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Christmas in China 2004

 

I wrote the included commentary on the plane rides coming back to Philadelphia with a few revisions and clarifications added during this page as a retirement project in March 2022 . We flew through Chicago.Why Christmas in China? Teresa received a ticket to come home from Beijing for Christmas break which was sitting on her desk when we arrived, but she didn't plan on coming home in the first place, because of not wanting to adjust and readjust and lose language schools if she came home for and Christmas.

When Teresa said she would not come home for Christmas, I first went to the Internet to look for any nonstop flights knowing we would have to go there since I was not ready to have a Christmas apart. Our main preparation for this trip was needing to go to New York City to obtain the visas. Also there was mental preparation. My greatest obstacle and worry was how to swing it with Jim at work for all those days at Christmas time. Jim, being a very good friend made it happen with a little help at work.

 

Flight  Philadelphia to Beijing via Chicago left 12/23/04 9:00 AM arrive 12/24/04 3:40 PM

Day 1 Christmas Eve

 

It was a long plane ride from Chicago to Beijing. I slept pretty well. Teresa was waiting for us at the airport actually jumping up and down. Our first adventure was the cab ride to her school. First we had to find the cab and then decide whether to take one cab or two. We took two probably because of the suggestion of a man in the line. We had six people and a lot of luggage. I felt somewhat uneasy getting in the cab with Steve and Lisa hoping we would wind up in the correct place. Teresa handed cab driver a little card with the address that the cab was to take us to. The cab left us at the gate of the school. We confirmed the location was correct by showing the guard at the gate the map Teresa had given to us with a circle on it. The guard pointed to the ground in a motion clearly indicating we were in the correct place. It seemed forever that we were waiting for Teresa to arrive that cold, dark, smoggy night. We tried calling Teresa's cell phone number which she had given us along with the map, phone card and Cab card. We couldn't connect possibly because all the buttons on the public phones weren't working. Teresa then showed up very apologetic and we went to our rooms.

Claudette and I had a suite with a sitting area. Lisa, Steve and Regina had a similar apartment with four beds. We were invited to a Christmas Eve dinner hosted by Father Ron. Teresa seemed slightly ambivalent whether we should go or not and since we were already late, but she got a text message saying the others were arriving late as well. Jackie who runs the trips for TBC was there with his girlfriend and mom. Very tired we made a poor showing with our chopstick skills. The food was great. Of course we were happy to climb into bed even if they were rock hard.

 

 Christmas Eve Movie

 

Day 2  Christmas Day

 

Christmas morning Claudette and I both were up early. Claudette did a great job putting out the stockings which Gino, my barber, had so thoughtfully suggested for us to bring when I was fishing for ideas while getting my hair cut on how to make it feel like Christmas in China. I don't think it felt like our usual Christmas at all except that we were together. This was the theme of the trip of course, being together. Father Ron said Christmas mass in his apartment which was in our same building and stairway. He played some Christmas and carols on his CD player which Steve help with. Claudette, Lisa and Teresa helped with the Reading's.

We then went looking for a duck restaurant which was very close by. Teresa was not exactly sure which restaurant it was so she pulled out her cell phone and called her host student Wan Chian, who came very promptly and brought us into the restaurant and helped us order. We got a little room for ourselves. I was surprised to see many Santa Claus faces in the windows and doors of the stores, restaurants and throughout Teresa school. Wan Chian’s English was beautiful with a British accent and she was very poised and refine. We were to see her again on our trip to the great wall.

I wasn't too crazy about the duck but the rest of the food was excellent. There was slight improvement of the chop stick skills. The day was dreary, cold and smoggy like the night before. We then went to a shopping mall Teresa called the electronics store because that's what they sold on the first floor. The place was full of individual vendors. Steve and Lisa bought two pirated DVDs. We then went to this big supermarket. The place was packed with people and young women hawking some types of bread in vey high pitched shrieking sounds. I felt as though I was in a giant chicken coop. By then I was a bit cranky and felt a poop attack (one of many) coming on, so we finally headed back. Father Ron invited us to his apartment for some sandwiches at 7 o'clock so we went to our respective rooms to chill out. I fell asleep on the sofa at five or 6 o'clock in the afternoon sitting up and then laid down flat at 10 finally moving to my bed at 1 AM. There was much laughter at father Ron's party that I heard off and on but I just could not get the energy to get up.

Later Claudette wanted to get a Christmas picture with all six of us but that didn't happen. We were gaily dressed in Christmas colors. Alas many other family photos were obtained later.

 

 Christmas Day Movie

 

Day 3    Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Wang Fu Jing

 

I woke up very early in the morning because of the time change. The kids seemed to have no trouble sleeping late and Claudette did pretty well herself. I didn't mind the quiet and read about China, our new camera and a journal from a Jesuit society in China called the Macau Ricci Society. The first couple of articles were very good in implying there it might be some opportunity for Christianity in the spiritual void in China.

The next day was sunny and clear. We took the subway to Tiananmen Square which left us off right in front of the Forbidden City.

The huge picture of Chairman Mao gazing down upon us really made me feel like I was in China for the first time. The Forbidden City was huge and a bit rundown. Maybe they will spruce it up for the 2008 Olympics. We went into the front door and out the back. We enjoyed taking pictures of some of their wacky signs. The signs were in a mangled English because of poor translation.

We had noodles in another hole in the wall place on the corner behind the Forbidden City’s rear gates. Then we walked to Wa Fu Jing to find a decent bathroom for guess who. The street was closed to cars. Steve found a book to read in a giant bookstore that makes our Barnes and Noble look miniscule. We were approached by very many hawkers with so many different come on’s who had no sense of space boundaries with much arm grabbing. We walked through Tiananmen Square to the Tea House which was a bit hard to find. Then back home on the subway.

 

Forbidden City Movie    Wang Fu Jing (High end shopping) Movie     Tea House (Lao She) Movie 

  

Day 4 Temple of Heaven, Cool Exercise Stuff, Haggling for Jewelry

We took the bus across town to the temple of heaven. The high point of the temple of heaven was the playground exercise area with funny machines the people were using. Then to the Pearl market. I enjoyed watching Teresa haggle with the shopkeepers. Regina lost her patience a little bit since Teresa couldn't bring herself to pay what she thought was too much money for the jewelry Regina wanted which amounted to about two dollars or16 Quay. Everyone got what they wanted and we took the bus back home. I can remember many of the places that we ate but it's hard to remember when and where they were but I took plenty of pictures on the digital camera so the dates are stamped on those pictures at least.

Interspersed with the outings were gatherings with many of Teresa's friends. We met her a new room mate in the café house late at night but didn't stay too long since we were so tired, especially Regina and I.

 

The School Cafeteria

Very Tired

Very hungry

 Temple of Heaven( Tian Tan) Movie  Haggling (Qu Mei Dong Xi) Movie  Going Sporting (Yunn Dong) Movie

Day 5  Teresa and her trusty bike, Buddhist Temple, Chinese Starbucks, Hot Pot with Teresa's friends

 Lama Temple (Younge Gong) Movie     Mall with Xmas at Teresa's work place

Day 6    Drum tower, Frozen Lake Dining, Hutong

Steve, Lisa and Regina had been sleeping late each day and most mornings Teresa was chomping at the bit to get moving. A lot of of upsetment came to the surface in Lisa's room. Teresa felt pressure to please everyone and I don't think she felt appreciated. She was hurt by me saying that she was stubborn and that's why we had to come to China. Crying I told her I wanted her to be stubborn because I don't want anyone walking all over my children. I think we understood each other better from that point on. Some of this upsetment resulted from not being able to find the other more authentic Buddhist temple that we couldn't find the day before.

We took the subway to the Bell and Drum tower and got to see some Hutong and frozen lakes. We had trouble locating a restaurant on the lake since they were essentially all trendy bars. We finally went into one that served pretty good Thai food. I got a Thai coffee but it was nothing like the one I got when I was with my brother in Chicago at a Radiology meeting together in 1993. The food was pretty pricey but I could use the Visa card. It cost four times the usual price of a hole in the wall place. Oh we walked back home through the Hutong.

