Guangzhou – Page 3 – HurricaneMaine

Celebrating New years

After arriving back from Shanghai I spent more time with Jack. He had been so sweet and lovely. He gave me a great silk floral arrangement and organic perfume oil for my birthday.

I went to lunches with my friend Elaine. She always finds great food to try. This was a black tea with whipped cream and pecans. It was delicious.

Jack surprised me with plans to go to a village north of the city called Xitou. We had already made plans to go to my friends Tricia and Dan’s for new years eve get together in Huadu so went on a road trip a night early.

Ww ate at a place in Xitou village. They had rice wine that has bees soaking in it. It is to help with certain medical conditions. I didn’t try it but very curious….

The food was amazing. The soup (tang) was made with many different kinds of mushrooms. It was very tasty soup. The sweet potatoes had the best sauce ever.

The mountains in Xitou were beautiful.

The village was also beautiful. Some old buildings are original. Many new places have been erected for others to come from the city to stay and is growing as a tourist destination.

We also had congee and rice roll with egg the next morning in the village.

Then we took a hike to the next village.

We took a wrong road and saw this bird. It is a wild bird that stays there and is hand fed. He was fascinating. The owner of the property brought it a cooked potato to feed the bird.

There is actually a place to charge your phone and make a call in the middle of the bamboo forest. This is solar powered.

In the other village they grow Camellia flowers for tea. It is also being developed for tourism.

After the hike we walked in the village to look at what they are selling.

Tofu dessert and sesame seed dessert. Warm and delicious.

Lunch was amazing at another village. The sour cabbage dish was delightful.

We arrived at my friend’s. There we played games, ate pizza and dips, and watched movies and shows until the new year. With the pandemic, there are no formal ball drop celebrations and in China there are some parties. Getting together as a small group was still better.

I’m the morning, Jack and I ran 5k, had breakfast with everyone and took a stroll around their area. It was a great end of one year and start of the next.

Friends and the week before Christmas

I am grateful to have a variety of friends and activities to keep me occupied during this holiday season. Even though it really does not feel like Christmas and just another week in this crazy ridiculous year that was 2020, it helps to keep my mind off the fact that I had planned to be home in the US this holiday season. Of course now, no one really should be getting together in the US as the virus cases are out of control.

I am equally blessed that my family is healthy even if my brother was potentially exposed at work. So grateful that his covid-19 test came back negative.

The combined Christmas concert at school featured choir, band, and orchestra. As usual it did not disappoint.

My legs were better midweek after the marathon to play in the girl’s teacher-student basketball game. It was called the Christmas chocolate classic. Teachers wore ridiculous clothes. To make it fair, teachers had no rules. We could do anything. We still lost. It was a blast though. Even though my legs didn’t hurt, they didn’t want to run back and forth across the court either! But honestly, those girls can sprint.

The coach is so fun and everyone was great as a team!!

Book club was held where I used to live in Clifford mansion. Tatz made a carrot cake for my birthday, we swapped books for Christmas gifts, and we were surprised by carolers!

We closed out the end of school for the holidays at a 90’s themed holiday party. It was fun despite losing my voice voting (screaming) for my friend Trisha and Dan to win best couples contest! They won and I did win the trivia contest as well.

The first weekend of break I decided to relax. I was originally supposed to travel to Chengdu to go hiking with my friend Morgana before traveling to Shanghai. Unfortunately, Chengdu went red with a covid-19 case that infected multiple places (a young person going from bar to bar…). I cancelled that part of the trip. Money was refunded easily.

Instead I stayed in Guangzhou and ate food and other things. Brunch at a Christmas market and movie on Saturday and dim sum on Sunday with Jack.

At the lobby of the grand international hotel where we ate dim sum.

After dim sum we took a walk around Tianhe park.

Artist who is famous for depicting the mood of the times.

Soldier who led the battle against the Japanese and is buried in the park.

Jack had never tried stinky tofu. It is fermented and has an off smell but tastes like regular tofu. Very spicy sauce.

