Hi everyone!
I'm sorry that the last post came out in gobbledy gook- I think I was typing in English in a Chinese font. Sorry about that!
We had a wonderful time at the Cambridge school in Hanzhong. We met up with old friends who have visited here as well as making some new ones. We taught 9 40 min classes on saturday and 8 on sunday - so we're pretty exausted by the end! In all we were able to talk with 3,000 students - not a bad effort for 2 days work huh!
Our kids were amazing! They took to teaching like naturals! It was fantastic to watch. The biggest hit of the visit was one BB - who was adored by all - particularly some of the young girls who made him a number of gifts! I have some fantastic footage of him being mobbed by a whole lot of little people - It's worth a look! He's had a wonderful time and was very touched by the experience. The whole thing was filmed, as was our 2006 visit - so it's now going to be played at the school every weekend, as well as on Hanzhong television! Pretty cool huh! It may even go onto the net at some stage - if so I'll post it so you can check us out.
This morning we got up at 4.30, said a tearful farewell to our friends and headed off back to Xi'an (5 hour bus trip) to catch a plane to Guilin. We've visited a couple of scenic spots and some of the kids have headed off shopping with Gary - and the boys are playing Mahjong with BB. I'm going to head off to do some work on my Greek!!
Tomoorow we're off to catch a boat on the Li river to Yangshuo - promises to be a great day. Will try to blog once more before we catch the plane home on Friday night. Will be home Saturday.
Hugs and love to you all!
SB XX
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Hanzhong China
Hi Everyone!
Thanks for your commenｔｓ! Ｗｅ'ｒｅ ｉｎ Ｈａｎｚｈｏｎｇ ｗｈｉｃｈ ｉｓ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｉｎｔｈｅ ｃｅｎｔｒｅ ｏｆ Ｃｈｉｎａ. Ｗｅ ｓｐｅｎｔ ２ ｄａｙｓ ｉｎ Ｘｉ'ａｎａｎｄ Ｂｒｅｎｄａｎ ｌｏｖｅｄ ｔｈｅ Ｗａｒｒｉｏｒｓ． Ｈｅ ｓａｙｓ ｔｈｅｙ ｗｅｒｅ ａｓｔｏｎｉｓｈｉｎｇ ａｎｄ ｔｈａｔ ｔｈｅｒｅ ａｒｅ ｎｏ ｗｏｒｄｓ ｔｏ ｄｅｓｃｉｂｅ ｔｈｅｍ． Ｗｅ ａｌｓｏ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ Ｓｈａｎｘｉ ｍｕｓｅｕｍ．
Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｎｏｗ ｉｎ Ｈａｎｚｈｏｎｇ ｖｉｓｉｔｉｎｇ ｏｕｒ ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ ａｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｃｈｏｏｌ ｈｅｒｅ． Ｗｅ＇ ｖｅ ｈａｄ ｏｕｒ ｆｉｒｓｔ Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ ｃｌａｓｓ ｔｏｎｉｇｈｔ －ｗｅ ｈａｖｅ ８ ｍｏｒｅ ｔｏｍｏｒｒｏｗ！ ＷＥ＇ｒｅ ｂｅｉｎｇ ｆｉｌｍｅｄ ｔｏ ｇｏ ｏｎｔｏ ｌｏｃａｌ ＴＶ！
Ｓｏｒｒｙ ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ ｆｏｎｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｉｓ ｏｎｅ －Ｉ ｃａｎ＇ｔ ｃｈａｎｇｅ ｉｔ！Gotta go too!
