Hello There-
I decided to blog again, and I haven't decided what to blog about just yet, but I am sure it will come to me soon. I think I will start with answering the question that everyone has been asking me. "So what does one do in China?"
Well, Aubrey and I tend to have this sort of habit of trying yummy looking Korean candy. Which I have decided is overall noticeably better than Chinese candy. And I CAN tell a difference because Korean characters are more curved and have lots of circles. Whereas Chinese characters look threatening and kinda scary. They are big and squarish and practically scream, "If you knew what we said, you would burst into tears!!" Or, is just the fact that learning to read them seems completely impossible? I will get back to you on that...I haven't quite decided yet. But I digress. Other things one can do in China. Karaoke. Karaoke, for me, is a love\hate relationship. I love going with my friends and hanging out and listening to people sing their musically talented hearts out. Whether that be the Korean rap that a couple of my friends prefer, the multitude of Eagles of songs my Father enjoys, or the Avril Lavigne that Aubrey sings at the top of her lungs. I love hearing OTHER people express themselves through singing. I, on the other hand, am one of those people who, like my father (Sorry Daddy) should not sing in public. Ever. So when your sister asks you to hold the mic for her and then shoves you up from your of oh-so-comfortable sitting position to sing 'Complicated' by our dear friend, the aforementioned, Avril Lavigne. It makes your life, well, COMPLICATED. So, don't get me wrong. I'm not scared to sing, I am just...concerned. For everyone else in my company who would be perhaps SCARRED by a very bad musical performance. Given, It was fun. Although I had to pretend I couldn't hear myself hitting notes that only dogs could hear.
Something else you can do in China...um...JUSCO! You can go to Jusco (Kinda like a chinse mall with a supermarket inside) with your friends and look in the stores at clothing that look like they wouldn't ever fit anyone with curves. You can get tokens and play arcade games and watch people fail\show-off (it doesn't seem there is middle ground) at Dance Dance Revolution. And they recently got photo booths! They are absolutely amazing. You go and tell the lady (or your good friend who speaks fluent chinese, whom I suggest does this part) how many you want, if you want backgrounds, stickers, or weird frames. (I advise you to skip these things, they are honestly really cheesy) and then you go in and take the pictures. The Photo Booths are super fun. You can also go eat at 'CoolCoolLemon' which is like a juice bar type dealie. And they have this juice that is called Lemon Kumquat and I have no idea what it is. But its delicious. It tastes like lemonade only it has these little eyeball looking things floating all in it. They taste sweet and I have no idea what they are. I don't plan on asking, actually. Aubrey likes to get their Mango Smoothies which are phenomenal. Gentry prefers Watermelon Juice. And get this, okay, you watch them make it all. I pointed (I'm not fluent yet so shush it) at the little menu and the cut off a chunk of watermelon and stuck it in the blender and when it was liquidy they poured it into a cup and handed it to me. Crazy Straw is included.
Thats all I can really think of that you can do that anyone would find interesting. So I will think of another topic on which to talk about. Ah-another frequently asked question just came to mind. "So how is school going?" And my answer is.....(drum roll here)....well. I enjoy almost every aspect of it. First period is....interesting. Each day isn't the same. It alternates between either Chinese class, (which is very..um...enriching?) or Gym. Yes, the one that Mr. Sneed teaches. Oh, and for those of you who are wondering. I call him Daddy. I will always call him Daddy. None of this Mr. Sneed stuff. In Gym we have started our 'Fitness for Life' program. Now everyday we have to bring clothes to change into because we run\briskly walk for about 15-20 minutes. And I am sure that most of you are thinking, "Laurel? Laurel Paige? Didn't her school activities extend to Quiz Bowl last year?" Yes, Yes they did. And because of that I own not ONE PAIR, NOT ONE FREAKIN PAIR of exercise pants. So I have to wear...my dads. I have to wear his Razorback athletic pants because they are the only pants he owns with a drawstring. Not that I have anything against the Arkansas Razorbacks (WHOOOOO PIGG SOOOIIIIEEE-take that Nathan! Oh, he's my friend from Georgia. Enough said. Kidding Mother!!!) I just wish that I could wear my jeans all day and not have to change in the bathrooms. Oh and FYI it is HARD to change from Nike running shoes to Converse sitting on a closed toilet lid. And I won't even go into detail about changing from pants that are several several SEVERAL sizes too large to skinny jeans. *shiver*
