Ladders to Heaven

 The ladders are painted in correspondence to prayers to Buddha. They are painted to invite Buddha to descend from heaven. 

Vendors at every stop

Tibetan Water Funeral

  It is tradition to dispose of the dead by, Marvin’s words not mine, cutting the body into pieces and throwing it into the river. 

Tibetan Villages along the highway

  We took the scenic route to Shigaze, it was about seven hours. Fortunately the road has been paved in the last few years which sped up the trip. The scenery was intriguing and the views spectacular. I enjoyed seeing the traditional homes and villages along the roadside. 

The biggest tourist trap yet

  The Tibetans have capitalized on tourism and every tourist stop is packed with rather pushy vendors. This stop did offer some unique photo opportunities. This stop was a scenic view of the Yangzhuoyong Holy Lake. 

Picture on a Yak Y10

Tibetan Prayer Flags strung across the

Tibet Prayer Pile, okay I can't really remember what these were, but they are suppose to bring good fortune to those who build it.

According to Yahoo Answers...this is a chorten.

Yangzhuoyong Holy Lake

The rock piles covered the lakeside

A glacier covered mountain - between the lake and Shigaze

    This was the highest elevation we encountered on our trip – 16,568ft. My headache is Lhasa had disappeared but as I stepped off the bus and walked around it returned once again. 

Traditional Nomad Tents

Religion is a prominent part of daily life in Tibet

An ancient fortress nestled amongest the hills.

The reflection was spectacular!

   Once we had descended again into the valley I began snapping pictures out my window without really looking. As I reviewed my shots later I found this one. I wish I had been paying attention so I could have centered it a little better. I was shocked at the reflection. 

Traditional Homes along the roadside

I never tired of the clear blue sky

More homes

The colors were all vibrant

Dried Yak Chips covered the outside of the walls, insulation?

Itinerary: 

Tashilhunpo  Monastery, founded in 1447, was once inhabited by over 4,000 monks.Today,only600 remain there .This monastery is one of the few that weathered the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution relatively unscathed. 

It is the home of the Yellow-Hat-Panchen Lamas and one of the most beautiful remaining ensembles of Tibetan architecture. The Grand Hall contains the tomb(containing more than 85kg gold lots of jewels ) of the

Nothing Screams Practical like TP and Laundry Detergent!

I’m becoming more and more like my mother everyday, which is a very good thing! One such thing is the belief that practicality really wins the heart!

Like all recognizable holidays in China the faculty is presented with a gift.  For Women’s Day each female member of the faculty received 2 bundles of Toilet Paper and 1 bag of Laundry Detergent. With two females in our apartment it looks like we are set for the semester!

One must really admire the Chinese sense of practicality, last semester I received such gifts as boxes of pears, milk and dates. And to be honest I was going to run to the store today to stock up on Toilet Paper as we were running low.

Another trait I learn from my mother, one can never have enough Toilet Paper in storage, that and femine products, which again knowing I was coming to a country with limitations, I’ve got that base WELL covered.

I sadly realized on the bus ride home this evening that besides my Nativity blog, I’ve not written about Christmas in China. Where to begin, humm, maybe that’s why I’ve not written it I have no idea how to.

The Reason for the Season. I have the star of my scene.

 With the nativity saga my baby Jesus did arrive in time. I got it two weeks ago actually. It was just a single piece and didn’t warrant a bag I guess, so I just slipped it into my coat pocket. It always caught me off guard when I would slide my hand in, I’d finger the object for a second to figure out what it was.

It is now on my coffee table and will most likely stay there through January. A reminder of home. Mom would you take some pictures of my favorite nativities so I will have them for next Christmas. Children’s Christmas Pageant, the Russian Nativity and don’t forget the Black Bears.

Christmas lights are up all over the city but that really isn’t Christmas that is just typical tacky Chinese decorations, they are up year round. Surprisingly for a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas beyond apple exchanging there are quite a few decorations up. Of course there only seems to be one set of window stickers in all of Weifang.

