Year of the Horse 2014

January 31, 2014June 6, 20162 Comments

Location: Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China

Spring Festival has begun in China. As you know, the commencement of this is marked by a celebration of the lunar New Year- beginning on the 31st of January and ending of the 18th of February, 2015. According to the Chinese Zodiac or Shēngxiào (“birth likeness”), we are ending the Year of the Snake and entering the Year of the Horse. The twelve year cycle of animals is said to influence the lives of the individuals born under the various signs. I myself was born in a Horse year. Now, I’m not superstitious, but for others in a similar position (1966, 1978, 1990, or 2002) who may be curious, it is said that our fortune will be mixed. Financial independence is fairly certain (so we should say goodbye to student loan debt! huzzah!) and we will form a great many new relationships (hopefully quality ones), but we should be wary of health problems. We also should strive to work on time management and stave off unproductiveness and impatience. Honestly, I could see these predictions being fairly accurate.

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China 101: Gong Fu Cha (Tea Ceremony)

January 19, 2014May 11, 2016Leave a comment

“The art of tea is a spiritual force for us to share.” – Alexandra Stoddard

People may think that the British get unruly if they miss their cuppa in the afternoon, but the idiom is “for all the tea in China” for a reason: the tea ceremony is an institution here. It has been for over 400 years. People organize society around it. It is a time of day when families get together and share what’s on their mind.

As you might know, there are few things I love more than tea. And I’m pleased to say, that in China, they do tea drinking right. They appreciate it, they revel in all the flavors, and most importantly they use it as an opportunity to connect. Tea drinking is a communal process. The tea ceremony is a gathering where all of the stratifications of society fall away, and–for a brief moment–all are equal. Everyone has tea, billionaires and beggars alike. People hash out business deals, wedding plans, lunch menus, and so much more over this miraculous little leaf.

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New Year, from the Future

January 4, 2014June 7, 2016Leave a comment

Location: Difu Taoist Temple and Cloud Mountain, Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China

A new year has come and, with it, so have trips to the fringes of the city. To celebrate the coming of 2014, we climbed a mountain with Davi’s family. Of course, as per Chinese tradition, we did not find out that we were going to be doing any special activities for January 1–or even knew we had the day off, for that matter–until the previous afternoon. But, we made the best of the day. We even got to celebrate it a full 13 hours before all of you suckers in the Western Hemisphere, what V and I like to call “the past.”

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Building Stories

December 15, 2013June 7, 2016Leave a comment

Location: Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China

We are surrounded by architecture. See?

The differences between Western-style buildings and Eastern ones is vast, and can hardly be summarized in one of my pithy blog posts. However, some of the most interesting buildings are those that toe the line between Western and Eastern.

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Sports and Scares

November 5, 2013June 7, 2016Leave a comment

Location: Jian’ou No. 1 Middle School, Fujian Province, China

We are finally healthy. Just in time for the annual school “sports meeting,” what all of our hosts call field day and a cultural festival rolled into one. Something we’ve never experienced. We threw ourselves into the activities, judging an English recitation/singing contest, watching our students run, and playing games like aeroplane chess (like ‘Sorry!’ but life-sized).

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Wuyi Mountain

October 5, 2013June 6, 20165 Comments

Location: Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, China

In the midst of all of America’s crippling debt, furloughs, and government shutdowns, we’ve been sitting pretty in China. It was National Day this week, which means that the entire country has seven days to ‘play’ (in the parlance of Davi and our other Chinese friends). That means going to all of the global world heritage sites on the other side of the country that you may not have a chance to see any other time of year. It also means people. Lots of people.

Imagine the Fourth of July, and all of its inherent craziness. Binge drinking, people commuting across country to see relatives, and the like. Also imagine that America is three times larger. Finally, imagine that Americans have no concept of personal space and no restrictions as to how many people can be crammed into a bus, train, or can attend a tourist attraction at once. That was what our week was like.

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Home Sweet Jiā

September 16, 2013June 7, 20161 Comment

Location: Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China

Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up this week. We have 3 days off of school! I know that will bring numerous tales to report, so we thought we would get another update out before then. Despite the fact that the harvest is coming, it feels no nearer to fall in China and we have been seeking solace in different forms to escape the heat. The eclectic lifeways we see each day has us snapping photos and taking videos faster than we can even share them with you all. This photo set was almost painful to choose; between the beauteous views from high-rise apartments and mountain tops and the colors springing from the earth and from calligraphy brushes, there was far too much to take in.

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Ni Hao, Bo Yao!

September 1, 2013June 7, 20165 Comments

Location: Fuzhou and Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China

Well, we’re settling in here. School begins tomorrow, and we’re up to our knees in lesson plans, so we thought we’d bring you a brief synopsis of what this move to the Middle Kingdom has been like thus far. We’ve seen some pretty unique, terrifying and humbling things. This place hums with people, and resonates with the sound of car horns.