The whole Steps of My Life Series is here: http://sophistimunity.com/blog2.php/steps-of-my-life-series/

After leaving Mexico, I headed to San Francisco and finalized arrangements for living and working in China. That was 1981 and China had only just recently opened itself back to the world. It was going to be an exciting adventure teaching in Beijing with the opportunity to see much of the country and to also experience a people hungry to hear from the outside world.

The trip started off well enough with an interesting game of hop scotch with stops in Seattle, Anchorage, and Taipei. As well we flew over Japan and I could see much of the country, including a volcano. I can't recall exactly, but probably I was reminiscing about being in Tokyo Bay at the end of war. But I am sure there was no way that I had any idea that the following year I would be calling Japan home and would spend the succeeding 19 years there. That will be another story I promise.

Debarking in Hong Kong Airport - actually in Kowloon - after a very dramatic approach over the Bay was a real shocker - so hot and humid it was nearly unbearable. It did not take long to pick up my luggage, though mine was about the last to arrive, find a cart (while someone watched everything for me) and go through customs. I was asked only if I carried any firearms. Note, Hong Kong was administered by the British in those days. I stood in line for a taxi to take me to Lady Ho Tung Hall, Hong Kong University, the perspiration running off me in rivers. The taxi was ice cold and cost me 50 Hong Kong dollars - 10 dollars was for the tunnel under the bay. I was warmly welcomed by Mrs. Chan - manager of the Hall, and Miss Fung who checked me in. Mrs. Chan gave me a towel so I could take a shower and then I turned on the fan and slept the rest the day. That's called jet lag I suppose. I got up long enough to eat some dinner but it was too hot to eat much, and then back in bed.

Next morning while having a breakfast of two fried eggs, spam, bread and tea, I was joined by several charming students - all these girls were studying Medicine, Law, Engineering, Archeology or Business Management. I had felt terrible when I woke up but then after breakfast I forced myself to go to the China Travel Services in Queen's Road to get a train ticket and request a seat and ticket for CAAC Flight 1302 Canton (called Guangzhou these days) - Beijing. He told me he'd call as soon as it was confirmed so I could then go pick up the ticket. I returned to the Hall and slept some more to fend off the jet lag.

Next day I spent several hours walking around Central - shopping for pearls, furniture, rugs for price comparisons. Met Henry Chong in an Antique shop. He gave me some very helpful advice on where to go and what to see and what not to bother with. Right after breakfast on Friday, Aug 14th, I took a No 4 bus to Aberdeen and transferred to No. 48 to to to Ocean Park. It was a lovely little park but the weather was so oppressive it was difficult to enjoy it. the best part was riding the cable car up, over, down and up to the end of the small peninsula to a sort of "Marine World" where I saw a delightful show involving three boys and three trained dolphins, killer whale and Calif. sea lions. Had lunch in the air conditioned restaurant - had to make it rather skimpy as I didn't have enough money with me. Rather hated to leave this cool oasis but couldn't stay there forever. Returned to the Hall about 2 PM and had a nice cold shower - this was a twice ore thrice a day event as it was the only way to cool down a bit. Spent rest of day reading and sleeping. No dinner - too hot and not hungry - was feeling a bit lonely while acclimating to these Asian surroundings.

Saturday morning I met Hans - a nice German kid doing research on labor unions in Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan for his thesis. He was from West Berlin. Francis Choo, a young Malaysian Chinese student, arrived from London where he has been studying for the past three years - now on his way home. He suggested that we go sight seeing together, which suited me fine. Hans was busy with his research which turned out to be the case every day. Francis and I went to Victoria Peak by bus - a spectacular ride winding up the peak. Had a light lunch in the Peak Tower restaurant where it was nice and cool. Felt much better - getting a bit more acclimated to the heat and humidity. Took the famous tram down from the Peak (built in 1888). And it goes nearly straight down so it took just a few minutes. From there we found our way to Tiger Balm Garden and found it to be in bad condition and very dirty. Really too bad as it was interesting from the standpoint of depicting Chinese Mythology. Took a few pictures, had a cool drink and headed back to Causeway Bay which is very Chinese - shop-wise etc. as compared t the Central district which is largely Western in aspect. We went to a new and very large department store (Japanese) where on second floor is a restaurant called Maxim"s - again cool - for an ice cream. spent some time wandering around in the store. Nearby was a street market - fruits, vegetables, house wares, clothing and it was fun exploring that.

We then took a bus to Central District to meet Francis' friend, Anthony - a very nice guy he had been in school with in London. Met him in the sub-way station after some difficulty over which exit. We took a cab to Friendship House - a priest's home for a short meeting and a nice social time afterwards. Francis, Anthony, another student (also studying in London) and I went to Ruby's for dinner. Ok, but nothing special. After the other left for home, Francis and I took the streetcar to the end of the line and back - a good trip (always riding on upper deck of bus or streetcar for air and best view). Returned to the Hall about midnight. A cold shower and to bed.