Great start to my two week vacation. Next on the agenda is Shanghai to visit a friend and then off to Harbin. I really have no plan and am just winging it for this vacation.

Guangzhou marathon

An item that was on my bucket list many years ago that I discarded was running a marathon.

In training for one I ignored all the pain signals and now have a lasting hamstring injury. I could still run half marathons but I routinely would reinjure it and have to take time rehabilitating. I didn’t think I would be able to train.

I really couldn’t train fully. But I worked with the athletic trainer that helped me in the last injury and decided that limiting training to 35km per week might be a plan. That is barely enough for a half marathon training but running the half marathon the week before on Dec. 5th was plenty.

Picking up the race packets the day before with Carolyn and a new teacher Justin.

For covid-19 precautions we had to sign a health declaration, have a negative covid-19 test 5 days before, and fill out online temperature checks two weeks before. The day of the race they had put 1 meter apart dots we were to follow and separate. No one did.

Race day December 13th

Police runners to make sure everyone is sportsmanlike and watch for medical and other issues.

I went into the race feeling the best I have in awhile but it was brutal. The first half was fine but the third 10 km was rough and my quads were really tired in the end.

My goal was just to finish even if I had to walk. I was able to finish in 4 hours and 46 minutes. I could have shaved twenty minutes off, but it is that thinking that always leads me to an injury. And this time I walked away injury free.

At the end of the marathon, my friends were waiting for me. Such good friends.

Going to the local mexican restaurant for food was next on the list.

The international choir singing Christmas carols!

And the medal was the coolest. Purely Chinese with the lion.

Active weekend with a surprise exclusive visit

The weekend started out with Japanese food with a couple friends. I played it safe on the food but did have sake. I was to travel the next morning to run a fun half marathon with friends for charity and needed to be good with what I ate. We ran so that a few new runners could set a goal of running their first event and then we added raising charity for food banks. My friends Trisha And Daniel had this great idea months ago and I was keen to join in!

The next morning I drove with two friends, Jack and Claire to Huadu which is the north part of the city. I attended my last class for the leadership assessment class as we drove using zoom. It was beautiful sunshine but much colder of late.

We ran through the ecological park that connected with other parks. I couldn’t help but stop and take a couple pictures. My time was still 2 hours and 7 minutes trying to take it slow. However I made a wrong turn and ended 2 km away from where I needed to be so had extra amount of running.

We went afterwards to a nice restaurant (Sean was gracious to let us shower at his apartment.)

After the lunch Jack drive to the Imperial Springs. It is a hot spring resort that is pretty pricey. 400 USD for a standard room and much more for the villas that have their own hot spring in the residence. Jack had a personal connection to one of the dignitaries in charge and we were given permission to enter. It was beautiful but it had much more history than its beauty.

It also has a presidential palace that dignitaries use when they visit. We were allowed to walk in the upper floors. The actual loving areas need an elevator to go below. The top buildings are meeting rooms and in the typical Chinese style of the Tang dynasty. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stayed here (Obama after he left office.)

A video of the view off the balcony of the main meeting room over top of the presidential quarters: https://youtu.be/wx7yFMRG2u4

We ate at the hot pot buffet restaurant. Pricey but very good food.

The next day I went for a hike with my friends Joanna. We started at baiyun and found the elevated walkway to the 5 rams park. It was beautiful and we passed through some parks I had not been to yet. The elevated paths connect the parks and then you walk through portions of the parks.

One of the parks that we went through was the Sculpture Park. We only walked along the part of the park that took us to the next section of pathway. There were quite a few sculptures in this part alone.

We also enjoyed noodle soup for lunch with handmade pulled noodles. So yummy and good on a cool day after walking.

a great weekend and my legs felt great as I have been lowering my weekly amounts to keep my hamstring healthy. It was great to spend time with friends!

