Kate's Journeys

Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven, Scotland

2012-01-18T02:01:00.001-05:00

Dunnottar Castle was probably (in retrospect) my favorite castle. It was amazing!

Before getting to the castle, about 2 miles north, we stopped in the town of Stonehaven and got deep-fried Mars bars at the original fish and chip shop, Carron.

And for dinner we had fish and chips at The Bay, again in retrospect, the absolute best we had during our whole time in Scotland. And it’s really no wonder that they were the best; they were just named Scotland’s best and will be competing for the title of best in the UK in a few weeks. I would absolutely recommend them. However, there was no seating and it was November! So we were a little chilly sitting out on the beach promenade!

Now on to the castle! The views of it from what appears to be the main land are breath-taking; it’s high up on a cliff; the grounds are a beautiful green despite it being late in November; and the waves are crashing below on the shore!

Tim was so excited about being at the North Sea

Several key figures spent time at Dunnottar including, Mary Queen of Scots, William Wallace, and the future King Charles II. However, as I mentioned here, what Dunnottar is most famous for, is the safekeeping of the Scottish Crown Jewels, while Cromwell's army was after them.

The four of us had such an amazingly fun time! We walked over to the right to get the cliff like view of the castle.

Then, on our way down the hundreds of stairs, (okay maybe not hundreds, but a lot of stairs) we went a bit off the beaten path and ventured down this steep side to the rock covered shore. Again, we had so much fun leisurely taking pictures, throwing and collecting rocks, and having quite the adventure as friends.

We scrambled back up the side of the cliff and then finished the stairs up to the castle. The entrance fee was 5£. Inside we explored the various ruins and took quite a few more pictures which can be found here (coming soon).

Dunnottar Castle Guide to Ruins

Whigs Vault (where 167 Convenantars were imprisoned for "Christ's Crown & Covenant")

The Chapel

Tim and Katie ~ Julie and Tim

View from the top of the Towerhouse (Keep)

The Towerhouse

We made a full afternoon of Stonehaven and Dunnottar castle and soaked up the winds of the North Sea.

Education, Salvation, and a little Creation

2011-11-30T11:30:00.002-05:00

Looking down to the first floor of the library

On Tuesday, we went over to Old Aberdeen; Baylor gave us his brief but grand tour of The University of Aberdeen. We definitely enjoyed the views of the North Sea from the top floors of the new library, and Tim was glad to poke around and see what kind of resources they had.

The New Library

We saw the courtyard of Kings College, a private library Baylor has access to, as well as some other interesting gates and sculptures around the university.

Barker and Baylor

Baylor's "private" library

Us in front of Kings College

I almost forgot we weren't at Disney!

"The Student" with his apple cut in half

Within walking distance is the Cathedral Church of St. Machar founded in 580 AD; the present building dates from 1350. Below it is another garden, Seaton Park, that Tim and walked around in while we waited to meet up again with Baylor.

On Wednesday I got to join Jules for her weekly play date with other women from the Aberdeen Women’s Fellowship. While walking back, we poked our heads in a used furniture-slash-charity shop and picked up a whole pile of things for one pound total!

Super glad I had a chance to go out one night just with Julie, and then another night just the 4 of us went out while the kids stayed with a sitter. The night Julie and I went out we had such a fun and wonderful time laughing, talking, sharing... I know we won't quickly forget the memories we made that night.

Around Aberdeen, Scotland

2011-11-30T02:44:00.000-05:00

Arriving in Aberdeen, Tim and Julie were fantastic hosts, serving delicious meals, providing tours of their town and university, and accompanying us on our other day trips away from Aberdeen.

We enjoyed taking part in their daily tea and digestives.

Playing and reading to the girls. . .

. . . and hanging out late at night like old times – chatting away.

On Monday, we walked around Abderdeen, taking in the sites. Before walking along the Union Terrace Gardens, we stopped to admire the view and let Maddy feed the birds - she was thrilled with the birds, waving and saying hello!

At the north end of the gardens we saw the buildings quipped “Education, Salvation, and Damnation”: The Central library, St Mark's Church, His Majesty's Theater.

