Mandarin Clutch



We embarked into learning the Mandarin language while in the USA. Our instructor, Eva Cole, was very patient with us and we learned some words and phrases over several hours of instruction.   
But as the pressure of moving increased, our dedication to our lessons decreased.  It was a good introduction to the sounds and the culture and has served us well. It's time to get more serious. We begin phase two of our Mandarin lessons this week.   An instructor will come to our home twice a week for a two-hour combined lesson.  The two of us and our new instructor, Stefanie, will sit at our dining room table and we will immerse ourselves in more Mandarin.  My stomach does a flip everytime I think about it. I know it won't be "easy-peasy" as the kids say, of course, but my concern is over having my husband alongside of me while I try to learn something new and difficult.

 HISTORY:  The Spring after I turned 40 we leased a cute little white FORD Escort GT sporting a spoiler and a manual transmission. I definitely did not want a manual transmission as I had never operated a car with one but my dh* said, "No problem, I've taught several people how to drive a stick-shift, you CAN do this, Carol, and I will teach you.  Besides, we can save $15 per month on the lease."   The Big Guy is a very patient man and an excellent instructor. He had been a graduate assistant at the University of Michigan. Heck, he taught eight squirrely 8-year old cub scouts all sorts of things as they ran around the house bopping each other with whatever pointy objects they could find. So he'd earned his credentials.  He had a long list of those he successfully taught this same skill. However, I am very impatient with myself when learning something new....childlike almost.  But I was determined to conquer that clutch and  have a more affordable car payment, and a moon roof!  Add to that the need to prove that a bright 40-year old wasn't "over the hill" as all the black balloons and birthday cards had so eagerly pointed out a few months prior.  Off we went to Madonna University's empty parking lot with our 8-year old son "chatting it up" in the back seat.  Now I am not Roman Catholic but that day it didn't hurt to have "Hail Mary, Mother of God..." with me, believe me.

Instruction from a good teacher begins with the understanding of where the pupil "is at," so they know where to begin teaching. The Big Guy began likening a manual transmission to the gears on a 3-speed bicycle and explained  what a clutch would do to get from gear to gear,blah...blah...blah.  I shook my head up and down. Our tow-headed future driver leaned forward to increase his own background knowledge. He reminded us that in only 8 years he would be behind the wheel. Oy. So, a switch from passenger to driver's seat had me fully determined and focused. And then the fun began! 

 "One foot on the clutch, one foot on the brake...ease off ever so slightly...and accelerate," he
   said.
 "Ka-Booonk!," and the car stalled. 
 Try again. 
 "Ka-Blam!" and so forth and so on ad nauseum.
 My left calf was not used to this work out at all.  
 Sadly,I'd not gotten very far in the expansive empty lot.
The security guard stopped his vehicle to watch the show. I swear he was eating a balogna sandwich and sipping a Mountain Dew.

My face-reddened, my frustration increased, I wanted to cry and bolt and die all at the same time.  Our son who giggled the first few times I stalled the car suddenly became as quiet as a mouse. The tension was that thick.  He moved from a leaning-in center position to near-cowering behind my seat, watching his very patient father in action.  (Smart move, kiddo.)

My progress was S L O W and at one of my worst parenting moments I screamed "Why in the #%^&* would ANYONE want to DRIVE like THIS - What's the POINT?"  After an hour of tremendous trials and torture, lesson one was over. Thank Goodness! - (this is when I thanked the Mother of Jesus, by the way.)   Lesson two was better and each morning I'd wake up, look out at the gleaming oxford white car and take on the challenge to get from point A to point B with less stalling and more forwarding.  I schemed ahead to avoid traffic lights and any semi-uphill terrain. Center Street at Main Street was the worst. But I did learn to drive my little FORD Escort GT with its manual transmission and moon roof. Thank-you, Big Guy...

