Christmas in Kunming: 2013
December in Kunming:
Even the "Spring City" must have a coldest month. However, which month can actually lay claim to having the lowest average daily temperatures is a bit uncertain. With rare exceptions, January and December are the two months that tend to see the temperatures dip the lowest. However, 2013 began rather mildly, with a January that did little to help alleviate Kunming's continuing drought cycle. That said, eleven months later, in December, Kunming did receive some cold, wet weather that will go a long way toward a greener spring.
As far as I can remember, this may be the coldest December in my eight years in Kunming. For nearly two weeks straight, I found myself wearing a winter coat, a hat, and some gloves as I walked to the school each morning. Many of those days, during my ten-minute ambulating commute, a thick frost had already formed on the windows of the vehicles parked in the 'xiao qu.' Once, I even took the time to stop and make tiny "baby footprints" on the window of a car--remember doing that as a child. Anyway, December in 2013 was cold enough to cause each of my sweet family members to don their parkas and beanies. Below are August and mama, preparing to go out for our nightly walk. Even in the cold, the Franks family needs to remain active, and Oswin loves to go walking/running/riding around the neighborhood in the dark.
Christmas at Nan Ya Feng Qing:
As I pointed out in my October edition, the Chinese really do love to decorate. (It's taking down the decorations with which they struggle.) And other than Chun Jie--Chinese Lunar New Year--Christmas is easily the biggest opportunity to go all out with the decorations. Nan Ya Feng Qing is a two-year-old mall near the school, and this mall has everything: grocery shopping at Carrefour; Western fast-food at McDonalds, KFC, and Starbucks; Chinese fast-food and sit-down fare at . . . well . . . everywhere; shoes and clothing shops that even I can find my size (H & M and UniQlo); a Specialized bike dealer; a skateboard ramp; and most recently, a rock-climbing wall. At Christmas, all of this receives decoration. However, for someone who grew up and lived in various four-season environments, it still strikes me as rather peculiar when I see beautiful holiday lights adorning tropical trees and shrubberies.
SNOW!:
Until 2013, I can only remember one winter day, during my first year in Kunming--2006-07--when we received enough snow to actually stick. Nearly every winter, our high-elevation city receives snow, but this usually happens at about 02.00, and one usually only sees it if one has to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. December 2013 was to be different. The snow actually started during the day on the Sunday before the week of final exam reviews, and for the most part, it melted, as it is wont to do on most occasions. However, the flakes persisted into the darkness of night, and when we woke the next morning, it was to a level of natural white I had not before experienced in Kunming. So I slipped out the door a little earlier in order to take pictures of our winter wonderland as I made my way to school. The heavy, wet snow even broke a branch on one of the trees in the 'xiao qu,' causing the debris to litter the walkway and block my normal route to KIA.
How to Stay Warm--A Tutorial:
Because Kunming is known as the Spring City, people have this misconception that it never gets cold. And by the standards of average daytime temperatures, it never really does, compared to the places I have lived--Omaha, NE; Chicago; Minneapolis; Whitefish, MT. Let this be a testament to the general warmth of Kunming, even in the winter: nearly every year I have lived here, I have gone mountain biking on Christmas Day morning, and it was usually sunny and in the fifties by the time I returned home. That said, the real problem with warmth in Kunming lies not with the outdoor temperatures. Rather, it lies in the fact that housing does not have any central heating. Therefore, when one goes to school in thirty to forty degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures and enters one's classroom that is also in the forties, one never really gets a respite from the cool temperatures. I remember, during my first winter in Kunming, buying an inexpensive knock-off of a North Face down coat. When Suli noticed that I never wore it outside, she asked me why I bought it. My reply: "I did not buy it to ride my bike around town, because the coat is too warm for that. I bought it for wearing when I am at home, sitting on the couch, grading papers.
One nice thing about Kunming International Academy is its East-West exposure. This means that the "hallway" wall receives a great deal of early morning sun. Because of this, by second or third period, one can comfortably lean against a very warm concrete surface and not be cold outside. In fact, at this time of day, it is warmer to be out along this wall during passing period or break than it is inside the classroom. In the picture below, Nathan (U.S.) and Joel (New Zealand), two of my "brilliant" AP English Language and Composition students, are teaching Josh (Korea) the joy of warm belly.
