You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2010.
Chinese and American Teachers Attend Turkish Cooking Class!
Today I picked up two Chinese educators at the hotel, part of a delegation of educators from the Shandong Province, here to spend 10 days in our schools and in our homes. It was truly the ride from hell, as I left my school in bad rainy weather and headed through a maze of streets until I finally arrived at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in New Britain. I entered a conference room, where a group of 25 Chinese educators were seated and anxiously awaiting their pickups from those of us who had offered our homes from the homestay. Lined against the wall in the conference room was an array of luggage, all sizes and shapes, waiting too for the journey to an American home!
I was quickly introduced to my two Chinese educators, Li and Yao, one a vice principal and one a highschool chemistry teacher, lots of smiles and we headed out to my car. The rain was coming down and the air was filled with fog as we headed down the road looking for the highway. I was exhausted, having spent the last week or so, plotting and planning their visit and the massive schedule we had put together, in addition to teaching. The ride home was awful, traffic heavy and raining, but eventually we made it to our home.
Both educators are truly delightful, one speaking enough English to carry on a conversation, while the other speaks through him. They came, as is the Chinese tradition, bearing beautiful gifts. I cooked dinner and we sat in the dining room, carrying on enough conversation to keep words flowing. They ate and bid their goodnights at 7:30, retiring to the room they are sharing for their 10 days with us! I can only imagine how exhausted they are, and how overwhelmed they must be! After a good nights sleep, I’m sure they’ll feel better!
In 2006 I received a grant to travel to China with 20+ educators from CT to tour cultural sites and to establish a sister school partnership with a school in the Shandong Province, CT’s sister province.
Several vans and cars lined up at our sister school ready to go to dinner. The principal, assistant director or as we in the states call him, the assistant principal, school photographer, English teacher and another educational official from the province, my American teacher partner on the trip, Louise and I took a drive from the city streets of Jining to the countryside, passing the skyscrapers and congestion of the city. The drive through the city streets is an adventure in itself, weaving back and forth through the traffic, while horns continually blare, often for no reason that we could see, while pedestrias and bikes were driving alongside us even though our vehicle was often traveling at high speeds! We passed so many street vendors and roadside cooking carts. It was early evening, spring time and there was so much activity in the streets.
We pulled down a tree-lined country road and arrived at our destination, a countryside restaurant. The English teacher, always accompanying us, asked us if we’d like to go fishing! The principal from our sister school had left the van rather quickly and seemed to disappear. We got out of the van, looked around and started snapping some photos. The staff of the restaurant was standing outside the doorway, smiling and waiting for us to come, dressed in beautiful traditional red clothing. Our English teacher, Fan Wei, asked us if we again if we would like to go fishing and led us over to a pond. We passed our driver playing pool on a full-sized pool table, under an outdoor pop-up canopy. There was a series of large wired cages surrounding the pond filled with several exotic birds: peacocks, a variety of ducks, swans and a few turkeys, under a wooden sign that said ‘Bird Variety Farm’. God, I love translations! There were also several large German Shepherds in cages close to the pond, with very large barks. I’m sure they were placed there as watch dogs to keep intruders away from the pond and birds.
Our principal, Mr. Gao, was standing on the edge of a large, oval manmade pond with a long thin bamboo pole in his hands. He would stop periodically and sit o a small wooden folding chair, short rests. His line was cast, never too far from the shore. There was a bobber like flag near the end of the pole that gloated straight up and down, rather colorful too, just waiting to go under when a fish struck. The principal pulled the pole rather quickly straight up and out of the water as one of his female music teachers grabbed a large, blue net, his assistant. They told us that this would be our dinner! Now that the principal had caught the fish we could enter the restaurant and begin our feast. We walked through a clear curtain hanging over the entrance held open by the waitress’ dressed in the traditional red dress. We were all seated in a large room and began what proved to be the grandest feast I’ve ever had! It was a banquet in every sense of the word. There was such a grand variety of foods served, many familiar but more unfamiliar and known only in the Shandong region. There was a great array of seafood, whole fish, sautéed fish, leading me to ask so many questions of my translator. Lots of vegetables and dumplings were served, plate after plate, arriving one right after another. There was even a turtle still hidden under his shell alongside a duck, cooked and reassembled beautifully on the plate, lacking only its feathers, even the head and beak grilled. And yes, he symbolic fish, caught by the principal was elegantly served and enjoyed by all.
