the china experience

October 03, 2005

time flies!

has it REALLY been over a week since our last post? it's certainly not due to lack of anything exciting to report! we've just been doing our thing, morphing into locals, exploring the town, teaching, learning, living...

This week is National Chinese holiday (sans mooncakes!) and the University is closed. It's been rather quiet since most of the students have gone home to their respective villages to feast and celebrate with their families. I took Mon-Wed off from work so Britt and I can take our much-awaited journey to Beijing. We'll be staying in the most adorable private room hostel in Tiananmen Square. While we're there, we're hoping to check out the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Xiu Shui street market, plus whatever other hidden gems we may stumble upon. And if we don't have time to see it all, it's only an hour train ride from Tianjin so we can make a day trip out of it some other time. We'd also like to see the Great Wall, but we heard the spot in Beijing is majorly touristy, so we'd rather see it in Jixian, which is in our totally non-touristy region.

I'll spare you the details of how I've been rather ill the past week and skip right to the good part... I'm feeling better now! :) And in the process, one of the girls from the Foreign Language department came over with medicine and cooked a few traditional dishes for us: she went to the market and bought veggies, fish balls, peanuts, sesame oil and showed us how to put it all together! she made shaguo yuwan (fish ball soup with cabbage, anise, peppers) dou jiao (fried greenbeans with lots of garlic) huang gua shala (cucumbers with sesame oil, garlic & vinegar) and hua sheng (boiled peanuts with anise) It was fantastic! So fantastic actually (and easy) that Britt and I went to the market today and stocked up on what was needed to attempt making a few of the dishes.

Key to Happiness: eat more vegetables and less starch!

Posted by daiseykat at 02:15 AM | Comments (2)

October 07, 2005

the next level...

How unexpected. We've been in China for 6 weeks and we're just NOW entering some weird new phase of culture shock. I don't remember the books mentioning this one, to be honest. Recently, like the past week, things have become more complicated than EVER! Just when we really felt like we were getting a grasp on how to get around, how to order food, how to do what we need to do, etc. and then BAM! -- like a brick wall, we're having the most difficulties with the simplest things. It's rather frustrating. I think it was Beijing that kicked it off... we were suddenly seen as "one of many tourists" rather than "wow! what are YOU doing here? where'd you come from? need help?" I really don't want to sway towards a negative mindset, so I'll stop there. I just find it really bizarre that things have become so freakin' complicated all of a sudden. It's rather disenchanting, but I'm sure it will pass. And yes, we're both feeling it, not just me.

Anyway...

Beijing was cool. We went to the Forbidden City, which was huge. Beyond huge. Actually, beyond the biggest word for "big" you can imagine. After the firsts few huge Halls, I think we both experienced "detail fatigue" and it all started looking the same. Every direction was carved, painted, detailed, chisled, molded, bronzed, gold-plated, dragoned, flowered. Oy. It was just huge. And there were 50 billion people all pushing and yelling to get in front to see it all first. It was just too big. Too much.

The hostel was beautiful! And the thing that really made it special was the group of people who stayed there over our 2 day visit. Wow. People from all over the world: teachers, travelers, old, young, couples, lone-travelers, all sorts representing all types. They were all so beautiful in their own way, and so interesting to talk to. We just drank beer and sat around and talked ALL night... and loved it!

We shopped a bit, and it was just... well... 3rd verse, same as the first. Too much yelling, pushing, chaotic funk. So we retreated back to our cozy little hostel for some real entertainment -- civilized discussion about the amazingly diverse world we live in.

Our last day, on the way back to the train station, we decided to get off at the Yong He Gong Tibetan Temple. I would have to say, that was absolutely worth seeing. It was so peaceful. We floated through clouds of incense, stunned by the peaceful serenity. We really needed that after our nutty Beijing experience. It was like a big reset button for both of us. We walked around, hand in hand, in awe at the spiritual magnificence of the temples and shrines. It was enough to make ANYONE a believer in all things beautiful... all over again.

Posted by daiseykat at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2005

birthday juice

today is Ilka's birthday. Ilka is a totally sweet German teacher who arrived a few weeks ago. Since we have no "family" here, we figured it would be really nice to have a big celebration and go out to dinner (see pictures in the gallery) We all went to the hot pot restaurant and ate lamb, beef, tofu, noodles, fish balls, veggie things, potatoes and lots of pijuo (beer!!!) so after mass amounts of pijuo, on my way to the bathroom, I discovered a rather peculiar jar of "stuff" on the counter. I stood there, staring at the mystery juice for quite some time, until finally I was told you can buy a glass for 10 yuan. However, the jar contained: brown liquid, an entire turtle which looked as if it had been sitting there for several years, an entire seahorse in the same state as the turtle, a whole snake, raisins, a starfish, a crucified lizard, and lots of other things reminiscent of a 7th grade science experiment. I was quick to say "bu yao. wo kankan." (no thanks, I'm just looking!)

I walked back to my table, wondering if what I had seen was real, or just a figment of my pijuo tainted imagination. Somehow, a couple hours later, as we were all ready to go, we dared Joe to try it. Joe's great... He'll drink anything! So we paid 10 yuan for a glass of the lizard juice, handed it to Joe and anxiously watched to see what happens. He drank half of it and didn't puke. Suddenly, we all wanted in on the action, so the glass was passed around and we all tried it. One of the Chinese students was translating what the little old man at the restaurant was telling us about the lizard juice. First of all, after naming about a dozen things that it's good for, we came to the conclusion that it's good for your entire body... somehow. Secondly, the longer it sits, the better it is for you. This particular batch had been sitting around, fermenting, for about 5 years. Within one minute of drinking the "stuff" we all felt pretty high and rather enjoyed that part. It quickly wore off, but we all still felt pretty good, even after our 15 minute walk home. We're curious to see what tomorrow feels like. :)

Lizard Juice. It does the body good!

Posted by daiseykat at 01:11 AM | Comments (4)

October 17, 2005

15 months ago...

15 months ago, we said "I do!!"

we KNEW we were promising each other a lifetime of love, happiness, and adventure... but we never would have imagined, 15 months later, we'd be making dumplings in China!? Isn't life delicious?

A few of Britt's students invited us to their home for a traditional home-cooked meal: pear cucumber salad, ginger cabbage & noodles, dried/fried green beans, squid, fish, chicken soup, tomatoes and eggs, chrysanthemum tea and a ton of snacks in between! It was absolutely deeelicious and the most beautiful part of it, was the genuine warmth the family showed us from the second we walked in the door. Their apartment was a small, 1 bedroom space, in a common high rise building. As we ascended to the 2nd floor, the amazing aroma of dinner grew stronger. From the outside, the building was grey and dark, but as soon as we stepped inside, we were surrouded by trinkets, teapots, homemade curtains and cushions, and the most beautiful smiling faces!

The mother had a smile that lit up the room and the sweetest, giddiest laugh that could be heard throughout the building. The father was a happy man who wished, so badly, he could express his excitement in words, but spoke no English, so he resorted to cheers, chuckles and offerings of more and more food. Britt and I were the first foreigners they've ever had in their home and they were absolutely ecstatic about it... hence the feast. We ROLLED out of their happy home with our bellies ready to bust!