For Christmas, I gave my Sweetie another way to stay warm. I am sure many of you have at least seen the informercials about "Snuggies." Well, I gave Suli the Chinese equivalent. This is a quilted blanket with two zippers to allow the wearer to use it as a blanket or as walk-around sleeping bag, while still being able to access and use one's hands. Many evenings, after the family walk and after we put the boys to bed, Suli would cuddle up in her gift and I would lean up against her for warmth. I have a feeling that this gift is one that will be used for many years, as long as the zipper holds up.
Christmas Feast:
For the last seven years, Suli and I have been invited to join one the other families at KIA to enjoy the Christmas day meal. However, this year was different, and I found myself, not only cooking the holiday feast, but doing so for my sister-in-law and her husband. As I look back on it, I really did enjoy this opportunity, even though, if you ask Suli, I dreaded the possibility that neither of them would enjoy the Western fare. Our meal was slim, by traditional standards: we had corn chowder, roast chicken, stuffing made with homemade bread, and orange slices. (The oranges were from our stockings, mom.) I squeezed two fresh limes over the chicken and placed the remaining lime in the cavity. Then I placed the cavity of the chicken over a can of mango beer and roasted it. The chicken tasted great, but it could have been a bit bigger for four adults. To my surprise, my brother-in-law really loved the stuffing. The Chinese are not known for eating bread, but he really savored the saltiness and herbs of the stuffing. The soup turned out okay, but needed a pinch more salt. Plus, soup in China tends to be simply vegetables boiled in waters, so a milk-based stock was a bit strange for my in-laws. Either way, we all had fun eating, playing with toys, and going for a walk after dinner. I pray that one day my Chinese relatives will truly understand the meaning of Christmas.
Christmas Specials:
Holiday means no classes; no classes means dad is at home for breakfast; dad at home for breakfast means eating some things that we normally do not have: like waffles. Five years ago, when one of our teaching colleagues was leaving Kunming, she gifted us with her waffle iron, and we have enjoyed it ever since. However, because waffles take a bit more preparation than crepes, I do not make waffles nearly as often as I do crepes. However, this means that waffles are a treat. Suli and I can only eat one whole waffle, so there are plenty of leftovers, and for two days, it seemed like all Oswin ate were the leftovers from breakfast.
The Seagulls:
This one will most likely be an annual outing. Every year, the seagulls come to Kunming for the winter, and every year, the people of Kunming come out by the thousands to see these birds swoop by as outstretched hands try to feed the birds. Oswin loves seeing the birds flying toward him, and he always asks to stand on the seawall to be better able to experience the graceful diving and hovering of these birds. This year, a local news station was out at Dian Chi, a large lake at the southern edge of the city, showing how some people torment, kill, even eat these birds. They were trying to get signatures of people to help save the birds from this fate. They asked me to sign their "wall" advertising their ecological efforts. The Chinese love when foreigners are part of the act, and this seemed like a worth endeavor.
August got to experience the gulls for the first time, and while I would like to think that he was as excited by the birds as his brother was, I have a feeling that he was feeling happy about the warm weather and the fact that his mother had just fed him.
Well, that is about all for December. I am sorry that this got out so late. My Blogger account was being "held hostage" by some changes in our school's email system, but our IT gang helped me get back in control of my account. Because of this, the January update will probably be more like a January-February-ChunJie update. I pray your Christmas was Holy, your New Year was brilliant, and that your Chinese New Year--celebrated on January 30--will be eventful.
Even the "Spring City" must have a coldest month. However, which month can actually lay claim to having the lowest average daily temperatures is a bit uncertain. With rare exceptions, January and December are the two months that tend to see the temperatures dip the lowest. However, 2013 began rather mildly, with a January that did little to help alleviate Kunming's continuing drought cycle. That said, eleven months later, in December, Kunming did receive some cold, wet weather that will go a long way toward a greener spring.
As far as I can remember, this may be the coldest December in my eight years in Kunming. For nearly two weeks straight, I found myself wearing a winter coat, a hat, and some gloves as I walked to the school each morning. Many of those days, during my ten-minute ambulating commute, a thick frost had already formed on the windows of the vehicles parked in the 'xiao qu.' Once, I even took the time to stop and make tiny "baby footprints" on the window of a car--remember doing that as a child. Anyway, December in 2013 was cold enough to cause each of my sweet family members to don their parkas and beanies. Below are August and mama, preparing to go out for our nightly walk. Even in the cold, the Franks family needs to remain active, and Oswin loves to go walking/running/riding around the neighborhood in the dark.
Christmas at Nan Ya Feng Qing:
As I pointed out in my October edition, the Chinese really do love to decorate. (It's taking down the decorations with which they struggle.) And other than Chun Jie--Chinese Lunar New Year--Christmas is easily the biggest opportunity to go all out with the decorations. Nan Ya Feng Qing is a two-year-old mall near the school, and this mall has everything: grocery shopping at Carrefour; Western fast-food at McDonalds, KFC, and Starbucks; Chinese fast-food and sit-down fare at . . . well . . . everywhere; shoes and clothing shops that even I can find my size (H & M and UniQlo); a Specialized bike dealer; a skateboard ramp; and most recently, a rock-climbing wall. At Christmas, all of this receives decoration. However, for someone who grew up and lived in various four-season environments, it still strikes me as rather peculiar when I see beautiful holiday lights adorning tropical trees and shrubberies.
SNOW!:
Until 2013, I can only remember one winter day, during my first year in Kunming--2006-07--when we received enough snow to actually stick. Nearly every winter, our high-elevation city receives snow, but this usually happens at about 02.00, and one usually only sees it if one has to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. December 2013 was to be different. The snow actually started during the day on the Sunday before the week of final exam reviews, and for the most part, it melted, as it is wont to do on most occasions. However, the flakes persisted into the darkness of night, and when we woke the next morning, it was to a level of natural white I had not before experienced in Kunming. So I slipped out the door a little earlier in order to take pictures of our winter wonderland as I made my way to school. The heavy, wet snow even broke a branch on one of the trees in the 'xiao qu,' causing the debris to litter the walkway and block my normal route to KIA.
By the time I reached school, the students at our Chinese sister-school were already enjoying this blessing from God. This is one of those moments when foreigners get to feel like locals, because even the locals rarely see this much snow. By the middle of first period, the Chinese elementary students, our elementary students, some of our secondary students, and even our lead administrator were see down on the soccer field building "雪人" (snowmen). My own students, who were mostly reviewing, took turns racing to the window, followed by a plaintive plea to go outside a play with the others. I said, "You have Final Exams, and those 'others' do not." Thankfully, the snow lasted long enough for all the students to enjoy it during lunch. The next day it was gone, this day will be remembered for years to come. In fact, it will probably be one of those landmark days to divide those people who have been in Kunming a "long" time, compared to those "short-termers." As a side note, it snowed two more times after this--once again in December and once in January 2014--neither with the same staying power that this snow packed.
How to Stay Warm--A Tutorial:
Because Kunming is known as the Spring City, people have this misconception that it never gets cold. And by the standards of average daytime temperatures, it never really does, compared to the places I have lived--Omaha, NE; Chicago; Minneapolis; Whitefish, MT. Let this be a testament to the general warmth of Kunming, even in the winter: nearly every year I have lived here, I have gone mountain biking on Christmas Day morning, and it was usually sunny and in the fifties by the time I returned home. That said, the real problem with warmth in Kunming lies not with the outdoor temperatures. Rather, it lies in the fact that housing does not have any central heating. Therefore, when one goes to school in thirty to forty degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures and enters one's classroom that is also in the forties, one never really gets a respite from the cool temperatures. I remember, during my first winter in Kunming, buying an inexpensive knock-off of a North Face down coat. When Suli noticed that I never wore it outside, she asked me why I bought it. My reply: "I did not buy it to ride my bike around town, because the coat is too warm for that. I bought it for wearing when I am at home, sitting on the couch, grading papers.
One nice thing about Kunming International Academy is its East-West exposure. This means that the "hallway" wall receives a great deal of early morning sun. Because of this, by second or third period, one can comfortably lean against a very warm concrete surface and not be cold outside. In fact, at this time of day, it is warmer to be out along this wall during passing period or break than it is inside the classroom. In the picture below, Nathan (U.S.) and Joel (New Zealand), two of my "brilliant" AP English Language and Composition students, are teaching Josh (Korea) the joy of warm belly.
