connie's space

Well, folks, I now have a brand new friend. Her name is Rosie Gal, due to her gorgeous rose-colored shine and utterly vibrant personality.

As of yesterday, she’s taken the place of silver-haired, steadfast-yet-storage-deprived, now disabled, Lady Gina. (Gina means “silver” in Japanese, FYI.)

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m talking of my MacBook Air Apple computers: One 6 1/2 years old which is no longer functioning; the other just slipped out of her plastic-encased box and clicking along eagerly.

The Story

Last year, Best Buy had a series of computers on sale which looked very enticing.

My old MacBook Air (Lady Gina) was working well but updates were not possible due to storage issues. Plus poor Lady Gina had been through so many trials and tribulations: dropped several times on hard floors, dragged on many transcontinental flights and local countryside bus journeys, keyboard letters rubbed off in numerous places, not to mention scratches, dents and dullness issues.

In my excitement of retiring Lady Gina, I checked out the before-Christmas sales and purchased a rose-tinted, 2021 updated Apple MacBook Air version with plenty of storage and additions to make me happy.

With my coveted possession in hand and not wanting to see it spoiled with use, I waited.

I waited to unpack gal Rosie until I was ready to deal with what I assumed would be hassles in transferring data, set-up, adjusting passwords, connecting to favored networks and so on.

After all, Lady Gina was still working just fine, albeit slowly and with “More storage needed” pop-ups whenever I wanted to download something. That was OK. I could deal with that.

Now fast forward 8 1/2 months later.

Here we are in August of 2023, with my new teaching placement on the horizon, and me thinking, “Hmm. Rosie gal is still waiting for her debut in the Wieck household. Maybe it’s about time to let her out.”

Despite this thought, I hesitated yet again until . . . . the coffee incident on Friday.

Tragedy in my little church office

I was finishing up some emails for my Mission Advocate position in my little church office, and quite anxious to get out of there on a Friday late afternoon, when the unthinkable happened: While taking that quick, final swig of coffee filled with half-and-half, I spilled.

I spilled coffee on myself.

I spilled coffee on the dark blue batik cloth that covers my desk.

And, yes, I spilled coffee on the computer.

Granted it wasn’t much but that little bit was all that was needed.

Circuits whirred. The screen flickered. The cursor stuck.

I watched in horror as a liquidy, wavy sheen began seeping it’s way across my screen-saver mountain landscape. I watched helplessly while it engulfed my desktop files one by one, as colors began to fade and darkness took over.

I desperately tried to sop up what I could, including holding the computer keyboard upside down in the hopes the coffee would drain out, but it was useless.

Lady Gina was damaged beyond her ability to recuperate.

She was disintegrating fast, holding on just long enough for me to quickly slip in that external hard drive to back up what was not in my iCloud account. (Yes, lesson learned from computer geeks who remind us careless folk over and over and over again to ALWAYS back up everything on a daily basis.)

Thus my story of Lady Gina’s demise and Rosie Gal’s entrance into the cyberspace world.

Protective measures now taken

Rosie is currently speeding along smoothly, with only a 20-minute task on my part to turn her on and get all that was needed for our new relationship to begin. Passwords saved, Netflix connected, bookmarks operational, email accounts accessed . . . What a relief!

In preparation of further mishaps, I have now ordered a hardcover snap-on case for those future accidental drops, a keyboard protector for upcoming spills and a screen cover to keep off dust, pet hairs and splashes that might send me once again into panic mode.

Despite the tech headache, it seems all has ended up for the best.

As for Lady Gina, she’ll be delivered to my local computer store as a give-away. If salvageable, I’m happy to have someone try returning her from the after life. She’s served me well these many years and deserves a little of God’s saving grace.

From Marshall, Illinois, here’s hoping your computer woes never, ever, ever match mine.

It’s been a very long wait of several months for my new placement’s announcement and it’s now official: I’ll be going to a country in Southeast Asia as the coordinator of the Sunbeam Vocational and Training Center, located in the capital city.

As I learn more, I’ll post here but in celebration of this new move in life, I made sure to include my new language component (hello) in my yearly summer swimming video. Bowing with hands together, saying “Hello” in the local language, is the custom of greeting, thus I included below along with greetings to my Chinese friends and former students in Luzhou.

For those not aware of my swimming prowess, I’ve been swimming since age 3. This website has numerous entries about my pool experiences throughout Taiwan, China, Japan and the US over the many years I’ve been teaching overseas.