Sunday - August 16th. Another hot day of course. At breakfast we had a new arrival - Gordon Levy. We agreed to meet in the Catholic Center in Central District after Mass where I went with Francis and Anthony. Gordon jointed us after Mass and we all went to Kowloon for lunch - Dim Sum, in a large, and as one would expect, noisy family restaurant, but it was good. We wanted to order dishes without pork because of Gordon, so this worked out fine. We bought a water melon in a street market and had the man slice it up a bit. Never-the-less it was a bit of a problem to eat it - even though especially good. After searching for and finally finding a restroom i the Technical College, we caught a train to Shatin in New Territories where we went to see the 10,000 Buddha Monastery. Drenched through and through and nearly exhausted after climbing close to 10,000 steps I do believe. There were rows upon rows of Buddhas clear to high ceiling of the large temple. At first I thought they were all the same but upon closer examination I found that they differed in many ways - expression, hand position, arm position, etc. In the temple there were a number of people telling fortunes and reading poems. People were lining up to have their turns. It was much easier going down than it was coming up and not so hot. The pagoda in front of the Temple also had Buddhas at each level and on all sides in niches. This is also called the Pink Pagoda. The monk who inspired this monastery died in 1965 at 87 and his gold plated body is in the temple.

Since most of the train ride was in tunnels, we decided to take a bus back to Kowloon and therefore had a much better view of the countryside - including a good sighting of Amah Rock (a small stone balanced on top of a large rock) on a hill top and it did look like a woman with a baby on her back. The legend is that a fisherman's wife, with a baby strapped to her back, always went to that spot to watch for her husband's return. When told that her husband perished on one trip, she refused to believe it. A year later, still watching and waiting, the Gods took pity on her and by a lightening bolt, transported her and child to her husband, leaving a stone monument to her fidelity. It was a relief to arrive at the Miramar Hotel and partake of its cool interior. We had a leisurely drink in the small bar and at 6:30 it was time for me to meet Jimmie Lee for dinner. I didn't know that he was in the old part of the hotel and I was in the new part. I called him and he said to come up to his room. I couldn't find his room number so decided he was over one of the glass bridges I had noticed when we arrived at the hotel. I went through a glass door and two feet away was another glass door leading to a stairway so tried to return to the hall but find the door had locked. I beat on the door and yelled. A couple in a room nearby came out laughing and rescued me. I finally got to Jimmie's room and the gave me all the lowdown on school in Beijing - the bureaucracy, etc. But the students wer great and make it all worth while he said. I should mention here that I would be taking over his classes and he would return to San Francisco where we had both taught in the same school at one time. He said that he had never experienced prejudice until he came to China. Ironic!!

Jimmie"s cousin, who lives in Kowloon, came and we went out to a vegetarian (Chinese) restaurant for dinner, after which we returned to Jimmie's room for the last of the Gold Label Brandy Jimmie had brought from China. It was quite good. I returned to Hong Kong via subway and upon exiting was having a problem finding bus terminal. Asked directions of an Australian and he was going on same bus I wanted. While talking, we missed our stops and had to walk back miles it seemed. I finally got to the Hall at midnight.

Next morning I went to pick up my plane ticket - Canton to Beijing. They had called on Saturday and said it was confirmed on the same flight as Ernie Wong who would be teaching with me. Then Francis, Chris, Gordon and I took bus to Central together. I went to the bank to change some money and then to China Travel Service which took about an hour. From there to a place nearby to order an extra pair of glasses. Then I searched for Henry Chang who had been so helpful in drawing a map, giving suggestions on what to see, etc, but couldn't find him. At 12:30 Gordon, Francis and I met at the post office. We then went to Kowloon to have lunch and ate in a Fast Food place - good as I recall. Afterwards of course we bought a honeydew melon (Gordon's desire) for dessert. We had planned to go to Repulse Bay but decided to return to the Hall for a rest as we were going out to dinner and then to the tallest building in H.K. - revolving restaurant for a drink. Miss Fung, Vivian, Francis, Gordon and I went to Aberdeen for dinner and it was best meal we'd had yet. On the way toward Central, the bus was stopped to check identity papers and I didn't have my passport with me. I was given a lecture but no fine. Vivian (law student) said I was lucky because the fine was 1000 H.K. dollars. Stopped at the Hall to get my passport and another student joined us. The cover charge was 40 Hong Kong dollars each so we didn't stay. We went to the Plaza Hotel. Ride up in the exterior elevator was spectacular. The girls had not been there before. At the Plaza we ended up in the Coffee Shop which doubles as bar too at night - no cover charge. Back to the Hall after midnight but Miss Fung had a key to let us in. A nice evening.

Gordon came to breakfast looking very ill - colorless. He said he started throwing up soon as he got out of bed. Couldn't eat or keep anything down, so Mrs. Chan and Francis took him to the doctor. He was dehydrated. and told to stay off food for a while but take lots of liquids. I told him we'd skip our planned outing for the day and he should go to bed and rest. Francis was packing to leave for Malaysia and fI did my laundry, read, rested. Francis's friend Daniel came and took us to lunch in a family restaurant down the hill from the Hall. I saw them off in a cab for the airport and returned to my room to rest and read. Checked on Gordon a few times. Went to the Wing-On in Central District to buy a big suitcase so that I would have less to hassle with. Gave one suitcase to Chris and one to Mrs. Chan Returned to Hall and repacked everything - made one full bag.

Next day Ernie Wong arrived and called me while I was out. I had left a message form him at his hotel when I went to see Jimmie Lee. Gordon felt much better so we went to Repulse Bay and Stanley - a quiet, charming contrast to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. Stanley has an interesting local market that is quite inexpensive. Many Europeans were imprisoned on this peninsula during World War II by the Japanese when they occupied Hong Kong. In Repulse Bay we went to see the old Colonial Hotel which was soon to be torn down - the last of old elegance. Ate a bit of lunch in an English style pub in Stanley - cheese roll and beer for me but Gordon drank water. On return trip we got off the buss in Aberdeen and walked along the harbour where the boat people live. Very crowded and dirty area. Stopped at the MacDonald's for a mild shake and that was especially good - a nice thick one. Returned to the Hall for a cold shower and a rest. About 7 PM Gordon and I headed for Victoria Park for dinner. Caught the tram up from a stop above the beginning point. Spaghetti dinner was good but Gordon ate only a small portion of his. We walked half way around the peak on the level path - lovely vistas of glittering lights. I had called Ernie to go with us but he was still tired from trip. Made date to meet Thursday morning.

