May Holiday

With the weather being so nice and it being a holiday weekend, we hit the taxis and went down to Walking Street (Zhong Yang Da Jie), the largest shopping district in Harbin. We were not alone, we had some friends with us, and the crowds of other Chinese out enjoying the weather and holiday.

Leisurely strolling down the street was no problem. We had Kanyon leashed up with his monkey backpack and he enjoyed walking. We did have to be careful not to stop for too long or we would draw a rather large crowd. We did experience the crowds at their fullest until we stopped for a snack at a bench. For about 15 minutes we comfortably ate our banana bread muffins and drank some cold water. Then the crowds appeared with the camera phones out and ready to get the perfect picture of how they spent their holiday weekend!



Back to our feet and off we went walking again, but this time looking for some food. We could have stopped here (see below) to enjoy any number of things on a kabob but we trekked on.



Next stop was Pizza Hut where there was a 40 minute wait. So off to find another Pizza Hut we thought was near. Only one problem, there wasn't another Pizza Hut anywhere on the length of the street so we settled into "Oriental King of Dumplings" for lunch.

We could not have asked for a better time out and about enjoying the holiday weekend and the weather. We hope your weekend is just as great.

Be sure to check out more of the "Featured Photos" on the right or click the link below to see all the pics.

Easter Videos

Just in time for May, we finally have the Easter videos up and running. Check out some of the action from our Easter morning and Egg hunt!

The morning of course starts with an Easter basket. Kaynon was filled with chocolates mailed from the states (thanks to the folks at the Southwest Collections Library). He immediately finds the best available piece and starts to chow down.



After eating a whole chocolate bunny he is left like this.



The hunt got off to a rocky start. After we had all the eggs "hidden" (some in plain site for the littlest kids), a man discovered he just hit the jackpot. He must have thought, "Some crazy foreigner left all these colored eggs laying around. I'll pick them up for them. What are they thinking?" After a bit of negotiation, we convinced him to leave the eggs for the children.



It took some time, but Kanyon, with the help of Andy, finds a hidden egg. He really started to get the hang of searching for the eggs. Then he's off to find the next one.



Most time when Kanyon found an egg, he would pick it up and throw it. After a little training, he finally learns what to do when he finds an Easter egg.

Let's feed papa

The parents requested more videos, so here is an old one. Just after Christmas when I was testing out the new electric grill with some hamburgers. Kanyon was finished eating his portion and decided it was time for me to eat.

Man Movie Weekend

Well, Kanyon and I had the apartment all to ourselves this weekend as the mama is out to a girls' retreat in Changchun (a short train ride from here 2-3 hours depending on the train/cost). So we had ourselves a "Man Weekend" here!

I had the first pick on Friday night and choose to finish James Bond's Quantum of Solace. This movie is nothing but action just like all Bond movies, car chases, explosions, fighting, action-action-action!

Saturday night was Kanyon's choice. After flipping through the DVD case several times, he finally ended up at his choose: Kung Fu Panda. What a great movie for a little man to watch. So we parked ourselves on the sofa, grabbed to toy cars, and watch the movie. It is his favorite movie of all time (at least his favorite of his lifetime up to now).

Volume 3, Issue 4

Team HEU playing Settlers of Catan

Money to Burn

Today (April 5) is Qing Ming Jie, or Grave Sweeping Festival in China. The holiday is akin to Memorial Day in the states as a day to remember and honor your ancestors. But Qing Ming Jie is about so much more. Qing Ming Jie has religious overtones and turning honoring your ancestors into ancestor worship. In China many believe there ancestors' spirits enter a spirit world that still influences the living world. As a way to remain on the "good side" of these spirits, people burn items the spirits may need in the afterlife; the foremost item is money. Of course no one would burn real money, so vendors throughout town sell paper "hell money". The dead spirits may need other things as well including paper cars, houses, cell phones, bank books, or other paper items. The items are burned at intersections so the dead spirit can travel from any direction and receive the burned offering.

As we walked home observing all the fires burning to spirits my student explained what she thought about Qing Ming Jie. While she does not believe in the tradition, she said seeing all the fires made her afraid. She's afraid of ghosts and afraid a spirit might show up during the festival and scare her. I began to question if this fear actually meant that she did believe in the festival. If she really didn't believe, then she would have no reason to think a spirit might show up. So on one level, as with many Chinese, she does believe.

Upon hearing my birthday is on April 5th, many in China immediately respond with comments like “Oh, what a bad day to be born” or “That’s very unlucky.” I have come to like embrace the date of my birth because I couldn’t choose the date and it leads to an easy transition into a deeper topic. Qing Ming Jie traditions always prompt great conversations with Chinese. So thank you mom and dad for my birthday, because now I can always find a way to bring up the festival anytime of the year because it's always on/near my birthday!

Jiaozi Party


Students over to make jiaozi

We did get to celebrate my birthday with students. As an update on this semester’s goal of doing nothing alone, we have come a long ways. We currently have students over at least once a week and have another group over every week as well.

So for my birthday, a group of freshmen girls came over to cook a birthday meal. They arrived at 9:00 AM and immediately took M’Lynn out to buy the needed vegetables. Once they returned, the cooking began. They were making jiaozi (a traditional Chinese family food akin to boiled dumplings) and also dishes. Jiaozi making is an all day event. First they make the dough while another student chopped the ground pork and cabbage to a fine pulp. Next the dough is rolled out into little circles about the diameter of a small biscuit. Then the pork/cabbage filling is inserted into the circle and the dough is presses to make a dumpling. Finally the dumplings are boiled and served with a soy sauce/vinegar mix.

The students were great! It was amazing to hear one comment that it feels like they are at home in our apartment. We have been meeting with the students all semester and are beginning to see the trust level deepen. We are hopeful for the relationship to continue as the semester rolls on. They will be back here for Easter eggs…

Kanyon Corner


Reading Chinese by hand

Finally, but not least is a little update on the little man. He continues to climb most things including the couch and chairs and loves to read books. The newest addition to his toy box includes a basketball that was a gift to his papa that he just loves. His newest trick is climbing stairs. Up and down all day nonstop. If he notices some stairs while we are out for a walk, he immediately pulls us in that direction.

He doesn’t speak much yet, but can make some word sounds that we could swear sound like he is really speaking. The other day we were singing “Ol McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O” When we got to the next line we stopped to let him fill in the blank, “And on that farm, he had a ___.” And little Kanyon said something remarkably similar to “cow.” So it definitely won’t be long before he is talking up a storm.

Walk in the Park

I forgot how quickly we can draw a crowd in China. We went for a walk this afternoon because the weather has finally warmed up some and ended up in a nice little park near our apartment. After trudging through the melting snow and puddles, we found the open courtyard where all the young children went to play (more or less walk around). We took Kanyon out of the stroller and let him roam.

Within 1 minute we had about 10 people surrounding him as he walked. Given another minute, we had 20 people all asking the same questions: "How old is he?" "Where are you from?" "What do you do?" or "Is he cold?"

The little guy loved most of the attention, but would always hit at people as the came up to look at him. I guess teaching the boy to high-five wasn't the greatest idea. Then the fun started when a college student came over with a basketball. Kanyon loves basketballs! He followed the guy after he left and continue crying looking over his shoulder for the basketball player when we were trying to leave.

Kanyon finally fell asleep as we strolled to the noodle shop for some supper. As he slept, we continued to receive good intentioned advice about keeping the baby warm so he wouldn't catch a cold.

Volume 3, Issue 3

Spring time is here! Well actually, the weather is warm one day then snowy the next. The constant change reminds us of the crazy weather back home. Today’s full of snow and next week will be quite warm (35-40 degrees). Each time we walk out in the snow, we are reminded how much we love living here in Harbin. Then we remember each and every one of you who have encouraged and supported us as we work here. We can’t wait to see you guys this summer and share all that’s been going on in this city.



Harbin 2009 – 24th Winter Universiade

“A passionate Winter Universiade in glamorous Harbin China” was on the banners that were all over town. Harbin hosted the Winter Universiade during February for student athletes from all over the world. At first we were a little skeptical about the “international-ness” of the event, but we were surprise to learn the event was truly international.

We jumped at our first chance to watch live sporting events China and immediately researched the event times and locations. A few text messages and emails later, we booked tickets to watch Canada vs. China men’s ice hockey game. The game was on the birthday of a Canadian teacher at another school here in Harbin. Both he and our Canadian teammates were just as excited as us to see live hockey.

Once in the arena, freshly painted for the Universiade, the stands were packed with 3,000 people cheering for the host country. We remained neutral through most of the match, but couldn’t help but cheer for China as the final minutes ticked off the clock hoping for one last chance for a goal. Final score, Canada 13 – China 0.

One event just wasn’t enough to satisfy our appetite for live sporting events and we were determined to watch another event. Back to the ticket office to purchase more tickets, this time women’s figure skating. We really got our money’s worth with this one as we watched over 4 hours of skating, 28 competitors, and a bonus event at the end, synchronized skating.

Synchronized skating is like cheerleaders on ice or synchronized swimming on top of the frozen water where 18 skaters (I would say women but Team Russia did have one man) take the ice for a synchronized routine. Who knew?



The excitement of the Winter Universiade really pumped us up for the beginning of the semester. We realized how much we love China, the people here, and especially the crazy randomness of life.

BREAKING NEWS: Schedule Change

The semester began on Monday, March 2nd like any other semester, full of butterflies to meet the new students and hopefulness that the lesson plans with not flop. So with that I entered the classroom to begin teaching my Selected Readings of British Literature class to junior level students. When I entered the first classroom, I knew immediately that something was not right. I noticed that all my students had a blue textbook on their desks titled “Readings in American Literature”! What a way to begin the semester!

We called the deans, department chairs and talked with the students and indeed found the course was to teach both American and British literature! OK, I can do that. So I made the plan and went back to class Tuesday. By Sunday, the course had been changed back to British Literature only. I informed the students and am finally ready to move forward.

But wait, this just in…the foreign affairs office has a new schedule for our teachers. Another teacher on our team is teaching my Literature class (because of his love for literature) I am now teaching Advanced Oral English beginning Monday, March 16th. I am really excited and hopefully can finally settle into the routine of planning lessons and teaching. But I just never know!!

Happy Birthday M'Lynn!!

We hosted a birthday celebration for M’Lynn’s birthday. The dinner doubled as a Texas Independence Day meal for our teammates. We pounded out Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, corn, and for dessert, chocolate pie. Some of our teammates had never had Chicken fried steak! We considered it absolute that they have it and made them promise to order one if they were ever in a restaurant in Texas!

We never realized we had everything we needed for the meal. But now that we know, we’ll be having this meal again, hopefully soon.

Misc. Others

New Website: Our company just launched a brand new website. Check it out to learn more about the work here in China! We are excited about the work and want to share this new resource with you!

Kanyon News: He weighs in at 12 kg and is getting into more and more things. He recently learned to climb on the couch and sit (well really stand and reach for everything he knows he’s not supposed to have. He had be grumpy lately because he’s working on getting more molars. Rib eye steak, here he comes! He still doesn’t speak much (English or Chinese) but can say Daddy in two languages, “dada” and “baba.” Yet he doesn’t say “mama,” except when he’s hungry.

Return to the States: We are setting our return this summer to the US for June 28th. We are excited to see each of you during the two months we are home. We’ll try to get in contact with you guys to set up some times you are available and free to say hi and thank you for all your support!

True Texan

There are new videos posted online at the link at the top of the page. This is one of the newest ones. We hope to get more online as soon as we have more time.

It's Nap Time!

As we were out the other day strolling on a very cold day, Kanyon decided to take a nap right we he was!



He always decides to take a nap while we are walking around, but we have a harder time convincing him of nap time when we are at home surrounded by his toys, go figure.

12:2 Times January 2009

10th Annual Harbin Ice and Snow World

Wintertime Ice

Winter has arrived in Harbin. Average highs during the day struggle to reach the teens and when they do, we are eager to get outside to take a walk around the neighborhood. Winter means the end of the semester, a break from teaching, some traveling, and more time to spend around Harbin.

The largest attraction in Harbin is the Annual Ice and Snow World so of course we had to make a trip to check it out. (In our next newsletter you will hear M’Lynn’s firsthand account of the adventure.)

We walked around for 2 hours in 0 degree weather and thought to ourselves, “This is such a great night to be outside. It’s so mild tonight.” Not once were we cold. Well maybe once our toes got cold as we stood in line on the ice steps waiting for the big slide. We soon realized it was too cold to be standing still and the line was not moving so we jumped out of line to get some frozen fruit and see the other sights.

Among the other sights we saw were great vistas of the entire ice world, giant ice slides, ice skating performances, frozen restrooms, and a snow model of the famous Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium.


Frozen Fruit Vendor

We managed to take pictures of just about every attraction in the park. With the weather so cold, we hoped the batteries in our cameras would last long enough for all the photos we were taking. The batteries held up and so did our hands as we took photo after photo without gloves. We had to remember to hold our breath when taking each photo, both behind the camera and as the subject. Any little breath would fog up the photo, and we have plenty of those. Be sure to check out all the photos from the Ice and Snow World online by clicking the photos link at the top of the page.

Visiting the park once just doesn’t seem like enough. We are already looking forward to next year, or when any visitors come, to return to the park and enjoy the winter wonderland. Don’t worry; we have more than enough clothes to let you borrow some to stay warm.

Indoor Basketball

With the weather being such a factor in all activities, I got to do something the other day that I hadn’t been able to do very often, play basketball. Not only play basketball, but play basketball inside.

Basketball is a one of my favorite ways to get involved with students outside the classroom. As I was walking about my errands around campus making copies and finalizing the semester’s grades, I received a call from my student. His roommates had just reserved the basketball court for later today and I was invited to play. While it is sometimes hard for me to accept the sudden change in schedule I knew this was a great opportunity. Throughout the semester we have been asking for chances to be involved with our students. This was an answer and couldn’t be rejected.

I put on some sports clothes and met the student outside his dorm to walk over to the gym. Soon after, we began playing basketball. We played, without keeping score, for 2.5 hours pretty much nonstop. I was exhausted!

Walking back to his dorm, we chatted for a while and furthered the process of getting to know each other. Please remember these relationships as they continue to be built.

Tonka Trucks

Boys love trucks. That statement is true for Kanyon as well. Christmas brought him at least 10 different Tonka trucks of all shapes and sizes. He has a set of little trucks that he likes to throw and I like to play traffic jam with (see photos online for different jams). Another set is just a little bigger. Then two race cars that when shaken rev up their engines and speed off. And finally a large dump truck to haul around all the other smaller trucks.


Playing with any and all toys

We have been teaching him another boy trick, to slam dunk. (I guess girls can dunk too.) He knows exactly what to do with the orange striped ball, take it to the rim and dunk it in his mini goal. Each dunk is followed with a loud grunt and then clapping. We are still working on the jump shot but maybe sometime soon he will be shooting 3s with the best of them.

The newest little kid trick he learned is to open closed doors. He is now tall enough to reach the door handle and pull it down to open the door. This trick has opened a whole new adventure for us all.

Happy Birthday Kanyon!

To see all our videos, click on the "Videos" tab above.

Rocking Horse

Kanyon celebrated his first birthday party on Sunday. His birthday is not for a couple of days, but due to scheduling conflicts (yes, even a 1 year old have a schedule that creates conflicts) we held the party early. For his birthday, we got him a great little rocking horse. He immediately jumped on the horse (with help of course) and started rocking. We got a kick out of watching Kanyon play, and and even bigger kick out of the instructions.

Check these "Chinglish" instructions for the rocking horse:

How to play this game safely?
1. Please help kid to seat on the rocking horse and grab the spanners on the horse head while move his or her body forward to make the rocking horse shake accordingly.
2. For younger kid, please guide him or her to grab the spanners as tight as possible and let kid have basic idea on self protection.
3. Please pay attention on kid's balance and coordination of body and extremities as well as control the speed and scope while playing.

Suggestions & Recommendations
1. It is necessary for kids to practice rocking, turning and jumping if they seldom crawl in babyhood so as to develop the balance of body.
2. Guide kids to grab the spanners and control the speed and scope while playing in order to stimulate the consciousness of self protection as well as make preparation for riding tricycles.
3. Please offer enough protection before kids can play this toy totally by themselves.
4. Please provide guidance and patience if kids scared to play as well as give compliments for their achievements.

Laughing, 7 Calories

There are some new videos online at YouTube. Check out one of them below:



To see more videos from China, click on the "Videos" tab above.

12:2 Time November 2008

Halloween English Corner

Even in China, we celebrate Halloween. Our teammates, Calvin, Maddie, and Parker dressed up for Halloween and came to our door for candy. The funny part of the whole deal was that their mom, Joy, gave us some candy to give to them the day before. Probably so we wouldn’t forget to get candy and so that her kids could receive something.


Harbin Engineering University Teammates

After the 20th floor trick-or-treating, we headed out the English Corner. English corner is a weekly event hosted by the English Association on campuses across China. Students are elected officers and run the organization just like any student organization you would find on campuses in America. English corner is a chance for the students to come together with the purpose of speaking and practicing their English. Each week, the topic changes. For weeks past, the topics range from “Take me to your home” to “Movie Appreciation.” Since English was meeting on Halloween, the topic of course was Halloween.

We got Kanyon all dresses up in a makeshift costume. He of course was the hit of the party, which by the way is not because of the costume, but because of the foreigner baby fascination. To celebrate the holiday, there were some carnival type games and prizes. One of the games reinvented bobbing for apples. Instead of bobbing for apples, the students competed to see who could eat an apple the fastest. Another game was a candle blowing contest to see who could blow out a candle from the further away. (Not that candles are really a Halloween tradition other than the ones inside of jack o’lanterns.)

The prizes were just as unique. The winners of the apple eating contest received a special prize they had to drink as fast as they could. Only one catch though, you never knew what you might be drinking. Some cups were filled with Sprite, while others were filled with salt water. Chinese and other eastern cultures love the idea of punishment. This is one reason why the game Uno can be popular for students. The “Draw 4” card is a form of punishment for the other players.


Celebrating Halloween at English Corner

All in all, English corner is a great chance to get to talk with the students outside the classroom. It’s a chance to lead the conversation to deeper heart issues and prod the students to think about things they may not have thought about before. It’s a great way to challenge some of the students’ view of the world.

Crazy Sports World

Every time we leave the country the sports world goes absolutely crazy. And by crazy, I mean crazy good! Just take a look at this year. Texas Tech football is having the best season ever. They are ranked #2 in the nation and have defeated two top ten teams. Given the fact that we are out of the country, I would not be the least surprised if by some crazy miracle Tech ends up in on the best bowls games ever. We are in the same position here as our teammate from Alabama. He’s feeling the same pain as his Crimson Tide are ranked #1 in the nation. We are both hoping for a national championship rematch of the Cotton Bowl a couple of years ago. But there is plenty of football left.

The last time we came to China the sports world also went nuts. M’Lynn’s cousin on the Wall Lady Hawks basketball team made it to the state championship game. The Denver Broncos had one of their best years in recent memory by making it the AFC championship game before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers. The Valley Patriots (Jeremy’s high school) reached the state championship game in six man football.

Baby Kanyon Update

Kanyon has been learning to walk since the airport in Beijing. He is still not to the point of standing and walking on cue, but he is getting better. He often walks before he realizes what he has done, taking 4-6 steps trying to get something he really wants.

His teeth continue to come in. Now he is making the transition from baby food to real food. It’s a good thing, because there are some crazy baby food combinations here (tomato and salmon, tomato and tuna, bone marrow, pumpkin and dates). One of his favorites is lotus seed and tremella. We really don’t know what it is, but it is sweet and he really likes it.

It becomes a chore to bundle up the little guy to venture outside, but we have managed. We even purchased a great snow suit for him. Hopefully soon, we get a video up showing all the layers being put on.

Tuesday Morning Image (TMI)

Kanyon makes friends with everyone we see especially the shop owners and their families. Please lift up these relationships that through our limited language, we will be able to share light and love everywhere we go and to everyone we meet.

Mario Kart 2

The epic saga of baby Kanyon and his adventures with Mario Kart 2:


Out for an afternoon at Central Street

We took Kanyon out for the day down to Center Street (the longest pedestrian walking/shopping street in China, maybe the longest). It was incredible to see the foreigner baby on display. Almost every minute there would be a different couple coming up to us to koo over baby Kanyon. What was even more amazing was the fact that with each couple, it was the guy who wanted to see the baby. The girls were indifferent or more probably too shy to come over to see the baby.

We decided to venture into one of the many shopping malls and wandered our way around all the floors. Floor 1 - girls shoes, Basement - cool outdoor wear, including some CAT shoes (also Columbia and The North Fake Face), Floor 2 - Guy clothes, Floor 3 - More girlie clothes, Floor 4 - Children clothing, Floor 4.5 - children play area and arcade.


Playing Mario Kart 2

Since Kanyon was getting fussy from being carried all day, we decided to let him have a go at Mario Kart 2. He absolutely loves the arcade! But he absolutely hates to leave. We made the double mistake of letting Kanyon play with Mario Kart 2 plus giving him a diaper change on the way out. Leaving arcade + diaper change = very unhappy baby


Leaving the arcade

Being such great parents, we made things better by getting the boy some ice cream because of course ice cream makes everything better!


Ice cream making things better

Baby Picture of the Week

Check out Kanyon in his Chuck E Cheese ball pit. I think he needs a bigger pit.

Drawing a Crowd

Everywhere we go the little man draws a crowd. This crowd is small; more people came later.

Baby Picture of the Week

Playing with all his new toys, including the new Chuck-E-Cheese balls.

Baby in Training