After dinner, we all piled into her father's cozy van (he's a hired driver) and drove downtown to the "disco bar" -- at one point, while Britt and I were "disco dancing" with the girls to china pop music, we chuckled and said to each other "boy, if ONLY our friends could see us NOW!" We laughed the whole night, knowing deep down in our hearts, we would treasure this moment always.

It was a beautiful day. From beginning to end. We came home and danced to Al Green, just as we would back home and promised each other, once again, as we did 15 months ago... a lifetime of love, happiness, and adventure.

We can only wonder where we'll be 15 months from today.

Posted by daiseykat at 04:25 AM | Comments (2)

October 23, 2005

class party & britt's glasses

One of the foreign teachers had to return to the States, so Britt inherited 2 new classes and I inherited 6 of her post-grad English classes. Last week was my first week and I absolutely loved it! Well... my Tuesday class invited us to a "party" -- not knowing what that meant, exactly, I agreed. The party was Friday night and since all of these kids live on campus, there was no "house" to retreat to. Instead, they rented a banquet room at one of the nicer restaurants in town and we had a FEAST! It was excellent! So... Chinese drinking traditions are... (I haven't quite found the word to describe it yet) "Gambay" is a term they use, similar to "cheers" except it means "drink the entire glass all at once" We were drinking pijuo (beer) en masse. So, they had many cheers: welcome to China {gambay} Here's to good friends {gambay} Here's to Britt {gambay} Here's to Daisey {gambay} We're glad you're our teacher {gambay} Here's to everlasting love {gambay} We love you! {gambay} {gambay} {gambay} {gambay} Oh my. And here's the catch... if you don't "gambay" and drink the entire glass, then it's a sign of disrespect and it means you don't agree with the cheer!!! So if they do a cheer, and you only take a sip, they'll give you "that look" like "what? don't you respect what I just said?" soo... you kinda have to... {gambay} Britt and I were TANKED by the end of the evening. And I have to say, Britt {gambay}'ed a few times more than I did because the boys loved having him as a new friend!

At one point in the evening, the musicians came in and played the most beautiful music for us. They played the yangchin (stringed instrument, basically, a Chinese piano) and the pipa (upright guitar) Those girls were getting DOWN! It was such a treat to hear them play traditional music. (and it was also a much appreciated, 10 minute gambay-free moment!)

And (drum roll please!) Britt got glasses! He asked a few of his students to accompany us on our optic adventure! We're glad they joined us because we ultimately got the whole package deal (frames, glasses & eye exam) for 80 yuan -- yup. do the math. $10 US!! and he looks fly!!! (note -- the picture you see here is NOT the final product! merely an absolutey adorable picture of my husband during his eye exam! I couldn't resist!) We'll post pictures of him in his new specs soon... stay tuned!

{gamaby}

Posted by daiseykat at 06:05 AM | Comments (3)

November 08, 2005

a weekend in the village

We spent the weekend in a little village near Baiyangdian Lake (3 hours southwest of Tianjin) in Hebei Province with one of Britt's students. He invited us to visit his hometown and meet his family. The town has 2 major industries: corn and down. Corn lines the streets, corn husks, corn cobs, corn laying out on any flat surface to dry in the sun, corn corn corn, everywhere. And if it's not corn, then it's duck down processing factories, coat and quilt manufacturers and feathers everywhere. There were dogs everywhere, some cute, some ratty, some shaggy, some friendly... all shapes and sizes and lots of saggy nippled dogs who obviously just contributed to the ever-growing dog population.

His family's home was a traditional style farm house. When you walk in, you're greeted by a painted wall. Each family has its own welcoming decoration. This house happened to be a character of good fortune and happiness to all who enter. The main room consisted of 2 beds, one of which was a "fire bed" made of cement. The smoke from the fire pit stove in the next room billowed through the bed and kept the main room nice and cozy. Most often, everyone crowded on the fire bed to keep warm. All of the houses are along the river bank, so the outhouse was suspended 20ft above the bank, with 2 shabby slats of wood to balance your feet on while you did your business. One wrong move and... well... yeah.

Ma (mother) and Ba (father) prepared a great feast for our arrival: dumplings, tofu, mushrooms, steamed bread and white rice wine. Apparently, it's also Chinese tradition to eat until you physically cannot consume another single morsel... and then eat some more. While we were there, we also had noodles, wontons, fish, chicken necks, shrimp... all of which Ma and Ba cooked from scratch in their little kitchen, while heating the fire bed. Perhaps they eat and cook so much just to keep the house warm?

We were visited (no joking) by about 80 villagers, all curious to meet the MeiGuoRen (Americans) and we exchanged hello's and ni hao's with all of the giddy children. Oddly enough, everyone that entered the little house was either an uncle, aunt, big brother, little brother, sister, etc. so it seemed like a big family reunion. Patrick told us this was absolutey the happiest day of his family's life. His father even sang traditional style opera for us, something he had never shared before that night.

Ba took us all out on his fishing boat one morning. The fog was so thick, it blanketed the already mysterious landscape with even more magic. We meandered through the 20ft tall reeds and every now and then a pagoda would appear in the distance, almost floating behind the lotus fields. It was cold and rainy... but absolutely beautiful.

We also visited his uncle's down refining factory and another uncle's down product manufacturing company. They measured us and presented us with custom fitted down vests! We were literally treated like royalty, with traditions and customs ONLY found in China.

Shower time: ma and patrick walked us down the main street to the public showers... ahhhh! hot water and a brief moment of much appreciated privacy! Britt and I had our very own private shower, otherwise, we each would have had to follow our gender specific path to the public showers and subject ourselves to some hard core naked stares. Not that I'm shy, but I'm sure I would have had 100 little eyeballs inspecting every follicle on this City Girl body by the time I was re-clothed. As it is, when we came out of the shower, we were greeted by a group of people anxiously waiting to see the freshly bathed MeiGuoRens!

It was really cool to experience the inside life of a small farm village, but I have to say, I'm truly a city girl at heart. On the way back to Tianjin, I noticed my smile grew bigger and bigger, knowing we were back in the hustle & bustle of downtown. Cars honking, vendors yelling, people everywhere... even the smog had a sweeter smell than I had remembered only a few days prior.

Posted by daiseykat at 04:04 AM | Comments (2)

November 13, 2005

pizza hut!

Britt & I were walking through downtown Tianjin the other night and found a Pizza Hut! Now, Pizza Hut is something we would NEVER, EVER, NOT IN A MILLION BILLION YEARS eat back home. But, for some strange reason it had a certain charm about it on this particular night. I suppose, after hours of perusing through the Chinese clothing markets, seeing something so "American" at that very moment was a bit of a relief. (The culture of the Chinese market, by the way, merits an indepth post of its very own!) Our stomachs were rumbling, so Pizza Hut it was...

First of all, when have you EVER had to put your name on a 1/2 hour waiting list to eat at Pizza Hut?? Ok, so they finally take us back to our seat and we pass a salad bar along the way. SALAD!?!? Gasp! Now THAT sounds like a great idea! After 3 months of starchy noodles, dumplings, wontons, heavy greasy dishes, and ALL things NON ruffage, a salad sounded absolutely heavenly! So, we took a look at the menu, giggled at some of the pizza topping oddities (ie: squid, deep sea eel, szechuan beef, dumplings, etc.!) and chose the spicy chicken... and 2 salads! We were immediately instructed about the One Trip salad bar policy. Now, for 28RMB per salad, at first that seemed like a rip off, but at this point, we were both drooling for crispy lettuce and all the fixins. Little man ran away with our order, came back with our kula's (cokes) and our salad bowls, with yet another reminder of the One Trip salad bar policy. Ok, ok... one trip, we get it, no problem.