I’ve participated in swimming teams during my younger years and then, after college, just for my own pleasure to keep fit, meditate and enjoy socializing with those of different cultures who have the same health and exercise interest as I do: lap swimming.

I’m not the only one in my small town who feels this way when it comes to the water. Here are the die-hard swimmers of Marshall, Illinois, all in our 50’s and going strong.

A Pool Story from China Worth Telling

I can’t tell you what a joy it is for me to visit a new pool with new people to connect to and a new environment to explore. My pool searches have led me on so many adventures.

In Guangxi Province, China, I remember taking fascinating local bus journeys through beautiful, lush countryside, with walks through an ancient village market place, to enjoy a middle-of-nowhere pool located in the midst of a vast pineapple field.

One day upon my arrival, the 50-meter pool had been drained and the staff of 7 was scrubbing the bottom. Since I’d spent an hour getting there and couldn’t swim, I figured I might as well not make it a wasted trip so I joined them in their efforts. Picking up the long-handled heavy scrub brush, we worked together under the roasting hot sun to finish getting off all the fuzzy green algae. (The water wasn’t chlorinated and was replaced every 3 days). Afterwards, the staff invited me to have a snack of bananas, picked fresh off a nearby tree, and tea before I departed.

The next day when I arrived to get in my daily laps, the 10 yuan ( $1.50) fee was waved.

My protests went unheeded as the manager insisted I accept my free ticket. After a culturally acceptable number of attempts of trying to pay, I gave in, making us all happy.

Joining in a new culture through a sport is not a time-wasting activity

To this day, I still have clearly embedded in my memory that special relationship established with the pool staff and the market ladies I met along the way to my swimming outing. And that’s not the only amazing story I’ve had of where my pool searches have taken me.

I’ve had Chinese Christian ladies corner me in the changing room and openly pray over me as we stood in our undies. I’ve given swimming advice after my workouts to anyone interested in improving his or her stroke. I’ve played water games with little kids who were fascinated by the foreigner who swam so fast. I’ve met strangers who became close friends all due to my daily pool visits and my willingness to converse.

For those who think my pool time is a money waster, an indulgence that needs examining, an obsession that is unworthy of the work I feel tasked to do as an educator and a Christian, I beg to disagree.

Keeping healthy, nurturing a sound mind, staying physically fit while being socially active, is a necessary part of fitting in to a new country and environment.

Thus my advice for earth-shattering, life-altering moves is this: Hold onto that stable something that keeps you from getting overly anxious, worried, upset, overwhelmed and depressed, because all those feelings will absolutely attack your well-being once you’re thrown into different, strange surroundings.

For me, that special something is the pool. And don’t you know I’ve already found several lap pools in my area that look very promising on Youtube!

Who knows what new friends and experiences await me there. I’m sure it will be just as rewarding and blessed as all those past encounters in my Asia placements, maybe even more so.

Thanks for joining me in this space. Have a great week!

Just another update on my rescue dogs from China.

As previously posted, Lucy and Beanie are looking for a home.

This bonded pair will not be able to come with me on whatever my next overseas placement will be thus the need for a loving owner to take them in. They have waited so long for a permanent home, over 3 years in a Chinese kennel during Covid and now here with me, settling into an American lifestyle of good food, cozy beds, leash walks around my small town and nearby Lincoln Trail State Park and even a few wild abandonment races around the county fairgrounds. There the pair have worked together as a team, chasing groundhogs, rabbits, squirrels and even deer.

Want to see their excitement? Here you are, captured on video.

Are they really that wild, you might ask? Not when it comes to their evening snack.

Lucy delicately takes her piece of popcorn every night from my mom while Beanie greedily snatches her goodie. Much like the critters she desperately craves to race after, Beanie the terrier is unable to contain her eagerness or enthusiasm for anything in life.

As always, I am willing to bring them over for visits, overnights and trial runs. They do not do well with children and Beanie is a fan of the ladies but not so much the men. I can give more details if you wish. Just contact me at: corneliaw2000@hotmail.com.

This is Connie, waiting for hearts to be moved and a match to appear.

For Mother’s Day, my hometown church is having a Mothers-Daughters-Friends banquet with fun activities afterwards. I purchased 4 tickets for me, my mom, friend Beverly (same age as my mom – 89) and our church secretary, Pat. Both Bev and Pat have helped me out so much with my newsletter mailings, copying and stuffing envelopes, so I wanted to treat them to something special.

