The Day After Ya’an’s Quake

Posted on April 21, 2013 by connieinasia

          With the earthquake from yesterday still on our minds, everyone I ran into  in Luzhou was revisiting their shaking experiences today.

            Our campus photography woman, whose shop lies across the front gate from our school, told me how her light fixtures swayed from side to side.  She lives on the10th floor of a nearby new apartment building.  Everyone headed toward the stairwell for the rush downward, although some decided to take the elevator.

            Emergency procedures for most Chinese are usually forgotten when panic hits.  Using an elevator in an earthquake situation is certainly not something one should do, obviously, but I guess her neighbors didn’t care.

            The sidestreet store owner down the road told how her huge umbrella, used for shade, fell over.  She pointed out to me how it was sunk in a concrete holder and yet it still toppled to the ground.

            At church, we had prayers for those affected by the disaster.  Nearly 200 were reported dead with over 6,000 injured.  Rain in the area has made it difficult to get to remote villages.  Mudslides and destroyed roads are the most hazardous problems at the moment.  Our Luzhou Protestant Church is discussing sending doctors, nurses and medical supplies from the church clinic.

             And from my organization, The Amity Foundation, we were sent an email from the staff, which I include below.

             (FYI:  Amity has summer English programs (SEP) for adult language teachers which take place in many different parts of China. Ya’an, a city of 1.5 million, was selected as an SEP site in 2011. These SEP’s are taught every year by American and British volunteers, from numerous Christian denominations, who lead English teachers in workshops to improve their language and teaching skills.  Amity’s disaster relief division is also hard at work sending much-needed supplies to the area.  As you can read, you will see Amity is hard at work taking care of the affected area as best they can.)

 “Wendy” Wu’s Email:  The Amity Foundation Reaches Out to Others

Dear friends,

 At 8:02 am on April 20th in Lushan county of Ya’an city in Sichuan province (30.3 degrees latitude north, 103.0 degrees longitude east), a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred, with an epicenter depth of 13 kilometers. 

 I believe that some of you may still remember that Ya’an was one of our SEP teaching sites in the year of 2011.  After the earthquake took place, I tried to contact Mr. Li Mingqing, who serves as director of the Teaching Institute, Ya’an Education Bureau.  Several hours later, I was glad to learn that he was safe and sound and managed to exchange a few text messages with him to learn about the actual situation there.  Amity sent the first rescue team to the spot later in the afternoon of April 20th, with food and supplies.  And the second rescue team set off this afternoon. 

 Please keep Ya’an in your prayer, and wish the Amity staff of disaster relief team the best of luck!  

Sincerely yours,

Ms. Wendy Wu / Wu Meijuan

Program Officer of Education and International Exchange Division

 Starting Up The Week

        As for myself, it’s time to start up the week again before  another holiday hits us.       

          Labor Day (May 1st) will put yet another hiatus in my teaching schedule.  Will we have Monday to Wednesday off or Wednesday to Friday off?  The school officials haven’t yet decided. We’re all waiting to hear. 

       In the meantime, I’m just grateful to have a full week of teaching without all these interruptions.  If it were up to me, I’d do away with  these piddly one-to-two day holidays and just have us dismiss early for summer break. 

        Oh, well. Not my decision to make.    

         From Luzhou, here’s sending you Ping An (Peace) for your Sunday with good wishes to all those working hard to help our earthquake survivors.

 

Posted in From Along the Yangtze, Luzhou Vocational and Technical College, Luzhou: Yangtze Rivertown Stories | Leave a comment

5 Years Later: It’s Happening . . . . Again??!!

Posted on April 20, 2013 by connieinasia

            My Saturday morning alarm went off at 7 a.m. but on a Saturday morning, when there are no classes to teach, I turned the thing off.
           Ah, the luxury of sleeping in!
           Not more than an hour later, the earthquake struck.
           It came as they all do with a gentle shaking.
           I opened my eyes and waited for the small trembler to pass as most did, almost unnoticed. These were the earthquakes we had now-a-days in Sichuan. Nothing like the devastating May 12 Wenchuan Quake, just 3 weeks shy of its 5th year anniversary.
          But this one surprised all of us.
          The bed shook, slowly and quietly at first and then rocked violently side to side.
          O.K. Not so small.
          Time to get out!
          Familiar sounds from 5 years ago followed me outside my apartment building: windows rattling, doors flying open, neighbors calling out and hustling down the stairwell, shouts in the distance of students in their dormitories, evacuating outside, cell phones turning on as people began calling friends.