Now I shall leave you and carry on with arrangements and departure for Beijing China next time.

Well, today I have my thinking cap on and I do believe I have pressed the right memory button. Sometimes, at my age, you push the wrong one and not much happens. So I will tell you more about life in Mexico before I go flying off to China to teach English there. Oh, and finding my old memos is helping a lot too.

I told you in my last blog that we woud be visiting Mexico City after we got settled and so we did, a number of times of course. One of the first places we visited was the pyramids which were used as a human sacrificial place. They cut out the heart of the victim and rolled the body down the steep steps of the pyramids in order to tenderize it. Later the bodies were eaten. It was supposed to be a great honor to be sacrificed. This was ancient history of course.

We stopped at the old shrine of Our Lady Guadalupe - Patron Saint of Mexico - which had sunk thirty feet. Mexico City area used to be a lake, later filled in. A new, modernized cathedral has been built to replace it. There were many interesting places in Mexico City, but these were the outstanding places for us.

Some very close friends from Greensboro,N.C. - Margaret and Dick Ivey - came to visit us so we took them to the places mentioned and they enjoyed them as much as we did. While they were with us we visited many other interesting places we hadn't been to before. They enjoyed our home very much, having breakfast on the patio above the garage every morning. They were especially enamored of the beautiful flowers surrounding it - double yellow hibiscus, poinsettia trees, bougainvillas, and anthuriums. They were enthralled by the iron locking gate to our street, and by the fact we had a maid to clean the house and a gardener - all for about $5.00 a day of work.

Downtown Cuernavaca was filled with skeletons coming out of coffins to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The children spend three or our days trick or treating. It is a school holiday as well. Food was everywhere, mostly uncovered and in little restaurants ready for 9 pm dining, the custom in Mexico. And speaking of food, the fruits are fabulous - watermelon, papaya, figs, dates, chilimoya, guava, two kinds of grapes, fresh pineapple, honey-dew melon, and assorted nuts - all preceded by margaritas of course.

We took them to see everything in Cuernavaca - the English public library which used to be a private home. The gardens are beautiful. We visited the cathedral which was built in 1529 - even walked on the top of it. On to the palace of Cortez, built in 1530. The large paintings on the palace walls were a gift of Dwight Morrow (Ann Morrow Lindbergh's father) who was U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The most gorgeous tree is the tulepan de africanus - it has huge red blossoms. Stopped at the Las Mananitas, the best restaurant in town, to see the grounds. Peacocks stroll around among lush flowers, tropical birds and trees. Had dinner there that evening, and were entertained by classic guitarists. The Selva Hotel to see the museum where all good Mexican art is displayed and sold. Finally we drove all around the best parts of the city and peeked into the courtyards. Every house is required to have a wall around the entire property or it is considered public property. Oh, Chapultepec Park where you can see the Mexican hairless dog (that used to be eaten), lions, swans, monkeys, tropical birds, and lovely vegetation.

Our next excursion was to Puebla. In the distance one could see Mount Popocatepetl covered with snow. It is 17,887 ft high. To get there we drove through many interesting Indian villages with vegetable and fruit stands everywhere. Through sugar cane areas where little children were selling sacks of it. Walked all over town seeing everything of interest. After about five hours we got back to my car and found the license plates had been removed - Mexican custom if you violate parking laws, and you retrieve them at the police station for forty pesos. A policeman was there and he wanted 230 pesos to give the license plates back. I argued with him that it should be only forty pesos and finally Margaret motioned us away - John, Dick and me , kissed the policeman on the cheek, said coochie, coochie, took the screwdriver from his belt, the license plate from his hand and led him to the front of the car where he replaced the plates. Everyone standing around the square was looking laughing, but she saved 230 pesos. We all said "Gracias" to the policeman and left pronto. Our next stop was Cholula where we went through many tunnels under a pyramid and walked to the top of a big hill to see the beautiful church. It is said that there are 365 churches in the area - one for each day of the year, but you couldn't prove it by me.

Maggie Lam and Dick wanted to attend high mass at the cathedral in Cuernavaca where a Mariachi band played - a beautiful service but much too long. At the end of the service, the priest asked everyone to embrace the person next to him/her. We ate lunch at a quaint place where a rubber tree is the roof. A girl played the organ all during the meal - all American songs, as that is what the Mexicans liked. We went to visit Ismiel and Illiana, close friends. Illiana and I had played extras in the movie "The Players" starring Dean-Paul Martin and Ali McGraw a while back. That was 1979 I guess.

