It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been teaching it is still a sprint and a marathon at the same time.
More responsibilities as a science PLC leader (professional learning community) and coaching cross country had kept me pretty busy. I also choose to teach IB environmental systems and society and give another person a chance to teach IB Biology. Crazy, right?
I looked forward to a full year in the new building.
And we finally had our 40th anniversary gala which was postponed several times (it is now our 41st year). As usual I don’t have many pictures as once the music starts playing I don’t leave the dance floor.
I booked a hotel room there at the Garden Hotel which had beautiful snacks ready and concierge service where they take you to your room to check in. With a late checkout whatever time you wished, it was a nice stay.
Unfortunately, COVID is still messing with schedules. Our sporting events cannot compete in person this year outside of the city. We have had a couple of meets scheduled with other schools near us and a virtual meet planned for the schools we usually compete against. One day at a time….
I always started school when it still felt like summer but soon morning would be cooler and the days shortened. This year, my 35th year, we started a bit earlier and it was still summer hot. As the humidity doesn’t start to break until October, it feels like an endless summer just with diminishing daylight.
I didn’t travel much this summer, spending time eating out with friends….
Learning to play mahjong….. There are three kings of tiles. The rules are to get 3 of a kind or 3 consecutive. You can only pick up from the discard pile if you can play it right away. Otherwise the standard rules are similar to other card games. It is fun to play the rules fast and listen to them click…. And I won the game!
Each row is a set of tiles that are related.I won. Play continues until one is left. You get chips depending upon when you go out.Won again…… And again
DragonBoat on the weekend… Great arm and cute exercise and brutal two days in a row…
Stand up paddle boarding at a new place with friends on a 3 day weekend… Beautiful little village….
And of course running around the river or swimming in the rooftop pool with a view of the river…..
October will bring warm days but less humidity. Always something to look forward to. It still seems like an endless summer as the trees do not lose their leaves here and flowers bloom all year long…
Beans are my favorite vegetable and I loved Thai peanut sauce. Here is a recipe I’ve put together from different dishes I have tried.
This dish has a few variations.
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 kg or about 1 pound green beans
For the sauce
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon fresh or ginger powder
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Whole peanuts toasted
1/4 cup water
Salt, to taste
Rinse and trim the beans.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl until blended.
In a wok or skillet on low or medium heat, brown the garlic until fragrant.
Add the green beans and peanuts and cook until almost done. Add the sauce and stir until thickened and beans are cooked but still having some crunch. You can add more water as needed. I served it over quinoa but you can serve with rice.
This has been an interesting two weeks. I was cautious when I was in the US. I came back to China with cases already increasing in Shanghai. To be honest, I was already concerned as China has not had large case numbers and recently had made it more difficult to travel even within its borders due to more cases of the omicron variant in multiple cities. But the case numbers are nowhere near what they are in other countries.
After my release from quarantine on March 30, there were two school days before Spring break. I finally was able to see the new building!!! This picture is taken in the media center looking upwards. There are many places for students to sit and work including these enclosed boxes. The classrooms are on the back side of the hallways on each floor.
Not my classroom…. I’m still organizing it!
After spring break, classes are online….. Teachers can still go to school and get a little opportunity to play during breaks.
I could not travel so I planned to do outdoor exploring and dining. I had been inside for over 3 weeks. See the end of this post to learn about the two codes China uses to track infections and why I could not travel.
I connected with friends, went to dinner (outdoor generally), took walks, and enjoyed the beautiful flowers.
I went with my friend Heidi to Haizhu Lake park. Beautiful! The self driving drink vehicle was interesting.
Of course dragon boating and stand up paddle boarding are some of my favorite activities!
With large group activities, each individual had to sign in, record their temperature and show their health and travel codes.This pastry is delicious and has a filling of taro and mochi. It was a great snack before paddling.
The sights at night are still beautiful here!
English translation is always a mess.
It felt great to go back to volunteering with homeless love and seeing my friends Shalini and Sai.
There are less people out generally than normal and everyone wears masks. In my travel in China these past years, people in Guangzhou wear masks at a higher rate than other places. In fact, the lax mask wearing rules has had me concerned. When SARS broke out a decade ago, it was here in Guangzhou. The citizens have a more protective mentality.
And now there are more requests for community testing. It is an annoyance and some places have to test everyday. But they identify areas of concern and control it much easier this way. I wonder how long they can continue to do this as it is disruptive on people’s lives and those that cannot go to work and work from home are really suffering.
They scan your code which keeps track of your test so that the results are posted where you can see it.
Of concern are the lines of people being tested who have yellow codes (green is good, red is not so). Yellow means you have visited or been near a place that had a positive case. Your location history is used and you would have to have been near the area for over 10 minutes. It is a precaution but you cannot go to work out travel by mass transit. You cannot enter buildings and must stay home except to take 3 tests in 7 days. This is the line for those people. I know, they are out in public and it is not a perfect system. At least they are not taken to quarantine. If they were in close contact of someone who tested positive, then they would be.
China has two codes, one to show whether you may have been in contact with people who may or may not have COVID and to show your latest test results. I am always happy when my red quarantine code is changed to green.
The other code shows your travel history. If you traveled to another destination that is considered medium risk, an asterisk appears next to the name of the city. As my quarantine was in Shanghai, I have the asterisk and therefore cannot travel, join a tour, or check into a hotel. I was actually lucky to leave Shanghai at the time that I did as most flights out have also been stopped since.
After the mark for Shanghai was removed, Guangzhou had cases and now I have another mark for this city.
I am really hoping to be able to travel this summer and the next school year. I signed another one year contract and will leave China after next school year. Of course all of this is subject to change as who knows what will happen next here or in the world.
As a record of what I have enjoyed eating abroad, I will post recipes from time to time.
One of my favorite dishes is so simple to make and flavorful to eat. Make rice to round out the dish but it is perfect on its own. This is a dish you serve along with other dishes and though good for brunch it is rarely seen here as a breakfast food.
The ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes
2 scallions
4 eggs
1/2 + 1/2 tsp salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp rice wine (not vinegar!!!! You can also use Sake)
2 + 1 Tbs Vegetable oil or light olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1/2 c water
This is best prepared in a wok. You can cook this in a skillet but be sure to get it nice and hot to cook as fast as you can. You will also need something to act as a lid. Have all the ingredients ready on hand.
Prepare the veggies by cutting the tomatoes into smallish wedges. Chop the scallions.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat thoroughly with half the salt, pepper, sesame oil, and rice wine.
Preheat the wok or skillet until it smokes and then add the 2 Tbs vegetable/olive oil. Quickly cook the egg mixture and remove as soon as it is cooked.
Add the remaining oil to the wok/skillet and cook the tomatoes and scallions for 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar, remaining salt, and water. Add more water if needed.
Add the cooked eggs back to the wok/skillet and mix together.
Cover the wok/skillet and cook for another 1-2 minutes. It is done when the tomatoes are completely soft.
Uncover and cook until the sauce is thickened to your liking. Serve with or without rice.
This is actually one of my favorite foods to order. It is simple, but don’t think that it is just tomatoes and eggs. It has an amazing flavor. You can also adjust this recipe and I know there are many other recipes out there. As with any family dish (like spaghetti, chili, etc.) there are many variations. A Cantonese friend taught me this dish.
As I was preparing to leave for the US, a number of celebrations were enjoyed with friends. Home is any place where you have family, friends, and a sense of belonging. Sometimes it is more than one place.
Dinner at a sauerkraut fish place with Jack. Of course I saw the menu and noticed pig brain.Not having tried it before, we ordered it too. It really had no specific taste but was quite good.
I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner with friends and the food was delicious. Some favorites of the holidays and others a mixed bag of other international dishes
I am blessed to have so many beautiful people in my life.My ugly Christmas sweater I made for the staff holiday party. LED lights make the fire glow Friends at the school held a cookie exchange.The school wide holiday Bazaar was also fun with great games for students and all things Christmas.
It is difficult to say goodbye to friends leaving the country you are in but we know it is not goodbye but until I see you again. My friend Trisha is going back to the UK.