My neighors, waiting outside until they feel safe enough to return.

My neighors, waiting outside until they feel safe enough to return.

Students from the dormitories await the "all clear" sign after fleeing outside.

Students from the dormitories await the “all clear” sign after fleeing outside.

Huddling in groups, students comfort one another.

Huddling in groups, students comfort one another.

 

Cell phones were in constant use, checking on friends or family.

Cell phones were in constant use, checking on friends or family.


   Memories of “The Big One”    

           This was my 8 a.m. wake-up call over an hour ago, so reminiscent of 5 years ago when I was living in Chengdu. We all remember that earthquake.  It killed over 90,000, flattened cities and towns and caused an entire country, whose people are usually concerned only with themselves, to unite as one and come to the aid of others.
           It was a very moving, trying time in the history of China and one which I witnessed first hand.
           My thoughts as stood outside along with everyone else: Is this tragedy yet to take place again? Where was the epicenter?  How many were killed or injured?  

          According to BBC reports, this was a 6.6 magnitude quake, roughly 71 miles southwest of Chengdu, and is located on the same Longmenshan fault as the 2008 tragedy.  Ya’an (about 100 miles from us) is the largest city in that area.  47 have been reported killed and over 100 injured, although that number will probably rise.

              Years ago, my Chengdu neighbors and I sat outside our small apartment complex while awaiting the danger to pass. I remember our pet owners bundled up their animals and made sure they were safely by their side. I had Little Flower with me, along with my pity save, abandoned kitten Little Ghost, who was enjoying attention from the children wanting to play with her.
            This time, I am at a safer distance farther south. Luzhou might experience the outer-lying waves of bigger quakes as well as mini-tremors, which are coming to us every 10 minutes or so, but it will never get the fuller impact of those up north.  

              Please keep in your thoughts and prayers those who are less fortunate than us here.
            I’m sure as the day progresses, we’ll be hearing more and more about this morning wake-up call. Hopefully, it will not be anything nearly as catastrophic or heartbreaking as 5 years ago.

           From along the Yangtze, here’s wishing you Ping An (Peace) for your day.

Posted in Luzhou Vocational and Technical College, Tales from Sichuan's Yangtze Rivertown, Luzhou, Tales from The Yangtze River | 1 Comment

Healthy and Happy, With Deeper Digs into the Pocket

Posted on April 19, 2013 by connieinasia

          The week has whizzed by after my return from Chengdu for my annual physical exam. I’ve had little time to report due to being busy so let me remedy that today as another weekend begins.
            According to John and Ashley, our Peace Corp volunteers, the Sports Meeting was a very rainy event with students still participating despite the showers. In Chengdu, we likewise had dreary weather with quite chilly temperatures all last week.
            But while the weather was nasty, my health examination certificate yielded me as healthy and sound, fit for yet another year of teaching in China.

Some Things Do Stay the Same

            The last time I visited the clinic was in June, 2009. Fortunately, it was still at the same address. With a constantly changing China, buildings going down and sprouting up with lightening speed, I was a bit concerned the Sichuan International Travel Healthcare Center might be located somewhere else. I certainly gave a sigh of relief when the taxi pulled up in front of a familiar building in a pretty, tree-lined neighborhood that hadn’t yet fallen prey to modernization.
            The clinic procedure hadn’t changed, from check-in to the physicals, and that included running into the same staff I had before.
           The eye exam was conducted by the same gruff, retired optometrist. He was more busy with his cell phone than with checking my eyesight but I did get a grin out of him when I said in Chinese, “Doctor, I remember you from 4 years ago. You look good!”
            And my general physical was given by another of my old friends, retired physician Dr. Liang, whose English was always greatly appreciated. She is still an ageless beauty, down to her lovely complexion and slender, fit figure at now age 72.

