Themes of the Trip

I don't mind construction, I really don't. Beijing is preparing for the 2008 Olympics, and an awful lot of people are renovating, reconstructing, deconstructing, and constructing. Our own building in Beijing is being renovated: when we arrived there were jackhammers - jackhammers! - in the lobby, and one elevator is still often used by workmen who haul bags of concrete or ceramic mix to the upper floors. The work on the lobby seems to be done, and the new front desk (manned 24 hours a day) is as fancy as that of any good hotel. It was actually pretty interesting to see the work being done, and how the workmen shaped the semi-circular surfaces, installed the lighting, and finished the wood. The students above the 8th floor are awaiting Internet in their rooms because the necessary wiring won't be complete for a few weeks. It's Sunday morning at 9:15, and outside my room a circular saw is going full blast. This summer my family stayed in Maine, on a peaceful and quiet lake with so few people around it that you could jet ski across a thousand of its 8000 acres without making a turn, or kayak in almost complete quiet. But the first week we stayed in a cottage next to another that was being worked on and the circular saws and hammering began at 7:30 each morning right outside our windows and kept up most of the day. (I love that house that was being worked on, however, and have rented it before, and would like to rent it again, so we didn't complain!) Those at NCC will know that our offices this past year were in the Modular Unit (yes, the trailer) between Merner Fieldhouse and the tennis courts, and that our newly renovated offices, in Kiekhofer Chapel, have just recently been finished and furnished. So you see that Construction is Everywhere is emerging as a continuing theme in my life. I think the students would agree that Construction is Everywhere is also a theme of the trip. Another theme is Judy Spills a Lot and needs a Tide-to-go stick at all times. Natalia suggested that I needed more practice with chopsticks, but I'm able to spill even using a knife and fork. In China, it's correct to bend over your plate and bring your rice bowl close to your face. Yet a third is China Likes Corn - it shows up in all sorts of dishes; this is surprising to the midwesterners, especially those of us who have lived near lots of corn. Most Illinois corn turns into cornstarch, corn syrup, animal feed and ethanol.