Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Planes, Trains, Taxis, Busses and Ferries!!!!


My intrepid traveling companions.  There are none better than these!!!
Well Hello!!!  Sorry that this one is late, but haven't had the time to sit down and write.  This will be a short, but interesting one.  Enjoy!

SCHOOL:  Nothing to report, other than a very long seven day work week.  We were definitely ready for a vacation.

ADVENTURES:  This week found us having dinner with my friend David and his family and then preparing for a week long excursion to the Philippines.  The adventure truly began on Sunday afternoon when we finished teaching and headed for the train station to catch the fast train to Schenzen.  We had packed up all we needed into our backpacks and were ready to go as soon as school was finished at 2:40.  When we travel to the islands of Southeast Asia we always pack very light.
On the first bus

 When you are on a tropical island, what more do you need than a swimsuit and a couple of shirts?  I typically wear one and then switch to the other the next day.  I wash the first one by hand and then lay it out to dry while I wear the new one.  Besides, we are in and out of the ocean so often that they really don't get all that dirty.
  Enough about my tropical laundry routine.  When we road our motos over to the train station at roughly three in the afternoon, we discovered that the only train tickets available were for seven hours later.  We decided to buy them and then go have dinner, rest and then return.  When we got back to the front gate of the community in which we live, we decided on a whim to check the bus schedule for Shenzhen.  It just so happened that there was a bus leaving in ten minutes and that there were seats available.  We decided to bail out on the train and jumped on the bus.  We figured a three hour bus ride was better than waiting seven hours.  Besides, the idea of trying to find a hotel at midnight wasn't very appealing.
 We made it to Shenzhen at around eight and took a cab to the nearest metro station.  We then rode the metro to a place called Sea World.  Sea World isn't a theme park with whales and dolphins.  It is just an area that is near the sea, that has some nice hotels and restaurants.  We have stayed there before and the girls really wanted Mexican food for dinner.  It is the only place in China that we have found good Mexican food.
  We enjoyed our meal and then headed for our hotel.  We learned a very valuable lesson that evening.  The lesson is this, just because you have stayed at a place and it was very nice the first time, always make them show you the room.  The room we got was not as nice as the first one and it smelled of mold.  We ended up having a restless night of sleep and getting up early to head to Hong Kong. 
  We were heading to the Hong Kong Airport early to see if we could catch an earlier flight.  We had mistakenly booked our plane for the wrong time and wanted to get to Manila earlier than 12 o clock at night.  We decided to take the ferry from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.  It was very pleasant and took us closer to the airport than riding the metro all the way from Shenzhen.  After arriving in Hong Kong and clearing immigration we jumped on the metro to the airport.  We arrived at the airport at around 11 am.  We were hoping catch the next plane out, which was at 1:30pm.  Philippines Airlines was very gracious and accommodating.  They made the change for us and didn't charge us extra.  On top of that, they got us seats all together.  By the time we were finished we had just enough time to rush through security and then get to the gate.  Thank goodness for packing light, it really does make a difference when traveling.  Also, the nice thing was the plane was late arriving so we had time to catch our breath and grab a bite to eat.  The bonus at this point, was there was a Starbucks located very near the gate.  I know I have mentioned it before, but Starbucks is really a Godsend in this part of the world.
The ship set sail on a 3 hr. tour ..............
 After a short wait we jumped on the plane and headed for Manila.  We arrived in Manila around two hours later.  When we got to Manila I had a couple of messages waiting for me from our friends Leslie and Sonny.  These are our friends that we were going to be staying with for the week.  You will hear about them in more detail later.  Leslie gave great directions and we ended up taking another cab to a bus station.  We got on the correct bus and proceeded to leave Manila.  At least we thought we were leaving Manila.  The traffic was so bad that it took us nearly three hours to get to the first stop that was supposed to be only an hour and a half away.  We finally made it to the Subic Bay area and met our friends.  A short ride to their home and we were finally at our destination.  It was quite the adventure just getting here.  I will share with you in the next blog all of the cool stuff we are doing while here in the Philippines.
Our bus from Manila to Olongopo.  Just Kidding!!!!
  Despite the time and delays, I considered it a rather fun trip.  I kept thinking, even when we were in traffic, it still wasn't as bad as the 30 hours our friends the Madsens were experiencing on the train going to Xian without a sleeping car.  30 hours in a train seat isn't appealing to me.  I know my brother Paul would have looked forward to that, NOT!!!!!!!!
  Until next week, Adios!!!!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Oh No!!! A Teenager in China!!!!

