Ric Swenson on sun 25 mar 07
Ni Hao ..........and howdy y'all.
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Sounds like the buzz of NCECA is wearing off, so maybe a good time to talk =
about the last few months in China.
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Never been to NCECA, but always sounds interesting. I attended many ACerS a=
nnual meetings in Seattle and Ohio, IN, etc. but never went to NCECA.
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I went back to Atlanta for 5 weeks, during the winter (Spring Festival-New =
Years) break. Great to see family and friends there. The flight was not cr=
owded and had the opportunity to stretch out a bit, especially on the fligh=
t back to Shanghai from SFO. The overland route to China takes about 13 hou=
rs and the over water (straight line) takes about 10, for that leg of the t=
rip. Saw several good flicks on the flight...including some that later won=
Oscars.
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I arrived back a week before classes were to begin again...but I found the =
campus empty and no restaurants were even open. These people take going ho=
me for Spring Festival VERY seriously! It is THE time to be with family.
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So I eventually got a ticket on the bus to Wuhan and spent 4 days visiting=
the Universities, art departments and museums there.=20
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One of the nicest museums I have EVER been to...anywhere...and I have been=
to a lot of them, believe me.=20
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Musical instruments buried with a country leader some 2400 years ago. THO=
USANDS of instruments of all types. Bells, drums, flutes, stringed instrume=
nts of all kinds...and the bronze ceremonial vessels!! Yikes. Wonderfully =
shown and striking examples of bronze, clay, wood and so on. 17,000 items w=
ere unearthed at this burial site. Painted wood coffins that rival the Egyp=
tian tombs. Great stuff. Took lots of photos.=20
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I have now taken more than 3500 pictures here in China.
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Started the new term and the class load is heavy because I like to stay bus=
y. Teach at three colleges and a kindergarden too.
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New fellow-teachers are Kris Marubyashi (50) from Sacramento and David Iris=
h(24) from Buffalo. Good folks and we are having a good time getting to kn=
ow each other. David came to JingDeZhen during the Ceramic Conference in 2=
004 celebrating 1000 years of porcelain here.....so he is familiar with the=
city and has yearned to come back. Kris is a Japanese-American....third g=
eneration. People are confused by her. She looks Asian, but speaks NY/ CA =
English. She is a PhD in Ed and David just completed his art degree at Toro=
nto. Both want to 'make some pots' while they are here.
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Weather is moderating and it's that time when you think about putting away =
the long underwear and then a cold snap comes and you drag it out again. I=
wore a short sleeved shirt today for the first time since back in China. T=
he birds are making a huge racket outside. On the tennis court, just now. =
Sounds of Spring abound.
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The taxi situation is so interesting here. Hard to describe.....you have t=
o be here to experience the thrills and spills. Motoring in Atlanta was fas=
t and furious...but controlled by lots of lights and lanes and barriers. H=
ere there is a yellow line in the middle of the road but it means absolutel=
y ZERO to drivers of taxis. Pass on a curve? Sure....go for it. Close cal=
ls but no injuries have I yet witnessed.
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Teaching is great. I really enjoy teaching the Contemp. Ceramic Arts course=
at Gao Zhuan Ceramic and Arts College. It's near the Ancient Kilns site in=
the oldest section of town. Students are eager to know of the West and cer=
amic tradition and contemporary clay scene.
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That's enough for now.
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Happy potting.
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and as always...."keep your stick on the ice!"
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Ric
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"...then fiery expedition be my wing, ..." Wm. Shakespeare, RICHARD III, Ac=
t IV Scene III Richard H. ("Ric") Swenson, Teacher, Office of International=
Cooperation and Exchange of Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, TaoYang Road, Ea=
stern Suburb, Jingdezhen City JiangXi Province, P.R. of China. Postal code=
333001. Mobile/cellular phone :13767818872 +86-0798-8499600 (ofc.) +86-079=
8-8499012 (fax) E-Mail: RicSwenson0823@hotmail.com=20
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