Guangzhou Teaching

Tokyo Blog (As always, there are more photos than show on the first page, click on photos button or double click on any photo to get a larger image and access to all the photos.) Although we have been in Hawaii for the past six days, some recording of our Tokyo experience is in order. The motivator for coming here was so that Ellen could make contact with labor scholars and activists here, hoping to nurture their interest in developing relations with their counterparts in China. Originally, there had been some expectation that they would visit Chia this past fall, but turl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/japan-and-china-ratchet-up-their-island-dispute/2013/01/25/940be364-658d-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_story.htmlhe political dispute between their respective governments made such meetings ill-advised. The silver lining in all this was that it afforded us an opportunity... read more

12072012 Blog We were off for a four day visit to the hometown of our student/friend/colleague, Junfang. She was getting married, actually in was a celebration of her marriage which had taken place weeks ago in a government office, to another friend and colleague, Huanbiao. Chinese domestic flights always remind us of the cultural nuances (“At China Southern Airlines we cherish your decision to fly with us”), including the cabin crew bowing when they begin and end their safety presentation. Getting off the plane is another reminder, no sense that those in front should “deplane) (what does that mean anyway, rid oneself of the plane by going through a cleansing beam?) before those in the rear. This being one of the junctures where personal safety was not in jeopardy, I choose to exercise my foreigner prerogative ... read more

November 14, 2012 We are just back from a dinner at a new (to us) restaurant, this one specializing in DongBei (Northeast) food. It was a good find as our favorite DongBei has been closed for renovations since I arrived. Garlic chive/egg dumplings, a cold salad of carrots, cukes, seaweed, tofu, cilantro, and napa cabbage with a great soy sauce based dressing, hen hao (very good!) Yesterday I spent all day with the medical social workers at the Nanhai Hospital, helping orient them to what a palliative care program might look like. I always remind my audiences that many of the things I talk about here are not subjects that I am expert in; nonetheless, I think they accurately assess that I can ground them in some of the processes and procedures, challenging them to deepen ... read more

Showdown at the raisin bin: I was in the supermarket (Carrefour’s, I go there for cream for my dear one’s coffee) when I stopped at the open bin of raisins. Nearby there are raisins packed in cellophane. Grabbing one of them, as I usually do (it avoids lining up to get the package weighed) I locked eyes with a granny who was pawing through the raisins, one by one, eliminating 25% of them for some deficiency or another. As we stared at one another over the Vitis sea her incredulity was unmistakable as she seemed to confirm for herself, once again, that foreigners were “barbarians” and had no eye for quality. And I snorted at the false protection she thought she was gaining for herself by eliminating one or another blemished raisin while all of them ... read more

I arrived in Guangzhou about ten days ago after an absence of 9 months. Our departure last December was precipitate, on the news of my mother’s unexpected death. Returning here reminded me of that time and realized that after almost six years of annual trips to China, this was the first one that did not warrant some of our attention being diverted to elderly parents back in the US. This led to a jumble of contradictory and enervating emotions including a stark awareness that we were now that older generation, no longer on the on deck circle but up at the plate and facing some "chin music" ). Mostly it has led to a determination to double down and re-focus attention on what needs to be done. And in China, we are always aware of all ... read more