Halloween party photos

A Chinese Writer on Culture

Recently, I've started downloading and listening to NPR's radio broadcast formerly known as "Speaking on Faith" now named "Being." http://being.publicradio.org/about/


One guest named AnChee Min immigrated from China to the US in 1984. Min has become a famous writer receiving national recognition and rewards for her stories and memoirs set during Mao's China. In this particular interview, she compares the different mentalities between the Chinese and American views on money and the economic crisis.

Min mentions how Chinese current economic situation has improved a lot and "we don't take things for granted." I disagree with applying this statement to Chinese people of all ages as I see a lot of entitlement and materialism in Chinese young people, but I do think it's an accurate reflection of how most Chinese people feel towards money and spending below their means.

Min shares not only her insight into Chinese mentality and culture but also provides a sobering outside view into American's culture. "If you have this will to learn, and you have this will to work three jobs. . .like I said, no picky choosy. You just be happy that you have the right to work and you speak English." If you have time, I recommend listening to this broadcast.
http://blog.onbeing.org/post/82880252/repossessing-virtue-anchee-min-on-repairing-the

17 year old

Tall and slim, fingers pointed and gentle.

A 17 year old boy, frames with no glasses set back on his face

The frames alone can’t hide the pain in cloudy eyes that are quick to avert,

hair pushed to the side in an asymmetrical cut.

Black blazer jacket, only 17.

The tall dark figure knows sadness unmet by most

His Father recently buried, his mother gone in the divorce.

Taking care of himself, living, surviving,

serving coffee, taking orders, handling life

at 17.

Team Times

On a Sunday afternoon, we perused the work-out equipment along the river walk. Amber and I are sad because this is the lamest, lowest teeter totter ever.
I'm standing on the couch to take this photo. We're getting ready to have our Friday "sharing" and lifting time.
Fighting over goodies from a package from former team-mates Chris and Sarah. We loved the contents and are still enjoying them!! Yummm.

Funny things students say

In class, while I’m walking around, “Miss Strasser, are you a half-blood?”

“Hmm, I don’t know what that is, but I don’t think I am.”Then, after realizing the student meant mixed blood, I couldn’t help but be flattered.

“No, I’m not a half-blood, but I’m happy you think I might be.” To a lot of our students, so called “half-bloods” are very clever and beautiful people. Score!

On the back of a note-card introduction:

“As what I have told you, my English name has special meaning.” (Student’s English name is Missingly.) “I’m a special girl. I have my own way to do things.”

From a student, “I think you’re earrings are too big. It looks a little strange.”

“Er, ah, okay. Why do you think so?”

“I think it looks better without the earrings.”
I take out one earring. “Like this?” I turn the half of my face without the earring to the student. “Does this look better?”
“Oh, no I guess it looks better with the earrings.” Hmm, thought so. Another student comments, “The earrings look like black buttons. buttons.”

“Yes, I think so too.” New subject please.

Weight Gain in China? — Mystery Solved

Since my first year of living in China, I have been a fan of their pearl milk tea. “Pearl” is the name for the black tapioca balls that sit at the bottom of the drink. The drink itself is a tea that’s sweetened with milk, sugar, and the flavor of your choice. At first, it was exciting to have a refreshing milky drink for only about 1.5 Chinese dollars (.22$). Another appeal of the milk tea was to try its variety of flavors which included coffee, chocolate, strawberry, coconut, honeydew melon, and taro root. Yes, this little .22$ cup of goodness was exciting and came to represent adventurous spirit and love for new things in China.

But over time, the drink has changed. It’s now about .50$ a cup, and now, there are many shops where this milk tea is sold. AT the same time, the variety of flavors no longer hold the same lure over me. I know what I like (Yuan Wei) original flavor because I love the strong black tea flavor combined with the milkiness. If I drank milk tea whenever I wanted, I would drink probably 2 cups a day. But I don’t dare drink it that often. Recently, I’ve limited myself to one cup a week in my suspicion of its effects on my diet.

The other day at our favorite drink shop, we were talking to the owner who tried to reassure me that milk tea really doesn’t have that many calories. “Our shop uses this product,” he says as he reaches for a can of sweetened condensed milk, “instead of the milk powder which has a lot more calories.”

Huh, I nod quite confused how sweetened condensed milk could be the healthier option between the two. “This sweetened condensed milk is lower in calories,” he reassures me by taking out the package of milk powder and gently tossing it in the air as if it's weight represents its' high calories.

But I’m not convinced; not convinced at all. All this time, while I deluded myself into thinking that I was drinking “tea” with just a little milk to add flavor, I was ingesting spoonfuls of sweetened condensed milk. Ah yes, and therein lies the reason why I think it’s so easy to gain weight in China. Not because of the oil in the food (although that contributes) not because of our affinity for baking sweet cakes and cookies in our ovens, but because we have blindly been consuming sweetened condensed milk in a cup. Moreover, we have been blindly consuming snacks whose nutritional value is virtually impossible to know exactly. Last year, I was into snacking on dry banana chips. But this summer, I saw somewhere how many calories and fat they have in them, and I was simply horrified. We blindly consume because we don’t know and we assume the best. But unfortunately, we are the plumper for our ignorance.

Furthermore, there are a lot fewer “treats” that I like here in China compared to the number of treats that I like in the states. As a result, I tend to be more lenient with myself when I find some treats that I do like. This is a bad habit that I’m in the process of adjusting. Four years of indulging in “treats” that have ambiguous nutritional benefits may not be the best adventurous spirit for my health. My adjustments for this year include limiting myself to one glass of bubble milk tea per week and avoiding banana chips completely.

Words, words, words

This evening over dinner, my team-mates and I enjoyed a stimulating conversation about English words that we have a particular affinity for. A couple of my team-mates' favorite words were "beluga" (especially when it can be used after "baby") and "lovingkindness" as found in the Psalms. I came home and opened up my "favorite word" list document. Just reading over the list, made me smile at how I might try to sneak these words into my daily life.

So in no particular order, here is my running list of favorite words: (all words are subject to elimination at random.)

discrepancy

heave

regardless

zest

caked

boggled

perch

gem

ambiguity--Isn't this what we all want out of life?

bubble

caters

pasta

portal---(I need one of these)

precipice

preserves--(as in the jam)

daunting

intrepid

harboring

poignant

quagmire—a situation from which extraction is very difficult

teleport

insipid

punctuate

consensus

I'd also love to hear your favorite words. (Let's heat up the comments section.)