And of course dragon boat which is my weekend hobby, exercise, and time with more friends.
This year I went out of my comfort zone and played the bass clarinet in a teacher ensemble for the students. I also performed a pantomime with other teachers for the whole school.
Before I knew it, it was time to leave for the US. I left lessons for when I am gone in January, made sure there was plenty of food for the kitties and people to take care of them, and planned my packing. A COVID test less than 24 hours old was required to get on the plane. At the airport, I ate in the China southern lounge.
After an uneventful flight to LA, the rest was a travel nightmare. Spirit airlines cancelled 8 flights and waited until boarding time to announce. Without a US sim card, I had no cell phone off of wifi. With the help of another kind person, I found a flight from John Wayne airport fire the next morning and she dropped me off at a hotel across from the airport.
I arrived 12 hours after I was originally to land in Pittsburgh where I went to my son Ryan’s apartment. He cooked a yummy falafel meal and it was great to finally be near him. Talking on the phone for three last 2.5 years was difficult.
The next morning I planned to renew my driver’s license, get a COVID vaccine, and walk around Pittsburgh to where Ryan works. It had been some time since I have been in a smaller city and could see beyond huge skyscrapers. It was an enjoyable walk through the different areas of Pittsburgh.
The hot metal bridge area in the Southside is where trains and barges brought coal to make steel. Along the river were many historical relics from that time.
Ingots of iron.
For lunch I stopped at double wide grille. Here they have all kinds of food including vegan and vegetarian. It is located in an old gas station and the food is so good here.
Afterwards we drove to my brothers house in the country. I planned on staying here for the rest of the week before going back to Ryan’s. I drove to see my old friends at punxsutawney high school and just relax and watch movies. I also need time to get new credit cards and take care of the mail I received the last 2 years. On a run that week, it started to snow and the wind was brisk. A big weather change from Guangzhou.
I will also be traveling to Wisconsin to see Becca. I am sure it will be cold there.
I honestly forgot about this post that was lounging in my drafts. And summer continues until a few weeks ago when the weather started to turn cooler.
The summer was interesting. An increase in cases in Guangzhou meant more difficult travel. As I was taking 60 hours of leadership classes I stayed in the city for much of the summer. This summer I only traveled a little to Beijing and Inner Mongolia.
I took some breaks for nature areas in Guangzhou.
This summer was also the 100th anniversary of the communist party. It is interesting to note that the nationalist party that started to bring China to the modern age and ended the Dynasty and warlords period, was overthrew by the communists because there was no free speech. The nationalists would not accept any dissent. That is what is true of the communists today.
A new pedestrian bridge was built to cross the river.
Working internationally means people come and go frequently. Celebrations and going away parties…
Construction in the apartment upstairs meant finding another place to work. This time in a coffee house in my neighborhood.
Occasionally in feeding the homeless you get an opportunity to help furry friends.
I do like to stay active. If I keep moving maybe old age can’t catch up with me! Wishful thinking I know, but I am not as fast as I used to be and have changed some of what I do. But I like staying in shape.
Where our dragonboat group meets has stand up paddleboarding. That is something I miss from living in PA. I paid for a year membership and now go paddleboarding after every dragonboat practice that I can. A few of us go each time.
Tricia who was so brave to go even being afraid of water.
I also ran a half marathon for charity which was a fun circle around the river.
Jack and Justin, the other cross country coach at school, were part of our team Too fast, too hot. We named it after the cross country team who complained with those words every practice!
Dragonboat has been a great workout for my arms, shoulders, and abs. I even extended myself by learning to paddle with my non-dominant arm to learn more coordination. I am glad for the chance to improve a physical skill that I did not have much experience in. It is a great community of wonderful people. I usually show up to both trainings on the weekend.
We have been training for a 21km race but I will miss that. I will get back in shape for dragonboat once I come back from the US.
As the summer was approaching we started making plans for travel. Beijing and Tibet were both places I wanted to go. Beijing was free to travel to but had cases from time to time until now. Tibet was just now opening for travel. And then….