We were served several different kinds of porridge, some salty, some sweet, both served thick with either small beans or fruit. We were told to eat just a little as it will help with one’s digestion. After several hours of eating some of the best tasting and most beautifully presented food I’d ever tasted and enjoying several glasses of Chinese beer, now barely able to even move, I was asked what kind of noodles, rice or dumplings I would like to try! We very graciously declined and we later learned that even our young English interpreter was overwhelmed with their generosity and full as well.
Over the last week of vacation I watched the film ‘Adaptation’ several times, free on one of the premium stations on our local cable station. My son had highly recommended it and said he had told me about the film several times, but I hadn’t remembered that. I settled in to watch the movie alone, comfortable on the couch covered in a soft throw.
The beginning of the film, starring Nicholas Cage, was slow and a bit odd, but I usually found my son’s film recommendations similar to mine, so I continued to watch it, knowing eventually it would all come together. There are several stories going on simultaneously, and the story reflects incidents that have happened earlier and then back to the present, leaving you confused at times. There are several intense surprises that made me jump out of my seat and moan. Those types of moments you need someone with you to watch the film.
Meryl Streep plays a reporter from the New Yorker, although a succesful writer and from the outside happily married, she discovers she is missing something in her life. That link she realizes, from hanging out with a twisted, dysfunctional and tormented soul, actor Chris Cooper, a genius continually on the quest of discovery. Nicholas Cage is a screen writer who is working on the book ‘The Orchard Thief’ written by actress Meryl Streep. I had a bit of trouble accepting the fact that Nicholas Cage, paunchy and hair heavily thinning, plays he and his identical twin brother, but the two characters, vastly different were convincing
What I came away feeling from this movie is that we are all on a quest to find that passion, that deep feeling that drives us, a feeling that is so hard to explain, never mind obtain. It really is intangible because once that quest has been reached we quickly search out something else. Can man ever truly be satisfied?
As an avid gardener and lover of nature, I was fascinated with the information in the film related to the orchid and its role in nature. Truly fascinating! Need to look for the “Orchard Thief” on Amazon.
March 28, 1992
Well, the day has finally arrived, I’m off with a group of educators and students to Russia! It all has seemed too happened far too fast! My decision to accompany the students and staff of our middle school was not an easy one. My oldest son, a 7th grade student, was selected to travel on this grant as a member of the Talented and Gifted Class. His teacher, Tom Dzicek, passionate about international learning and having recently established a relationship with a school in Moscow, wrote a grant and received the funding needed to send 20 students and 8 teachers/parent chaperones to Russia for two weeks. The year, 1992, only two years after the collapse of the wall, and here were a group of middle school students, from a small cow town on their way to Russia, really quite brave and adventurous! We were actually the 2nd group to make this voyage, fortunate for us since the first group broke the ice and left us with so much practical information. The paperwork came home from the school in the fall and by early winter, we were committed and attending basic Russian language classes, once a week.
I was having a difficult time with the decision to let my son, Justin, go on this journey, advised by just about all of my relatives to not let him go. One evening, my husband knowing I was anguishing over the decision suggested I go too! The next day I asked my Superintendent if I could have some release time to chaperone this trip, not the same district that I teach in. I told him I would involve my students with this opportunity by bringing both pen pal letters, teaching materials and student art with me to Russia and would hopefully be bringing the same back to our town. He agreed and gave me most of the time I needed off, granting it as professional time, and allowed me to take a few days off without pay. I thought this was far, and since I was paying only a few hundred dollars to go on this trip, I felt it was worth it.
