Category Archives: art

June in Nanjing

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This last couple of weeks have been jam packed with activities. Here are photos commemorating these events.

My 10th grade students created an IB extravaganza performance to display their wonderful talents. One evening I had dinner with my Tai Chi friends and master. They gave me a RED tai chi uniform! I am a part of the group now and am the only one in bright red! Friends, Marty and Jim Hartman from America met me in Shanghai. We explored the Yunnan Gardens and chatted non-stop.

This weekend is Dragon Boat Festival. We celebrate with steaming rice dumplings, ‘Zong Zi’ in Chinese, and salty duck eggs, ‘Xian Ya Dan’ and green bean cakes, ‘Lv Dou Gao’. Our school gave us a box of duck eggs, which I thought I might like, but when I bit into one, it was very gritty with a red oily yoke. Not something this vegetarian really cares for. The rice dumplings are fun, as they are wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied with threads, very yummy.

Life in China is one adventure after another.

Last Third of My Life

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When it comes to students and their life choices I ask, “What do you want to do when you grow up? Have you decided on a career? Where do you want to go to school and study?” Last night a friend asked me, “What are you going to do with the last third of your life?” He got me thinking, as if I don’t ponder enough!

I asked myself, what do I want to do? After my China teaching experience is over what will I do? Do I want to keep teaching here, I could, they would keep me as long as I want to stay. I could teach IB in another part of the world. What about a Greek Isle or on a Caribbean beach? Ah, but what are the odds of moving there? I am talented and could do something in the artsy realm. Maybe a studio/gallery, a tourist art business or what about a B&B (Bed and Breakfast)? Should I take the advice of Robert Kiyosaki the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and became financially independent through investing and owning businesses? Do I need to partner with another like soul and create this venture? How about my children, would they like to be a partner? Maybe my long time girlfriends, they are on the verge of retirement and are probably thinking the same about their lives? Maybe a venture with them is an option? Or maybe someone else will come into focus and help me find that direction.

Why didn’t I learn about investing years ago, I might have a nest egg I could draw off and travel about? But I didn’t. American education did not teach me to save or how to make money during my college experience. My Chinese friends on the other hand have money in the bank and owe no one. I learn from them. So where do I go from here? I need some suggestions. You the reader are my family and friends, give me advice? Let me know what you think? You see my talents better than I see myself. Talk to me, advise me, help the wandering gypsy find a new direction.

Cinder(f)ellow

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Cinderella is a folk tale about a beautiful young woman in the throes of unjust oppression alias wins out triumphantly when her charming prince appears with her perfect glass slipper.

The new version is about a Cinder(f)ellow that I am in search of. The little play on words or fellow, is what I am looking for. Three months ago I had a dream about a man in black shoes standing at the foot of the pagoda I view out my window. ( Blog entitled: “The mysterious man in black shoes” ) He wears the most compelling black shoes. I will say I have had some enchanting interest in this blog from a variety of prince charmings. A photographer in Dallas emailed me stating he has black shoes, as well as a variety of other shades. An Australian Queensland bloke has also taken a keen interest in my Cinder(f)ellow quest and quizzed me as to what they actually look like, trying to get a lead. I will say they are not in any fashion a boot. To the camera buff I say only black. There is an enchilada dinner, waiting in Houston with a wonderful man and his dog Nellie. To Nellie I say don’t chew up any black shoes. At last to my Washington state Reiki friend, the distance is long and how in the world will I ever see your charming shoes?

Now you know the tale of this China doll looking for her Cinderfellow. To others with an interest in the quest of the right black shoes, attach a reply and I will be happy to review your shoe fashion. You never know you may just get lucky.

Isn’t life fun, when you live it playfully?

The rut of addicted personalities

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The moon is full and the night is exquisite in a velvety black aura. Looking over the city from my balcony window I am thinking how much I would love to share this view with you. Yes, you my reader and friends in America, England, Australia and China. Can you imagine what it is like to see the vast sprawling downtown city lights of Nanjing? I would have never been here if it hadn’t been for circumstances. Isn’t the journey of life interesting? It seems you are always working to make your life perfect and then WHAM, someone pulls the rug out from under you and KA-SPLAT you are slapped in the face with a new reality. This year I have worked so hard on understanding my plight of losing a son and a marriage. I have been healing and reassembling the bits and pieces of my life back together. Learning about new people, new places and new ideas is the way I spend time in my home, China. I work on blocking out the sadness of so much loss by staying busy teaching students my concepts of art and life. The one thing I have learned is I can stand up for myself and tell someone how I feel. It has taken a life time to learn this lesson. I got a letter from my ex-husband today, someone I had no longer expected to hear from. It was a letter from an addicted personality not able to see the end of our relationship and still pulling strings to get his way. To him I say “What are you thinking?” Stop playing this game and treating me so shabby! It is over, I have moved on, and you must do the same.