Second period is...um-well- I think I should skip this one. My second period class is Geometry. And for the past THREE weeks we have been cutting, folding, and gluing these little one inch tall paper triangles. I hate them. I hate them with an unbelievable passion. We had to make about 1,000 (no exaggeration I AM DEAD SERIOUS) of these little things. So we could make a giant Sierpinski Triangle that is about 4 feet tall and several more feet wide. It was a complete waste of time, not to mention paper. We probably knocked out several acres of the rainforest for something that I am sure most of the high school population wants to burn. I started that movement.
Third period is Biology! I actually enjoy this class although its probably mostly because of the teacher. Mrs. Coclea is so smart and she has the sweetest personality. You could talk to her for hours about anything. The last chapter we did was the reproductive anatomy. We talked about everything from giving birth to when you start getting gray hair. And EVERYTHING in between. The fact that she was able to teach that to all of high school only strengthens my theory that she can talk about anything.
Fourth period is English. I love my English class. We have an awesome teacher in here too. Mr. Jarman (yes the same one that teaches Drama) recently assigned us a portfolio that requires us to use six of the different text types. You have to choose one topic to cover each one the text types. The topics vary for each person but some of the ones I have heard mentioned by my class mates were: board-games, sleeping, ice-cream, and iPods. I am stuck between the bands Green Day and My Chemical Romance.
Fifth period is History. Which Mr. Sneed\Daddy teaches. We are learning about the Mongols and Samurai's and different Chinese Dynasty's. Its a really interesting class. Our first week we were assigned to partners whom we had to write and act in a talk show with. Guess who ended up being the chinese concubine, Wu Zhao? Yeah, yours truly. Given she did rule the throne and was the only female in history to assume the title emperor but...still. I did have fun by borrowing my dear friend Becca's, she's in fourth grade, big chinese headband covered in flowers to help make me look the part. Because, you know, I totally looked Chinese to begin with. Oh, and once a week we play scrabble as a review game. Fun times, my friend.
Sixth period is either Photography or Reading. Photography is an awesome class where we learn how a camera works, different technical terms of types of photos, and how to edit them. I love it. We also go on field trips to get different types of shots. Last week, in fact, we were each assigned a teacher to shadow and take pictures of without being seen. Guess who I drew? Mr. Sneed. No Joke. Of all the teachers I had to get one I was blood related to. Turns out you can get lots of interesting pictures of teachers without them noticing if they are teaching the 2nd grade PE class. And I also learned that 2nd Graders+Bean bags=chaos. How my Father stays sane, I have no clue.
Reading is a fun class. Well it was. Until my mother gave us a seating arrangement. So now I don't sit between Aubrey and my 6th grade friend Mandy. I sit in the corner between a cabinet and this really nice quiet girl whose name I need to learn.
Seventh Period is awesome too. It switches between Drama and Art. Art is...okay. You know how I mentioned how much I happen to hate triangles thanks to Geometry. Guess what we are sketching in Art? FLIPPIN TRIANGLES.
Drama on the other hand is absolutely hysterical. For those of you who read my previously written blog entry know a little bit of what its like. I actually since then have been cast in a short skit involving three gunmen. Their names are: Mr. Fuchsia, Mr. Mauve, and Mr. Puce. I am Mr. Puce. I hate that word...puce...ew...its kinda like the word pleasure...BLECH...can't stand it...anyway, I'll shut up now. How the heck did I even get on that subject? Whatever-anyway. Its a hilarious skit that involves all three of them constantly having their guns at each other's heads and their conversations while doing so. Mr. Fuchsia has an obsession with blowing up people's brains, Mr. Mauve has to pee the whole time, and Mr. Puce corrects everyone's grammar. Its quite the acting experience. When we have time left in class we play one of the best games ever invented: Party Quirks. Basically someone is hosting a party and three people go out in the hall and decide what kind of quirk they should have. The last time we played, my friend Mary was a woman who suddenly goes into labor, my other friend Christina was a Tae-Kwan-Do (how the heck do you spell that) master who thought the party host was her padawan or whatever they are called, and I was a penguin.
So that is just a taste of what my school life is like..and it took a very long time to explain. And I am out of time for now to continue on this blog. So I bid all of you a very happy St. Patrick's Day and advise you to celebrate it passionately!

