Different Worlds

Remember these scenes? This is a village called Mto wa Mbu--if you visited Lake Manyara or Ngorongoro Crater you passed through this village. As far as villages go, it's actually very nice. The main road is American-quality and very good drainage ditches line each side of the road. It's generally pretty clean, really. If you ever visited our house or passed through other places in Arusha, you know that the trash is everywhere. Ev

erything is dusty. The dukas (the small shacks for shops) are made from rough boards. There are lots of people, especially kids (50% of Tanzania's population is under the age of 15), and dogs and chickens run everywhere. Wooden carts line the roads and fight with bicycles piled high with crates of bottles, bread, or furniture for the right of way.

This is the village we ride our bikes through on the way to school. I think it is slightly unique in that it's paved. The village sold the school the land to build on and in thanks for their support of the school, ISB gave funds to the village, and the village decided to use the money to pave the roads and run electricity throughout.

In addition to the paving, there are so many differences. First, electricity. There are taps outside buildings, so people don't have running water inside, but there is working power everywhere. The paving keeps the streets less dusty, of course, but there is also garbage service. Any trash was swept into piles and at one end of the village were a number of large garbage cans, which I assume get emptied.

There are a few dogs and chickens, but nothing on the scale that I am used to seeing. There are little dukas and food shops, but all the buildings are cement and brick and are in much better condition. There are some people hanging out, but mostly old men playing games or chatting together. There are a lot of bike carts--3 wheeled bikes with carts attached--and often they are electric. The cars that are seen are in much much better condition than in TZ.

Because China is so large and has a centralized government, it's inevitable, I suppose, that there are aspects that are not efficient, but they are good at keeping track of things and watching for any trouble. There is a small police post at each end of the village to watch for trouble. In many places I see security guards taking their jobs much more seriously than I did in TZ. Our safety and security talks at school emphasized being polite and respectful to police (which should be the rule everywhere) but that we would be treated well and fairly if we ever had to interact with them, most likely to happen in a car accident (that's another post--imagine Tanzania driving on American-style roads at almost American speeds--in a city of 18 million plus!)

Last night we went downtown to the Olympic venues and most of that part of the city looks very very modern and Western--maybe a little more heavy on the neon signage (businesses really do like neon lighting), but attractive buildings, lots of greenery, great roads, very organized looking. This village clearly reflects the some of the less developed aspects, but still we were all struck by how clean it was. Not just because of the paving--Tanzania can't help the dust, of course--but the lack of trash just tossed everywhere. I can't help but (cynically) imagine what would happen to a monetary gift in Tanzania. I think a large amount of that money would be kept and distributed among a very few and the village would not have much, if anything, to show for it.

I really loved Tanzania, and if I took one lesson away from my time there, it was that there are simply no easy explanations or solutions for the conditions that exist there. It was so hard to understand sometimes. I am looking forward to learning more about Chinese culture and development and how people view life and opportunities, etc. here. So far, people are very polite, very industrious, very helpful!

Hardship Post?

Ummmm......maybe not so much. Ava has discovered the joys of a jacuzzi tub. I'm appalled at the amount of water it takes to use it so I'm saying no to a nightly tub with jets. She adores the bubbles, of course...what a princess!

We are finally getting our act together for the Olympics. Mark went to handball tonight, the boys are with a neighbor at the soccer semifinals (Argentina vs. Brazil, a big game) and are going tomorrow afternoon to a baseball game. AND...Mark and I are going to the final night of track and field Saturday...the finals in the men's 800m and 5,000m, women's 1500m, high jump, and men's and women's 4x100 relays. All finals. All great events. Logistically it is proving to be quite tricky to pic up the tickets and figure out how to get there and back, but we are very excited at the chance to be a part of the hoopla, and see our first choice of events in the bargain!

The Queen of Crazy

Moving across the world causes mental health issues. Hopefully it's transitory. I have been suffering from early onset Alzheimer's since March. Not only do I wander from room to room vaguely wondering why I'm there, I have been losing things that I NEVER lose. Mark is the loser (hee hee) of the family. But I'm setting keys down in strange places, sunglasses, wallets, the whole damn purse. It tends to cause marital discord, I've discovered. "Why did you put the keys in the fridge?" "I didn't have the keys last." "Yes, you did." "No, you drove to Target an hour ago." (See I forgot I went to Target, too) My dear friend Karen has assured me that it was a side effect of packing from Tanzania, living out of suitcases, and arriving here. She's a nurse and her idea is much more cheerful than the possibility of real issues, so I'm going with her idea.

Bipolar issues abound. It takes absolutely NOTHING to set me off. Like, I needed one more form for my swimming pass. Or, the dryer (that I was told didn't work too well, but I guess I forgot) didn't work too well. Or Mark's phone keeps saying he's not available (damn it). On that one I "dropped" the phone. It works differently now but I'm sure I had nothing to do with it. Maybe it always worked that way, I can't remember.

Luckily it takes very little to bring you back up. Like tasty dumplings. My air conditioner working better. My ayi (housekeeper) who seems great and chatters at me even though I can't understand a word. And pedicures.

Men will never understand the amazing effects of a great pedicure. Combine it with a half hour foot massage and I'm not sure there's a problem that can't be rubbed away. She even rubbed the tips of my toes! When she was done I wanted someone to carry me back home so I didn't ruin the feeling by walking. Hmmm....maybe that's why they offer in-home services. That's another great aspect of life--so many things deliver!

Ahhhh...when it cools down, I'll extol the many virtues of great baths, another one of life's pleasures. Unless I forget.

International School of Beijing

Wow. That was my first impression. You can go here to the ISB website to see their promotional video(s) about the programs. It’s a HUGE building—with a population of 1,800 students, it’s the largest international school in Beijing.

The kids (and I) were suitably wowed by the playground. Noah did mention again the lack of just plain dirt for digging—but given their penchant for acquiring serious amounts of dirt wherever they go anyway, I’m happy to see more concrete and soft rubber stuff. There is a definite Chinese feel—from the dragons to the pagodas. The pagodas are amazing—not some chintzy mock-up. They were repainted this summer and most of the detailing work had to be done by hand. It had a little Disney-esque feel to it, but since I have a love for all things Disney, it suits me just fine.

Nerdy thing to notice—this is the parking lot surface. The tiles take the weight of the cars, but when you drive in or stand, it looks like a large expanse of grass instead of asphalt. Pretty cool, huh (in that, you know, nerdy thing to notice way)?

Inside, the school resembles a pretty typical suburban school with a few notable exceptions. Most schools don’t have what appears to be antique furniture in the halls for decoration! In all the halls there are silk robes, furniture, pottery, and paintings—some on display, some to be used. The middle school has a snack area that is furnished to look like a tea room!

In other respects, there are guidance counselors, school nurses, gyms, media centers, computer rooms—much like what the kids would have back in the States. The great thing here is class sizes—22 maximum for middle school, which is about 10-12 less than where we used to teach. They have a huge stadium and grass and artificial turf fields for baseball, soccer, cricket, field hockey, and rugby—no American football, though. They also have a fantastic theater and a smaller “black box” theater for smaller productions as well.

Afterwards, everyone found something to be excited about. Everyone also remembered that they’ll be the new kids and starting over will be hard. There are about 450 new students this year so they won’t be alone in their newness, but it’s not easy to think about that first day. On the other hand, they’ll have a week where Mark and I are at work and they’re home alone all day with their ayi (housekeeper) who doesn’t speak English so anything might be looking good at that point!

Chinese Lesson #1

It's pronounced Bay-jing.
Not Bay-zheeng.

Like that's going to get me anywhere in the next few months.

Recognize These?

I couldn't get a picture of the iconic blue and yellow front, but any devotee will recognize the logo in the corner. We went to Ikea today to get an ironing board. No, I did not brave a cab--a friend called and asked if I needed to run anywhere in the car, and who was I to say no? Aside from the Chinese writing it was completely like my Bloomington Ikea.

Then we went to an electronics store. Like an American store, it had anything you could possibly want. Unlike an American store, things are arranged by brand, not by item--so irons or toasters are spread out over the floor. Also, absolutely NOTHING was written in English. Trying to figure out comparisons between items involves eyeballing them and taking a guess. When you want something you tell the salesgirl and she gives you a written ticket. You take that to the pay station and pay. They issue you a receipt. Then you return and find the salesgirl and give her the receipt and they give you the item(s). Yes, it takes a bit of time. No one speaks any English, so you're pretty much on your own, so it was good to have someone go with to explain the procedure.

