connie's space

Amity’s 25^th Anniversary

            This year marks the 25^th anniversary of The Amity Foundation, which is our United Methodist partnership organization in China. Amity is also my sponsoring agency while I’m in China.  The Amity education director oversees my teaching placements here, including my well-being and supervising my work. 

            Every 5th-year anniversary, Amity invites all its sponsoring organizations to send representatives to participate in its celebrations.  The week-long invitation includes 5 days of seeing Amity projects in the many Chinese provinces that Amity has been working.  Sponsoring agencies are presented a list of provinces and projects to choose from.  Each province has its own special focus, such as the handicapped, agriculture, health, Chinese church-initiated programs, education, AIDS prevention, and micro-loans. 

            After groups travel for their 5-day look at Amity’s good works, they return to the Nanjing headquarters for another 3 days to share experiences, see the main offices, visit Amity’s Bible Printing Press, the new Nanjing theological seminary and discuss household issues concerning their support of the organization.

            95% of the money for Amity comes from overseas’ sending agencies, a majority being Christian denominations.  Thus this invitation is one which is highly prioritized by the staff during any anniversary year.  They want everything to run smoothly and well when their international sponsoring representatives come to participate in celebrations and project visits.

Guangxi Province Amity Projects

            Guangxi Province is one which receives quite a bit attention from sponsors. 

            Amity has numerous rural development projects among both the Han Chinese and the many ethnic minority peoples of the province.  Guangxi itself is touted as having the highest number of ethnic peoples, 80% being the Zhuang nationality although there are those from many other nationalities as well.   Agriculture, micro-loans, and AIDS prevention are Amity’s biggest concerns here.

            As for education, that would be my placement in Longzhou. 

            After discussion of which projects should be included in the Guangxi tour, it was decided that the group could swing way down to our southern border area and take a look at an Amity teacher’s placement.

            That’s me!

            When the school and I received this news in early September, we were all quite excited.            The school was excited to show off their campus and hospitality to international guests.  But I was more excited to have 11 foreigners to share with my students. How often does that happen in our little tiny Longzhou?

            Not often!

What Was In Store for Our Amity Visitors on November 5th

            Friday, November 5, was the assigned day for our hosting events.

            It was going to be a short, 3-hour visit only, so in order to prepare the schedule well, there were many meetings to determine how best to show off the campus and students.  My concern was getting maximum student contact time with our guests. This meant planning events that would put our visitors in direct face-to-face encounters with our English language classes.

            The school was in charge of the first hour of the visit, which would be opening speeches by school leaders, a speech given by one of the English Education students and then 30 minutes of student performances.  For entertainment, we’d have an English skit, two ethnic minority dance numbers and the famous Zhuang ball toss and basket catch game with audience participation.

            After that, I was in charge of the next 2 hours.  There would be a 30-minute English Corner where chosen students would talk to our guests in small groups, then lead them on a 30-minute tour around the campus.  We’d also have 30 minutes in the English Center where English Center volunteers would introduce the Center’s history, volunteer program and lay-out.  Last stop was a visit to my apartment to see the Amity teacher’s home before the group jumped on the bus for a fast 2-hour drive to the airport.  They’d be  leaving immediately for Nanjing to continue in celebrations at the headquarters.

Preparing for the Visitors

            Preparation on my part fell into several categories.

            First, I  selected students to lead our English Corner and campus tour.  I chose 24 from my two  English Education classes, second year only, as it was only fair that they receive the honor. After all, Amity stresses English Education majors more than other English majors.  Plus my second year students had the language ability to carry on conversations with other English speakers.  We also added a few more young hosts to the lucky ones.  My co-teacher Abby Yi chose 12 from our second year Business English and Practical English majors.  I had those students last year and didn’t want them  moaning and groaning that they were being ignored and not considered worthy enough for meeting our international visitors.

            All together, we had 36 who were paired in groups of 3 and 4 to talk to and lead their guests around our campus.

            We had 3 practice sessions for 1-hour each before the guests arrived.  In this way, when it came time for the actual visit, I could just step back and let the students do their thing and have their special moment.

            The same went for the English Center. 

            We had 4 students who were chosen among the Center’s volunteer members to man the Center when the guests arrived.   We all practiced their 10-minute presentation numerous times until they were ready to handle things on their own.

            I also worked with our chosen English Education major, James (Jiang Zhihui), who was to give a 5-minute speech to the Amity guests about the importance of his education here.  James wrote his own speech and then we worked together practicing it to perfection.

The Skit Miracle

            My last duty working with students was helping with the short skit. 

            To be honest, this duty was actually a last-minute thing.  Years ago, I had written a 10-minute Reader’s Theater performance of Little Red Riding Hood and done it as a class assignment.  When I was approached by our panicking students, needing to do something for an English performance, I handed over the script and figured they’d ask if they needed help.

            They didn’t.

            Two days before the arrival day, I felt I should at least see a rehearsal of their performance so I requested a listen.

            I think you can guess the result of that first listen:  Disaster!
            Not only had no one prepared, but we had characters missing who went home and weren’t coming back until the night before the guests arrived.  Needless to say, everyone’s pronunciation was horrible, they had no idea what they were doing, and, worst yet, they were goofing around.  I walked in on them chasing one another about, fiddling with their cellphones and not really caring one way or another if they pulled this thing together or not.

