APAC cross country to Thailand and Shanghai

Another great season with kids has ended and two great trips in the process. I was prepared this year to all the work I needed to do and not be crazy during the season. To prepare I planned lessons well in advance and kept procrastination to a minimum. Still, coaching and student council is a lot and I am looking forward to having a little free time and more choices in my personal running time.

We had stellar students who really excelled this year in running and it was fun to see them compete and boast personal records throughout.

We went to Kanchanaburi in Thailand again for an invitational in September. Still rainy and muddy but better than last year as we knew what to expect – and there was less rain.

These are a few of the beautiful views on the long run before we left to fly back home.

It was great to run with all the kids and the coaches. We ran with some exceptional athletes, many of them triathletes so it was intimidating.

We had a few meets near our campus and our kids dominated the local races. It was great practice for them to see what they could do.

For APAC, we headed to Shanghai in October. I have flown into Shanghai before but took a train out of the city for a half marathon and did not have time to spend there. As this was a pretty tight trip with races and chaperoning, our only time to sight see was during the scavenger hunt.

Coaches stayed at the Ramada. A teddy bear and rubber ducky to await my arrival.

At the race at Bianjing park. The girls before the race.

The start of the boys race. It was a really fast race with many runners under 28 minutes for the 5k.

The start of the girls race. Another fast race.

After a rest and snack, students were separated into teams for a scavenger hunt. On the bus we ate lunch. For the hunt, there were clues to get to some notable sights in Shanghai near the river along a walkway called the Bund.

It refers to the outer bank (Huangpu River). This part of the riverfront is farther downstream than the inner bank area adjacent to the old walled city of Shanghai.

At each spot we completed a task and received a stamp.

1. The bull is actually found along Wall Street.

2. The people’s monument shows the history of China in the stories along the wall at its base. It is near Waibaidu bridge which is the oldest (did not get a picture.)

Our selfie task from this spot.

3. The Bund Mast.

4. At the finance center there is a building that looks like an organ.

5. Across the river you can see the Pearl Tower. This is a radio and TV tower.

The building in the middle is shaped liked a lotus on top.

Statue of Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai.

We took a ferry across the river to collect stamps found on that side before we met for a snack and returning to the school.

6. Shanghai Tower.

The three tallest buildings on that side. The one on the left is known as the bottle opener building.

Standing in the middle of all three.

7. Lujiazhui green space near the the three tallest buildings. Students were not happy they had to do 10 burpees here!

Looking at the Pearl Tower from Isola restaurant in the IFC mall (4th floor). Lots of tired kids and adults!

Afterwards we went back to the hosting school, Concordia. What a beautiful school. We had a great dinner and awards ceremony. Meeting and talking with other coaches was great!

This week…and travel plans!!

I finally finished planning my next vacations. Over the holidays I will go to Cairo (maybe learn to dive? Alexandria also) and Athens including some islands.

For Chinese New year in January it will be New Zealand for an adventure vacation. I start with half arthon in Auckland. Then: Skydiving, tough kayaking and hikes, hot springs, abseiling into glow worm caves, hobbiton, and beaches… Lots of adventure. Excited for both now that they are planned..

Glad I finished planning these before my tough week.

This last week was long….

Parent teacher conferences run two days and it is like speed dating with teachers. Non stop. Parents are generally positive and receptive. Some students and parents want to question predicted grades for their IB students. As my kids are now 12th graders it can count towards college acceptance. I find it difficult as this is my first time predicting and no past experience to draw on. I sought out advice and made my best predictions.

As usual, my school provides breakfast and lunch which makes getting ready for school easier.

On the first day of conferences, the other student council advisor, Katie Dean, made this beauty. Tasty… As usual… Yummy!!! Marshmallow, caramel, chocolate ganache… Teachers hyped on sugar!

The simplest meal near my apartment is where you choose the veggies, proteins and noodles. You pay by weight and they make a noodle soup from it. You then add seasonings at the end to your liking. On weeks like this, it is easy, fast, cheap, and yummy.

At the end of the week, a school from New Zealand visited and demonstrated Maori dance and culture. New Zealand is one of the few countries whose native inhabitants are actually mainstreamed into the culture. It is not forgotten there. It was fabulous.