After the dinner, the entertainment is to deck oneself in various hats, leis, hair clips and beads, go about to different photography stations and take pictures using your own personal cell phone. Before we begin our photo-taking sessions, one of our members (a professional photographer) will give a short program how to pose yourself, family members and what settings to use on your phone camera to make your pictures spectacular.

This idea was actually my mom’s so we’ll see how it turns out.

My mom’s Newspaper column for Mother’s Day

(My mom writes a weekly column for the newspaper, called Walk with Me. I’ll include the below which she had published yesterday, in honor of mothers.)

The only thing I can say about our last few weeks of colder and windier than normal weather is that we have had a longer than usual time to enjoy the flowering trees and bushes. Even the early blooming flowers have hung around longer. I hope you haven’t missed some of the local spectacular floral displays. Now it is time to put in those summer bedding plants as the ground is finally getting warm enough.

This week we all have walked right into Mothers Day, a day that includes grandmothers, sisters, mothers-in law and really, all women. If we haven’t been a mother, we all have had mothers. In our culture, it is a women-inclusive day. Recently I read that more phone calls are made on Mothers Day than any other time during the year. It is also the time when flower sales are highest. I learned from the National Retail Federation that over 312 billion dollars are spent on gifts for this special day with an average of 245 dollars spent on each gift.

Wow! 245 dollars for a Mothers Day gift carries a pretty heft price tag. I can recall a few of the gifts I gave my own mother but the price tag wasn’t anyway near that. Often the gift was a small vial of Evening in Paris cologne from the local Five and Dime . Those cobalt blue vials with the blue tassels looked really uptown to me and besides, they were within my price range.

One year as a gift, I vividly remember spending over an hour reading labels on 78 rpm vinyl records trying to decide which one to purchase. Our family had just acquired a record player and I wanted to add to our small collection of discs. I seem to recall it was a Decca label with a recording of Roy Rodgers singing something. Looking back now, I realize Roy Rogers was not really to my mother’s musical taste, but I am sure she appreciated the well-intentioned effort.

One year, for some strange reason, the family (husband Bill, son Paul and little Connie) and I decided to take both grandmothers to our nearby Lincoln Trail State Park for a grand cook-out and walk around. I’m not sure what we were thinking because both of those women were definitely not the outdoor type. Oh, they did appreciate nature as long as they didn’t have to spend too much time in it. It was a very warm day and as I remember, there wasn’t a lot of shade because the trees’ dense foliage had not yet fully developed. In addition to the lack of shade, the gnats were beginning to swarm. I don’t think either of the grandmothers enjoyed the great outdoors that year. The food, yes. Nature, no!

I don’t have too many memories of gifts I received on this great day. There were, of course, many hand- made cards carefully constructed in various of the children’s school classrooms, thanks to caring teachers. However, one special gift will never be forgotten. Connie and I still laugh about it today. That was the year I was trying to eat a low fat diet. For Mothers Day, husband Bill made a special, intentional grocery trip. Imagine my surprise when I opened the fridge to find it filled with a lot more food than usual. Every item had been wrapped in paper bags and labeled: Celery, carrots, lettuce and other veggies considered “healthy” were identified as “low fat.” His favorite ham, bologna, margarine tub and various meats (as well as ice cream in the freezer ) bore the words “high fat.”

For 30 minutes, I had great fun revealing from the paper bags what Bill had so carefully prepared but it took us several weeks to eat through this bounty of food. I will say that surprise gift has since become our most remembered, and favorite retold, Mothers Day story.

We all have wonderful stories to share but I include this last note concerning those mothers you don’t know: When you are celebrating Mothers Day with your friends and family, please take time to remember those mothers who are in war zones all over the world. Their day will not be as pleasant as ours. We should all acknowledge this and not forget them. Peace

My three rescue dogs in China have finally arrived in America.

Chihuahua Little Sister, terrier Little Bean and sweet campus stray, Lucy, are adjusting well in my smalltown community after over 3 years being away from me.

These three had been kenneled in Luzhou, my Chinese city, since I left in 2020 on what was to be my 1-month winter break as a college teacher. Unexpectedly,  my four-week holiday ballooned into over 3 years when China’s strict Covid lockdown policies went into effect.  Foreigners and Chinese alike were stranded overseas and not allowed to return.  Despite my best efforts from afar to place my pets, none of my Chinese friends would take them.

On March 15, China finally threw open its doors to full international travel but my placement as an English language teacher with the Amity Foundation closed. I had expected to return to start up the new school year but that will not be happening.