Adventures in school renovations (and during a pandemic)

This is not the first renovation at a school I have taught in but this is the most ambitious. We left last January with one building torn down and in the process of being rebuilt to bring grades 3-5 out to the campus. During the pandemic or was slowed until no cases and authorization allowed the project to continue. Over the course of the hybrid learning that was spring, there was amazing progress on that building and it was completed in October.

Before those grades come to the Science Park campus, the building will be used to house middle and high school as that building will be torn down. When plans are made here, things are done quickly!

The science department had to move before anyone else as we were moving into temporary new spaces that was the cafeteria. These rooms needed moved in order to build the construction road to be able to demolish the building.

We left for October break with a cafeteria and arrived back to school with 8 new classrooms. They are temporary so there are walls that are easy to put up. A little loud but I am grateful that the school does everything it can to help and to make the classrooms functional and teachers comfortable and supported.

Only 2 of the 8 teachers were here so we worked many hours between teaching to unpack rooms and determine existing storage that could be repurposed for the new rooms. We had ayis (translated as auntie) to pack their rooms but I unpacked to determine what was needed. The shushus (translated as uncle) can move a whole room in under an hour. Our storage space and office space for the technician is in a much smaller space so many items had to be placed in classrooms. Our rooms are also much smaller. It was a pretty stressful month as we were teaching as well and I was coaching cross country and running student council. Here are things waiting to be unpacked.

The place looks great. We are settling in. 4 more teachers returned. Then we watched and stayed as far away from the rest of the teachers moving into the future elementary building. We were able to go through in the end to snag cushioned benches to places in the hallway and rescued student created murals to brighten our space.

The week of Thanksgiving we went back to a normal teaching schedule (all my 36 science 9 students used to be in one 65 minute class and now they are separated into 3 classes of 85 minutes each. My 24 bio are now in two classes). We taught online as many things were being moved around campus and could not happen with students here. That Wednesday there were no classes (time for teachers to get their rooms together) and Thursday was a professional development day. Touring through the old rooms was sad.

After Thanksgiving break all students are now on campus and not staggered by grades as they used to be. This is as close to normal as we have been since the pandemic. This is mostly due to most teachers being such overseas. Now 90% off the teachers are back and more to arrive soon.

And here are the science rooms in various states of being torn apart and demolishing the building after windows were torn out.

Behind the science wing where the construction road was being made.

And views of the new building:

Next November we move into the brand new high school built where the old one stood. It is amazing looking according to the plans and hope I am here to see it completed! I also hope all the school is here to do the move as well! I know it will be smooth nonetheless as this is an amazing and supportive school!

I am tired as I spend more time teaching and talking but exhilarated to forge relationships with students now that there is more time to work with smaller classes. It is also great to be back to a more normal environment. This is an amazing school that cares about how everyone is doing. This holiday will be difficult not being able to go home to see family. It has been a year and a half already.

Thanksgiving 2020

This year for Thanksgiving I did not host a dinner like last year. Killian instead hosted at his place on actual Thanksgiving day. I had PD that day as well as a fall celebration so made cornbread and pies as my contribution. I think these were the best pies I have made.

The Thanksgiving dinner was great. Killian has an 0ld but cool apartment in Dongshankou which is a historic area of the city.

The Thanksgiving celebration before the holiday weekend was fun with corn hole tournaments, food and drink and live music with a teacher band.

We may not have had Thursday off, but we did have a three day weekend. Of course, I scheduled doctors appointments and tests for that day! But before that, I ran 17 km to train for the marathon I signed up for then went to my appointment. After leaving the Imaging center where i had a mammogram, I walked through Martyr’s park that commemorates those who fought for the current form of government. Even if it was communism it was better than the Qing Dynasty which ruled before that. Martyr’s Park is really beautiful and many people writing poetry with water and practicing TaiChi.

I took the subway to the sports center as it is a beautiful walk around there. My friend Elaine messaged me, so I went to see her at PoPark to grab lunch and walk around before my next appointment.

I’ve been eating out more than before… there is so much good food here! My favorite is Thai food and there is a great place in PoPark near the East Railway station. A good vegetable soup, Pad Thai inside a thin egg omelette with coconut jelled dessert.

