Why is it that my brain cannot hold more than one language, aside from English? I mean, why is it that I learned Spanish in high school and college and became fairly fluent but now I can't remember a word when it's actually needed! But even more confusing is this...in my Chinese lessons, anytime I can't think of the Chinese word, the Spanish word pops out of my mouth. So, apparently the Spanish is still in there somewhere, right? So please explain to me...when I meet with the new Colombian guy on campus because rumor is that "Shannon knows Spanish!" my language is a befuddled mess! I can hear and understand his Spanish but anytime I open my mouth to respond, the Chinese comes skipping happily out. Not only this, but I lose all ability to speak English, too! Now, I hope you can see my predicament - when I want to speak Chinese, I get Spanish or English. When I want to speak Spanish, I only get Chinese! AHHHHH! HELP!
Oh, and by the way, the powers that be in China decided that blogspot.com is not a worthy website to allow people to see so it's been blocked. I found a temporary way around it but if you don't hear from me as much, please know that I'm here but am trapped behind a...great...fire...wall...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Photo Gallery
Between Emily, Matt and Kathy almost 2,000 photos were taken during their 10 day visit! Here is a just a brief look into some of them - a photo extravaganza!
Flowers in bloom on my street. Yay, Spring is here! (And has pretty much already gone...)
Matt and I are thinking about the good ole' days. My students were shocked to find out that the four of us have known each other for so long - nearly 22 years!
This is the line that stretched around the "MAOsoleum" as I call it - the building at Tian 'an men Square where Mao's body lies. Thousands of people were waiting for just a brief glance.
Outside the Forbidden City.
At the city wall in Xi'an.
Matt and I on a bicycle built for two! We had some issues at first...mostly with me not being able to control the bike! Our lives nearly ended as we went up a ramp, wobbling like crazy! In the end... Ramp 1, Us 0.
Sorry Matt and Em...just had to include this one - it's one of my favorites!
The Drum and Bell Tower in Xi'an at night.
Visiting the Queen's bathhouse - a huge park with hot springs. Not too shabby!
I heart them. :)
Matt and I feeling contemplative.
I had to take some horrid medicine for my SARS...I mean, cough... Making this face was the only way it would go down!
The best massage ever...
Emily wanted to see a Peking Opera show so off we went! It was the first one I've been to and I'm going to be confident here and say, the last! We didn't understand anything, OBVIOUSLY, so we made up stories about the plot. Emily's involved something about stolen chopsticks and a magical, talking tree...right, Em...
An amazing shot at the Great Wall.
Flowers in bloom on my street. Yay, Spring is here! (And has pretty much already gone...)
Matt and I are thinking about the good ole' days. My students were shocked to find out that the four of us have known each other for so long - nearly 22 years!
This is the line that stretched around the "MAOsoleum" as I call it - the building at Tian 'an men Square where Mao's body lies. Thousands of people were waiting for just a brief glance.
Outside the Forbidden City.
At the city wall in Xi'an.
Matt and I on a bicycle built for two! We had some issues at first...mostly with me not being able to control the bike! Our lives nearly ended as we went up a ramp, wobbling like crazy! In the end... Ramp 1, Us 0.
Sorry Matt and Em...just had to include this one - it's one of my favorites!
The Drum and Bell Tower in Xi'an at night.
Visiting the Queen's bathhouse - a huge park with hot springs. Not too shabby!
I heart them. :)
Matt and I feeling contemplative.
I had to take some horrid medicine for my SARS...I mean, cough... Making this face was the only way it would go down!
The best massage ever...
Emily wanted to see a Peking Opera show so off we went! It was the first one I've been to and I'm going to be confident here and say, the last! We didn't understand anything, OBVIOUSLY, so we made up stories about the plot. Emily's involved something about stolen chopsticks and a magical, talking tree...right, Em...