Instead, I will be assigned to a new teaching position overseas, in another country. This news left somewhat of a dilemma concerning two things:

1. When to get back to China to pack up over 30 years worth of household things in the school’s apartment (still working on that one)
2. What to do with my four fostered animals.

Three-legged Three Finds a Home

I had been asking numerous friends to adopt my 4 foster animals left behind with kennel staff but only one person took me up on the offer. Just recently, Three, 3-legged kitty, found his way into one of my former student’s home along with her husband. “Angel” has been sending numerous pictures of fat and sassy Three flopped on her floor, cuddled under covers or hanging out at a kitty-friendly coffee shop she and husband, Wolf, patron quite often.

For Three, life now is finally once again full of love, attention and family.

My uncle to the rescue

 But the dogs, after 3 years, had yet to be taken in.

On many phone calls to my uncle, my mother’s brother, I had spoken of missing my pets and how distraught I was as to what to do. When I broke the news I was not to return to China as a teacher, he said, “Connie, you need your pets with you. I know how much my little fuzzy doggie means to me so just bring them back and I’ll take care of the cost.”

A Fascinating Journey

After an American friend put me in touch with DD Pet Relocation Service, an animal shipping company out of China, I arranged for their arrival. It took a total of 16 days with quite a round-about travel: private van pick-up from. my Luzhou kennel to the Chongqing Airport (2 hours away), flight to southern Guangzhou Province (2 hours), a 3-day wait there for overseas documents, a flight to Turkey first (16 hours) with Serbian caretaker Dusan, then to Serbia, after which Dusan was put in charge of getting their US paperwork completed. That took 7 days. Next came the flight to America–Serbia to Turkey to Chicago (18 hours) –after which Dusan immediately loaded them into a rented van to bring them directly to my doorstep in Marshall, Illinois.

They landed at 1:30 a.m. and have been here ever since.

Sister will stay with me.  But my fervent hope is that someone in Marshall, or the surrounding area, will welcome terrier Little Bean and campus stray Lucy into their homes as fosters or permanent family members. I would love to see the two stay together as they are best friends.  Please think on it, either for yourself or someone you know, as you read their stories.

Little Bean, the Terrier

On a main street near my college was a veterinarian clinic.  Unwanted pets or sick street animals were often dumped at this facility because no one wanted to pay for their care. They were thrown into rusted cages in an unlit back room.  Aside from being fed, they were basically ignored. Some died; others clung desperately to life.

One day, a compassionate staff member waved me in, showed me the back room and wondered if I’d ask friends to adopt any of the cats or dogs there.  I did manage to find loving owners for two but the rest were problematic.  In the end, I took the ones in greatest need:  Three, the three-legged kitten with a mangled limb, Stinky the Yorkie with a leaking urinary tract, and Little Bean, the terrier with a horrific case of mange.   I hustled Three and Stinky to Chengdu, a city 4 hours away by bus, to an excellent veterinarian hospital.  They had the operations necessary to give them normal lives.  Three accompanied me back to Luzhou and Stinky stayed in Chengdu with an American couple.   

Beanie, meanwhile, remained with me, Sister and Three.  After several months of medicated shampoos, good nutrition and a lot of comforting care, she was added to our little clan.

 Sweet Lucy, the Campus Stray

My college campus was full of strays.  Dogs of all sizes wandered through the gates, looking for food or shelter, until they were chased away by the school’s security guards.  One was Blackie, who was looked after by several campus workers.  When she had a litter of 2 puppies, which I named Linus and Lucy, tolerance of her presence changed. Student safety became an issue as more animals appeared. Edicts came down from school leaders to get rid of all homeless dogs and cats by any means possible.  Blackie, Linus and numerous others were poisoned.  Lucy managed to escape the poisoning but not the harsh methods used by the workers to evict any dog in sight.  I found her cowering under a bush, her front leg snapped in two.  Without hesitation, I scooped her up, carried her to my apartment and the next day, took her to one of the better veterinarian clinics in my city.

The X-ray showed a nasty break, one that could be stabolized with an implanted metal rod.  After a successful surgery, Lucy recovered to her full, happy self.  She joined Beanie, Sister, Three, and me to complete our contented, peaceful little household.

Hanging Out in the Wieck Household

As you read this article, our migrants are happily playing in the back yard, enjoying the sunshine.  Three, however, did not join his canine siblings.  

