Wow!!! I had no idea you had become such a hiker! I'm so impressed! And very glad you are finding nice folks to hike/travel with from place to place. xox
most beautiful? Lovely to read your reports/ sad to hear Guilin getting over-devel'd, but not surprising....Yes, having been there in early '80s, I'd still say it's most beautiful city I've ever been in.... Did Yangshuo clear up and contest for the title in the end? xoxox
Thanks! Great to hear from you. Grandma will be so pleased that you are following in her footsteps. I am on my way to CA for a week. Elena is making a "dactyl" for Renfair. Love you....
Nah, I still have both of those (brought the '90s camera on my trip), but my cell phone has a pretty good camera, and I figured I couldn't go another entire year without sharing my pictures with anyone.
Mooncake Love the mooncake story. I'll have to see if I can find the Inquirer article about how AAU decided to have a mooncake eating contest to celebrate the mid-Autumn festival. I guess mooncakes have even more stories about them than matzoh-balls.
Glad to see you are enjoying (???) some exciting moments---but did it have to be a typhoon???
Well--- the Margolis line is seriously weather phobic. Perhaps you will teach us a new way.....
Love, Aunt Vivi
Yeah, one of my coworkers is planning to go to Manila (and maybe some islands) for our break, and he said that the fact that everyone was telling him Manila was not an interesting city for a tourist was increasing his desire to go there, and I thought of you.
I do hope that, even if my goal is to introduce more Western-style teaching and learning to Chinese education, I can still learn important things from Chinese schools... respect for teaching as a profession is certainly a refreshing aspect of the culture.
And don't feel too bad about your blueberry muffin, I would give up my mounds of Chinese food for some real, American baked goods these days.
I am very close to both Hong Kong and Guangzhou. I don't know whether their trip is taking them to the south of China, but if it is, they will probably go to at least one of the two. Let me know!
So far swine flu doesn't seem to be a problem at our school, though I do get at least a once-a-day temperature check.
I don't ever remember doing anything when I was in school, but I'm glad to hear that teacher appreciation day does exist. A potluck might be nicer, anyway... a chance to actually talk to the parents and each other. The food and ceremony at banquets here seems to be so overwhelming that you don't actually feel like you've socialized with anyone.
humialtion is cleansing Hi Robin,
In dealing with with my own many embarrassments over the years, I've decided that humiliation is cleansing. It scrubs you clean of all that sticky, tarry ego. So you are fresh and light -- and you have your wallet!
Jeff
I'm going to send this on I'll send this out to the teachers and student teachers I work with. It will help them feel better about their profession -- at least as it plays out in China. I am worried, though, that it will make them unduly hungry. In fact, the image of the wall of vegetarian options is making my sad breakfast blueberry muffin seem all the sadder and less significant.
happy teacher's day Dear Robin, I'm so glad to hear that you are in China and getting settled. I hope all the getting legal rigamarole is soon completed and that you can settle in to your actual work with pleasure. My sister-in-law and brother-in- law are going to China in October . Where exactly are you? Are you near any big cities that they might be likely to visit in their travels? I hope you have a wonderful time this year. Stay swine flu free. Love, Aunt Shosh
yeah, pickpockets have certainly stressed me out some places; I've fantasized about planting easy-to-snatch wallets with thousands of dollars of play money.
There is actually a national teacher appreciation day here in the States. At my school, the parents organize a potluck luncheon for the teachers..... less food than you apparently received but the idea's the same. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
Debbie
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Wow!!!
I had no idea you had become such a hiker! I'm so impressed! And very glad you are finding nice folks to hike/travel with from place to place. xox