In honor of William Wallace

"Education, Salvation, and Damnation"

After lunch at Old Blackfriars, one of Aberdeen’s oldest and best-loved pubs, we parted ways. Tim and I headed towards the upper docks to see the big ships.

We stopped in the visitor’s information center to pick up some more postcards, a patch for my collection, and some helpful brochures.

St. Nicholas Kirk, had an interesting kirkyard (church yard – graveyard) but we couldn't figure out how to get in the church despite it supposedly being open!

And Marishal College, the second largest granite building in the world, has a long history and helps to give the Granite City its name.

We paused our exploring and rested in Books and Beans with some lattes and a panettone. We sat up on the second story and looked out the window between shelves of books. The books seemed to be primarily fiction, so we didn’t find any must-haves.

After taking the #17 bus, when we got back, Julie was getting ready to serve us another restaurant quality meal: Bobby Flay's chicken and waffles! It was quite amazing - I don't know that I'll ever conquer that one so it was a treat for sure!

Parks and Hills in Edinburgh, UK [day two]

2011-11-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

We woke up late – boo…

I said we should be happy; our friends with kids would probably love to have the chance to sleep in ‘til 11:00 am. But we were in an awesome city; adventure time should not be wasted on sleeping!

We made the most of our time and crossed over the royal mile and headed east down the hill toward the Scott Monument, a huge 200 ft. structure visible from many points in the city. It was erected in the 1840's for Sir Walter Scott, poet and author of the Waverly novels.

We passed by the National Art Gallery, and sat on some park benches at the Princes Street Gardens. From the park we had some great views looking back toward the castle.

Walking south on Prince’s Street we could see the hill with the Greek-looking columns - Calton Hill. The climb up the hill was a bit strenuous for 5 minutes of stairs, but the rewards were great! We could look out and see back over the city and had great views of the sea.

We took a bunch of pictures on the column monument because it was such a cool prop! The Athenian acropolis is actually an unfinished monument. It was begun a year after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, intended to be a replica of the Parthenon in Athens as a memorial to those who had died in the Napoleonic Wars.

We could also see the Salisbury Craigs, Arthur's Seat, and the Queens residence, Holyrood Palace.


Arthur's Seat

Holyrood Palace

We scurried down the hill and raced back to the hotel, via many steps and a close that cut through the University of Edinburgh, to pick up our luggage and then took a taxi back to Waverly Station just in time to catch our train to Aberdeen.

Edinburgh, UK

2011-11-18T20:00:00.001-05:00

We left Cambridge ridiculously early to go to Edinburgh. We took the 5:45 train which got us there nice and early – around 11:00. Along the way we saw lots of sheep, a few small towns, and the North Sea. There was coffee and snacks available on the train, but when we stopped in Petersburgh, we had time to grab coffee and warm breakfast sandwiches from Pumpkin at the train station.

We checked into the Marriot Residence Inn, which had just opened on Monday. The place was amazing! It was a like a modern loft with floor to ceiling windows and a kitchenette.

Edinburgh is filled with historic, intellectual, and literary associations. Names such as Mary, Queen of Scots and her nemesis Protestant reformer John Knox; pioneer economist Adam Smith and philosopher David Hume; authors Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; as well as inventor Alexander Graham Bell: They are all part of Edinburgh's past. More info is available at Frommers.

We went to the Edinburgh Castle, (14 £ each); one of our highlights was hearing the cannon go off at one o’clock! Apparently the cannon has been sounding every day (except Sunday for hundreds of years).

We also enjoyed the amazing views of the sea and the city as the castle is at a high point of the city. The Scottish Crown Jewels were cool to see as well especially with the hopes of later seeing where they were hidden for several years at Dunnottar Castle.

We had lunch near Marketstreet at a UK chain Pizza Express and had the Romana style pizza: Etna with hot soft n’duja sausage, roquito peppers, speck ham, and grana padano. It was really really spicy!

We walked south on the Royal Mile and went to St. Giles cathedral where the John Knox, leader of the Scottish reformation pastored for several years.

