HurricaneMaine

My friend Killian and I met at Liwan Lake Park. It is quite a distance on metro from both our apartments.

The best part of the parks here is that it is a place for older people to meet (other ages too).

There are many groups exercising. What would seem odd to us in the US, allows older people here to be free from many cardiovascular and joint related diseases. They perform activities that use natural body movements. It may look like they are clapping hands in weird ways or swimming through the air, but it works for them.

Dance also is very fluid movements.

These dancers have a paddle with a ball balanced in it. As they move they can’t drop the ball.

There is a large lake here with lotus blossoms.

The trees are amazing with the prop root system that provides support above ground. They look like the trunk of a tree.

It is a beautiful day.

Parks are laid out beautifully. They have a great sense of design and utility of space.

Fish sculptures in the lake.

A temple that houses great embroidery samples.

Scarves (weijin)

As we walked around the park we could see other dancers.

Others were performing Tai chi.

There are those that perform Tai chi with swords. Dull, of course.

Some were just exercising.

Colorful exercise equipment can be found all over the city for people of all ages to use. They focus on mobility and stretching.

Other pictures of structures around the lake.

This area was very beautiful with the design in the rocks.

They are meant to massage and relax the bottom of the feet.

Wr also saw boats and dragon boats on the lake.

Chinese poetry on the tiles.

There was a band and singers as well.

One woman was singing Peking Opera which has a distinct sound.

Moving to a new apartment was interesting. No car but you can hire moving people or a car to help. I hired a driver for 200 kuai ($28.87). Pretty cheap but I did not have much stuff but so it was a lot to get it packed in the van.

I should have taken a picture of it before packing but in a hurry. Nicole helped me at my old apartment and Killian helped me at my new place.

My landlord had someone painting the living room, so I put the cats in a room and my belongings in another.

We walked around the neighborhood until I could go back and unpack. Killian showed me where he takes his cats to the vet. Pretty close to my apartment. There were some pretty cats there.

We stopped at Hefu noodle which is one of my favorite places to eat.

At the sports center we watched people playing ping ping which is very athletic here.

We then walked down to the old apartment and did crazy photo shoots along the way.

This is a tour of my new apartment after I put things away and furniture was moved back in.

A few days later it was my turn to help Nicole move. She is going to Egypt to teach and had a bit of luggage (there is a reimbursement from schools for these expenses.) I am happy fur her and sad to her go as we were running buddies. I will be going to visit her in Egypt.

Now to pack for going back home! I have the person who will be taking care of my cats lined up and need to get everything in place for them too.

I can’t believe it is the end of my first year overseas. Much like other schools there is a checkout and saying goodbye to students and teachers. However, the teachers who are leaving are going every where around the world.

I have completed other first years, but learning what you need to know in a foreign country adds another level.

At the end of the day there was a goodbye mixer. A hallmark of all our meetings is potato chips, pretzels, and m&m’s.

Of course wine and beer.

We had time to say good bye and see what others are doing on their way home. Many more ideas for vacation!

Fiona is going to teach in South America and adrienne is going to Africa.

Glenn on the left is going to Toronto. Already have plans to go visit there. Others, Bei and Dan will be back next year.

Scott teaches chemistry and will be back next year.

Or departing athletic director who hounded me until I said yes to coaching cross country. It was a great experience.

Eli also completed his first year here. He is from Brazil. The party continued with karaoke on the bus. If course we had to tip the bus driver as we were pretty obnoxious.

After getting back I had to get ready to move the next day. However I made time to eat with some if my girlfriends and go to the pool.

Even though there is one week of school left, a day of was much appreciated. This vacation is dragon boat day and is a national holiday. I had a wonderful day!

So what is dragon boat day? The Story of how dragon boat day came to be is:

Dragon Boat Festival, aka ‘Duanwujie’ (端午节), commemorates the life and death of the famous scholar and poet Qu Yuan, who lived during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty in around 300 BC. The festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

According to Chinese folklore, Qu contributed a lot to society while serving in high offices. He fell out of favor with the emperor after others spread rumors of him, was accused of treason and eventually sent into exile. During his time in exile, Qu wrote a lot of poetry. Unappreciated and unhappy, he drowned himself in the Miluo river on May 5 of the lunar calendar in 278 BC after the Qin state captured the Chu capital of Ying.

According to legend, the local villagers highly admired Qu. In an attempt to save him, or at least find his body, they raced out onto the river in boats – which is said to be the origin of dragon boat races.

Legend has it that packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from eating Qu’s body. Gradually, people took to eating ‘zongzi’ (粽子), glutinous rice with different fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves, around this time each year. Zongzi can either be sweet or savory.

I spent the day with my friends searching for dragon boats along the river. There are multiple places where events were occurring in Guangzhou and we chose to start close to the apartments.

Along the river there was much activity with many boats in the water. The drums on the boat keep the beat for everyone to paddle together.

It was very hot outside and very humid. It was very tiring out in the sun. We started out at Ersha Island walking around the island.

We then walked up the river to Liede. Along the way we spotted this street barrier. It was so absurd we had to take a picture.

The statue even had its own umbrella.

At Liede there were many boats in the canal. Most of these boats are stored in the mud through the year and dug out just prior to the festival.

Along the way we appreciated the flowers.

We also saw some fruit trees. This is a rose apple and actually has a perfume taste.

In Liede, buildings were constructed in the old style. Many are restaurants.

We then sought refuge from the heat in a nearby mall (IGC). We ate at Grandmother’s Kitchen. It was fabulous food. We ate Mandarin fish, vegetables, and chrysanthemum tea. That tea is great for cooling down the body on a hot day.