Looking over our neighborhood from the bridge.
 Hello Everyone.  I hope you had a great week.  This week's adventures centered around our oldest daughter becoming a teenager.  I know, just the word teenager strikes fear into the hearts of many.  No worries, Claire promised us that she wouldn't turn into a monster.  Taylor is not quite sure that it isn't going to happen yet.  Anyway, I had one or two experiences along the way but the weekend was Claire's.  I have also included a couple of photos from the neighborhood.  It was such a beautiful week, I felt I just needed to share.  So, here is this week's news.

SCHOOL:  Not much to report other than an apology was given.  Enough said!!

This is only half of the Canton Fair Facility.
 ADVENTURES:  The week started off with an adventure with my friend James to the Canton Fair.  Now, this is not your typical fair that you might think in the sense of carnival rides, deep fried everything and cotton candy.  The Canton Fair is the largest import/export fair in the world.  

For those of you that have been to the Del Mar Fair, put this impression in your mind.  Imagine the gadget section of the Del Mar Fair, but with four buildings the size of the entire fairgrounds.  Inside the buildings there are four floors each.  Now imagine everything that you can possibly purchase to repair, build or manufacture.  In one day, I made it with my friend James through two floors.  We spent most of our time on the building tools floor.  This one floor was like going to the tool section at Home Depot, but now the tool section is the size of the entire store with three more stories above.  Finally the other section we went to was the manufacturing section.  Ask me how something is made and I probably saw the machine that makes it.  One of the coolest machines was the machine that recycled plastic and turned it into the plastic fencing stuff that you see around events.  You know the stuff that is bright orange and has holes in it.  I can honestly tell you that I was happy to sit down when I got on the metro that evening.
 
Who says I don't have a green thumb!!  I don't even need to water.
  The rest of the week was pretty quite until we got to Claire's birthday on the weekend.  On Saturday the girls tutored and hung out and then we prepared for the evening's activities for Claire's Birthday.  Early in the day Cecelia and Taylor ran out to our little village.  They came back with a beautiful cake covered in
chocolate powder and chocolate flakes on the side.  This was Taylor's birthday present to Claire.  Cecelia and I did not buy Claire any presents, because her present is coming up next week when we go on a special trip.  You will just have to wait a couple of weeks to find out what she received!!!  Nothing like a little plug to keep you tuning into the blog.  In the evening, we did allow Claire to choose dinner and a special activity.  She chose sushi to the chagrine of Taylor and Cecelia.  Claire and I like the place that she chose, because it has one of those bars that has the sushi on different colored plates revolving around a center island.  You just grab the type that you like and stack the plates up in front of you.  When you are done eating, they total up the amount of your plates.  At least Cecelia and Taylor could order beef skewers to meet their nutritional needs.  After we ate our fill of sushi and other delicacies, we broke out the birthday cake.  Of course it was delicious.  On the inside it was a very light cake with pineapple filling.  Yum Pineapple!!!!!!  
  After dinner the girls met our friends the Madsons to see the movie "The Croogs in 3D.  Unfortunately I was not able to attend.  Because of my visual impairment, I am unable to see 3D because I get headaches from watching.  There has to be a lawsuit in there somewhere for not accommodating those of us that have the inability to see 3D or those stupid 3D pictures that everyone stares at in order to pick out the picture.  I think there is a conspiracy by my friends to try and drive me crazy when they see those pictures.  They all smugly say, "Oh yah, I can see the elephant in there."  "Can't you see it Rusty?"  as they laugh behind their hands.  I bet there isn't anything really there.  I do have some friends that would do that, they are called brothers. 
  Anyway, I will get back to the present.  After I dropped off the girls at the movies, I rode my moto over to the driving range to pick up my golf clubs.  I was picking them up, because I was going to be coaching the family that took us to the amazing resort I mentioned a few weeks back.  Just before I got to the range the wind started to blow heavily.  Thunder and Lightening began to develop as well.  As I parked my moto, a large lightening strike hit nearby and a huge thunderclap ensued.  With that done, the rain came down like a shower head.  Fortunately I was spared the rain, but I ended up being stuck at the driving range.  Now you wouldn't think in my case that this would be a bad thing right?  Wrong!!!!  As a golfer I have read too many stories about golfers being struck by lightening, because they happened to be holding up a stainless steal lightening rod in their hands.  Along with the continued rain, the thunder and lightening intensified.  It was quite the storm.  It rained so hard that I watched the driving range change from grass to a lake in literally ten minutes.  Even if I was stupid enough to hit balls, when you hit a ball it wouldn't have mattered.  There was so much water coming off the roof of the driving range that it practically knocked the ball down when they were hit.  How do I know this without hitting balls?  There were a few intrepid Chinese golfers still whacking away while the storm was going on. 
I thought that the rain would stop a little while after the rain started, but three hours later I had to be saved by my friend Michael who came to the range to practice.   After the movie, Cecelia put the girls in a taxi with the Madsens and then rode her scooter home.  At least she had a poncho and raincoat.  On the way back she told me a story while laughing about one section that she rode through that came up to her ankles while she was on the scooter.  It was a good thing that she was riding Paul's old scooter at the time.  We realized later that if she had been riding her scooter that she would have probably shorted out the batteries on hers, because the batteries on her scooter are in the floor.  We all made it home and dried off.  Claire had a great day and is looking forward to her present.  I have included a little present I made for her as well.  I have been waiting a long time to make this slide show.  The reason is because I found this song from Paul Simon and have wanted to use it for a special occasion.  I think becoming a teenager is a special enough occasion.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.
  Remember, you should just be able to click the link below to see Claire's slideshow. 


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

You Know, It's The Simple Things Really!!!!


Now that is the way to think!!!!
 Hello Everyone.  I hope you all had a great week.  I want to thank all of you that sent me short notes of encouragement and prayer, after reading last week's blog.  I had a couple of people in particular that said the same thing that really helped.  Those two very wise individuals actually used the same word of encouragement, and that word was PERSPECTIVE!!!!  So with that being said, I come to you this week with that word blazoned on the forefront of my brain.  So enjoy this blog, because it is back to the perspective of why we came to China in the first place.

SCHOOL:  With my refreshed perspective on things, this week's school report is going to be short.  The only comment I am going to make is that after much reflection and soul searching, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't me that let the kids down, but the system of communication in which I work.  I have done the job that I was asked to do, it is just that I wasn't given all the information I needed at the beginning.  So, I fought back a bit this week and have gained a new PERSPECTIVE on what my role will be the rest of the year.  I am going to continue to do the best I can do in the current system, but not sweat the other stuff.  Also, for the rest of our time here, the school report is going to be very short unless something outstanding happens with one of the girls.  In no way am I going to let this incident tarnish the outstanding experience we have had in China.

ADVENTURES:  This week's adventures start with the little things.  What I mean is that to gain my rediscovered PERSPECTIVE I decided to focus on the small things that are around us that we really appreciate.  The first is of course, the massages. I have mentioned to you about them in past blogs and they are definitely worth mentioning again.  There is nothing better to help an attitude change than getting a 90 min. massage for  $40.
  The next thing to help change my attitude was getting a great haircut with a 20 minute scalp massage for $6. When they cut your hair over here, you get a shampoo and a scalp massage at the same time.  My scalp massage was so good that I almost fell asleep on the shampoo table.
  Finally, you can't beat simple individual dates with all of my best girls separately.
  I had lunch with Claire one rainy afternoon.  We donned the double poncho and rode the scooter to the new Italian restaurant nearby in the rain.  We had a great meal, some outstanding conversation and you just can't beat the price of eating out over here.  Our lunch cost around $12.  That included two calzones, broccoli, a plate of mozarella and tomatoes, and mushroom soup topped off with a beer and soda.
  The next day, Taylor and I went to Guangzhou and had a little get together while buying her some new tennis shoes.  After buying shoes and having an afternoon together we met Cecelia and Claire for dinner.  We all came to Guangzhou to meet my friend James that works for The First Tee of Contra Costa.  James lives part time in California and part time in China.  He owns a driving range and hotel in Shanghai so he has to come back periodically to check on things.  He also owns an import/export business that he runs in California.  It is amazing the emotions that you can have when seeing someone from back home.  It takes care of some of the home sickness that we have been experiencing lately, especially because of all the rain.  We had an outstanding dinner with him and really enjoyed the visit.  He and I planned to get together at least one more time before he goes home.
  Another thing that helped to change my attitude was driving by the park on the way home Saturday evening.  The evening was very pleasant.  One of the few nights without drizzle or rain.  The community was very active and there were a lot of people dancing in the park.  I observed the typical line dancing that goes on regularly, but there was also a group of people doing ballroom dancing.  They were all very good and really looked like they were enjoying themselves.  It was nice to see the smiles and hear the laughter in the warm air.
Confucius - " Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
  Finally my awesome week of new PERSPECTIVE ended with a date to Guangzhou and the Cheng Family Temple in Foshan with just Cecelia.  We were originally going to take the entire family, but Claire had fallen down the stairs a couple of days before and twisted her ankle.  She felt like it was too tender to be doing any walking adventures, and Taylor decided that she wanted to stay home with her sister.  That left Cecelia and I to ourselves.  We had our friend Sam drive us to the Temple and drop us off.
  The Cheng Family Temple is one of two famous residences that this family lived and functioned in during some of the Chinese dynasties.  The first residence is in Guangzhou and is now the Art academy that I shared with you a few blogs back.  This residence is actually a school, temple and residence.  To our surprise we learned that this residence was the main home of a man identified as IP Man.  Now you may not recognize the name but this man has had a huge impact on the world as we know it.  We were amazed to discover that in this residence, in a place most of us have never heard about in China, was the father of modern day martial arts and Kung Fu.  Because of IP Man, we have been exposed in movies to great martial arts icons like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.  Both men had been trained or worked either, with or in one of IP Man's martial arts schools.  It was very interesting to see all of the training weapons, old videos and court yard in which school was held.  The other cool thing was to see the way the residence was laid out with the martial arts school on one side.  The Confucius learning Garden was opposite the martial arts school and the religious temple was placed in between.  You could tell that it was designed in a way to create balance in the lives of the students.
  After visiting the temple we rode the metro into Guangzhou and did some shopping before we headed back home.
  So, the day was beautiful and I was with a stunning woman discovering more of China.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to regain my PERSPECTIVE. 
   Finally, how could I not get back to a great frame of mind with the greatest golf tournament in the world going on during the weekend, The MASTERS!!!!  I had to get up very early to watch the back nine, but it was totally worth it. 
  It really is the simple things that we need to focus on to get back to where God wants us.  Until next week, enjoy the photos and the slideshow.
  Here is the new link to go to the slideshow:
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=7749A94CA3CEB724!114&authkey=!ALHb3_RJfL9gyEQ


Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Highs, Lows and Highs

 
  This week I want to thank and dedicate this blog to three people that especially helped me this week.  The first person I want to thank is my wife.  I appreciate her and thank her for believing in and encouraging me when things get tough.  She is my other rock, next to Jesus of course.  I also want to thank my friend and co-worker Julia, who believed in me, even though I struggled to believe in myself.  Finally I want to thank Mark Ndesandjo for his gracious words of encouragement and for the help he gave me without even knowing it.

SCHOOL:  I had to think long and hard about how to describe this last week at school.  Despite the fact that it was only three days long, it felt like two weeks.  The best way to describe it is to say it was challenging.  I mentioned before that I have been struggling with the high stakes testing here.  It finally came to a head this week.  Now without going into the gory details, lets just say I had to look hard in the mirror and determine if the man staring back at me had the guts to meet the challenge that was presented to me.  The challenge took me to the depths of who I am as a person and as a teacher.  At the age of 50 and teaching for as long as I have, I never realized I would have to dig deep to discover a new level that I am able to attain as a person and teacher.
  I want you to understand that part of the issue stemmed from poor communication not only on my part, but on the part of the school in which I work.
  So to end this very vague section, I want you to know that I had to change course in the middle of the stream and do the best I could to survive.  I can happily say that I survived the swirling rapids of poor self confidence and have reached a new level of confidence in myself and in my teaching.
  Thus the reason for the previous paragraph of thanks.
  This paragraph is obviously the Low from the title, so let's move onto the Highs.  I like them better anyway.