I mentioned in Steps of My Life Blog 13 that I had driven for house and garden tours in Cuernavaca so I took our friends to the home of Alexander Kirkland, a former movie star and stage actor in the 1930's and 1940's (and also known as Gypsy Rose Lee's husband for two years). One of his pictures was "Strange Interlude" with Clark Gable and Norma Shearer. A movie called "Dog's Soldier" was partially filmed in his garden. This home is the finest in the city and probably has the loveliest garden. There are two fountains and two swimming pools and five fish ponds. Alex was a very charming host. His overseer was a talented young man named Artur Moreno. He is the leading authority on orchids in Cueranavaca - an artist, a super-gardener, makes his own clothes, and is a fabulous cook. He showed us all over the Kirkland house and gardens. Every piece of furniture and accessory was one of a kind - all extremely beautiful. Arturo gave us big lemons weighing almost a pound, figs, and exotic fruits, and he gave me an orchid plant too. Arturo showed us his apartment and his collections of paintings, seashells and records.

Must not forget Tepoztlan, an Indian village set against a dramatic backdrop of steep weathered cliffs. In the center of the village is a sixteenth century church monastery and the cliff's surrounding it are names of gods. One of my favorite places to visit - very near Cuernavaca, and about 700 ft higher elevation.

On Maggie-Lamb and Dicks last night with us, we went to the Posada Xochiquetzel - a beautiful restaurant owned by John White, a friend of John and me. This restaurant was John's childhood home that had been converted to a posada (Inn) with sixteen guest rooms, lovely terraced garden, swimming pool, and fountain. We had pina coladas to start - then Anna Maria and Jose Trias were hosting a party there for Greensboro Burlington Mills executives and local managers from the three plants in Cuernavaca. They had Planter's Punch sent to our table, we we all felt bubbly. Anna Marie and Jose were most gracious and came to our table several times during the evening, as did Pete Warren. The owner came several times to chat with us, so we all felt very important. Jose and Anna Marie had arranged for a Mariachi band to play in the garden. Magnifico. The food was excellent and we had the famous Flan for desert.

One day we took off to Taxco, which is located on the side of a mountain and hundreds of hawkers and shops are all over the place. There we saw the most ornate cathedral, called The Church of Santa Prisca. Every square inch was covered by a statue or carving in gold gilt. From there we went to Ixtapan De La Sal to take a roman bath, but we couldn't get in because it was a holiday. That particular holiday was the Day of the Dead which is celebrated for three or four days. We saw hundreds of Mexicans loaded with flowers for the cemeteries. The people in the cities had marigolds, which are the official flowers for the Day of the Dead, while the peasants were carrying wild flowers. They have lunch at the graveside, dance, and leave bread for the dead.

The countryside is quaint with fields of wild flowers. We saw dozens of cows, pigs, burros, horses, and dogs on the highway and felt lucky we didn't hit any of them. Every place where someone has been killed on the highway, a cross momument is made and these were all decorated with marigolds.

Since it is felt that it is not safe to drink the water in Mexico, Margaret and Dick enjoyed the Mexican beer very much. And of course the Margaritas were very popular with them. Since I was driving I couldn't imbibe with them, but we all enjoyed trying the various foods. Granadas are a delicious fruit with lots of seeds and we all liked those very much.

Hope I haven't worn you out, but this gives you an idea of our life in Mexico. Now I am ready to fly off to China. That would be 1981 - 1982.

As expected, the Karate Kid 2010 offers very little in story-line beyond the original 1984 version starring Ralph Macchio as the displaced kid who magically learns martial arts skills to win honor and respect. However, if you want to see what Beijing and parts of China really do look like, I'd say this film offers a wonderful cinemascope in which to see it. (China pics on this site too: http://sophistimunity.com/blog4.php/countries/china/beijing-views-around-town

 

Though I saw the film in China, the story is for western audiences. (1) New kid in town who doesn't waste time in getting himself beat up by local gongfu (kungfu) masters (read this as young thugs who have nothing better to do than wait for a clueless laowai (foreigner) to show up so they can pummel him). (2) Young Asian girl with no life waits for her white knight (in this case, a handsome young black kid) to come rescue her from the mundaneness that is her lot in life - despite (or is it in spite of?) her virtuoso violin skills - if I have to bear this cliche' one more time from a movie or a fat laowai new in town so sure all the girls think he's handsome and sexy, I'll throw away all my Bay City Roller albums. (3) A wasted Jacky Chan - who quickly in the movie demolishes the young thugs and saves our clueless hero so that he can ascend the throne and save his western honor.

 

Jeesh! A nice movie to see. An idiotic story to tell. 'Nuff said. Except Ralph Macchio's dramatic tip-of-his-toes' same-leg kick is far better than the obviously so-fake missed-the-target and would-have-killed-the-poor-fob flip kick of this movie's hero.

 

Outta here!

 

