Goodbyes

My grandma passed away last Tuesday, after living a full life. 98 years of love.

Here is the eulogy I presented at her funerals. I spoke not only for myself but also on behalf of my brother and all my cousins.

Victorienne, Grand-Maman, Vic,

Adieu Vic, adieu Grand-Maman, un siècle s'envole avec vous. Tel le grand fleuve de votre nom, votre amour a coulé en nous, et continuera de suivre le flot de nos vies. Votre amour si grand, semé de sucre à la crème, de cipailles, de petits tricots, nous a enveloppé depuis notre enfance.

Comme votre cœur, votre maison a été ouverte à tous, elle fut un lieu de rassemblement et de célébrations. Nous, avec nos chants, sketches et petits récitals, voulions vous épater. En flashback : parties de cachettes au sous-sol, jardinage au soleil, armoires où il faisait plaisir de découvrir quelques trésors, réveil matinal et petit déjeuners au gruau, après-midis près de vous à tenter d’imiter votre main au pinceau…

Et ces pinceaux, ces tubes de peintures à l’huile. Vos toiles sont les ébauches de nos vies. Vous saviez voir en chacun de nous l’artiste et le peintre, vous saviez lire nos sensibilités. Vos encouragements nous ont poussés à nous dépasser. Vos murs n’étaient pas assez grands pour vos nombreux tableaux, les photos de nous tous, les souvenirs récoltés lors de vos pèlerinages. Chaque chose qui vous entourait était un peu comme votre cœur, mis de l’avant.

Grand-maman, les souvenirs foisonnent, les mots ne seront jamais assez justes pour vous remercier d’avoir tant donné.

Vous avez su nous inculquer un amour de la famille, un sens du travail bien fait, un respect de la nature, un mysticisme sincère, une philanthropie profondément humaine et généreuse. Vous nous avez offert le goût de la musique et de l’art, le sens du partage et de l’accueil vers l’autre. Vous nous avez passé le gène de la mère aimante, de l’artiste, de la bénévole, de la voyageuse. Vous avez semé en nous toutes ces beautés, toutes ces bontés.

Après tant de vie, après tant d’amour, vous étiez prête à partir depuis un moment, le nez tourné vers la mer, vers le large. Allez le retrouver, votre bonhomme, il a patienté assez longtemps ! Il vous attend pour une nouvelle partie de 500. On vous imagine déjà tous les deux mains dans la main, le sourire sur le cœur, comme à votre cinquantième. Pour votre centenaire.

J’ai entendu dire que « les larmes sont parfois une réponse inappropriée à la mort. Quand une vie a été vécue vraiment honnêtement, vraiment avec succès, ou simplement vraiment, la meilleure réponse à la ponctuation finale de la mort est un sourire. » (Julie Burchill)

Grand-maman, nos sourires resterons illuminés par votre mémoire.

On vous aime grand-maman !

Breaking the Fire Wall

It has been over three months now that the Chinese government has censored a number of sites, namely Youtube (over a 3 minute video about Tibet). Recently more and more sites have been inaccessible from here, namely Blogger, Twitter, Flickr, even Hotmail (!). Even more recently there has been even censorship as we are approaching the remembrance date of June 4 1989, when Tiennamen Square was the stage of terrible incidents. 

For the last few days, in fear of more problems in remembrance of the event, news are blacked out a few minutes at the time, when references are made about the event. Fortunately yesterday, our censor was probably gone to the loo when the headlines ran, as I was able to see 10 seconds about a photographer who witnessed the events. I have been struggling to access some of these articles, but fortunately found ways around the Great Fire Wall... Read on about the events here or there.

At least I am proud to see that the Obama administration is taking a stand, asking for some accountability about these events from the PRC.  Still today, the exact number of causalities is not known, and some major figures of the movement leading to the event have disappeared. Of course the Chinese response is the usual: Mind your own business. What eles?! Today, journalists were blocked access to the square, people were monitored and nobody could really be filming openly. Former dissidents were in house arrest or ask to leave Beijing, while others have been unable to even enter Hong Kong (where freedom of speech is supposed to be guarantied). In fact Hong Kong is the only place in China where the commemoration of the event is tolerated. Another journalist reported playing an intense cat and mouse chase to meet former dissidents. What a shame. 

I have asked one of my language teacher about the events, to see what he knew, and what he might be thinking. As a young 25 year old, he has no recollection of the events that occurred when he was 5, but indicated that his parents and also one of his university teacher talked about it. However, he might be a bit of an intellectual. Several youths today show limited awareness about the event, and even disbelief about what happened. Over 20 years of non-information, or misinformation and of general belief that the West is only trying to shame China has fructified.  

With so much censorship, there is a lot of frustration in the expat community. How can we live without Youtube? 