Here are two dances that I recorded:

Now I am sitting in an airport ready to fly to Shanghai for the last meet of the year for cross country.

More Guangzhou…

Ryan and I toured around areas of Guangzhou before he left.

Dongshan neighborhood

My friend Lily hosted a lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant that I am familiar with: shifunyuan vegetarian behind the Wuyangcun metro. We had fun lunching together with her son and my friend Siqin.

Siqin is in the center and Lily is on the right.

We ate wonderful food. A pumpkin dish.

Vegetarian fried rice.

Eggplant in a Thai sauce.

Sweet and sour tofu.

We then walked around the charming neighborhood a few blocks away. Very expensive to live with great schools, historic homes with architecture, and beautiful churches.

There was a history of silk and women’s role in garment industry art installation.

There were also commemorations to modern China as the holiday was this last week.

The canals on the way to the park.

We cut through the local park to get to the metro that could take us home. It was beautiful as well.

Taigucang

At night we met other friends for dinner in an older part of Guangzhou. There are not many high buildings despite having a large metro stop with a huge underground mall that spans several blocks.

Frog legs, bamboo with mushrooms, soicy green beans, spicy cabbage, and other meat dishes.

Afterwards we went to the wharf where there are large converted warehouses. This city amazes me with everything it has. It is crazy big.

Amy, Ryan, me, Amy, Siqin, Stephen, and Fiona.

We were pretty whipped and Ryan needed to fly the next day to go home. Always pretty emotional.

At the airport.

I tried to get a tattoo appointment whole he was here just do he could see the tattoo artist from last year that he had met. Through setting up the appointment he had a chance to meet with her and have some fun one night. I left him at the airport to go to the appointment. The result is this tattoo. This is the artist and the girl that Ryan was able to see again.

And a better view of the dragon tattoo. It is upside down of course.

Green in Taipei

Taipei is a beautiful city. It is green with lots of parks much like Guangzhou. In fact, it feels like a cross between Japan and Vietnam. Japan in how beautiful, clean, and the feel of the roads in getting around by walking.There are many motorcycles that remind me of Vietnam.

Where bikes need to u turn and would otherwise block the crosswalk, there are boxes for them to wait in.On the way to the MoCA, Taipei at museum, we passed great cafes.

There is an art park mostly for children but beautiful.

And like Guangzhou there are great parks where people gather and spend time in a place that is quieter. Here you could see Tai chi and a karaoke group of older people.

The birds here are happy being fed bread crumbs.

Tai chi.

The gardens outside of Chiang Kai Shek.

The MoCA (museum of contemporary art), Taipai

Listening to George Orwell’s story “you and the atomic bomb” while viewing the images.

Multiple acrylic pieces you see through at one time. It changes each different way you look.

Sun Yat Sen.

The MoCA from the outside.

On the way back to the hotel, we took the metro. Pretty swanky metro stop with some cool shops.

National Palace Museum garden

Here are pictures of the Park near the national palace museum.

A dragon fountain.

Another park on the way back to the hotel. Shuangxi park.

The garden maze park

It was beautiful and walking around various parts of the city was a great vacation.

Taipei, looking at history

Walking around waiting for the art museum to open, we found the memorial house of Sun Yat Sen.

Sun Yat Sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese politician, physician and philosopher who served as the first president of the Republic of China and the first leader of the Kuomintang, the Nationalist party. He is widely revered in China and Taiwan as being the Father of the Nation and in the overthrowing of the Qing Dynasty.

In Guangzhou there is a Sun Yat Sen hospital and I had not realized the background of this famous person.Chiang Kai ShekWe also went to Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall. It is impressive. The white building is in the shape of an octagon. The number eight is traditionally associated with fortune and wealth in China.

The blue and red accents, are the colours of the Republic of China. The stairs lead up to the main hall where a large bronze statue of Chiang sits.

The characters behind Chiang’s statue read “Ethics”, “Democracy”, and “Science”, and the inscriptions on the side read “The purpose of life is to improve the general life of humanity” and “The meaning of life is to create and sustain subsequent lives in the universe”.