So long and Farewell-

Laurel

Kickball, Barbed Wire, and Cujo

Posted by Brad

As you all should know by now I am the P.E. Teacher for Pre K - 12th grade. It has been my desire to provide a quality program. I have also wanted to find the next Albert Puljos to sign for the Cardinals. I mean I would settle for a power hitting second baseman but I digress. I know that there is a left-handed hitting/right-handed throwing first basegirl in the pre-kindergarten class but I want to expand my horizon's. Since it has been cold I have been using the time to develop arm strength and throwing motion by using bean bags, that I had made, inside. Well, spring has sprung (at least it was warm today). I have taken the students (6th & 7th grade) outside for KICKBALL. I figured that it was a great introductory game for my ultimate goal of baseball. I figured that I would have the normal problems with first time gamers (running from the ball instead of to the ball; running to third from home instead of first; etc) Not a problem. The main problem is that we are playing on a dirt (really small gravel and dirt) soccer field. Even that is not really the issue. The real problem is the spear shaped fence posts topped with barbed wire and protected by Cujo (in various Chinese manifestations). If you kick the ball foul, well, you are fouled up. Today, we were playing and the ball was kicked high and deep. To quote the immortal Harry Carey (R.I.P.) "It could be, It might be, It.....is punctured by the spear shaped fence post". So the kickballs that we have (three to be exact; two I brought back from my recent hurried trip to the states and the other belongs to a student from Georgia, which by the way gives me someone to talk SEC smack to, which with the way the Razorbacks have been playing may not be much..but hey how about that Track Program WOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOIE!) are very precious. The game was called in the bottom of the fourth due to lack of air in the ball. But do not fear! I asked our business manager if he though we could get the ball patched at the bicycle shop. He said he would check and two hours later...... there was the ball with a black rubber patch... as good as new!

I also teach an elective entitled "Strategies for Life". It is about things that a teen and pre-teen should know to help them succeed in life. Since it was so warm today I determined that playing kickball was a very valuable skill for teens and pre-teens. So off we headed for an afternoon game. All was going well until a foul ball crossed the fence into Cujoland. It bounced once and was bitten by a very large dog. The dog turned out to be rather friendly but we are not sure what language he speaks. We asked him in Chinese, Korean, English, Dog and Arkansan to give us the ball back and he didn't. I am thinking that he is adding it to his collection of things... chewed plastic bowl, shredded mattress, poop (dried); heavy metal chain (attached) and various unidentifiable articles. So goes it. We still have two kickballs left.

The Yellow Sea

Posted by: Marilyn


Here is a short video and bumpy video of the beach near our apartment. Apparently I needed a tripod while filming.

It was taken one afternoon at high tide. In the mornings you can walk out a way on the rocks. Many people will walk out in search of crustaceans. Seafood is well-loved in the city. You can find lots of fresh fish, squids, and shrimp sold by vendors along the street. We had the best oysters I've ever eaten just before the Spring festival.

Our apartment complex is across the street from the area where this was taken. You may notice a large orb at the end of a pier. I've heard this is some type of observatory, but haven't visited it yet. This orb is at the end of the street leading to our apartment complex. It can be seen from google earth if you search Yantai. If you look it up, our apartment is to the left of the road that leads to the pier and orb. We will try to post the coordinates in the future.

Down by the Boardwalk

These shots were taken near one of the public beaches. Most of these photos were taken on the boardwalk restricted to bikes, dogs, and vehicles. Pedestrians can enjoy the ocean view, fly a kite, or purchase street food and trinkets from vendors. While I didn't get a picture of the squid on a skewer, I did get a shot of the biggest fruit cake I've ever seen!

Logan asked me about rickshaws before I left. I haven't seen anyone with a rickshaw, but I see lots of these tricycles around town. I've seen debris, garbage, and even people carried in the backs. A lot of the people that sweek the sidewalks and streets use this type of transportation in their day to day job.