Inflation Hits

             What had changed, however, was the price.
             In my previous exams years ago, the exam had remained a steady 280 yuan, roughly $40 with the exchange rate of that time. Now the cost was 411 yuan, $66.   Some improvements included better urine cups (these had lids), new EKG machine, computerized X-rays (no films) and a big envelope to put your results in after certification pick-up.
                 Oh, yes, and I must mention that every patient was given a single-serving carton of milk to enjoy in the waiting room after completing the exam stations.
              While I was there, a gentleman who had been fasting all night was devouring a huge bread bun his wife handed over to him and slurping down his complimentary milk treat with gusto.
             I couldn’t help but think that in the States, adults such as myself would most likely scoff at an offer of free milk. They’d mutter and gripe about the cost of healthcare, make a dig at the doctors’ outrageous fees, wave away the drink and leave it for someone else to have.
           Here, everyone gratefully accepted their prize, including me.
           Free milk! Cool!
           So I guess in the $26 increase for the exam, somewhere in there was included our 40-cent carton of milk.

I've passed! My certificate, along with my milk and fancy envelope for the results.

I’ve passed! My certificate, along with my milk and fancy envelope for the results.

Back in Luzhou

              Back in Luzhou, the entire week has been filled with teaching and busy evenings, including teaching an English class to the school’s faculty which I’ll report on a bit later.

            Temperatures are now in the 80s, meaning that the freezing pool water at the Number 6 Middle School is slowly warming up. I’ve already been able to survive 30 to 45 minute work-outs, although that is still wearing my wetsuit. Give us another 2 weeks and I should be cruising along only clad in my Speedo along with the rest of the Chinese swimmers.
             Here’s wishing you Ping An (Peace) for your day!

Posted in Chengdu Daily Life, From Along the Yangtze, Tales from Sichuan's Yangtze Rivertown, Luzhou | Leave a comment

Back-to-Back Days Off: The School’s Annual Sports Meet Begins

Posted on April 8, 2013 by connieinasia

             Since school sports teams are not a hot item in the Chinese educational system, almost all schools block off a yearly 3 days of sporting events for students to enjoy competing with one another. This usually includes track and field events as well as basketball, volleyball, ping-pong and badminton tournaments.                          Last year when this took place at my school in Guangxi, I took advantage of my days off to have my annual physical done. This is required for my visa renewal and must be taken at the provincial health clinic designated for those traveling overseas, both foreigners and Chinese.
             Having just finished 4 days in Chengdu for the Tomb Sweeping Festival, it looks like I’ll be returning yet again tomorrow to follow a similar schedule as last year. Our school has scheduled their annual sports’ meeting this week, meaning no classes for 3 days and also a perfect opportunity for me to complete my health certificate requirements for my visa.
            While I’d much rather hang out and enjoy the festivities of cheering on the students, this is the only opportunity I will have to get this done without missing classes.
            I have already been given permission for this so it looks like I won’t be reporting back for another week until I return after April 13.

