Notes from Week 2

The fall weather is a reminder of why I love living and working in an area that has all four seasons. It's a little crisp. But perfect.

Last night was the Chinese "Moon Festival" and since I am becoming Chinese, we celebrated! We had a small gathering at our home with moon cakes, wine, tea, and friends. Zheng's and my friends got to meet Aying. 

Syracuse Opera did a run-out to Auburn, NY to perform at a rest home. The drive took us through Skaneatales, NY, a lovely village by the lake. (See the picture). We are back in Auburn tonight for a full performance of the Resident Artist show, "9 Operas in 90 Minutes." 

Speaking of Aying, Zheng's mother,  she arrived safely in Chicago non-stop from Beijing. Zheng went to Chicago to pick her up, and then they took an overnight train to Rochester. I saw them on Monday when I went home for my day off. When I've been home, we've enjoyed good visits and meals together. 

Also, Zheng has truly been "putting on the dog" for his mama, so some of the feasts have been epic. We've also been taking full advantage of the generous gifts from our bridal shower. 

PHOTOS: are from this week! Welcome Aying!

Putting on the Pampered Dog

Dear friends,

Well, it's been a flurry of activity getting "accustomed" to American living again. (And it's not for the faint-at-heart to return to an intense degree, at an intense place, the week before Finals, having been gone for the previous three!). So my presence here has been decidedly absent.

Bob left a note on my blog saying that I needed to finally *explain* two of the running jokes of the China tour. The first is called "Putting on the Dog," an older version of the current "Puttin' on the Ritz." It was fun to explain this joke to Zheng. As anyone knows who speaks several languages, it is a mark of fluency when you can "pun" or use idiomatic phrases in a tongue that's not your own. You can read more about this here: (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/put+on+the+dog).

People certainly "put on the dog" for us, the entire time. This included: meals with 13-17 dishes on the Lazy Susan, fancy outings, Beijing renting a van and driver for us to go see the Great Wall at Badaling, Ayeing sending us home with more gifts than I could have ever imagined.

The other joke began in the business-class lounge at Sea-Tac. Bob joked that Ellen and I "respond well to pampering." This eventually became the slogan "Better Life Through Pampering," (BLTP for short). We joked about things on the trip being on the "BLTP" program.

Things that were on the BLTP program: lattes, anything in business class, our hotel in Kunming, Ellen getting a massage, etc. Things that were *not*: riding in bread trucks, not being able to find a taxi, taking crowded subways, and problematic or non-existent internet connections in hotels.

(Also, when one of us was ill, or when things weren't going "as planned," like not having lights for a dress-rehearsal, we joked that this was "eating the dog.").

 

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The Dog Returns: Kunming Arrival

(I will explain the title in a later post).

We have arrived safely in Kunming!  Capital city of the Yunnan Province, Kunming is a place I had never heard of before the genesis of this tour, 16 months ago.  6 million people call Kunming home, and the city boasts a new-airport, California-like weather (no coat needed), and one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at in my life.  Yes, this is going to be a great week.  

Ellen and I have our concert here on December 1st - the week will also be full with workshops for the International School and for the Nordica Cultural Center.  

This photo is what Amber and Mari (our hosts in Kunming) were holding at the airport!  There is nothing to describe the relief and joy that it is to see a familiar face greeting you in an unfamilar city or country.  

Mari and Amber, thank you for the wonderful welcome, and for what promises to be an amazing week!  

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Kristin Ditlow
kristin.ditlow@gmail.com
215.527.4237
coming soon: www.kristinditlow.com