Lots of Love
Sandy and Brendan XX
Thanks for your commenｔｓ! Ｗｅ'ｒｅ ｉｎ Ｈａｎｚｈｏｎｇ ｗｈｉｃｈ ｉｓ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｉｎｔｈｅ ｃｅｎｔｒｅ ｏｆ Ｃｈｉｎａ. Ｗｅ ｓｐｅｎｔ ２ ｄａｙｓ ｉｎ Ｘｉ'ａｎａｎｄ Ｂｒｅｎｄａｎ ｌｏｖｅｄ ｔｈｅ Ｗａｒｒｉｏｒｓ． Ｈｅ ｓａｙｓ ｔｈｅｙ ｗｅｒｅ ａｓｔｏｎｉｓｈｉｎｇ ａｎｄ ｔｈａｔ ｔｈｅｒｅ ａｒｅ ｎｏ ｗｏｒｄｓ ｔｏ ｄｅｓｃｉｂｅ ｔｈｅｍ． Ｗｅ ａｌｓｏ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ Ｓｈａｎｘｉ ｍｕｓｅｕｍ．
Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｎｏｗ ｉｎ Ｈａｎｚｈｏｎｇ ｖｉｓｉｔｉｎｇ ｏｕｒ ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ ａｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｃｈｏｏｌ ｈｅｒｅ． Ｗｅ＇ ｖｅ ｈａｄ ｏｕｒ ｆｉｒｓｔ Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ ｃｌａｓｓ ｔｏｎｉｇｈｔ －ｗｅ ｈａｖｅ ８ ｍｏｒｅ ｔｏｍｏｒｒｏｗ！ ＷＥ＇ｒｅ ｂｅｉｎｇ ｆｉｌｍｅｄ ｔｏ ｇｏ ｏｎｔｏ ｌｏｃａｌ ＴＶ！
Ｓｏｒｒｙ ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ ｆｏｎｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｉｓ ｏｎｅ －Ｉ ｃａｎ＇ｔ ｃｈａｎｇｅ ｉｔ！Gotta go too!
Lots of Love
Sandy and Brendan XX
Monday, March 24, 2008
Last Day in Beijing
Hey all!
Having a great time! Kids were off at homestay over the weekend - so we had some time to ourselves. Brendan, Gary and I did too much shopping and then had lunch in a Thai restaurant. After that went into Jingshan park where you can get a brilliant view over the forbidden city - but it was terribly foggy. Also went and had a look in Beihai park. Walked up to the White Dagoba - which is like a Tibetan Buddhist Stupa and then went home for a little pre-dinner nap!
Dinner on Saturady was brilliant. Brendan and Gary voted it among the 10 best meals of their lives. We went to a Tibetan restaurant and had Yak steaks, salad, momo (tibetan dumplings) and garlic bread with saffron. Superb!!! All this for a total of $100 australian including drinks. Not bad huh! The ambiance was superb - an amazing tibetan movie playing on the big screen and then some singers after dinner. They also brought a lovely plate of fruit for us to share. I even got to use my little bit of Tibetan - Tashidele - it is a greeting meaning "peace" - the Tibetans really like it when you can speak to them!
Having a great time! Kids were off at homestay over the weekend - so we had some time to ourselves. Brendan, Gary and I did too much shopping and then had lunch in a Thai restaurant. After that went into Jingshan park where you can get a brilliant view over the forbidden city - but it was terribly foggy. Also went and had a look in Beihai park. Walked up to the White Dagoba - which is like a Tibetan Buddhist Stupa and then went home for a little pre-dinner nap!
Dinner on Saturady was brilliant. Brendan and Gary voted it among the 10 best meals of their lives. We went to a Tibetan restaurant and had Yak steaks, salad, momo (tibetan dumplings) and garlic bread with saffron. Superb!!! All this for a total of $100 australian including drinks. Not bad huh! The ambiance was superb - an amazing tibetan movie playing on the big screen and then some singers after dinner. They also brought a lovely plate of fruit for us to share. I even got to use my little bit of Tibetan - Tashidele - it is a greeting meaning "peace" - the Tibetans really like it when you can speak to them!
Friday, March 21, 2008
China Update II
Hi everyone,
Thanks to those who have posted comments back to us- we appreciate it!
Yesterday we headed in to Tiananmen Square- the political and cultural heart of Beijing, and therefore China. We climbed up on to Tiananmen gate and saw the square from right where Chairman Mao proclaimed the people's republic in 1949. Then we headed into the Forbidden City - the palace for the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties since the 1400s. It has been extensively restored in recent years - so is looking beautiful in many places with a new coat of paint. The main halls are still under restoration though - wonder if they'll be done in time for the Olympics?
It's interesting having heard many times in Australia that all Beijing taxi drivers are being trained to speak ENglish to deal with tourists - I still haven't met one who can! They're also still quite rude to foreigners - so will be interesting to see how that plays out in the western media at Olympic time!
We had a very quick dinner and a FANTASTIC restaurant - had to bring the dumplings back as we ran out of time - and sent the kids back to the meeting at the school in taxis. Arrived in time for them to meet their homestay families. They all seem pretty pleased about it all - and are looking forward to going to their homestays today.
