This blog is my thoughts on many things and about my adventures of living and traveling in China.
Name: Carole Morris
Living in China for more than 6 years, I have had the chance to travel far and see much. I love to share what I have seen and experienced as well as every day life in China as an expat, with all those who wish to read my blog.
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Foreigners in China get stared at, a fact I have written about before. Most of the time it can be ignored, but sometimes when the starer is very obvious or rude about it, it can be very wearing. I thought for awhile, I must be the only person in China that feels this way until I started reading forums written by expats living here. It seems my feelings are pretty universal through out the foreign community. I have never quite got the feeling of living in a fishbowl until I moved onto the campus of this school. I cannot go out without being approached by students wanting to practice their English. Most of the time, I just answer hello, nice to meet you, and keep going in the direction I was headed. However, I have found that this last four months have been a lot more stressful living than any of the other time I have spent in China. For one thing, I have not been doing my morning exercise routine regularly. I started going out at 6 in the morning, like I have been doing for the past 4 or more years, walking then doing tai chi. Soon, I started having a lot of students show up where I was doing the routines, all trying to talk to me. So i started going out much earlier. Soon, I had the students coming out earlier, too. I began going at 4:30, but the kids got wise. So I just quit going to do morning exercise. I would just do tai chi in my room. I ran into one of the students the other day as I was leaving the teaching building. He mentioned he had not seen me. I answered no, I had been out there. He, then, just happened to drop a little tidbit of information....it seems as though the teachers of other departments had told the students that I go out to do morning exercise. And since they do not have a foreign teacher in their major studies, that maybe they should go out and join me to practice their English. I thought, okay, that explains it. I wonder what those teachers would do if I had invited my students to interupt some routine they tried to do every day. I am going away for the summer holiday, back to the U. S.... when I come back, I dont think I will live on campus. No privacy and I dont want to live in a fish bowl again. Life as a goldfish isnt that much fun. Till next time.
I made it to the end of the term. I have even turned my marks in to the appropriate people, today. So officially, I am finished for the year. Yesterday I was given the correct forms. As the vice dean, (a very nice lady by the way) was explaining the forms and telling me what went into each column, she told me that out of 25 students, I could only have five students who score 90% or above. There are only 3 classifications, excellent = 90 - >, passing = 60-89% and any score below 60 = fail. I have one class of second year students that is really good. Most of them could hold their own in any conversation with native English speakers. I looked at her expressed my surprise and displeasure. I said that it wasn't fair because in that class I had many who were excellent. She told me that I should choose five. I said no, she could chose them. She graciously told me I could tell the students the school made me lower their marks. I stood up and said no, I will not choose them. I will give you the marks and you choose. How preposterous. I could feel my temper rising. It just so happened that the dean of the department went by the door and the vice dean called him in. They discussed what I said in very loud and animated Chinese. Finally, my lady leader turned to me and said, do it you way. We will respect your judgement. I could have fell over. She said the dean agreed with me, that it wasnt fair to put excellent students in the passing catagory and he would support my marks. Can you just imagine, setting parameters that you can only X number of A's, B's and so on. China's way of doing things sometimes just doesn't make sense. No student ever fails in China. Even if they never come to class, and I had 3 of those, they just pay extra money, have a test or an interview and they get to pass. I have had Chinese collegues complain that the western countries do not accept Chinese degrees for the most part. One of these teachers, had just proctored a test where some doctors "passed" an English test by virtue of where they were sitting and guanxi (relationship). She had been told, by some school leaders, that people in sitting in such and such seats were to pass. She got a free lunch out of it. I reminded her of what she had just done. She looked a little taken back. I told her that would be not done in most western countries. We have to show up with more than one piece of identification. And the consequences would be too high if the person(s) were caught. She just scoffed.
There is quite a business around getting false id's so teacher's can take each others tests here in China. There are quite a few people who insist on doing it the honest way. Too bad, there aren't more. Couldn't you just imagine having to have surgery? I would be worried that someone else had taken the doctor's test and he was therefore clueless what he was doing. With that...till next time.
