Photos courtesy of Team Jin Lu
With the countdown officially at three weeks until the Tour de Dandong, everyone is utilizing their weekends to get out on the bikes and work out all the kinks - to which there are many! The weather is just starting to become warmer and the excitement of our journey is definitely building: 25 riders, 5 teams, 3 days, 340 kilometer race to Dandong!
Being the devout Icelandic fan that I am it was only natural that I found my way to Sigur Ros’s documentary Heima. This film captures the Icelandic band’s cross country journey through Iceland as they performed free concerts for the people after one of their world tours. While I admit I knew very little of the band before, this film certainly turned me into a fan! There music is an acquired taste, but what I was most struck with was their ideals as a group - both towards their craft and their homeland. Heima is a wonderful little film that captures the essence of the people of Iceland and the stunning beauty of the landscape. If you haven’t seen it, do it now!
What has happened to the Montreal Canadiens this season? My god, I don’t think I have ever seen a team fall from grace this hard and this fast. While I am not a true fan of the Canadiens I do love and respect what they mean to hockey, and to not have them make the playoffs in their centennial year would be tragic. With roughly 10 games left in the season the time has come to summon all of the spirits of this storied franchise (which are many) and let them lead the way to where you should have been!
One of the real tests of being abroad is living out the expat lifestyle. I do not really like the term ‘expat’ and never use it to describe my current situation, but, when you look at our little world here in Dalian there is no denying that that is exactly what it is. The people I live with are also the people I work with on a daily basis; and when you put all of these people in a foreign land together there is a very special bond that is created from that. In many ways, friends become substitutes for family which then creates a very powerful interconnectedness. Now, for most of the time this is an extremely positive aspect to living abroad, but it can also be very frustrating. When you live and work with each other not a day (or hour maybe) goes by where you do not see the same people and make exchanges with them; and as time and frequency increases certain personalities, values, or habits can become problematic within the community. Everyone is so intertwined that it often becomes impossible to do anything without causing harm to another - and this can be a very awkward and damaging force. Many times frustrations can occur over such trivial matters, “They got invited over to so-and-so’s house but we didn’t?!” And not being able to get away from these types of situations can push people’s patience to the limit and cause a lot of unnecessary stress.
That is the bad side, and it is always there lurking in the murky swamp, but there is a real positive side to living in this type of community as well; and that is when people need each other the community rallies together and takes on the role that only family can provide back home. This can be seen at times such as Halloween, birthdays and Christmas, or in the case of our little community this past week, with the death of our friend and colleague. Immediately everyone came together and did whatever was necessary to fill the roles that were needed; and when you do not have family readily available that is such an important process to be filled. Even though we lost a close friend this past week our community grew stronger because of it. Now, I am not saying that everyone who is over here is a super-close friend of mine, but what I am saying is that because we are over here we have a special bond with each other that only we understand and can share - and that can really make a friendship stronger. Living the expat lifestyle is always a balancing act but there is no question that in my 6 years of living abroad the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Was introduced to this song many moons ago by Pappa Joe and for some reason it has been playing through my mind these past few days. Not too sure why but it just seems to encapsulate how I am feeling right now. Thanks Joe and thanks Frank…
p.s. - Was hoping for a better version of the song on video but could not find it anywhere!
Today was a very sad day for all of us at Dalian Maple International School. Today we lost a close friend and colleague, Massoud Namini, to a heart attack just minutes before classes began at school. While many teachers arrived on the scene to help out where they could it was sadly not enough to save Massoud. This is the first time I have ever had to deal with something like this as a teacher and it was a very difficult day today. Massoud was a close friend and devoted teacher - he leaves behind a wife and child of 9 years old. Massoud led a very interesting life. Born and raised in Iran he escaped persecution during the Iranian revolution by hiding underneath a truck for 20 hours in order to find safety in Turkey; it was always amazing to listen to his life experiences. He was one of happiest guys I have ever met and I will never forget his high-pitched laugh. While Massoud’s passion for bikes was far greater than mine, for the past year he was a huge force in helping me plan the Tour de Dandong. Words do not do justice for how I feel right now and my main thoughts go to his family - he was a great man and I miss him dearly!
And you thought making popcorn from the stove was a chore! With spring just rounding the corner you begin to see more vendors out on the streets these days ready to make a quick buck or two. One of my favorite guys is the popcorn vendor who will make you a delicious bag of popcorn (one big bag for 1 yuan - or 5.3 cents Canadian) from a device that literally looks like it was invented in the 1500’s. The popcorn maker is made of solid cast-iron steel and weighs a ton; from there you need a raging fire, a strong arm to continuously turn the device and then - bingo - you have popcorn! It is great to watch but is just too bad they put all that sugar in it.
For the May holiday we are going to have Kristin’s Mom, my Mom and my aunt Joan all come over to Dalian for a week-long visit. We simply cannot wait to have them all come over and just know it is going to be a wonderful time. Now, my Mom and Joan have already been over but for Kristin’s Mom, Judy, this will be her first time to China. Judy is a lover of fine arts and is going to be amazed by the wonderful array of shows Beijing has to offer - and one of those great shows is an acrobat show. Ladies and gentlemen, if you ever get a chance to go see one, do it! The skills and talents these people have are simply out of this world and I am really excited to go and watch one with Judy. So as a a little teaser, over the next month I am going to post some other ideas for Judy to consider and give her a little taste of what is to come when she arrives in China. Enjoy!
