Dreams Set Sail in Guangzhou: Care for a scorpion or lizard kabob?

Welcome to China!

The Qilin stood guard over many entrances into the many ancient pagodas, palaces, and temples of China. There was a male and female on each side of the entrance. How one could tell the gender difference is by the size of the ball under the front paw of this beautiful sculpture. The smaller ball indicated a female dragon while the larger ball represented the male dragon, demonstrating greater strength, a real protective bulwark! Standing guard outside of the Summer Palace, the Qilin is known by some to be sacred pets of the deities and only capable of punishing evil and evildoers. Many words and characteristics are associated with the Qilin such as fertility, longevity, protection, luck and benevolence despite its stoic and sort-of intimidating appearance. As divine and peaceful creatures, they are mindful and respectful of every form of life surrounding them. As one can see, the Qilin bears many animalist traits, such as a lion's tail, ox's hooves, deer antlers, scales and skin of a fish, and the traditional Chinese dragon head. Quite a sight to observe!

What's Your Dream? Add it to the Dream Board!

What's Your Dream?? Add it to the Dream Board!

There is a little faux-Starbucks-type coffee and tea shop just a 5-10 minute walk from the university campus. Alan told us where he found it and it became a quiet little shop for peace of mind, quiet, soothing music, and, of course!, some hot tea! Although my favorite and most comforting order was matcha tea, I also tried some other options ranging from citrus teas to aloe-scented and ginger teas. The barmaid was so sweet and had such a beaming, innocent smile and part of my relaxation was knowing she was there ready to exchange simple Mandarin with me.

As I was delving into my matcha tea and doing finishing touches before my final two classes for the day, I looked across the shop and on the opposite wall, there was a dream board. Beneath the title, "Dreams set sail, a reflection of the value of life", there are all of these little Post-it notes with people's dreams written across them. I was tempted every day to add one of my dreams to the board, but to no avail. In fact, I wasn't quite sure what dream I would add since I was currently living one of them!

As I read the title every time I walked into the shop, sometimes many times in one sitting, I wanted its proverb to soak in and reflect in my very being. I had to really think about how dreams setting sail reflect the value of life. I may not be very clear in my revelation, but I will try my best.

Ever since I can remember, when I was little, I always wanted to discover ancient lands, African safaris, fully immersing myself into such diverse cultures, setting my soul free. Humble finances, frequently being told that I couldn't, or shouldn't, travel because of the "what if's" began to drown any hope of my going anywhere. Being so active in so many extra-curricular and school-related activities, particularly basketball, kept me grounded. I could travel to different states, which was very exciting for me, but due to the year-long pre and post-season commitments, especially in college, there was no chance of any of my innate cultural passions coming alive. Until one day, in 2008, I received a letter of acceptance of receiving a Fulbright-Hays scholarship to Africa. I received it right before my 1st period class rolled in. I was absolutely breathless. In fact, I ran to the faculty restroom, fell to the floor, and cried. It was really happening and my dream was about to come true!

What I didn't realize was that this very acceptance letter and invaluable experience in Southern Africa planted a seed of passion that would grow bigger and bigger that it could no longer be contained. I was different, changed. My heart will never be the same. My eyes saw differently. My mind processed with such a wider scope of thinking. I devoured every bit of information I possibly could and from 2008, six years later, I was off to Nepal, the following year China.

The more I read that title in the tea shop, the more I began to understand how much I loved and valued life, not only my own but those lives around me. The more I interacted across the world, shared my experiences with students, friends, colleagues, family, the more alive I was feeling. The greater purpose I felt within my very bones. The more confident I grow in who I am and in my vocation. The more I come to understand God's purpose for what I was created to do.

It continues to remind me of a quote said by Mark Twain, one I hope every reader takes to heart and becomes involved in our international and national communities. This is a quote that shouldn't be read to say "oh, good stuff!", but rather one that inspires its beholder to take action and explore this beautifully diverse world:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

So, combine my story with Twain's quote with the title of this dream board and you found the basis for my blog. Albeit it was a very quick 22 days in China, being accepted by International Partnerships in Education in China as a volunteer teacher was an absolute dream come true! My life will never be the same and I am very excited about where the winds will take me!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Care for a scorpion or lizard kabob?

We just got in from a long and very stimulating day in Beijing. We toured Tiananmen Square and I got a great photo of a Communist guard and a coolie laborer. What a dichotomy! Then we moved onto the Forbidden City, which is the palace that endured 24 emperors. We then ventured onto the Summer Palace. These squares and locales are just immense, spacious, and open! From time to time, the sun would bear its presence, but then disappear behind the thick smog again. The air felt fine, breathing-wise, and it felt cool, like Beijing's smog is sheltering them from the intensity of the scorching heat. We had some great air flow throughout the day. I still sweated through two shirts, but that was probably due to the backpack I lugged around all day.

