Sheng Dan Kuai Le!

...Also, known as Merry Christmas! I hope that this post is finding you full of Christmas cheer! I have had a good, but very different, Christmas over here in China. I spent all day Christmas Eve and Christmas Day hanging out with some of my foreign friends. We did the usual...ate, played games, ate, watched movies, ate, sang Christmas carols - did I mention that we ate?

My international friends (from left): Sonja from Germany, me, Carrie who grew up in Africa, and Natalie from the U.K...


I also got to talk to a lot of my family on Skype that day! :) The different part was the lead-up to Christmas. By the time Christmas Day got here, despite all of the eccentric decorations that are everywhere, it just didn't feel like Christmas. Maybe because I wasn't in Iowa buried under a foot or two of ice and snow! I have come to fully realize and appreciate how we celebrate Christmas as a season in the U.S., not as just a day. Yes, there were some pre-Christmas activities going on here but it was just missing something - I guess I was probably missing all of you!

Tonight I went to a Christmas service at a Three-Self Church (Patriotic Movement) - you should Google it if you want to find out more! A couple friends from my school went with me. The whole service was in Chinese so they helped to translate some of it but the most beautiful part was the choir. They sang around 15 songs and they were amazing, it was a really neat Christmas experience.


Yesterday I celebrated Boxing Day with Natalie. The name of the holiday comes from the tradition of opening boxed gifts on the day after Christmas but Natalie says that doesn't really happen anymore. We spent it looking much like the guy to the right - another day of eating, watching movies and just hanging out. I think I'll be bringing this holiday back to the U.S! :)

Students Write the Darndest Things!

One of the perks of teaching English writing is reading some of the innocent mistakes made by my students. Some of my students will write me personal letters thanking me for being their teacher or send me holiday greetings and this is when I've gotten some of the best "bloopers." For example:

Recently, a student wrote me a letter telling me that she appreciates my class. At the end, she wrote, "Your smile is so pure, and you are an angle!" Would you peg me as a right angle or obtuse?? :)

A letter that came in at Thanksgiving from another student was actually quite good until she got to the closing. It was signed,
"Science,
Cassandra"

I just finished checking a formal invitation letter where the student was talking about how she met her boyfriend. She wrote, "Later, we met at Star Buckets." Also known as, Starbucks...how cute is that?!?!

I'll include some more another day!

Of All the Charlie Browns, You're the Charlie Browniest!

Yep, I've got Christmas on the mind, especially "A Charlie Brown Christmas!" In fact, this week I am showing "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to all of my classes in hopes that they can get some grasp on the true meaning of Christmas, not just the pink Christmas trees and all of the commercialism....


After watching it three times already this week (with 4 more to go) I just keep thinking about how this show was produced in 1965...over 40 years ago and STILL TODAY commercialism at Christmas-time just takes over. How disappointing... Don't get me wrong, I love the trees, lights, gifts, goodies, etc. but I want to focus on what's really important at Christmas!
Another thing I am doing in my classes this week - listen up, you Ingleby's! - I am carrying on the tradition of reading the "Night Before Christmas" as we do at my grandma and grandpa's each year. We sit in a circle, each with a bag of candy, and my grandma reads the story. Each time she reads the word "AND" we pass the candy one person to the right and each time she reads the word "THE" we pass it one person to the left. Usually, we end up with some candy being thrown across the room when there is a shortage and there is some major bartering at the end if our favorite candy doesn't make its way into our hands. Interestingly enough, these are both Chinese practices, too! My students have caught right on and would fit in well with the Ingleby's. :)
Some other things I've been doing these past few weeks to get ready for Christmas...
* Went to Tianjin International School's Christmas Bazaar (pictured below) to pick up some gifts while my mom was here.


* This past weekend I went to a Christmas program that was hosted by the Special Education Program, a project associated with my organization.
* Jian Hua Foundation, my organization, Christmas party.
* The children's Christmas program at Fellowship - I had to do all I could to not jump out of my seat and help direct it...I guess old habits die hard, huh?
* Christmas cookie baking! We were a regular little cookie factory, churning out at least 12 dozen cookies!


I hope that you are being blessed with many Christmas activities this time of year!

SENSORY OVERLOAD: Guest Blogger, my mom!

When I was planning my trip to China, I expected to be overwhelmed by the sights, but I never dreamed that what I saw, would be such a small part of my visit. Of course what I saw was truly amazing, but also the sounds, smells, tastes and even the feel of the country is so much more than I ever expected. China has to be experienced to be believed!

I saw things I had dreamed of since I was a child. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!! Beautiful Chinese architecture, small villages. I also saw that the lines dividing the lanes of traffic are merely a suggestion. Everyone drives wherever they want. Bikes and people and cars are everywhere!

There are so many sounds. The sound of everyone around you speaking a language that you cannot understand is very overwhelming. A great sound was listening to Shannon and her Ayi speak to each other. Her Ayi speaks no English, and while Shannon's Chinese is getting very good, it was pretty funny to observe. Every vehicle driver honks his horn constantly - at the bikers, at the walkers and at each other. And the spitting...they are not quiet spitters.

The smells were everywhere. Food from the street vendors and restaurants, the bakery, the exhaust from the buses and the cabs, the "squatty potties".

We did a lot of tasting. Chinese Hot Pot, Thai, Korean, Peking Duck, Gou Bu Li Baozi, dumplings, and some of the best ribs I've ever eaten.