We continued south, poking in and out of tourist shops to look at all the cashmere and kilts. We saw what is alleged to be Knox’s birthplace, it's quite unlikely, but at least it's one of the oldest remaining houses in the city.

It got dark extremely fast! I was thankful and slightly amazed that shops were open late, but then I realized it was only 4:30! It was just already dark! While walking, we also looked in a few of the many closes and wynds, along the way down past the new Scottish Parliament building on our way to the Queen’s Scottish Residence – the Holyrood Palace. Since it was dark, we could only peer through the gates.

To break up the long walk back up the hill, we stopped at Chocolate Soup for some hot chocolate, which seems to be a big thing in Scotland.

Inadvertently, we had dinner at a famous pub, the Greyfriars Bobby’s. We had walked by it twice and decided it looked like a great local place, and indeed it was. Tim had the haddock and chips, and I had the beef and vintage ale pie; both were great.

~ ~ ~ ~

This helpful map of Edinburgh online was available to print for free.

An afternoon and evening in Cambridge, UK

2011-11-17T15:29:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Cambridge quite a bit later than I had hoped. My train ticket from Heathrow to Cambridge via Kings Cross for 23£ took a really long time to purchase at the airport.

But, after arriving at the Regent and dropping my stuff around 2 o’clock, I headed straight for the tower at Great St. Marys.

I looked around at the daily open air market at the pearls, the old books, and other random objects. I didn’t buy anything this time, but the pearls tempted me yet again.

But then it was up to the top of the tower. I took in the amazing views and this time, especially enjoyed the rooftops and the variety of courtyards, hidden away from the passer-bys but open to my bird’s eye view.

After that I walked about a block down to the Neros across from Kings College. I took my time sipping my latte and read a bit of the newspaper.

The Cambridge Contemporary Art gallery held screen prints and linocuts by Angie Lewin and Rob Ryan. They also had a book out which solved my curiosity about how linocuts, screen prints, and lithographs were made.

I purchased two more cards by Angie; I am planning to put them in some frames with big mats.

With only a short bit of daylight and a short time before I had to meet Tim for dinner, I went to the backs. Where I walked over the bridge at Trinity College and found this cool building.

~ ~ ~

We returned to Cote again, a French restaurant we went to in February, because I loved the beef bourguignon the first time I had it. We stopped at the local grocery store Sainsburys before dinner and picked up some chocolate to have later. We both love the Cadburys milk chocolate here as well as trying out new candy bars like crunchie.

We walked back to our hotel to get ready for the next day’s big adventure.

How many more sleeps?

2011-11-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

The countdown is on...
only 3 more sleeps until I'm flying back to the UK!!
4 more sleeps and I'll be meeting up with Tim in Cambridge where he's staying at the Regent Hotel. I'm looking forward to some morning coffee at Neros and maybe climbing up those clock tower stairs again at Great St. Mary's, maybe a little window shopping, or poking around some of the colleges.
Then on Saturday, we're off to Edinburgh, Scotland via train. We'll spend the weekend there at the Marriott Residence Inn and hopefully take in the Royal Mile.
We plan to continue our train rides by heading up north to the Highlands, were we'll spend most of the week with our most wonderful friends, the Baylors, in Aberdeen.
We'd originally planned to head back down to England, so that I could both attend and be a speaker at a conference at Leeds College of Art, however, the conference was unexpectedly cancelled. And as unfortunate as it was, it's allowing us to spend a few extra days in Scotland. So we've decided to head over to the west coast to go to the Isle of Skye where we'll stay at the Bosville and hopefully see the Old Man of Storr and Neist Point.

I can't wait, just a few more sleeps and then I'm travellin' again.

Firemen just left

2011-11-07T04:39:00.000-05:00

finally going back to sleep at 4:30am...the beeping every 30 seconds has stopped...took forever to find out it was coming from....somewhere under my bed...on the neighbors scarey side of the basement...called the Somerville fire department...(nice group of men)...they figured out that the carbon monoxide alarm was defective...I guess I'll call the landlord in the morning...my heart was pounding...I don't like calling 911.

Blue Man Group

2011-11-06T00:10:00.000-04:00

We got to see Blue Man Group at the Charles Playhouse!

My three words:
Drums - loved the rhythm, now every time I hear something tapping, or a jack hammer I'm thinking where's the blue man?
Modern amazement - the use of the huge smart phones and well the whole marshmallow thing was pretty cool.
Fun - it was like a party once the toilet paper started flowing and the strobe lights were going.

Tim's three words:
Fun - why? Cause they were funny - they made us laugh because you didn't know what was going to happen next
Loud - the drums and the band were pretty loud.
Unique - He says; "I never been to anything like that - it was like the circus and the concert all in one."

I love Tim's saying about the circus and the concert! I think he nailed it - that's totally what it was like! It's amazing how entertainment changes over time, to adapt to the current interests, yet it really stays the same... some music and dancing and a few tricks.

Halibut Point State Park

2011-11-02T02:02:00.000-04:00

Spur of the moment, Dan and I decided to take a little trip up to Halibut Point State Park, {more info here and here} about an hours drive north east of the city. Once we were up in Glouster and Rockport, it was a really scenic drive.

We pulled off at one point to take a look - here I am with our new car a 2008 Honda CRV!

The park was really beautiful, it was more like a walking trail than a hiking trail. Parking was easy, there is a lot; it costs $2; and they take credit cards in the machine that you print out your parking ticket from. There was a quarry that we stopped at first, and then we headed out to a point where we could see the Atlantic Ocean, Maine, and New Hampshire (while we were in Massachusetts).

While we were hiking down towards the ocean, we encountered this area of rock sculptures. We decided to add one of our own. It wasn't quite as elaborate as others, but with our limited time we did what we could!

The ocean was of course wonderful. Getting around the huge rocks was a bit tricky, and definitely required decent shoes, but was well worth the enjoyment of watching the waves crash on the rocks, sitting and staring off into the horizon.

We stayed to watch the sunset and then promised to come back to this lovely place to spend a few more hours walking around the quarry and the ocean.

Extended house guests – It’s been a new experience. . .

2011-10-28T10:01:00.000-04:00

A good experience, trying at times, because someone is sitting in my seat on the couch, someone is talking when I want it to be quiet, someone is around when I just want it to be Tim and I. . .

But it’s been wonderful all the same, someone who listens, someone to share lunch with, someone who helps wash the dishes, someone who wants to peek into your life.

Harvard Yard

People watching in Harvard Square

This summer my brother in law, Dan stayed with us for several weeks while he was getting settled into a new job and looking for housing after his move across the country. Most of the time, I was in China, so it actually worked out perfectly for Tim to have someone to hang out with while I was gone for so long. Plus, they got to reconnect after living apart for so long.

Dan visiting my office @ MIT

The Dome

Stata Center

Then, my brother Dan stayed with us for 3 weeks while he was in transition between his travels to Pakistan and figuring out where he was headed next in the US. Dan and I are about 5 years apart – so we enjoyed spending some extra time together as adults instead of kids with a big age gap. I did my best to act as the hostess instead of the bossy big sister! I think it worked out well, he got some much needed time to process his experience and to put his data and photos all together.

Wii Bowling on a Friday night

We also took a few trips around the city since he had never been to the East Coast. We spent some time walking around Harvard and Harvard Square one day, the new Starbucks has amazing people watching seats! We also took a day to see MIT and most of the Freedom Trail, plus a few other highlights that I include in my custom tour! Basically, we ate our way through Boston.

Picnic lunch at the Boston Public Garden

Next stop (after coffee)

Secret Garden only on my private tours!

Must end the trip with cannolis from Mike's!

During this time, we had a chance to hang out with both our brothers together. We had a couple big dinners, a night of Catan, and some laid back Sunday afternoons, we also had a full weekend in October with Davis Square’s festivities for the annual Honk Festival and Octoberfest.

Octoberfest

So, the house holds no guests right now, but like I said, it was a good experience. It helped me see some of my selfishness and my own annoying habits. Gave me some lessons in patience, and allowed me to receive someone elses graciousness as well. Thanks boys for putting up with me; you were both excellent house guests!