            Obviously, it was time for the teacher to give them a good talking to, which I did.

            After that, it was down to business. 

            We prepped for 2 hours and then the next day for another hour.  There was a night rehearsal for all performances, which gave them yet another few hours of practice.

            It was still pretty awful Thursday evening when I left them on their own to continue working on their lines and diction.

            I wasn’t at all confident that they could pull this thing off.  Another 2 days of practice would have been ideal but there comes a point when you just have to give it to God and let the Lord take it from there.

            For the skit performance, I gave it to God.

Our Amity Guests Arrive

            Thursday night, a very exhausted group of 14 (3 Amity staff members and 11 representatives) landed at our Longzhou hotel.  They’d had an 8-hour bus ride from the far north where they’d been in Guangxi’s deep mountain areas, seeing Amity rural development projects among tiny remote villages.  After such a hinterland visit, landing in our small town must have seemed more like landing in civilization.

            Early the next morning, the group arrived on our campus at 7:45 a.m. to be greeted by  tinkling, bouncy recorded music (Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head), female students dressed in colorful ethnic garb, and gifts of embroidered Zhuang nationality necklaces.  We had huge banners in place and displays of the Amity Foundation’s work as well as photos of past Amity teachers.             The school had really gone all out in getting ready for our visitors and it certainly showed.

            Everything from the opening speeches to excellent performances to the leisure campus tour went like clockwork.  Even my seemingly doomed skit performers managed to wow us with their humorous portrayal of Riding Hood and her entourage.  It really made for a good laugh and lighthearted moments.

            While the visit was short, I helped lengthen it a bit when I joined the group on the bus for the 2-hour trip to the airport.  Rebecca Aesidillo, my UMBGM boss, was among the visitors so this was my chance to get to know her better.  We chatted the entire time, sharing personal stories and some business matters about my future placements with the Board.             

            It was a very special time for both of us as it was our first time meeting together other than talking over the phone.  I can definitely say we were kindred spirits, especially after she informed me her daughter was on a college swimming team. 

            Well, what do you know! 

            I also was a university swimmer during my college days as well.

Pictures Galore

            With the students entertaining the guests so well, my biggest role was to take pictures . . . and more pictures . . . and even more pictures of everyone’s interaction with each another.

            Chinese have a great love of pictures, which must be taken everywhere, with every sort of background imaginable and every sort of pose possible.  My students wanted memories of this exciting visit and my job was to give it to them.

            Looking at the photo album included, I think I did well.

            Enjoy the photo journey, although the picture quality is not as I’d have hoped.  (Might be time for Santa to send me a new digital camera!)

           Ping An (peace) from our little Longzhou

             Saturday night had streams of students entering our school’s indoor sports’ building.

            What was the big draw?  Nothing other than our annual Halloween Activity evening, sponsored by the English Association!
            Last year’s Halloween event was a big one and this year was just as exciting. 

            From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., we had the new English Association members busy at work painting faces.  Swirling flowers, butterflies and scary facial designs were the most popular and quite impressively done.

            At 8 p.m., I opened with information about Halloween’s history and traditions, although a majority who attended were my first year students.  We’d been doing Halloween in class for 2 weeks so they were well-prepared for what was ahead of us that night.

            As always, our jack-o-lantern carving contest was the biggest hit.  Being in Guangxi, where pumpkins are not easy to find due to the hot weather, we substituted watermelons instead.  It was a bit messy and watery but our 5 groups of three carvers didn’t seem to mind.  They spent over an hour getting their entries ready for the lighting ceremony and judging which took place as the last event.

            The costume-changing race, which had students walking ping-pong balls on spoons while wearing costumes, went well.  No bobbing for apples this year, which I thought was a shame but the leaders opted for another apple game:  passing the apple down a line of people by only using your neck to do so. We included the sound contest again as well:  cat, witch, ghost, wolf and scream. 

            We also had a few new additions to the program to lengthen things a bit. 

            The ballroom dance club came in to do their moves for us, which wowed everyone.  And on the opposite end of that came our masked hip-hop dancers.

            Plus we included our younger visitors this year.

           Last year, the campus children were running about, wanting so much to be a part of all the fun activities.  So this year, I suggested we have a time for the kids.

            This worked out perfectly!

            Our MCs, Hera and Steve, gathered the kids around.  They then explained the word “Trick-or-Treat!” to the children, had them practice numerous times (including a “thank you” at the end, and finally lined them up to trick-or-treat to the foreign teacher (me).

            First in line was Amy, who is a frequent visitor to my home for the kids’ Saturday afternoon in my home.  She did the children proud by shouting “Trick-or-Treat!” the loudest of anyone else.

            It was great to include the children this time around. After all, that’s what Halloween’s all about!  And I can guarantee we’ll be doing it again another year.

            The next English Association venture will be the Christmas Party.  Until then, enjoy the photo album of our Halloween Night at Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities.

            Tonight being Halloween, I have readied my apartment.   An inside display greets anyone visiting and my balcony is about to be lit with Halloween luminaries and my own jack-o-lantern.  Added to this will be leftover Christmas lights I didn’t bother taking down.  I always knew they’d come in handy again before Christmas.  Guess I was right!

