Tuesday, 31 August

Today, you get a 2 part blog. Joan will write the second part about her adventure yesterday at the silk comforter factory. You get my regular drivel first.

Try to imagine yourself 12,000 miles from your home. Now add that very few can communicate with you. When they do, it is often: 1. How are you? 2. I speak English 3. How are you? 4. Do you speak English? Etc. To compensate for this, I am currently listening to Stevie Tyler wail “Walk this Way” If you are ever in this situation, try it! Stevie really helps. Just give us a keeeees!

This morning on my walk I met the manager of the multi-media center at the library. They just got a batch of computer white boards. If you are unfamiliar with them they are a combination of white, dry erase board and computer interactive board like you see on NCIS LA. He wanted to know if I knew how to use one. I guess I have that superior, hi-tech look about me. I explained that when I retired from the classroom I was delighted if the custodian cleaned my blackboard! Anyway, I wrangled an invitation to visit his area for a tour, access to their CD and DVD collection, and computer white board lessons. I also learned that his son was starting high school today and that parents are required to attend the first day with their child. Seems like a good idea to me. At some point during the visit the parent will sign the “You may hit my child” waiver. Often this is edited by the parent to read “You may hit my child OFTEN”, another wonderful idea to me! I am currently making a list of students from the US that I would like to transport back in time and bring to China for hitting. Some of you may feel a funny waive like action around you like in “Bill and Ted’s Most Excellent Adventures”. Be prepared to get hit.

The weather has changed from last week’s rain to sunny skies. The temperature is back up but not scorching or steamy like it was. We can run the A/C in late afternoon and at night and be comfortable. Also, we have met all our fellow teachers. There’s Kyle From-down-de-hall (I think this is a German name), Suzane, Mary, Lorne, and Randi. Joan and I complete the faculty. Lorne will also be the principle. I gave him Jim Sharp’s email address just in case.

I found that I can still pirate music on Limewire. I have Oklahoma! Recorded for my first day of class. I figure, start right in with real American culture. Or I guess I could play Aerosmith. Enough from me.

Hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’s Joan:

I also have a list of kids to add to the ‘hit me’ list—many of the young Chinese males we see running around. Discipline is not strong!

Yesterday afternoon Mei and her 9 year old daughter, Lily took me to a local silk quilt factory. The silk is stretched (harder than it looks!) and added to until the right ‘weight’ is attained. Then a plastic sheet is laid over it which made a slick way to get it into the coverlet. It takes about 1.5 hours start to finish to complete a quilt. We watched them make one and placed our orders. Lois & Marco Polizzi’s daughter, Paige, is getting married in October. Guess what she’s getting for a wedding present!?!?

Dinner was at our favorite “soup’ place in #8 cafeteria. You pick out the vegetables, noodles, meat, etc and pile them on a plate (7 cents US per item!). Tell them what spices (FYI boo la – means not spicey!), add peanut sauce and cook it in broth—yummy! Suzanne from Montreal (60 year old retired language teacher) went with us. With a bottled coke it cost us each less than $1 US for a great dinner.

This morning saw many of our neighbors off to the medical center for their physicals. Later this week they will go to the police station for their resident permits. The director and his wife (Lorne/Mary) and Andy and I are the only part-timers. The rest have committed to a full year.

The freshmen arrived on campus over the weekend. This week they are doing their military training which is focused on proper uniform, stance and saluting. Some physical fitness but mostly in the appearance. Both males and females go thru this for the first week and we see them marching, drilling, etc around campus.

First staff meeting this afternoon. More later . . .