Life in San Francisco had been interesting. But after a long series of adventures since World War II that had taken me to so many places, I found myself leaving it and heading for Mexico, and a whole new life style ahead. At the same time I was happy to know that I would be coming back to the city each summer, fulfilling my agreement with the School District. I had loved living in the Bay Area and would miss it, but excited about what was to be too. Heading South we hadn't gone far on the road beyond Los Angeles when we were beginning to have car problems. Not one to dilly-dally, I decided it was time to trade the car off for a newer model and stopped at a large used car lot. Spent a good bit of time checking out the cars and prices hoping to find a suitable ride before finally decided I liked a Dodge Dart which appeared in very good shape, beige color, well taken care of from the appearance of the interior, etc. Took it out for a trial run and I was sold on it. Took care of all the paper work, transferred belongings to the car, filled up with gas and we were back on our way. You must remember that this was in 1975 and one could still get a good buy on even a new car. - Don't we all long for those days? Before long we crossed the border into Mexico and headed for San Miguel de Allende, a small town very popular with expat artists. Many Americans lived there also and we found it to be a very interesting place and discussed the possibility of settling there too. But after a few days thinking about it and enjoying all it had to offer, we decided we should go on to our original destination of Cuernavaca, check it out and then decide. We were enjoying the countryside, villages we passed through, and in general the beauty of it all when I suddenly realized we had a police car following close behind us. Soon as I spotted a rest-stop I pulled off curious to see if it would continue on or stop with us. Well, it stopped right behind us and a policeman got out of the car so I did the same. He told me to open the trunk and did as instructed and he started pulling things out and checking to see what had made the car seem heavy in the back. He was soon satisfied that it was all personal belongings, thanked me and got back in the police car and drove away. We breathed a sigh of relief and continued on our way. After many hours on the road, enjoying all as I said before, we finally arrived in fascinating Mexico City and I realized that if we remained in Cuernavaca that we would be spending a lot of time visiting the city and all the beautiful sites. We finally found our way to the city center where we planned to spend the night and check out the night life. Since we had been just snacking most of the day, we were ready for a good restaurant and a full meal and that was soon accomplished. We continued on our way to Cuernavaca the next morning after a number of false starts, taking the wrong streets, etc before we finally got on the highway to our destination. Cuernavaca is about 70 miles SW of Mexico City, and at about 5000 feet (1500+ meters) elevation with the ideal climate of eternal Spring. Discovered after living there a while that it would begin raining a bit every evening about 6:00. It was so regular that one could set a clock by it. Anyway, we checked into a hotel at the center of the city. At that time the population was about 60,000 and a beautiful place to be. In the center was a lovely little garden/park and across the street from it were cafe terraces where one could enjoy a cup of coffee, light lunch or whatever. All around the square were small shops, restaurants, etc. Second day there we were visiting one of the shops and the owner asked us if we just visiting or planning to stay a while. When we told him we were looking for a place to live he told us of a house in a small gated street. Told him we would like to see it and he gave us the directions to Apartado 751. It was not too far from the center of the city but a little higher up with a ravine across from the entrance to the street... The house was at the end of the street, had a garage on street level with the house above and to the back of the lot. Roof of the garage formed a nice terrace. Price about $14,000 US so we bought it. It turned out to be great as the people on the street were all very friendly and the woman who lived across the street from us was especially nice. Her young daughter was a nice child too. The aunt of that woman is now an internet friend, one of many I stay in touch with. She had heard of how my arthritis was cured and contacted me because her son was getting married to a woman who had rheumatoid arthritis and asked me to tell her about the treatment. The first year there we spent getting acquainted with the life style, the similarities and differences. Getting to know the shopping areas for food, restaurants, meeting other people etc. One day while walking past a cafe on the square, a woman asked if we would to join her and her husband for a cup of coffee. It turned out they were from California originally and had lived in Cuernavaca for a while before moving to a small town near Acapulco. They became very good friends and we sometimes visited them at their home. Sus is an artist and now lives in New Mexico. Clifford passed away a number of years ago. Spent a lot of time traveling about seeing the sites, visiting new places and one in particular we liked so much was Torremolinos, very near Cuernavaca. And of course we spent a lot of time visiting Mexico City and all the sites nearby. I got interested in doing House and Garden tours - taking visitors around to the many beautiful house and gardens in Cuernavaca. Couldn't get John interested in that nor with the little theater group I got involved with. My most memorable part was in a play where I was supposed to be a very nervous person, stumbling over my words etc. Well, afterwards many people told me I was fantastic and wanted to know if I was acting or really was nervous. Of course I told them it was acting. Never played another part but stayed with the group as set designer and coordinator and that was OK by me. Well, in 1980 John told me he was going to go back to North Carolina as he wasn't enjoying Mexico as I was. He had been doing some painting and enjoyed that but it wasn't enough for him. I certainly didn't want to go to N. Carolina so I helped him pack up his belongings and a teacher friend of mine from San Francisco came to visit at that time. She was driving a motor home so she offered to take John back to the States. I went along with them and we put John on the train for home. I took a bus back to Mexico city and to Cuernavaca. We had sold the house so that John could have half the money from it and I bought another smaller place nearby which I started having upgraded - new tile, new bathroom, etc. This was in early 1981. On the last trip I took to San Francisco to do my 20 day job for the school district (I never did finish the 10 yrs - only six of them) I was surprised to find the youngest son of the Arva there waiting for me. The Arva family is the family I stayed with in Helsinki, Finland back in the 1950's when I did my Fulbright Scholarship work there. He then rode back to Mexico City with me when I returned to Mexico. He about drove me crazy with his reaction to every little thing - e.g. passing another car, driving fast, or whatever. Guess he wasn't use to the chaos. I was happy when we reached Mexico City and we parted. One time when we had visitors from the States while in Cuernavaca, we drove south to visit an interesting village and on the way back a pickup truck came barreling out of side road and struck the side of the car.and making it impossible to drive. Luckily no-one was hurt. John and visitors climbed into a panel truck that stopped when it saw our problem and drove on to Cuernavaca. I waited for a tow truck to come get me and the car. It was a wreck and when I told my Mexican Friend about it, he said to park it on the street in front of his house and he would take care of it. He then arranged for someone to come and steal the car but his little son, Herardo, happened to be out front when it was being stolen so he ran in the house and hot his father so of course that ended the stealing and it was soon back in my garage. I didn't know about his arrangement for the stealing until afterwards. This was so that I would get insurance for a stolen car. Since I was soon leaving to go to China (see below), I left money with another Mexican friend so he could have the work done on my house while I was gone. Well, I got back after a year in China and found that he had used the money to do so driveway and garden work for his parents-in-law. -- In spite of all this I still am very fond of the Mexican people. On one of my trips back to San Francisco to honor my obligation there, one of my teacher friends - Jimmie Lee - told me he was going to China to teach during 1980-81 school year. This was just after the opening up of the country and they were hungry to learn from the rest of the world. English language was a priority and offered some possibilities for something new to do. I told him I would like to try that too so while he was in Beijing he arranged for me to go the next year and take over his classes and that I did from 1981-82. That was at the Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute and there begins a new phase of my life which I'll cover in the next blog of Steps of My Life.