Sharing the Everyday Experiences: Sneak Peaking into Life

2011-09-27T14:24:00.000-04:00

Have you had the thought where you just wished that even if the person wasn't with you, they would at least know what you were refering to? That maybe they would have experienced it before?

Julie, Katie, Tim, and Tim

I love when my closest friends get to see my life, so later, when we are talking on the phone, and I say "yep - I'm on my way to Starbucks and I just stopped by the post office. . . " they know what I'm talking about. Or if I say, "Oh - just got to my Dr's office and then I'm headed on the T" they know where it is - because they've walked by it too.

Yep - that burger was worth taking a picture of!

It's just like why I loved my trip to Dallas - because I got the sneak peak into my friends life. I think it makes the connection that much stronger.

So, I was obviously thrilled when Julie and Tim got to come hang out with us for the afternoon. We walked to the square (Davis Square) and got burgers from the notable Boston Burger Company - the wait was worth it and fun, because we could just enjoy sitting out in the square. Then we took our customary walk through the square and around to Kickass Cupcakes where we all chose something delish. We brought our cupcakes back home where we got to hangout a bit more.

The visit was a happy sad one - they're off on their next big adventure - but it brings us the perfect excuse to find our selves in Scotland soon!

Can't wait to explore those castles in November - but more than that, I'll be thrilled to walk around their neighborhood, see the park, check out the typical grocery store, and just hang out at their house because then I'll know where she means when she says, "yesterday we walked to the park." And I'll know what she means when she say "oh -got to go - dinner's almost done and I have to set the table." I'll know what that table is like because I'll have eaten there, and we'll have shared those experiences together.

Love this girl!

Dallas

2011-09-15T12:37:00.000-04:00

First cowboy boot sighting

The kindness and generosity of Jessica’s mother in law made it possible for me to take a trip out to Dallas to see Jess and James and the 2 boys.

My time in Dallas was just what I wanted – low key, regular, every-day, kind of stuff. Which worked out well for her too, since Tino is only 10 weeks!

We managed to get out every day to experience some of their regular routine like story time at the library, popsicles in the backyard, and church on Sunday, as well as visit their favorite taco joint, donut shop, and what trip with Jess would be complete with a trip to the thrift store?

Jude playing on the computer at the library

An amazing donut shop

After a little water fight in the backyard

James and Jude at church

The Rusty Taco Shop

We had a great time! My favorite moments were staying up late and talking and praying together, snuggling that baby Tino, and hearing little Jude man’s excited voice every morning “Anty Kakes is awake! Anty Kakes is awake!” He was so fun to play with.

Final highlight was on Saturday when James watched the boys so we could go out. We went to the Nasher Sculpture Center and then to the Dallas Museum of Art. Finished off with a coffee from the award winning Crooked Tree Coffee House. I was quite surprised by the sculptures. Since sculpture isn’t really the medium I prefer, I was a little hesitant, but this was definitely on the list of things to do in Dallas. They really have a fantastic collection of pieces by artists I enjoy like Miro, Picasso, Calder, Moore, Degas, Johns, Lichtenstein , Matisse, and many more modern artists. We purchased a joint ticket which allowed us to visit both museums at a discounted rate – which is what I would recommend!

"The Kiss" by Constantin Brancusi

Picasso's "Head of Jacqueline"

flying a kite

2011-08-29T10:23:00.000-04:00

Just before leaving Er Lang Shan on Sunday morning, Chancy pulled out this huge kite! Fred and I had a great time trying to get it up in the air. I haven't flown a kite since I was a kid. Thanks Celina for the great photos!

Er Long Shan

2011-08-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

An excerpt from an email I sent home before heading to Er Long Shan for the weekend:

"...well here's the schedule for the weekend trip. I swear something got lost in translation. I mean, whats the point of staying over night somewhere if you leave at 9 in the morning! hahah. I'm sure it's going to be quite the trip!! oh my.

We upgraded from 180 rmb (which covers transportation, one night's stay, and all meals) which would be about 30 USD. b/c the rooms were going to be 2-4 to a room and no showers at all and I guess the toilets are really really really bad. So (now) we're paying more, but I guess there's a shower - but probably not hot water and the pit toilet holes are a little better and only 2 to a room!

