M is for MANDARIN

 is for MANDARIN

I love Mandarin oranges, for several reasons:

1. they are small and easily carried
2. they are incredibly sweet yet not cloying
3. they are good even when they are a bit crystalized
4. they do not drip orange juice all over you when you peel them
5. they are good to cook with
6. did I say that they are yummy? and easy to carry?

I saw several small orange trees in China, in the front of buildings or in courtyards, with the small oranges hanging on the branches like little balls of plastic tempting me to squeeze them. When I did, I realized they were actually real oranges and that indeed these little things were the Mandarin oranges I love to eat.  Somehow I never made the connection before between "Mandarin oranges" and China!  Then, at The Hutong, (check out my Beijing post), Sophia gave me a few Mandarin oranges from the tree there.  Yummy!

Mandarin is the official language of China. "Mandarin is a variety of Chinese spoken mainly in China, Taiwan, and Singapore by about 1.3 billion people."  Read more about it at this link:  http://www.omniglot.com/chinese/mandarin.htm. 

Check out Sonia's take on "Mandarin" at her blog writtenselfie.blogspot.com

G is for GREAT WALL OF CHINA

  is for GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Getting to the  Great Wall of China  was a schlep from Beijing, which was almost enough to make me decide not to go. But, Sonia and I met some young storytellers at The Hutong who were willing to organize a car and driver and take me to the Wall. Thank goodness! It would have been a mistake to have missed such a remarkable experience.

Sven and Cas were wonderful guides, and the section of the wall they took me to was up in the mountains and away from the touristy and rebuilt sections. They called it the "wild wall" and indeed it was wild.  We had to clamber up over some rocks and Sven pulled me (as Cass pushed me) up onto the Wall. 

And there we were, part of a long history on the long and magical wall.

A view of the mountains

First view, in the car

On the Great Wall

Cas and Sven

Looking down on the valley from the Wall

Some contradictions in signage!

Don't  forget to check out Sonia's blog on the Great Wall at Writtenselfie.blogspot.com.

F is for FRIENDS!

  is for FRIENDS

We all need friends - to get through life, to enjoy the journey. Whether a partner or a buddy, friends make our life easier, more fun, and more understandable. 

This trip to China was all about FRIENDS. 

Firstly I heard about Sonia, Pana Wakke and the China trip through my friend Regi Carpenter. My friend Megan Hicks had just returned from the same journey. Sonia was an instant friend, from the moment we met via Skype - lots of nice big intelligent energy. 

Once in China, the tour was people to Sonia's many friends and colleagues, which she had made during her ten plus years working and traveling in China. Wonderful people, who did not blink when meeting yet another of her storytellers from the US.

And there were the friends we made together:

My first morning, I was waiting in line to get a cuppa at the Costa coffee place across from our hotel. The young man next in line to me leaned in and complimented me on how nice my hair smelled! Well, one thing led to another and there we were sitting drinking our coffee when Sonia arrived.  Nice guy - he had grown up in Shanghai and knew everything about the city.  He was interested in storytelling and maybe he will work for Sonia one day instead of for the big corporation where he brings in the big bucks!

Here he is with Sonia.  (What was his name?)

In Beijing, we took a cooking class at The Hutong (as I already wrote about in B is for Beijing.) Sophia was our teacher, and she was also the person who organized and/or set up the family storytelling class I taught the next day at The Hutong. I particularly enjoyed talking with her, and we have corresponded a little since I have been home.  I hope we stay in touch. She is one of those people who effortlessly make the world a little lighter.

Sophia (on the right, standing)

At that self-same storytelling class, I also met two wonderful storytellers who wanted to learn more about storytelling and storytellers. (They are also in the picture with Sophia.)  Here's  a picture of them on the way to the Great Wall of China.  More about Sven and Cas tomorrow.

Sven and Cass in front of a weird and wild hotel in the middle of nowhere.

Be sure to read my dear friend Sonia's take on friendship too, at writtenselfie.blogspot.com.