An amazing shot at the Great Wall.Friday, May 8, 2009
Qin Shi Huang: A Great Emperor or a Paranoid One?
The first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, could probably be placed near the top of a list of "men with greatest life achievements." Not only did he initiate the construction of the Great Wall of China, but he orchestrated the making of one of the world's most mysterious armies - the Terracotta Warriors. While my Marshalltown friends were here visiting last week we visited Xi'an, as Matt mentioned, the old capital city of China and a city full of history. I became intrigued with this Emperor and his life full of achievements but I began to question his motives...was he really trying to protect China or was he simply too paranoid about his own life to have any sense of defending his own people?
One of our stops in Xi'an was QSH's tomb. We climbed a whole lot of stairs only to reach the top and find...nothing. My friend, Zoe, told us that QSH always wanted the best so he chose this beautiful location as his burial place. After doing some further research, I found out that he was planning his burial site while he was still alive and was taking extreme measures to be sure that he would be protected, even in death. Archeaologists have probed into this massive hill (at the top of the stairs) and believe that his tomb may still be intact....amazing! They also believe that at one point it was protected by crossbows triggered to shoot anyone who came close. All of the men who built his tomb were eventually killed so that QSH's secrets would never get out. When QSH was near to death, he ordered his closest relatives and several concubines to be buried alive with him...hmmm, I'd say his character is being questioned!!! :)
When we finally reached the Terracotta Warriors, I felt a rush of excitement! These warriors have been called an Eighth Wonder of the World (along with the Great Wall) and I had been waiting to see them for a long time! Just over 35 years ago this army was found by a farmer who was digging to see why his well went dry. Since then, what is believed to be more than 8,000 soldiers have been found - each of them with unique, distinct features. Each soldier was also built with weapons and there are models of each rank - generals, archers, even horses! I tell you, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. There are 4 pits in all but only 3 that we were able to view. The largest pit was breathtaking and I think we were all captivated by the differences in the soldiers appearances. It also led me to think more about QSH and his legacy. He started the building of the army when he was only 13 years old...all in an effort to protect him in his next life. The number of lives that were lost during the building of the army surely must be massive. I was amazed at how this army has stayed intact during all of these years...many of them were broken but the ones remaining are...wow...
So, along with the tomb and the army, we also went to the Great Wall - it was a QSH filled week! I've now been to the wall 7 times and each time I think about the projected 2-3 million people who lost their lives, again, in an attempt at protection. Maybe it is the psychology major in me coming out but if I could go back thousands of years and interview QSH, I would love to know what was going on in that man's head! Brilliance...with a side of extreme paranoia would be my diagnosis!
One of our stops in Xi'an was QSH's tomb. We climbed a whole lot of stairs only to reach the top and find...nothing. My friend, Zoe, told us that QSH always wanted the best so he chose this beautiful location as his burial place. After doing some further research, I found out that he was planning his burial site while he was still alive and was taking extreme measures to be sure that he would be protected, even in death. Archeaologists have probed into this massive hill (at the top of the stairs) and believe that his tomb may still be intact....amazing! They also believe that at one point it was protected by crossbows triggered to shoot anyone who came close. All of the men who built his tomb were eventually killed so that QSH's secrets would never get out. When QSH was near to death, he ordered his closest relatives and several concubines to be buried alive with him...hmmm, I'd say his character is being questioned!!! :)
When we finally reached the Terracotta Warriors, I felt a rush of excitement! These warriors have been called an Eighth Wonder of the World (along with the Great Wall) and I had been waiting to see them for a long time! Just over 35 years ago this army was found by a farmer who was digging to see why his well went dry. Since then, what is believed to be more than 8,000 soldiers have been found - each of them with unique, distinct features. Each soldier was also built with weapons and there are models of each rank - generals, archers, even horses! I tell you, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. There are 4 pits in all but only 3 that we were able to view. The largest pit was breathtaking and I think we were all captivated by the differences in the soldiers appearances. It also led me to think more about QSH and his legacy. He started the building of the army when he was only 13 years old...all in an effort to protect him in his next life. The number of lives that were lost during the building of the army surely must be massive. I was amazed at how this army has stayed intact during all of these years...many of them were broken but the ones remaining are...wow...
