Gretchen -He nails that beat with the syncopated rhythm/ With the rat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat on the drums, hey

So today I went to a drag show brunch with some of my coworkers (which was really fun, by the way). It really made me miss you guys because it is totally something we would have done!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Leah - week of crazy or well 2 days of crazy

Yesterday there were screaming clients and frustrated doctors and emergency surgeries
Today I backed up in to a fire hydrant (no extensive damage or anything..just some yellow paint on my bumper, but still! how stupid! ugh)

Its also my last day at SU which is sad because I love the people here but good because I wont be incredibly bored and I'll finally have time to do laundry.

Such is my life.

I hope to go to NYC sometime this fall if I can convince Tony to somehow come with me. I'm thinking late October perhaps.

Miss you all,Leah

Lizzie- fat and sassy

Hi everyone,

So, unfortunately my update is quite sad. My grandmother died on Saturday. This was my mom’s mom, or Nanny to me. Like I said before, she had congestive heart failure and ended up not being able to breathe very well. It really ended up being a blessing because she was suffering. My parents were in Toronto for the weekend with friends and called me at work on Saturday morning. They ended up staying in Toronto for the weekend because my uncle told them they could set up stuff by phone and plus the plane ticket was $950 one way to come back early. Which meant, I was home alone because my brother was at school. Saturday night I was a mess and Katie, aka the “love brigade,” came over with Chinese food, an ice cream cake, chick flicks, and she spent the night at my house.

Monday I picked up my parents at the airport and we drove to my nanny’s house. I had been okay up until I was going through pictures of my grandmother’s wedding. I made a slideshow of pictures of her to Irish pub songs to have on my computer at the wake, and the pictures just overwhelmed me. As we were digging through stuff we found her certificate of naturalization when she became a citizen, which was really cool. She had written out a list of everything she wanted at her funeral: who she wanted to be pallbearers, what hymns she wanted sung and asked me to read a poem.

I have never been to a wake or funeral before and the open casket was kind of upsetting. I do have to say, as sad as these three days were, I also laughed a lot and learned a lot about my grandma and my mother. Example: apparently when Nanny was younger and people asked her how she was, she always responded with “fat and sassy.” So, when one of her nephews showed up at the wake, he told my mom that she has to be the new fat and sassy one now.

My mom had been calling her cousin, Maireed, in Ireland trying to get hold of her to tell her about Nanny and also to find out her cousin Danny’s number in NYC so he could come to the funeral. Maireed didn’t have his number, but she did have the number of the pub he frequents. In true Irish style, she left a message with them and sure enough Danny called her last night, haha.

I started drinking at 11AM with everyone after the funeral today. After our reception my family and my uncle and his high school buddies went back to Nanny’s and we cleared out her liquor cabinet. She didn’t drink anything but wine, but kept liquor for company. We decided to do a shot of Jameson’s Irish Whisky for Nanny and it tasted funny. My mom told us when she was 14 she stole liquor and filled the rest up with water. Meaning our Jameson was from 36 years ago and was watered down, haha. Therefore we taste tested the rest of the bottles. I had to embrace my Irish roots….

My grandfather, Nanny’s husband, died when my mom was 4 years old. They are now buried next to each other and together now after 40 something years. I just hope I can someday be as sassy as Nanny was.

Andy....again

Erin, you didn't figure it out. I told you how to blog. Let's give credit where credit is due.

Erin- I figured it out!

