winter walk

aaron and i took a walk to a pagoda about a mile from our apartment that we always pass on the bus, but for some reason had never gone to see close up.  It's crazy to me that something this well preserved and impressive isn't even in any of the tourist books or guides we've seen.  A sign by it said it dates from the 1570s.

the stone has broken away over the years revealing the wooden armatures underneath.  we thought they look like crazy stick people finally escaping the stone after hundreds of years...

typical neighborhood on the outskirts of the city

this was a huge bridge, much too big for a pedestrian bridge.  we realized there must be plans to extend the road at either end which would mean razing the neighborhoods on either side. 

typical tangle of electrical wires overhead. 

typical shop selling housewares.

school stuff

school awards ceremony... no one wanted to be santa claus so guess who finally volunteered...

tina claus

dancing at the christmas party

first graders' christmas party.  they were all pretty excited to eat popcorn, cookies, and make christmas cards for their parents. 

school hallway.  they heat the classrooms and offices, but the hallways are unheated and they're always opening the windows for some reason- i guess to keep the air circulating, but the hallways are freeezing.

first graders at break time.  they all started drawing meat skewers on the board which made me laugh.  i had to take a few pictures.

another of their favorite subjects to draw: hearts. 

or flowers.

all the rooms and offices have a water cooler since you can't drink the tap water.   but also there is a plastic bucket/bowl in every room where people can dump excess water, tea leaves, etc.  At least once a week a student accidently steps on it and spills it everywhere. 

aaron takes a nap. 

we share an office with two chinese teachers.

my desk-- 

lunch time. this is the cafeteria. all the chinese teachers have a red coat given to them by the school, so it's a crazy sea of red when they all get together. it was a sunny day the day i took this picture. i feel like the cafeteria always seem sort of damp and dingy, but that could just be because i'm not a big fan of the food or the damp foody smell in there. to the school's credit, they make everything there, and it's probably pretty healthy food: big tubs of rice and meat and vegetables. i can't get used to eating without having some water or somethingto drink though. the only beverage is a giant pot of warm, sometimes salty, broth which everyone ladles into a bowl and drinks with the meal.

mystery condiments on our table.

mini kitchen

we feel tall here.