Well, it seems that I've been pretty much out of touch lately. After starting Chinese lessons at my new language school and having a change in my weekly schedule, Chase and I are booked 24-7. We are tired all the time, but really enjoying getting better at Chinese. My class is review mostly, but I have forgotten so many characters (hanzi) so it's useful for me to be there just so I can get better at my reading and writing.
So we decided to take a vacation. This weekend we are in Macau! We made a few last minute changes to what was supposed to be a yoga vacation to Shenzhen to take the Anusara intensive. It became too expensive (as most yoga is these days for me) and I think at this point I am just more ready to take an Immersion or something that will further my studies. I know that even Intensives are going to be "useful". I am not saying that I know enough, but given that it was going to cost almost half of a year long membership to a Beijing yoga studio, I thought I would pass and save for the Immersion. Look at me, I am trying to justify my reason, but I am fine with it. I know there will be yoga in my future.
Here are some pictures from the weekend. I am having trouble loading them so they are out of order.
Here we are at the MGM, then a Chinese hotel called the Star World hotel had dancers in front of it which intrigued us to say the least, a light show including a dragon and a lotus flower at The Wynn, and the Grand Lisboa Hotel which I write about below.
So back to the narration:
So we arrived yesterday in the afternoon and after we got checked into our hotel, Chase made it just in time for a poker tournament going on at the largest and most glamorous hotel in Macau, The Grand Lisboa. It was built by Stanley Ho, the founder of gambling in Macau and it really is a glitzy, golden, structure sticking out for all to see. I can't really explain the Chinese version of opulence... maybe gaudy, wild, over-the-top, comes to mind. So while he played poker, I went back to the hotel room. I watched non-Chinese television. By that I mean I watched Sumo wrestling. The Chinese would never broadcast a national sport of Japan, are you kidding?! And then I took a shower. A long shower. In our apartment in Beijing, we rarely get hot water for more than 5 minutes per person. We have talked to our landlords about this but somehow we just don't know to get it to work. So I sat in the shower for 30 minutes. It was great! I got all dressed up and sat at the bar while Chase was in his tournament.
When he busted out I was pretty lit up on my one apertif and two glasses of wine. So we had another and then walked around the hotel and out to the Lisboa Hotel which is the old version of the Grand Lisboa. My high heels were carving holes into my heels so I was walking barefoot around the hotel. We were in the search for food and ended up on the lower levels of the hotel underground where there are many stores, restaurants, and high end shopping. So it was like a shopping arcade just for the hotel. Low and behold, the shopping arcade was just a place for prostitutes to prowl. It was so obvious because they just walked from one end of the shopping arcade to the other making eyes at anyone who would notice. It seemed so sad to me to see them sell themselves in that way. Chase thought it was amazing to see how they paraded themselves in such an organized fashion and in public so easily- in China. Remember, porn is banned here.
So the rest of the time we were in Macau, we relaxed, ate good food at a restaurant that is the sister restaurant to Southern Italy's most Michelin starred restaurant. It was called Don Alfonso.
We made it to Hong Kong the next day where I had a job interview. And now I must break the news. I am actively looking for another job because my current situation did not turn out as I wanted it to. I had a good interview at a school that I have had contact with over the past few years and then we went to Discovery Bay to spend time with Aruna and Ruchita (my cousin Venkatesh's wife and their daughter). We treated them out to a meal on the island and then had to leave the next morning to have another meeting with a fellow Montessorian I have had contact with in Hong Kong (this time it wasn't an interview, it was an inspiring session to talk about Montessori in China and Asia and its future) and then make it back to Macau.
Our flight was pretty uneventful except that when we got home to Beijing, it really felt for the first time that we were returning home! What a great feeling that was. After so many months in Beijing we feel that we have a place to return to that's ours once again. We really hope that because of my current job situation, we won't have to move again. We really do like our life in Beijing. So I will keep you updated in the next few blog posts, which will be in quick succession because I have been behind on posting.
I look forward to you reading my blog and thank you for you continued support. It's nice to have readers who enjoy a glimpse into my life.
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