At this restaurant is a large steamer basket. I have not seen one so big.

More pictures of boats on our way home.

To cool down, a dip in the pool was required.

There are more activities throughout the weekend.

A nice way to start June is visiting a garden (or two).

At Daling ancient Town are these pillars for hanging the scrolls of those who successfully complete the broad and difficult National Imperial Examination to be deemed a wise person in China. These go back centuries and was an esteemed honor to pass. Not many people actually pass all the tests.

The ancient town is a mix of old and new. Many ancient buildings with new construction interspersed.

It is the only National Village designated to be of cultural and historical characteristics in Guangzhou. It is 800 years old. It features architectural structures of the Lignan style that are unique to South China: ancestral hall made of oyster shells, stone bridges, pagodas, sculptures, wells, academies and typical ancient streets.

The origin of the village dates back to the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279). By the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911), the village was home to one of the scholars who ranked third in the National Imperial Examinations of the Qing Dynasty. Many Imperial government officials were born in this village.

There are ancestral family buildings that have places to honor the family. We looked at many pictures and genealogy family trees that were on display as well as many artifacts and antiques. Many of these places in ancient towns also serve as recreation centers for older people to play mahjong, get exercise, and have community.

This is a dragon boat. It is buried in the mud of the river to protect it from the elements. Every year for Dragon boat day, they dig it up again for the festival and then bury it again until the next year.

The town backs up to the Bodhisattva Mountains and surrounded by the Yudai River on three sides. Along the canals that runs through the village are many ancient stone bridges. This bridge is called Longjing Bridge and is several hundred years old.

A pagoda.

Outside the ancestral hall.

Many ancestral halls have a small open area in the center that allows light into the adjacent areas as their is no electricity originally in these buildings.

This drum is used during the dragon boat festival for everyone to row in unison.

Lotus flower pond. In a couple weeks, all the flowers will be blooming!

I love the architecture of the roof lines and the 3D sculptures that bring nature up front.

This house was specifically for women who were older and never married.

An example of a wall that is made from oyster shells. This helped provide strength and ventilation.

Each home had access to a well. They would use a bucket to gather their water.

This is taro. It is a starchy root that is used in many dishes. Much drier than potatoes and a little starchy. With the right preparation, it is very good!

These are considered protectors of the buildings and can be found painted on many of the doors of the ancestral halls.

We next stopped at a vegetarian restaurant. On one side is a place for tea and making music. This day was also childrens day so they had many activities for children. They were very happy to show us around though not originally part of the tour. It is such a peaceful place to be.

At the restaurant they had a beautiful garden pond that was quite relaxing.

We also visited Yuyinshanfang,which is a landscape garden built over 150 years ago. The owner is a scholar named Wubin, who built it on land given to him after retiring from a very high position in Qing dynasty government. Now back in his hometown his house would afford the opportunity to enjoy a hermit style life and preserve memory of his ancestors. Although it is less than 2000 square meters, there are all kinds of pavilions, bridges, winding trails, flowers and gardens. The various courtyards and paths created breath taking outdoor spaces. The architectural decoration in the gardens were carefully carved by well-known craftsmen, with poems, books and paintings making the whole garden house an amazing place to visit. It would be fabulous to have lived there. The grandson of Wubin later turned it over to the government for others to visit and enjoy.

This is actually the living room where visitors were entertained.

This is a jackfruit tree. It looks like durian though the bumpy skin on jackfruit is much smaller.

This is a giant board of Chinese chess.

This is on the otherside of the property. There are more places to play as well as a separate building for the women. Here would be a room for a girl. Rarely would women be seen in public, generally kept away from the rest of society. They would spend their time sewing, singing, painting, or playing music. Of course they had families early.

We listened to some beautiful music at the end before leaving for home.

Our school held their end of year party at the Mandarin hotel. It was great fun talking to others and enjoying great food.

After the party, I went to a democrats abroad her together for women’s reproductive rights. We had great conversations.

I like walking through this city and seeing new things. I’m also getting acquainted with where things are.I am taking a closer look at maps to find gardens and parks to visit. Nicole and I stumbled upon this park walking one night. We came back during the day to get pictures.Walking home we saw a dragon boat. Teams are practicing for dragon boat festival on June 7.Up near the sports center are malls. Okay, actually there are malls on every corner it seems.There are always fountains and decorations.This is close to where I run with the Nike run club. Pictures from my last run with them:

The weather has certainly warmed up here. It is definitely tropical. Very hot and humid with pop up thunderstorms. But I still try to walk as many places as I can to get exercise.

I am fascinated by the men who write Chinese water poems on the tile. I see them often when I walk through parks or along the river. They use special brushes to make the characters.

Every different season, workers plant flowers in the many gardens around the city. Each season brings different beauty. On one of my runs I actually stopped to smell these flowers.

In the past weeks I have gone to a few activities here in Guangzhou. This was the Am Cham ball. The theme was the greatest show. It was a fabulous time with friends with great food and lovely dancing. Here I am with my friend Nicole. She leaves in a few weeks to move to Egypt. I’ll miss her.

The food was wonderful and artistically presented. This was just the desserts.

What a wonderful night.

The next morning I participated in a helipad workout again for charity. It was a beautiful day and a great workout.

The city is so large.

In this direction is where I live now towards the river.

This is the direction towards Tianhe. I will be moving there to a new adjustment at the end of this school year.

A week later I met with Lilly. She was at the Am Cham ball and we had a great time dancing. She was a lot if fun and I met her son at a Cantonese restaurant.

Deep fried squid.

Afterwards we visited the largest bookstore in guangzhou. It was next door to the restaurant.

Many levels with cafes mixed throughout.