Learning the lessons of life are so very difficult. We get in a rut and seem to repeat them over. I am not repeating this one again. I have gained the insight I need to say how I feel and what I need. I keep hearing “brave” from many of you. No, that is not me. I am really a chicken at heart, but this time with some distance between me and him, I believe I am healed. I am a new enriched person, a stronger woman, living a sane life far from the insanity of addicted personalities. Life is full of crazy people, but not here, not in my life anymore.

Another look at the full moon and then I retire to my comfy hard as a rock bed. Where ever you are, look out your window up at the moon and think about your life lessons. Are you working them, ignoring them, or maybe you have learned them. My advice is: Don’t get in a rut and keep repeating them!

A Chinese Wedding

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My friend Joyce in Houston commented the one major issue people complain about is loneliness. All single people have this in common. Getting married changes your loneliness to togetherness, if you marry the right person. I attended my first Chinese wedding with my boss and her husband. The groom was his cousin.

The wedding was in Yixing at the local Howard Johnson Motel in the grand ballroom. It was a festive luncheon attended by all the family and closest friends. The bride dressed in a lovely white gown entered with her dad and walked a long catwalk to meet her husband at the end holding her bouquet. An emcee narrated the event with the mayor making a long speech. The parents came to the stage and the couple bowed and spoke to them then turned to the audience in tears. A giant helium dirigible with “I LOVE YOU” in red floated over our heads toward the groom. A red scroll unrolled to reveal a box with the rings. They exchanged rings. They poured neon water into a tube that spelled LOVE and alias they were married. A lovely lunch, gifts for all, cigarettes, and many toasts. The emcee gave out large stuffed animals if you came forward and sang songs Karaoke style. The bride and groom strolled around, visiting and toasting milk. She changed into a lovely red dress and off they went. We were invited back for the second version, the dinner wedding but we made excuses and left for home.

A toast to the bride and groom, no more loneliness.

Yixing – Home of the Teapot and 100,000 potters

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Yixing is a town of one million, and one hundred thousand are potters in the teapot industry. I was there a few days ago with my IB coordinator and her wonderful husband. We went to a little open air pottery shop and studio, not much bigger than a bedroom and met the owner, his potter wife and their apprentice Ding Da Shaung. I fell in love with Ding, she is extremely petite and looks like a Native American potter. Those little hands of hers could flatten a slab of clay 1/16th of an inch thick, adjoin it, and pat it round in just a few minutes. She then placed it in a plaster mold, banded it and attached a base. While it dried to leather hard we created a tiny lid with a slab, added a lip and molded it, too. No water, no mess, no slab roller, and the nicest clay ever. Every artist loves to feel clay, it is that tactile right brain thing we enjoy. I got to play with the clay, make a pot and drink green tea all at the same time.

Yixing has the nicest karma, no wonder a “live terra cotta army of potters” reside there! I could live there and make pots till the end of time. Get my own little studio and sell those crazy Americans Chinese teapots. I left my green-ware pot, to be fired. Maybe someone will buy it, low and behold it will be made by a Texan!

A band-aide, a hug, and “I love you.”

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Today was one of those days. I was watching Grey’s Anatomy and seeing the hospital room, the dying patient, the blood, the organs being harvested, the doctors, and the wife having to deal with death, it just took me over. Teary eyed, glaring at the TV set, I focused my glazed eyes above the screen. Perched on top was a picture, a beautiful picture of my family taken at my nieces wedding almost two years ago. There was Andy with his date, a talkative little blond. He looks so handsome standing next to Chris and Sam. Sam has a beautiful blue dress on I bought her. They too will be married in the next couple months. Next to Sam is Randy in the middle with a big grin. Kyle and I are together, we look like a cute couple. Lastly is Sarah in a aqua colored sun dress and Casey very smartly dressed in black. Another handsome couple soon to move out of Texas and on to California. That was the last picture of my family before it all fell apart. Four months later Andy would die suddenly of acute Leukemia, and my marriage to Kyle would end.

I sit here now and just peer at this picture thinking what a happy moment in time, just a quick second and flash it was gone. Where does time go? All those beautiful moments you spend with ones you love turn into a glossy piece of paper. Life is constantly changing. They say change is good. Yeah, well what is good about the loss of a son? Nothing. Then I think when will these sad feelings ever go away? I realize probably never, something as a mother I will have to deal with forever.

I miss Andy! I miss them all. I live in China and missing family is an ever day reminder. Teaching and living here is easy. Living without family is not. It won’t be long and I will be back in Dallas for a couple months. When I see my children, I will hug them for a long time. I may not let them go.

My little broken heart needs a big band-aide, a few hugs and an “I love you,” to carry on. Yes, carrying on, it is about the caring of one another and the carrying burdens for each other. Like I said in a past post it is the “Carriage” relationships that work. My children are my carriage.