            Have a Happy Halloween, everyone!  We all certainly are here.

            Ping An (Peace) from China

A Distressed Student

            When the telephone rang late Sunday night, I figured it was a panicked student leader wanting to talk to me. 

            I’d been gone for the weekend in Nanning for some shopping and swimming pool time.  For 3 days, I hadn’t been available for discussions on the school’s yearly Halloween bash  taking place on Saturday, October 30^th.

            Last year’s party was a great hit and this year’s would as well if the English Association leaders would get on the ball and meet with me. So far, I hadn’t heard anything from them.  With less than a week to go, we had a lot of prep work and planning to do.

            Thus on Sunday night, I thought surely this would be one of them on the phone, ready to start organizing and getting ready for our fun-filled evening.

            “Hello!” I answered with a chipper, inviting greeting.

            There was a slight hesitation on the other side until a male voice stammered, “Hello . . . uhm . . This is Lan Tongliang . . . I am . . . your  first year  . . . English Education class.  I . . . English is so bad . . I  have a problem . . . ” 

            The call then erupted into sobs, sniffles, and tearful  gulps as my student tried desperately to tell me what was wrong.  

            Was it family illness?  Classmate difficulties? Depression over English?  Money woes?

            I honestly had no idea.

            Whatever it was, it was heartbreaking to listen to  the poor thing search for words to express his thoughts while emotionally falling apart.

            “I don’t know what’s wrong,” I finally said in Chinese. “Let’s see each other.  I think you need to talk to me face-to-face.  Can I come to your dormitory?  Do you want to meet somewhere?  How about the cafeteria?”

            Tongliang wasn’t at all keen on meeting, leaving me to wonder if this was a private matter he didn’t want others to know about.  I almost thought he was going to hang up on me when an intelligible English word popped out:  dog.

            “A dog?” I asked.  “You’re calling about a dog?”
            “Yes,” he sobbed.  “My dog. My little dog. . . . I don’t know what to do.”

The Story

            After that, the full story emerged.

            It seems that Tongliang bought a dog in the local market and has been keeping it in his dormitory room.  How long he’d had the dog, I had no idea, but keeping pets in the dorm is expressly forbidden by school authorities.   Students can get in a lot of trouble for having them, although every so often, they sneak in a puppy or kitten for a short time period.  Sometimes they take the animal home with them on a weekend visit.  Other times, they just toss them out when the dormitory monitors threaten to turn them in.

            In Tongliang’s case, I’m guessing an authority figure got wind of his puppy and demanded that it be gone ASAP, like that evening.

            “I love my dog,” Tongliang said.  “I want to find him a good home but I don’t’ know anyone. I have no time tomorrow to find him a home.  I have classes all morning.  I’m too busy. So I call you.”

            Uh-oh.

            A peeing, crying, teething, playful puppy was the very last thing  my jealous Little Flower or I needed.   And although I’m a sucker for wayward pets, not to mention desperate students dissolved into tears,  there was no way I was going to volunteer myself as another dog owner.

            To be fair, Tongliang didn’t ask me to take his dog.  He wanted to know if  I knew someone who would like a dog. 

             I gave him the telephone number of Little Flower’s weekend sitter, my co-teacher Abby Yi, and suggested he call her.  Maybe she could look after the dog for a few days until he found someone.

             I also suggested he ask the shopkeepers outside our gate.  Many of them had dogs and might like to have another one.  That way, he could see his dog whenever he wanted.

            All were good ideas and Tongliang seemed happier.

            He thanked me and hung up.

            30 minutes later, his second call came.  He hadn’t bothered Abby about his dilemma, mostly because as a Chinese teacher, she shouldn’t be helping students hide their pets.  As the foreign teacher, I can get away with things more easily, especially since I already had a dog of my own. 

            Instead, he had carried his puppy outside the back gate and found a fruit seller along the road who was willing to take the dog.  She would sell it in the market the next day, keeping the money for her troubles. 

            “I think tomorrow I will find her to give her the hong bao (red envelope with money inside),” he continued tearfully. “That is our Chinese tradition.”

            The hong bao was a hope that she would feel somewhat obligated to take better care of the puppy before selling him.  After all, she could just promise to help him and then dump it on the street. 

            Whether this would work or not, my student had no idea but it couldn’t  hurt.

            There was more crying from his end and a lot of comforting words  from mine before he finally ended the call.

            A distressing evening for both of us.

Learning Responsibility

            I did feel bad for my student, and even worse that I didn’t help him out.  English studies, pronunciation practice, organizing school events, advice about school life . . . all of that I can do.

            But when it comes to dumping your own responsibility into the foreign teacher’s lap, that’s a whole other ballgame.

            We all have to think of the consequences of our actions before we do something. Finally, my student was realizing that buying a pet in the market demands a lot more thought than an emotional tug on the heart and that it looks cute.

            What will you feed it?  How will you hide it from the authorities?  What will your dormmates think?  Who will look after it when you’re in classes?  What if it gets sick?

             Most people in China, including my student, don’t think about such things. Responsibility and diligent care of pets is still a new concept for the Chinese, especially those in the south where animals are eaten, not kept as family members.

            Yes, I feel awful that Tongliang’s puppy is no longer with him and that I didn’t volunteer as his doggie’s caregiver. But this is all part of growing up.  He could have tossed the dog into the street, or done something even worse.  Instead, he found a willing seller and was even wise enough to consider the hong bao to aid in his plea.

            Not a very desireable outcome, but a well-learned lesson about life and responsibility.

            We’ve all been there.  Just this time, it was Tongliang’s turn.

Until next time, here’s Ping An (peace) sent your way for your weekend.

            It’s official:  No more holidays now until January 1^st, our Western New Year.

           Starting this past Monday, our classes will continue uninterrupted without weekend make-up days or missed courses.  It’s finally time to settle into our normal schedules, giving both teachers and students alike some much-needed continuity.

            It’s also time for after-summer, no-show students to make an appearance.

            National Day holidays are so close to the beginning of the school year that some students remain at home, not bothering to show up until October 8.  Some miss home and want to prolong  their summer vacations for as long as possible.  Others are scrambling for money to pay for yet another year of school.  A few just are unhappy as students and would rather forgo education all together.   They put up a fight among family members concerning a  return to school, sometimes winning and other times not.  One or two have illnesses which keep them at home to be treated and looked after by Mom and Dad until they’re better.

            In my case, two students were missing when I came back from my Nanning venture.  Would they be around for our Fall semester or not?  This week would tell.

“I’m Polly!”

            The first student missing was Polly (Huang Jingmei), now a second year English Education major.

            It’s very hard not to miss Polly in a classroom because she is one of those exuberant, overly hyper students.  While her classmates sit respectfully and obediently, listening to the teacher, doing what they’re supposed to be doing, Polly is messing about.  She’s either talking to her neighbor, trying to complete the already due-in-class homework assignment, checking her cellphone messages, straggling in late (hair disheveled, bleary-eyed and obviously not awake) or bouncing in and out of the room during the break.

            “Hello, Teacher Connie!  Do you remember me?  I’m Polly!” she greeted me all last year.          Every time we met on the campus, when I was shopping, while I was walking Little Flower, and even in the classroom, it was always the same:  “Hello, Teacher Connie! Do you remember me?  I’m Polly!”

            Yes, that gets a bit old after awhile but one thing’s for sure:  I definitely had no trouble remembering Polly.

            So when our first week of classes in September produced no Polly, I noticed.

            Nor did she appear the second week, or the third, and then it was October, after the National holidays.

             Still, no Polly  . . .  until today.

            Who came bounding down the classroom stairwell this morning, racing up to me  with childlike glee, but Polly.

            “Teacher Connie!  Do you remember me?  I’m Polly!”

            Being the kind of student she is, her English isn’t that great.  Why she was so late in returning to classes is still a bit of a mystery but there was something about her being sick.  Perhaps next week, I can find out exactly what kind of sick we’re talking about but until then, it looks like Polly’s back among her classmates, ready to start up another school year.

Isaac’s Life-Changing Experience

            Yet another young person missing from our campus was Qin Haibo, known to most of you by his chosen English name, Isaac.

            Isaac was a second year Business English major last year and a complete loner.  He skipped classes, he wandered about campus by himself, he didn’t talk to anyone and he preferred computer games and movies to studying.  He was never exactly my student but a loyal visitor to the English Center.  That’s how we met.

             It’s also where Isaac’s attitude changed.  

            He became more vocal, more open to the other students, and more interested in English.  In our small Center, Isaac blossomed.  Playing Uno  and Scrabble with others became a constant every time he visited.  He even began walking with me and Little Flower at every opportunity he had.  As we cruised the campus, Isaac would initiate the conversation by asking all sorts of questions or making remarks.

            It was on our last walk before the summer break that Isaac shared with me that he didn’t want to come back to Longzhou.

             It was boring here.  There was nothing to do.  The classes were useless.  He didn’t like anyone. He definitely didn’t want to study English.  This was just not the place for him.

            His unhappiness was pretty apparent so after wishing him a happy summer, and giving my hopes he’d reconsider returning, we said our goodbyes.

            I honestly didn’t expect to ever see him again.

            But just like Polly, who made her appearance today, last Sunday afternoon, there was Isaac. 

            While Little Flower and I were walking around the sports field, Isaac’s tall figure came jogging toward us.  His face was full of excitement.

            “Connie!  Little Flower!  I come back!” he shouted.

            After that, it was a steady stream of conversation about his adventures during the holidays.  His older sister, working in the city of Wuhan, found him a job in Beijing for a huge business company.  She paid his way to the capital city, gave him some spending money and there he stayed for 2 months.

              Isaac lived with the company boss, enjoying time with a new family and learning the ropes under the help of other employees.  He went to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and even the Shanghai Expo.  He worked hard, spending 7 days a week in the office, and enjoyed every minute of it.

            Finally, no more theoretical business talk in classrooms.  Isaac was doing it all, hands on.

            Because of this turning point, he decided to return to school to at least get his certificate of business.  Even though our 3-year school doesn’t give degrees, a certificate of study is still important.  Isaac figured he could hang on for just 2 more months, which places him at the end of December, to finish the semester and thereby finish his studies.  After that, he’ll return to Beijing to continue in the company he left last month.

