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             This weekend, many around the world are remembering their mothers as Mother’s Day arrives.
            But for us in Sichuan, May 12 brings a different kind of remembrance.
            5 years ago, the Wenchuan earthquake struck this province, killing more than 87,000 people. All of us who experienced the initial shaking, swaying and rumbling, then the unspeakable aftermath, will most likely have different reactions this Sunday than many of you. Our Mother’s Day will bring not so much celebrations of mothers but of distant horrific memories of the event coupled with, of all things, rejoicing. Today’s Sichuan celebrates rebirth, new beginnings and rising-from-the-ashes tales which this weekend are highlighted in newspapers, news reports and survivors’ stories from all over.

Memorial Museum Open

             One of the biggest anniversary features concerns Qushan, a city so near the epicenter it sustained devastating damage. Now a shining star of tidy streets, well-paved roads, modern buildings, and sturdy schools, people will be flocking to show their support and wonder at this rising phoenix of a town.
            The key visiting point in Qushan will be the Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum. The museum officially opened to the public for free a few days ago on May 9 to commemorate the earthquake’s fifth anniversary. Pictures of the museum and those visiting can be seen at:

    http://en.ce.cn/National/gallery/201305/10/t20130510_24368204.shtml

            Also, BBC has a very good write-up about the 5th anniversary commemoration activities, as well as information concerning the overall scale of the 2008 disaster.
         http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22398684

Earthquake Education at Our School

              Along with the 5th anniversary came an earthquake education meeting held for all the students on Friday afternoon.
              During noontime, the local army disaster relief volunteers arrived to set up tents used during emergencies and also display billboards explaining safety procedures when disasters strike. They lined these up on the sports field along with accompanying tables with free water bottles and earthquake brochures published by the city of Luzhou.

Emergency disaster relief tents were displayed on our sports field by the army.

Students manned the tables to hand out free water after the meeting.

Free brochures produced by the city were handed out. First come, first serve.

          The booklets contained  information about where in the city to go for shelter in case of a disaster as well as what procedures to follow for numerous situations, including fires and floods.

The Luzhou brochure gave places to go in case of emergencies. To the right is our city park. New signs around the city also offer direction where to go.

 Our Grand Seminar: Did We Really Learn Anything?              

           At 3 p.m., a siren sounded and the entire student body was to follow earthquake protocol of exiting their dormitories.

Students flock out of the dormitories during the 3 p.m. siren and head to the sports field.

          They then made their way to the sports field where each class was grouped by majors.

On the sports field, students begin grouping according to majors.

Having some fun: That’s me, holding Foreign Language Departmental sign for our English majors.

Our English Language majors, all my students, waiting neatly in their rows for the lectures to begin.

            After everyone had arrived, the leaders began their speeches from the stadium stage explaining the importance of safety and what to do at our school when a catastrophe struck.

Our leaders get ready to deliver their speeches.

          Afterwards, students were free to wander around, inspecting the tents, getting free water and grabbing up brochures.  They could also watch a continuing video, played from a truck, of the Chinese at work in disaster relief situations.

An emergency relief video played constantly for those interested.

            I thought we’d have some sort of demonstrations on what was being talked about but it was one of those bland, over 1-hour talking sessions by the leaders. Each had to take a turn to instruct students on what to do, which became quite tedious, not to mention overly repetitious, for those of us listening.
            The sun was wickedly hot and everyone had to stand in their tidy rows until we were finally dismissed.

Under the hot sun, everyone was pretty much ready to call it quits by Speech Number 4

          Quite a few standing near the tents made a mob-scene dash for the free water. It was gone within minutes, as were the brochures.
           After a long week of classes and an afternoon of speeches under a boiling sun, all were ready to enjoy the weekend.
               Most likely, this earthquake educational seminar was required for all colleges and schools in Sichuan. I have as yet to ask if this took place at other schools but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. The recent Ya’an Quake that left over 200 dead and thousands injured was probably the selling point on why we needed this.
              Personally speaking, I think demonstrations on stage how to protect yourself in an earthquake would have been a lot better than lectures but that’s the Chinese style. The school can now officially announce to the provincial government that, yes, they did have their seminar and everyone attended. Whether they learned anything or not is another story.

At Church: Our 30 Minutes of Prayer

              Most meaningful for me concerning the earthquake’s 5th anniversary concerned our church service this morning. We had a longer worship than usual due to a guest pastor who spoke unusually long for his message.
             We were finally able to close worship at 10:30, after 1 ½ hours, but an announcement had us all remaining in the pews. Pastor Liao asked us to stay for continued prayer regarding the Wenchuan Earthquake’s 5th anniversary and those in Ya’an who recently experienced their own heartache in yet another quake last month.
              Pastor Liao and others took turns leading us in prayer for 30 minutes, after which we closed with a hymn.
            Such a fitting way for Christians to remember those in need and offer their support to others through God’s everlasting love.

            From along the Yangtze, here’s wishing you Ping An (Peace) for your Mother’s Day!