Britt & I pounced with joy over to La Isla de La Ensalada where we were instantly taken aback by the Guiness Book of World Records Monster Creations! See, Chinese people get the most for their 28RMB by balancing high-rise edifices compiled of precariously placed cucumber slices, apple chunks and orange wedges. The method is this: use the chunky building blocks to raise the outer edges of the bowl, sometimes up to 5 or 6 inches (depending on your salad balancing skills, which neither of us seem to have) Then, put the small non-balanceable squooshy things (ie: peas, corn, noodle salad, etc.) inside the newly created structure. and then pile MORE building blocks around it and put MORE stuff in it and around it and in it... until you grow tired of the tedium and finally decide to slow-step your way back to your table, all the whie, balancing so as not to lose a single pea.

Overall, I was pretty proud of my creation, but I just know I could have done better! I wanted to take a picture of one of the fancier and more experienced salad creations, but, not knowing the language, sometimes you just have to let things go and take a mental snapshot. Another one for the mental gallery...

Posted by daiseykat at 07:00 PM | Comments (1)

November 15, 2005

amazing.

it's 46° colder HERE, right now, than it is back home!!

we've been using our little air conditioner/heater so far, and it's quickly becoming NOT enough to keep the apartment cozy. we have a few radiators in each room, but from what we've heard, they don't turn those on until November 15th -- city wide!

So, as of tomorrow, the city will have heat! I hope.

Posted by daiseykat at 03:29 AM | Comments (5)

November 24, 2005

not-so-ordinary household appliances...

i love it. i really truly love it.

normally, buying a household appliance, like a toaster, teapot, air humidifier, rice cooker, what have you... is a rather lame experience, if you ask me. but not in China! EVERYTHING has ears and feet and cute little button noses! now that winter is settling in, our apartment has been incredibly dry. throw in a thick dose of pollution and you're bound to have a constant itchy nose and a dry throat, so... off we went, in search of an air humidifier. we had quite a selection: pigs, elephants, frogs, bears, dogs, penguins, even a few mystery creatures that were so cute they didn't need a name. we chose the blue dog, and he blows cold billowing moisture out of his little ears! every time I walk by him, I pat his little head and think of our sweet dog back in the States. it really feels like we have a China pet now!

Posted by daiseykat at 01:45 AM | Comments (4)

gobble gobble

Today, we talked about Thanksgiving.
I told my students stories about the traditions, the amazing feast: turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie... ohhh, the pumpkin pie! I told them about how families travel to be with each other and they cook and laugh and reflect on the wonderful things they're thankful for. I told them how turkey makes you sleepy and after dinner the whole family crashes in the living room for some good post-dinner Zzz's. I showed them how you can trace your hand on a piece of paper and make a turkey out of it. I told them how the kids sit at the little table and the grownups sit at the grownup table. I told them how I secretly missed the kids once I was finally old enough to sit at the grownup table, because it meant I wasn't a kid anymore. I told them Thanksgiving was about sharing and loving and talking and laughing and being with the ones you love. I even told them about Tofurkey and how they shape a turkey out of tofu for the vegetarians! We all laughed at how silly that really is.

In one of my classes, we sat around in a big circle, ate oranges and talked about what we're all thankful for. And I told them, even though I'm a billion miles away from my family, I still have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my amazing, wonderful, creative and beautiful loving husband. My health, my happiness, my family. I'm thankful for the chance to have such an amazing adventure in China and to have met all of my students. I'm thankful for all of the good things, and the bad things too, because it helps me feel whole.

Britt and I went out for dinner. No turkey this year, not with the bird-flu going around! Plus, we haven't seen turkey since we've been here, although my students swear it exists. We went to our favorite little restaurant; the one with the girl who speaks English enough to tell us she never wants us to leave. We had beef with peppers, dates, and cashews, tofu in some kind of heavenly orange sticky sweet sauce, mushrooms of all kinds, huang gua (our favorite cucumber appetizer) and green tea. We shared a feast of our own, in our own special little way, and told each other how very grateful we are to have found each other... I'm such a lucky girl!

It was a lovely day, from beginning to end. And as I type this, I realize Thanksgiving in China is now in the past... but in America, it's just beginning!

*cheers!*

p.s. Can someone please FedEx 2 slices of pumpkin pie? Thanks!

Posted by daiseykat at 10:38 PM | Comments (2)

November 27, 2005

happy birthday joe!!

we had a super funky night with joe on his birthday yesterday! we started the evening out with a few drinks at his apartment and then headed out to dinner at our favorite hot pot restaurant. we drank lots of beer... and some special lizard elixer! (britt won't touch the stuff because it tastes so awful, but I like the way it makes me feel!) after dinner, we headed back to joe's apartment where the party continued: music, presents, dancing, more drinks, one-handed pushups, snacks (yummy white cheddar cheezits compliments of Jared's aunt who recently visited from the U.S.) the students had Oreos for the very first time EVER and seemed to like them very much. Patrick did 5 one-handed pushups in honor of Joe's birthday. We hung out until the wee hours of the morning being silly and overall having a great night.
Happy birthday Joe!

Posted by daiseykat at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

olympic mascots

i've never really been a big sports fan, unless of course you consider smokey bar billiards a sport. however, i've always been fascinated by the olympic mascot design and all it entails. great world-wide efforts are put into designing the little critter that will represent a time when all countries harmoniously play nice together. (and why can't we do that all the time, i wonder?) i remember Athena and Phevos, Greece 2004, simple yet funky, and transposed well into the myriad of sport themes held at such events. I remember Syd, Olly and Millie, Australia 2000, and thought they were quite an odd collection of color clashing animals. Aesthetically, I felt those 3 animals should never stand too close to one another. Izzy, USA 1996, by far, is the most ridiculous amorpheous creature I've ever seen, but, whatever. It was also the first mascot designed by computer. Cobi, Spain 1992, a little yuppie dog in a blue suit, was the first time I remember even caring about Olympic mascots.

And now... Beijing 2008.

I have to say, I'm impressed with the stories behind each of these little pandas. Although, never in Olympic history, has there been FIVE mascots for one game, but each one symbolizes something great about the Chinese culture. And they're names, put together in a the right order say "Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni" which means "Welcome to Beijing". They also represent the 5 elements, history, aspirations, dreams and landscapes. Kudos to whoever designed the 2008 Olympic mascots!

And 4 years from now, I'll be writing, somewhere:
I remember the cute little pandas, China 2008.

Posted by daiseykat at 05:34 PM | Comments (1)

December 02, 2005

random thoughts

• i have the most amazing husband ever!
  
• we've been living in China
  for 4 months now!
  
• we only have 2 months left,
  and then...?
  
• we're REALLY going to miss
  the food here. REALLY.
  
• it's getting c-c-c-colder by
  the minute!
  
