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April 29, 2006
cherry shoulder cherry butt
I'm wearing Sienna's jean jacket and she's wearing my jeans. I sewed cherries on the butt of my jeans and while she was in Africa she sewed cherries on the shoulder of her jean jacket. I'm also wearing her jeans. When she ripped them last summer I sewed part of an old handkerchief with knit flowers on it over the tear.
Oh dang. I just thougt of one more thing. On the front of the jacket she's wearing I stitched 'sister' in pink lower case letters on the collar. Yes, we like stitching.
Posted by Brae at 11:07 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
dinner and sally's cool shoes
Last night students from my crazy class 7 came over and cooked for me and Sienna. Class 7 is Danly's class. That's Danly with the pumpkin shirt, and that's Sea in the middle. He did a hilarious dance demonstration for the 10 of us after dinner. He's about 5 feet tall and really smooth and we were dying laughing. Wish you were there.
Sally's cool shoes. She's the girl with the white top with gold lettering. She's very shy and smily.
Before we cooked, Sienna and Danly and Ivy and I walked to the veggie market to get stuff. Here's a picture of us coming back. We're on the bridge right outside of my apartment building. A storm was about to come and I liked the ambiance on campus. That's a class room building in the back and the stadium to the right. I live here.
Posted by Brae at 08:37 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 26, 2006
names for dogs and cats
At the beginning of my English corner yesterday I gave each of the 70 students a small piece of paper and asked them to write down the best name for a dog and the best name for a cat. It wasn't for an activity, just in case I have a pet sometime in my life. Their Asian ears really have a penchant for cuteness. Look at some of their adorable suggestions!
dogs/ cats
Milu
Yumi / Yuni
Earthquick / Anna
YoYo / KuKu
Sun / Moon
CoCo / Chya-Chya
Lovely / Sisili
Cherry
Shya- Hua / Da-Hua
V-V / Mio
Bingo / Mio
Cute / Me Me
Milu / MiMi
ToTo / YaYa
Rocky / Rolly
In this region of the world there really is a profound understanding of what cuteness is!
Posted by Brae at 08:31 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 24, 2006
Hello Kitty & David Beckham
We love Chinese photo sticker booths!
Posted by Brae at 06:27 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
quotation of the week
This week I write this quotation on the board at the beginning of class:
Hollywood is like being nowhere and talking to no one about nothing.
-Michelangelo Antonioni (an Italian film director)
I do this every week. Sometimes I have them discuss the quotation, sometimes I say nothing about it.
Posted by Brae at 01:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 21, 2006
american poetry & a brittish quotation
Here in China, Sienna and I have been reading out of a book called "Fifty Years of American Poetry." Here are two verses I love.
e.e. cummings.
my father moved through dooms of love
my father moved through dooms of love
through sames of am through haves of give,
singing each morning out of each night
my father moved through depths of height
The poem is mUch longer. But I'll just give you that.
And another...
Edwin Markham
The Third Wonder
'Two things,' said Kant, 'fill me with breathless awe:
The starry heavens and the moral law.'
I know a thing more awful and obscure--
The long, long patience of the plundered poor.
And the quotation I shared with all of my classes last week:
All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
-Oscar Wilde
Posted by Brae at 09:29 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 17, 2006
Meet Smile
At the beginning of each of my classes 3 students give a short speech on whatever topic they choose. Today my student Smile spoke about the purpose of life. I asked her if I could post it on my site. Here for you is her picture and her words.
Today I want to give a speech about the purpose of life. I beleive everyone of us leads a life with certain purpose though it differs from one to one. My purpose of life is very simple.
First, I live for myself. I have been give to birth, which is a new life in the world. Although I'm as common as dirt in the air, I beleive all the time that I must have my own value to exist. I live because I want to make changes to myself.
Second, I live for love, exactly for whom I love and whom loves me. They can be my families, my friends, my boyfried and all the people who care about me. I'm very important to them. So I must take good care of myself and live well. Because they and I share the same pleasure and happiness.
Third, I live for success. I can be common but I can't be nothing. I want to seek my own success in my limited life. Only success can give me courage, confidance, and satisfaction of life. Success can also motivate me to struggle, to pay and to gain. In a word, it makes my life eternal and complete.
Posted by Brae at 10:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 16, 2006
some bits of friday night
Last Friday night Sienna and I went downtown for KFC, hair washes, and wandering. Here's a bit of our night...
me and the city.
Sienna gets her hair straigtened. Check out the background people. I like them. We both got hair washes, massages, and her straigtening for less than $1.50
Me in the salon with 'country girl' braids. My students tell me only the country girls wear their hair this way. Makes me like it more. My braids are really skinny because my Chinese hair cut made my hair thing on the bottam, thick up top. But I actually like it alot.