Will someone reading this consider offering Little Bean and Lucy a similar happy ending as Three?  Please contact me at corneliaw2000@hotmail.com.  I’ll be happy to answer questions and discuss foster or adoption details.  Working together, let’s welcome our newly arrived immigrants with the best homes imaginable.

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The message from my Chinese college’s foreign affairs director was heartbreaking. 

 “Connie,” it read.  “We are so sorry.  Amity has ended the teaching program. We will not invite you back.” 

For 24 years, the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries partnered with China’s Christian-founded service organization, the Amity Foundation, to place me as an educator at struggling colleges in China.   

Since 1987, Amity has been inviting foreign language teachers to teach at  small universities and junior colleges whose budgets couldn’t pay top salaries for a foreigner. Colleges in China offer majors in business, international trade and English education. Furthermore, Chinese PhD candidates wishing to study overseas or those doing research, hoping to be published in international journals, must have their articles written in English, the common language for such publications. All of this requires students choosing from numerous selected courses in our language, thus the importance of dedicated, qualified English language teachers in the country. Many higher educational institutions in China can’t afford insurance, flight fees and bonuses which larger, more prominent Chinese universities can.    Thus Amity has stepped in by offering an Amity Foundation Teacher, one committed to service rather than wealth. 

I have been very honored to be a teacher through this uplifting, vital program.  When I became stranded in the States due to Covid, with China closing its borders during the pandemic, it was devastating.  While I’ve been very grateful to my denomination for giving me a USA position (Mission Advocate for the North Central Jurisdiction), it hasn’t been the same as teaching.  

Now China has finally opened.  But after anxiously awaiting for 3 years to return to Luzhou Vocational and Technical College, I have been told the Amity Teaching program has come to an end.  

In a recent Zoom meeting, it was fully explained the reasons behind this. 

First, the Amity Foundation status at sponsoring schools is becoming problematic.   China is divided into 31 provinces, which are similar to America’s 50 states.  During these 3 years of Covid, without my presence, my position as an Amity Foundation teacher was not reinstated in Sichuan Province.  In fact, I was told the provincial government denied Amity’s application because the officials didn’t understand why an organization located in Jiangsu Province was requesting to have a foreign teacher employed in Sichuan Province.  The strong ties Amity had with government officials in Sichuan since 2001 had, sadly, disintegrated during the Covid years.  

Secondly, the number of Amity teachers has dwindled.  We used to have 40 to 50  instructors from all over the world who taught in this program.  But over the years, this has not been the case. Many teachers couldn’t commit to living several years overseas without adequate salaries.  Advertising among denominations and service organizations for possible Amity teachers in China also diminished.  Plus the request by colleges for Amity teachers plummeted as China became more prosperous, with schools becoming financially sound enough  to hire their own teachers at competitive pay scale.  In 2020, I was the last Amity Foundation teacher left standing.  All of my colleagues had left due to retirement, health reasons or monetary constraints. 

Thirdly, Amity staff is stretched too thin.  The Amity Teaching Program is  a minuscule part of Amity’s education division.  The cost of the program, staff involvement, and paperwork involved was just not feasible for only one person, myself. 

 Lastly, Global Ministries  requires partnership between its in-country organizations and our placements. If the placement ends, or is no longer viable or needed, we move on to where we can be of better service.

Discussions are underway of sending me to a different country where my skills as an English teacher can be of more help.  I should know where that will be in a few weeks. So exciting!!

As for my apartment on my college campus in China, when the time comes,  I will be returning to clear out, pack up and send my things onward to my next teaching position. I will have the ability to say goodbye, sing with my church choir once again, enjoy numerous farewell banquets, and lead a few English language seminars for interested students and colleagues.  Absolutely, I will have the necessary closure to emotionally, mentally and spiritually depart from the country and people that have so warmly embraced me these many years.

Be following this space for more news from me! (See below our recently taken church directory photo: me, China rescue Bridget and my mom, Priscilla. Yes, I’m still living with Mom in her “new” little house. And, yes, I am a VERY grateful, and feel extremely blessed, to have such a wonderful mother.)

This article, “Tongue-tied before my hero,” by Marshall, Illinois native Connie Wieck, was published in the October 11, 2012 issue of The Christian Science Monitor’s Home Forum section. As Jimmy Carter is now in hospice, I share it with you here.

I recently received an email from my mother concerning an interview she’d heard with Jimmy Carter

“I’m sure you can catch it online,” she wrote, then added, “Remember when you met Jimmy Carter?”

