I know you are all saying the same thing...how can it be February already? (Or maybe you are saying, "Would winter just hurry up and move on!) For us, the month of January seemed to fly by. The kids returned to school after the new year, only to get ANOTHER 2 week break for the Chinese New Year. Such is life bridging cultures--we get extra holidays, which is why they started school in early August and won't get out until late June!
The weather has been chilly--it seems very cold when you are in a place with no heat...which is most places. The Chinese just kind of tolerate the winter and bundle-up because they know it won't last long. Spring is around the corner...which is why the Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival!
Here are some photos of some of our highlights from January:
Bozhou!
Dr. Mao, the owner and coordinator for my Chinese medicine classes, invited our class to Bozhou in Anhui province. It is the home of one of the largest herbal medicine markets in China, plus he was signing a contract with a factory owner to begin exporting medicines to Holland. He practices TCM in Germany for part of the year. He is a happy, fatherly-type. The little girl is the grandchild of the woman with whom he is starting the new business.
The trip to Bozhou didn't quite turn out the way we thought...which seems to be how cross-cultural life goes. We were welcomed to the city by many government officials and given red-carpet treatment--huge meals, a beautiful hotel, and a tour of the city, including this ancient theater.
We visited a temple, dedicated to one of the oldest doctors of Chinese medicine. The man on the right was burning "gold" as an offering for a sick person at home. The red mats and incense on the left were placed there by a family, giving thanks for the recovery of a relative from sickness.
We got a quick tour of the factory where they process the medicine and from where it will be shipped to Holland. The employees dress warmly for work...no heat.
We were very eager to visit the medicine market, only to be rushed through by our tour guides so we could see more of the city and eat more big meals!
We made a fast visit to this shop in the market. (We had a videographer with us most of the visit.) Dr. Lu came along and Chris, our interpreter.
A view of the medicine shop. The animals are for sale because they are used for MEDICINE! Each part has a specific use and quality.
Dr. Lu was like a kid in a candy shop. Her specialty is herbal medicine and she knows tons more than I could ever hope to learn about each medicine...she has 30 years more experience than me!
Yes, it's what you think it is. And there are all kinds available. Maybe if I'm dying I would use it...but in general, I really prefer plant and mineral sources for my medicines. Or at least grind it up into a powder and don't tell me what it is! Dr.Lu gave us donkey skin one day...telling us she uses it for "beauty." I think it has collagen in it and prevents wrinkles. She mixed it with hot water like a tea and said, "Drink it fast. If it cools it will stick to your teeth and it takes days to get it off!" I think I will age gracefully...
Michela was my traveling companion (our other classmate, Rita, got sick the night before the trip!). We were glad we had each other to process the whole experience. Here we were visiting "the underground Great Wall of China"--a tunnel built for use by the military.
The official signing of the contract for the new business to export herbal medicines to Holland. Not sure why we were in the photo...hope we didn't agree to something without understanding!
Jim and I attended the Emerson Annual Dinner. They scheduled it for Jan. 14, but before the event started the power went out and never came back on. They rescheduled for Jan. 16. Two nights out for me! Woo hoo! Each department performed for their colleagues. This group performed Chinese "cross talk." I have no clue what they said!
The managers sang, even Jim! (He loves being in the spotlight...not!) He had most of the song memorized and translated to English so he knew what he was singing. Always a language learner.
These women performed Chinese belly-dancing.
A group of 9 women put on a fashion show. The women were gorgeous--hair, makeup, and lots of gowns and styles. Myself and the other wives in attendance decided we like it that Emerson requires uniforms at work! The General Manager was thinking maybe they should change the policy...
Jim got a bakery cheesecake and the fanciest candle he had ever seen in his 47 years! He can still fool his co-workers that he's in his early 30's...until he tells them he has a 16 year old daughter and been married 22 years! We all know I was the child bride! ;-)
Jesse's belated 9th birthday party. Due to the Christmas holiday, we postponed his birthday for January when everyone was back from travels (the ex-pat community bugs-out during holiday breaks).
