Sparkles and Onyx in China: 2014

Sunday, June 29, 2014

SO fun to have some speed!

Taking pictures for Olivia's art project. We really should have been wearing the mask!
We had to wait for a bad pollution day....yes we actually do have good air days too.
It happened on a Tuesday, luckily Seniors are allowed to leave campus if they have a free block so we lined up the driver and I grabbed her at lunch time and she didn't have to be back for nearly two hours.
We are in an area of a torn down village just up the street from her school...I haven't been by there recently but I am sure it is more cleaned up by now.

Another view of the decimated village.

More of the village that was....

Just hack 'em off!!

This was a worker we came across in a park area we were trying to do pictures in. There were several men working and they were just staring at us....I guess they weren't working too hard. Anyway, the people really like to have pictures taken with foreigners and we communicated to him we would like his picture....we really couldn't ask.....but he said yes:)

The little park.

Really not so far from those buildings. We should be wearing the mask.

Up on the dirt that is to the left in the shot above. I think this is one of the shots that made it into her project. Not so far away, you just cannot see.

Just turn around....and if there isn't already enough pollution in the air they are adding to it with a burning rubbish pile!

Well, isn't that a depressing post?

Love, fondly, sincerely,

Zaijian,

Ramona

Friday, June 27, 2014

More of life

BIG Bags, LITTLE Pouches

As part of her CAS project Olivia and I made bags to sell at a school function and the money went to help a little girl have further cleft palate surgery. These bags are made from banners that hung at the school. A fiber reinforced plastic sort of stuff. I think we made 35 or more bags and a few dozen pouches. She sold almost 2200 kuai worth, enough to give the little girl she chose another surgery. We spent a great deal of the time Mike was in America for the month of May making these.

My friend Mara bought this one....She is Manager of Operations, World Bank China, Mongolia and South Korea.

Sort of fit her well. She is the most organized person I know....only wish my sewing room is as tidy as hers!!

This one is actually elementary student art.

She even did some of the sewing.....mostly she measured, cut, folded, measured, marked, turned.....

The pile of bags and two bags of pouches.

Flat bottomed pouches.

Three sizes of bags.

Flat pouches.

Wei Ling

Olivia and her 'baby'.

Love, fondly, sincerely,

Zaijian,

Ramona

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

What is happening now?

Just random life.
Putting up some random stuff as the internet is back to working better. The new picture above is the cover of the graduation program. Pretty cool, I think.

Where we thought we might live....nope.

That is an incense burner/urn right in front of the building.

The medal the graduates received.

Jing Xi Xue Xiao

The name of the school.

I almost didn't get her in the picture....had to hold the camera over my head to get fewer heads in the shot!!

We do have a very good shot of her receiving her diploma. The school had a professional photographer there and took shots of each student and we were given our copy at the graduation dinner that night.

It is over!!!!

Heading out after the ceremony.

The eggs all come stamped. But I really took this to show that one carton of eggs had three colors of eggs. I don't know if this is only in China....

Can you see her?

More to come;)

Love, fondly, sincerely,

Zaijian,

Ramona

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

C'est Fini

Congratulations to Olivia!!

I wonder how many years they have used this sign?

On the sidewalk outside Confucius Temple.

Entering the Temple.

The drummers.

Getting into their seats, can you spot Olivia?

To be continued...hope this will post!!

Love, fondly, Zaijian,

Ramona

Friday, April 25, 2014

Time Flies

Wow.
Many years ago my sister made a painting for my parents. It is an amazing piece and has hung in a place of honor in their living room for 40 years. Yes it has been exactly 40 years. It is a simple painting of an owl on a board. All one color, utilizing the knots of the board for the eyes. My mom loves owls. The thing I remember every time I see it is what she wrote on the back....Sad says the owl is when it is time for the chicks to leave the nest. (I may not have that exactly) You get the idea.
Today I had the bittersweet pleasure of watching my chick take what her school calls 'the ramp walk'.

Today was the last day of classes for the graduating class of 2014 at Western Academy of Beijing. There is a ramp in the atrium of the school and after an awards assembly the Senior class walks down this ramp on their way to the world. They walked to the song Time of Your Life by Green Day, lyrics can be found here. It is interesting to note they played it at her 6th grade graduation too....

I hope you had the time of your life Olivia. Love, Momme

I didn't embarrass her by crying my eyes out, she would be proud of me.

We are certainly proud of her.

Perhaps I can get through graduation in one piece too;)

Love, fondly, sincerely,
Zaijian,
Ramona