Play ball!
In China, as in much of the world, the premier sport is what Americans call soccer and others call "Football." This evening, Professor Li, Vice President of North China University of Technology, asked if we'd like to go to a game at Labor Stadium in Beijing.















The Beijing team did well, scoring three to one against the opposing team. When the Beijing team scored, spectators shouted, waved flags, blew horns; and threw paper planes, bits of newspaper and colored confetti up in the air.

Crowds are not permitted to become overly exuberant at such events, however. The military were much in evidence, and in a margin between players and spectators at the front of the stadium, a group of security sat observing the crowd (see above).

Below: A child and his father making a paper plane.
Second Below: Military police at the game.

Arrival in a Time of Pandemic

No one knows how bad the H1N1 flu is going to be, but the Asians are not taking chances. We arrived in Tokyo yesterday evening, then caught a flight to Beijing, where we are staying presently.

Before we were allowed to deplane in Japan, we had to complete special forms and be cleared by blue-coated health officials, who boarded our mammoth airbus and scanned our temperatures with a contraption resembling a camera (above). Things were somewhat disorganized, and the procedure took a long time. Passengers became impatient, and when they were finally allowed to get up, people bolted for their luggage. The airplane crew did not keep control, and a young lady's carry-on suitcase clobbered me on the head when wrested from the cabin compartment, but I was not hurt. Health hazards come in many varieties.

We were also scanned again upon arriving in China, but this was a smaller flight, and it was easier to keep things organized, I think. The Chinese officials seemed very experienced, and joked as they screened us to lighten the atmosphere.

Beijing Airport is being kept very clean, just as it was last summer right before the Olympics, but this time the place reeks of the carbolic acid they use to disinfect.

Customs

Tomorrow, Joe and I leave for Beijing, our fifth trip to China. Joe and I will be teaching in Beijing; I've a lecture to do in Weihai, and some student supervision in Nanjing. We're hoping to do some language study and a bit of sightseeing as well. So, I resume this blog, which deals for the most part with cultural contrasts.

This past weekend, we were in Cincinnati, where our granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law live. There, we attended our granddaughter's christening at St. Monica-St. George Catholic church, my son-in-law's family parish (above). Predictably, the ancient ceremony was a little different from what we're used to, and I suppose it would be for anyone who didn't know what to expect.

As world travellers, Joe and I have learned to be silent and deferential when observing unfamiliar ceremonies. Children feel much more free to make comments.

"Weird!" exclaimed Julian, my son-in-law's 5 yr. old nephew (shown below), when the priest made the sign of the cross on the foreheads of each baby being baptized. He is quite articulate for a person his remark fully audible.

His 3 yr. old sister also speaks clearly. "He's splashing the water," she remarked, in obvious disapproval, as Father Al conducted the ceremony.

First Above: The baptisms-- four this particular Sunday. Lillian Pauline, our granddaughter is on the far right.

Second Above: Lilly in her bassinette.

Below: Julian and his sister Zoe.

Becoming Granny II

We went to Cincinnati last week and saw the awesome new grandchild, Lillian Pauline Heidt. There were lots of hugs and a certain amount of confusion. I suppose it's to be expected when there's a new baby. Here we all are:














My mother-in law, whose name was Pauline, called herself Granny Gann. Here she is with Emily twenty-nine years ago.

And here I am in the role of Granny Gann the 2nd. Amazing, the resemblance between Lilly and Emily as a baby.



















As William Shakespeare once said:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts...

The Year that Was

When I think back over the year, personal happenings are intertwined with collective events . Here is my personal list of things that went on in 2008, listed in the order I think of them, which is not to be confused with the order of their importance:

Joe and I became grandparents (see previous entry).

I turned 60 and celebrated with my 87 year old great aunt in New Jersey (below) and later with my son Michael in Philadelphia.

Barack Obama was elected president.

I received tenure.

I was promoted to associate professor.

There was a horrific earthquake in China.

Ben received his Master's degree

ETSU had lots of budget cuts.

I returned to China where Joe and I helped with Olympic training.

Joe turned 65, and we had a big party.

We celebrated Autumn Festival with Chinese International Students at ETSU

The economy tanked.

The war continued.

I finally wrote and submitted my article on how the Chinese teach reading.

I had Chinese software installed on both my computers.

It's nearly 2009. Happy New Year to all!

She's here!

Our granddaughter, Lillian Pauline, was born December 28, 2008, two days before my 60th birthday.

I'm told she doesn't sleep very much-- Emily and Steve are very busy!

Symbolic attire

Ceremonial attire is very specific. At Ben's graduation from George Washington University's School of Political Management, they did not wear caps and gowns. Rather, the requisite attire was described as "business dress." When you think about it, the rules for this type of apparel are equally strange. Why wear stiff-collared shirts with jackets on a warm summer's day and knot dull strips of silk 'round the neck?

My husband Joe likes to dresses in what he picks up at the church thrift store. That way, he has more to give to charity. But for this occasion, he purchased a brand new blazer and Oxford cloth shirt. He even wore a tie for the first time in the past six months.

Ben (below) has always cleaned up well.