It's a village about an hour away. I'll be back Sunday morning. I'm quite sure this village is NOT going to have any internet, so I'll be away - but I'll let you know when I get back. ~ love you! Katie"

Jessica and I outside our "restaurant" where we ate all our meals (but we were the only ones ever served food there).

Two Dragon Mountain

Schedule for Er Long Shan

Date:2011.7.30

1 Gathering and get on at Hujun Street (back of the 13^th apartment) during 8:20 am-8:30am. The bus’s number is 黑AC1509.

2 Set out to Er Long Shan at 8:30 am.

3 Arrive at the place around 9:30 am.

4 Everyone check in room and have a rest.

5 Arrange by oneself, such as climbing Er Long Shan, Paddling ship on Er Long Lake, and so on.

6 Have a lunch at 11:00 am-12:30 pm.

7 Noon break at 12:30 pm-14:00 pm.

8 Arrange by oneself in the afternoon.

9 Supper time is 17:30 pm-18:30pm

Date: 2011.7.31

1 Breakfast time is 7:00 am-8:00am.

2 Get on the bus and return at 9:00am.

Other tips

1 Zhang Xiaodong is assistant of our team for this trip, his cell phone call number is XXX-XXXX-XXXX.

2 There are two beds in the stay room with shower and toilet, but it is not always warm water for shower.

3 Everyone will take 231.00 yuan for this trip, including insurance, fare, pay for hotel and eating and padding ship. Everyone is arranged to stay with one other in one room, if you stay with yourself in one room, so you should pay additional 60.00 yuan.

4 Please take something preventing for mosquito.

A list of classmates’ name for the trip

1 Hou Aiju (Group A)

2 Xu Weili(Group A)

3 Li Yang(Group B)

4 Sun Yu(Group C)

5 Yu Yang(Group C)

6 Zhang Xiaodong(Group D)

My colleagues and I on the boat we thought we were going to be riding.

The boat we did end up taking (Celina and Curt).

View from the top deck (with lot of other passengers we didn't know)

A temple in on the other side of the lake.

The island in the middle of the lake.

Another swimming experience. . . the Chinese were so worried when we went in over our heads!

Starting the climb up the "mountain"

Beautiful view along the way

We made it!

Another complete group shot!

Prayer flags all over the top of the mountain

The lone tree on the hill side was such a contrast - the area was probably for grazing cattle.

Looking over the lake

Further excerpt from an email sent after I returned to Harbin:
"i had all the things in the picture for breakfast - plus some other gross stuff like strings of tofu and pickled cucumbers...
but what i had in the picture is some warm soy milk that tasted like malt-o meal without the meal.
some porridge (with corn)
some cucumbers (cold)
and some bread (steamed)
all that was pretty safe.

The funniest thing about the trip was not the conditions under which we stayed, but really it was about the schedule. Where it said "arrange by oneself..." well, yah, that didn't really mean that you chose what you want to do. It meant that the choice had already been made for you. and that we should do everything as a group. like go on the padding boat or climb the mountain or rest. This is just something to get used to with traveling with a group of Chinese.
A picture of our hotel and the bus/van thing that we took up to Er Long Shan

Our hotel and our mini-bus that we took.

View from our room overlooking the lake.

...the love thing is a lock that you buy for you and your love and you scratch your names into it, and then lock them to that tower up there at the top of the mountain...when we go back, we can get one for us...

...i lovest you the mostest. love you, Katie

HIT's Zoo Campus

2011-08-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Harbin Zoo (the large green space at the bottom of the map), used to be right next to HIT (marked by an x near the center of the map). The zoo however, has moved and the land is now one of HIT's campuses, most often referred to as the zoo campus.

On Saturday morning, I went over there to walk around. I brought something to write in, and did a little exploring and then sat down to escape the busy life I'd been having with so many fellow teachers and students.

Playing cards: a common site weather on the street or in the park.

not sure what this is!

so pretty!

This is an exerpt from an article in the China Daily from 2004.