Sometimes negotiating everyday life in a language not your own can be on the frustrating side of ridiculous. I write for an online magazine. And to get around the transfer fees charged by banks, my pay is wired to me by Western Union. (Yes, I know it has fees, too. However they are less than bank fees and is faster.) I went to the bank in China that handles Western Union transactions. I filled out all the papers and presented them and my passport to the Western Union lady. She looked at the info provided by the confirmation number and looked at me and said; "the sender information not right. No money!" I was a bit taken back by that. You see, a person isnt the sender, a credit union is. And I have been receiving the pay this way for over a year. I had very carefully filled out the form taking care to make sure my letters were clear and I didnt use caps for little letters. I called my friend and asked her to translate for me with the bank lady, because the bank lady didnt speak much English at all. I was sure that it was just a misunderstanding. If my friend spoke Chinese to her then it would all get straightened out. My friend told me that the bank lady said the name of the sending bank wasnt the same as I had written. So I came all the way back to my room, got on the internet and emailed the person who sends the funds to the credit union. The customer service line at the credit union went out of their way to find the automatic transmittal information. It seems when they send a Western Union wire, the name that is transmitted is XXXXXX XXX Fed Credit Union. I had written XXXXXX XXX Federal Credit Union. I wanted to scream! It takes two different buses to get to the place to pick up the money. And two different buses back to the school. Now, I get to ride two different buses to the bank, again, because the lady didnt realize or know that fed is the abbreviation for federal. Just another day in paradise. Till next time.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id
Some towns have a speciality dish..or at least the locals find it special. The video on the above website was taken in Xiangfan of people buying breakfast, and eating it of course. My friend from Xiangfan sent it to me. It is in Chinese, but watch it anyway, you dont have to speak the language to enjoy this little tidbit of everyday life in Xiangfan.
The noodles that the speaker is talking about in the film are called beef noodles. Noodles, themselves, are sometimes hand pulled at the time you order or they are precooked and put in baskets so that when one orders, it does not take so long for them to cook. They are simply dipped in boiling water for a few minutes. Xiangfan is known for its spicy hot beef noodles. Spicy in that lajiao (hot peppers that are ground up into a sauce) is added to the noodles and beef. Usually, some kind of green vegetable is also added. They are exceptionally good in the winter. The hot broth and peppers are wonderful to get you going. The noodles, vegies, and beef are very filling. Last winter, I sat at a street shop eating beef noodles and watching it snow. Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan are known for their hot spicy cuisine. Wuhan has what is called dry noodles, cooked noodles topped with a sauce made out of sesame seed paste. Usually, lajiao is added as well as a little broth. The most common breakfast drink is heated soy milk or huangjiao..yellow wine, made from rice and it's not bad. Actually, a village near Xiangfan called Lutou, has been known going back many, many years for it's yellow wine. Travelers are said to have went through there just for the wine.
Beijing has it's Peking duck. Xi'an, home of the Terra Cotta Warriors, has alot of specialities. The most different thing, is a noodle that is wide and long, translated to belt noodles. There is also a wonderful soup where a special bread is served with it. YOu break the bread into little pieces and then the soup is put over top. This dish is found in Moslem owned restaurants. In Xinjiang, goat meat dishes are the norm. In Tibet, we ate a lot of yak meat. Down around Guangzhou, the food is bland. I really dont care for the cusine there. Great soups are served in the south. It is said that Guangzhou'ns will make soup out of anything that walks, crawls or flies... I believe it. I dont ever eat anything in Guangzhou when I dont know what is being served...dog and cat meat is a common dish, and so are mice. Fish is usually served with a slightly sweet sauce. I cannot eat fish with sugar. Just wont go down.
I hope you are enjoying the food of your choice...till next time.
Today, the weather in Wuhan is more normal. Temps are forecasted to be 29C/84F. Last check, it is 35C/93F. Too hot to do much outside. Later on, I will go out to do a couple of errands. Now, the ceiling fan feels pretty good.