ADVENTURES:  Monday started off on a really high note.  I was invited by my friend Ken Li to attend the ribbon cutting for his 22 story high rise building that was just finished.
Mr. Seyedin, Secretary Sanchez and Shunde Official at Lion Ceremony
  I met Ken through my friend Michael that I have shared with you about in the past.  Since our introduction, I have coached Ken and his two young sons to play golf.  Also, Cecelia and the girls tutor the boys once a week in English.
  As well as attending the ribbon cutting, I was invited to speak with the Consulate General for China regarding some of the relationships that I have developed with my Chinese friends while being here.  I felt very honored by the invitation and request.  The ceremony was very nice and short.  Other than the Lion Ceremony, there was not a lot of pomp and circumstance.  The speeches were good and to the point, as well as pointing out the continued mutual relationship between the US and China in relationship to trade.  After the ceremony there was a bit of picture taking and then a reception on the 15th floor.
The Entrance to Ken's Building
   I didn't spend very much time at the cocktail reception because my friend David's uncle, Mr. Hui Liang Zheng invited us to go visit his furniture factory.  The factory is called HUITU.  You can check out some of their amazing work at www.sdhuitu.com.cn.  I was very excited about this little surprise because I have seen some of his uncle's work and have been fascinated by the amazing quality of the craftsmanship.  We drove to the factory and I was immediately immersed in hard wood heaven.  For those of you that don't know, I have a small workshop at home and dabble in various woodworking activities like, woodcarving, cabinet making and creating some furniture.  With that being said, you will understand when I say, "I love wood".  I love the texture, the smell and the variety.  If you ever visit our home in California you can check out some of my handy work.
  We took a short tour of the huge workshop and they showed me all of the hardwood that they use.  They use a lot of Teak, Mahogany and imported woods from all over Southeast Asia.  By the way, they don't just get the boards to create furniture, they get logs imported to them.  Some of the Teak logs were as large as most people's living rooms.  They mill, cure and plane everything they need to make their custom furniture.  One Teak log dining table they showed me would cost around $15,000 in the US.  As well as tables, they make wine cabinets and miscellaneous other furniture.  All of which is custom made to the specifics of the clientele that purchases from them.  I was so infatuated by the place that I asked them to give me a sander and put me to work, but to no avail.  I was directed by David's cousin to the main office for a little get together.
  When we arrived at the office I got one other little surprise.  I was to enjoy my first experience of Kung Fu tea.  Before you stray too far and start thinking about Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li.  Kung Fu tea isn't a bunch of guys fighting over tea.  It is a formal affair with a traditional way of preparing the tea and also a way of drinking it.  So the meaning of Kung Fu in this case is just to do it in an orderly way.
Mr. Hui Liang Zheng, Owner of HUITU custom furnishings, serving Kung Fu tea.
  David's uncle prepared the tea, which wasn't a huge ceremony, but a way to purify the tea so that it tastes the best for those who are participating.  We then partook in the tea.  So you may be asking what is the special way to drink Kung Fu tea?  Well there isn't a special way, it is just the idea that you drink tea out of small cups and you spend relaxing time having great conversation with friends.  The idea is to slow down and take it easy for awhile.  So, that is exactly what we did.  I really enjoyed my time sitting around a tea set with four men and having tea and cookies.
  I know what the scoffers are thinking at this point.  They are thinking, did you have your dolls and teddy bears sitting around with you as well?  Of course I didn't, it was exactly the opposite.  This is more like being at home and sitting around with a few buddies drinking bears and talking sports.  (Did I really have a Freudian slip and say bears?)  Anyway, sitting around drinking tea is serious business as well.  Many business deals are made while having Kung Fu tea.  There was quite a bit of discussion regarding business and the importance of networking just like in golf as well.
  After tea we did not go home and snuggle up with our teddies and blankies.  David and I headed back to the E building and met up with Ken.  We were driving with him to the evening's festivities at the AmCham formal dinner to honor Harley Seyendin.
  We arrived at the China Hotel and were ushered into the grand ballroom where cocktails and appetizers were being served.  The ballroom was really decked out with the china and crystal, as well as linen table cloths and napkins.  The decorations to my surprise were all in red, white and blue.  It is amazing how moved I get on seeing a beautiful United States Flag.  The flag that was at the presentation was absolutely stunning.  Maybe it is because I have not seen one in so long, but this one was shiny and brilliant.  The entire thing looked like it was made of silk, and the embroidered stars just popped on the blue field that they graced.  Even though I live in China and enjoy many things here, I am proud to be an American and love my country.
  After milling around a bit Ken's secretary escorted us to our seats.  The dinner was pleasant and the company was outstanding.  We had quite the international mix at our table with an American, Argentinian, Chinese/Canadian and Chinese Nationals all sitting together enjoying the company of one another.