Most of the city is very modern. I've tried to include some of the older areas of town as well. There are a few alley shots I really like, but probably not like anything you'd see on a tourism brochure.

I wanted to get a photo of the little dog. He looks suspiciously like a hundred other little guys I've seen around the city. (Maybe a Cairn terrier mix) These are not dogs like you see in the states. They are completely independent and don't really pay much attention to people. Kyle says all the dogs in the city have an agenda. Every morning you can see them on their way somewhere, and they mean business. There is no time to water trees or sniff. Kyle said they always look like they are on their way to a meeting.

German Town

Posted by: Marilyn


I looks like you don't have to live in Memphis to catch a glimpse of German town. Yantai is a port city and was controlled by the Germans for about 20 years. You can see the influence in the area of the city called Yantai Mountain. The buildings are beautifully constructed and look like they are as solid as when they were originally built. The first time I saw them, I thought it was new construction built in Western-style. We spent several hours milling around last weekend.

A few of the buildings have historical site markers. Shots of the signs are included as well. The area is so beautiful that it is a popular spot for wedding pictures.

There were a handful of bronze sculptures among the buildings. Gentry and I had our pictures taken with my unidentified favorite. I've got a guess who it may be, but will ask around before I post my speculation.

Here is a little more information I copied from Wikipedia.

"The city was nothing but a small fishing village until the late 19th century when it became a treaty port for the British, handed over by the falling Qing Dynasty, which had been defeated in the Opium War. Then with the Germans' power over the whole Shandong peninsula in early 20th century, Yantai was also controlled by Germans for about 20 years. After the Americans won World War I, they turned Yantai into a summer station for their entire Asian fleet. Then the Japanese set up a trading establishment in the town. You may be able to get an idea of the different influences at the western style Yantai Museum, which used to be a guild hall. However, the colourful history has not left a distinctive architectural mark, there has never been a foreign concession, and though you will see an occasional nineteenth-century grand European building, most of the town is of much more recent origin. After liberation, the town's name was changed from the original, Chefoo, to Yantai and was opened to the world as an ice-free trade port in 1984."

For a little more history about Yantai dating back to Xia Dynasty in 2000BC, check out this link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantai

Our Apartment

Posted by: Marilyn



Here are the apartment photos I thought I'd have posted a month ago! We've added a few plants and accessories since then, but it looks basically the same. This is the skeleton and we are still fleshing it out. We still badly need art.

I've got some shots of things that may seem odd, but I thought some of you might find it interesting to see. The light fixtures are not the typical selection you'd find at Lowe's or Home Depot. I think they are charming and really like them. I've got a close up of one of the light switches...try to read the characters.

The floors in the living areas are giant tiles of 3.5' x 3.5'. The bedroom floors are bamboo. I've got a close-up of the bamboo. The kitchen counter tops are all a hard surface. (Maybe granite-we have granite as the walkways and steps outside the apartment) The counters are so low that it makes prep work painful if you have much to do. I think everyone except Gentry has bumped their head on the vent-a-hood. The rectangle high on the wall in the kitchen is our hot water heater. It is powered by natural gas and heats immediately. I have no idea how this works.

The outside shots in the evening show Gentry peeking out the window in our living room. I didn't get a shot of her bedroom but will try to include it at a later date.

You may notice the radiators on the walls in some of the shots. This is our only source of heat. The heat is turned off everywhere for everybody on March 31. Individuals or buildings owners don't make this decision. This weekend was beautiful. My guess is that we reached the 60's. If the weather stays warm, it should be fine. If we drop down into the 30's as we did last week, we may have a chilly April in the Sneed home.

What a month!

Posted by Marilyn

The last month has been a blur! We are finally settling into a routine with our class schedule with everyone healthy. Laurel and Gentry both had a couple of rough weeks with health issues. Several of you are aware that Brad's Grandpa Arnold passed away, as well. Brad made a very quick visit back to the states for the funeral. He returned Monday and is still battling the jet-lag. He's had a tough time both in the states trying to function and returning to this time zone after a week away.

Hopefully we will be able to update the blog more regularly for those of you that have stuck with us through the down-time. We miss you all and think of you often.