             Yesterday marked the ending of two events at our school: First was the May Holiday (Labor Day), which had me in Chengdu for 3 days, and the second was the last English class held with our faculty soon to be traveling overseas.

Chengdu Relaxation
            After teaching my Sunday make-up classes, I headed off to the bus station for my 3 ½ hour journey to Sichuan’s capital city.
              I found the traveling crowds quite impressive as everyone began departing for their May 1st holiday.

Our Luzhou bus station, filled with travelers.

I had wisely bought my bus ticket the day before, which proved a good move considering the lines at the Luzhou station ticket counter. Very, very long!

Definitely a pat on the back for me in getting my ticket the day before! Long, long lines.

              My stay in Chengdu had me swimming every day among my buddies at the natatorium. This time around, however, I had more choices of pools.
             May 1st marks open swimming season for the Chinese. The complex’s outdoor pools, which had been closed for winter, were open and ready for business. We had 2 days of great weather, in the 80s, so my swims took me outside since the indoor pool was too crowded.
             Most Chinese prefer indoor swimming to outdoor swimming due to the strong sunshine. Women in China are very careful about becoming too tan by not taking on the appearance of what they call “peasants” (Our vocabulary uses the word “farmers”). They would much rather hold to their light skin, categorizing them as middle to upper class.
            Even on the beaches in China, women protect their skin. Cloth wetsuit-type swimwear is becoming all the rage with women completely covered from head to toe, as well as gloved hands and masked faces, to protect themselves from direct sunlight.
             How anyone could enjoy the pleasures of a sandy beach decked in such a get-up is beyond me but it’s a new trend and one which will increase during the sweltering summer months as people get out more.
           At Chengdu’s outdoor pool, I was the only female in the water during my morning work-outs . Perhaps the temps were a bit chillier than the lady swimmers are used to but, mostly, I’m pretty sure it had to do more with the bright rays shining cheerfully down upon us than colder water.

Back in Luzhou

             Thursday morning saw my classes somewhat vacant. In my class of 63, 15 were missing and in my other freshman classroom, I had 6 gone. Quite a few couldn’t resist taking off the entire week. Why return for just 2 days of classes when the weekend was just around the corner?
             Ah, to be a student again with such freedom!
             And it was a good day to be away, too. Our temperatures suddenly dove into the low 60s with constant rain the entire day. All of us were digging into our winter wardrobes once again. I was pulling out pants and long-sleeved shirts which I had hoped would not be seen again for at least 5 months.
Sadly for the next few days, not so.

Our Faculty Course Ends:  A Night of Accomplishment

             In the evening, I was speculating just how many of our faculty would show for the last class in their English language course. This being evaluation night, we 3 foreigners were wondering if many wouldn’t be scared away by the prospect of being tested, not to mention the miserable weather on top of it all.
           As it turned out, we had the usual crowd, including Dean “Horace” He and Vice-Dean “Lisa” Zhang who came for our group photos.

Our last photo together, in the English language lab classroom.

           The evaluation went smoothly.
          After visiting the different testing stations, our adults excitedly received colorful praise stickers on their papers and fancy pencils as rewards for their time with us. Everyone left with a feeling of accomplishment, including us, their instructors.

In the language lab, everyone was given some self-study time to prepare for our evaluation

Our nervous faculty, getting ready for their testing.

A finished evaluation: Well done!

Our participants: Success!

Down Hill from Now On

            Our spring term will be ending around July 5, which means it’s down hill from now on.
            In just a few weeks, I’ll begin to talk to my classes about our oral testing schedule, which takes me 3 weeks to complete. Thrown in there is yet another holiday, Dragon Boat Festival, which gives us June 13 – 16 off and will most likely have me back in Chengdu braving the “peasant” look along with the guys in the outdoor pool.
I do have women swimmers ask if I’m concerned about “becoming black,” as the Chinese say.
            In so many words, I explain: “Hey! I’m from a farming community in America. Being a ‘peasant’ is just fine with me.”

            From Luzhou, here’s wishing you Ping An (Peace) from along the Yangtze

         I mentioned before that another holiday was nearly upon us, which is Labor Day, May 1st.  Despite a 3-day block (Monday to Wednesday), the official day off is really only Wednesday.  Thus we have been teaching Monday and Tuesday classes this weekend.  Today, I finished my Monday classes and tomorrow I will end the Tuesday classes.
        This is a usual thing in China so I’m not really sure why the Chinese consider 3 days off a holiday. It actually is only 1 day, Wednesday.  But rather than have just one day in the middle of the week, we have a 3-day block so people can travel home, go on trips or just spend lots of money.  This is a common practice, using the weekend for “make-up days”.  It was the same in Taiwan as well.  Just another way the government helps the economy by freeing up consumers to do what they do best:  spend money!

        As always, I will be off to Chengdu where I hope to meet up with my friends as usual.  I’ll be back on Wednesday, just in time for a full teaching day on Thursday and the last class with the teachers. 

         Until then, I’ll wish you Ping Ahn (Peace) for your May Day!

             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.

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.

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.