• teaching is fun...
  for a semseter. :)
  
• mom & karen will be here
  in 18 days!
  
• we're doing 2 mini-gigs tomorrow evening on campus
  
• it's really c-c-c-cold!
  
• being the coffee snob that i am, i never thought instant cappucino would become a part of my daily routine.
  
• people in China drive crazier than people in New York!
  
• we've seen countless girls slap their boyfriends here, explained to us as a "cute trend" from South Korea. We don't get it. At all.
  
• we both seem to dream a lot more here
  
• we only have 3 more weeks of school!
  
• my students think i'm absolutely crazy because i told them about crop circles and other mysteries that have been associated with aliens.
  
• we just got a shower curtain and transformed our bathroom into a less ghetto bathing experience. Much better.
  
• we went out last night with a great bunch of students, ate at a hotpot restaurant, drank lots of rice wine and pijuo and had a blast!
  
• we'll have a couple of weeks between the last day of school and the day we fly home, so hopefully we'll go float around China for a bit.
  
• one of my students brought some candy from her home town and it's absolutely sticky sweet delicious!!!
  
• another student sent me an email that was so heart warming it made me cry
  
• it's so freakin' c-c-c-cold right now!
  
• Britt and I are about to catch bus #5 downtown to go see what we can get into! see ya!

Posted by daiseykat at 02:21 PM | Comments (2)

December 03, 2005

look out the window

Britt woke me up this morning with an expression of sweet excitement and said "cutie pie! wake up and look out the window!" I knew, immediately, it could ONLY be one thing! Our little courtyard was dusted in the most beautiful, white, pure snow! (something neither of us Florida kids have seen in quite some time!) Since it was so early, we both opted to curl back into our warm bed and dream about throwing snowballs. Once we finally woke up, it was all gone! I wish we would have either A) ran out there and played in it even if it WAS crazy early in the morning, or B) taken a picture!

Next time. Maybe even tonight, according to the forecast!

Posted by daiseykat at 01:32 PM | Comments (1)

December 04, 2005

karaoke day

Over the past week, we've had a few phonecalls and emails about performing a few of our songs at a karaoke contest on Saturday, as a guest appearance type of thing. Logically, thinking all parties calling were speaking of the SAME event, we agreed, each time... "yes, yes, yes! We'll be there, just let us know when and where!" Much to our surprise, we were eventually informed there were actually TWO events, BOTH of which we agreed to attending/performing, and ONE of which we were asked to judge!! So... today was officially Karaoke Day.

The first one was at 2pm. Both events were on our campus, minutes away from our front door, so really it was all pretty easy to coordinate. The first event was an English Karoke contest. Out of pure respect, I will say NOTHING other than the fact that it was quite an exprience. Britt, Joe, James and I judged the contest. After the contestants did their thing, Britt and I were supposed to sing a couple of songs. Well, apparently, techinical difficulties follwed us all the way from J-Ville. After announcing us, getting the crowd excited about the MeiGuoRen entertainment, and pumping the crowd up about how we write songs about love and life and being thankful for every experience we encounter... the CD wouldn't play. Go figure. Many minutes later, the music started and we did our thing. It was a blast! For those of you who know Heavenly Noise, we sang "Thank the Universe" and "Be Thankful" -- as soon as Britt started rapping, the crowd went wild! Not sure if they understood what he was actually saying, but they certainly appreciated the passion and emotion we gave them. They really seemed to enjoy every second of our performance, even clapping and shouting after long notes and highly emotional parts. It's amazing how, even NOT knowing the language, they totally understood what we were saying!

So then, our OTHER performance was at 6:30pm. This one was in the auditorium. Nice sound system, great stage, enthusiastic crowd, it was great! There were 18 contestants and we played 1/2 way through. THIS time, we had cordless mics and a huge stage to play on. We ran up and down the aisles, and absolutely loved every second of it! The audience here in China is quite interactive. I mean, they hoot and holler and clap mid-song... they really appreciate passion, which is something we have lots of. I hope we have more opportunities to play before it's time to go. It seems now, the days are so limited. We're already at the "we won't be here" stage when it comes to upcoming events. :( which is kinda sad, really. but you know, it's really exciting too... because wherever and whatever the future has in store for us is exactly what is meant to be.

Bring it on...

Posted by daiseykat at 01:31 AM | Comments (4)

December 05, 2005

arctic tundra and the tri-colored K9 posse

Britt and I curled up on the couch and watched a movie tonight, in our hats and mittens! Damn it's cold in here! Yes, they *fixed* the radiators, but I'm not quite sure what went wrong. It's just crazy cold in here. So there's that. The other thing is the funny dream I had last night about Linux. He snuck out of the house and rallied up all the tri-colored dogs in the neighborhood: beagles, bassets, jack russel terriers and any other fellow brown, black and white dogs he could coax into joining his gang. Later, we found him galavanting around, the leader of the pack, with his newly formed posse. He's so tough!

Damn it's cold.

Posted by daiseykat at 03:01 AM | Comments (1)

December 20, 2005

end of the semester

the days have flown by, and now...
the semester is coming to an end. which, sadly, means our time here is also counting down. 1 month to go and we're off for our next destination (details coming in a later post) the last few classes have been all about final exams and photos!! I did a photo shoot with my sophomore Western Culture oral English class. We packed on our coats, scarves and gloves, crammed into the elevator and ran out into the campus courtyard for some crazy poses! It was a blast! We ran around and giggled, making memories that we will all cherish forever. I'll really miss those kids. They've taught me so much, and me... I'm supposed to be the teacher. I guess we all have so much to learn, and equally as much to teach. The last couple weeks have been filled with end-of-the-semester dinners, dances, karaoke contests, parties and get togethers. Britt and I sang a couple Heavenly Noise songs at the sophomore class party last weekend and we had cordless mics and a huge area to run around and do our thing. They loved it. So did we. :) I've uploaded lots of photos over the past couple weeks, but haven't found words to describe them.

And tomorrow...? Britt and I are headed to Beijing to pick up mom and Karen from the airport! They're en route right now, as I type this, floating in the clouds, filled with the same anticipation and excitement we had 5 months ago. I'm really looking forward to seeing China through their eyes, just as we did upon arrival. That first day, the first week, was mind-blowing! Everything we looked at, our jaws dropped and we could do nothing but gawk at each other and say "wowwww!" The markets, the people, the traffic, the bicycles, the language, the food, the EVERYTHING -- but now, 5 months later, well, in so many ways, this is home now. It all feels so normal. I guess it's similar to seeing Disney World through the eyes of a child, knowing, there was once a time when those eyes were your own.

I can't wait to throw my arms around my mama and kiss her pretty little face. She's really in for an adventure!

Posted by daiseykat at 02:12 AM | Comments (2)

christmas?

it TOTALLY doesn't feel like Christmas is 5 days away.

Posted by daiseykat at 02:32 AM | Comments (2)

December 21, 2005

they're here!!!

Hoooray! Mom and Miss Karen arrived safe and sound. I'll post details later, but now... we're off to the market for quick walk before I need to go give finals to my students. They both send their love and they're just as cute as ever! :)

And yes, they're both shocked at how very cold it is here, but we promise to keep them snuggly warm!

Posted by daiseykat at 11:22 AM | Comments (3)

December 27, 2005

Christmas on the Great Wall

Wow! OBVIOUSLY we've been having a blast and filling our waking hours with lots of adventure, hence the lack of journal entries since mom and Karen have been here. So far, we've: visited the Summer Palace, spent Christmas on the Great Wall, stayed in a hostel in Beijing, rode buses, trains, taxis, etc., ate dumplings at a friend's home with her family, rode Toboggans down a mountain, visited Ancient Culture Street, experienced the China Way (in so many ways) while booking hotels and flights for the girls to go to Xi'an. The girls came to a few classes with me and spent time with the students, we've walked around our neighborhood, accidentally ate pig intestines, both Froze and Laughed our asses off, and generally have had a fabulous time!

I just posted a few new pictures... captions included.

Posted by daiseykat at 01:12 AM | Comments (8)

January 02, 2006

happy new year!

2006! remember when anything 2000 (a space odessy) sounded like a totally unreachable year... so far into the future? we imagined space ships and mylar jumpsuits, moon boots and robot maids. it's so hard to believe we're barrelling through those years, and so far, the only mylar jumpsuit I've ever worn was a costume for an 80's cover band I sang in. and really, it all feels so normal, so present, NOT futuristic at all. yep, it's 2006 and we're all still here, doing our thing: living, loving, traveling, eating, laughing... life is good!

we spent New Year's Eve in Beijing -- the night before the Mama and Miss Karen had to be back at the airport for their big flight back to the States. we walked around Qianmen Daije, had a wonderful (not too spicy) duck dinner, hung out in the hostel commons area and cheered the new year, announcing our resolutions, reflecting on the past, present and future. it was a nice and quiet way to bring in the new year. sadly, the next day, we had to take mom and karen back to the airport. those 12 days really zipped by so quickly. we crammed a lot into those days though: Summer Palace, Mutianyu Great Wall, Tianenmen Square, Xian, shopping, eating, walking around, and lots of partying! we'll miss having your smiling faces here, but know we'll be back in Jax soon to share our stories!

Our resolutions:
britt - to travel more and make more music
daisey - to travel more and quit smoking (as much)
mom - to enjoy her new single life
karen - to spend more time with her mom

Good luck to all of us, sticking to our resolutions!

Posted by daiseykat at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

January 03, 2006

the journey continues...

time flies.

I can't believe we're coming to the end of our China adventure. I remember our first day here, thinking 5 months is such a long time, but really it zipped by. the days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and now... well, now it's time for us to start planning the Next Big Thing. originally, the plan was to head back to the States at the end of January, but... Britt landed a gig teaching a 3-week English Camp in South Korea. it was a $$$ opportunity we just couldn't pass, to compensate for the -$ Chinese salary we've been making thus far. and also, we get to stay with Keith and finally see what he's been raving about for the past 2 years.

now that the semester is done, and our teaching obligations in China are OVER (yay!) it's time for us to get our travel on! so, here's the plan: we're taking a 2-day sleeper train from Beijing to Xi'an, where we'll stay a couple of days, see the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Mosques. Then hop another sleeper train to Guilin, spend a night there and then take a river cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. We'll probably spend a day or so in Longsheng, rent bikes, see the terraced rice paddies and small hillside villages along the way. They say the Yoa people in that region have the longest hair in the world! Then we'll fly back to Tianjin, pack up our apartment and head to Tangu (port city) to catch the overnight ferry to Incheon, South Korea, where we'll live for a few weeks until it's time to fly home, some time mid-February.

I'm really glad we're able to travel at the end of our China time, beacuse now we're more familiar with the culture and it won't be so shocking. we can just cruise around, using the bits and pieces from our China experience to help us along the way. may this journey never end, wherever it may carry us...

Posted by daiseykat at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)

lung fertilizer

what do fuzzy deer antlers, black ants, dried seahorses and pigs feet have in common? they can all be found (in whole) at your local pharmacy! and they're in pretty little gift boxes, for you convenience, to save you the trouble of having to find that perfect box! funny how most of the things listed above are to be consumed in white wine (remember the Lizard Elixer?) so it leads me to believe maybe it's the wine that clinically treats your memory so you forget your symptoms exist? .. just a western biased hunch of sarchasm.

but we did walk out of the pharmacist with quite the bag of goodies. (fortunately, nothing with tails or eyelids) Britt and I have been gagging over this cough and chest infection for the past couple weeks and it's not really getting worse, just more annoying as the days pass. especially since our South China vacation is right around the corner. nobody likes to travel sick, and nobody likes sick travelers, so we must get well soon. we have 2 boxes of Thee Nastiest Tea Ever (surely, that's what it translates into) it's black and tastes like that liquid stuff you fertilize your houseplants with. a box of caplets (the most familiar looking medicine in the bag) to be taken three times daily before meals. and, i'm sportin' a cupcake right now (my term for the embarrassingly painful yearly fever blister) which they gave me a tube of ointment and also some little microscopic brown pellets I can crush into powder and add sesame oil and make my own ointment (more effective) -- the girl who helped us buy these things seems to know quite a bit about medicine, so i'm happy to know we're on the road to recovery... if we can get past the taste of it all.

Posted by daiseykat at 09:28 PM | Comments (1)

January 06, 2006

shutter bugs

yay! britt and I *both* bought cameras today!

I was so ready for a new one, and Britt, being the shutterbug that he is... totally needed one. (especially since we're taking off for our journey through South China tomorrow a.m.) So, we had one last hurrah at CyberMart and treated ourselves to new cameras. Go us!

I gave my old one to Patrick. He didn't quite know what to say. He was definitely happy about the camera, but he's so sad that we're leaving, so he was at a total loss for words. He really has in his mind that we're coming back to Tianjin, but as I explained to a few of my students... the world is such a big place and there are *so* many amazing places to see, it's hard to imagine that we would ever come back to the same place twice. So hopefully, and more realistically, we can meet someplace else in the future. Whether it's in America or who knows where... it gives them something fun to look forward to, and plants a seed of hope in their hearts that they, too, can travel one day and discover the world on their own. It's hard saying goodbye to people that you know you'll never see again. I couldn't help crying when I said goodbye to my sweet sophomore girls. They're so smart and adorable and they have so much to learn, and explore. It's like I was happy for them, but sad for them all at the same time. China's a funny place and I just hope they have the opportunity to live up to their potential.

So, we leave for Xi'an tomorrow at 9am, and I'll be working until we leave here. Working and packing. I'm looking forward to the mini-vacation from work. Between teaching full-time and working full-time at night, I'm shredded pretty thin these days. I'm excited about wandering around new places, just me and my Baby Love, soaking in the scenes. We're going to spend a full week in the Guilin/Yangshuo area and I have a feeling we'll both be refreshed and relaxed after that.

*sigh* back to work for me...

Tomorrow is another day. Another beautiful opportunity to be alive!