For Christmas, I gave my Sweetie another way to stay warm. I am sure many of you have at least seen the informercials about "Snuggies." Well, I gave Suli the Chinese equivalent. This is a quilted blanket with two zippers to allow the wearer to use it as a blanket or as walk-around sleeping bag, while still being able to access and use one's hands. Many evenings, after the family walk and after we put the boys to bed, Suli would cuddle up in her gift and I would lean up against her for warmth. I have a feeling that this gift is one that will be used for many years, as long as the zipper holds up.
Christmas Feast:
For the last seven years, Suli and I have been invited to join one the other families at KIA to enjoy the Christmas day meal. However, this year was different, and I found myself, not only cooking the holiday feast, but doing so for my sister-in-law and her husband. As I look back on it, I really did enjoy this opportunity, even though, if you ask Suli, I dreaded the possibility that neither of them would enjoy the Western fare. Our meal was slim, by traditional standards: we had corn chowder, roast chicken, stuffing made with homemade bread, and orange slices. (The oranges were from our stockings, mom.) I squeezed two fresh limes over the chicken and placed the remaining lime in the cavity. Then I placed the cavity of the chicken over a can of mango beer and roasted it. The chicken tasted great, but it could have been a bit bigger for four adults. To my surprise, my brother-in-law really loved the stuffing. The Chinese are not known for eating bread, but he really savored the saltiness and herbs of the stuffing. The soup turned out okay, but needed a pinch more salt. Plus, soup in China tends to be simply vegetables boiled in waters, so a milk-based stock was a bit strange for my in-laws. Either way, we all had fun eating, playing with toys, and going for a walk after dinner. I pray that one day my Chinese relatives will truly understand the meaning of Christmas.
Christmas Specials:
Holiday means no classes; no classes means dad is at home for breakfast; dad at home for breakfast means eating some things that we normally do not have: like waffles. Five years ago, when one of our teaching colleagues was leaving Kunming, she gifted us with her waffle iron, and we have enjoyed it ever since. However, because waffles take a bit more preparation than crepes, I do not make waffles nearly as often as I do crepes. However, this means that waffles are a treat. Suli and I can only eat one whole waffle, so there are plenty of leftovers, and for two days, it seemed like all Oswin ate were the leftovers from breakfast.
Another special benefit of dad being at home is the opportunity for the boys to play with me. I know that I do not spend nearly as much time with the boys as Suli does, and I know that I do not spend as much time with the boys as I would like to, but during these two weeks, we did have some fun together. Oswin still loves to be photographed and videoed, and August loves peek-a-boo, so I got to excite both boys by filming this little bit of play time.
The Seagulls:
This one will most likely be an annual outing. Every year, the seagulls come to Kunming for the winter, and every year, the people of Kunming come out by the thousands to see these birds swoop by as outstretched hands try to feed the birds. Oswin loves seeing the birds flying toward him, and he always asks to stand on the seawall to be better able to experience the graceful diving and hovering of these birds. This year, a local news station was out at Dian Chi, a large lake at the southern edge of the city, showing how some people torment, kill, even eat these birds. They were trying to get signatures of people to help save the birds from this fate. They asked me to sign their "wall" advertising their ecological efforts. The Chinese love when foreigners are part of the act, and this seemed like a worth endeavor.
August got to experience the gulls for the first time, and while I would like to think that he was as excited by the birds as his brother was, I have a feeling that he was feeling happy about the warm weather and the fact that his mother had just fed him.
New Bike:
For Christmas, Oswin received a new "balance" bicycle. It has no pedals and allows him to get used to riding a bike, without having to worry as much about falling over. This picture and the video below were taken only a couple days after Christmas, so he was still getting used to the balance. However, the Chinese people loved seeing him scooting around on his two-wheeler. So many commented about how cute and how "li hai" (amazing) he is on his bicycle. During the month he has had his new "scooter," he has learned to go down some ramps, pick up his legs and balance, and maneuver around obstacles. I even taught him a bit of unnecessary bravado. When I ask him "Oswin, what do you have," he replies, "I got skills." So now he asks us to look, while he rides ahead of us. Then he turns around, smiling and says, "I got skills."
Well, that is about all for December. I am sorry that this got out so late. My Blogger account was being "held hostage" by some changes in our school's email system, but our IT gang helped me get back in control of my account. Because of this, the January update will probably be more like a January-February-ChunJie update. I pray your Christmas was Holy, your New Year was brilliant, and that your Chinese New Year--celebrated on January 30--will be eventful.
posted by Roland at 6:41 PM
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