Vacant Lots

There are several vacant lots waiting for commercial development in my neighbourhood in  UltimateSuburbia.  I never see anyone in them - except the guy in the black SUV who threw bags of garbage in one and when I followed him he did a U-turn and sped away.  

Way back in the day (!) the vacant lot down the street from where I lived is where I learned about spit bugs and praying mantises, and where I closely examined a dead mouse. I remember its long, very yellow front teeth.  I learned how it's some insects' jobs to eat these dead creatures so that they become part of the earth again. I remember having to deal with a bossy kid and that other people's little brothers were somehow not as annoying to me as my own.  We made maps of where the best wild strawberry patches were. We made milk-weed wishes.  We collected and compared rocks.  We hunted butterflies and moths.  We became familiar with several types of thistles. We learned that some birds build their nests on the ground. All that went on in some nearby lots that didn't even have any trees. 

A child-free, vacant lot.  So much potential.

Where are the kids hunting for bugs and snakes now?  Playing hide and seek?  Making forts?  I think I know where they are actually, they are inside learning about snakes of the far-off rain forests on their computers.  They are virtually building structures for the Sims and their ilk. They are inside their homes, safe from crazy, wandering pedophiles, (but maybe not the online ones or family members). They are not looking at garter snakes, nor figuring out how to make a structure out of boards and grass and how to have cool picnics in there. Nor are the children wondering about why they have pre-wrapped sausages and not pre-wrapped bacon (as the Bare Naked Ladies did in their tree-fort of If I Had a Million Dollars).  They are more likely being driven to their organized sports, private tutors, or music lessons, safe and risk-free.

     I've been back from Jamaica for 13 days. I wonder how everyone there is. I wonder how the rest of the group I travelled with are doing.  11 amazing early learning and care professionals, some of whom had never met each other before, all joined me in this incarnation of Students Crossing Borders.  We lived and worked in Kingston for 9 days.  It was a bittersweet trip.  Everyone was remembering our recently deceased, Lynn Caruso.  The children of Riverton gathered around me to ask questions about her illness, her death, her funeral, her family. The wanted to know if I cried.  They wanted to know if it was true that Lynn didn't want anyone to wear black.  (It was.)  They wanted to know if it was true that her body was "burn"; cremated.  They wanted to know how her husband and children were.  They knew Mr. Junior Rowe, a community leader from Riverton went to the funeral.  When I described how he gave a powerful eulogy they smiled.  When I teared up when talking about it all, one young boy, Anferny, put his had on my arm, "It's okay, Miss."  Another boy said, "I no cry when I hear.  But my heart, it move."  He showed me how is heart was no longer on the left side of his chest, but had moved over. 
   

                                With my friend Carl.  He's 11 now. I first met him when he was 7.

                                                    Richard reading to his little brother.

Marsha and friend helping spread gravel on the rain-soaked yard in Cooreville Gardens, in preparation for the ECE Children's Expo and grand opening of the 

Zone Eight Early Childhood Education Resource Centre.

  As we gave workshops, shovelled gravel, bought mangoes, road the bus, visited schools, everywhere, there were reminders of Lynn's energy, warmth, and love.  People remembered her smile, how she'd ask about family, and how she spoke so much of her own grandchildren.  She did so much through her collaboration with the people in Kingston and Spanish Town:  helped build an ECE development centre, put in water pipes, improve a school yard, put on youth conferences, facilitate ECE conferences and trainings, built a parent drop-in centre, a reading room and computer centre, brought so many people down to connect with the people and, and,and, but it was just her warm smile that everyone talked about.  

Lynn receiving a formal thank you from the ECE community (Junior Rowe)  in 

Kingston, May 2011

As Junior Rowe said, "Rest well my friend."  And know that your work and love are continuing. 

Going to Kingston, Jamaica with Students Crossing Borders

On Saturday, our group of powerful and knowledgeable early learning and care specialists will leave Canada to travel to Jamaica as part of Students Crossing Borders.  This will be my 4th time going. And it will be my bittersweet privilege to do so.  Our dear, passionate director died from cancer on April 1st, 2012.

Our group will be doing workshops and professional development with the wonderful early learning and care folks in Zone 8 of Kingston, as well as a group in Spanish Town.  We will spend a week there. I am really looking forward to seeing so many special people again.

Finally!

Our two weeks in China were wonderful.  Unfortunately, I could only blog once while on Cherry's ECE's computer.  She's downloaded a program which allows you to use an ISP from a country that allows free speech.  However your minutes are limited.  Being on our hotel's internet connection, we could not even download that program. Nor could we use You Tube, Face Book (not that I do), and some news sites.  Very interesting.

Our hosts, Cherry and Leo were amazing.  We ate well, and had all our needs met.  They even helped us negotiate a massage at a massage spa, when we showed an interest.  More on that later.  They took us to eat in   a variety of places so that we could try different cuisines and local specialties - river fish, shrimp,  eel, winkles, vegetables.  Changzhou is located in the delta of the great Yangtze river.  So the farming and fishing are fantastic.

We met with the assistant chair of the Changzhou's Ministry of Women and Children, and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of The Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese of Changzhou. They welcomed us very formally at the impressive city hall building, with tea and spherical fruits, (representing perfection and thus a positive beginning to a new relationship. No one is allowed in the city hall without an invitation.  Cherry and Leo had never been there before.  They then took us to a private dining room and were served many dishes, the local dishes plus extras such as pigs' ears and many other things I couldn't name.  We were toasted warmly with French wine.  Wonderful warmth and civic pride.

! 

We spent part of June 1st, National Children's Day at a show at the City Hall's theatre watching children perfom.  


Well, more later, including excellent signage and great streetscapes. 

Children's Day in China

Thanks to our new friends Sindy and Holly for showing us how to get around the Chinese censorship of Google. We couldn't access this Blog until we learned the trick.

Today is Children's Day in China. Lynn and I have been taken to a Children's Day performance at the Changzhou City Hall's theatre.

Cherry and Leo our hosts have kept us busy and extremely well fed!

Yesterday we were greeted by representitives from the City's Department of Women and Children, and the Federation of Returning Overseas Chinese.  We were given round fruit to eat, to represent perfection and to help get our relationship off to a good start.  We were then given an incredible luncheon in a private dining room at the Changhzhou City Hall.  We cannot even begin to name all the dishes.  Lovely local fish and river shrimp, eels and many other local specialties - pigs ears too!  Thank goodness Lynn is even more adventurous an eater than I am.

There was also lots of toasting each other with French wine.  There was a protocol to this too. 

We have to run now, as we need to go visit more of Tianning Temple in a beautiful park nearby.

Welcome to my Blog

Hello Readers,

Welcome to my Blog. I have begun this in order to document my adventures in ECE and yoga, beginning with a trip to China and Japan with my wonderful friend and colleague, Lynn. 

I'm a little aprehensive about leaving my daughter home with her Uncle, affectionately know as Scar.  They tend to bicker.

Anyway, tomorrow - Shanghai here we come!