Avian Flu H7N9: A Top Priority Among Clinics

              If you read about last year’s exam, you’ll notice it is quite an efficient, well-organized, quick procedure to accomplish. The clinics are state-of-the art facilities with easy check-in for patients.  After visiting numerous designated stations for testing, usually a 45-minute process, I return 2 days later to receive my official report and certificate. The Chinese are mostly testing for infectious diseases, in the past being those illnesses sexually transmitted and also TB, which has been on the rise.
               This time around, I’m very certain that they’ll be on the look-out for the new strain of avian flu, H7N9. This has been isolated to Shanghai, far from us, and has only been found in those who have had direct contact with infected poultry, chicken and pigeons thus far. At present, reports have it that 6 have died, 18 are infected but the number is growing.
            Transmission from human to human has not yet been the case but one never knows when or if that will ever take place. Health professionals are on their guard, even so far away as Sichuan. This especially goes for the country’s official exit and entry health clinics, such as the one I’ll be visiting early Wednesday morning. I’ll be interested to see what extra precautions, if any, they’ll be taking when conducting our tests, such as more aggressive analysis of our samples.
             Hopefully, everything will be fine and I’ll receive a “100%     Excellent” report to hand in for my next visa.

Always a Little Apprehension

          Despite my fanatic daily health routine of swimming and eating right, I always have just a little apprehension when awaiting the results of such things. I especially get a tad nervous for this particular place in Chengdu which announced me as having syphilis 5 years ago.

            Incomprehensible!

            A second test showed this was merely an error but it was still a moment of utter disbelief and panic on my part. I honestly would  rather not have that repeated. 

             From Luzhou, China, here’s Ping An (Peace) for your day.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Gorgeous Day for Easter Sunday Along the Yangtze

Posted on April 1, 2013 by connieinasia

             The forecast had predicted rain, but when I awoke Easter morning, the sun was slowly rising over the Yangtze and casting a familiar hazy glow over the waterway.
             Yes, this was going to be gorgeous day for Easter in Luzhou.

Easter Worship at the Luzhou Protestant Church

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!

               It was a full house when I arrived for choir rehearsal at 8:30 a.m. at the Luzhou Protestant Church. In the upstairs choir room, we all scrambled to find our robes and then have last-minute part practice. Director Lu (John) gave final instructions to everyone about the service’s program, then off we went.

In the choir room, John leads us on last-minute rehearsals.

In the choir room, John leads us on last-minute rehearsals.

Our strong altos

Our strong altos

            

          The ushers had cleared out a side section of the church for all the choir members to sit together.  The children wouldn’t be coming in until it was time for them to sing.  This is because Easter Sunday, Pastor Liao gets very inspired for worship. 

          After opening prayers, scripture readings,  hymns and the regular choir anthem, it was time for Pastor Liao to take the pulpit.  Her 1 hour and 10-minute message was a long one to sit through for me but it brought applause from the congregation members when she finished.  That is the first time I have heard Chinese applaud in our church except for visiting church leaders.  Her message was certainly an inspiring one.

Pastor Liao speaking from the pulpit while the choir looks on.

Pastor Liao speaking from the pulpit while the choir looks on.

            When it was time for the children to join us, everyone anxiously awaited the dance number and then our co-operative choir effort with all ages present, from the very young to the very old.  The kids were a bit shy but their voices could still be heard throughout the sanctuary. I noticed the usual murmurs of talking from the elderly went silent so everyone could hear. 

            After our “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”, we hustled off the platform at 10:40 a.m. for the next part of the service to begin. 

            It was time for baptisms, with over 20 adults being brought into the fold.  After that, communion was given for the congregation and those now joining our numbers.          What a lovely welcome for our new brothers and sisters!

            After 3 hours of worship, morning services ended and everyone joyfully headed out into the lovely sunshine to enjoy the rest of the day.

            That included myself, having had a wonderful Easter Sunday back in Luzhou after 3 years of absence.

 Tomb Sweeping Festival （清明节）Brings a 3-day Holiday

 

          While Easter never brings a holiday in China, this year Easter happens to fall close to April 6, Tomb Sweeping Festival.  Our school will have Wednesday  to Friday off, which will also include Saturday and Sunday.  On Tuesday, I will be heading off to Chengdu to visit with some friends and enjoy the company of those at my swimming pool. 

         Believe it or not, I have met more Christians at the Meng Zui Wan swimming pool than anywhere else in Chengdu.   One of  the regulars, who spent 10 years in America as a business woman, informed me on my last visit that she has been talking to the lifeguard about the Bible.