We haven't been able to go to church today for Good Friday -so have had private prayer ourselves. Am taking the kids to a Buddhist temple for a visit this afternoon - which feels a little wierd. We were going to the zoo to see the pandas - but they seem to think this will fit better with the program. The school here is running as normal today and all are in classes. You'd never know that today is the most sacred day of the christian calendar.
Lots of love and hugs to you all - may you have a joyous and peaceful Easter Season.
Don't forget to comment on this blog and say hi!
Blessings,
SB
Thanks to those who have posted comments back to us- we appreciate it!
Yesterday we headed in to Tiananmen Square- the political and cultural heart of Beijing, and therefore China. We climbed up on to Tiananmen gate and saw the square from right where Chairman Mao proclaimed the people's republic in 1949. Then we headed into the Forbidden City - the palace for the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties since the 1400s. It has been extensively restored in recent years - so is looking beautiful in many places with a new coat of paint. The main halls are still under restoration though - wonder if they'll be done in time for the Olympics?
It's interesting having heard many times in Australia that all Beijing taxi drivers are being trained to speak ENglish to deal with tourists - I still haven't met one who can! They're also still quite rude to foreigners - so will be interesting to see how that plays out in the western media at Olympic time!
We had a very quick dinner and a FANTASTIC restaurant - had to bring the dumplings back as we ran out of time - and sent the kids back to the meeting at the school in taxis. Arrived in time for them to meet their homestay families. They all seem pretty pleased about it all - and are looking forward to going to their homestays today.
We haven't been able to go to church today for Good Friday -so have had private prayer ourselves. Am taking the kids to a Buddhist temple for a visit this afternoon - which feels a little wierd. We were going to the zoo to see the pandas - but they seem to think this will fit better with the program. The school here is running as normal today and all are in classes. You'd never know that today is the most sacred day of the christian calendar.
Lots of love and hugs to you all - may you have a joyous and peaceful Easter Season.
Don't forget to comment on this blog and say hi!
Blessings,
SB
Thursday, March 20, 2008
China: The first few days.....
Hello everyone!
We’re having a great time so far…. Although feeling a little sleep deprived! We arrived at midnight on Sunday (China Time) and as I went to set the alarm for the next morning I discovered that I had been up for exactly 24 hours. A long day!
On Monday we took the group to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is the Qing Dynasty emperor’s Summer palace. It has an enormous man made lake and a large man made hill which has a Buddhist temple on top – built by the Emperor Qian Long for his mother’s birthday. We strolled around the lake, along the Long Corridor, caught a boat across to the small island. From there we walked very briskly around the lake and up to the temple at the top of the mountain. A great view was had from the top!
Day two saw the kids having classes in the morning and I thook Brendan to have him fitted for a couple of suits. He should look quite spunky in them! I am also having a couple of silk jackets made. After lunch we took the kids shopping - then to the Temple of heaven (the iconic building with the blue roof that you see in all the shows about Beijing ). This is the place where the Emperor would go once a year to pray for a good harvest. After that partook of Beijing Duck and then took the kids to see a theatre performance at the Laoshe teahouse. It included acrobats, music, comedy and kungfu. Great fun! We finally got home to bed around 10.
Yesterday we went to the great wall at Simatai - a spot I hadn't been to before. Very remote - and VERY steep! We hiked up it for an hour or so - and then slowly and carefully made our way back down. The view was spectacular! Every single one of us slept on the bus on the way home - which says something about how well we're tiring the kids out! They recovered quickly though - and played basket ball before tea and went swimming afterwards. BB and I went for a very brisk 20 min walk to the DVD shop and back. Bought just a few things! :-)
TOday we're off to Tiananmen Square and then the Forbidden city. SHould be a fantastic day. The kids are off on Homestay on the weekend - so the 3 of us adults will get a little much needed grownup space!
Sorry for the brief travelogue nature of this post - in a hurry on a timed connection. I might see if I can post photos another time this week.
Send me a note to say hi!
Hugs to all!
SB XX
We’re having a great time so far…. Although feeling a little sleep deprived! We arrived at midnight on Sunday (China Time) and as I went to set the alarm for the next morning I discovered that I had been up for exactly 24 hours. A long day!
On Monday we took the group to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is the Qing Dynasty emperor’s Summer palace. It has an enormous man made lake and a large man made hill which has a Buddhist temple on top – built by the Emperor Qian Long for his mother’s birthday. We strolled around the lake, along the Long Corridor, caught a boat across to the small island. From there we walked very briskly around the lake and up to the temple at the top of the mountain. A great view was had from the top!