Leave it to a mother to start rattling skeletons in her daughter’s closet. Although there are plenty to rattle, my face-to-face meeting with Mr. Carter has always been a particularly embarrassing experience to recall.

In 1997, I was staying near the campus of  Emory University in Atlanta, attending a three-month orientation program for overseas work. Our small group of participants was fairly representative of the global village: Some were first-time visitors to America. Others were residents or US citizens. But we all knew about Jimmy Carter. I took great pride in my former US president, a man whom I greatly admired for his humanitarian work both in my country and around the world.

The final days of our program had been hectic. I’d had no time to return several books to the university library, so I found myself heading out on a chilly December evening to do so.

I arrived on a campus that was oddly quiet. With final exams beginning the next day, students were absorbed in their studies.

While taking a shortcut through the student union, I came across a posted announcement: “Today from 4 to 6 p.m., Jimmy Carter book signing. Join us!”

My heart sank. Of all the worthwhile campus events I had carefully scheduled in my calendar, this one had slipped my notice. It was well past six o’clock. I’d missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a legend.

In irritation, I made my way down the corridor leading outside. As I passed a meeting room, I glimpsed a white-haired man at a long table.

I stopped.

Was that who I thought it was?

I stealthily peered through the open doorway.

Carter was methodically signing a pile of books. A formidable bodyguard in a neatly pressed suit stood nearby. No one else was in sight.

I dashed to the adjacent student union bookstore, snatched Carter’s book from the shelf, paid the cashier, and sprinted back to the conference room. As I ran, I rehearsed what I’d say: I’d ooze words of admiration, spout intelligent remarks, pose profound questions. This meeting was to be a highlight of my life. I wanted it to be perfect.

I stepped inside the room. With feigned calm, I approached the man who had so inspired me. He looked up with that famous wide smile of his. I opened my mouth and out came … nothing.

“Mr. Carter,” I finally squeaked, “I admire you so much!”

“Why, thank you,” he said kindly, prying the book from my nervous grip.

He slowly opened to the front cover.

“And are you a student here?” he asked politely.

“Uh, no.”

He waited for further explanation. I frantically searched for something to say and miraculously managed a complete sentence.

“I’m attending an orientation.”

He nodded.

“Overseas work.”

He looked interested.

“Teaching.”

He smiled encouragingly.

“In Taiwan, ” I added.

“And do you speak Chinese?” he asked while signing my book with a quick stroke of his pen.

“A little.”

There was a pause, meant for me to display some of my language expertise. But for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single word to say in my own language, much less another.

“Well, that’s good,” he continued. “I wish you the best of luck.”

“Uh, thank you. Thank you very much.”

I took back my book, wanting desperately to say more. Instead, I watched Carter turn back to signing the pile of books as I made a speedy getaway.

I’ve relived that meeting many times. In those encounters, I don’t try to impress with brilliant statements and intellectual chatter. Carter and I simply talk about sensitizing others to the world’s cultural differences and establishing understanding among nations. In that meeting, I discover what it takes to be a Nobel Piece Prize winner and, years later, can reflect upon a remarkable conversation with a man who has brought the world’s people a little closer to unity and peace.

My mother, along with Bridget the dog, and I often go walking at our nearby Lincoln Trail State Park. Our exercise routine has been made even more enjoyable with all the winter wildlife that has been recently found calling the park home.

Last week, we enjoyed the flocks of duck, Canadian geese and swan that were hanging out on their journeys. There were thousands! Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my cell phone to get a picture. Today, I thought to remedy that but, alas, when we arrived, all had disappeared. Only a measly few stragglers (5 swan, 1 goose and 2 ducks) were left swimming their way on the water’s surface.

How disappointing.

We regretted losing the moment last week but rather than waste our trip, we turned to the winter campground road (now empty of visitors) to march our way close to the woods before heading down the walkway trail we so much enjoy.

It was on our brisk walk that we saw thi white speck in the distance.

At first, we thought it was a dog. But as we crept slowly toward it, closer and closer and closer, we realized it was . . . . a deer.

Yes, a pure white albino deer. The lack of pigmentation showed a white hide, pink nose and white hooves. I didn’t make it close enough to check the eyes before he darted away but I’m guessing the eyes were pink, as is customary for this kind of unusual, rare genetic condition.

I did some research later and discovered one in 30,000 deer is an albino. Considering how infrequently such an animal comes into being, I would say my mom and I are so very fortunate to be seeing one in person. My mom is 89 and this is the first time she’s ever seen one.

