tye zai zhongguo

Hello all, Nothing new to report other than that I went to LeShan last week with a friend to see the largest Buddha effigy on the planet last weekend. Read more here! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha My thoughts aren't very collected at the moment, so I don't have much to say other than we met some fascinating people, saw some temples more personally inspiring than the main attraction, and that the Big Buddha was, despite the tourists, numinous. See more here! http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm93/sterlingsin/Chengdu2009/LeShan/ Actually, you know what? Let's try to collect these thoughts now. That was one damn big Buddha. Over 200 feet tall, you could completely fit inside its ear standing up. The day we went was perhaps one of the least crowded days of the year to go, luckily, and the weather held up nicely for this time ... read more

Hey All, I haven't written an entry here in so long, I don't even remember where I left off last time. I just returned from my History class, which was held outside today at an open-air tea house where we talked freely about history and current politics in China with two old, well-learned professors, enjoying what may be the last good day to sit outside drinking Jasmine tea this winter. The weather turned bitter cold overnight a week and a half ago, dropping from about 15 C to 2-3 C. We even had snow for one minute one night, and snow comes to Chengdu in November about once a generation. But the weather here is so capricious that things are pleasant and cool again. Finals overall went well, with satisfying marks in Speaking and Comprehensive courses, ... read more

Hey all, Just finished my second Monday of teaching, and it feels pretty good. Seems as if the students like me, and are willing to get more engaged in class. These Chinese students are, by their own admission, too timid to speak out loud and practice their English, because the typical Chinese classroom is relatively non-participatory. I'm going to consider it a job well done if I get them to like to speak to each other and me in class. I don't feel like being a hard-ass to them. I'm sure they get enough of that in their civil engineering and architecture classes. Today, after the main lessons ("Last week, we practiced how to introduce each other. Now, we'll practice introducing our country..."), for the last 5-10 minutes in each class, we played Simon Says. Great ... read more

Hey all, Just want to let everyone know I'm doing well and excited for the future. Also, I am able to receive packages at the address I've mailed to some of you, which I know because I received two today. Thanks for the newspaper and letter, dad, and for the drawings, Hannah; thanks of course for the book and Lemon Heads, G&G. I know there are some other b-day packages on the way, and although I haven't received them yet, rest assured that they will get to me. No real news, really, just wanted to say thanks to everyone at once for staying in touch with me this semester and supporting me. It's sustaining and fulfilling, because although I an having a dizzyingly busy and great time here in China, I naturally miss my family and ... read more

峨眉山，第二天 (EMei Mountain, day 2) Woke up from a decent sleep just before 7, although I was woken up once during the night by some other guy in the room whose snotty snores kept all of us up more or less. I was the first up this day, and decided to wander the temple and grounds with my camera for a while. The entire monastery was shrouded in fog. Pictures were inadequate, and what a Buddhist monastery shrouded in fog at dawn in China looks and feels like, I have to just preserve that memory. I returned as the others awoke, and we just talked for a bit, mostly complaining about the snotty snoring guy, and then packed up and headed out into the misty daybreak shortly after 8, just in time to miss breakfast at ... read more