We walked around and visited some of Elaine’s other friends that had rescued kittens. They are so adorable.

Over the weekend I also met with some other friends to hiking in Baiyun. I had not seen Joanna in some time! Morgana is also very busy at the Canadian school. Whenever we can make schedules work, it is amazing.

Afterwards, we traveled to Dongshankou to go to the Owl’s Nest whcih has a really nice brunch and coffee shop.

This is really reminiscent of the types of houses in the area at that time. Very romantic and beautiful.

It was a great holiday weekend and the start of the week was pretty spectacular too. Elaine, Killian, and I met near the river for Vietnamese Pho and then walked along the river to look at the light show. Some of it is paid entrance (in the amphitheater), but the rest was the pedestrian area of Huacheng Square.

It also was the first time that Book club met in person now that more of the teachers are back in China. Yummy food of grilled vegetables, an eggplant dish, and rice. The discussion was of the book Lizzie Borden which had some great analysis of all the past information about that famous persona.

November, 2020

It is easy to let multiple weeks go by without writing everything down. This year which is the longest year ever. Covid-19 had made this the most ridiculous year ever. No big travel trips this month but many little outings as school returns even more to normal and all students are on campus. We are almost back to the normal schedule. This has less to do with the virus itself but with finally having most of our teachers back in China. I’m also taking a leadership class on Saturday mornings (virtually …)

One of my really good friends here is Elaine from Canada. She and I live close to each other and we go out to eat every Monday. Sometimes Killian, my other good friend goes with us too. She works in an English language school so she works nights and weekends. Monday is our one day to catch up.

This portobello burger is amazing and the little restaurant is so retro.

I am still running to get ready for some races. My favorite place to run is along the river.

I also attended the AmCham ball. It is the American chamber of commerce. My school is a member and has a number of tickets. It was a great night with my colleagues. The food was amazing and the Garden Hotel never disappoints with atmosphere and food.

We also found a Poutine restaurant. It has original Poutine and also different nationality themes. Delicious!

Christmas displays at Parc Central in Tianhe!

I pulled out a Christmas tree I was given to decorate. It may become a cat climbing tower!

Dim sum, Diwali, and TedX

This was another foodie and experience weekend. I’m training (sort of) for a marathon. I can’t train fully as I still have a chronic hamstring issue. But I can run a half marathon and if I go slower I could run the full marathon. At worst, I can run and walk it and still finish in the time limit. It will be my one and only marathon and it is here in Guangzhou. I ran the half there last year. Crazy but up for the challenge.

After my 9 km morning run I had a leadership class on assessment at 8 am. At least I get the class done early enough in the morning. After that I went to dim sum with colleagues at the Luck Win Teahouse. Dim sum is the same in a lot of places. They have the same foods which you share as a table and sample everything. Each dim sum restaurant though has their one special dish you can’t get anywhere else.

You scan the code to order and then also to pay. So convenient.

This was the amazing dish that is a specialty here. A fried dough that is hollow on the inside and filled with a warm sweet coconut milk. Yummy.

Other dishes we ate:

This is fried radish. It was so good. Better than fried tofu or potatoes.

This had shrimp inside and was cooked perfectly.

This was really good. The rice roll on the outside is made with red rice.

Then off to a doctor’s appointment to check on the 4 stitches in my head (I had a cyst cut out the afternoon before. How many do I need in my lifetime?). I walked home and passed this little farmers market. I bought honey. The day before I stopped and bought pumpkins.

I went to a Diwali dinner that night but had to leave to go to another event. Shalini and Sai are wonderful people I’ve been working with while they help until all our teachers are back. A great night with authentic Indian food and spending time with friends and the meaning of the festival of lights and dispelling dark.

The next day was TedX Guangzhou at the Garden Hotel. It was a pretty long day but some great messages from a variety of speakers. They had translator devices we could use. The gardens there are beautiful. (Pictures a few paragraphs below.)

