Running the Rainbow

Tianjin is about a 2 hour drive southeast of Beijing. Some history: In 1856, Chinese soldiers boarded The Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong flying the British flag and suspected of piracy, smuggling, and of being engaged in the opium trade. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. In response, the British and French sent gunboats under the command of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour to capture the Taku forts near Tianjin in May 1858. At the end of the first part of the Second Opium War in June of the same year, the Treaties of Tianjin were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade. The treaties were ratified by the Emperor of China in 1860, and Tianjin was formally opened to Great Britain and France, and thus to the outside world. Between 1895 and 1900, Britain and France were joined by Japan, Germany and Russia, and even by countries without Chinese concessions such as Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium, in establishing self-contained concessions in Tianjin, each ...

In 2019, I entered my 2 nd year of being a 3 rd grade homeroom teacher. This year has made me realize that teaching is my true calling. I have realized that I have a good ability to help the students with learning and behavior disabilities. New Years Resolution #1: Don't give up on teaching. Keep an open mind and don't settle. I have now been living away from family for over a year and it is incredibly hard on all of us. It has tested us and made us value the important things and let go of some of those petty things that we used to stress about. New Years Resolution #2: Start a thankful wall. Add notes daily to show thankfulness. I entered the world of single parenthood and have been raising 3 children on my own. It has made me stronger and more humble. New Years Resolution #3: Compliment all 3 of my kids daily. One of my biggest struggles in China has been getting my kids acclimated to the added responsibilities of attending a private international school. New Yea...