Another week of school. While my classes of thirty some five year olds at one school continue to overwhelm me, I think I may be improving as a teacher. At the very least, I've gotten used to teaching to the point that it seems easier than at first.
The weather has been nearly perfect recently, though humid and occasionally rainy. Yesterday I went to Lujiazui, the part of Shanghai across the Huangpu River, where the newer buildings and skyscrapers compete for space in the grey sky. Yesterday was a beautiful foggy day and the tops of the buildings disappeared into the moisture.
The weekend before I went to the Confucius Temple, which contrasted with the Buddhist temples here in its tranquillity. At the Buddhist temples, swarms of people gather to light incense sticks which fill the air with intoxicating trickles of smoke. The faithful gather, bowing both kneeling and standing, praying and crowding in the courtyard. Heaps of food adorn alters for the gods. (Buddhism, in its purest form makes no mention of God or gods, but in China, Buddhism is blended with Taoism, Confucianism and various folk religions, I guess).
The weather has been nearly perfect recently, though humid and occasionally rainy. Yesterday I went to Lujiazui, the part of Shanghai across the Huangpu River, where the newer buildings and skyscrapers compete for space in the grey sky. Yesterday was a beautiful foggy day and the tops of the buildings disappeared into the moisture.
The weekend before I went to the Confucius Temple, which contrasted with the Buddhist temples here in its tranquillity. At the Buddhist temples, swarms of people gather to light incense sticks which fill the air with intoxicating trickles of smoke. The faithful gather, bowing both kneeling and standing, praying and crowding in the courtyard. Heaps of food adorn alters for the gods. (Buddhism, in its purest form makes no mention of God or gods, but in China, Buddhism is blended with Taoism, Confucianism and various folk religions, I guess).
But the Confucius temple, with several buildings and some courtyards, even a small pond surrounded by newly blossoming trees, was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful.