tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39397992024-03-07T18:41:27.044-05:00High School, UnscriptedA teacher journal - musings on students, lessons, good days, bad ones...Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-75500262146455267872009-05-08T22:38:00.001-04:002009-05-08T22:38:46.705-04:00In keeping with the panda theme...I just had to share this. It's hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNYfZd8iV2kJessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-36496168785645366072009-05-08T22:13:00.002-04:002009-05-08T22:25:44.556-04:00I'm not dead yetBeen a long time... I'm trying to get back into writing, so I thought that I would resurrect this old thing and dust it off. Ah, mixing metaphors already. At any rate, the idea is that if I sit in front of the keyboard and do a little writing a little more frequently, then I'll get back into the habit. Let's see if that actually happens!Lots of stuff coming up in the next few weeks - AP examsJessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154620568823261962006-08-03T11:44:00.000-04:002007-03-06T14:58:00.134-05:00Terra Cotta Warriors (part two: the pictures)Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154619848460042842006-08-03T11:36:00.000-04:002006-08-03T11:44:08.553-04:00Beijing OperaI tried to like the opera. Really, I did. I went with an open mind, and I was actually excited to see it. Alas, I couldn't enjoy it. What I did like: the costumes were gorgeous, and the choreography was quite stylized and interesting. However the singing and the plot were ... different. First of all, let me start by stating that I really like western opera. My family and I go every year Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154555027629648182006-08-02T17:31:00.000-04:002006-08-09T12:29:41.723-04:0021 July 2006 - Mao's tombThis morning it was bright, clear and windy! It was still hot, but the skies were beautiful and blue. We walked down to Tiananmen Square, and got in line to see Chairman Mao's body in the mausoleum. Now that wasn't as easy as it sounds, Tiananmen Square is actually quite large, as is Mao's mausoleum, and we had to walk all the way around the mausoleum to find the end of the line, which then Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154554247581836832006-08-02T17:20:00.000-04:002006-08-02T17:30:47.616-04:0020 July, 2006 - The Summer PalaceSo today I hit my "too many people" limit, which I think is pretty good - 22 days in. I think everyone in China was at this place. Well, ok, 75% of them. This is an enormous park in the northwest part of the city, and it's where the Imperial Court spent their summers. I can see why, too. It was gorgeous, and actually quite breezy in several spots, as it is situated on Kunming Lake. A nice Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154553523296868222006-08-02T17:06:00.000-04:002006-08-02T17:18:43.363-04:0019 July 2006 - Temple of HeavenI am pretty much templed out. I think the problem may be that I just don't understand enough about Buddhism, Daosim and Confucianism to distinguish the neat little details that must be in these structures, much as they are in European cathedrals (and I love me a grand old 1000 year old gothic cathedral). Nevertheless, the Temple of Heaven is neat because just before you enter into the actual Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154355857626999232006-07-31T10:16:00.000-04:002007-08-09T11:38:34.100-04:00Back in BeijingReturning to Beijing felt a little like returning home - what had been alien a month ago is now familiar and comfortable, especially in comparison to Chengdu, out in the western provinces.First order of business upon return was the Great Wall - because if you come to China and don't go, they make fun of you and take away your passport ("No more travel for you, you cretin! If you can't be trusted Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154216227250320592006-07-29T18:08:00.000-04:002006-07-29T19:37:09.180-04:00Chengdu Tea HouseOn one of our last nights in Chengdu (don't remember date, sorry), we went to a tea house. I was sort of expecting that it was going to be like a coffee house - we'd have tea, there'd be munchies, we'd sit and enjoy each other's company, and then return to our hotel. Well, I was definitely wrong. I don't know if this place was typical of teahouses (in fact, in retrospect, I suspect not. The Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154210314499884522006-07-29T17:40:00.000-04:002006-07-29T17:58:34.533-04:0015 July - Wenshu monasteryThis is a Zen Buddhist temple in Chengdu. Our bus driver dropped us off at the end of the street, which was blocked off by construction - they were completely redoing the road. Completely. We walked through the construction to the Temple, where we got a chance to walk around. This temple was founded during the Sui dynasty (581-619, one of the shorter ones. The dynasties average about 300 Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154175847474182092006-07-29T08:11:00.000-04:002006-07-29T08:24:07.483-04:00Dujiangyan Irrigation ProjectIt was a little unclear what we were going to do this day (Bastille day! A big bonjour to my French amis out there), except that I think we were told we’d be going to a mountain to see a temple. As it always is in Chengdu in the summer (subtropical climate, I remind you) it was REALLY hot and humid. We got to the bus and drove for nearly two hours to this dam/irrigation project. According toJessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154174562844905582006-07-29T08:00:00.000-04:002006-07-29T08:08:31.493-04:00HagglingHaggling is expected here at all the street markets, and boy are there a lot of them. There are also tons of indoor markets as well. In these markets, you can find row upon row and stall upon stall of … well, frankly, Chinese crap. Chopsticks, fake Jade figurines, bracelets, stamps (so you can stamp your “Chinese” name on paper or something. They’re called chops), all kinds of Buddhas: Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154088559545268912006-07-28T07:47:00.000-04:002006-07-28T08:30:12.496-04:0013 July 2006 - Pandas!!!It began pouring practically the moment we left the hotel to go to the Panda reserve. I think pandas are native to this province, partly because a lot of bamboo grows here (I'm speaking from my vast biological and plant knowledge here). At the preserve they are doing a lot of research and