(add picture)

Surprisingly my students are quite familiar with Christmas and its customs. It is strange though when you talk to children they know who Santa is but they will tell you straight, “Santa doesn’t come to China”. Don’t tell and American child that they would be horrified he is suppose to go to every child.

All though they know the traditions they do not participate in them. The only gift they really give is an apple. The apple is a symbol of peace.

Christmas music has been playing in the stores for the last few weeks. Most songs are in English and sometimes you can even close your eyes and just focus on the bustle and almost feel like you are back in the US, then you get one good whiff of that China smell and you are right back here.

Christmas is most definitely a unique experience in China.

Today was the shortest day of the year. As a traditional Chinese superstition if you eat dumplings, which are shaped like and ear, your ears will stay warm the rest of the winter. In turn you will remain warm throughout the cold months.

Bonnie filled me in on this little tidbit of information while at lunch. While in China do as the Chinese, so I planned on grabbing some dumplings for dinner. I willing to participate in just about anything to get one step ahead of the cold. After the English competition I headed to Cantina #3 Window 15 ahh my favorite. Really I didn’t need any excuse to head for the dumplings as they are my favorites. Then I saw the line, or should I more accurately say the mob.

Unlike the British, the Chinese can’t queue for the life of ‘em. I’m afraid I’ll have to relearn manners when I touch down again in the US. Pushing, shoving and the good ol’ elbow jab has become a way of life. I’ve sadly adopted this mentality for buses, train lines and and any ticket counter,perhaps to quickly at that. Although this new method of impatience has easily been adopted in other areas of my life it is not so in the dinner line. I don’t know maybe the possibility that the person I elbow jab could be  a curious student who always yells “hello” once I’ve past or worse yet a student I would have to see the following day.

This said, I opted not to secure warm ears for the winter and avoid the good 30min wait. So Chinese burrito it was.

You can never get too many dumplings!!

No worries about the dumplings, I should have remembered I have the world’s best friend, Wendy would never let such a day pass. Just as I sat down for my burrito Wendy called and asked about my dinner plans and if I had eaten any dumplings for the day, I confessed I had just bought dinner. She explained she wanted to drop by some dumplings as it was tradition. I of course, gladly accepted.

So leek and meat dumplings it is! Delicious. Yum, why is it that the taste of street food and small shops can knock the socks of any restaurant in the US?

About a month into this excursion I realized there were going to be plenty of moments where no words would capture my feelings. That’s when I discovered the phrase “Welcome to China”, mind you your arms must be thrown up into the air and your head shaken to get the full effect. This is the closest I’ve come to expressing my feelings.

Since I’ve discovered this line I have used it on numerous occasions to which all westerns have agreed. A child tinkling on the bus while the mother holds his legs spread eagle, “Welcome to China.” Afternoon planes never being less than 2hours delayed, “Welcome to China.” Class is canceled tomorrow (from your students but not a word from administration), “Welcome to China.” Shall I continue, okay you get the picture.

The truth, I’m getting sick of this phrase but it seems to be the only thing keeping me from insanity. I know common sense and culture is unique to each country and I know “West is not always Best”. I wouldn’t dream of forcing American ways on anyone but really basic human nature people? Anyone?

It is interesting to note that at lunch today Bonnie, Katie and I had a rather surprising conversation on the effect of propaganda here. After so long you just stop resisting. Scary, but true.

Keeping with tradition the Qingdao Branch had a Branch Christmas Party. Victoria planned it and it was spectacular.

Sister Shields and the Stevens

Our Korean Members

It was potluck style and oh so delicious. Jenifer made the most delicious potato salad sandwiches. I ate way way too many.

President Halladay

Shelly and Peter they sang Jingle Bells in Korean with their son. (Ding Ding Dong)

The Shields - Canada

The Blakes

Jennifer, she has such an amazing voice both in English and Korean.

