What a breath of fresh air!

                         I am writing from Europe, where I am spending the Christmas holidays.
                      I left China in a record-breaking, dangerous-health-level, smog-alert situation. 

A colleague sent a news article about government's 5 reasons why the country's air pollution crisis was actually a good thing.  Briefly, they were  1): a means of bonding between the Chinese people as they found solidarity in their complaints; equalised them, as both rich and poor people were vulnerable to its effects....  2):  a great security cover against satellite imagery and protection against guided missile systems ....3): has enlightened the Chinese people, as they realised the cost of rapid growth.... 4): has made Chinese people more humorous", as smog-related jokes proliferated on the internet.... and 5): has helped to educate people re: knowledge of meteorology, geography, physics, chemistry and history.

I sent the article to a number of people (with particularly black senses of humour) and heard back from a friend who is a scientist specializing in global warming.  Response:
           "A cold front cleared much of the smog away".......to where, you may ask?  Well, it   moved downwind, to Western USA, Canada, the Arctic in general, and eventually other places out of sight and out of the Chinese mind.  Colleagues of mine can see and track this plume on
satellite imagery. It, and the cold front, arrived in Ottawa this week.

I am now one of the many proud (?) face-mask wearers. 

I probably won't write again until I am back on Chinese soil, in 2014  :>) 
Happy Holidays, everyone!  KAREN


 

18 - a river cruise and more

The school turned 10 this year and the staff was treated to an evening dinner cruise on the river in Shanghai, along the Bund - the old European centre of Shanghai and now the pulsating heart of China's modernity.  It was pretty spectacular:

 

The two bits of Chinglish I have on offer are from school.  The first is from a student of mine, who confounded me momentarily by mentioning the 'burdenings' on a pizza. His on-line translator lead him astray, as he was aiming for 'toppings'.  The other goofy language did not make me or any English speaking staff member at school laugh.  The Chinese side of our enterprise spent thousands of yuan on hundreds of advertising banners for the school, without checking if the English was correct. (Infuriating, too, I guess, 'cause this is the way life goes here. There are continual little and big power struggles between the BCers and the Chinese halves of the school.) Anyhow, I used the phrase as a teachable moment, and added the 'eat healthy' posters made by the PE department for good luck. (Verb+Adverb... ring any bells, people?)

 

As for food, I leave you with the following. There was quite a array of foods at the buffet on the cruise.  What do you think this dish is?

The mind boggles....Answer next post!  KAREN