The school term is about over. Only one more week to go. Then the students will head for home. It is always a bit sad to see all the kids leaving pulling their cases behind them, going out the gates. They all are happy to go home, but sad to leave their new friends behind. Especially, the ones that found boy or girlfriends. In some ways, these college kids are more like high schoolers in the west or at least in the US. Boyfriends and girl friends are new unchartered territory for some. Before college, the students were encouraged to do nothing but study and get through the College Entrance Exams. Some kids come to college without basic social skills. I had one such boy in one of my classes and he finally dropped out. He wasnt accepting of the students in the class and so they quit trying to integrate him. He would not take part in presentations. He was always alone, and finally went home. One can see that more often than one would think.
My daughter has an old Beagle dog. She has had this dog for around 18 years. She told me that the old dog is having spells where she quits breathing and her heart stops. My daughter said she just strokes the old dog and so far, the old dog comes back. It wont be too long before, my daughter may just get up in the morning or come home from work and find the old dog has passed. She dreads that day. I dont blame her.
Dogs are treated a little different in China. Some are given a good life...and some are beaten to death on the street by men who think it's funny. I saw a group of men kicking a little homeless dog for no reason. I yelled at them but I dont think they stopped. I had a friend who left her dog in the care of her brother and the brother didnt bother to care for it. He didnt have time. So you know what happened to the dog. There are no leash laws and dogs run free. Rare is the dog that has had any kind of shots...rabies happens. So, when you say it a dog's life...specify which country the dog is living. Till next time.
This morning, the day dawned as one of the most beautiful mornings in a long time. Yesterday, well into the evening hours it rained steadily and semi-heavily. As I went through the door to go walking, the air smelled so good. It was cool and breezy, but oh, so soft following the thorough cleansing it had yesterday. This time of year in this part of China, it usually is very hot, humid and uncomfortable. This spring and early summer has been a surprise. We have had a few hot and humid days. We have also had really wonderful mornings, just like today.
I went with a friend to watch her practice Chen tai chi, last weekend. I do tai chi but not Chen. I would like to learn Chen style. She is a very good tai chi player. I love to watch her do Chen tai chi. She makes it look so easy. She moves as beautiful as an any dancer. Her group is learning Chen Broad Sword. I watched the group with a smile on my face. The youngest person there was probably in his 30s. The oldest was well over 70. They were all moving like agile children. I watched a man in seventies do the routine's most difficult moves with ease. Let me tell you, if you dont do tai chi or yoga, I suggest you start. Ponce de Leon never found the fountain of youth because he never came to China or India. If he had, he would have brought the secret to Europe long before now. I hope to train with this group in the not too distant future. I am going to travel a little this summer but after I get back I will take the long bus ride across town to just watch them if nothing else. They are such an inspiration.
I heard on NPR a commentary about the things that have happened in China, lately. The lady doing the commentary said that the Chinese, for the most part are not superstitous. I laughed right out loud. In my opinion and experince, most Chinese are very superstitious. If someone dreams about a ghost, they sit off firecrackers to scare the spirit away. Many things that are done in everyday life in China reflect their old well established beliefs. Most Chinese young people are married on an auspicous day determined by their parents with the help of a wise man. Firecrackers are lit on the wedding day, and just before the auspicious time of joining so the evil demons are not around. Bigger fireworks are set off for good measure. You can walk down most any street anywhere in China and see street fortune tellers. They do quite a brisk business. Babies are not given a name for certain length of time. The Olympic Mascots have been tied to the recent disasters by soothsayers. The one tied to the torch relay...well we know what happened there. (Today the torch is in Xinjiang Province and can only be observed in its passing by invited guests) The Panda one represents Sichuan, the home of the preserve for the special bears. We all know about the earthquake. The fish one is a sturgeon that is only found in China in the Yangtze...which is flooding big time in southern China. There is one tied to the Sky City, where the train derailed eariler this year. Plus the snows.. and so on. Then there is the Mandate of Heaven, a belief that if the governing entity, be it an emperor or the present government, isnt taking care of the people, in a natural normal way, then diasters will befall. No comment here. Draw your own conclusions. Maybe in Beijing, where the lady is stationed, Chinese people claim not to be superstitous
Till next time.
A "few" years ago when my friend, Barbara, and I were non traditional students in college, she wrote a paper about the one child policy of China and its ramifications. Those ramifications seem to be in the news alot here, lately. Parents of children killed in schools that were shoddily built are devastated at the loss of their ONLY child. Of course, in its benevolance, China's government has allowed for those parents to have another child as if that would replace the precious life that was lost. I have listened over the years to many of my Chinese friends who have openly criticized that policy because they wanted more than one child. Here, lately, I have noticed that students and young people are voicing their desires to have brothers and sisters and wanting childREN in the future. They cling to cousins because they want a sibling. Yesterday, a young man in one of my classes brought pictures for his presentation. The pictures were of a cute, absolutely precious, chubby baby boy. This baby is the son of a cousin, but my student called him his little brother. My student couldnt have been more proud if that baby were his. He told about every month he takes the long bus ride home just to see that baby and all changes in the little guy. Another young man in another class, also told about his little cousin, and how they are "brothers". Young people here seem to make brothers and sisters out of anyone close. I have thought about that. I am lucky. I was given 2 brothers and one sister. Unfortunately, we lost our sister to brain aneurism a few years ago. I took brothers and sisters for granted until I moved to China. When I first came to China a man told a group of foreign teachers of which I was a member, that we could not change China, but China would change us. Truer words were never spoken. Till next time.
There is little doubt that the earthquake of May 12, 2008 has affected people here. Even now, a month later my students continue to surprise me with the depth of caring and feelings of wanting to do more for those in quake zone. In presentations today, one of my boy student's topic was his most memorable moment. He started his talk about how his moment wasn't of his making. In the news, an article told about a young woman sheltering her baby daughter with her own body as her house fell down around her. She died protecting the baby. Before she died, she wrote a message on her mobile/cell phone about how much she loved her baby. And in the message she wrote that she was hoping the child would always be happy and know that her mother loved her. My student with tears running down his face told how that made him realize that being a parent was hard. He said he never understood what being a father would mean until he read that story. He told about how that moment changed his way of looking at life. He said he no longer thinks of himself as a child going to college but as a young man who needs to prepare himself to be worthy of being a husband and a father. He also, related how much that moment made him realize how precious life is and nothing is guaranteed. I would say he grew up in a flash moment.
Another boy in the same class talked about now he wants to be a good teacher. He wants to improve the educational system of China. His of way of thinking is that he needs to be a teacher first and then he can find a way to change things. I wish him all the luck. He has a great sense of humor and can easily make people laugh. The English name he chose for himself is Great. My hope for him is to live up to his name.
Till next time.
One of my readers left this message for me.
"With a visa at stake, are you not worried about your nane being on your blog?
Do you think that things are changing as trade, the Olympics, modernisation and capitalism develop? Is this paranoia because too much is happening this year, the earthquake, the Olympics and is there a general improvement behind all this?"
Well, first, the name on the blog and on my passport are different. So I am not very worried about the visa. Second, my blog is not read in China. Motime blogs are blocked. I figured out a way around it, but I am not going to say how. I guess, if someone in China really wanted to read it, they could figure out how, too.
China's paranoia, in my opinion, is all about control.The government will go to any means to keep control. Anytime there is assemblance of any kind of challenge to the system, you will see the paranoia. After six and half years here, I am just really beginning to understand the depth of control. You hear China use the phrase "harmonious society" quite often. It will go to any length to show on the surface, that the Chinese are in complete agreement and the government is wonderful. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you read the phrase about keeping the "harmonious society" means that any dissent will be dealt with harshly and quickly. They would have you believe that Tibet is happy living under the present system. They are not, and what the Chinese have done in Tibet are a topic for another blog. The Olympics are suppose to be China's shining moment. Instead it has turned into a debacle with the problems of the torch run and so on.The world has seen more openness in reporting from China with the earthquake than normal. With the collapse of the schools and the parents challenging the government...China is losing face... so it is taking back control of what goes out. Mordernization is opening the door a little. But Beijing keeps a tight grip, still. I think as and If China keeps looking for outside investments and companies to open here, it will have open itself up a little. That is my opinion.
My students, as I have said, are very aware of corruption. And they strongly voice their displeasure in the safe confines of the classroom. I think that students all over China are doing the same. The internet has opened up the world to them despite the Great China Firewall. Change is coming to China, one step at a time. I really pray that that changes will come peacefully instead of what is happening, still, in Tibet.
Till next time.
The Chinese government in its paranoia in the leadup to the Olympic games, has been coming up with more and more "rules" for foreigners. Starting on July 1st, foreigners cannot stay with friends. They can only stay in hotels when visiting somewhere. I think they are trying to make sure that Human Rights Activists dont get in. There was a lot of comment about these new rules on the foreign teacher forum...like if you believe this is about the Olympics, you have your head in the sand. Well, it certainly changed my July plans. I was going to go to Xiangfan and see my friends, and go out into the countryside to take pictures of water buffalo before they are all gone. Plus, hotels have multiplied their rates by 1000 or more. Hotel rooms that were 150 yuan per night are now more than 3000...yes, 3000. Maybe the Chinese government only wants rich tourists to come. You know the ones, they sign up for a tour. They get shuttled from hotel to hot spot and back. And then they claim to have seen China. Anyway, for plain ol foreign teachers, the summer is basically personna non grata when it comes to travel to see the sights in China or visiting and staying with friends. I am going home for a visit anyway. My visa is in order. That is another thing China has invoked for the Olympics, lots of new visa rules. You cannot get a business visa now. and tourist visas come with a rash of requirements. And if you think buying the overpriced tickets to see the events will get you a visa...think again.
Yesterday was the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmein Square incident. China, of course, denies that it even happened. I can remember the horror in Dan Rather's voice as things turned into terror back then. There a lot of foreign teachers here that were teaching in Taiwan at the time. They have lots of memories and have shared them Here is a copy of an email that one of the forum members received from a friend, who is Chinese and now works in the west. This person cannot return home...as you will read.
"What are you doing there? I see you again. Did I tell you that I went back to Beijing at June19th, 1989? I was in Beijing in May 1989. After this massacre, the flight from Hong Kong to Beijing was only 1/3 full. And the customs checked everything and confiscated all the magazines. I met my friends worked in Beijing Capital Airport. Some of them were taxi drivers. They told me what they saw and how they learned from students. They supported students and gave them free ride....They did not believe what they saw at the night of massacre...they crawled back to their cars and drove like crazy to get home...some flight attendants said they were so hurt and scared about what the government did. They said they would just flew to any country and stayed there...they lost their hope to their government...One lady said they were not allowed to listen to the voice of the America(?). Some were shot right away when they were listening to the radio. I saw all the notices on the walls...said that the "chaos" were already under control. I could feel that the Communist tried to cover everything and deprived the right to know the truth from the people. And this was not the only massacre, there were many like this, even more. Many people died and the blood flowed just like rivers.
I was listening to the radio (in Taipei) every night. I heard people who worked in hospitals like doctors, staff, nurses said that there were lots, lots of bodies carried to hospitals, they cried loud while they tried to save them...a lot of bodies were cremated by the army right away, some of them were still alive...people on the street tried to save other people and sent the wounded to the hospitals....Furious people dragged soldiers from the tanks/cars and burnt them...it was just like a hell....
When I was in Beijing two weeks later, I saw the army covered the bullet holes on the buildings; the government gave $10 each person to join the memorial ceremonies of the dead soldiers...how fake!
I stayed in Beijing for a week and did not call my mom and my ex until I came back. They were so worried about me. I just wanted to see Beijing after the massacre. I loved Beijing. It is a 500 years historical capital.
When I was in Beijing in 1989, I took a picture in from of Tiananmen square. The passenger passed by my side (I didn't not know him) was my best friend's boy friend. When I showed my picture to her, she "AHHH" loudly and said, he was my boyfriend.
I left a complete volume about the massacre in Taipei. There were a lot of photos, articles and poems (Beijing is famous of writing doggerel) about the 'student movement' before the massacre. Too bad I did have them with me.