  The ceremony began and there were a couple of speeches regarding the cooperation between the United States and China regarding trade.  They were pretty good and I could see the truth in some of what was said.  I am no politician and can't remotely speak regarding trade and fairness so I can only tell you what I heard in general.  Besides, I was really focused on hearing what the Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Francisco Sanchez had to say about Harley Seyedin and the history behind the "To Peace and Commerce" medal.  I won't go into the history of it, but it is a very rare award given by the United States.
"To Peace and Commerce" medal.  First Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson.
  After dinner was when the evening got really interesting.  This is when I was introduced to the Consulate General and her staff.  I had a great discussion about some of the things I have been doing with my friends in Beijou.  I have another appointment with them upcoming in a week or so.  After my discussion with the Consulate folks, my friend David and his brother left for the evening.
Photo Op with Harley Seyedin and Secretary Sanchez
  While waiting for Ken to say good bye to his friends, Mark Ndesandjo was walking out and made a point to stop and talk with me.  If you don't remember or haven't followed the story in China up until recently, Cecelia and I met Mark in October.  For the sake of space, because I know this week is a long one, you can read about us meeting him in the blog titled, "Dancing with Obama's Brother".  Mark remembered us meeting in the fall and wanted to take a moment to share with me how much he enjoys reading my blog.  He said that it was honest and really showed the experience we were having.  As you can imagine I was surprised and felt very honored by his comments.  His words really helped to uplift me during the week when I was struggling at school.
  Following my chance encounter with Mark, Ken was still saying goodbye and I thought we were getting ready to leave.  In the dining hall the only people left were Harley, Ken, the Secretary of Commerce and his staff.  It was around 9 pm and I was getting tired so I started walking toward the door, thinking maybe I should say goodbye to Ken and take a cab home.  I made the decision to take a cab.  As I turned back to let Ken know I was leaving, everyone previously mentioned was heading for the door as well.  While standing just outside the banquet hall I met Ken and Harley.  The Secretary of Commerce had excused himself and went up to his room.  I thought, finally we can go home.  But oh no, Harley grabbed both Ken and me by the arm and escorted us upstairs to the martini bar.  When we arrived, there was a group of about 10 men sitting around a table on the patio already starting the after party.
  I sat around that table with those men listening to the stories of the history of the trade between the US and China and how it has progressed over the years.  Many of the older gentlemen had ridden the up and down waves of our two countries for decades.  It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot that you won't read in history books or hear on the news.
  The Secretary of Commerce joined us towards the end of the martini session.  At that point I had to look around to figure out if I was in America or in China.  Sitting around this table with the movers and shakers of Chinese/American commerce was a rare experience that I am not soon to forget.  The final thought that I left with from this was that these American men love their country passionately and they love China as well.
  Needless to say I finally arrived at home around 1:30 in the morning.  Fortunately I didn't have to teach class until 10:30 the next day and had been a very good boy in regards to drinking martini's.  Despite that respite the next day was my worst day in China for teaching.
  I know this blog is a bit longer than others, but I wanted to finish off the week letting you know what happened to our family on the weekend that lifted me out of the low.
Hotel lobby reminded us of the Tenaya
  On Tuesday morning I was summoned to the head office to meet with Mr. Qiu.  Mr. Qiu is the assistant principal of the section in which Cecelia works.  He is also president of the parents group at our school.  The parents group is like our local PTA.  Anyway, I made my way to the head office and Mr. Qiu and an interpreter were waiting for me.  I wasn't quite sure what they wanted me from so I was a little apprehensive.  Come to find out, my feelings of apprehension soon turned to feelings of gratitude and joy.  Mr. Qiu hired me to be the golf coach of his daughter and a young friend.  I was given three options for payment.  The first being a salary, the second being pretty much a membership for my entire family at the golf course in which they were members, and finally the membership just for me and a salary.  I didn't even need to think about it, I took option number two immediately.  To seal the deal Mr. Qui and his wife took Cecelia, the girls and me to the Country Garden Phoenix International resort for our holiday weekend.  This is a five star resort with two amazing golf courses, lakes, pools, restaurants and even a Chinese History Center.
  The weekend was amazing and we were treated like special guests.  The golf was great, our rooms were amazing, the food was outstanding and the tour of the Chinese History Center was really a highlight. It was a great end to a week of highs and lows.
The view from our suite!!  Nice isn't it???
My intrepid charges getting ready to attempt a shot at the Island Hole!!!!
The walk to the Island Hole was absolutely beautiful.  By the way, I did make it on the Island Hole the first time!!!