As a reward to the kids, we came home and walked to McDonalds which was (again) all in Chinese. Luckily the food looks (and tastes) the same. The Coldstone Creamery was doing a booming business next door so we stopped for a bite of ice cream before walking home.

Now I'm completely sweaty and need a shower.

WE ARE HERE! We left Friday morning and arrived Saturday at about 3pm, traveling on an old cramped plane that made me wish for NWA's service.

This leaving was (blissfully) much more low-key on all fronts. We were packed a couple days in advance. We were able to relax and see friends. No one gave us a big send-off at the airport (although Jeff and Laurie went above and beyond in the chauffering department). All of us were much more relaxed, which felt great.

Terminal 3 at the Beijing airport is the largest airport building in the world. It is so big that it felt completely empty! By the time we got through customs (which was very easy) our bags were in the carousel--11 bags, each weighing 50 pounds, plus 10 carryons!

Everyone says that Beijing is putting its very best foot forward for the Olympics, but the car park at the airport looked like a showroom floor. I'm not just talking an absence of trash or dust--no scuffs, tire marks, oil spots...nothing. The floor really is that shiny. The kids giggled to see a brand-new Coaster bus...the ones we see in Tanzania are really on their last legs. The temperature really was hideous. It was over 90 degrees and the humidity was unbearable. It has been raining yesterday and today so it's a bit better, but it's very stifling.

Here is the Hilllman house for the next 3 years. It's basically a duplex, so the house next to us is connected and identical. Everyone has a garage that either is used for storage or has been converted into another bedroom, so everyone's car is on the street. We lived in an area called Shunyi, where there are a lot of these compounds. At first glance it looks very posh, but on closer examination there is a shabbiness to it that wouldn't be found in the States, mostly in the common areas. The units are owned by individuals--our landlady is Chinese and married to a German that works for Mercedes-Benz. She owns several of these, plus several restaurants.

The house is very tall--there is a basement for storage (and a room that Cameron will use for his bedroom--it will be a cool teenager space when we're done). The garage is storage and a laundry room. The main floor is the dining, living, and kitchen. We have a dishwasher (yay!), a microwave, a (tiny) oven, and a nice pantry. Up half a flight and there is a small bedroom (Ava) and a 1/2 bath. Another half flight and there is a larger bedroom (Noah), a bathroom, and a 2nd living room/study. The upper floor has a bath and the master bedroom. The aircon up there isn't working so Mark and I are sleeping in the living room for now. Yes, there is airconditioning in all the rooms, which is absolutely necessary.

The furniture is on loan until we get our shipping container. The house must not have been lived in for awhile because the yard is mostly dirt--our landlord said that she would do whatever we wanted to fix it up once we get settled a bit. The little bit of side yard is quite a change from our houses in Arusha, but certainly big enough for a small dog.

The compound is gated and secured. There are indoor and outdoor pools, a health club, a bowling alley, hair/nail/massage salon, a skateboard park, and playground. It feels safe so that the kids can wander around and not get into (too much) trouble. People have their bikes outside of their homes so theft must not be an issue in here.

We have unpacked, and ventured to the grocery stores. There are 2 right outside the compound and one that is about a 10 minute walk (and a cab ride back). All of them sell Western goods or Western goods made in China (thank goodness for brand colors and logos, making it easy to identify things). As in Tanzania, anything that is Western is costly, easily twice what you'd pay in the States. One thing that is noticeably absent--bread. They sell "loaves" with about 6 pieces in them. The rest of the bread is baguette-style.

So getting anything you want is clearly not a problem here in Beijing. The problem is knowing where to go and how to get there. I have a little card in my wallet printed in English and Chinese and gives directions to our compound and the school in case I get lost. I also have a taxi book of cards in English and Chinese for several businesses to show a cabdriver if I want to go somewhere. Since no one speaks English and can't read it, getting around will be tricky for awhile. Today my goal is to buy a toaster and a hotwater kettle, but it means I will need to find out which of the stores from my resident's book are the best, where it is, and how to get there...since they are not in our neighborhood, I don't know if just showing the cab driver my little ticket will get me home, and the addresses for the stores in my book are not in Chinese. It could be quite an adventure!