But there are ways around this. For example, my readings have taken me to the French Cultural Center. With the status of a "cultural club", it is luckily not subject to the same censorship as some other places in China. Some titles here are from censored authors in China, and yesterday I found some interesting readings about "mass brainwashing in China", which I hope to eventually share with you in a later (uncensored) post.

To complete today's post, with some unusual cyber-contortions, I am now able to resume my my usual blogging.  From here I would like to direct you to some of these new entries (those in blue are just recently published, those not yet underlined will be publish soon). There are some entries about my parents' visit in March, and numerous of our little discoveries and day-trips, and of our trip to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors. Then there is a trip to Chengdu, DaFo and Emi-Shan. There is also Pauli's parents visit, and some good moments with Noam. Finally there are a few other entries, one about Noam's artistic talent, some about some small unusual surprises, some random thoughts about this language, and finally sharing some thoughts on some of my readings.

Enjoy my freedom of speech!

Artists at heart

For Children's day, on Monday, Noam school was off. Me and my good friend Jodi planned to do something fun and different. 

After a memorable taxi ride, where Kai and Noam tried their voices signing accapella, while I tried my Chinese to orient the driver to some remote studio, we arrived in what appeared to be an island of tranquility and creativity. A large compound of artist studios surrounds an open courtyard, where in a corner a wine covered pergola shades a set of garden chairs and tables, and where good coffee is served. 

Karen, a fellow Canadian, and Dawu, a sweet Chinese artist, share their creative passion with kids, with their project called Beijing Color Studio.  Dawu takes on the role of creative director and help the little ones unleash their art onto a canvas, while Karen takes care of the logistics.

Kai and Noam were the first arrived. Dawu and Karen later that day hosted more than 20 other kids. Easels were set, white canevas were awaiting the budding artists. As Dawu spread some color on the canevas, Kai quickly picked up at it, spreading it and enjoying the feeling of the paint on his hands. As he softly explored the texture of the paint, the colour covered the white square, leading to a very interesting effect. 

Noam at the opposite, did not quite get into it right away. As paint touched his fingers, he started panicking, and repeatidly saying "mains" (hands in French), is own way to ask for me to clean his hands. We tried various tricks, brushes, splashes, and funny faces, but we did not really succeeded in getting him to enjoy the act of spreading color onto the canevas. Then at one unexpected moment, he started to use a big brush on the raised canevas, and for fifteen minutes, we saw the artist at work. 

Super Size

In a country like China, with the number of people living here, we can expect some things to be larger. For example, the train station where we left for Xian, the Beijing West Train station,  was BIG.

The new airport is MASSIVE (the world's biggest after Dubai's). 

(Thanks Mr Foster for the photos).

The streets are super LARGE

and the interchanges and overpasses are super HIGH and OVERSIZED.  

Maybe they expect them to be filled by people and cars in a few years?
At other times, I find myself in places where I am just truly surprise by the scale of things. The other day, I went to the bank to change a few dollars, at the branch of the China Merchant Bank, on Chaowai Street. Usually I go in our compound, where we have 3 tellers and no line up. In the Chaowai branch, the place was so large it felt like being in a bus terminal. There were lots of screens above our heads, telling us who they were serving. Numbers were constantly called to the cashiers, which were well over 30 in numbers. I pulled a number from the machine when I entered, and looked up. One hundred persons (or numbers) were in front of me. I sat in a chair, pulled my computer, and got ready to wait for a while.
I only got so far writing this post as I was probably in a fast lane for privilege foreigners changing currencies...

(The photo shows only half the waiting area.)

Living on the Edge

As our ears have buzzed quite a bit from the Swine Flu media reports, and you may have understood how seriously China is tackling the situation here. Mexicans have been quarantined, and repatriated by their own government. Some Canadians and a few Americans also have been given a "special treatment" despite showing no symptoms.
Since our return from Hong Kong, we have been dealing with the implementation of various measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Since last week, when dropping Noam at the kindergarten I can no longer enter in the school building. His teachers welcome him in the outdoor play area, while his temperature is measured before letting him in. At the hospital, any person walking in has his temperature taken. In the airport, when we returned from Hong Kong, detectors were taking readings of every passengers while they were heading to the customs desk, and questionnaires had to be filled. And while enjoying our last day in Hong Kong, the day after Asia Case No 1 was found in Hong Kong, we saw the visible aspects of the Flu Scare. We were fortunate enough to have landed in the right hotel, avoiding a forced quarantine for residents who happened to stay in the hotel where the first Asian case lodged for one night. White masks started appearing around us, and by our departure time, the entire staff at the hotel (and many people on the streets) were wearing them. Hong Kong remembered SARS. China decided to take measures to prevent the spread of the disease, China way.

Whether we agree or not with their methods, or whether or not we really can talk about a pandemic is not for me to say (even if I have my own opinion). However, yesterday Pauli came home after being more than a week out of the country on business, and I had my own Mini-Swine-Scare. He called me as he just had landed in Beijing Capital Airport. He told me (with what I perceived as a white voice) that he was not sure of what was going on... The entire flight was held by the airport, with all passengers in the cabin, after their temperature had been taken and questionnaires had been filled. While waiting in the idle plane, filled with other passengers, no information was given to them. And there I was, at the other end of the phone, fearing the worst: that they could be quarantined, that he would have to stay away from us, in Beijing! Detained. Hostages of a paranoid government (oops, I said it!).
Fortunately, after an hour or so, he called me back to tell me they just had been "released", after a few men dressed in white space suits came in and took away one passenger - probably someone who had fever. Pffew! My Pauli got to come home!

So now we are awaiting the visit of Pauli's parents, on Friday, landing from Israel (another country touched by the Flu)... 

Hong Kong Buzz

We headed to Hong Kong for a few days. It is May First in China, a long weekend, and Paul will be flying from here to go to a work training in Cambridge. And in the meantime, I could get some medical tests that cannot be done in Beijing (nothing to worry about). So Hong Kong, Here We Are! We landed with more than 3 hours of delay, and althougth I am not sure how this happened, our heads hit the pillows at 4 in the morning. Noam was a really good boy during the flight, thanks to Annie Brocoli. (For all those who vouched to have a TV free kid, please hear the plea of those who travel too late by plane).
Our hotel, the Regal, is quite central. Our first day was occupied with the appointment, so our exploration of the city was minimal. Even so, the buzz and the flavor of the city comes strongly to our senses. The narrow streets are filled with people, stores are crowded, signs are competing one another, food smells and emerging for numerous eateries and fancy restaurants. Narrow street trams are passing us and the green lights ticks to tell us it is ok to cross, its fast beat giving me the sense of a febrile city pulse, a city vibrant and lively. In comparison, Beijing feels so sleepy!



Day Two is spent traveling the city by tram, to the pleasure of Noam's eyes. We head to the Peak to get a view, walk around Hollywood Road in search of good antiques and some carpets. Later in the day we scout some store to find some deals on clothings, and some dim sums (various dumplings, a speciality of the city) in a local eatery. Here, as much the clothing is cheap, as much the food is expensive.

A trip to Chengdu - 成都

As Pauli keeps having more and more trips around China mainland, we felt we could combine his next mission to Chengdu with a nice family side trip. His colleague You Yi (pronounced Yo-Jee) joined us for a portion of the trip and was an invaluable source of information, and a great "travel agent" making sure to avoid us all sorts of trouble.

Chendu is the capital of Sichuan province. This province was hit by a terrible earthquake in May 2008, killing more than 80,000 people. Some of Paul's projects in this region are related to the rebuilding of the devastated villages in the Shichuan province.

The city is quite important historically, and for various regions. It was the birth place of the first widely used paper money in the world, as early as 960 A.D. During the Chinese Civil War, it was also the last stronghold of the Kuomintang General Chiang Kai-Shek against the Communist Mao Tse-Tung. Today the city is one of the most important economic centers, transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China, with a broad industrial base of manufacturing, aluminum smelting and chemicals. Maybe that explains partially the fact that the city has one of the lowest sunshine rate of China, even less per year than London. Here is a view from atop our hotel...

With 11 million people, the density of the city is 888 inhabitants per square kilometers (as opposed to 11,050 in Beijing and 13,400 in Shanghai) should not feel so dense, however it ranks in third row for his traffic jams. Chendu-ren (the inhabitants of Chengdu) are known for their lifestyle of leisure, Chengdu counting more bars and tea houses than Shanghai, even though is has not even half its inhabitants.

We spent time walking around some beautiful parks, all lined up with tea houses. With its warm and humid weather, Chengdu is really green with bamboo in every park, creating a beautiful atmosphere. The tatch cottage house of the poet Da fo is surrounded by a beautiful garden.



Also very enjoyable, a walk in a restored area of the city called JinLi, where narrow streets and wooden constructions recreate what was probably the best of a medieval Chengdu.

Chengdu's food is also famous; hot pots, noodles and other dishes are all known for their very spicy taste. Here is a picture of a Make-Your-Own-Soup street restaurant, where you choose your vegetables from the plastic bins. Here specially requested "non spicy soups" were still a bit too much for Noam's taste buds. The following picture is an image of the oils and spices from a hot pot (some original version of what in Quebec we call Chinese Fondue). Can you see how many peppers are floating around?!


Another important attraction in Chengdu is the Panda Breeding Centre. We found there a bunch of lazy and happy giant panda, feeding or sleeping leisurely in front of us. Noam preferred the red pandas, more like a breed of furry red raccoons.