What a remarkable, amazing surprise for our day!

I also found there are several superstitions surrounding an albino deer. One states that if a hunter kills an albino deer, the hunter will experience bad luck in hunting for the rest of his life.

Native American lore suggests that white animals are a sign of prophecy, a message from the Great Spirit to be discussed among the tribal elders: “The role of the white deer is to remind us of our spirituality. ‘This white one represents the sacredness of all living things and they should be left alone, never hunted or bothered. When we see them, we should take notice of our own spirituality and think about where we are with it.’ “

As for me and my mom, we just felt very honored that Mother Nature gave us this moment to see the beauty and astounding diversity of the many creatures on the earth. And I was grateful to have my i-phone with me to get the pictures!

Yes, the Year of the Rabbit is nearly upon us!

Today, January 21 (Saturday), is Spring Festival Eve (Chinese New Year Eve), celebrated by Chinese all around the world, with January 22nd beginning the Year of the Rabbit.

At present, it’s just after midnight in China, a time when everyone stays up late to watch TV gala performances of celebrities and well-known talk show hosts usher in the new year. In other words, people are up and diligently engaged in celebrating.

My former students, friends and Chinese church choir members are rapidly exploding my WeChat text messages with greetings.

兔年快乐！Happy Year of the Rabbit!
愿好运和好运伴随着你来年。May good luck and fortune be with you in the coming year.
新年快乐！Happy New Year!

I, in return, have already sent out my own greeting via video which my mom helped me prepare. I have numerous remarks already, of how great my mom looks (89) and how much I am missed. Here is our video below:

For a rescue from China, Bridget doesn’t seem all too enthusiastic about the upcoming holiday, which will last 15 days until the Lantern Festival ends the celebrations and all go back to work.

Updates about my Return

At present, my college will not be in session again until February 6 when students return to start up a new semester.  At that time, my Chinese organization’s (The Amity Foundation) Education Division Director, “Olivia” Chen,  will once again be discussing with college leaders when they can send my invitation letter to once again return to teach.  This has been ongoing since November and I’m not sure why it is taking so long.  I believe the college wants to re-negotiate the strict contract which all Amity teachers follow:  16 teaching hours a week, only English Education Majors (not business or tourism) and participation in the 3-self church if we wish.

A different China than when I left

During these past 3 years, China has greatly changed and become more inwardly focused.  The English language, while a mandatory subject in elementary, junior and senior high school, is now not considered as vital as before.  This means less students who will major in teaching English and more students going into the tourism and business fields. 

While this has always been somewhat of a struggle between Amity’s criteria and colleges applying for an Amity teacher, the colleges mostly are happy to follow such guidelines because they will receive qualified, experienced teachers and our salary follows that of the Chinese teachers:  We receive 4,200 yuan (roughly $700 US) a month whereas most native-speaking foreign teachers with NO experience or background in English education receive $2,000 – 4,000 a month, plus free housing and bonuses. These are from private children’s language schools who have very wealthy parents, not public government colleges which Amity only associates with. Of course, for that high amount, schools often take advantage and give teachers work schedules of teaching every day (6-7 days a week), 8 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m., evening hours being assigned for parents willing to pay that extra for private lessons. Children at such private institutions usually range in age from 2 years old (!!) to 12.

Personally speaking, I think we become more of a babysitter than a teacher under such circumstances but that’s my own opinion.

It really just depends on the contract and what was agreed upon how the school wishes to use the foreign teacher.  Many times, though, the contract is not honored and the foreign teacher is stuck at the school.  He or she can’t leave because the visa is tied to the school.  Leaving one school and going to another requires a lot of paperwork, uprooting and new certifications or documents needed which the teacher has to pay for.

In Closing: Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Having said all of that, I am hoping that my college will agree to Amity’s mission, which is to educate the future teachers of China, and allow me to continue as their only foreign language teacher.  If not, there are other schools in China which are wanting an Amity teacher and since I’m the LAST one left, I guess I’ll have my pick!

If you have time, folks, go to your local Chinese restaurant and wish those there a Happy New Year.  They’ll be so pleased you remembered them on their special day.

From Illinois, here’s wishing you 平安 (ping-ahn, Peace) for your weekend.

For the past 3 years, while in the States, I’ve made sure to keep in constant contact with my Chinese friends, former students, teaching colleagues, school leaders and my Chinese church community at the Luzhou Protestant Church. We communicate daily on China’s WeChat, a network I describe as a combination of Facebook and What’s App.

