Chongqing with Qing and her family (part 6)

The Arhat Temple

This is a very special site to Qing, as she visited this Buddhist Temple often, 

as a child growing up in Chongqing.

The 1,000-year-old temple is now sandwiched between skyscrapers.

Once again, we burned incense and candles, with thoughts for the health and safety of our families and friends back home.

It is also possible to buy paper "money" to burn ceremoniously in the temple.

Entering, with Melody and Qing

One of the many rock carvings

Chris, with his favorite-style Buddha

As a fund-raiser for a new roof on the temple, they were selling old roof tiles, as keepsakes.

Melody is artistic and precise.

More Incense

Inside the temple, there were 500 life-sized, terracotta Arhats.  The point was to choose one, any one, and then count up and down the corridors of Arhats until you've counted out your age, plus one.  At that point, you've found your own personal Arhat.  For a fee, you can ask the monk for your fortune to be told, if you'd like.  ....    (we didn't)

These Arhats are all new replicas, as the originals were (we've been told) smashed-to-bits during China's Cultural Revolution.

Some of the Arhats were pretty scary.  Others seemed kinder.

After our Temple adventure, we explored more of the city.

One of Qing's (and our) students also spent the day with us.

We had lunch at a   Peking Duck   restaurant.....the most famous of foods in China.

Qing, serving traditional soup

                   

      

Whenever Melody has any spare time, she READS.  Currently, she is reading "The Little House on the Prairie" series, translated into Chinese Mandarin.  She's a most amazing girl!

After our Duck Dinner, we went back out into the neighborhood.

 Cliff-side Bomb Shelters from the war years have been transformed into welding shops

One of the reasons Paula has become vegetarian

Selecting the best piece of Sugar Cane......great snack!

Click here to see the guy pulling candy, similar to salt-water taffy.

Badminton, along with Ping Pong, seem to be national sports!

Chongqing has many city parks.  This one had photo-peacocks.

Hesitantly, petting the peacock

A famous poet built a grand house in the park.  This character stands for "Love."

We climbed to the top of this pagoda, for a great view of the city!

View from the top

Click here to enjoy Melody's song.

Police stand where residents can find out the latest news on any criminal activity in their neighborhoods.  Quite interesting. 

Happy Holidays!

The students in our school kept inviting us into their classrooms for surprise celebrations of 

Christmas and the New Year.

(the following are some examples of the holiday cheer:)

Caroline, our exchange student from Chile, wrote several versions of "Merry Christmas" on the chalkboard.

Gemma arranged a little party!

Click here to hear/see Class 10 sing to us!

One class gave us Santa hats!

Another class took our photos.......still, "celebrity status."    Notice that all students have cell phones or cameras!

"Jun Jie" plays the violin well!

Click here to hear & see Jun Jie play "Jingle Bells."

We got plenty of Christmas cards.....mostly from our students!

We took Qing and Melody to "Taste of Singapore", the restaurant (across the street) that was featuring Traditional Christmas Dinner.

At our table, there were university students (studying Chinese language and business) from England and the U.S.  The guy on the far right is actually from Iowa!!.  (We've met him at several different events.)

This was Melody's first "western" Christmas dinner.  Too bad that they didn't serve PIE for dessert!

Also, too bad that they could only find this one tiny Turkey, to share among the 34 guests!  Each got a little sliver.  The mashed potatoes were also instantly "finished."

Melody got her very first chance to sit on Santa's Lap!

Some of our school students came to sing Christmas songs.

Click here to hear and see more students sing!

University students from France and Yemen

These 2 Polish girls have been on our team each time we've played Tuesday Night Trivia.  They are University students (studying Chinese language and business) and also teachers at the English Language Learning Center.

The "Polish Girls" brought home-made Ginger-cookies to decorate with sent-from-Poland tubes of icing.  They also brought other sent-from-Poland holiday foods (and drinks) for us to sample. 

Decorating cookies:  a girl from Russia

Photo with Vicki, a native of Singapore, and co-owner (with her husband, Paul), of the "Taste of Singapore" restaurant.  Vicki speaks fluent English and Chinese, and has attended university in England.  Great gal, and a wonderful resource as far as learning about the culture here.

Vicki and Paul make Chongqing Chili Vodka !!  ....a tiny little half-teaspoon-full made me cry.  I had to eat a whole jar of Maraschino cherries to "get over it"!!

Happy New Year Celebration.....with the Teachers!

The ENGLISH teachers 

from Chongqing No. 8 Middle/High Schools 

had a big, fancy holiday celebration at the end of 2010.  Great fun, food, and fellowship!

Here are Senlin (guy in charge) and some of the English teachers of  "Senior One Class", with whom we work every day! 

Here are most of the English teachers from Senior 1, 2, and 3..... located at three different campuses within the city.

Here are most of the Chongqing No. 8  English teachers, from both Junior and Senior schools, located on four different campuses.

Notice how YOUNG so many of our colleagues are!

Most teachers have chosen English names:  Yolanda, Traci, and Ivy.

Junior School teachers......We teach with them twice each week.

Beverly, our "foreign teacher coordinator" at the Junior School.

ALL of our colleagues are friendly and helpful......and, also very busy, with an educational system so focused on student exam scores.

With several teachers, each day is like a fashion show!  Notice the above-the-knee Leather Boots that are so popular here!

The party and dinner took place on the lower level of the new Chongqing Opera House. 

Of course, my favorite place at the buffet was the SALAD  BAR....This is the food I miss most of all!

The buffet specialized in these little rope-wrapped crabs, but I'm "going vegetarian" here in China.

I got talked into wearing "celebrity sunglasses" and singing "Desperado" at the party......(good thing the background noise in the restaurant was pretty loud.)

Click here to hear Paula "sing." (proof that I did it!!!)