I'm On Top of the World

How quickly time has flown. It seems like we just arrived and already four weeks have passed. Classes are progressing nicely. There seems to be a huge spread this year, in the individual abilities of the students we are teaching. Some have excellent skills while others in the class have almost non-existent abilities. In fact, a few students had to bring someone to translate for them as their comprehension and speaking skills are minimal. These students have not been grouped in any manner but seem to be peppered around all classes.

Our social life continues at a fast paste. Last week ended with branson organizing a bus to take a group of about 20 for a picnic on the shores of the Songhua River. The weather has taken a turn and the temperatures have dropped considerably from our first two weeks so consensus was that while it is still reasonably warm, we should have a picnic. Over night temperatures are getting down to 1 or 2 degrees. The picnic was a quiet affair on a scrappy little beach located adjacent to the bridge. The beach was occupied by some hearty entrepreneurs who had constructed a restaurant out of some old timber and canvas. The had some picnic tables set up along the edge of the river. We had brought all our own food and drink so we negotiated a fee of 100 RmB to rent some of the tables and a place to set up the barbecue. They were not to happy with us when we first arrived, but the 100 RmB seem to cheer them up.

Meat on a stick was the featured main course. Meat on stick might be an exaggeration. Fat on a stick might be a better description. It is bits of meat, interspersed with bits of fat, leaning towards more bits of fat, placed on a long wooden skewer. branson and Arseni rented the barbecue from the local Chuar (Meat on a Stick) restaurant, along with some charcoal and about 120 pre-made meats (fats) on a stick. The first few you eat are tasty but they tend to loose their appeal after two or three as you hear your arteries clogging up.

For dessert, Nonie provided some freshly baked raisin/oatmeal cookies and mini poppyseed muffins. They were well received by all, especially the Chinese attendees. Desserts in China are definitely different than what you find in North America. They lean toward cakes and cake like cookies. The cakes are usually highly decorated and look fabulous. But beyond that, it is liking eating air. They have no flavor, zero sugar and are totally disappointing to the palate. All show and no go!

Sunset over Harbin thanks to branson.

The mid-autumn fesival (moon festival) was celebrated this week and so there were no classes on Wednesday and Thursday. To celebrate, we threw the budget out the window and made our way to the Dragon Tower to get a little closer to the full moon. The tower is the Empire State Building of Harbin. It climbs 400 plus metres and provides a comanding view of Harbin. For 200 RmB or 1/25 of our month salary, we enjoyed a buffet dinner in the revolving restaraunt but due to a TV program being shot in the restaraunt, we did not revolve until later in the evening. The buffet dinner was hohum, but we did have the services of a personal fuyuan (server) who followed us around the buffet tables and then carried our plates back to the table. The buffet offerings were interspersed with special offerings direct from the kitchen to our table. Caviar, a small steak, one large prawn, salad, soup and a small chiffon style dessert. The buffet desserts were standard Chinese fare. Thankfully the view and the attentive fuyuan made up for the pedestrian food.

Skill testing questions for all readers of the Cornell's adventures. What are "staves"? The sign was found on the Dragon Tower service elevator. "Elevator for Staves Only". Send your answers to your our email address for a chance to win valuable prizes.