            “Do you see that foreigner who swims so fast?” she told him.  “She’s a Christian!”

            I’m not sure if she was implying that Christians swim fast, or believing in Christianity helps you swim fast, or to swim fast, you have to be a Christian, but it certainly impressed him none-the-less. 

  I’ll Be Back After a Week           

          With the upcoming holiday, I won’t have access to my website for at least a week.  Just wanted to update everyone on my excellent Easter celebrations and upcoming venture to Chengdu.  

          Until next time, here’s wishing you Ping An (Peace) for your week and a very happy spring!

Posted in Luzhou: Yangtze Rivertown, Tales from Sichuan's Yangtze Rivertown, Luzhou, Tales from The Yangtze River | Leave a comment

A Week of Jelly Bean Happiness in China

Posted on March 30, 2013 by connieinasia

Palm Sunday Rehearsal

            Last weekend was Palm Sunday, which had me in church on Sunday as usual. Choir rehearsal with the children took place immediately after our service ended at 11 a.m.
            As you know from last week, the adult choir, retired persons’ choir and children’s choir are joining together for Easter Sunday celebrations. We are singing the familiar hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” with a lot of difficult parts. As we practiced both in the upstairs choir room and then in the sanctuary, I was so pleased that John had taken my suggestion that the children sing the first verse by themselves. They sounded so sweet!
             Hearing all these young, exuberant voices, introduced to Christianity at such an early age in this pre-dominantly non-Christian country, made all of us smile. Those waiting for the kids in the sanctuary, from parents to grandparents to bystanders, were beaming with pride.
             I can just imagine Easter Sunday tomorrow, when I heard we’ll have the younger kids dancing as well, our hearts will all be singing with joy at the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

On A Mission:  The Search is On For Jelly Beans

            Our Palm Sunday rehearsal time demanded my full attention for 45 minutes but I was actually a bit fidgety.
            I had been searching throughout the week for jelly beans without much luck.
           This past week was designated as my Easter Traditions lesson, which included examples of egg coloring and special candies, such as chocolate eggs and jelly beans. Chocolate eggs are impossible to find but jelly beans are in China. You just have to know where to look.
            When I first came to Luzhou some 10 years ago, I knew all the small convenience stores that sold these around the city. Jelly beans are called “Rainbow Beans” in Chinese and usually come in single serving packages for little children. Elementary schools are always surrounded by small mom-and-pop shops that sell ice cream, bread buns, candies or dime toys for the kids. After school, the children swarm to these places and they make a killing off of penny items for the eager hoards.
             Jelly beans are just one such candy I could always find although only in small amounts. To allow everyone in my classes (400 of them) to taste a jelly bean, this usually meant I had to visit numerous stores to buy out all they had.
            Not only did I need one jelly bean per student for my lesson, but I also needed jelly beans to fill small containers for our Jelly Bean Contest: “How many jelly beans are in the bottle?”
During my Easter tradition unit, students write down their names and guesses on the contest paper, then we see who comes closest to the number. The winner gets the entire bottle.
             Depending on how many jelly beans I can find depends on how big the bottle or jar is. I’ve had as many as 600 jelly beans in a plastic water bottle to as few as 130 in a plastic jelly jar.
             During my 2-week search, it looked like I wasn’t going to have any jelly bean contest this year because all the small shops I had visited from years ago were either no longer there or didn’t have jelly beans anymore. My mission for after church on Palm Sunday was to search out new, downtown supermarkets and stores with the hopes that I’d have some luck.
              That would be my last ditch effort in finding those infamous Easter candies.