The Yong Children, they are so well behaved at church, Rosy on the end is just the friendliest child you've ever met.

On to the White Elephant, I came prepared and was so excited. Victoria read a variation of the Night Before Christmas which added Left and Right all over the place. Each person began with their own gift then through the reading you passed the present according to the direction read. It was quite entertaining. The funniest was the fact that Adam had purchased a live turtle and cage. He placed it in a paper bag and gave explicit instructions not to shake his gift. Well needless to say some people forgot those instructions as the poem continued and poor Fred ended the night with fried nerves I’m sure.

I got Chinese Yo-yo’s! I was exstaticed!

Tonight is the Branch Christmas Party, there will be a White Elephant* gift exchange. I’ve always disliked White Elephant exchanges as I am terrible at selecting a gift. I think the games is fun and I love participating but my gift is always so unoriginal.

This year I finally did it!! I got the best gift.

The White Elephant gift of White Elephant gifts in my opinion.

The mismatched, pieced together, furry toilet seat warmer.  And for the novice or those who can’t figure out how to get this thing on the toilet I found the instructions while wrapping.

Even the foreigner can follow the pictures.

So I can proudly attend the Christmas Party armed with this gift. Hehehe

*White Elephant is a party game where each guest brings a small gag gift to be exchanged in unique or random fashion. Traditionally people try to bring a random item that will get a good laugh.

One of the BYU teachers asked if I had any Christmas activities to share. I sheepishly had to admit I haven’t nor do I ever plan that far in advance for classes. I told her I would begin looking online and I would get back to her if I found anything good.

So the basic google search began “ESL Christmas Activities”. Oh how I love google, I mean really, what would I do without it? The hardest part is removing Christ from Christmas, which is a requirement in China. As Christmas has become quite secular in the States it would not seem that difficult at first but still it is acknowledged as a Christian holiday. So many of the traditions and customs so cherished are steeped in Christian symbolism and require a basic understanding of the Christian faith.

I am so grateful I have my nativities up as a constant reminder of what this season should be centered around. Tis the reason for the season!

Okay back to lesson planning, I stumbled across this lesson plan and thoroughly enjoyed the information.*I’ve included the information at the end.

I was intrigued by the explanation of the presence of apples on the Christmas tree. We have always had small apples on our tree but I could never figure out why. I just figured it was a family tradition from my mom said and never asked. My mother’s side is German and that explains it!

I am learning so much about my own culture as I prepare to teach it and true bonus to this job!

*The Origins of the Christmas Tree

(http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/christmas.html)

Over the last few days Dantzelle and I have been discussing the Chinese zodiac and the personalities that are associated with them. Her zodiac, the tiger, matches her personality pretty well. So I decided to try mine. To start off I got the rabbit or hare, or better yet the BUNNY,  from the start I was rolling my eyes. So here is the word for word description from Chinese.astrology.com  

When in China do as the Chinese.

Well that’s me according the my Chinese Zodiac!

It was breathtaking to say the least. One of Adam and Dantzelle’s students took them to a fabulous little restaurant around the corner from the school. When they described the atmosphere they said think Communist. Okay, communist, nope nothing could have prepared me for this place. I’m just going to adding pictures, for pictures really do say a thousand words.

The back wall of the restaurant.

Hail to the leaders, can you name them all?

Can't beat those Waitress uniforms.

Great posters all over.

A flag or two, but in case you didn't get the hint this is a Chinese restaurant.

So I'm thinking they stretched that photo, I don't remember him being so wide.

Family Style, going to miss that to be honest.

One thing I’m still trying to get over is not lowering my voice when I say the word Communism. It is not equivalent with a bad word nor does it have a negative connotation here, yet I still throw side ways glances when I say it out loud. This restaurant was a little nerve jarring to say the least but everyone in it viewed it as any good American would view your grandmother’s kitchen. A wholesome place embodying all those home taught ideals.

So Mao’s Dinner is what I’ll call it.