Chiang is regarded as a controversial figure. He brought China and then Taiwan into the modern age. He, along with Sun Yat Sen, had a major part in unifying the nation and leading the Chinese resistance against Japan. He was known as a dictator at the front of an authoritarian regime who suppressed opponents.

When Chiang Kai Shek was fighting the Japanese, they moved many of the Chinese artifacts from the forbidden city to Shanghai and Nanjing. During the civil war that immediately followed they were moved to Taiwan. Here they were protected from destruction, a tactic used to overthrow regimes and rewrite history.

National Palace Museum

The National Palace museum was created to house these artifacts which is the largest collection of Chinese heritage.

Buddhas

A zither, stringed instrument.

A zither made of pottery. It actually can play music.

Pottery.

Pottery from early history during the warring states period.

My favourite. Cloisonne with dragons.

Cloussone zun vessel in the shape of a bird from the Qing dynasty.

This flower basket is actually carved from a peach pit!

Lapis lazuli carved into a mountain.

Furniture.

Bronze metals.

Look at this one. It is a To water vessel with an animal handle and humans as feet. It is from the Zhou Dynasty.

They had a special collection of jade. It showed how jade can be carved in different ways to show tension, movement, etc.

This is a Zhi cup carved with birds and animals from the Han Dynasty.

A jade screen from the 1940’s that was originally not thought to be made of jade but instead a similar looking mineral. However it is all jade.

Jade had irregularities in colour week died to mimicking something in life. This is a carving of a vegetable. The colours are amazing.

The architecture of the museum itself is a piece of art.

Adjacent to the museum is a cute park. The next post will be about parks and the art museum…

Shilin night market, Taipei

We spent a quick almost 3 days and 2 nights in Taiwan. Obviously we could not see everything and that would be true even if we stayed much longer.

We decided to stay in the Shilin area as it is the best night market in all of Taipei. There is no easier way to eat dinner and people watch! We arrived on Wednesday night and stayed at the Shilin Metro Yes. Very cheap and no frills but very nice and clean. No front desk, you enter with a door code, and it is just a room with a bathroom. For those looking to find it, this is what the outside looks like.

We went immediately to the night market as the street food in Taipei is the best. The first thing we found was sweet potato balls with cheese filling. Amazing and not greasy.

Note: not all of these foods were eaten in one night. We went to this night market both nights! Not in the night market but eye catching.

These are different types of said fried together. I did not try this but caught my eye every time. The did is carnival like but not as great or heavy. Regardless, I can’t eat as much of these as I used to.

I wanted to try this but forgot on the second night.

These are candied fruits. Tomatoes, plums, some other fruit, and strawberries. I have had the strawberries before in Laos and here I tried the plums. Yummy!

These are king oyster mushrooms. It always has a long line. The caps are removed and the stalk is roasted, then grilled with a sauce. After bring cut up, it is sprinkled with choices of seasonings. Unbelievably good and meaty.

These are bean and sesame rounds rolled in peanuts. Yummy.

This was just entertaining: watching meat cooked with a flame torch! They are very flamboyant in his they do it.

Lots to see and great fun trying different foods, people watch, and check out what seems to be popular these days.Our favourite: the sweet potato balls. We had them both nights!!!

And of course Taiwan beer!

Chinese National Day

Ryan came to visit during the second biggest Chinese holiday of the year! They always decorate the various areas around the city with flowers arranged in incredible sculptures. He actually arrived the day before the start of the holiday and I was glad that they opened the exhibit across from Canton Tower early before it became crowded. As usual it was beautiful.

Each of these large flowers are made of plants. China National Day was on October 1st and celebrated the birth of modern China and the Cultural Revolution.

This is the 70th anniversary of national Day.

After viewing flowers we walked to a hotpot restaurant. I love restaurants like this where you choose bins of various foods that you can add to the hot pot from veggies to various proteins. You cook your goodies in a pot with very fragrant broth at the table.

After that I showed Ryan the book center. It is many floors of a book store. Each floor is a different genre with other stores surrounding it as well as restaurants and cafes. This is the English section. I always seem to be drawn to Marvel.