Yes, we are aware of the Olympics. China has 7 nationals TV channels that are all broadcasting the events. All of it is in Chinese, so we have no idea what anyone is saying, and they are, of course, covering their own country's athletes, so we won't see much of the US athletes unless they are competing against the Chinese or highlights of something big. Everyone wanted to know if we would be attending any events. Now that we are here, the idea of getting just downtown (about 40 minutes away by car in good traffic, which I'm assuming never happens) is daunting and we are thinking it's very unlikely that we will be able to see anything live. We are hoping to manage a trip downtown this weekend to see the sites and catch some of the excitement.

All in all, we are feeling unsettled, but much less overwhelmed than when we arrived in Tanzania. Mark is leaving for work in just a few minutes--looking very professional (no more working on a construction site) but a bit wrinkly (no iron). The kids are asking to go to the school to see it, so that's on our agenda this week, too. I think we can walk there in about 20 minutes. I have this week off and start next Monday. The kids start school on the 28th. While Mark is working and I have training, the kid will be in "daycare" at the school having a good time.

We had a great time in the States. We can't begin to thank everyone who helped us out: Laurie and Jeff, Jim and Lisa, and Matt and Lisa for welcoming places to stay in Minneapolis; Dave and Nancy for a great car; my mom for letting us (plus my sister and brother's family) all crash at her place (a total of 11 people in a 3br 1 bath house makes for getting reacquainted really easy); Mark's brother David and his family for hosting 12 additional Hillmans and making it fun everyday; Annika and Jeremy and their families who made Cameron feel so much at home; the friends at Kell Ave. who made us feel like we had never been away; and Karen, who continues to be the dearest friend in the world. I don't have pictures of everyone doing everything with everyone else, but we will keep you in our hearts and prayers and we hope you keep us. Life is good!

More later--including pics of the neighborhood!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation.

The Other Olympics.

Melissa Stockwell was a track athlete on Mark's team when she was in high school. After college she was deployed to Iraq. Three weeks after her arrival her transport was hit by a bomb and she lost her leg. She started swimming as part of her rehab (along with skiing) and is now heading to the ParaOlympics in September (also in Beijing) as a world record holder in her event. In order to attain that goal, she shaved 17 seconds off her best time--wow! We are hoping to be able to see her compete.

Melissa has been featured in a lot of national media stories. She is completely unassuming and modest, but has accomplished so much with so much grace and strength. She really is an inspiration! She is keeping a blog of her experiences and links to the media stories can be found here at her blog.

Good luck, Melissa!

The Last Best Place

"I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it's difficult to analyze love when you're in it."

Steinbeck couldn't have said it better. I am not really a world traveler (ok, I did go to Tanzania, but before that my world travels were limited to Banff, Victoria, and Tijuana). I have not been through the Colorado Rockies. I haven't hiked the Appalachian Trail. I haven't been to Maine. I haven't traveled Alaska. So there may be some who would consider my love of Montana to be a little limited. But I don't think I will ever find a place that is as beautiful as where I grew up. And I don't think it's solely nostalgia talking, either. I have lived in Minnesota for 20 years and I don't own one photo or coffee table book of any place there. On the other hand, most of the things hanging on my walls or decorating my house are from Montana. Go figure. Our kids have ridden jet skis, ATVs, and shot guns. They have exploded large (dangerous) fireworks with their uncles. They have rafted rivers. They have, in short, vacationed the way we grew up. And lived to tell the tale.