So, maybe I'm a little stupider than the rest of you, but I got it now and that's all that matters.
Since Andy just updated, I suppose I don't have so much to say. I am a little shocked that according to him he'd been drinking more than he did at school.....really Andy? That's pretty bad, not gonna lie.
I have my dreaded physical tomorrow with Dana. I'm pretty P- fucking O'ed about it , especially because the master of our China universe, Mr. Li, has punked me yet again and made me cancel half my class tomorrow. He wanted me to cancel the whole class but then I pointed out to him that it wasn't very valid to force me to cancel my class that I'm required to reschedule and I only have so many allowed cancellations and I didn't have my students' schedules and therefore couldn't really reschedule the class promptly.
In other news, I'm testing out the healing powers of green tea. My students tell me it will help me lose weight....which apparently they think I should do. They also tell me it will improve my skin, mood, energy and prevent cancer. Well, no cancer thus far, I've switched from coffee to tea(not the easiest transition but it has finally been completed), my skin, mood and energy are about the same and the only weight I may have lost has been muscle since I have greatly reduced my workout regime. I'm sure I'll find the drive soon now that i have a gym membership, but I'm not gonna lie, that three weeks of laziness felt pretty good.
We get stared at a lot. I asked my students about it today and apparently it's not rude at all to stare. nor is it rude to laugh at someone when they make a mistake. I guess in the US we're so afraid of amitting differences that we don't have a sense of humor about it. In china everyone tries to be the same.....I guess as long as you're not the one who's different it's ok.
I really love my students and chinese people in general. I get really irritated at times with organizational bullshit and sometimes I feel really stupid when people can't understand what I say, but whenever I'm in a bad mood, someone blatently stares at me to the point where I just have to laugh. I just had a great conversation with a girl who was probably 3 years old at dinner. she was amazed that I spoke any chinese and asked me why i was here. Then she asked me why I teach english when I'm american. Shouldn't I teach american? I offered to teach her some but she was too shy and ran back to her parents.
I will leave you with a text message I received from one of my students today, about an hour after my class ended. This kid named himself Harry after Harry Potter and we had a short conversation about the books/movies in class. At the end of class he came to ask me something and stopped and said, "I see now that your eyes are green. Harry Potter's eyes are green." Also during this cass, I explained that the boys shouldn't compliment every american girl they meet before they talk to her because she will think they are just trying to flatter her and wonder what they want.

Hello Erin, I' Harry, the one who like Harry Potter. I wonder if I have troubled your lunch hour or midday rest, but just wanna say that you give us a pretty well spoken English class, thank you Erin! I'm not a flatterer, absolute ly not!Ha ha- Expect your next lessons!!

Andy (for real)

Um, that was not my post on September 8, but I thank Tony for recapping our conversation...

From the depths of the PRC a primal cry rings out after weeks of silence: "PIZZA, WE'VE FOUND IT!" Given, it wasn't the best pizza...it had pears and the faintest hint of BBQ sauce, but anything with cheese is a treat. It was quite refreshing after a day of misery. 

The government officials wouldn't accept our U.S. medical forms so we had to get, and pay for, full physical examinations in order to apply for our residence cards. Let me tell you, a Chinese hospital is an assembly line of awkward interactions. First is the blood-drawing room, then the blood pressure room, then the ear/nose-cleaning room (with unsterilized tools of course), then the EKG room where goo is painted on your chest and you're hooked up to electrodes like a body in the Matrix, and finally the chest x-ray room where you can hear the sub-atomic particles crackling around your head in the vacant white room (no screwing around with lead aprons here). 

When we ask how long it will take to A) get our textbooks for our classes or B) get paid or C) get our passports back so we won't appear to be illegal immigrants when we travel, the most commonly heard responses are "maybe" and "maybe later." Oh, so helpful! That's why I was so surprised to find the students are so helpful. So far, students have helped me buy a guitar, purchase food, showed me around town, and even taught me a little Chinese: "Ni hao, ma?," not to mention the wonderful pizza dinner the other night.

We discovered a foreigner bar, called Casablanca, where we can buy drinks for half-price, listen to music from the early nineties, and play foosball.

I haven't yet gotten sick from the food, though I eat from street carts practically every day. I did however eat what I think was fried pig anus or intestine with Phred. It literally tasted like shit. It was a short lunch. I've done a little shopping so I try to cook for myself, but my main staples are oatmeal, bananas, and PB&J sandwiches on white bread. Not too shabby.

Oh ya, I'm teaching too. Nine classes a week. Oral English and Extensive Reading. Since I haven't had many English classes, and God knows I can't spell, it's been a little rough, but we're getting there. I figure if we play enough games and do enough skits the students will learn by practice and I won't have to work too hard. 

Next week is National Week, so classes are cancelled. I'm headed to Beijing to meet Meredith and do a little sight-seeing. Mer is staying here for three weeks. She ships out for Guinea, Africa for two years of PeaceCorps service in December, so it'll be our last time seeing each other until I visit Guinea.

The running is ok here. The streets are concrete and every day has been humid in the upper 80's so I haven't been doing much - 6 miles was my max (not to brag, but it's not too good for me). We'll see how things go when it starts to cool off. I got a student to go with me one day, but I think that will be his last time...I seem to have that effect on people (except for Tony. Congrats on the running! You make me proud. You'll be pleased to know I've been drinking more).

Sorry this was long, but seeing how I probably won't write for another couple months, I'm sure you can deal.

-Andy 

Caitlin - New York and Mississippi

Sorry guys, I kind of forgot that there was a blog for a while. Then, I saw Holly Fried and Meghan Garfinkel on "Project Runway" and that jogged my memory. I don't know why, it was just one of those moments where you run into something or someone from school and you have that strange feeling of your worlds colliding. "Wait...what? Skidmore? Here?"