            “I have a new idea about life,” Isaac proudly told me as we walked.  “I change.”

            While I can’t guarantee he won’t be absent from classes, or study much harder than before, at least he has a positive attitude about his future as a businessman.  Better yet is his ability to work with others and socialize, which we all know is the key to being successful in his field, or any field for that matter.

English Center Crowds

            In the meantime, we have been experiencing record crowds in the English Center now that students are ready to hunker down into their college studies after the holidays. 

            Part of our high number turn-out has to do with my mandatory 5-English Center-visits-a-semester.   This is a requirement for all my 210 1^st year students or I will not give them their grades at the end of the term. (A little threat never hurts!)

              To make sure they do this, I included a page in their textbooks which must be signed and stamped by Center volunteers after they visit.  This allows me to check and make sure they’ve attended their 5 times.  They must stay for at least 15 minutes and so far, most are staying much longer.  They’re reading magazines, checking out books or DVDs, joining Isaac and me for Uno games, or just talking in English. 

            Our TV is still being repaired so no movies yet but at present, we’re doing just fine without the extra entertainment.

            This weekend, we’ll be seeing new volunteers inducted into the Center.  The second round of English interviews for candidates is taking place tomorrow (Friday).  The first round had 120 trying out and now the number is down to 60.  From that number, 20 will be chosen to run the Center for this semester.

            Wish everyone luck who’s trying out!  Being a Center volunteer is a big deal and I’m sure we’ll find great workers to start up on Monday.

            From Longzhou, here’s Ping An (Peace) sent your way.

            Unlike most of our journeys, which have us on the long-distance bus, we were taking a private car trip with the Pan family.  Mr. Pan, the former dean of our English Department, his wife and daughter (22-year-old “Brenda,” an English teacher at a city preschool) were traveling to visit relatives in Nanning.  They have an apartment there, where Brenda lives since she works in Nanning and where Mr. Pan’s Longzhou family can get away from time to time for visits with other relatives .

            After asking around campus if anyone was heading off to Nanning for National Day, Mr. Pan was kind enough to allow both me and the dog to ride along with them.  The time was set for Thursday morning, September 30, at 8:30 a.m.

My Youth:  The Family Road Trip

            It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a family road trip.   I’d say the last one was nearly 30 years ago.

            When my parents, brother and I would load into the car, it was usually for Christmas at my grandparents’ house.  This entailed attending school (finishing early at 2:30 p.m.), followed by a 7-hour drive and a car bursting with presents, luggage, snack bags and us.

            I remember it was always a stressful  production to pack the car and get started on time. 

            My father was in charge of arranging the things in the trunk.  Usually, it took quite a while to shove everything in but my dad was a great manipulator of stuff.  He could find the most amazing crevices and squeeze spaces to stick in that extra pair of shoes, another coat, a knit scarf and hat or yet another present which my mother hadn’t yet wrapped.

            Starting on time was always a problem.  If my dad set the departure for 3:30 p.m., we were bound to leave at 4.  He and my brother would sit in the car, both waiting impatiently while my mother and I would race back and forth into the house to turn down the furnace, use the toilet, turn off a light, or make sure the upstairs’ bathroom faucet was left slightly dripping so it didn’t freeze and burst the pipes.

            Once we finally made it just out of town, there was always my mom’s “Did I leave the iron on?  I think I left the iron on.  We’d better go back and check to see if someone left the iron on.”

            Back again we went, naturally to find out that no one had left the iron on.

            After about 5 vacation trips of  “Did I leave the iron on?”, we finally remembered to unplug the thing and move it to an entirely different room.

            No doubt about it:  No one left the iron on.

The Pan Family Road Trip

            For the Pan family, there definitely wasn’t any iron that needed turning off but for the rest of the trip, I felt just like the Pan family was my own.

            At 8:30 sharp, as directed by Mr. Pan,  I was downstairs with Little Flower and my small suitcase.  I certainly didn’t want to be late. My father didn’t like late starts and I figured neither did Mr. Pan.

            Low and behold, Mr. Pan was packing up the car, just like my father used to do years ago.

            While no one else had brought any luggage except me, there were still plenty of little things to shove into his small vehicle. 

            Since we were going to the big city, Mr. Pan was taking with him local produce that was cheaper in our area and also very fresh.  He had 2 huge bags of gorgeous mango which he announced triumphantly as having paid only 6 mao (5 cents) per pound.  In the city, mango are quite expensive with the best quality fruit being rather lame.   

            His 2 bags totaled about 20 pounds, enough to shower his relatives with a special taste of the rural Guangxi.

            As we stood there still waiting to go, a gentleman came cruising up on his scooter with 2 huge bunches of green bananas, straight off the tree, and his machete in hand.  Mr. Pan had ordered these from a local farmer to also share with his friends and family in Nanning. 

            Mr. Pan inspected his fruit bundles carefully, paid the man and  then proceeded to figure out how to put them into the car without dirtying up the trunk area or bruising the bananas.   He used huge sheets of paper to wrap them in, re-positioned some of the other items and was finally able to close up the car for our journey.

            By this time, it was going on 8:50 a.m. and still no wife or daughter in sight. 

            I even had time to race inside my apartment to pick up a jacket and a second toy for LF to play with in the hotel room.

            When everyone finally appeared, we were on the road at 9 a.m. but not before we made a stop along the sidewalk to buy sweet corn from a street seller. 

            Yet another heavy bag of countryside food gifts made its way into the back seat.  

            Finally, we were off!

A Front Row Seat, Gorgeous Back Roads’ Scenery and Car Sickness

            Mr. Pan and I rode in front with Little Flower perched on my lap while Mr. Pan’s wife and daughter stayed in back.  87-year-old grandma (mother of Mr. Pan’s wife) was remaining at home in Longzhou.  She had no desire to go anywhere, even to see any one of her 7 daughters in Nanning.  I was told she’d rather enjoy some quiet time in an empty apartment and be with her elderly friends.

            To take the express highway from Longzhou, there’s a toll of 70 yuan ($10) all the way to Nanning.  But to pick up the express highway from Chongzuo, 1 ½ hours away, was only 40 yuan ($6).  Thus to save money, Mr. Pan chose to take the scenic route by using the back roads to Chongzuo before picking up the toll road to the capital city.

            In my own family, my father would often choose to take different routes on our trips to my grandparents, often traveling through the small towns to make it more interesting.  Granted, it might be a bit slower but we still got there within a decent time and it gave us more to look at.

            The same went for our Nanning venture through the countryside. 

            We zipped by sugar cane and corn fields, passed farmers on their motor bikes, slowed down for plodding water buffaloes and a goat herder, drifted through a small village, and wove up and down jagged, rocky mountains. 
            It was truly a beautiful drive and would have been perfect except for one thing:  The air-conditioning was off.

            Chinese are very hesitant to use air-conditioning, not only in their own homes but in the car as well.  They consider fresh air better for a person.  Going in and out of cold rooms isn’t good for the health and can cause sickness.  Also, quite a few have insisted all that filtered, closed-in air doesn’t do well for your constitution. 

            Since our temps are always so hot here in Guangxi, and air-conditioning is considered a luxury, natives of this province are used to sweating it out, roasting and dealing with the heat.

            Foreigners, on the other hand, are a different story.

            We like our air-conditioning, especially when temps outside are into the 90s, like they were during our trip.

            Granted, we did have overcast skies for a bit with some refreshing sprinkles but that didn’t last long.  The windows rolled down, the wind whipping at our hair and whistling about, gave some relief until the sun came out.

            After that, it was just plain darn hot!
            Fortunately for me, I don’t get car sick very easily or I might have been in dire straights due to our high temps. But behind me, both Brenda and her mom were struggling.  I honestly think if we’d have turned on the air-con and cooled things down, they’d have been much more comfortable. I even mentioned that at one point.  Yet a foreigner going against years of cultural tradition was bound to strike out.

            Thus the windows stayed down with our poor, backseat riders throwing up into plastic bags from time to time.

            At that point, I certainly was happy to have the windows rolled down.

Finishing Up the Ride

            Once we landed on the expressway, which no longer had us swaying about the back roads, things were a bit better but no one truly was happy until we finally reached our destination.

            I can definitely say the only one who honestly reveled in that 3-hour car trip to Nanning was the dog.  

            Little Flower spent the majority of our countryside drive with her head out the window.  All those amazing Chinese countryside smells, with the wind blowing into her face and her nose twitching with excitement, made for her best road trip ever. 

            No carsickness or queasiness for her.  Just pure canine enjoyment.

Back to School

            After a week in Nanning, mostly enjoying lovely air-conditioning in the hotel room as well as little jaunts around the city, we landed back in Longzhou.  Saturday classes, to make up for extra days given as holidays,  are getting everyone a bit down after spending so much time off but it’s only one day. 

            After that, we’ll be back to a normal schedule until January 1^st, which is our next day off.

            For now, it’s gearing up for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas lessons for me.  Hard to believe it’s time to start in on our cultural festivals and holidays so soon but it is!

            Until next time, here’s Ping An (Peace) for your day.

Mid-Autumn Festival Behind Us

            China has 7 legal holidays in a year, which include:  New Year’s Day (January 1^st), Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping), May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.

            In total, there are 11 days where we officially have a holiday

            Last week had us celebrating one of those, Mid-Autumn Festival, which turned out to be a very rainy night.  Our moon was nowhere to be seen and everyone was eating their mooncakes indoors instead of outside. 

            While I stayed in Nanning for 3 days, Little Flower was being looked after by my co-teacher, Abby.  We had several practice runs between Abby and Little Flower to make sure things would go smoothly.  LF seemed quite willing to let Auntie Abby take her for walks.  She was especially eager to see Auntie enter the door because she knew what was in store:  pieces of cookie, cake or candy to bribe her into being good.

            All seemed well . . . . until I left.

            According to Abby, Little Flower moped around the apartment, securing herself into corners and secretive cubbyholes where she pouted.  

            She really missed her mother.

            Abby, meanwhile, tried everything to keep up the dog’s spirits.  Food helped but LF was very unwilling to do anything other than gobble down treats before racing for cover in her hidey-holes.   She refused to go out, even when Abby tried giving her little tugs on the leash.