Notice the unusual sound in movie as the pigeons are flying in a flock. I read in the Economist in 2021 that the people in the Hutong keep pigeons that they attach tiny little whistles to their tails to make that sound. The article lamented that only one person was left that still has the skills to do that. The Hutongs are being leveled for new construction.

Economist Article

Drum Tower (Gu Lou) Movie    Ho Hai Thai food at Frozen Lake

Day 7     The Great Wall

The main event of the week was our trip to the Great Wall. Wan Chian and her roommate Pinky, of four years, came along. It being their first visit there, I especially enjoyed watching their reaction to the visit.

We packed some some things to eat which we enjoyed at the Summit. The section we visited was built 600 years ago. The hawkers there were more annoying than most. At the top was a kind and gentle woman selling postcards. She took our group picture. I don't think she even shoved her postcards in our faces as others did so we bought some from her. Much fun was had by all coming down the toboggan ride. I got a movie of Claudette going down most of the way in front of me. What an awesome place to be. Very quiet and tranquil with very few visitors there that day. I could see that at the base the potential for a carnival atmosphere in the busiest seasons. We rented 2 cabs for the whole day with four persons in each each costing 400 Quay for the whole day ($50 each).

Wan Chian was very chatty during the drive to the Great Wall. She said she “sleeped” most of the way back home. It was the only time I could catch her English not being perfect.

That night we did an easy dinner since we were tired from all the walking and travel. We ate on the third floor of the school cafeteria. We enjoyed a wonderful sweet and sour fish dish. The fish was swimming happily in its tank shortly before the waitress brought it to us in a water filled plastic bag for our inspection. I guess like checking a bottle of wine. This and many other dishes set us back 103 Quay ($14) including two or three bottles of beer.

That was the second night I fell asleep on the couch and dragged myself to bed without a shower. It was too cold and dry to get smelly anyway.

The Great Wall (Mutianyu-Changcheng)

Day 8      Teresa's School, Dorm room, Friends, Diner and another show. A relative day of rest.

 

One night father Ron took us to Park Street to a place where there were performers from Mosuo. He befriends these minority people who work 14 hours a day 365 days a year performing their native songs and dances. They were very young. Father Ron said their culture had the women in charge. When the girls become 13 they get a room with an outside door to allow the coming and going of concorts. Babies are brought up in the house with brothers helping to parent the children. It is to this province that Teresa will be taking her next trip way in the south of China.

 

 

Teresa's Room & Dinner with Friends     Dinner Show

Day 9 New Years Day    Great outer door market, Tiananmen Square, Observatory,

Tour with driver Market Tiananmen Observatory

Day 10   January 2, 2005   Last day. Morning Exercise with Tia Che, Dumplings, and Farewells.

Morning Exercise with Tia Che

Flight Beijing 5:35 PM 1/2/05 via Chicago Arrive Philadelphia 6:05 PM 1/2/05

Teresa did a most unbelievable job getting us around. She was a little too hard on herself not allowing to enjoy herself as much as she could.

Returning to Chicago made me think more highly of the Chinese people. They were in general kind and patient except of course for the hawkers. The man Teresa found with the van to drive us around too many different places had a very kind and patient demeanor while trying to communicate with Teresa. They seemed to get along very well and he's driving was not crazy like everyone else’s, especially the regular cab drivers. I found it amazing how closely people orchestrated the weaving and bobbing of traffic and how close they all drove together. Sometimes I simply found myself closing my eyes especially if it was in the front seat of a cab.

Epilogue.

We arrived back home late the afternoon of January 2 having left China early in the afternoon of the 2nd. The kids had school the next day and I had work. Kids were up and off to school the next day with no problem. I made it to work but I know I was dragging all day. After everyone left the house Claudette decided to lay down and take a little rest at 8 o'clock in the morning. She woke up at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm still amazed at how easily the kids adjusted to the time change on both ends.