WeChat posts for me include voice mails, videos, mini-blogs and lots of pictures. What received the most notice for December were all the activities my mom and I did for the holidays: Christmas tree buying, house decorating, church worship services, choir practices, baking cookies and delivering these to neighbors, shoveling snow (Sichuan, where I teach, rarely has freezing temperatures or snow), my town’s tour of Christmas lights, and Christmas Day happenings, including coming to the free community turkey dinner which had 100 attending.

What gained the most comments, however, was my yearly Christmas and New Year’s video featuring myself, my mom and my older brother.

Our first one in 2021 was an arm-twisting venture on my part.

I was expecting that I’d be back in China the next year so I somewhat blackmailed my mom and brother into doing a holiday greeting to my Chinese students as: “This will never, ever happen again as I doubt I’ll be in America for another Christmas anytime soon. Please, please do this for me?”

Despite their complaints and heavy sighs of “Oh, all right! Let’s get it over with,” both were eager to watch it over and over again after I sent out to over 40 in China, including numerous chat groups I belong to. For a week after, I had so many comments made about our video, from how young my mom looked to what a great singer my brother was to how cute the dog acted.

On a daily basis, my mom would ask, “So what did someone have to say about our video this morning?” (See below’s 2021 Greeting)

This Year’s Greeting

Now we come to this past Christmas, with me still being here and my once-again ask of mom and elder brother for yet another recording of a holiday message for 2022.

There were moans and groans, eye-rolling and the previous year’s “Well, let’s hurry up and get it over with,” but I noticed that after it was done, they both seemed pleased not only with our performance but with the many responses it received.

See what you think of our 2022 family holiday video. It was VERY well-received in China, accompanied by “Connie, welcome you to come back soon!” from my Chinese contacts.

China News Today

Today is January 8th, the true opening of China. 10-day hotel quarantines and cell phone App Covid negative codes are no longer required for any incoming flights from overseas. The Chinese wealthy, and those itching to get out of the country to either tour or visit overseas relatives, have booked flights to Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Europe, Indonesia, America, Australia, Canada . . . and the list goes on. With the approach of Chinese New Year (January 22) and the 7-day holiday that follows, travel outside the country has really picked up and will continue to do so for the next month. Although the spread of Covid is horrendous at present due to the open-up policy, with almost all of those I know either infected with Covid or recovering from Covid, this doesn’t seem to stop anyone from leaving home, eating out, visiting friends or relatives or engaging in domestic and international travel.

The young seem to be faring well after getting Covid but the death toll is very high among the elderly, with only 40% having been fully vaccinated. This low number was due to a lax push for the older communities to get vaccinated and also suspicion of Western-style approaches (vaccinations and overseas medicine) vs. Chinese traditional methods of healing (herbal based and accupuncture).

Shocking videos have inundated the Internet on overseas websites: hospitals overwhelmed with the sick, worried relatives attending patient-filled cots lining medical center hallways, long lines outside of pharmacies for any much-needed, in-short-supply drugs, body bags piling high in freezer units or warehouses, and crematoriums working 24/7 to deal with the growing number of dead. Grieving relatives are having to book cremation and funeral space 10 days in advance (or longer). In the meantime, I have no idea where their deceased loved ones are being held while the wait for cremation and funerals commences.

There are so many heart-wrenching stories and videos. These are not being highlighted at all in the Chinese public. The government reports only 22 have so far died of Covid. We all know that is not true, the Chinese included. Most likely, the true number of infections and deaths will never be announced with accuracy, this year or in the future.

What about Connie’s Return?

Now that China is opening up, I’m anxiously waiting for announcements about when I can get back to my teaching placement at Luzhou Vocational and Technical College.

At present, my partner organization (The Amity Foundation) is working directly with my college in Luzhou for an official invite for me to return. From what I understand, the Amity director is needing to re-negotiate and re-instate my status as an Amity Foundation Teacher with the school before I can begin the process of applying for my visa and prepare to get back to my classroom and students. Rest assured, Amity is earnestly working with my school leaders and the college’s foreign affairs office to see everything is in order, documents properly prepared, so I can smoothly slide into my teaching position once again.

I have been told to be patient.

I expect with Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) approaching, and the usual 7-day holiday from January 22 – January 30, plus students not returning to school until Feb. 6 to start up the new semester, nothing much will probably be done.

Keep watching this space, and hope for that announcement within the next month of my hoped-for rejoining of my college staff in 2023. What a joyful announcement that will be!