            LF just wouldn’t budge.

            She dug in her paws, pulled backwards and gave Abby dirty, sideways looks.

            A bit more insistent nudging on Abby’s part I’m sure would have worked but my Chinese co-teacher was worried she’d hurt the dog so she let our obstinent Chi get away with balking.

            And balk she did!

            For 3 days, LF held it all in until she could do so no longer.  On the day I returned, Abby said LF finally went out. 

            “She had to go so bad her little legs were shaking!” she laughed.

            She also said it was the longest squat she’d ever seen a dog take.

            Well, if you’d held it in for 3 days, you’d have a long squat, too!

National Day Holidays In Front of Us
           

            October 1^st marks the People’s Republic of China’s National Day, and we officially have 3 days off.  But all schools have added another 2 days to this by having make-up days on the weekends.  We finished one make-up day this past weekend and will do another when we return.  So for now, October 1 to 7 has many enjoying time to travel, spend time at home with family or being bored in school dorms with nothing to do. 

            Although some students are excited to take a trip home, quite a few will be doing the boring bit in the dorms.  They are too poor to afford the cost of bus tickets home or live too far away so they are hanging out in little Longzhou with their classmates.

            Little Flower and I, on the other hand, will be making a trip to Nanning for our holidays.

            Yes, this time Little Flower will not be left in the care of Auntie Abby but be coming with me. 

            We are very fortunate that the school’s former Dean of the English Department, Mr. Pan, is heading off to Nanning by car with his wife and daughter.  He was kind enough to let me and the dog ride along with them for free so we’ll be doing that tomorrow, leaving in the morning.

            Mr. Pan is a gentle, quiet soul.

            He was the first person to talk to me when I moved into my flat here last year.  I was impressed by his English skills and soft-spoken nature.  But his claim to fame on our campus has nothing to do with his English or his kind personality.  It has to do with his musical talents.

            Every day, I can hear Mr. Pan’s violin melodies drift from his apartment nearby mine and float skyward over the trees.  His tones are lovely and well-placed, his vibrato gorgeous.  Not a cringing, flat note to be heard.  And he plays with great feeling, especially the beautiful Chinese classical orchestra pieces that are famous among musicians here. 

            It’s truly  moving to listen to his stringed instrument sing.

            But even more amazing is his playing of the traditional erhu (2-stringed fiddle).  He’s always a favorite guest act at student performances where his rapid- fire, whinnying, The Running Horse erhu number brings down the house.

            I once took lessons on how to play the erhu.  That lasted about 3 weeks before I finally gave up.  My fingers just weren’t adept or coordinated enough to do much of anything but make the instrument squeak in agony.

            Last year, Mr. Pan was diagnosed with serious high blood pressure issues so he is now officially retired.  He no longer teaches but remains on our campus in his school apartment with his wife.  His 22-year-old daughter lives in Nanning, where she stays in their family’s city apartment.

            Mr. Pan and I often run into one another on my walks with Little Flower.  He is always telling me stories of our school and Longzhou.  The most fascinating story has to do with his older sister, now deceased, who helped to build our majestic stone bridge that arches over the Li River.  He said it took 3 years for the bridge to be built, from 1960 to 63.  All the quarry rocks had to be carried in to the town and later cut by hand.  It was a huge venture and one which involved back-breaking labor and intense strength.

            I can just imagine what an incredible spirit his sister must have had to help in this venture as a common worker.  In a China of the 1960s, I’m sure there wasn’t much in the way of machinery to construct that bridge.  It was all just plain man and woman power.

            Knowing just a little of the story makes me appreciate our stone masterpiece all the more.

Happy National Day!

            On that last note, it’s off to Nanning for the dog and me.  For my Chinese readers who often visit this site, I wish you Ping An (Peace) for your holidays.  Enjoy!

             After 13 weeks, I have finally landed back in Longzhou to begin my second year at Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities, located one hour from the Vietnam border in the small town, Longzhou.

             The oppressive heat of southern China greeted both Little Flower and me with quite a jolt.

We walked into an apartment that stayed a “pleasant” 91 degrees until this week, when temps began to cool down enough for us to reach a “chilly” 84.   Uhg! 

            This is to catch you up since the last entry on August 20^th.

Freshmen Arrive

            The arrival of the new freshmen, beginning last week on September 10, had the entire student body busy.

            As is the custom in most Chinese colleges, upper classmen begin courses 2 weeks earlier than incoming students.  Freshmen then arrive later, allowing the school to settle a bit and organize older students for helping to greet and meet their new classmates when they first land here. 

            And land they did!

            Classes were canceled for 2 days so second and third years could give it their all in welcoming our new college young people. Groups with signs waited at our bus station to lead the way for those coming from long distances.  On campus, they manned departmental tables, helped with heavy luggage,  hustled students to the dormitories, led tours around the school, and provided water and shade under tents for everyone, including accompanying parents.

            Wave after wave of students arrived, totaling about 650 for our school year. 

            Everyone was exhausted and ready to crash by Sunday.  Yet at the new campus in Chongzuo, 1 ½ hours away, 2,500 freshmen were admitted to add to the 6,000 returning students.