There was a covid case in the Liwan district where there are many elderly who like to get together for activities and dim sum on a daily basis. Add to that relaxing of mask wearing and people who would not get vaccinated, and the one case became dozens. It really bothered me that Chinese people would not get the vaccine in the numbers that foreigners were. They felt safe as there were no cases and those that came in from abroad were Chinese nationals coming home who were quarantined. For a culture that embraced masks and was scared of the virus, I couldn’t fathom the lack of wont for the vaccine.
This started rounds of mass testing in two districts where there were cases. That expanded eventually to every district where multiple tests were required within a week.
As cases increased our finals were canceled which made it difficult to keep student attention as no more grades were to be collected. We thought it possible school would just cancel then but it didn’t.
You could see tents set up every half block and each apartment complex were assigned to a specific site. I was tested twice in a week despite being vaccinated. Yes, I know I could still carry the virus despite being vaccinated but really energy should be put into mass vaccinations.
The health code app we used to travel was now being used to enter everywhere including transportation. Now opening the app brought dread hoping the green code did not turn yellow overnight. That happens when you were in an area where an infected person was found. It required two more tests with 72 hours. Unfortunately that happened to colleagues who weren’t sure exactly where or with who they came in contact.
Jack and I went to a couple five star hotels over the weekend to have some sense of vacation, staying at the Sofitel first. A Russian restaurant I like is just around the corner and the bathtub was marvelous.
The next day we checked into the Grand Hyatt. I’m glad we enjoyed the pool and the executive lounge before they closed it. All pools and lounges were ordered closed across the city.
We finished out that next week of school. I still reviewed with the 9th graders as next year builds on that material. The IB bio kids had plenty to do as I have them for two years. We made plans to still have another week of school but at the end of the weekend was the announcement that students were done and teachers were to report to school Monday and Tuesday. A strange and abrupt end to the school year. Students at least received yearbooks but the awards assembly was virtual and the field day canceled.
Our social breakfast with social distancing.
In most districts all dining is suspended and food can only be ordered takeaway. In my district of Tianhe, dine in is still possible but at 50% capacity.
We could still walk around parks and mountains.
Huolu mountain
I had planned on going to Shenzhen to the beach as a last minute weekend holiday. Unfortunately, that city decided not to allow people coming from Guangzhou to go to the beach. Understandable but disappointing.
Instead we went to a nearby lake as a group. The village rents the spaces to people who want to spend an afternoon. It was a fun trip and I was able to spend time with friends from other schools I have not seen in awhile.
Even a huge downpour couldn’t dampen spirits. It was such a fun and relaxing day.
Some people who test positive are kept in hospitals and those that are contact traced are held elsewhere. There are some construction workers who needed to be quarantined and they are being held near construction sites.
I’m still going to try to go to Beijing. I also have two leadership classes at the end of the month. We will see what July brings…
A farmhouse. This is actually being used as a barn. I should have snapped the picture when the goats were outside!
After a great day on Saturday of watching Godzilla vs. Kong, eating unbelievable fish, and then enjoying a massage, Jack and I planned our next day.
We ate dim sum with friends and I colored hard boiled eggs to give to them.
After dim sum, we went to check out the alpaca Cafe but first found the comic city at the entrance to the metro.
The alpaca Cafe was pretty fun. It was an open air room between buildings with a few smaller covered rooms for the cats, pigs, and bunnies. It was fun to see children excited about the animals.
This Cafe across the alley has Shiba Inu dogs. I’m surprised that there are dog cafes. This other cafe across the alley has an alpaca as well but it seems to just make some extra money.
We traveled to haizhu district to find the DragonBoat training center. We met a few members at a going away party for my friend Maiko who was headed back to Japan. We learned how to paddle correctly which is much like what you do stand up paddle boarding. If you do it wrong then your arm hurts and you Ajay get schooled. We did drills including two at a time paddling the whole boat. It was quite the workout.
The village deals in bolts of fabric and also small scale sewing of clothing.
The old villages have shorter buildings with evidence of older brick and styling. They look forward to development as they receive multiple apartments for an income.
I had tried going there the week before by myself but was not able to follow the directions to get there without being late. Instead of just going home I walked around haizhu lake instead.