So, along with the tomb and the army, we also went to the Great Wall - it was a QSH filled week! I've now been to the wall 7 times and each time I think about the projected 2-3 million people who lost their lives, again, in an attempt at protection. Maybe it is the psychology major in me coming out but if I could go back thousands of years and interview QSH, I would love to know what was going on in that man's head! Brilliance...with a side of extreme paranoia would be my diagnosis!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Guest Blogger: Matt Erion
What an amazing couple of weeks it has been here in China with Shannon. The 4 of us along with some students of Shannon have been trooping around this beautiful country and have seen so many amazing sites. Our first couple of days were in Beijing and we saw acrobatics, the Forbidden City, Tian 'anmen Square, and did shopping galore. We meet Zoe, a former student of Shannon's and caught a sleeper train to Xi 'an, the capital of the the Ancient Chinese civilization. We arrived in the morning and strolled on over to the city wall which surrounded the entire old city and rented some bicycles to ride around the 9 miles of wall, it was a blast. The following day we traveled to the terracotta warriors. On the way we saw the burial mound of the first Chinese Emperor and also a gorgeous bath and summer home of one of the empresses of China. The warriors were simply amazing, each of the 6,000 statues were hand sculpted and unique to each soldier. Horses, weaponry, and anything thing else the emperor would need in his afterlife were either buried or sculpted to be ready for his return. It was truly one of the greatest monuments to a person we had ever seen.
Another train ride and 18 hours later we arrived in Tian Jin. The whole city seemed new and the entire skyline was filled with construction cranes and gleaming new buildings. The city was a world away from the older more industrial Xi'an. The next few days we got to experience the day to day activities and also got to visit one of Shannon's oral English classes. She was a great teacher and it was fun being interviewed along with getting to talk to her students later that evening during supper. They were so excited to practice their speaking with us along with sharing our cultures with each other. For me visiting with people, though usually very difficult without our wonderful tour guide, was one of the most endearing parts of the whole experience. The generosity, curiosity, and genuine kindness that was shown to us during our visit was heartwarming and unforgettable. Our last full day was a spectacular visit to a remote part of the Great Wall of China. The hills and valleys that the wall meandered around were gorgeous as we hiked up and down each step of the wall. It was a great way to end our wonderful journey. We had such a great time and thank Shannon so much for all her hard work to help make this trip so memorable for us. Thank you for keeping our tummies full with great food, your wonderful insight into this wonderful country and for the wonderful company you provided throughout this trip.
Love
Emily Kathy Matthew
Another train ride and 18 hours later we arrived in Tian Jin. The whole city seemed new and the entire skyline was filled with construction cranes and gleaming new buildings. The city was a world away from the older more industrial Xi'an. The next few days we got to experience the day to day activities and also got to visit one of Shannon's oral English classes. She was a great teacher and it was fun being interviewed along with getting to talk to her students later that evening during supper. They were so excited to practice their speaking with us along with sharing our cultures with each other. For me visiting with people, though usually very difficult without our wonderful tour guide, was one of the most endearing parts of the whole experience. The generosity, curiosity, and genuine kindness that was shown to us during our visit was heartwarming and unforgettable. Our last full day was a spectacular visit to a remote part of the Great Wall of China. The hills and valleys that the wall meandered around were gorgeous as we hiked up and down each step of the wall. It was a great way to end our wonderful journey. We had such a great time and thank Shannon so much for all her hard work to help make this trip so memorable for us. Thank you for keeping our tummies full with great food, your wonderful insight into this wonderful country and for the wonderful company you provided throughout this trip.
Love
Emily Kathy Matthew
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