            I’m so thankful to be here on the old campus which currently keeps steady at about 1,400. 

            Many of our freshmen, straight from the countryside, looked quite lost and distraught.  This was the first time for them to leave their small villages and families.  Sobs and sniffles could be heard from time to time when walking by a dorm room.  Farewells to Mom and Dad at the front gate were always tear jerker for those of us watching. 

            But there were others who excitedly embraced the day. They volunteered to help the upperclassman with the incoming freshmen or comforted those who were homesick with jokes and invites to walk the town. 

            Most who arrived are the first in their family to finish high school and go on to higher education.  Even though we are only a 3-year college, not a more prestigious 4-year institution like the new campus university in Chongzuo, this is still a big event in their lives.  Whether they arrived happy or sad, their determination to do their best here is definitely evident.  Freshmen classes started last Monday and already into Day 5, my freshmen classes are proving themselves up to the task of continuing their education with pride, hard work and a cheerful spirit.

The Foreign Language Departmental Meeting

            Saturday morning, the Foreign Language Department (of which I am a part) welcomed everyone with the obligatory first-year student meeting. 

            About 280 newcomers to our department brought their stools to the sports’ building to be addressed by our department’s deans and leaders.  For those with foreign language majors, we had 40 in the Vietnamese Department, 32 in the Thai Department and about 210 in the English Department.

            Upper classmen organized the group into rows and attended to the sound equipment during this opening meeting.

             Our 5 speakers then  gave advice about school life, explained how to study, addressed campus rules and regulations, and encouraged a good attitude.

            After 2 hours, our meeting finished and we who attended were dismissed.

            While it’s rather a dull address, with a lot of talk about obvious topics and parental advice, I do see the need for this.  These first year students felt more wanted, cared for and more of a united body after our group  meeting than when they first showed up a few days before as  individuals.  And seeing their head teachers and foreign teacher (myself) in front of them is always a good thing.   Recognizing the smiling faces of their new instructors certainly lessens the anxiety of that first week of class, especially when it comes to me,  the first foreigner  they’ve ever seen or heard in person.  That can be a scary experience for Chinese students, worried about their English skills and how they’ll perform in class.  It’s always nice to have a face to put to the name.

 Teacher’s Day

            Teacher’s Day was something that I came across in Taiwan when I was teaching at Wesley Girl’s High School 13 years ago. 

            This is a day set aside for students and schools to remember their teachers.  Flowers, small gifts, cards, phone calls and emails to former teachers, thanking them for their dedication and service to students everywhere, is common during this designated "Thank you, my teacher!" day.

            I was fortunate enough to have one of our new Chinese Amity staff members in Nanjing (Wendy Wu) send a short history of Teacher’s Day.  Wendy explained that in 1984, Wang Zishen, former president of Beijing Normal University , suggested the country establish a remembrance day for  teachers.  On January 21, 1985, the ninth session of the Sixth NPC (National People’s Congress) Standing Committee formally passed a resolution to create Teacher’s Day, to be  celebrated  every year on September 10^th.  

            She also went on to tell us about China’s devotion to its educators.  In the long history of Chinese education, Confucius is a paragon of all teachers.  He proposed the ideal teaching philosophy of “Educate all without discrimination” (in Chinese, said as 有教无类, you jiao wu lei), and carried out his idea with teaching according to the abilities of different students.  

            Last Friday marked the 26^th Teacher’s Day in China and my students from last year made sure to remember their first foreign teacher in style.

            Oh, and how well they know me!

             I had lots of well-wishing cards, bags of apples delivered to my doorstep (I love apples), several cans of Diet Coke arranged in a little basket (Diet Coke is my “must” caffeine booster) and a huge, wide-brimmed hat to protect me from the hot sun when Little Flower and I go walking around the campus.  The English Association presented me with a large photo album because they know I enjoy taking pictures.  And I received numerous emails from former students and even my teaching colleagues, some from as far back as Taiwan, wishing me a Happy Teacher’s Day.

            I can definitely say, that was a great way to start up the new semester.

Mid-Autumn Festival is Coming

            Students already are anticipating our first holiday of the school year, Mid-autumn Festival, which will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 22.  During this time, families all across China will be reuniting, eating mooncakes together and watching the full moon rise.   

             This is the 3^rd year that China has designated Mid-Autumn Festival as a holiday.  Before, this was just a traditional day without any fanfare of having time off.

            As usual, we will be having 2 make-up days of teaching (Saturday and Sunday) for classes we will miss on Thursday and Friday.  This is in preparation to create to a 3-day block being off instead of just a single day, Wednesday, in the middle of the week.  Some students will remain on campus as their homes are too far away for them to return.  Others who live closer will most likely venture out on long distance buses to have mooncakes with their families.

            I haven’t yet decided how I will spend my 3 days, either here on campus or in Nanning.

            If I do remain, I’ll be doing so in style.  The repairmen have been here to fix the air-conditioner in the bedroom so it will work properly.  And I have a new gas burner after the old one “Poof!”ed, sputtered and shot flames up and over my pots all last week. 

            Not exactly a very comforting feeling when it came to cooking dinner but all now is safe and sound.

            Until next time, here’s wishing you “Ping An” (Peace) for your day!