"The city's old zoo will become a valuable "green lung" of the city. The new owner of the 37-hectare site, the Harbin Institute of Technology, will set up a science and technology park.
But it has to ensure that its building work will not destroy any of the former zoo's trees or grassland, according to the requirements set by the municipal government.
The science and technology park will also be open to local residents. It will serve as the biggest area of green space in the centre of Harbin."

There were buildings on campus, but I was mostly interested in the garden areas on this trip.

Karaoke @ KTV in China

2011-08-19T16:10:00.000-04:00

How do I describe the Chinese fascination with karaoke?

Better question: How is it possible that at 1 in the afternoon a group of 10 Chinese people will rent out their own private room at the KTV and sing karaoke for 3 hours? And no alcohol is involved! In fact, it was orange juice and sunflower seeds that we got along with some fruit and other snacks!

It was one of the strangest experiences I had in China. The team motto says it best: China’s not weird until it’s weird, and then it’s really weird!

It was quite a bit of fun, although I probably could have called it quits after about one and half hours. I had fun just watching them, because in fact I am no American Idol! I can’t remember lyrics or the melody! They however were pretty good! Maybe it’s because they have so much practice going out to KTV!

Seriously these KTV’s are everywhere! And it’s pretty cheap to rent a room, it’s like Hollywood meets bad LasVegas – overdone posh. With a coupon, you can get a room for under $5 an hour. After 6 the price goes up to about $15 an hour. Which still seems pretty inexpensive to me!

in the lobby

our private room

JiYing

ZhiHui

SunYu (Lucy)

LiYang (Leon)

Joanna & Rob


Weiwei, Leon, Shoa Jin (singing)

Even a little dancing!

Sun Island (Harbin)

2011-08-08T15:57:00.000-04:00

Sun Island was a great place to spend one of my last days in Harbin. I got to see a major local attraction, but it was a relaxing time too. The three of us, me, Leon, and Lucy had the most hilarious time riding our bicycle built for 3.

We took the boat across the river and round trip it was 10 Yuan each.

I rented the bike for 70RMB plus 100 deposit for 1.5 hours. We had to pay a little extra because we didn't return it on time.

It was a really hot day, as in I never stopped sweating, but it was one of the best days! I'm so glad we went over and explored Sun Island.

Chairman Mao

2011-08-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

I've seen 3 different statues of Chairman Mao, and I've been told that there are about 5 total remaining in Harbin. Here are 2 of them, the seated one is on the campus of Harbin Engineering University, and the other is near HongBo Square. The third one (not pictured) is in a Military Zone near Wen Temple in Nangang district.

Using Art in the English Classroom

2011-08-07T16:03:00.000-04:00

I have done a few other things besides shopping and field trips and eating in China!  I have been teaching a group of HIT professors. We have English classes every morning from 8:30 - 11:30 and then again in the afternoon from 1:30 - 3:30.  I teach the same lesson twice each day. And actually repeat the morning lessons 4 times because there are four groups of faculty and staff. Here are a few pictures from some of the classroom activities. My English lessons have all had a common theme of art. Some of the activities we did included the following:

Doodle and Describe: Doodle for 5 minutes using both the crayon and colored pencil and then tell your partner about it. 

Show and Tell: bring something beautiful and ugly from home 

Create a conversation between 2 people from the picture 

Writing a description of the picture

 Tell your version of the story

 Debate: New York City “The Gates” Installation

 Art Conference: poster presentations interpreting abstract art 

Color: What does color mean in society? 

Beauty: Write a definition 15 words or less (group project)

 Colorless Society – Reading about Jonas and The Giver

 Dialog skits: Creating a dialog with your partner based on the 2 different works of art.

 Discussions about art – beauty, value, what is art, etc.  Describe and Draw: Draw the picture based on your partner’s instructions (spatial prepositions)

Magnetic Poetry - creating sentences using the words

Center Street [Zhong Yang] & Stalin Park at Song Hua River

2011-08-04T14:50:00.000-04:00

Center Street- Zhongyang Dajie- is one of Harbin’s most famous areas. It is well known for its European style architecture built during the height of the Russian occupation, although it was originally called Chinese street. We spent an afternoon there with all our students.