Well, it is that time of year again: curling season! or more importantly The Brier! Yes, its that classic once a year Canadian institution that truly sets us apart from the rest. The game of curling is a beautiful and quirky metaphor for Canada - with a classic Scottish flavor to cap it off - and I just love its rich and storied history. I enjoyed many years playing this game both competitively and just for fun, and I am not at all in favor of the new Olympic standard the game is reaching for. I believe curling’s charm lies in cozy little curling rinks, cardigan sweaters, bonspiels, whiskey, tobacco and pipes, corn brooms and all the crazy characters who play the game and hang around it. But with that said, I still believe that the Brier is the greatest curling spectacle on the planet and I truly miss watching the action on a daily basis - Click here to see a 10th end, skip’s last stone barn-burner of a shot!
And click here for a little bit of that charm I was talking about earlier.
The dates are set and everyone is beginning to get ready for China’s most prestigious old-style bicycle race: The Tour de Dandong. Beginning on the 25th of April, 25 members on 5 different teams will be forging their way East down the 202 (Highway) 340 kilometers away to Dandong. All members have their bikes and the Director (me) is busy planning all the logistics of how it will all get done. As the time continues to move closer I will keep you posted to keep you all in the loop…
Well, I could go on longer but I think I have taken our journey on long enough. All in all, Indonesia had a very profound effect on the Engleson clan and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. The people are very friendly and the natural beauty of the place is second to none. For me it felt great to be in a place where nature was so lush and vibrant and it just felt great to be outside doing anything. The pace of life was exactly what was needed and I would not hesitate for a second to go back! Not sure if we ever will make it back, but for now my thoughts continue to wander back to Indonesia and our wonderful time spent there!
One great day we had in Ubud was when we drove out to a coffee plantation and then walked through some beautiful rice terraces. One huge highlight for Kristin during the holiday was the coffee that both Lombok and Bali brewed - she could not get enough of it! I still despise the stuff but very much enjoyed watching how it all grows and gets processed. The plantation had a beautiful terrace that overlooked a lush, green valley where we could all sit down and enjoy free samples of the different coffees and cocoa grown there - it was a great!
The rice terraces were a neat experience because we were able to walk all through them and get a feel for how they operate on a daily basis. The job seems extremely laborious with not great payment in return, but it was sure a beautiful place to go and see. Everywhere you looked in Bali you saw beautiful terraced landscapes and is definitely a memory I take back of my time there.
So, soon after we checked into the Ubud Inn I was introduced to Ketut, who I was informed was a very good word carver who would serve my needs perfectly for the project. I showed him the board and loosely described what I wanted on it; the top was fully completed and now I just wanted something done on the sides. Cheerfully, he told me, “no problem,” and that was that - Ketut and I were in business together for the next 5 days. I was in a serious time crunch in Ubud because it was the last part of our journey and the project absolutely needed to get done - but, again, to Ketut that was, “no problem!”
I saw a few wood carvings around our hotel that looked interesting. I showed him these and then just asked him to make it as “Balinese” as he could. Ketut went into great detail about telling me some ancient Hindu stories and how we could put these on to the board, to which I heartily agreed.
One day when I went in for one of my routine check ups and photo-ops, I noticed that one side had the swastika planted right smack-dab in the middle of the board. Now, yes, the swastika is an ancient Hindu symbol which means peace and life, but to most of us Westerners, the Nazi’s have tainted that meaning somewhat. I was a little uncomfortable discussing this point but felt it just had to be addressed it to see if there was some type of compromise we could reach. Ketut understood and we both worked hard at finding a way to make it look less Nazi-like. (The Nazi’s changed the angle of the swastika for their version of it) In the end we found a way, the swastika stayed and I am happy that it did - it is a very important symbol to devout Hindu’s in Bali and, therefore, it belongs on my board. Sure, people may react to it at first back in Canada but it should make for a good conversation opener at best. In the end, Ketut was a hell of a wood carver and I enjoyed working with him greatly.
The following pictures are of the final stages of the congklak board and my next post on the project will be the final product…
So after a long day on the ferry back to Bali we arrived in Ubud at 8:00pm. We did not have a place booked but knew we wanted to spend a few bucks on accommodations for a last few days as a final treat. Tired, we looked at a couple of places (but were not overly thrilled) and then stumbled upon the Ubud Inn and made our decision right away - it was perfect! The room was large (three beds!), very clean, not too expensive and the grounds were absolutely gorgeous; the entire place was a jungle just bursting with color. Even though the Ubud Inn was right off the main drag, the real charm of the place was that once you stepped inside the grounds you lost track of where you were immediately and just got lost in the solitude.
Within minutes of unpacking our bags, I went to front desk and asked where I can find a congklak guy and, par for the course, a half hour later I had one ready to go…