I left you a while back at the conclusion of 5 great years in the Canary Islands - Gran Canaria to be exact. We packed up our personal belongings, loaded the car and headed for the pier where we caught our ship back to the U.S. - when people still could use boats for trans-Atlantic travel. Since it would be making a stop in Puerto Rico I decided I wanted to spend a few days there as that was where I had spent several months with the Naval Air Corp Station in San Juan during World War II. We de-barked with the car and enjoyed those few days exploring Puerto Rico. I soon discovered that much had changed since my tour of duty there. The Naval Air Corp Station was no longer there, the beautiful beach where we used to enjoy any free time we might have as in ruins - hit by a hurricane, and the palm trees lay all over the area and that was sad to see. El Yunke, the beautiful mountain, was still as I remembered. Old San Juan had been beautifully restored and that we enjoyed along with a visit to the old fort walls on the cliff. We drove around the island, visiting Arecibo, Aguadilla, Mayaguez,Ponce, Guayama and Caguas. All in all a rewarding visit to the island. I still have fond memories of my assignment there during the war and the visit.

From there we took a ship to Florida where Mrs. Walston's family lived. (You recall her as our fellow voyager and colleague in the Canary Islands. See Blog 11)  John and I headed for North Carolina after a promise from Bernice that she would join us in San Francisco where we were headed. But first a visit to his family in North Carolina. and then to mine in North Dakota. We finally reached beautiful San Francisco. Upon our arrival there I checked with the school system to see if I could get a teaching job there as we wanted to be sure of work before settling anywhere. As luck would have it, I was hired immediately and with the Art Department. My job was to be a travelling art teacher which meant I would be teaching basic art courses in the elementary school throughout the district. Must say that I was very happy with this assignment and I spent the next two years doing just that. John hadn't decided yet what he wanted to do but we decided to start looking for a place to live.

One day while walking down Bay Street, near Fisherman's Wharf, we saw a sign on a building across the street from where we were that read - "Apartment for Rent". A good location so we immediately went to the door and asked to see the apartment. It happened to be a private home with an apartment on the 3rd floor. We were happy to find that it was very pleasant - a large living and sleeping area with a fireplace. A bathroom separated that area from a fair sized kitchen and dining area. There was also a stairway from the kitchen down to a small garden in back. Off the living area in front there was a balcony across the whole area and with a portion of it glassed in. From there was a great view of the Bay and Fisherman's Wharft. What could be better - loved it, so we rented it on the spot. The couple who owned the house and lived in it most of the time were very nice and became good friends. We sometimes visited them in their other home up the coast at Bodega Bay. Anyway, John decided to attend an Art School which was on a street behind this house.

By the time school opened in the Fall, we were settled in and I had had some preparation time - getting to know my way around, art materials needed, suggestion as to what the art projects were to be etc. All went well that Fall and early Spring. I was enjoying it very much and the kids seemed to be enjoying it too. Then before I knew it I was in the Spring of my second year and I started to develop arthritis and it became harder and harder for me to carry around all the art supplies at the schools - especially if I had far to go after parking my car. When the teachers found out that this was a problem, one of them or some kids would meet me at the entrance to the school and carry in the materials as I parked my car. It kept getting worse and my doctor told me I had Rheumatoid Arthritis and there was nothing more he could do for me and that I would have to resign myself to becoming a bed-ridden cripple. I was barely 50 years old and facing that prospect did not sit well with me so I was determined to find an answer. I found that it is a chronic disease in which the joints become inflamed, painful and swollen. No wonder I was having a difficult time. Well, that was a shock to say the least and we stopped at a Health Food Store on the way home to get a couple of things.

While John was doing the shopping, I stood near a magazine rack by the door. Nothing better to do, I started to read the titles and whatever appeared on the front of the magazine. Then I saw in large print "There is a cure for Arthritis" so of course I bought the magazine. The article told of Dr. Shelton's Health School, San Antonio, Texas and it all sounded so encouraging that I thought - What could I lose? I called the school and asked if they had room for a patient, how much the cost etc. I told them I would want to come there as soon as school was out and they said they would have a place for me, took my name and address etc. When I told a teacher at one of my schools what my problem was and what I was going to do, she told me not to wait until school was out but to go immediately. She said I would still get my pay except that a small amount would be deducted. So I called the Health School back and told them I wanted to come right away if they had room for me. And I made plans to go immediately. Some of my friends thought I was crazy for doing it but when you think it might be your last chance - well--- what choice do you have?! So I went and when I got to San Antonio I found that the school was outside the city limits and a bit far from the station. Took a cab and finally arrived at the school and after I was checked in I was told that I would share a room with another patient, that I was to just lie on my bed, no reading, no talking, no walking around. AND no food - only water and not too much of that. -- In other words, a strict fast with supervision was what I was facing!!!