After walking through this cobblestone street for pedestrians only, we made our way to the Song Hua River. Along the river is Stalin Park, China’s last public memorial to Stalin’s regime. We saw the Flood Control Monument erected to commemorate the river’s flood-prone history.

Many Harbiners will put their feet in the river but would never dare to swim it. We may have broken a few cultural rules, but you never know when another opportunity to swim in one of China’s largest rivers will present itself again. Even though I didn’t have my bathing suit, I seized the moment on this incredibly hot day.

After everyone left, about 6 of us stayed together. These 5 students have quickly become some of my best friends in China. They have done everything possible to show me a good time and to make sure that I have everything I need. As well as helped me create some very happy memories.

We stayed at the river park (where you can’t sit on the grass!) and played cards. Then we I did a little window shopping and purchased a set of Russian nesting dolls. There were real fur hats to buy and lots of pewter objects. As well as many styles of the Russian dolls, another common object was Monchhichi dolls in every size and outfit. I’ve seen a lot of other Japanese things as well.

After getting Russian ice cream bars and dancing to some street music, we went out for Spring Rolls. These are my new favorite thing to eat. It’s like a Chinese burrito. You fill the chun bin (tortilla) with scrambled eggs and bean sprouts, and potato strips, and some meat and onions and sauce and roll it up! Yumm!   We took a bus half way back to campus and then walked the rest of the way. It was a late night, but super great night!

St. Sophia Church in Harbin

2011-08-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

St. Sophia Church is the largest Orthodox Eastern Church in China. It was built in 1907 by Russian troops after the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1903. In 1921 approximately 1/3 of the population of Harbin was Russians. The church has now been turned into a museum. It looks like the church in the Red Square in Moscow. It is in a neo-byzantine style with the structure in the shape of the cross and the largest green tipped dome above the main hall.

Harbin North Forest Zoo

2011-07-29T17:48:00.000-04:00

We went to the Harbin North Forest Zoo about an hour outside the city. There are several huge areas where certain animals such as the lions and tigers can roam freely. The visitors can see the animals from the raised fenced-in walkway. As they say “. . . the unique isolation way of loose keeping area makes a close relationship between people and animal.” {absolutely must love the chinglish}.If you pay 5 RMB (a little less than $1) you can throw raw meet down to the animals and watch them eat it!

I enjoyed having a chance to see a white tiger as well as a white lion!

I also got to see Binbin – an elephant born in Harbin.

The swimming camels cracked me up and reminded me of Tim – because I know he loves the camels.

The hippo was pretty amazing too, because where else can you just reach in and touch a hippo, feed him, and give him water from your water bottle!

My favorites though were the monkeys. Again for 5 Yuan, you get a bowl of bananas or grapes {I’d recommend the grapes because you get more!} you can feed the monkeys! It was so much fun to have them reach out and take the fruit out of my hands. And one guy kept holding my hand and my wrist even when I didn’t have food. He was sooo cute!

During the middle of the day we met together in big groups and had the biggest picnics you ever did see! People just kept dumping more food into the middle. And then everyone made you try the food they brought. It was incredible. Also everyone came prepared with all kinds of roll out mats and pads and stuff to sit on. Some of the men contentedly stayed there the reset of the afternoon, but I went and had fun with some of my new Chinese friends and we fed the monkeys!

The Morning Market

2011-07-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

It begins as soon as the sun is up which as I mentioned previously, is quite early. I was up around 5, and we’d had no running water since about 10 the night before. I went over to a colleague’s apartment to take a shower, but they had no running water either. I was already up, so I figured I’d venture out of campus to the morning market. They are all over the city. It was during this trip after not having any running water and then seeing the live chickens for sale next to the underwear, spices, and duck eggs that I remembered that I was in a developing nation.

The contrasts were amazing. Raw beef next to the man who I assume would tell your fortune, any kind of vegetable you would like out of the back of a pickup truck, and you can even get your blood pressure checked. I walked back with 2 peaches and a fan to use during class.

Dining in China Pictures

2011-07-26T00:02:00.001-04:00