Summer Palace

Turns out, SYA China has a schedule with half-days on Wednesdays.  It was a beautiful day, and clear skies as you can see, the temperature was in the 70's with no humidity, so I headed to the Summer Palace, which is quite easy to reach by Subway.  Here at the North Entrance, you enter with a climb up Longevity Hill.

At the highest point, I believe The Hall of Buddhist Tenets

Can there be a more "Chinese" picture?  A pagoda in the far off distance!

Overlooking Kunming Lake.  And you can see Beijing has developed right up to the edge of the Summer Palace complex.

In the distance, South Lake Island

An entire boat made of marble.

The Qilin, a mythical creature that is a good omen because it signals the passing or arrival of a wise sage or leader.

The temple of Buddhist Virture

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National Library of China

Turns out, I live about a half hour bike ride away from the National Library of China

This building is the newly renovated North Building.  The Southern Building is currently under renovation

My friend Frank (who I met at the Beijing LGBT center) and I met here and are doing a language exchange.  He speaks English and I have to read Chinese.

Here's the main reading room.  It's all technologically advanced as you might imagine a modern library to be.

Umm, I wonder why the Japanese get their OWN reading room.  Is that an historic legacy?

Books published before 2011 are housed in the South Building are available through a book request system.

Next time I'll bring my passport and get my own National Library of China reader's card.  I won't be able to check out books, but I can request a book and get into the stacks. 

BNU Middle School #2 Opening Ceremonies

The Program for the Opening Ceremonies

The arrival of the students

To me, this is what I see "Beijing ** Middle School 2012-2013 year ********"

There are 1,000 students at the school.  500 in grades 7-9 (different campus) and 500 in grades 10-12.  We all assembled on the school's track infield.

Since SYA China has a part of School #2, we get to attend the opening ceremonies.  The students blue SYA shirts because their uniforms have yet to arrive.

The students in the front row were asked to make sure that the students in their column were lined up in a straight line!

The principals and administrators gathering beforehand.  SYA's director is the woman with the headband on the left.

Opening remarks

Students extolling the virtues of the school

The majority of the opening ceremonies centered around awards for the previous academic year. Not that I really understood what the awards were for specifically.  I kind of got the gist from what was going on.

These are the brightest students in the school.  As their accomplishments were read, there was a lot of OOHING and AAHING.

We sang the Chinese National Anthem and the school song

An hour later...we were done!

Each class was dismissed.  These Middle Schoolers were being reprimanded by their teacher for their "scraggly" line-up.

SYA China -- The School

Here's a look at where I work.

Since 1994, SYA China has been granted a portion of Beijing Normal University's High School (Middle School #2)

Entering the campus, you walk down this nice tree-lined lane and then get to...

The Main High School Building.  SYA takes up about one-third of the 6th floor.  SYA students are required to walk up the stairs, I hope to keep my pledge to do so too.

Up the stairs, and you are now looking down the LONG hall.  SYA classrooms and offices are the first five rooms on each side of this hallway.  The issue for me, is that the only men's bathroom on this floor is AT the end of the hallway and around the corner.  It's an ISSUE!!!

Five of the six classrooms look like this.  Note the pictures of the Chinese rulers on the wall.

There is one large lecture room, which is what I probably will use, due to the fact that there is a projector and LOTS of whiteboard space.

The school library.

In the hallway, each student is assigned a mailbox and a locker (blue).

The student computer room.

The SYA China Office, the open door in the back left is the directors office.  The open door on the right is....

The teacher's office.  There are seven Chinese language teachers, one English teacher, one Chinese History teacher, one travel and activities coordinator, one college counselor and myself, the Math Teacher.

My desk.  Still in need of personalization.

Moon shot with what I THOUGHT was an astronomical observatory on campus, but alas, apparently it isn't.  I'll just continue to believe it is.