I've been a busy beaver lately between work and my Southern adventure. Work has been busy, but it's fun, and social.

But really, I know that what I do in my cube all day is not interesting to anyone. But perhaps I can offer you an interesting tidbit about the state of Mississippi. Like...nothing is open on Sunday? Hmm? Like...there are drive-thru daquiri stands next to gun/pawn shops? Like...you can get free, ice-cold water bottles on a sweltering hot day at a church if you profess your love for Jesus? That every part of a pig that can be, will be, deep-fried and available to you without ever having to leave your car...and they'll fry the pickle that comes with your meal for good measure? Hmmm???

Gretchen

Hello Everyone. Here is a recap of my recent life:

On Labor Day weekend, I went home and hung out with my family. I don't think I did anything too interesting, but it was fun.

The weekend after Adam Altschuh Ben's friend from Skidmore came to visit. However, that Saturday Hurricane Hannah hit so we couldnt really do anything outside so we just hung around and ate at Tastee Diner.

The next weekend Ben and I were going to spend together since it had been awhile, but Eli Turkel showed up for the weekend. He and Ben went campaigning for Obama with Will Cusey and they saw a soccer game. Then, Ben, Eli, and I met Ryan Greer in a bar downtown and hung out for a while. You guys would all love this bar and you should come visit me and we will go. It had literally thousands of beer choices from all over the world and the United States. It's very mellow and has tables to sit and just talk. Very cool. Anyways, that was fun. Never did I think I would hang out with Ryan Greer and Eli Turkel but they are super super nice and I think I would do it again.

Anyways, this past week I didn't really do anything interesting - just worked. Right now I'm trying to think of smething exciting to do this weekend. So Iam doing some googling. It is so nice out right now in DC. It's like mid70s and sunny in the days and cool and fall-like at night. So great!

How's everyone else?

Leah and Tony say:

Yo! People! Update the blog!

Lizzie

Here I am sitting in my living room, watching bad movies... I finished my scrapbook for my first semester in Argentina, so I'm halfway through... As you can see, my life is super exciting here. Erin called me from China last night, so that WAS exciting, Skype is an amazing invention. She says hi to all of you.

I am officially moving to Boston on October 1st. I don't have a job yet, but have a few I am going to apply for. If all else fails I'm gonna go to a temp agency and do whatever.

Unfortunately my grandmother (Nanny, the sassy Irish lady), is not doing so well. She has congestive heart failure and her kidneys are shutting down too. She's in the hospital and I'm gonna go visit her on Monday.

On another note, I hate Sarah Palin, and it makes me super angry when women say she is great. I knew she was a bad egg as soon as she dissed Obama for being a community organizer, in addition to everything else: her book-banning as mayor, pro-life attitude, making women pay for their own rape kits, and abstinence-only education (which seemed to serve her daughter well...) etc.

Well that's about it for me right now. Please come visit me in Boston sometime!

LEAH- same old same old

Hey all,

Nothing too new with me.

I tried to convince my parents to let me get a cat. I didn't succeed. Ironically, on three separate occasions, kittens were abandoned at my work this week. Therefore, I could have had 3 adorable kittens at no cost to me. UGH!

This has lead me to enter a funk again where I feel that I'm cooped up living at home. However, I don't have any other options really and I like my job a lot so I don't want to move. So I think I need a new hobby or something to keep me occupied (either that or one of you needs to move to Syracuse!).

Tonight I am off to watch my coworkers play in their volleyball league championships (which is a feat for them to even make it to the championships because they lose almost every game) and possibly have dinner afterwards (if they lose, which they will).

Speaking of work, Wonder Schmeling came in the other day. The cat was fine. The owner, not so much. haha We did get a very funny letter from a doctor we referred the cat to who was trying hard to be professional and portray the hilarity of the owner at the same time. I just thought you'd enjoy that little tidbit.

Last weekend, I went to Ithaca to see Tony and Cornell. Its so beautiful and European looking! I want to go there!

Also, along the same lines of my cooped-up-ness, I am thinking of taking another long weekend sometime end of Septemeber/early/mid October-ish. Maybe NYC. Hopefully with Tony too if he can manage it.

MISS YOU ALL,
LEAH

Andy - Greeting from China

Hello Comrades! I am having great time in the glorious people's republic of China. They relocated me to Falun Gong reducation camp and all is well. Everyday I work hard for the commonwealth and am happy. I am so happy that I think I will stay forever. You , my friends, should all visit me. There is plenty of work to be done

Love, Andy