Touch. Two kinds. As Shannon has blogged before, there is no such thing as a "bubble" here. But more than that, I was so touched by the wonderful people I met while I was here. We took students with us on most of our excursions, and every one of them was so endearing. They kept me from getting run down when crossing the streets. They bartered for me when we were shopping. They interpreted, explained their culture and customs to me, and made this a trip I will never forget.

I leave tomorrow for Marshalltown, and I think it's going to be pretty quiet. I'll get used to it again, but once you've been here, China calls you back. I'll have to try this again someday!

Hiking on the Great Wall...Seriously, How Cool is That?!?!

I'm sitting at my computer, typing away and listening to Christmas music while my mom takes a little pre-dinner snooze on the other end of the couch. Yes, my mom is here! She arrived on Wednesday evening and I've been doing my best to keep her awake during the day so that she can conquer her jet lag...she's actually done pretty well so far, which is why I'm allowing the nap right now. :)
We've had a busy couple of days! Thursday morning mom went to class with me and even participated in the writing assignment. :) At the end of my last class I asked my students if they would sing a song for us...a song that they did as part of a singing competition not too long ago. I tried to include the video on this blog but apparently it's not going to work tonight! I'll try again another time...
Yesterday we spent the afternoon hiking the Great Wall! It was absolutely beautiful...I could not get enough of the fresh air and the peace that surrounded us - I could have stayed up there for days. The best part was that we went to a section of the wall that is not a tourist hot-spot and we only saw 3 other people there the whole afternoon! The landscape was simply breathtaking...add to that a bright blue sky, overwhelming serenity, one of my students as an unbelievable guide, and standing on a wall with thousands of years of history that was constructed by the bare hands of thousands of workers...it makes for an amazing day. Below are some of our "postcard worthy" shots!

Today we went to the Christmas Bazaar at Tianjin International School and then to the fabric market - some great shopping was done!
I am hoping that at the end of the week my mom will be a "guest blogger" so that you can hear firsthand about her impressions of China...I already know that she wants to wrap some of my students up, put them in her pocket and bring them home with her! :) They are SO GREAT!

A Must-Read!

I just finished reading a book called, "The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices" and, wow, I can't think about anything else! The author is XinRan and I highly recommend that you read it if you have any interest in the stories of Chinese women. I will warn you...it is not an easy book to read, it is quite graphic and detailed but it will open up your eyes to...well, you should just read it! This is what one publication said about it:

This book "leads the reader on an anguishing journey of discovery and catharsis. What emerges from the tragedies that have lain silent all these years is awe for those women who survived the horrors of their past, grief for those who couldn't, and a reexamination of one's own place, identity, and emotional life."

If you get a chance to read it, let me know what you think!

Magazine Article

Ni hao! I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was asked to write an article for a new magazine that is going to be published here in Tianjin. The magazine is primarily for ex-pats (foreigners), so that was my targeted audience and I was asked to write about being new to Tianjin. I'm including the article below in case you're interested in reading it!

The Newcomer
By Shannon Ingleby

Do you remember what it was like when you first came to Tianjin? I am guessing that some of your Chinese students, colleagues, teachers or friends have asked you the question; what was your first impression of China? What were the unfamiliar smells, sounds, tastes, or attitudes of this brand-new city? Or maybe you are still feeling new to Tianjin and are experiencing this fascinating and intriguing culture for the first time. If so, “welcome,” you are in for an adventure!

I am not able to speak from too much experience; in fact I have been here for just over three months. I am an English teacher at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, I am an associate with Jian Hua Foundation, I am a volunteer at the Tianjin orphanage and I am a learner who is attempting to take in all that is around me. This is my third time traveling to China – every time I leave and go back to the U.S., something draws me back in again.

Some would say that I am adjusting nicely to life in Tianjin, as I can now ride my bike with the flow of Tianjin traffic, rather than stopping at each light, waiting for the first glimpse of green. I can avoid getting hit by cars, or more frequently car doors that swing open at the most inopportune times, as I pedal through the city. I have mastered the “point method” as I order in restaurants, but admittedly, I have yet to try the famous Gou Bu Li Baozi. Although I am not studying the language full-time, I am able to decipher some words spoken with a Tianjin accent and make a feeble attempt at responding. Most importantly, I can reach my apartment at the end of a busy day and think, “I’m so glad this feels like home.”

As most visitors to China would probably confess, there is still a lot to learn. I guess we all learn by experience – like the time my friend and I got on the wrong bus that carted us for over an hour to the outskirts of the city. Or the time the clouds decided to open up while I was searching for a taxi. I learned an important lesson that day; never try to get a taxi after a FIFA World Cup game when it’s pouring outside. Or what about the numerous times I’ve been asked to be in a photograph or have noticed someone slyly maneuvering so that I’ll be in the background of their picture. On occasional days, I am grateful for the local Starbucks which I escape to for a bit of familiarity.

Despite all of the changes and newness of living in a foreign city, I find myself very thankful that I am allowed this opportunity. I see this move as being one of tremendous growth and newfound independence. I see this constant adaptation as being one that will mold me and change me. I see this adventure as one that will open my eyes and my heart to the lifestyles of others. I see this journey as one that will give me more empathy and understanding. As I am on a journey, so are you and I hope that you keep a tight grasp on the opportunities that come your way…and let China draw you back in again.