Sunday, 29 August

Another early morning. When Andy headed out for a walk at 6am, he ran into our newest arrivals: Mary & Lorne Little from Chatham, England. Lorne is going to be the director this year and Mary will teach. They had finally gotten in at 2am and were in need of toilet paper (no, it doesn’t come with the room!). Before Andy got any further, we were joined by Dennis (you heard about him earlier). We ended up going to Dennis and Randi’s room for an hour long visit. Very nice folks; they will be going with us this afternoon back to the hand art exhibition. We will find the paper cutting lady again and return the favor; she gave us 3 pieces of her work when we were there, we’ll take her one of Andy’s pens. But first we are meeting the 5 former FGCU exchange students and treating them to lunch. We will go to the Jusco mall and eat Korean!

More later. Have a good day (or night!) . . .

(Also including some additional pictures from yesterday!)

Saturday, 28 August

Up early this morning to meet Chang and Xiao (her boyfriend) for a road trip. We caught the #17 bus (1 yuan=15 cents) for downtown where we transferred to the Penglai bus (18 yuan or $2.62). A ride along the south shore of Bohai Bay landed us at the Penglai Aquarium, one of the largest in Asia with the world’s largest acrylic tank (see picture).

We were a little worried at first. After paying $17.50 pp, we entered a totally artificial rain forest: silk plants, faux rocks, etc. with Japanese koi in a pond. From there it only got better. Several large tanks of mixed fish transitioned into exhibitions of sharks, dolphins, rays, tetras, corals and some of the world’s ugliest fish! We even saw penguins and polar bears. We spent over 2 hours touring the facility; it was well done with faux wood ramps and hand rails, waterfalls and the never ending supply of ‘photo spot’ that added to the ‘rain forest’ motif they had elected.

We found a spot for lunch--seafood, of course, and caught the bus back to Yantai. Since the trip from Yantai to Penglai is about 2.5 hours, the day was fairly well shot by the time we got back. Also after all that walking, our knees were talking to us!

Sleep well . . .

Friday, 27 August

Went looking for a wire transfer. Headed for China on the 20th and has arrived. However, even though Bank of China gave us the address and wiring instructions, we can't get the money because only my customer number and name were put on the letter and not the account number. So much for following directions! Another week to wait for the money. Welcome to China!

We went to cafeteria #8 (directly behind our building) for lunch. Anqi had told us we could get decent Korean food. Not sure if that's what we had, but it was good. Fish nuggets, green beans, rice, julienned sweet potatoes--moms everywhere would be proud!

At 2pm Mei (the Yantai accounting professor headed to Kutztown (PA) U in October) collected us for a hand art exhibition. You may have noticed a steel building on the distance of pictures from our window of the library. That building is the football (aka soccer) stadium. Behind it we discovered two more stadium-type structures: one is an indoor swimming facility and the other a shooting range. Going across the street south, you come to Exhibition Hall #3. As you can tell from the picture, it is awesome. Andy wasn't really excited about going to the exhibition but Chang told him he'd enjoy it. Boy, did he! The wood and woodworking were awesome. Andy was drooling. The embroidery work was exquisite; some even used human hair! One man was using clay to make 'pictures' of people; his end work was about 1.5 inches high! The detail was incredible. We met and had our picture made with a local 'champion' paper cutter; she's been doing it since age 6 and is probably 65 now. She kindly gifted us some of her work. We spent 3 hours roaming the hall oohing and ahhing. We will probably go back tomorrow since we don't think it'll be clear enough for Penglai.

We have new neighbors. The couple across the hall is from Redman, WA. She's the teacher (for artist) and he's a retired minister. Very nice and like wine, too! It's their first adventure in China, too.

Went back to #8 for dinner tonight. We definitely found Korean tonight--and an English major, too. We had a ‘bowl’: you pick out what you want in it and they cook it. Greens, mushrooms, ham (delicious), noodles, bean sprouts and cabbage with peanut sauce is wonderful!

Friday, August 27, Yantai, China

It continues to drizzle and rain here. While making things a little more humid, it has made the temp wonderful. For those of you that have forgotten, I got an undergrad degree in napping. Napping in this weather is almost required. I do it 3-4 times a day.