Chinese Tea Ceremony

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Mother’s Day in China without children makes me homesick. To my surprise one of my 11th graders, Vivi took me to her class on learning the tea ceremony. All in Chinese, she was so kind to translate the stories and process.

We sampled Oolong and Pu-erh Tea. Dried Oolong looks like little dark green beads, once it hits water, each bead opens into a leaf and is fragrant like flowers. The tea is steeped in a tiny pot with a lid then the water is poured out. This first batch is too bitter to drink. Hot water is poured in again, then strained into a tiny glass pitcher and poured in dainty white porcelain cups. You smell the tea, take the first sip as there are three steps to drinking. The second sip is to get the taste and the third you swallow the entire cup feeling the tea as it caresses your throat. Hot water is poured again over and around the leaves for maybe seven to eight drinking times creating very different tastes with the same leaves.

The teacher told stories about how the tea will calm a person in conflict. If you are at the work place and have someone that is not in agreement, tea is good to drink and during the drinking you will calm down and be able to discuss your problems. She told a story about an emperor and how he ruled. I only got bits and pieces of the stories as I was too calm to really ask many questions!

One of the advanced students wanted to do a tea presentation. She got out a Yixing tea set and opened a dried biscuit of Pu-erh tea that was five years old. Vivi proceeded to pop the tea with a pick to remove it from the dried tea biscuit shape. This tea has a red coloring unlike the oolong and actually smells like woody trees. She waved her hands around more like tai chi in her process. It was magnificent to watch. She proceeded to pour the tea in tiny tall cups and place a small cup on top of each one. With a wave of her hands and a flip she plopped the cups over and sat it before us. We carefully lifted the tall cup up and the lovely tea flowed into the round cups. You then run the tall cup around the rim of the other cup. That was so much fun, I bought a set of those cups. We continued to drink tea all afternoon creating a wonderful learning atmosphere.

Tai Ji Quan at 7 am

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Early morning is quite interesting on my city block. This is a typical morning on the way to and from Tai Chi. My Tai Ji Quan master is Mr. Zhou, a retired engineer married to the music teacher. Mr. Shen and his wife Mrs. Cai are retired clerks from the school. Mrs. Liu, a geography teacher; Mrs. Qian, a sports teacher and Mrs. Shi is my friend, whose daughter translates to English for us. They each have grandchildren.

Home is where the heart is

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My life in China has been a real awakening for me. Watching people go about their everyday lives, seeing unusual sites as I walk, writing my “Eat, Pray, Teach” blog and getting the nicest responses back has been the real treasures for me.


Yesterday I decided it was time for a trip across town on my bike to my colleague Jonathan’s home. Half way I stopped at the fabric shop and picked up my finished Chinese black silk shirt from the tailor. He was busily fitting a New Yorker for a suit. The man was with three large very robust American women. They were being fitted for giant tailored shirts! I decided to have another blouse made out of a blue/green silken fabric. This would be something breezy and carefree created in my favorite colors. The New Yorkers were traveling with a group of upstate NY students. What fun they were having, shopping and seeing the sites of China. I walked out of the fabric store to my bike. There a patrol woman proceeded to chew me out for locking my bike to the no parking sign. She started to write some kind of blue ticket with those obsessive red stamps on it. I just smiled, unlocked the bike and waved at her. She gave up writing the ticket, smiled back and let me go.

Down Zhoungshan Bei Lu and a left at Gulin circle and it looks like I am going north. Three blocks later I realize I am lost, and instead of getting anxious, I made a right and rode on. I have a good sence of direction and after a few more turns, riding by the city wall, under the great arch and past the temple I am back to the correct road. Another ten minutes and I see a fair skin young Brit waving at me in a sea of brown Chinese! Jonathan lives in a very typical six flight walk up, with a tiny galley kitchen, nice size living area and two bedrooms with a balcony. Leiwi, his wife is in northern China with her family. Her dad had cancer surgery and is in recovery. They used all their savings to pay the expenses of the surgery for her dad. Jonathan doesn’t mind he loves his wife and her family. What admiration I have for this wonderful young man.

A stir-fried vegan lunch, oolong tea and jazz music, is such a treat. After lunch I biked past a vegetarian shop, much like a tiny whole foods. I bought vegan meat balls, chicken, sausage and sauces. Riding back, dodging pot holes, motorcycles, strolling couples, taxi’s and crazy drivers, I realized how much fun I was having all on my own. Lastly, it was nice to walk into my apartment and realize “I am home.”

Home is where your heart is. You can live anywhere, but until you create a home, the feeling you belong, you are only in a house.

To the many of you that write me privately and express your optimism about my soul mate search -Connie in Allen, Chris in Austin, Wes my high school classmate who I have reconnected with, Sarah in Sacramento, Ross my friend in Austrialia–thank you. Your letters are read and very much appreciated. You are helping me see from a variety of perspectives, how my healing process is developing.