Category Archives: Uncategorized

Universal peace signs and lots of smiles. 

Illegal migrants — not an issue confined to USA

In China, rules are in place that require a visa to move from one province (like a state) to another. If a family moves without this visa to find work, say from a farming community to the growing city of Shanghai, they become illegal immigrants and thus are not able to enroll their children

Children at the Chinese Migrant School recite poetry by heart. Then I taught them a poem in English — my shortest poem. Everyone laughed and laughed.  

Jammers from Puxi perform a poem for four voices. Missing in the student poetry are poems about street crime (as so many are in the USA). Maybe because there is virtually no street crime in Shanghai beyond a pick pocket here and there and even that is rare compared to other large cities. 

Shanghai American School Puxi

You wouldn’t believe this campus. It is like a luxury community college state side. The staff and kids are all very dedicated to learning, you get that feeling just walking through the halls. A big highlight from my four day visit there was the poetry jam hosted by the middle school where

Poetry Jammers from the International School at Tianjin. After they finished performing my poetry, I asked them if they knew what the next step was. “Why, you need to write and perform your own poems.” And I know they will. 

Shanghai American School, Pu Dong

A normal school day. Or so it would seem. Up at 6AM, shower, eat breakfast as fast as possible and catch the bus. Looking out the window however (at everything except the traffic, see previous post) not much seems normal to me. First of all, it’s cold, Fahrenheit or Celsius, however

Arriving in China

Imagine a city with the population of the State of Ohio. Forget it. You can’t imagine it. Even when you see it, you can’t imagine it. Now that I am home, I have trouble believing all that I saw. But you know what came through amazingly clear? The people

A construction wall appropriate since all of Shanghai seems to be under construction! 

“Evil travels in a straight line” Ancient Chinese saying — which is why the bridges are arched and the path leading to this ancient home is zig zagged. Love that phrase, evil travels in a straight line. Boy, does it.