We had an incredible dinner last night with one of last year's exchange students, Angi. She took us to a Korean restaurant at a nearby shopping center. Grilled pork rolled up in lettuce with a hot sauce, deep-fried octopus, and a soup made with rice dumplings were the main course. On the side we had rice fried with egg in a hot sauce and vegetable sushi. ( Am I starting to sound like one of those critics in the paper?) Along with the meal came typical Korean relishes. The kimchee was outstanding. We finally found out what the green stuff that we like so much is. This is difficult to pronounce. It is called C H I N E S E C A B B A G E. Complicated, huh? We also had marinated bean sprouts, seasoned beef (HOT), and peanuts. I think the peanuts were in honor of Jimmy Carter's recent trip to Korea. We ate so much, we could barely waddle home.

We are taking all 5 exchange students to lunch this Sunday. Chang introduced us to this really great restaurant by the seaside. I have loved the food but have to admit, every time we pass Pizza Hut and I see folks eating pizza and spaghetti, I start to get hungry for home cookin'. Marco and I have talked about opening a buffet that serves meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and mac n' cheese. We are looking for a clever, catchy name. Please forward suggestions.

Joan and I think we have acclimated to life here. Nothing is done at a fast pace. Much like SW Florida, an appointment at 2 PM on Thursday means sometime around the end of the week. Food comes from the kitchen when it is finished, no particular order. Driving continues to amaze. Yesterday, on our way back from the visa registration office, our cab missed another by a few inches. This happened in front of a police car. Our Chinese friends asked if this would have gotten a ticket in the US. Someone would have been ticketed. Here, the police continued their nap. Costs of items also are interesting. Price depends not only on the brand, but where you buy. Go to the Japanese owned mall and buy a brand named item costs about 1/3 more than buying it an individual street front store. Find the same item at a street vendor and pay less than half. I wish Lisa were here to buy a designer purse. She wouldn't have to chase after the vendor like she did in Pisa!

We also read a new term in the English edition of China news- Chimerica. It refers to the new, growing China that is attempting to become a world, economic power. There are many opinions about this in China. Many feel that China must first learn to preserve the new growth. Others want immediate expansion through land and business purchases abroad. It is a very interesting time, economically. ( That comes from the guy who balanced his own checkbook on 2 occasions.)

Do any of you know how to have a multi-person Skype conversation? We can do it but with voice only. We would like to include video. Also, do any of you Mac owners have a shortcut way to sort photos? Presently, I must split photos individually then place them in a new file. We are going to attempt to try to connect Joan's little computer today at the office. Keep your international fingers crossed that it works.

My Mom has become quite an accomplished emailer and Skype-ist. I am very proud of her.

Joan just announced from the bathroom that the shower arrangement is very convenient. She can sit on the throne and shave her legs. Yankee ingenuity. ( Sorry Joan, rebel ingenuity. After almost 16 years of marriage, she still refers to me as a damned Yankee.)

Please know that we have intermittent service from our email provider. If we are cut off during a conversation, know that we said,"Adios" and will try to contact you later.

I have now exhausted my voluminous wit ( and my typing finger is sore.) I close and hope to hear from you soon. Remember to email us directly jnalindauer@gmail.com as we cannot read our blog,nor the comments.

With all the temples and pavilions we've seen (Jade Buddha, Reclining Buddha), we are proposing the next will be the Hairy Buddha in honor of Andy!

We certainly get lots of looks (we are the different ones) but people are very friendly with ni haos and hello good mornings.

To date it has been a delightful experience (with the exception of the incredible heat our 2nd week).

Wednesday, 25 August

Last night was a quiet night and the day followed suit. It is still drizzling here which makes for wonderful sleeping weather! High was 73--jeans and long sleeves weather! Only a few mini-skirts to catch

Andy's eye but still lots of high heels with the jeans! One thing we noticed in FL that holds true here: if it's clean, it goes together--plaids, checks, stripes--whatever.

As many of you know, we are unable to access our blog from China. Daughter Berkeley is posting what we send her. Consequently we also can't read you comments. So if you have

something to say, either email us at jnalindauer@gmail.com or skype us at jnalindauer.

The picture of us was taken at the office today. We went over to find out which day we could actually depart, ask them to contact housekeeping about our refrigerator (somethings just don't

translate well with hand gestures!), check on a tutoring job for 3 ?American? tweens and pick up some more reading material (nice selection of old fiction). We learned that there will be 7 teachers

this semester but no real number of students yet determined. Best guess is about 100 so still a nice student-teacher ratio.

We have been told that there are lots of fish in the lake and from all indication it is a popular spot both for the couples and the fishermen. It is also a nice place to walk and the sunflowers are lovely.

The two 'interior' shots were taken in the courtyards of two of the classroom buildings. It was empty when Andy took the pictures (6.30am).

We have met another fellow teacher. Kyle is a recent theatre grad from Kutztown University (PA); KU is setting up with exchange programs with Yantai. Obviously that is how Mae (the accounting

professor we met Monday night) got her exchange. Nice young man -- here for 2 years. He's also a Mac-daddy so Andy has someone to talk computers with. The rest of the staff are due to arrive

either the 27th or 28th.

We went to the grocery again today. With the fall clothes required, so were more hangers. Such excitement! We also went to SHS Restaurant--by ourselves--and managed to order a delightful lunch of

sweet-sour pork and egg fried rice. With 2 cokes, our total was 36 yuan ($5.50)--do we see a pattern here?

Tomorrow night we are supposed to have dinner with the last two Yantai exchange students: Anqi and Nan. We have spoken with both but haven't gotten to see either yet. Sunday we hope to have a

mini-reunion with all 5.

If the weather is nice, we will go to Penglai on Saturday. There is a beautiful area about 1 hour west of us along the coast. One of the largest aquariums in China is located here. It is also known for its

Pavilion (built around 1061), it is the only ancient pavilion in northern China (there are 3 situated in south China). Like many sites in China, there are temples, palaces and caves to explore; in this case

we don't want to miss the Eight Immortals Sea-passing Port! This is an articifial island rich in Taoist culture with yet another Pavilion. Also in Penglai is the water city; "the best preserved ancient marine

force base in China". It was built during the Ming dynasty. Obviously we have been reading the tour guides!!

Now the Americans and South Koreans aren't doing manuevers in the South China Sea, the MIGs aren't in evidence--much quieter!

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Wednesday PM, 25 August

Another walk around the campus and down to the beach resulted in these shots.

We learned today that last Monday 1,800 students waited from 5pm Sunday until 8am Monday to get seats for studying in one of the academic buildings. Evidently it truly is first come, first served.

It is cool and pleasant here this evening--even Andy thought about putting on long pants!

Looking forward to the start of the semester.

Monday, 23 August

Today is the start of classes for the University students. Our school leases space from the university and our students are college age to working folks who want to improve their English for their businesses.

We had seen the students arriving but today we saw them in mass. Dress codes remain the same; the girls dress up (1) to attract attention, (2) because they like to look pretty, or (3) because it was clean (thus said by one of the current students!).

As you can tell from the pictures, we had rain. It continues to drizzle off and on but nothing disruptive. [Andy got an umbrella--17 yuan ($2.50)!!] Andy takes a 6am morning walk and if he remembers, the camera goes with him. We are trying to get

pictures from around campus to share.

Yesterday we were very lazy and mostly watched the world from our 6th floor aerie. Last night we went to a seafood restaurant with Chang and her accounting professor, Mae, who is headed to Pennsylvania in October for a month's exchange.

Chang ordered too much food but it was all wonderful. We had boiled shrimp, sweet and sour pork, scallops, fish dumplings, eggplant and spinach in mushroom sauce. We have left overs for lunch!! She also brought a bottle of Chinese wine (red)

which is very good, too.