Posted by daiseykat at 10:31 PM | Comments (2)

January 10, 2006

update - in Xi'an

wow! Xi'an is a very cool city! We took an overnight sleeper train from Tianjin to Xi'an. It was a long, but very relaxing, ride. Britt and I were able to catch up on some much-needed sleep! In the past few days, we've seen the Drum and Bell Towers, the Muslim Quarters, the Great Mosque, the Terra Cotta Warriors, walked the City Wall and had Hong Kong massages... and we leave tomorrow for Guilin! We were hoping to take the train to Guilin from here, but because of Spring Festival, everyone is traveling right now and the train tix were just as much as flying... might as well save some time if we can't save money. ;) So, we fly out tomorrow and we'll land in an empire of Mother Nature! (something we've missed tremendously since we've been in China!) Looking forward to it...

We've met some really cool people, ate a lot of great food in the Muslim Quarters (lots of lamb kebobs and yam patties!) and walked, and walked, and walked! We're both pretty exhausted, but we're amped from all the excitement of being in a new place. Life is good!

I have to say, the Terra Cotta Warriors were kinda creepy. I mean, it *is* somebody's 2000 year old grave, afterall. But now, it's a tourist attraction for all the world to see. Strange. Even stranger, is that the "Emperor Guy" slave-drove 700,000 people to create all these detailed clay soldiers for his tomb. It's just weird. And being there was creepy. But, we can officially mark that one off our list of Things to See in China. ;)

Tomorrow, we're checking into a hostel called Flowers - what a great name! and the photos are cool! I'm loving the hostel life! It's so cheap! (like $7/per person, per night) and a great way to meet fellow travelers from all over the world. They also have a ton of info about other cities (maps, tour info, travel info, messages, photos, etc.) You could pretty much just spend your life hopping from hostel to hostel and figure it all out as you go. Love it!

Well... I'm going to try to upload a few photos -- I'm having a hard time uploading anything here, so it might not work. We'll see.

I'll post again once we're in Guilin!

Posted by daiseykat at 08:25 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2006

update - in Guilin

wow. WOW! WOW!!
britt and I flew to Guilin today and as soon as we got off the plane, we just looked at each other with a huge grin over how WARM it is here! and CLEAN! and the people are so FRIENDLY! it's all so beautiful so far. a little man on a bicycle took us on his cart to a restaurant on the river and we had a great meal -- some of the things on the menu were (none of which we ordered!) boar reproductive organs, duck tongue, bamboo rat, and a bunch of other horrible sounding stuff. tonight was a great night to be a vegetarian! then we walked back to our cute little hostel and kept oogling over how beautiful and clean the city is! I think since it's a river city, we automatically felt a connection that we haven't felt in Tianjin. ok. Tianjin was a great experience, but from what we've noticed in the past week alone, Beijing/Tianjin is not known for its beauty.

while we're in Guilin, we're going to visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Diecai Hill Cave and whatever else we find along the way. our agenda is pretty open to exploring whatever we get into. we'll be here for 3 days, then we river cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. I'm sure I'll post again before then... hopefully with a few pictures! ;)

And now... my sweet SWEET husband is waiting for me in the Lounge of the Flowers hostel, with pijuo and a beautiful smile... see ya!

Posted by daiseykat at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2006

guilin

wow. guilin is SO beautiful! it's everything a city should be and more! the metro area is clean and friendly, and it's surrounded by an intricate weaving of waterways, mountains and caves. britt and i walked around all day, oohing and ahhing at everything. we climbed to the peak of DieCai Mountain where we had a brass lock engraved with our names on it and locked it on a chain wrapped around the peak. we saw amazing caves with age old sculptures of Budhas and poems. we saw the 100 Bird Garden and hand fed the funniest birds that climbed all over us, squaking in our ears to make sure we observed their existence. we walked along the river and saw the boats (one of which we'll be taking tomorrow night around the twinkling city) we ate lunch at the sweetest little hole in the wall, we walked in and told them we were hungry and they prepared a little of everything for us to taste! they were so sweet! a meal we'll never forget. we discovered a new fruit 'youza' that seems to be a cross between an orange, a grapefruit and a pear. mmmm!

yep. guilin is amazing! and we still have 2 more days of exploring this area before cruising on to yangshuo!

Posted by daiseykat at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2006

update - cruising to Yangshuo

and we're off! tomorrow morning we'll be on a river boat, cruising downstream towards Yangshuo. our stay in Guilin has been absolutely heavenly! we explored caves, climbed mountains, walked miles of riverfront pathways and had a great time breathing fresh mountain air! ahhhh... it's so nice to be sitting in the lap of Mother Nature! and from what we hear, Yangshuo is even nicer -- terraced rice paddies, more mountains and caves, small villages, rivers and a sense of relaxation we so warm heartedly welcome!

the journey continues...

Posted by daiseykat at 01:57 AM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2006

update - yangshuo & the yao people

wow. we just got back from yangshuo and all I can say is... wow. we spent a few days at the Culture House Hostel where we were treated like family, with home cooked meals, conversation, and a wonderful host full of info about what to do in the area and how to get around. we bamboo rafted the Li River, rode our bikes through the winding mountains and small villages where we were greeted by huge smiles along the way. and yesterday... was our 1 1/2 year anniversary, so we stayed in a very sweet balcony room overlooking the river, listening to the sounds of the waterfall. *sigh* isn't life delicious? ;)

today, we visited the Lengshung terraced rice paddies and met the Yao people. we were sweetly greeted by the tiniest of ladies with the longest hair you could imagine, all wrapped up in a pretty little bun on their foreheads! they took our arms and helped us, each step of the way, up and down and through the terraced mountains. oh they were so sweet! they sang to us, laughed with us, and held our hands the whole way. I'm anxious to upload a few pictures! we ate lunch in their common room area: yummy bamboo, cabbage, soup, tomatoes & eggs, eggplant and tea. the little ladies huddled in the corner of the dining area, sewing, the whole time we ate. they're SO incredibly cute! and you could fit one in each pocket! the ride there and back was incredible and it was definitely a stone-stepped walk we'll always remember.

so now, we're back in rainy, drippy, cold-ass guilin for the night until we fly back to Beijing tomorrow. we're a tad bit frazzled because our ATMs cards haven't worked for the past few days and we're on our last few yuan. (gulp!) we're going to try to haggle with the bank people to let us use our cards to manually withdraw money through the teller. my sweet mom has been searching through my office trying to find my long forgotten PIN number -- she said "it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack!" -- i can only imagine what condition I left my office before leaving for China! sorry mom!

then, it's back to Tianjin to pack up the apartment and catch the ferry to Incheon, South Korea. whew! what a whirlwind it's been this past few weeks! I loooove it!

and check this out!! britt was the featured artist on an orlando radio station!! www.wprkdj.org a show called Filtered Sunshine, 6-8am, they did a 30 minute Batsauce feature at 7am and played 10 new tracks from the new yet-to-be-released album! we're a bit slow on the email thing while we're on vacation, so we missed it... but WOW!!! go baby!

wow! what an incredible Universe!

