the 08/09 school year a fun and interesting one. I hope to keep you all updated with what is happening here, throughout the year. Keep checking for new updates.
When I return from China, I carry two large duffles full of gifts for various people, and when I return to China, the same is true. Most of the gifts are for Miss Suli, who is pictured below proudly wearing her new "Whitefish, Montana" tee-shirt. As anyone can see, she hardly needs a "Face Lift," but she always enjoys items from the States, and this so happened to be a rather sunny day during the rainy season. Therefore, she had plenty to smile about, and I love her smile, so please forgive me for indulging myself.
Other than taking care of Suli, my first order of business upon returning to China was taking care of my mountain bike. It may not have needed a "Face Lift", but it certainly needed new cables, a cleaning, and the derailluers adjusted. The weather right now is so wet that the trails have turned into heavily rutted landslides with the occasional quagmire of clay. So, instead, Suli and I took our bikes onto the roads and pedaled our way over the Western Hills to Tuan Jie Xiang, a village/area in the next valley. We ate some noodles then made our way back to Kunming. While the pace was leisurely, the ride still turned into a nice, four-hour, tour/workout. Incidentally, my bike performed wonderfully and Suli looked beautiful.
As almost any informed person in the world can tell you, 08 August marks the beginning of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. All of China counts down the days until the flame officially enters the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, and Kunming is no different. As Suli walked around Cui Hu (Green Lake) while my bicycle received its tune-up, we happened to stroll past the Green Lake Hotel, where they were holding a pre-Olympic countdown gathering. Nearly a dozen large urns (seen in the photo below) contained real flames to mark the coming Olympic flame. Also, as one can see in the photo, the pedestal marked the fifteen days that remained until the Games. Now, as the "Final Preparations" are being made, there are only ten days left until the world comes to China, and while I will not be going to Beijing to see, first-hand, the events, I look forward to seeing how China's results will affect her people. I also look forward to see how the overall results will affect the students I teach, who are from all around the world. You will not see me on the television, but you will see the nations my students and I represent.
Beijing is not the only city that has received a "Face Lift." Kunming too is going through a number of additions. Right outside my apartment window, the once relatively busy four-lane road (Er Huan Lu) is being turned into a two-level, four-lane expressway. The lower level will eventually handle the local traffic, while the upper level will cater to traffic looking to get across town in a hurry. Over the last year and a half, this construction has brought with it a fair amount of noise and dust, but with the rapidly rising number of automobiles traveling the roads of Kunming, this addition (among others) is much needed. So, I do not mind a little noise, and I just keep my windows shut during the day to keep the dust in my apartment down.
Lastly, even as our school prepares to move locations for the 2009/10 school year, some of our students asked if they could beautify our lunch tent for the last year on this campus. Our lunch tent, a large, green, Korean War-era structure turns (depending on the weather) from a dark, cavernous furnace to a dark, cavernous, ice box and back again throughout the school year. Russell, one of this year's seniors, asked if he could design a mural for the tent to at least give this meeting place a little color and atmosphere. With the administrations approval, Russell, with the help of his family and friends, has created a relaxed, beach atmosphere, similar to Thailand or Malaysia. While the fumes linger (we hope they dissapate before school starts), the "New Paint Job" is a welcome change.
These Olympics, Face Lifts, Final Preparations, and New Paint Jobs are sure to make the 08/09 school year a fun and interesting one. I hope to keep you all updated with what is happening here, throughout the year. Keep checking for new updates.
posted by Roland at 7:57 AM
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