Packing wasn’t an easy job! In addition to gathering all of my belongings I had to help my 7th grade son prepare for this journey. This trip occurred back in the day when airlines weren’t concerned with the weight of your luggage. I had also been told that the economy was horrible in Russia and many everyday household and food items could very well be scarce, so one piece of luggage contained a multitude of over the counter medicines, jars of peanut butter and various snacks. As a parent chaperone I felt very responsible for the children that were traveling on this journey without their parents and I had to be sure I had what we all needed.
I was so excited at the prospect of traveling to Russia, but I will admit I was quite a bit apprehensive! I was traveling with one of my sons, but I was leaving behind two other sons, one 3 years old and another in 4th grade along with my husband. Could they fare without me for two weeks? Could I really handle being away from them for that time period? I found myself continually asking myself, ‘What am I doing?’ I knew in my heart that when the two weeks would be up, I would come away changed and have known that I had made the right choice.
Patrick, my youngest son, didn’t really seem to know what was going on. We were all up very early that morning and the time seemed to drag by. He really had no idea what it meant when I told him that I would be gone for 14 days! Clinton, on the other hand, knows what it means, and he has been crying all week whenever we discuss the trip! He has always been the sensitive one. I know he will find it difficult. We all went up to the middle school that morning to board the bus that would be driving us to the airport. Patrick was having a blast sitting in the bus driver’s seat, turning the steering wheel, all smiles. Clinton was being brought up to the school to say his goodbyes by his dad and his dad was late. Our bus left before Clint arrived, not giving me the chance to kiss Clinton goodbye, not good. I left presents at home on the table for the boys, a departure gift, a Bull’s cap for Clint and a puzzle for Pat. I called everyone from JFK and gave everyone my love.
We arrived at JFK at 3:30, after a quick stop at a rest area and McDonald’s. The line was quick for boarding the plane and by 5:15 we were allowed to board. As always it was quite hectic, walking down the aisles searching the overhead compartments for a place to store our heavy carry ons. The plane departed at 6:30pm, a rough start! We all set our watches ahead for Moscow time, yes, it was now 4:45am.
On the plane I opened the letter Clinton had written me, tears flowed. He asked me not to forget wheat he looked like, so sweet. How could I ever forget what you look like Clint! I have so much love for you.
It’s now 9:30am and daylight, already feel like I’m used to the time change but of course jet lag hasn’t even set in yet. I’m still on the high of this whole experience. I finally was able to close my eyes, 7:30am, and drift off for barely a few moments, looking again at my watch, only 8 am. Time to take a pill, a small white one from my mother in law, just to help me sleep. I look over at Justin and he’s fast asleep, youth.
Once everyone seemed settled and I knew I couldn’t sleep I decided to get up and walk around the plane. It was huge! I spotted a couple of extra seats all in a row and decided to stretch out back there for a while. There was a man on my right who was actually from Bolton, CT, the next town over to us, and he was on his way to Russia for his 3rd time, business. He told me that I would love the travel, love Russia but at the end of the two weeks I’d be ready to go home. After a nice chat with him and a glass of wine time was passing quickly. I looked out the window and the sun was up, having just flown over Sweden, mountainous, so beautiful!
I hadn’t traveled abroad since I was in high school and had traveled at 15 with the French Club to France, almost 20 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised by the food served on Delta, rating it a definite A+: filet mignon, carrots, broccoli, a roll, cheese/crackers, chocolate mousse cake, salad and a Miller Lite. Several hours later we were served breakfast: coffee, yogurt, juice, fruit and a muffin, again delicious, and a nice distraction.
I’m starting to get very anxious now, ready to land and get off the plane. I still feel like it is a dream, is this all really true? Am I really going to Russia, a communist country?
Justin is too feeling the anxiety and says he’s nauseous. He slept only for 3 hours. My stomach is in complete knots, not surprising. Oh well!
The fellow next to me was going to Moscow and then heading to Siberia, wow, that almost sounds scary when I say it. I know so little about that part of the world, other than the idea of banishing someone in exile to Siberia!
Plane landed with ease, touching down at noon! Ah, we’ve made it!
