Meanwhile, in China...

As anyone knows who has been regularly checking our blog, Janelle has been the blogmaster, writing all the posts and posting all the pictures. Well, this worked fine until she had to go back to the US a few weeks ago for the triplets. There may still be a few people who are interested to know what's happening on the western side of the Pacific, in Tianjin. So, I guess it is time for me to figure out how to work this blog thing and give you a picture of what I've been doing in the absence of my wonderful wife and son! So, here goes nothing...

I guess the first big activity I should mention is the annual TIS Fine Arts Celebration, which was held on Friday evening, October 30. That evening, over 70 of our students took the opportunity to showcase their talents in both visual and performing arts. Our lobby was transformed into a large gallery, and our band room, choir room, auditorium and one fifth grade classroom were transformed into recital halls. Students, who had previewed their performances for music staff, performed all sorts of acts, ranging from violin and piano solos to hip-hop dances to vocal solos to rock bands. It was quite a night, and really strengthened the joy that I already felt to work with students who are not only talented but are excited to share their talents for the enjoyment of others.


The next day, I went with our friends Derek and Holly to the Tianjin Museum. The museum is a world-class facility, with a really cutting-edge high-tech design, and several great exhibits, chronicling the development of Chinese calligraphy, ancient Chinese artifacts, and the history of the city of Tianjin. Tianjin is a young city: There wasn't even a settlement here until the 1400s! (When your culture is 5,000 years old, a 600-year-old city is pretty new!) Despite being young, Tianjin has been an important city, being in the center of several very important event in Chinese history. It was really great to be at the museum with Derek and Holly, because they did a great job explaining to me the parts of the museum that had no English translation. (They also taught me some characters along the way.)


The next day, November 1, the temperature dropped quite a bit, and we had our first snowfall of the season! (All you people in the South are jealous, I know!) Here are some images from the first snow.





Then, on Friday, November 6, after school, all of our middle school students enjoyed their annual after-school party, which I was glad to attend. I'm really enjoying teaching our middle schoolers. Truth be told, I'm a little surprise about this! I didn't think I was going to enjoy that age group as much as high schoolers, but I honestly do enjoy teaching them very much. It is really exciting to have a musical or a artistic breakthrough with middle schoolers! Just thinking of the enduring effects of that kind of breakthrough is extremely fulfilling! The party was full of fun, from your traditional "party games" to soccer on the field, to Korean food en masse. Here are some pics:


So, that at least gives you an idea of what's keeping me busy.