are trying to repopulate pandas in China. They have a nursery for newborn pandas, and throughout the park Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1154086650318136622006-07-28T07:11:00.000-04:002006-08-03T08:32:16.273-04:00Du Fu's Thatched CottageDu Fu was a Tang Dynasty poet (712-770), who was actually born in a different province, but left to travel around CHina. He was captured by rebels and he eventually fled to Chengdu, where he lived in a thatched cottage for four years, where he wrote more than 200 poems. It's actually a park, with lots of walkways, a beautiful pond and a tea garden. There was a big pagoda called the Ten Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1153926348639943722006-07-26T10:49:00.000-04:002006-09-20T06:45:20.016-04:0012 July 2006 - Sichuan Normal UniversityWe arrived here about 9:30 am, and got a brief introduction from a student of the English department. Her English was excellent. The campus is one of several, and there is another one that is under construction. This was our first full day in Chengdu, and I think we were wholly unprepared for the heat and humidity. Ok, I was unprepared for the heat and humidity. What is interesting about theJessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1153925312121995722006-07-26T10:29:00.000-04:002006-07-26T10:48:32.196-04:00Random thoughts on Chengdu...and I do mean randomChengdu is the capital of Sichaun province, and while my guide book says it's a smaller city than Xi'an, it seems a lot bigger. It actually reminds me of New York, although I couldn't really say why, even if pressed. Maybe it's because the buildings are tall here (in contrast with the buildings in Beijing, which are wider than they are tall in many instances), and the area we are in has lots Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1153923152417368182006-07-26T09:48:00.000-04:002006-07-26T10:12:32.470-04:00Leaving Xian for Chengdu (in the Sichuan Province) - 11 July 2006We got our wake up call at 4:30 am, which is just so very early in the morning. (I suppose I could comfort myself with the idea that it was 4:30pm the previous afternoon on the East coast?) Xi'an had no traffic at all at that time. The city was barely waking up. At the airport check in was so easy, and there was hardly anyone there either, which was in stark contrast with the Beijing airport.Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1153921578348835662006-07-26T09:35:00.000-04:002006-07-26T09:46:18.396-04:00Shaanxi Provincial History MuseumWe were supposed to go to this museum on the previous day, but for some reason we didn't - I think it had something to do with the bus. I'm not sure which day we went, but it may have been the 9th. Anyway, the museum is organized chronologically, and by dynasty. The exhibits are comprised mostly of artifacts from each dynasty, and they actually go from prehistoric times. They did have four Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1153919250275887622006-07-26T09:01:00.000-04:002006-07-26T09:32:18.253-04:00Pictures! How do you know for sure you're in China?When you see this: Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1152709905293720412006-07-12T08:52:00.000-04:002006-07-12T09:11:45.350-04:00University of International Studies, XianThe University of International Studies in Xian is about 20 minutes outside of the city, maybe a little further. it is an enormous campus that is actually surrounded by several other enormous schools. This school specializes in foreign languages. We strolled around the campus a bit, and then met with the dean of the English department. He had some interesting things to say, but I was most Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1152708587789539712006-07-12T08:42:00.000-04:002006-07-12T08:49:47.790-04:00Hot Springs/Huaqing PoolAfter the T-C warriors, we went to the Hot Springs (over 100 degrees plus that day, no less. Nothing says "cool" like some hot springs). It turns out they were no longer in use, just a shadow of their former selves, as the case may be. They were used mostly by the Tang emperors (and empresses), and were actually in quite a beautiful setting at the base of a mountain. Chiang Kai-Shek stayed Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1152708145425944392006-07-12T08:15:00.000-04:002006-07-26T09:00:37.763-04:00Terra Cotta SoldiersThe day we went here it was INCREDIBLY hot (actually, the guide book says that Xian is "bloody hot"). It was about an hours drive from our hotel. The soldiers were found by four peasants who were digging a hole for a well in 1974. They had the foresight to stop digging and contact some kind of authority to say "Hey, we found something!"When you enter the parking lot there is an enormous statueJessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1152706508147119162006-07-12T08:14:00.000-04:002006-07-26T10:27:58.520-04:00XianThis is really the end of the world – the Silk Road ends (and I suppose, begins) here. At least according to the Chinese. There’s a statue facing west that marks the beginning of the Silk Road. The statue is of a general, and don’t ask me what his name is because I don’t know – they told us on the bus on the way from the airport, and I didn’t have anything to write with at the time. The Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1152665238517810762006-07-11T20:42:00.001-04:002006-07-11T20:47:18.516-04:00ChengduArrived safely in Chengdu. Surprisingly, it's a much larger city than I think any of us had been expecting. It reminds me of New York in a lot of ways - especially this morning when I went out at 7:30 to Starbucks (I was desperate, ok?). At any rate, not much time this morning, because we're off to Chengdu Normal University (I think) in a little while. Apparently in what can only be Chinese Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939799.post-1152664953188817292006-07-11T20:42:00.000-04:002006-07-12T08:13:53.140-04:004 July Geely UniversityGeely Automotive University is about is about an hour and a half outside of Beijing by bus. It seemed to be really far away, but traffic was really horrible, as we’ve come to expect from Beijing. They have about 20,000 students, and expect about 10,000 more to enroll next year. They recruit their students, and are a private university. Geely automotive group is a (shocking, I know) car Jessica Hodgsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14498011457721466969noreply@blogger.com1