I think Calandria would understand how a person can feel about a place where they grew up. From the moment I step off the plane or out of the car at my mother's house, the smell of the ponderosa pines hits me and I breathe deep every time I step outside. Often there is a tinge of smoke in the air from the forest fires that spring up every August. There is a woodsy smell that I don't smell anywhere in Minnesota. There's so much that has changed and modernized since I lived here, but there is so much that remains, too. I love the familiar mountains (I remember an old boyfried of a friend that found the mountains claustrophobic, being from the East Side. Crazy.) that surround the valley. I love Glacier Park. I worked at Granite Park Chalet for a summer and was a park ranger for the next two and it was wonderful. I love(d) spending a week there with Mark's brother and his family, camping in the same site in the same campground they camped at as kids. I love the fact that we go (went) there every year and took the same hikes together, even though it meant we never went to any place new. I love the fact that when we did branch out (Yellowstone, Black Hills) we always missed being in Glacier. The feeling of being so far away from people, so alone...Glacier is really a park where you can get away from people easily. On our hike yesterday we drove an hour, hiked for two (at Ava's pace) and were the only people within 50 miles. It's a feeling we never had in Tanzania, where we always went everywhere with a guide and so to a certain extent saw things through their eyes. Every time we are here I feel so lucky to have grown up in this place and get to visit.

I love Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. I started going there when I was 9 years old and worked there my last year at the age of 19--and I picked up my 9 year old niece up from her first year there this week (Mark camped and worked there, too). I loved all my counselors, waking up and looking at the sun over Flathead Lake, the retreat center (we settled on our church in Bloomington in part because the view out the windows reminded us of the retreat center). It's another place where I can sit in the bunk that I slept in over 30 years ago. I hope that my kids have a chance to spend a practically perfect week there someday.

It's going to be a bittersweet visit, I think. My mother is planning to sell the house within a year. It's not a fancy house at all. When we all stay here (there will be 13 people staying here the last week of July) we share 1 bathroom. It now sits right on a busy highway that was recently expanded.

I am not nostalgic for the house. I am sad that this may be the last summer we will spend in Montana. There is no way we can afford to buy anything here, and without a "base" we will be simply tourists, coming for a camping week. I am so sad at the thought! The snow is still too deep and all the trails in Glacier are still closed, so our hiking that we had planned is significantly curtailed. We were so excited to visit all those places and now we won't be able to.

*sigh* I didn't expect this.

A Work in Progress

If you are checking the blog and find odd colors or weird layouts, bear with me. I'm trying to get a look that is a little less earthy and more in keeping with our (soon to be) new home. If you have any hints or links for personalizing backgrounds, etc. please post them here!

If you want to see where we'll be teaching for the next 3 years, you can go HERE and click on one of the school's promo videos. We're very excited!

Caption Anyone?

What you get at the drive-through.

The Last Post...

...from Tanzania, that is. We are leaving in 7 days. I'm not going to try to put into words what it feels like to say good-bye to a place we have loved so dearly, to friends that have meant so much to us, knowing that for the most part we won't see them again. I defy anyone who has been here to discount the beauty of this part of the world; indeed I am sure that I shall never find a place so agreeable nor people so amiable (hee hee--I've been watching "Pride and Prejudice" and slipped a bit of Jane Austen in there). Watching our last rugby game last night (Tanzania beat Kenya 16-15...hooray!), our last lunch at Stiggy's (where we were treated to excellent wine, excellent dessert, and wonderful company), our last church service, our last day at PHS...these past few weeks have been filled with reminders that life is going on here--and we're just going on.

Noah and Ava are taking things hard, Noah especially. We've talked a lot about how we arrived in Arusha not knowing anyone or anything, that we could never have imagined how we would feel so quickly about friends, school, and work. God prepared a place for us here. God is preparing a place for us in Beijing, too, and we can't imagine what is waiting for us there. Something very different, but also very good and we can be comforted in our sense of loss that we will continue to experience great blessings in our lives. I'm sure that some day that message will be understood, without one of them throwing themselves down on the ground, sobbing!

Our last official PHS function was to welcome the families of the newest class to orientation on Friday. As before, families made a tremendous effort to get to town to learn more about PHS and arrival information. The newest class will join the current students at the end of June on campus. We are so proud of the staff at PHS and the work they do. It doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary, but in this country they are working with students in ways that are unheard of. Everyone is on board--cooks, cleaners, teachers, etc. They all feel like a valued part of a great team and we are so proud to have been a part of that.

We arrive back to Minneapolis on June 15th and will spend the rest of June there and most of July in Montana and Idaho. We leave for Beijing on August 8th and arrive on the opening weekend of the Olympics. We hope to see as many of you as we can! I think the blog may be a bit quiet over the summer, but check in once in a while--we will continue to blog about our adventures in Beijing at the same address!