The first three days were extremely difficult but I was determined I was going to do the routine as prescribed. After those three days it was not so bad and for the next 19 days that was it. Yes, 19 DAYS and of course I lost a lot weight - 50 lbs to be exact and I was down to skin and bones. I weighted only 135 lbs when I went there so you see what I mean, but the arthritic pain was all gone. and it was decided I could come off the "fast". I was given a half glass of orange juice and told to drink it slowly. It was such a treat that I sipped on it for most of the day, just happy to have something besides water. I was told that I should start moving about a bit and after a day or two I should go down the stairs and outside and walk as much as I could. Well, the first couple of days I managed to walk around the building. Then I began going out for my walk with the other patient in my room. A few days of that and we were doing well when one morning we were talking animatedly as we left our room and started down the stairs. I slipped, fell and slid all the way down to the landing with what sounded like cracking bones and I thought every bone in my body must have broken. The pain was beyond belief and I wouldn't let anyone touch me for at least an hour. Then finally the doctor said they were going to have to get me back upstairs to my room - pain and all. They put me on my bed and in a few minutes I told them I needed to sit up. So they moved me out to the sofa near the stairway and put several pillows on my lap and my arms laying on top. That was much better and not so painful. I sat there a few hours when the cleaning woman came along. She said "What you doing?. Those pillows belong on the bed and not on your lap. She grabbed them and pulled them away and Oh my God, the pain was horrendous and at my outcry she looked at me strangely. I told her to leave and if she ever came near me again I would kill her. She left in a hurry - probably thinking I was crazy. Well, I was immediately put on another ten day fast and finally got off that when I told the nurse that was enough. So again the walks but tight hold of the stair rail when going out. Finally, after 59 days there in all, I was told I could leave. They had little by little given me more and more food so that I was about back to normal that way. I was told that it was the uric acid in beef that had caused my arthritis and that I should stay away from it. Of course I had always eaten lots of beef so felt they must be right on that score. I took a bus into San Antonio and went to a small hotel near the river walk and that evening I went to an outdoor Italian restaurant and had a big spaghetti dinner - Oh how good that tasted.

Well, I called John and told him I was coming home and to meet me at the airport, which he did with a wheel chair but I refused to ride in it even though I was skin and bones as I mentioned earlier. I spent the next weeks eating well and a lot and doing my daily walks so that I would be ready when school opened in September. Now instead of teaching art I was assigned to Francisco Junior High School which was also in the same area in which I lived. I was sorry not to be continuing my work as a travelling art teacher but that position had been assigned to someone else when I left for Texas. But anyway, I enjoyed teaching there and had a great bunch of kids. Since the school was on the edge of Chinatown, most of my students were Chinese. A lot of the kids came early but had to wait outside until doors were unlocked. One day I asked if they would like to come in - my classroom was near a back entrance to the school. They were delighted and then asked if they could play ping pong on the desks. So I let them re-arrange the desks and play their games. When the school bell rang they immediately put the desks and chairs back in order without my having to tell them to do so. Every Friday I would have an art class and they enjoyed that as well and so did I. If I ever had a problem with a child, all I needed to do was call the parents one time and I would never have a problem with that child again.

It was during our third year of living on Bay street that our landlords/friends asked if we would be interesting in buying a house in Palm Springs. We liked that idea so drove down to see it during a vacation period and decided we would like it. But when I checked with the school system there I was told I was over qualified to get a teaching job there. Of course this was about forty years ago. So we gave up that idea and bought a house in Kensington, across the bay from San Francisco - to the north of Oakland. It was a small house but with two bedrooms, two baths, living - dining room with fireplace and nice kitchen separated by a counter. The front yard was quite large with a paved seating area near the door from the living room. Nice lawn with fountain etc. The two car garage was at one side of the garden and the rest with high board fence around it. The back garden had been neglected and when I started weeding it and cleaning it up, I found two pools with water attachments. I got the dirt out of those, and everything in order and we had a nice back garden too.

Our neighbors back of us were a nice couple with two children - David and Marlena Gee. Marlena stopped by while I was working on the back garden and invited us to dinner and that was a nice surprise. The son and daughter were very nice too. Of course this meant a commute over the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge with toll gate. But since I left early in the morning and came home mid-afternoon the traffic was no problem. John was offered a job teaching art at the school he had been attending - he did some terrific paintings, but he boshed that by asking too many questions such as Can I - - - - - -. He finally got a job book-keeping somewhere and I can't for the life of me remember just where.

Then the picture changed when Affirmative Action began and everyone was unhappy about it. The parents, the kids, the teachers, the schools, etc, nobody liked it. Anyway, many of my students were carted off to other schools and we got many kids from a poor neighborhood near the airport. Most of them were of black families and most of those I got in my class were fine, worked hard and did well and I felt it rewarding to work with them. Did have trouble with one or two but that was taken care of my the main office. I remember an art project we were doing involving ceramics. One girl did a beautiful job and I told her if she kept that up she would surely get an A in art. Well, after a week I never saw her again until report card time when I met her in the hall. She asked me how come she didn't the A and after I explained because of her absence she smiled and said thank you and walked on. Our school kept having evening programs to invite the parents to and little by little more and more of them started coming. They were not happy about the bussing of their children away from their own area. But that was the norm for the time - another idea with great intentions, but of little use to anyone.