We met with Killian and his twin brother Zach. Killian is the athletic trainer at the school and a lot of fun. Zach is a journalist from Taiwan who just applied to law school. We went to the Beijing Lu temple for vegetarian food and then went to play pool at Mr. Rocky’s cowboy bar. They actually did a great job in designing the bar. It was packed on a week night and many things for people to do. Here Zach ordered flights of beer. It came with dry ice coming up from the middle. I especially liked the peppered beer. Yes, it tasted like pepper. I like to try the unusual foods!

Afterwards we played ping pong at the sports center near to our apartments. Since playing I finally bought my own paddles. I might as well learn from the masters here in China. They are really good here and never toil busy to give helpful hints on holding paddles.

I love the exercise equipment that everyone uses and found on the street. People use it regularly especially those who are older. It helps with flexibility.

The next day we went for Korean food and ate bibimbap. I added these little fishes and it tasted great!After, we went to Liwan Lake Park. Right outside this sign is so funny. Since it has clothing in the store I think it should read “children’s wear center”. Instead you see this….

Other views of the park.

We missed some of the celebration including the fireworks but had a great day having fun.

Mid autumn festival

It is still hard to believe this is the start of my second year here in China. I’m settled in my new area and really getting used to how to get around.

It is still like a first year with IB Biology as it is a two year program. I did work ahead at getting materials ready for this year knowing how crazy it is with cross country.

I am also thinking a lot about my dad and my family. On the 19th it will be one year since he passed. There are still times the realization dawns again that he is not here….

Moon festival or mid autumn festival


Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese Moon Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Besides Chinese new year, it’s one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.
Legend traces the story to a hero named Hou Yi, who lived during a time when there were 10 suns in the sky. This caused people to die, so Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns and was given an elixir by the Queen of Heaven to make him immortal. But Hou Yi didn’t drink the elixir because he wanted to remain with his wife, Chang’e (spoken as Chung-err). So, he told her to watch over the potion.
One day a student of Hou Yi tried to steal the elixir from her, and Chang’e drank it to foil his plans. Afterward, she flew to the moon, and people have prayed to her for fortune ever since. Food offerings snd family reunions are part of the holiday.
When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes and sing moon poems. It is an important holiday here.

My friend Lilian invited us to the cowboy bar Mr. Rocky to celebrate. She brought moon cakes and we celebrated at lunch as she would be downing the evening with her family. We had a great time. She shared the legend, the importance of the holiday, and we shared a meal.

This is Lillian. She meets people and strikes up great conversations then brings everyone together.

I spent some parts of the weekend catching up on sleep and doing school work. I had wanted to go away for the long weekend but decided against it as I will be leaving for a cross country meet in Thailand.

On Saturday night, I went to ptv, a karaoke place. It is incredible. There are costumes you can try in and takes in with you.

I had to try this wig on.

My friends Ping arranged the room. It cost 75 rmb which is about $13. This includes a full buffet.

Each room had a dining table with tea set, two screens, a standing microphone and other hand held mics. There were plenty of comfy places to sit. You can choose from a vast array of some and artists and they had a great variety of singers from all over.

We had a blast. I normally don’t like to sing but thoroughly enjoyed myself.


The rest of the weekend I also spent exploring and running of course. I found new places to eat including the Mojito Cafe in my neighborhood (yes, the Mojito’s were good) and finding a new wet market to get my produce!

And I enjoyed moon cakes and spending time on Guangzhou for the holiday.


The start of year 2

I intended to write a blog post before now but the days have been running together. Things are still new: I moved to a new apartment so learning new places and being more adventurous and year two of biology is just as new as the first year as it is a two year program. I also am in an apartment where things are not done for you, so a little learning curve there. This includes getting my own police registration before I can get my work visa renewed.

But many things are easier this year. I worked hard at the end of last year to get materials ready for the start of this year and that has really helped. Much of the learning of Chinese culture makes each successive year easier as well.

I’ve spent days walking in different directions to explore my new neighborhood. Nearby there are three universities and their campuses are beautiful. This is at the Agricultural University.

This is in the park at the China Normal University.

I’ve been paying more attention to places to eat and buildings now that I know hidden gems are in these massive buildings and not really noticeable from the outside.

On a walk I always look at names of businesses too as they can be quite funny. This pizza place had my brothers name on it. I have yet to encounter a Chinese man taking that English name. And, there are also not many pizzas places here.