The theme was Embracing complexity. The first session was: It’s about us. It focused on having empathy for our own transformations. Another speaker spoke of the kids lack of connection with the natural world and the result we see in how students and people think about one another and the resources around them.

The second session was Nitty Gritty. One message about climate change is that it is all around us and how small changes in temperature have made large changes where others are not aware. Another speaker spoke of complexity in systems from large scale (Earth) to small scale (cells). The energy constraints on systems are a common property as well as feedback loops. Another speaker spoke of protecting animals, and not just the cute ones. An educator spoke of perception opening hearts and ensuring that education is not indifferent. I like the speaker on the food crisis. She engaged with people to make the point of knowing where raw materials come from, learn recipes, make food, eat, clean up…. It brings up the motto from 4-H: head, heart, and hands….. Know how everything is used and what it takes to bring food to our table.

Lunch was delicious and I followed it with a walk around the gardens.

The third was Full Spectrum. There were many messages here including migrants who want a better life and should be trusted that they are motivated to do just that. It also discussed economics such as inflation and other items that affect society.

I chose a breakout session where we broke in groups to find evidence of various things in a neighborhood. We then moved around groups to look at what each group found and heard interesting stories as each group interacted with people differently. There were some common assessments of the neighborhood and similar stories from the residents.

The fourth session was Onward and Upward. It focused on high density areas that are dealing with high livability issues. It also looked at serious environmental issues and local groups stopping destruction of old neighborhoods and environmental areas.

Food and friends

I am grateful to have a variety of friends from different activities and tours I have been in since arriving in China. They all have found incredible places to eat.

I am eating out more and more and enjoying the amazing delicious food in this city (it is really renowned for is cuisine and variety).

I started last weekend in a Friday afternoon at a golf driving range. I didn’t take pictures but I had such a great time whacking at a ball and talking with coworkers I don’t see everyday over snacks and drinks.

The next morning I juggled a long run with a leadership course in assessment. Of course there was homework, but afterwards I met my friend Morgana and co-worker Dirk for British day. If course there were fish and chips and pints of beer.

At night there were long established plans to go to a 2 star Michelin restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. The restaurant is called Jiang by Chef Fei. It is an amazing restaurant.

Drinks in the upstairs bar while others arrived. They have an unbelievable selection of gin.

Netherlands, Germany, UK, Canada, NZ, Singapore, and US represented here.

Part of the 9 course set meal some chose.

When did arrived and everyone takes pictures!

Some photo shots afterwards. We crowded into an elevator that had a bellman and trolley. He did not know what to make of us squeezing in that way instead of waiting for another elevator.

Downstairs in the Mandarin Oriental.

I also went to dinner on Sunday with my friend Elaine. She knows of a great Thai place in Po Park. The fish curry was amazing. So hungry we forgot to takes pictures. Another highlight was sitting in the Tesla cars in the mall.

Another dinner a day later at a different Cantonese restaurant to start the week.

Apple shrimp, a great mushroom fish, and a casserole with crab roe.

And more window shopping… This place was a one stop shop for a bunch of things. Stationary, snacks, wine (right next to the toys)…

Looking in a clothing store brought back memories of shopping for similar flannels for the kids and I to wear for the holidays….. Miss my family….

October 2020, the last month

The last month at school has been busy with moving the science department into temporary spaces but also coaching cross country. I’ve been busy with meeting up with people as well and took a few photos along the way.

Dinners. There are so many good restaurants in Guangzhou.

Jojo’s at party pier for Canadian Thanksgiving.

Lombok, an Indonesian restaurant. The ginger rice is amazing.

Coconut ice cream with mango and grapefruit after window shopping.

Festivals

After a wonderful Indian vegetarian dinner, we learned how to do the sick dance. Many of these people live in my apartment compound.

Sights.

We went to a small festival at tiande center and I found these Jade earrings.

This alaskan king crab in the largest I’ve seen and it’s leg span was immense.

Parks