Chinese Opera

Chinese Opera is a huge part of Chinese culture. In my opinion, some of it, like Beijing opera, is truly intolerable with ridiculously high-pitched, nasal shrieks making up the singing. However, we found out yesterday that a Shaanxi Opera (a different kind of Chinese opera) was being performed at our school last night, and that it was free! So, we got tickets and headed over.

Matt has been wanting to see a Chinese opera for some time and thought he would really like it; I, on the other hand, had my doubts. Surprisingly, the opposite was true. He was bored out of his mind, and I actually enjoyed it. Of course, we had very little idea of what was actually happening since it was all in Chinese, but the acting and singing were good. Just very different from anything we're used to!

In any case, here are some video and photos from the performance. (Sorry about the poor video quality.)

Happy Mother's Day!

To two great moms...
We wish you both a very happy mother's day! Thanks for all your thoughts, words and actions that continually show us how much you love and support us! We miss you and look forward to seeing you very soon!

Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine has been around for thousands of years. While I don't buy into all this "chi" stuff, there are some aspects of Chinese medicine that seem great. The herbal meds have far fewer side effects than Western medicine, a massage can do anyone some good, and Matt has experienced the goodness of acupuncture first hand.

However... There are times when you hear some of these things and just laugh. For example, you shouldn't drink cold drinks because they give you indigestion--even water. Also, women shouldn't bathe for about a month after childbirth, because most people don't have heated water. And, again, basically anything cold is bad.

This week, I was explaining to a student how some exercises and activities, like snow-skiing, would be a bad idea for me because I have bad knees. I just happened to be wearing shorts while having this conversation, and the student looked at me as if I was completely ignorant. "Amy, you definitely shouldn't wear shorts if you have bad knees!" Feeling like a scolded child but trying not to laugh, I asked her why. She told me that even if it's not cold outside, the exposure to the wind will only make my knees worse. I was thinking, "Seriously?!" And looked around to the other students for some help. Amazingly, they all nodded their heads in agreement with the first girl.

It's a funny place... I won't even begin to talk about the strange looks and comments I get for wearing flip-flops!

Last semester, I told the story of one of my students who is from a small and poor village. As I have gotten to know this girl better, we have become great friends. The better we get to know each other, the more I learn about her life. It turns out that when she was born, her parents decided they didn't want her since she was a girl. So, they began looking for someone to give her away to. My friend's uncle decided to take her in, but he was really not interested or capable of all the responsibilities that come with fathering a child, and so she was raised by her grandparents. As a result of all this, she rarely talks to her birth mother and says she feels unloved by her family, aside from her younger sister (who was not given away) and an elderly grandmother to whom she is very close. What amazes me, though, is the strength and compassion and optimism of my friend.

I know that the culture here is so different from what we know and that a son is seen as the family's only welfare system in old age... But it breaks my heart that any child is ever discarded solely because of her sex; and that because of it, girls all over China feel "not good enough".

KTV

KTV is the thing to do among college students in China... It's a karaoke place, but different than at home. Rather than a large room with one stage, there are lots of smaller rooms, each one with its own karaoke machine, microphones, lighting system and all. I have students who regularly book rooms for 6 hours straight and sometimes overnight for 12 hours!

Amazingly, after nearly two years in China, we just went for the first time this week with some of my best friends. And, yes... even Matt sang karaoke.

This week has been crazily busy for both Matt and me. We're having some Chinese friends over tomorrow night for dinner and a movie, and I am trying my hand at Chinese food again--this time with dumplings. I've made them with students before, but never on my own. So, hopefully, it goes well... Matt will be making a backup meal of spaghetti, just in case!

Easter Fun

We celebrated with a picnic in the park with some of our Western friends. After that, we headed home to host an Easter party for Amy's students. We had a blast playing games, dyeing eggs and doing the egg hunt. Amy had given them some background info on the holiday during the week, and they were excited about taking part in our party!

Alarm Clock

You may think your alarm clock is annoying, but imagine waking up everyday at 6:30am to this. (Luckily, on Saturday, she often sleeps in until at least 7am and is not accompanied by her friends all doing the same vocal exercises!)

Click this link to listen: Audio.wma (It will take you to another website.)

Palm Sunday

(Click on the picture to see it in a larger size.)

Turning 28

Click on the photo below to see more pictures.

Turning 28