From there, we explored for lunch, going to the street markets where the plethora or smells were met by some really bad ones, but we ventured on. I took some pretty interesting photos of the things they stuck on a kabob stick and it wriggled and writhed until someone placed their order and then they were fired and fried. Some tried the fried scorpion and octopus, but I really had no desire. I ended up purchasing fried banana and fried ice cream for lunch. Then we walked around and I ventured into a beautiful, aromatic jasmine tea shop. If I worked in a market, that would be my choice!

The malls were huge and affluent and I had no desire to walk through more GAPS, Apple stores, etc. then I found a book store and shortly after, we met up to go to the downtown Beijing communities that were isolated in their windy, traditional housing units. These were the last to remain after the demolition plans and forced removals for the Beijing Olympics. For 1500 sq. feet, I believe the guide said the home and its plot cost no less than $15 million. We took a really smooth ride in the bicycle-operated rickshaws and I observed an incredible artist who paints inside all different-sized bottles, trinkets, glassware, etc. and so incredible. I purchased a few of these masterpieces and also bought a Hulu si, which translates to "gourd flute", a similar feel to the recorder and Irish tin whistle, even the clarinet to a degree. The sound is quite soothing and I want to be able to replicate it.

From there, we met John and Chen Yan at a restaurant called Peking Duck and had yet another smorgasbord. Food selections such as lotus root, eggplant, cauliflower with lamb and cilantro, different pork cuts to pack in a wrap, vegetables, and then the Peking duck arrived. Every bird that is ordered, they cook it whole and then will use a small cleaver to make the different cuts, serving them on various plates, starting with the top layers of fried, fatty skin, which you use to make another little wrap with slices of radish sticks, melon sticks, cucumber and scallion sticks, a duck sauce unlike what you would find in the U.S., and large granules of a pinkish-orange sugar, which is then topped with the duck skin and meat. I don't recall that I've ever had duck in my lifetime, but this was the way to go.

We finished off the dinner with fresh fried dough with fried milk inside, which really just tasted like a custard, dipped in some sugary-type pudding sauce and then a starch dessert that was another fried dough, but wrapped in swivels that you would begin peeling from the center to outer layers. Tasted just like the flaky, outer layer of a croissant.

We came back to the hotel and could hear the sounds of what would be, to me, a bad karaoke concert, but I have a feeling it's just a bad singer. I'll take pictures of the gorgeous little waterside environ with a quaint bridge and gorgeous trees by which we eat our breakfast. Koi fish are plentiful and are fed frequently. So peaceful. My view from the hotel is of Beijing and the Bird's Nest. I'm waiting for them to light up!

We are scheduled to go to the Beijing Zoo on Friday to see the panda bears and John told me that they even have a Dalmatian on display at the zoo- sort of comical, I think. We wondered if the surrounding environ would consist of a kitchen, fenced in backyard...perhaps a firehouse?? Either way, it would be kind of interesting to see a Dalmatian on display.

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Tiananmen Square

This square is so massive and open to an ever-flowing presence of pedestrian and tourist traffic! Known for its infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 due to the democracy movement led by students and workers, the square felt so bereft of passion and tension, two climates, I'm sure, that permeated strongly in 1989. There were many guards on post, scouting the Square with their ever emotionless expressions. This historical moment in Chinese history and one that captured international attention is nonexistant in Chinese schools and is one not discussed unless with a family member or close friend. Using the Chinese version of Google, researching this massacre results in every image, BUT the government-inflicted martial law and violent response. The results show many photos of the square itself, smiling faces, the Chinese flag waving in the wind, and many tourist selfies. What a striking dichotomy!

Mao Zedong

You can see Mao Zedong's picture displayed in Tiananmen Square once you move beyond these elaborately beautiful gardens. Selected as a hero of China's Communist Revolution, this revolutionary holds great status in Beijing, and frankly anywhere in China so long as you are using Chinese currency as you will find Zedong's face on each yuan. Perhaps cliche or too touristy, I purchased Mao Zedong's Little Red Book and started to read its opening pages on how to be a good Communist. It's very interesting how simple ideas turned into vindictive measures of accomplishing Communism as Zedong and his wife saw fit. But if one looks closer at all that Mao Zedong had accomplished and struggled during his reign, the bigger question is, as heroic as he may seem to some, might others have thought otherwise, that, perhaps, he was a villain?

Forbidden City

Although I remarked on the immensity of Tiananmen Square as it is the largest public square in the world, the Forbidden City's monstrosity was just unfathomable to comprehend in regard to its length, distance, ornate decorations and architecture, and the insurmountable tourists and visitors that poured through each of its gates, climbing stairs, touching its imperial doors, and taking multiple photos, never truly capturing its ancient essence!

I find myself constantly short of words to describe feelings and what it was like to stand amongst the other people before these colossal sites. Even more difficult to describe was standing at the top of the stairs, in front of the palace, overlooking swarms of people and imagining I was the emperor ready to deliver a speech. Sometimes I think we fall short of words because words can only do so much justice to our emotions, descriptions of what we see and what we feel. If words could truly convey the same excitement, that same breathless wonder, and aura of our experiences, there would be very little incentive to experience that moment ourselves, in our own ways. But to be there and visualize the time periods when many of these historical sites were once active and feel every element of our environ is something that becomes very dear and true to us as we continue to learn and appreciate the progress of civilizations in prior generations, but also to explore our own ambitions, aspirations, and dreams.

The Forbidden City, now a major tourist site in center Beijing, was the site of the imperial palace for 24 emperors and empresses from 1420 of the Ming Dynasty until 1912, concluding with the Qing Dynasty.

Temple of Heaven

Built in the early 1400s during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, this beautifully constructed temple served as the site in which the Emperor would retreat to twice a year and pray to Heaven for good harvests. It was believed that the Emperor was the son of Heaven's authority father and this was his way of connecting Earth to Heaven through prayers for blessings for his country. As this temple has been decided a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, it is no wonder why. Its architecture and everything this temple represents, dating back to the early 1400s, represents yet one more fascinating piece of the growth and development of ancient Chinese civilizations!

Happy Birthday to our Senior 3 Class!

A few evenings before it was time to say goodbye and conclude our Happy English Camp, our Senior 3 students invited their three teachers, Jane, Tim, and me, to have a little farewell party. This was in addition to their constant studies and activities, but these wonderful individuals had insurmountable amounts of energies, contagious amongst us all! As our evening began around 7:30, the student teacher and students, afforded all sorts of foods, drinks, and snacks...AND performances, contests, singing, etc. as a display of their deep appreciation for us and their time at camp. Little did we know, but we also were asked to sing before our students oh, about a minute before they expected us to stand up and begin, but we pulled it off! Tim and I sang the duet from Aladdin, "A Whole New World" and Jane sang a song very dear to her heart, one she sang to her son when he was a baby, "You Are my Sunshine." After eating again after a fulfilling dinner, stuffed to our ears, they lit a beautiful cake that read "Thanks Teachers" and Tina began singing "Happy Birthday". Unsure of who we were singing to, she added a line that touched our hearts very deeply. "Happy Birthday to our class" and we finished with more energy from the depths of our souls. This summer, indeed, marked the beginning of a beautiful series of friendships and accords.

Don't worry; it wasn't all exotic like the market!

Behold the Great Wall of China!

This section of the Great Wall, called Mutianyu, was built in 1404 and renovations started in 1983, opening it up to the public again in 1988. It is included as one of the World Cultural Hertiage sites, containing multiple watchtowers, battlements, and breath-taking views of the mountains and forests on which this incredible structure was built. Despite the large attractions of many tourists and crowds that find their way to the Great Wall to behold its wonders, this particular section was unpopulated, quiet, allowing its visitor to imagine the courage soldiers of the ancient times exhibited to protect their people and their culture. So amazing!

It's Absolutely Endless!

I distinctly remember during one of our pre-departure Mandarin lessons when our instructor specifically warned us to stay together because it was very easy to lose each other in the swarms of people and although no photo from ground level could ever show this, the Forbidden City goes on and on! One would need to take an aerial shot to see all of its corridors, extensive buildings, climbing each series of stairs, and explore its every nook and cranny! I remember joking with Sean and telling him we will need to get a leash so he doesn't wonder off, but it was I, who kept struggling to find the group. I kept trying to examine all of the beautiful decorated palaces and pagodas and just in that moment, I had to search high and low for someone that looked familiar! Inside the imperial walls, a group could easily move from one corridor to the next, never realizing they've left a member behind!

Summer Palace

Its construction and design began in the early 1100s, the Summer Palace served so many interesting purposes for the imperial court and Emperor. It served as the imperial retreat, with specific areas designated for the imperial horses, entertainment, and serenity. With sites along the Kunming Lake, like Longevity Hill, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, the Great Opera House, Long Corridor (an extensive outdoor hallway uniquely hand-painted is truly the site to see, almost exhausting the faculties to, again, try to envision what it took so many centuries ago to create such beautiful masterpieces!), and the most serene surroundings of the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures, this is an aesthetic environmentalist's dream come true! This was the time to come, albeit abbreviated for such an expansive site, and observe the beautiful lotus blossoms and the weeping willows draping so solemnly and perfectly over the waters of the Kunming Lake.