Hi.

Welcome to our blog. We are spending a couple of years teaching university students in China. We chronicle all of our travels and adventures. 

Hope you have a nice stay!

Back in Bejing!  (Sept. 2017)

Back in Bejing! (Sept. 2017)

Flew back on Sept. 3.  THIS time, walked into a familiar apartment -- slept in a familiar bed -- still had our Chinese phone numbers, bank accounts, internet -- made for a quick adjustment, despite the time change!  We spent the first few days becoming acquainted with the new Beijing BYU China Teachers, showing them around and introducing them to people -- and even found time to do a bit of sightseeing!  On our first Friday, we invited everyone (5 Beijing CTP couples -- 3 couples here at PKU) to dinner after a few hours' exploring the Old Summer Palace, which is just one subway stop north of our apartment.  Both Brigg and I had passed by the site many times last year while out walking or biking, but we had never ventured inside.  What a beautiful walk through the old imperial gardens, where the lotus was still covering the lake (but not blooming anymore, darn it!).  Looking at our group photo, I think we all still look a bit jet-lagged, bedraggled, and perhaps even "shell-shocked," but it was a nice beginning to our time here together.

 

Walking around the ruins almost made me feel like we were back in Rome -- which I guess shouldn't have been a surprise given that the palace architecture was greatly influenced by the European designs of the time (including a stone "labyrinth" leading to a pagoda at the center) -- a bit of an irony considering that it was the European armies who burned and razed the old palace during the 19th century Opium Wars.

I became separated from the group at one point as I ran ahead looking for a temple that the signs suggested was just ahead (found it!  about a half-mile past the sign!)  Took me a while to find the group again, but what fun exploring!  Along the way, I stumbled across the following sign (and had to rethink my dinner plans . . . )

Our second week in Beijing saw the beginning of the semester.  Brigg and I have similar schedules:  Tuesday at 8 a.m. we each teach an "Oral English for English Majors" class, and then on Tuesday afternoons (from 1-3 p.m. and again from 3-5 p.m.) we teach our regular courses (Business English for Brigg, and my Critical Thinking/Academic Writing courses).  On Wednesdays, Brigg teaches in the mornings (8-10 a.m. and again from 10-noon), while I teach in the afternoons (1-3 p.m. and again 3-5 p.m.)  On Thursdays at 4 p.m., I have a regular tutoring session with Thomas, a darling 7-year-old whose mother is an administrator at the university.  Although our prep and grading work can be quite time-consuming, the schedule leaves us with a lot of flexibility.  We are taking advantage of our shared "free" Fridays to do more exploring around Beijing.  I can't believe we have actually lived here for a year -- it seems like there is SO much that we haven't seen!!  One such Friday took us to the Lama Temple (never been there!) and the ancient bell and drum towers (have been there -- but fun to go back!) 

Remember -- you have to climb UP the stairs to the drum tower and bell tower before you can come DOWN.  But it's worth it . . .  In that last picture coming up, you can see Jingshan Park (with the Forbidden City right behind it) and Beihai Park in the distance.

We read a plaque in the bell tower that told the legend of a young woman who sacrificed herself (i.e., threw herself into the molten lead) in order to ensure the perfect casting of the bell.  A shrine had been established in her honor inside a local hutong, so of course, we went looking . . . . . 

I don't really remember that last photo, but I'm sure the dialogue went something like this:  "Seriously, Brigg??  We JUST got to Beijing, and you want to go to MCDONALD'S???"

Get Outta Town!  (Oct. 2017)

Get Outta Town! (Oct. 2017)

Pandas, Palaces, and a quick deParture . . .  (June 2017)

Pandas, Palaces, and a quick deParture . . . (June 2017)