Day two saw the kids having classes in the morning and I thook Brendan to have him fitted for a couple of suits. He should look quite spunky in them! I am also having a couple of silk jackets made. After lunch we took the kids shopping - then to the Temple of heaven (the iconic building with the blue roof that you see in all the shows about Beijing ). This is the place where the Emperor would go once a year to pray for a good harvest. After that partook of Beijing Duck and then took the kids to see a theatre performance at the Laoshe teahouse. It included acrobats, music, comedy and kungfu. Great fun! We finally got home to bed around 10.
Yesterday we went to the great wall at Simatai - a spot I hadn't been to before. Very remote - and VERY steep! We hiked up it for an hour or so - and then slowly and carefully made our way back down. The view was spectacular! Every single one of us slept on the bus on the way home - which says something about how well we're tiring the kids out! They recovered quickly though - and played basket ball before tea and went swimming afterwards. BB and I went for a very brisk 20 min walk to the DVD shop and back. Bought just a few things! :-)
TOday we're off to Tiananmen Square and then the Forbidden city. SHould be a fantastic day. The kids are off on Homestay on the weekend - so the 3 of us adults will get a little much needed grownup space!
Sorry for the brief travelogue nature of this post - in a hurry on a timed connection. I might see if I can post photos another time this week.
Send me a note to say hi!
Hugs to all!
SB XX
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Heading off on China Tour this sunday!
Hi all,
BB and I are heading off to China with 21 kids and one other adult for the Carey China tour. We leave this Sunday at 5.30 am. I'm hoping that we'll be able to keep in touch with people about the journey this time by publishing comments to this blog rather than via email.
Of course we'd love to hear from you while we're away - so please either email us directly or leave a comment on this blog site to say "hi" whilst we're gone.
Much love and best wishes for a happy and safe easter.
Hugs
SB
BB and I are heading off to China with 21 kids and one other adult for the Carey China tour. We leave this Sunday at 5.30 am. I'm hoping that we'll be able to keep in touch with people about the journey this time by publishing comments to this blog rather than via email.
Of course we'd love to hear from you while we're away - so please either email us directly or leave a comment on this blog site to say "hi" whilst we're gone.
Much love and best wishes for a happy and safe easter.
Hugs
SB
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Useful map for teaching world religions
Hi,
It's the long weekend and I'm procrastinating. BB is watching an awful old war film and I SHOULD be learning Greek nouns.... but have been web surfing and just found a groovy site with a little movie that shows the growth and spread of world religions over 5000 years in 90 seconds. Very useful!
The website is called www.mapsofwar.com if you want to check it out.
Now back to those Greek nouns....
SB
It's the long weekend and I'm procrastinating. BB is watching an awful old war film and I SHOULD be learning Greek nouns.... but have been web surfing and just found a groovy site with a little movie that shows the growth and spread of world religions over 5000 years in 90 seconds. Very useful!
The website is called www.mapsofwar.com if you want to check it out.
Now back to those Greek nouns....
SB
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Servant of God II
Hi,
Here's the second of 2 reflections I've written recently for our local church's lenten book.
Enjoy!
SB
Christ - the Servant King.
Reading: Jesus washes the feet of the disciples: John 13: 1-11
As Jesus washes the feet of the disciples we recall his great commandment to “love one another.” Jesus loved humanity in all its broken, dirty smelliness even as he performed an act of servant hood for his disciples in washing their feet: feet which had pounded the pavements and dusty roads of Jerusalem in open sandals. This was an act a servant would normally perform: certainly not one for a revered teacher and leader who had ridden into Jerusalem to great acclaim only 4 short days before.
Jesus’ disciples are shocked at this suggestion: Peter says “you will never wash my feet.” But Jesus responds: Unless I wash you, you have no share in me.” To accept Christ is to accept him as a servant: one who ministers to the deepest and most intimate needs. To follow him is to accept not only his ministrations but also his ministry and mission. South African Bishop Desmond Tutu once said: “God has no hands but our hands, no feet but our feet.” To follow Jesus is to use our hands and feet to live the costly and difficult life of a servant to others.
Around the world today many Christians will perform foot washing ceremonies to remember Jesus washing his disciple’s feet. In doing so, they remember their baptismal commitment into the mission of Christ to honour his great commandment to love one another.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)