Jesse chose bowling as the activity for his party. Our compound, Dongjiao, has a bowling alley. Easy planning for this mom!
The weather has been chilly--it seems very cold when you are in a place with no heat...which is most places. The Chinese just kind of tolerate the winter and bundle-up because they know it won't last long. Spring is around the corner...which is why the Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival!
Here are some photos of some of our highlights from January:
Bozhou!
Dr. Mao, the owner and coordinator for my Chinese medicine classes, invited our class to Bozhou in Anhui province. It is the home of one of the largest herbal medicine markets in China, plus he was signing a contract with a factory owner to begin exporting medicines to Holland. He practices TCM in Germany for part of the year. He is a happy, fatherly-type. The little girl is the grandchild of the woman with whom he is starting the new business.
The trip to Bozhou didn't quite turn out the way we thought...which seems to be how cross-cultural life goes. We were welcomed to the city by many government officials and given red-carpet treatment--huge meals, a beautiful hotel, and a tour of the city, including this ancient theater. 
We visited a temple, dedicated to one of the oldest doctors of Chinese medicine. The man on the right was burning "gold" as an offering for a sick person at home. The red mats and incense on the left were placed there by a family, giving thanks for the recovery of a relative from sickness.
We got a quick tour of the factory where they process the medicine and from where it will be shipped to Holland. The employees dress warmly for work...no heat.
We were very eager to visit the medicine market, only to be rushed through by our tour guides so we could see more of the city and eat more big meals! 
We made a fast visit to this shop in the market. (We had a videographer with us most of the visit.) Dr. Lu came along and Chris, our interpreter.
A view of the medicine shop. The animals are for sale because they are used for MEDICINE! Each part has a specific use and quality.
Dr. Lu was like a kid in a candy shop. Her specialty is herbal medicine and she knows tons more than I could ever hope to learn about each medicine...she has 30 years more experience than me!
Yes, it's what you think it is. And there are all kinds available. Maybe if I'm dying I would use it...but in general, I really prefer plant and mineral sources for my medicines. Or at least grind it up into a powder and don't tell me what it is! Dr.Lu gave us donkey skin one day...telling us she uses it for "beauty." I think it has collagen in it and prevents wrinkles. She mixed it with hot water like a tea and said, "Drink it fast. If it cools it will stick to your teeth and it takes days to get it off!" I think I will age gracefully...
Michela was my traveling companion (our other classmate, Rita, got sick the night before the trip!). We were glad we had each other to process the whole experience. Here we were visiting "the underground Great Wall of China"--a tunnel built for use by the military.
The official signing of the contract for the new business to export herbal medicines to Holland. Not sure why we were in the photo...hope we didn't agree to something without understanding! The Emerson Annual Dinner:
Jim and I attended the Emerson Annual Dinner. They scheduled it for Jan. 14, but before the event started the power went out and never came back on. They rescheduled for Jan. 16. Two nights out for me! Woo hoo! Each department performed for their colleagues. This group performed Chinese "cross talk." I have no clue what they said! 
The managers sang, even Jim! (He loves being in the spotlight...not!) He had most of the song memorized and translated to English so he knew what he was singing. Always a language learner.
These women performed Chinese belly-dancing.
A group of 9 women put on a fashion show. The women were gorgeous--hair, makeup, and lots of gowns and styles. Myself and the other wives in attendance decided we like it that Emerson requires uniforms at work! The General Manager was thinking maybe they should change the policy...More Birthdays!
Jim got a bakery cheesecake and the fanciest candle he had ever seen in his 47 years! He can still fool his co-workers that he's in his early 30's...until he tells them he has a 16 year old daughter and been married 22 years! We all know I was the child bride! ;-)
Jesse's belated 9th birthday party. Due to the Christmas holiday, we postponed his birthday for January when everyone was back from travels (the ex-pat community bugs-out during holiday breaks).
Jesse chose bowling as the activity for his party. Our compound, Dongjiao, has a bowling alley. Easy planning for this mom!
1 comment:
The medicine market sounds fascinating. How is your class going?
Tesha
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