Well, during my 7th year with the school district there was a meeting called for teachers who had been with the district for ten or more years. I decided I would go to see what it was all about and that again changed my life. It seemed the school district had too many teachers and they were offering special deals for early retirement. When they finished with the whole program they asked if anyone was interested. Not a single teacher raised his/her hand. So I raised mine and asked if they would consider me though I had only 7 years with the district. They were delighted to have a positive response and here is what they offered me:

A ten year contract in which I would work 20 days a year and would be paid $4000.00. Would I be interested and of course I said yes since I was ready for a change anyway. By this time you know me and my sister's constant - "Bill, when are you going to settle down?" I had visited Mexico so I knew how cheap it was to live there at that time and four thousand dollars would allow me to live like a king there. I told the school system if I could work during the summer and not in the classroom I was theirs. One of my friends, another travelling art teacher, liked to go back to Iowa in the summer to visit family and friends so I knew I could house sit for him while he was gone, and there were plenty of jobs to be done during the summer for the school district - libraries, etc. - All that meant that now I would next be off to Mexico to live

So now again I shall leave you and by the way, I have never in 40 years had a touch of arthritis again

NASA has released photographs of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico which is approaching the Louisiana coastline. Here is an extract from their website:

NASA has mobilized its remote-sensing assets to help assess the spread and impact of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico at the request of U.S. disaster response agencies.

As part of the national response to the spill, NASA deployed its instrumented research aircraft the Earth Resources-2 (ER-2) to the Gulf on May 6. The agency is also making extra satellite observations and conducting additional data processing to assist the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Department of Homeland Security in monitoring the spill.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oil_spill_er2_feature.html

 

Not long ago several of us were discussing which city has the world's most beautiful women. Our group, I must add, had a few women in it. And most of us have been a few places. The responses were varied but overall it seems to be that the place we are not is the place that offers the most beauties - that age-old proverbial expression - the grass is always greener on the other side of the hill - lives on! While personally, I feel that beauties abound and one is likely to encounter lovely women on any street corner in the world, I'll offer a list of my favorite places to catch some eye candy.

• Tokyo - ano ne, you have to love the way they dress and endless streams of OL's pour out of every subway station during work days. After work they rush home and change and look even better under the neon lights of Shibuya.
• New York City - while women in the States have tended to get bigger, the Big Apple stills sports that something that most cities cannot offer - endless variety of beauties of all proportions and lines. The range of ethnicities is endless too. And don't let age fool you. I once shared the last seat in a cafe with a women who by her hands I judged at 65 plus, but whose face would have given many 25 or 30 year olds a case of the envies. She was so elegant, and kind enough to let me have the seat as she ignored my gawking. The women in NYC can be gorgeous casual or elegant.
• Rio de Janeiro - seek out the Carioca. Que mais? What else? They make it possible to be elegant in something less than a bikini while booming the world's best smiles! And having the backdrop of the world's most beautiful city behind them adds even more to their charm. Oh, to be 18 and a student there again. I can always dream that dream I lived.
• Beijing - surprised at this one? Any city of 20 million plus people must have something going for it. As well as a building boom, the women are changing styles as well. They've always been lovely, now they want to show it. Lucky guys, those Beijing men!
• Paris - you knew it was coming, didn't you? Yeah, indeed, no list of classy women is complete without Paris. And it's true and well deserved. Women in Paris have that thing - what is that thing - I don't know, but they have it. And they can actually be quite friendly too. Of course, speaking French helps to get them speaking to you. N'est'ce pa? So when in Paris, don't forget your phrase book, and camera too - you'll want to be taking pictures of more than the Eiffel Tower. Bonne chance, mes amis!
• Other cities worth mentioning are Berlin, Osaka, Buenos Aires, Stockholm, and Miami!

Now, I know you're wondering where are the pictures as proof of my list. Well, you'll have to go and take your own pics. And better yet, make your own list too! Be healthy!

Hard to believe that in a few days I will hit the 89 years old mark. I don't feel it and it certainly doesn't bother me to talk about it. So in keeping with my yearly ritual living here in Honolulu, I took a little stroll up Diamond Head Mountain to enjoy the view of Waikiki and other parts of this beautiful island of Oahu. I've been up a few mountains in my time, such as the Matterhorn in Switzerland (read about that here: http://sophistimunity.com/blog2.php/steps-of-my-life-series/ blog #7), but each time up Diamond Head is no less thrilling than the previous jaunt or doing bigger mountains. In fact, it's interesting to watch tourists from around the world and see how much they enjoy it too. Don't get me wrong, it's a challenging climb for the uninitiated and those not physically ready, but it's so darn fun. The view is world class too. When's your turn?

Diamond Head on a quiet day.

Diamond Head from the beach.

View from Diamond Head of Waikiki and Honolulu

A new site dedicated to groups and people who want simple profiles as a way to meet up with friends, family and others is up and running at http://iLove.Sophistimunity.com. If you're looking for something fancy and with all the clutter and noise and people mostly just talking to themselves this isn't the place for you. While still in testing, it ought to be good to go. All users are confirmed individually with hopes of keeping the place calm. After being confirmed as a member, you can make your profile completely open for other members to see or use the privacy feature to limit what can be seen in your profile (general personal info and pics for example) and allow only your connections or no one at all if you want to talk to yourself only. Some basic information such as country and username remain open to all other users. It's also possible to form groups with members and keep those private or public (as in fully searchable and indexed on the internet).  It's just a fun niche venture, not meant to compete with the big boys at FB or anywhere else.  Note, there is a little bit of a Pacific Rim bent - meaning, the USA, China, Japan and other countries in the region.