Rapid Development Pays Off

              I was really up for an all-day search when I quickly headed out of church at noontime. My first stop was going to be the fancy corner store not more than 100 yards from the church. After the huge development projects around the church, modernized shops and small groceries had popped up to accommodate the 3 huge apartment complexes that towered over our small alleyway.
             While I was saddened to loose my nostalgic view of old China because of this, I certainly couldn’t complain when that fancy corner store provided exactly what I was looking for.
             They had jelly bean containers of all sizes, shapes and prices to choose from. There were loose packages, small bottles and mini-jars stacked on the shelves hiding at the bottom of the candy section. I couldn’t believe my luck!
             Much to the surprise of the store owner, I grabbed a market basket and filled it with every single jelly bean item she had. I even asked if she had more, which she sadly reported I’d bought out all she had.
            When I hauled it to the cashier, she was astounded at how many I had.
            “Why so many?” she asked me in Chinese as she electronically checked each item.
               How do you explain a Jelly Bean Jar contest? And would anyone be able to understand if you did?
            “For my students,” I told her. “I have over 400. These are prizes.”
            “You are a good teacher!” she said with a smile after totaling the entire thing: $20 worth of jelly beans.
            I’d say more like a good customer.

The Contest A Success, Despite One Winning Error

            While I didn’t have enough jelly beans to fill five bottles with the maximum number of 600, I did manage to fill two 550 candy count containers for the second year classes and then 3 smaller bottles for the first year classes.

During the Easter tradition lesson, students pass the bottle and write down their guesses.

During the Easter tradition lesson, students pass the bottle and write down their guesses.

Everyone hopes their guess will be the winning one.

Everyone hopes their guess will be the winning one.

         Excitement mounted during the entire 2 periods while everyone waited anxiously for the last 10 minutes when the envelope holding the exact number would be revealed.

During the break, students pose with our visual aids for Easter: bonnets, colored eggs, bunnies and the Easter basket.

During the break, students pose with our visual aids for Easter: bonnets, colored eggs, bunnies and the Easter basket.

I get in on the fun as well.

    When it’s finally time, I let my monitors (class leaders) handle this part of the lesson so I’m not to blame if any mistakes are made in checking to see who is the winner.

 

Monitor Elroy (tallest) hands out the prize to his classmate, who guessed 243 while the true number was 251.

Monitor Elroy (tallest) hands out the prize to his classmate, who guessed 243 while the true number was 251.

Another very happy winner and her friend in yet another class.

Another very happy winner and her friend in yet another class.

           I only had one monitor who announced the wrong person but that was quickly remedied when the real winner caused a huge fuss, saying her number was closer.
           “Not right! Not right!” she shouted, grabbing the bottle away from her surprised classmate who eventually relinquished it after the error was publicly made known.
         You would think college students wouldn’t be quite so competitive about a bottle of jelly beans but think again. That girl wanted her candies and she wasn’t going to be quiet until she got them!
           It was all in good fun, without any hurt feelings, and I was happy to see that she immediately shared with everyone in the class after the bell rang.
          “Who wants jelly beans?” she shouted and was suddenly surrounded by excitedly screeching classmates, their open hands waiting anxiously for her to distribute the candy. Lots of grabbing, pushing and shoving with jelly beans spilling not only into hands but onto the floor as well.

"Who wants jelly beans?"

“Who wants jelly beans?”

"Our generous winner continues long after the bell as students shout, "Give us more! Give us more!"

           Classes that end right before lunch are always a bit more hyperactive than others.  Everyone’s starving.  I’m sure their over-enthusiastic reaction to the invite for free jelly beans had a lot to do with their rumbling, growling, empty stomachs more than their desire to taste jelly beans.

Easter Sunday (复活节）Nearly Upon Us

          Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Our service is starting at 9 a.m. so I’ll be heading over earlier than usual on the downtown bus. John suggested an 8:30 arrival for choir practice with the kids. I’m sure the congregation will be delighted and uplifted by all our Easter celebrations tomorrow. I know I will!

         From Luzhou, here’s wishing you Ping An (peace) for our Chinese 复活节 (Fu Huo Jie), translated as Return to Life Holiday.

Mary's donkey, used for our Christmas story re-enactment, says "Happy Easter!"

Mary’s donkey, used for our Christmas story re-enactment, says “Happy Easter!”