La vie quotidienne

I was reminded the other evening, while talking to another teacher here, that one of the joys in China is the pleasure of sitting around and simply watching things happen.  Here, for your viewing pleasure, a couple more videos of life on the basketball court next to the primary school on a Sunday afternoon, circa late September / early October.

Part the first:  In which Z tools around randomly on his bike, Y follows two girls that come by with a kitten in a small box, a random passerby talks on her cell phone, and a clump of children then run off to points unknown...



Part the second:  In which Z and friend play a Pokemon-type game with small circular trading cards, Y experiments with a plastic fake guitar, and someone in the background says ”对“ ("dui" = right, okay) repeatedly so fast that it almost sounds like machine gun fire.


Part the third:  In which Y shreds on the toy guitar, Z loses a round of rock/paper/scissors, and a toddler and her mom take their leave. 

...and you're looking at Who, exactly?

One of the small learning experiences we still undergo here is the experience of often being the center of attention.  I've more or less gotten used to it, but even after two years here, there's the occasional grandmother or grandfatherly type that will just plant themselves stock still in front of the kids and just stare. 

And stare. 

And stare.  (See exhibit A above.) 

And then, usually, get bored and walk away...

Yep, that's gotta be safe...

I'm sure of it. Safer at propping up high-voltage electrical cable than the 15-foot bamboo ladder sticking out of an oil drum that I saw along the same stretch of highway last winter, anyway. Y'see, this contraption has safety stripes...

And now a word from springtime...

...or a couple of pictures, which are worth a thousand or two, right?

Keepin' it simple

A very nice small portable kiddie carnival, seen at the market in downtown Jepara, in north central Java, Indonesia.

Space and stuff

This blog post sums up a bit of how we felt sometimes back in the States, living on a single income in a smallish apartment, but surrounded by double income families in fairly large houses with all the trappings. Now that we're in China, our apartment, which is in fact similar in size to the place we lived in America, seems quite palatial sometimes.

Lots of people, limited space, and a lower average income means that, in the cities and suburbs, apartment dwelling is the norm for all but the wealthiest here. An emphasis on living with extended family means that even with the one-child policy, there are more people per apartment, and personal space often takes on a new meaning. The idea of an individual two-story house with its own fenced-in back yard close to a city? Very strange, indeed.

It will be interesting to see what happens when we get back... Maybe we can get all of us into 800 square feet? More interesting ideas on how large (or small) our homes need to be here and here.

With apologies to William Carlos Williams

A lot does depend on wheelbarrows, rain water, and white chickens, but sometimes, a bit of sunshine and a pile of bricks will do quite nicely.