We were in a shoe store and they'd covered the front window with all these shoeboxes. So the window display was trashy looking in a totally funky, creative sort of way.
Some of our Saturday night...
Students came over and cooked for us. I'll miss that in the US. So bad.
Posted by Brae at 07:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 14, 2006
Sienna teaching my students
This week for my lesson plan I teach my students about the Easter story and then I transition into Sienna's presentation of her time in Africa by explaining that before Jesus ascended he told us to do his work; to care for the weak and spread good news. Mercyships is doing that work, as we wait for his second coming. They really understand and they are so comfortably moved, as Chinese people are.
Sienna shows 2 five-minute slide shows. One is a presentation of her life on the ship, and the other shows her life in Liberia on the weekends, working with children and experiencing more difficult things. She puts the laptop on her head so that all the students can see. The pictures are set to 2 Kirk Franklin gospel songs. We share a soulful culture with them they aren't too familiar with. I love it.
Then we have a question and answer time and I'm just as engaged as every one of my students. It's a priceless lesson plan. I can't beleive I get to teach my students about what my sister did in Africa, and have my real live sister stand before them and answer their questions.
Sienna showing the slide show on her apple.
My students watching African images.
Sienna answering their questions.
...with my crazy class 7.
...and in case you forgot what I look like. Here I am with Britney's face on a spinning barber shop wheel. Sienna and walked past this after a dinner of korean food and she asked me with her dorky sister voice (Kyrie and Chaly, you know what I mean?), "Honey, you want a picture with Britney?"
Posted by Brae at 10:22 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
a funny photo
This picture is from about a month ago. Will was at my apartment and he wanted to surprise John in disguise. So he wore my mask and crept up to John's, knocked on the door, and said, "I am a poor boy and I want to play you some music." Then he serenaded John and his students while they ate birthday cake. I like the way Will lives his life.
More photos coming this evening of Sienna and my students!
Posted by Brae at 02:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 09, 2006
more photos
A little boy from Liberia named Christian. Sienna actually got to hang out with him. Isn't he way cool?
Sienna. bam.
Another from the Sienna in China series.
Posted by Brae at 09:59 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 07, 2006
photos
I put more photos on my flickr site. Search braebrae flickr on google and click on the first page that comes up.
Also, for your artistic edification, check out the photos of an iclandic photographer, Stebbi, on Flickr. I found his photos last week and I'm inspired.
Will teaches Sienna Kung Fu after lunch.
Sienna photographs me teaching. I am so grateful for her skills.
Tonight Sienna and Will and Sanskey and I will go out for Korean food. Then we might watch Spirited Away after 9.
Tomorrow we'll check out the Chinese fashions with Danly and meet her boyfriend for dinner.
Sunday we'll try to go to the orphanage.
Love, Brae
Posted by Brae at 06:01 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 04, 2006
more of Sienna's coming
I couldn't stop dancing when she got here. This is me and her suitcases and Will and Danly.
Me and Sienna and Danly on my couch!!
Posted by Brae at 02:37 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 03, 2006
Sienna's butt is here in China!!!
Sienna just finished spending 8 months in Africa on Mercyships and she'll be with me for some weeks before she's back in the homeland.
Here we are in the taxi. All is right in this moment. I got to the airport with Will and Danly (my spunkiest freinds) an hour before she arrived. And she actually arrived. I couldn't stop jumping and dancing and adrenalating.
Today she slept all day while I taught and then we went downtown together for dinner, hair washes, walking and talking, and grocery shopping. My home is no longer empty at night and in the morning!
Posted by Brae at 11:35 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 01, 2006
a letter from will (the coolest boy)
Will is the coolest boy in China and I have the privelage of knowing him. His picture is posted on my flickr site. He is a charming Freshman who likes to spontaneously strike kung fu poses and play the guitar and swing numchucks.
Read this email he wrote me!
Miss Brae,
When I return to the dormitory I never study but play guitar or play harmanico .It is my interested so it is very important for me .I had learn harmanico in hight school and I bought a guitar last semester.I am a youth from the country. I loose a lot so I cherish my life in the university so much.Now I have a gread chance to learn everything that i am inteerested in .I am satisfation with my life in the university.I am an activity boy. I like to make friend in the college.And most of them are girls.I learn dance too.I think it is useful for me beacause my major is Intenational Business so it is a skill in society such as make friend.I am good at sport. I want to get more accomplishment. I will learn swiming.
I am cherish my own.My life full of passion.I have a lat of energye to do anything"Impossible is nothing!".But not many student like me ,I am a special man or I can't use cold water for bather.
Best wishes,
Will.
Posted by Brae at 09:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack