Day 102 Yin and Yang

The symbol above signifies 'yin and yang', which is popular in Chinese culture and philosophy.  We hear of it often, even in our faculty meetings at school.  Yin and yang expresses the duality in life, light and darkness, man and woman, fire and water, and such.  While these may sometimes be opposing forces, in the Chinese tradition, they are complimentary.  It is what brings balance to the world.

I've been experiencing a bit of my own yin and yang lately; feeling happy and full, and at other times feeling a bit sad and lonely.  The change in weather here (winter is definitely upon us) has also brought yin and yang to my days; from bundling up and feeling hot, to stepping out in the frigid cold air and freezing.  The air here is SO DRY, I apply lotion at least three times a day.  I'm eating blistex and vaseline off my chapped lips, and I can't get enough leave in conditioner or moroccon oil on my hair.  Did I mention that it is windy like Chicago?  Even that, brings a bit of yin and yang to the picture.

Now that the country's heat has been officially turned on for
the winter season, the factories are pumping out black coal
smoke.  The smog has been worse than ever.  I saw it climb to
489 last week.  However, with the cold north wind, it blows
all the smog away.  We have had gorgeous blue sky
days for about six days in a row.  The AQI has been down
in the 20's consistently, which is so nice. Yin and yang.

Now I have to wear my mask, not for the smog, but to keep the biting wind off my face.
It's the kind of cold wind that has your eyes streaming tears and your nose
snottin' in a matter of minutes.  It's the kind of cold that just makes me angry.
I am so thankful I brought my down ski parka with me to Beijing,
but I need to invest in a warmer hat and wool scarf.

While the temperature reaches 30 during the day, with the
wind chill, it is down in the teens and sometimes even colder.
Two days this week it was blowing steadily 15-20 mph,
with gusts even higher.  We came back from lunch on
Wednesday only to discover that one of the glass front
doors to the school had blown open and shattered.

It's only a ten minute walk to and from work.  Even with my heavy mittens on,
I still have fingers that go numb from the biting cold.  Geesh...
I sure am missing the Florida Keys and Marquesa these days :(

So I come back to my cozy apartment and thaw out
in front of my 'fireplace'.  It's not the log cabin, but it works.

Well, all the talk of cold left my friend Jeanette and I dreaming of warmer days.  The International teachers get four days off at Christmas (the Chinese teachers and students will still be in school), so we naturally booked a plane ticket outta here!  We are headed to Sanya Beach, South China on Christmas Eve.  I didn't want to stay alone in my apartment at Christmas anyhow, as what is typically a happy occasion is likely to be a sad one this year.  More of that yin and yang.

Sanya Beach is billed as the Hawaii of the Orient.

Doesn't it look lovely?  And there's another buddha statue
just waiting to be discovered by me :)

Sanya beach is the southern most part of Hainan Island in the South China
Sea.  It is known for its white sand beaches, and clear blue waters for scuba
diving.  Jeanette and I are both divers, and we can hardly wait!  Have
 backpack, will travel :)  We're staying on the cheap, in a hostel on the beach!
If you want to know more about this popular vacation destination, see the link below:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/hainan/sanya/dadonghai.htm#bay

This past Tuesday night, a group of us got together for pizza at Jeanette's place to plan our next travel adventure (well, next, next travel adventure for me :) over the New Year's holiday weekend.  Keep in mind she and I will have been on tropical sandy beaches just days before.  We come back to work for just four days, then we will hop a plane again.  We'll be heading north this time, WAY north...as in near the Russian border, where the cold Siberian winds blow all winter long. More yin and yang, and just plain crazy talk, if you ask me.  What am I, nuts?!

We are booked to fly to Harbin, China, very near the Russian border.  I honestly
have wanted to go there since I found out I was moving to China.  Because of
it's location, the city has a much more Russian influence in it's architecture
and cuisine, so I am looking forward to seeing that. I wish I had taken a
picture of all of us sitting in Jeanette's living room with our laptops and
 IPads, booking our plane tickets and accommodations.  It's how we roll!

The biggest reason we are going there is to take in the Harbin
Snow and Ice Festival.  It is an annual event that brings
visitors in from all over the world.  It seemed like the perfect
place to bring in the New Year.

Is this seriously cool, or what?  

I am so excited to go see these amazing snow and ice sculptures.
Check it out: http://www.harbinice.com/

Another reason I want to go to Harbin is to see the
Siberian Tiger Sanctuary :)  I hope to 'waller' a tiger again!

Maybe I'll even get to see a white Siberian tiger!! Fingers crossed :)))

If (and that's a BIG IF) I can get a day of sunshine, with little wind, and the
temperature is a balmy zero degrees (the average temp in January is -36 F),
I may brave the elements for a half day of skiing at Yabuli Resort.
What I really want is to be served a hot toddy in the heated chairlift, lol.
No, for real- they serve hot toddies in heated chair lifts at this ski resort :)

Otherwise, my plan of attack (and survival) for the bitter cold of Harbin is to dress in as many layers as is humanly possible, wear double mittens and socks, with warmers in my mittens and boots.  I shall dart outside to snap a few pics of the nearest churches or snow and ice sculptures, then I will dodge into the closest coffee house or bar to thaw out!  There will be ten of us on this grand ice adventure, and though I hate the cold with a fiery passion, I am secretly looking forward to it.  It's just another place for me to cross off the list of 1,000 Places to See Before I Die!  I just hope I don't freeze to death and die in Harbin.

To get back to the yin and yang, there's nothing that tastes better, or feels
better to my cold bones than a crock pot of homemade chili with peanut
butter and honey sandwiches... just. like. home.

G'night, y'all!