Amoy Wanderings

 As we spend our last few hours in our apartment, a funeral is starting in the apartment complex center square. This will mean several hours of loud music, singing, wailing, and general noise. Generally, foreigners leave the apartment complex during these days because it can be difficult to think because of all the noise. Unfortunately, our new apartment will be right next to the square. A few weeks ago, there was another funeral in the complex, and I went down to take some photos. Funerals are quite the community event, and although I was obviously just curious about the goings on, I was received well and even given a water bottle. They generally set up two tents in the square for the friends and family of the deceased, and then onlookers gather around outside. They often bring in a band (or two in this case) who generally focus more on volume than accuracy believing that to be loudly off key or off beat is better than not being heard distinctly. I politely, and quiet...

Although Dragon Boat Festival was officially June 18 (which was very convenient for our anniversary) the races were on June 2 and 3, and we would have missed them had a thoughtful Chinese not informed us of the date. I guess the date is never quite set in stone and can quickly be moved and society adjusts. Being an organized, time-driven, calendar-driven person, I have found this cultural tendency to be more than a little annoying. The reason the date changed this year was that the original date conflicted with the GaoKao (the college entrance exam). Now, the GaoKao is an event in China. Every high school student takes the test, and the scores from the test determine if students can go to university, the quality of university they can attend, and the possible majors they can select. So, this test has more than a slight impact on millions of students' futures, and the country is vested in making them successful. There are are even public service announcements about the timing of ...

It is amazing what one can accumulate in a year. Our upcoming move has forced me to look at all the possessions we now have and consider once again the role stuff plays in out lives. We arrived 10 months ago with three suitcases apiece and a foggy understanding of life in China. Now, it will take some significant effort to relocate and set up a new apartment.  I sort of thought I had gotten all this reevaluation of stuff out of my system last year when we sold the majority of our possessions and downsized from a 3,100 square foot home (with two barns and a garage) to a 10x10 storage unit and some space in my son's garage. Now that was a monumental achievement. But somehow new stuff crept back into our lives, taking up additional space in our apartment and our lives.  Don't get me wrong. It there is a certain amount of stuff we need to live life and a certain amount we need to function within the society we live in. And, I kinda like having a bread machi...

For my birthday this year, Sandy and Emily decided to take me to an old fishing village near the ocean for the purpose of shooting photos. It was a wonderfully relaxing evening which began with some beautiful seascapes. Sandy and Emily also posed some for me to let me work on portraits. There were several wedding shoots in the area (a very popular spot for them) and we even were treated to some beach musicians. As night came on, we wend to the fishing village, which actually is more of a night market/tourist trap. The vendors were pushy and loud (so my headphones were fully engaged), but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the unusual architecture. It was definitely worth the visit, and I wish I had more time  to explore and experiment, but the girls weren't feeling the best and the noise was annoying. As to the photos, yes, that is a roasted pig (sans head). I also really enjoyed finding a cat who posed for me. We end...

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to visit the famous tulous (pronounced two lows ) of Fujian province. The name Tulou literally means earth wall which is what these structures are. They are circular buildings made of packed mud and bamboo which house small communities with the largest accommodating around 2,000 people. These structures were designed to be a fortress against marauding bandits (which they were) while allowing the community to live inside not inconvenienced by the closing of the compound. Additionally, the structure is said to keep the dwellings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It was quite the cultural experience and our first time out in the countryside. There are many different places where one can see tulous, but this is probably the most popular site for our area. This particular place is referred to as "four dishes and a soup" with the four tulous being the dishes and the square building being the soup. The tulous represe...