Posted by daiseykat at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2006

update - back in Tianjin

ahhh. what a WONDERFUL vacation! it feels like we did so much in such a short period of time, yet we feel incredibly relaxed. i just uploaded a TON of photos from our trip.

so, we came home to a slightly flooded living room. it seems a radiator pipe exploded or something and some of our stuff is a bit soggy now. welcome home, huh? the next 2 days will be scrambling to pack up the apartment, preparing for our ferry ride to South Korea, where we have NO idea what to expect! a whole different culture is waiting for us on the other side of the sea. I love it!

not much energy to write tonight. it was a long day of travel from Guilin: planes, buses, taxis. you name it -- we rode it. but we got here safe and sound and JUST in time for a delicious hot pot dinner with Joe and Patrick! the University is a ghost town now because everyone went home to their little villages for Spring Festival. But it's sweet to have such a warm welcome from the boys. we sure will miss those guys!

and now, my sweet husband is nodding off on the couch, watching a slide show of the photos he took on our journey. he really does have an amazing eye! and I'm so glad he has his very own camera now. he'll have his very own Flickr site uploaded soon. but not tonight.

tonight - we sleep.
tomorrow - we pack.
the next day - the journey continues...

Posted by daiseykat at 04:03 AM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2006

south korea, here we come!

when researching a country, it's always fun to start with the food! i found a great website with maps, culture, language, food, holidays, everything you could possibly need to know! even though it's only a 2 hour plane ride (note: the ferry tickets didn't work out, so we're flying instead) and it's still East Asia, it looks like a totally different experience than we've had for the past 6 months here in China. the food looks exciting, music and events are everywhere, and it seems to be sweet balance of big city and... nature!! (a tragically absent concept in Tianjin!) we'll be there for a day shy of 1 month, to avoid visa hassles. keith marks already has several gigs lined up for us! go keith! we'll be seeing you in less than 14 hours!

and once again -- the journey continues...

Posted by daiseykat at 03:55 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2006

south korea, here we are!

keith met us at the airport yesterday and wow! it's so neat to see a familiar face on the other side of the world! he has a GREAT apartment. I mean, really great. The floors are heated, the lighting is nice, sliding wooden doors, lowriding tables and cushions on the floor. It's sweet. He lives in the art district part of town 2 blocks from the Art Academy in Seoul, with a similar vibe to that of the Village in NYC. Cool shops, little cafes, art supply stores, hip people walking around. The food here is fantastic! and not only does it taste good, but it's fun to eat! everything comes in fun little pots with wooden lids, and you get to mix it all together yourself a certain way. we drink out of little silver cups and use silver chopsticks! I have to say, wooden chopsticks are far easier to use, but the silver ones have a certain class about it. I'm sure we'll get used to it in no time.

Keith lined up several gigs for us already! And the club scene here is incredible! He took us to one last night that had the laid back feeling of an opium den (minus the opium, of course!) it had a shallow pool in the middle of the room, with candles, lowriding tables, cushions everywhere, incense, beads, feathers... i could live in a room just like that! (I'm forever taking notes for "our house" when that day comes)

This morning, Britt and Keith took the train to Busan to work a 1 week English camp. which means, I'm Seoul Searching on my own. Keith hooked me up with a list of all the Korean dishes and how to pronounce them, money, subway maps, phone numbers, everything I need to know to get around for the next week.

It hasn't even been a full day yet, but I miss my sweet husband! we haven't spent the night apart since we got married and I just know it's gonna be a cold, wintery 4 nights without mi amore!

Posted by daiseykat at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2006

today

today was an odd day. besides Britt still being in Busan and I haven't seem him all week, which throws me off entirely... I taught class today. (something I agreed to do, thinking it was a part-time design job! ooops!) I really had no idea what to expect, what age group? is it written English? oral? nothing. just "go teach" -- but GETTING there and back was really quite a task! I had to take a few subway transfers along the way: green 2 line to blue 4 line at the bomgey exit (which, by the way, isn't written in roman characters everywhere, mostly korean, so I had to play "match the characters" to figure out where I was going and I hope I got it right!) the way there wasn't so bad, although I didn't understand what Mr. Ticket Man was asking me, so I wound up getting the wrong ticket and had to jump the gate! I was about 15 minutes late getting there this morning. then on the way home, I took the shorter route with 3 transfers instead of only 1. that went okay until I got off at the wrong stop. now each subway "stop" has several "exits" which put you on different corners of the block facing in different directions, so each "exit" spits you out into a completely different street-scene world of its own. I tried all 8, up and down the stairs, to the street & back down to the subway, to the street & back down to the subway, and nothing looked familiar. it was a weird and panicky moment, completely NOT knowing where I was, being so disoriented and not knowing who to ask, or how to ask it. I really didn't even know the address where I needed to go. i was just looking for something familiar. it all hit me at once and I lost it. I just sat on the curb and had a good cry. once that was out of the way, I decided to pick a direction and walk. why not? it just MIGHT be the right way... and you know what... it was! I was back at the apartment about 15 minutes later -- and haven't left since.

Sometimes you just have to let out steam...
to clear the mist from your mind.

Most teas require boiling water, but "flower tea" is best if you let the water boil and then let it cool down before pouring it. It just tastes better that way.

Today, I felt like flower tea.

------
Britt comes home tomorrow!
I can't wait to throw my arms around him.

Posted by daiseykat at 02:28 AM | Comments (1)

January 31, 2006

seoul searching

ok. seoul rocks.
it's really truly an amazing city and we're realizing more and more each day that we really REALLY like it here. it's nice that we're here for a month because we get to chill and just *be* rather than having to run around from site to site. britt and i have been casually checking out coffee shops, walking around, admiring the architecture, the people, the way of life. the food here is amazing. we've been eating out with keith and his friends every night (the food here is so cheap and delicious there's just no point in trying to make it all ourselves!) and every meal has been light and healthy and out of this world! and unlike china, they make GREAT coffee here! naturally, we're right in the middle of the design university district, so everything is ultra hip, but it seems like a great city to plant ourselves for a while. we kick around the idea of teaching abroad again and Seoul would definitely be our first choice. they're really big on private education here, so there are lots of teaching jobs. but the thing I'm digging the most is the style of living -- sliding glass doors, heated floors, yo's (floor mattress cushions), cool bowls and plates for everything, paper lamps, tiled rooftops, tiny alleys, little shops. it's such a simple life, yet acquiring that simplicity is so difficult! why is that?

we're playing a few gigs this month, thanks to keith marks and his social magic! we played last friday (the day britt returned from Busan) and it went really well. it's been 6 months since we gigged, and it felt so good to be doing our thing once again! it was well received and we picked up several fans who are anxious for our next show, this weekend coming up. everyone tells us our music would really hit it off here in Seoul. we were told they would "eat us up" because of the "cute couple in love" factor! it's really inspiring! I've been designing the batsauce and heavenly noise cd covers and if all goes well, we'll have them printed here for much cheaper than they would be in the states. seoul is quite a creative city, in every aspect: music, design, architecture, theatre, etc. all of it! it's nice to be in a big city with such great energy!

and now... I'm going to rest my little head next to that sweet husband of mine and get some Zzz's. tomorrow's another day!

Posted by daiseykat at 05:22 AM | Comments (1)

February 07, 2006

the return

well. We officially booked our flight back to the States. *sigh* So much to say, but not sure how to compose my thoughts. I sure will miss floating around, getting lost, the challenge of doing the simplest things. Britt and I have both really learned a lot in the past 6 months. Most importantly, that we travel really well together! Which inspires us to do this again... soon. We've met so many people, from all around the world, and for each person we met, we realized how totally possible and *easy* it is to travel. The hardest part is just saying "okay, let's go!" Now, we want to see Thailand, India, Cambodia, Turkey, Spain, float around East Europe. All of it!

But for now, it's time to go home. Back to our home. Back to our friends and families, anxious to hear our stories! Back to our little dog! Back to our little garden just in time to plant for Spring! Back to a scene which was once so familiar, yet now, will feel a bit foreign to us.

But BEFORE all that... we still have 2 weeks in Seoul, a couple more gigs, more sights to see, people to meet, places to go! We fly (or ferry) back to Beijing on Feb. 21st, where we'll bounce around our old stomping grounds for a few days.

And then, on February 25th, the journey continues...

Posted by daiseykat at 12:04 AM | Comments (7)

February 13, 2006

gigs, cops and temples

it's been an interesting week. lots of gigs, lots of walking around taking in the sights and sounds of the city, and the highlight of the week was keith getting hit by a car. First and foremost, he's okay. Totally 100% okay... but wow! What a night! we were walking across the street and a car decided to run the red light. Keith took the hit like a stunt man and gracefully rolled off the hood without even falling down, but shattered the guys windshield. the first words out of keith's mouth were "Wow! I just got hit by a f**king car! (pause) Where are my shoes?" and we all looked down at keith's feet to realize both of his shoes flew 30 feet down the street. we stood around for a couple of hours, talking to the driver, witnesses, cops, etc. What a night! We're all so glad he's okay. It almost doesn't seem possible that someone could get hit by a moving vehicle and escape ANY damage whatsoever. He must have some kind of protective bubble around him or something. a reminder that every moment is precious...

We played a few gigs and love the music scene in Seoul. Lots of experimental drumming, improv stuff going on everywhere. The musicians here are pretty tight with each other and book shows together so there's 4 or 5 bands playing per night. It's nice, instead of playing 4 hours, you only play for 1 hour... more variety and higher impact that way, as far as I'm concerned. We really wish we had some of our cds with us, but oh well. Next time.

Keith, YoungHe, Britt and I went hiking the other day. It was beautiful! The snow was melting and the path was covered in what totally looked like the thickest yummiest fudge! I just wanted to roll around in it, but my better senses told me that wasn't such a great idea. At the top of the mountain, we could see the whole world. All of it. It's amazing how packed Seoul is, so it was really nice to see a birds eye view of the city. It just went on for miles and miles in every direction. Along the path down the mountain was the Bongwongsa temple... beautiful! It's one of the few orders where the monks can marry! Makes sense to me! i personally never understood why some religions make their people choose between spiritual and physical love. it seems to me we should experience BOTH to wholly understand love and all it has to offer. plus, life is far more satisfying when you have someone to share it with, someone you can talk to (someone who will actually respond in words, rather than rainbows)

Yesterday we went to Insadon, the handmade paper and art district (RIGHT up my alley!!) and we stumbled upon the most amazing street festival! It was the first full moon of the lunar new year, so the party was ON!! there were people colorfully dressed, dancing and playing drums. they pulled britt and I into the mix and we found ourselves right in the middle of it all! It was such a treat! and remember the New Year wishes we wrote and tied on the rope on the lunar new year? well, they burn all of those on the first full moon (yesterday) and we saw them burning it in the street. it was cool seeing that, knowing our wishes, too, were coming true.

Seoul is really cool. Fun. Lots of things to do. The food is great. The people are wonderful. Art & music everywhere. It's everything a city should be. And we leave in 8 days. I wish I could kick this "end of the journey" sadness that permeates me. It's overwhelming.

Posted by daiseykat at 02:05 PM | Comments (2)

February 15, 2006

hmmmm...

wouldn't it suck if everything made perfect sense ALL of the time?

part of the fun of traveling, I think, is trying to do the seemingly simple things, like buying tickets, going to the post office, taking the subway, etc. -- I love how everything is such a challenge. yet, if you really think about it, it's only a challenge because I'm completely illiterate outside of the US. What a weird feeling. I like it.

Posted by daiseykat at 02:59 PM | Comments (1)

February 20, 2006

our final days in Seoul

our final days in Seoul have been absolutely action packed! we played a great gig at Club Aura in Hongdae, (loved it!) did a photoshoot for Nike at the World Cup Stadium, had a great full-page full-color write up in kscene magazine, had amazing dinners, met amazing people, even Miss Monica came up to visit from JungJu. we successfully purchased our ferry tickets and got our China visa taken care of, and tomorrow, we're floating over to China for our last few days in Asia. We'll be staying with Joe and Patrick in our old stomping grounds (Tianjin) which is a great way to cap off our journey -- full circle.

the heavenly noise write up is great! we did an interview last week, but had no idea it would be full-page, full-color in the James Brown issue of Kscene! Sweet! I like the pull quote "We like to write songs for each other" says Lady Daisey. "It's so much better than getting flowers or a diamond ring" So we snagged several copies to bring home. :) Funny, we don't even get press in our home town...

And yes, we did a photoshoot for a Nike ad for Bling Magazine. Keith called us up and said "hey, we're doing a photoshoot for Nike at noon, meet me at such and such" We had no idea what we were getting into. Apparently, they wanted *foreigners* -- and ANY foreigner would do. So we showed up at the World Cup Stadium, they dressed us up in some sporty Nike gear and sent us out in the cold to cheer for an imaginary team. Go team!

tonight, we're having dinner in Itaewon with a few friends... one last hurrah before we take off. we're looking forward to the 24 hour ferry ride back to Tianjin. we were able to get a private room, so we're treating this as a 1-day cruise, rather than a shuttle ferry. :)

the journey STILL continues...

Posted by daiseykat at 02:48 PM | Comments (3)

March 02, 2006

home sweet home

*sigh*

I cried the whole way home. Sad that the journey was coming to an end, not wanting to go home, overwhelmed by the excitement of it all. But now that we're back, it almost seems like it never happened. The first couple days, in between comatose sleep at odd hours, Britt and I just walked around our house saying "wow" at all the *stuff* we own. We just don't need all this *stuff* and after being away from it all for 1/2 a year, this is a great time to box it all up and have a yard sale. We'd like to lighten our load for many reasons: 1) we'd like to simplify our lives. we've been living out of suitcases for 6 months and had everything we needed to live... quite happily, at that. 2) we definitely want to live abroad again in the future, except next time we'd like to NOT be paying rent on a house back home. 3) a yard sale can always earn a few extra bucks. and now that we've had a taste of China prices, we're in absolute shock of how expensive everything is!

We went to the grocery store... we gawked at a $5 block of cheese and wound up NOT getting it because it was so expensive. or was it, really?

We've been home for 5 days and STILL haven't driven the car anywhere. We've been riding our bikes everywhere.

Our dog is even more adorable than I remember him to be. He lost a lot of weight and looks like a brand new dog. It's nice to have him back in our lives.

My grampa died yesterday. It made me realize that our journey still continues, we're still alive and experiencing life... no matter where we are.

Posted by daiseykat at 12:56 AM | Comments (3)

the journey continues...

at daisey.com

Our china experience has come to an end, and so has this journal. It will still be here, but the ink is dry and it's going into the archives of our hearts. If you're curious... I'll be writing in my daisey.com journal, as always.

Ja Jhen!!

Posted by daiseykat at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)