After living in Western PA, I’ve seen all manner of holding parts on cars, but I’m thinking the use of duct tape here may be for decoration?

I have also been walking along hidden paths in my building that connect adjacent buildings together. This little kitty is guarding antiques. Not sure what this space is for but other spaces have a nail salon, Indian grocery store, etc.

I still run with the Nike run club on Tuesday nights and I am much closer to it and get home a little earlier as a result. I also ran with a few members of the cross country team before school started (and the other coach) one morning before it became too hot. This picture is facing the river.

This picture is facing away from the river and the direction towards my apartment.

I have been going out to dinner to try new places. Some of the events are with Internations to promote meeting people from other cultures.

On the first day of school. My new assistant principal on the left, IB coordinator and curriculum director on the right.

I created a breakout box for my classes for the first day. This class had to get through 5 boxes with locks to get the vaccine to save us from the zombie apocalypse (and to get the carb treats for energy.) Fun!

I’ve gone running to various parks and get lost in other areas of the city. That is easy to do here.

Many intersections start to look alike but every once in awhile I recognize a place I’ve been and know where to go.

After seeing the pedestrian bridge I saw the Russian restaurant and knew I was on my road. Still a distance away but glad to know where I was at since I was running and getting tired…

After being gone for several weeks it was good to see construction projects that had been around for some time near completion. Here is under a bridge on the way home from the river. It is a great place to hang out now. They have sculptures of musicians and play music underneath. It looks as if a small stage is being constructed too.

I also upgraded my bike to a trek a friend was selling. On the way there to get the bike I saw my old friend the statue policeman. It is so funny.

At a local Japanese restaursnt.. I love the different groups that have great ideas for dinner. We had fun after school one day. There is always a different School bus to take for a different area and we all travel it together.

I joined a 30 day challenge as I have between deficient working and, weights, and squats. We meet for a killer workout at a gym then rewarded ourselves with good tasting food.

Last weekend’s Internations event was on the 65th floor of the Park Hyatt. Great food including sesame ice cream and a gorgeous view.

I met some people I had seen before and some new friends!! Sara is from Finland and teaches Chinese classes here. The other two are from the British school. Kim, the lady in the blue, gave me a fabulous company to take dive classes in Bali. I’m considering that for the holidays.

Where I used to live is in the smallest building in front.

And it is always great when you find all the resources you need in your new neighborhood. Finding a vet that is owned by the same company as the last one was great. They have the computer records for my cats and they are in walking distance!

Looking forward to more exploration!!!! Miss everyone back home and hope the last part of your year treats you well.

De Ruien

Underneath Antwerp in the underground is the old canal system that made Antwerp look like Amsterdam. We took a tour below here to learn the history. As you walk through the system you can see the original bridges. As we walked it is as if we were boats on a canal moving through the city.

We put on a protective coverall with wellies on our feet as we would be walking through storm water run off in some low areas.

There were others down there with us. Rats which we only saw one and spiders. These are only females as they eat the makes after mating. They are much like a small tarantula. The temperature usually stays around 15 degrees Celsius.

In the middle ages the city of Antwerp was founded in low lands and closer to water, namely the Scheldt river. Canals were created and used for trade, defense, and removing waste. As the population grew, more canals were added, but the stench and disease became a problem.

The city council solved this problem by wanting people to build over the canals. Whoever covers the canal in front of their buildings owns that portion of land. You can see many restaurants with extended outdoor seating far off the sidewalk.

Underneath in the old canals were constructed a sewer system of pipes. As we walked along we heard the history of used of the water in the canals, excess dumping if human waste as the population grew and how disease caused a change in policy. I wonder what else they could have done as the prettiest part of Amsterdam is the canals.

This is a sluice gate where water could be stopped. Before adding the pipes, water would be stopped through multiple gates. At low tide, the bottom hate would open, letting water and waste it, then the next one further up would be opened, washing waste out and do on up through the ruein.

There is still water through these underground canals as storm water run off comes through here as well.

This spot has a church above it and there is a passageway that leads to a closet in the back. This allowed church members to flee through these passageways if needed. It is also rumoured that priests would use the passageways to visit prostitutes.

Here are some informational posters at the end though they are all in Dutch.

It was quite interesting.