 These lessons we will conquer together, albeit at differing speeds. We will be similarly perplexed but just as challenged.  We'll learn "Survival Mandarin" with Stefanie - Jiao You!  Undeniably, I've matured since age 40 and we have oh so many subsequent years of connubial bliss under our expanding waistbands, so this should be "easy-peasy," right?  But just in case I'll take a heavy dose of Good Fortune and down shift  into Good Luck and Happiness as I ascend this Mandarin mountain.  I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading,

Cricket                                  *dh - dear husband

Cultural Calendar Clash

Imagine taking a calendar and a small bottle of old-fashioned “white-out” and erasing every holiday.  And I mean EVERY holiday.  Now, take a red permanent marker and place some random holidays here and there throughout January through December.  You may not put any traditional USA holiday back on the calendar, nor place a holiday in its traditional USA month, eg: Should you choose to put Thanksgiving on your new calendar, it could not be placed in the month of November. 

Well, that about sums up what we are up against here, I’ll deem it Cultural Calendar Clash.

Some of you already live in a country other than the USA so this will just sound like whining, I’m sure, but for us others it’s mind-blogging.  (that’s a new word….did you catch it?)

Last Monday was Memorial Day weekend in the US.   A day set aside to honor veterans and service people who serve and have served our country.  A way to hold their sacrifices high and be grateful.  It marks the beginning of summer. Being female & my age there is even more significance revolving around Memorial Day.  It's our first opportunity to “crack out” those bright white sandals, high heels or straw bags- but just until Labor Day-the first Monday in September.   On that day they MUST  be kicked into the back of your shoe closet for nine months of R&R. 



Dragon Boats



This Monday, China celebrated Dragon Boat Festival Day (Duen Ng.) This occurs on the 5^th day of the 5^th lunar month.  There were Dragon Boat races on Mochou Lake and we were hosted downtown at Matthew’s apartment, number #202. His balcony overlooks the lake and all its merriment. Matthew is a member of what I call the “Nanjing Normals” – 9 of us who have arrived here within the past 2 months.  We are all “Embracing the New Normal in Nanjing”….together.

It seems that people the world over come up with ALL sorts of reasons to get together and eat. Afterall, sharing a meal & conversation builds relationships. Like holidays everywhere, particular holidays conjure up certain cuisine and Dragon Boat Festival Day does too.  This is the time to celebrate the summer rice planting  , so there is rice-a-plenty.   Some of it is wrapped and steamed in a leaf with some red bean curd. It resembles a three-cornered pyramid and is tied with string.  Unwrap and eat! They are called zongzi (pronounced ZONG-zeh.) Yummy carbohydrates!

The rice "tie-in" doesn't end there. A political figure, Qu Yuan, in 278 BC was unhappy with the way the emperor ruled and protested the decisions made.  He sacrificially put a stone on his back and waded into the water to drown himself.  Legend says that people threw rice into the water to feed the fish so they would leave Qu Yuan’s body alone and beat drums to frighten the fish away and ward off the evil dragon.  Qu Yuan is the hero of the 5th day in the 5th lunar month.

The tradition has evolved into racing colorful boats that depict dragons. Within each boat a drummer, a tiller and crew (who have trained heartily for this event) take their spots and run several heats in the heat.   We cheered them all on with shouts of the Mandarin phrase "Jia Yo!" -which is pretty close to "Let's Go!"  It was quite fun!

Here are some photos of our excursion after a delightful meal at

 Matthew's on Mochou Lake.



Cricket and the Big Guy



Team Yellow on Mochou Lake - Drum Roll, Please!




Experiencing our first Dragon Boat Festival Day with new friends was awesome!   I’ll mark a red circle around next year, the 5^th day of the 5^th lunar month. A peek at the the 2011 Chinese calendar shows this September 12, as the Mid-Autumn Festival. I  wonder what’s on the menu that day? Tell you what... I won't wear white shoes or carry a white purse since it's after Labor Day in the good old USA; some habits are just way too hard to break...

Thanks for Reading,

Cricket

Sign says "No Speeling" - Matthew and I couldn't help ourselves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2tHaGoduvY   Don't Miss This Fun!  Jia Yo!