I love Chinese culture. That's my root.
Now I am a rootless orchid."
One of my readers commented that the people of China seem powerless...and indeed, I would agree...the above gives quite a picture why.
Till next time.
It is 8:30 at night and the temperature has cooled off to 31/94 degrees... and humid. Its not setting on 100% humidity or even in the 90s...more like 60%, but still makes it seem much hotter. Forecast is for thunder boomers after midnite.
I went into the city to get some things I cannot buy locally...coming back, I rode in a taxi. It was very hot out and the idea of being sardined into a bus was just more than I could stomach. In China, and just about every city I have been in with the exception of , maybe, Guangzhou, it is common to see huge, very deep holes in the road. Sometimes it appears that the manhole covers may have been stolen and never replaced. So if you are walking at night and dont see it, you could fall right in. Today, the taxi driver had to dodge huge holes that were big enough for a bus tire to drop into and never be seen again..... in middle of the street. Wuhan is getting an underground subway. The workers do what they have to do and move on to the next location. I guess, it isnt their job to fill the holes back up, or even to move the huge hunks of concrete off the street. So while taxi drivers seem to be anhilistic, they are also good stunt drivers. What a place for a chase scene in a movie. Obstacles are ready made. Movie makers could save thousands in prop fees.
My students had to tell what changes they would make if they woke one day and found themselves the President of China, the headmaster at the school or the mayor of their hometowns. Most gave the usual answers of making schools free and open to everyone, getting rid of the college entrance exams and usually want to get rid of corruption. Students are very aware of the corruption around them. They dont like it and want change. But they cannot fathom how to go about it. One of my students, a boy...scared me. If he were President of China, he would use military power against Japan in the disputed area of the ocean where oil has been found. He would use military to bring Taiwan back to China and so on. I pray that he never gets to be president. I really dont think he has the where with all to do so. He isnt my brightest student.
If you havent noticed on the news, the parents of the children lost in the quake are be being strong armed not to challenge the government. They are seeking answers but are being set upon by the riot police. Foreign reporters are being strong armed too. Now there are lots of restrictions on the press. So China is back to business as usual. I guess, if there was thing I hope that the world outside of China would understand is what these parents have lost. Yes, I know that all parents that lose a child go through hell. These Chinese parents have put everything into one child...the only child they are allowed to have. First of all they have literally slaved away and saved money, literally doing without necessities for themselves to have the money to put their child in school. That means working almost 24 hours a day. It is common for them to work at their regular job or farm from sun up to sun down and then go into the city or village and try to make another few yuan a night just to keep the child in school. Now the wonderful leadership of China is going to show the world a "harmonious society" at all costs. Personally, I think and really hope that the government fails in this. These people literally have nothing else to lose. They will not rest until they have answers.
Till next time.
Michael Bristow
BBC News, Dujiangyan
Officials initially promised a full investigation into the issue, but now seem to be discouraging parents from venting their frustration.
Parents are thought to have been prevented from filing a lawsuit against the principal of one collapsed school where hundreds died.
And officials seem to be attempting to tone down public expressions of grief.
Thousands of schoolchildren died because their classrooms collapsed around them when the earthquake struck last month.
Only buildings to fall
In some districts, schools were the only buildings to fall down in the quake, which killed more than 69,000 people.
Officials pledged to allow a proper investigation, but now appear to be backtracking.
One example of this came on Tuesday when scores of parents went to Dujiangyan People's Court.
They went to file a lawsuit, reportedly against the headmaster of the city's
Eyewitnesses say they were prevented from handing over their document and were dragged away by police officers.
Police denied the reports when the BBC visited the court later in the day, but about 100 officers were stationed inside the building.
Wreaths removed
Since Monday, two of the city's collapsed schools - scenes of moving memorial services - have been sealed off to most people.
Grieving parents say wreaths left on the rubble at
"They went too far. They have no consideration," said Xu Yan, whose 11-year-old daughter Huang Ruiqi died when the school collapsed.
No senior official was available to explain why the wreaths were taken away.
But Zhu Lin, who works for the local foreign affairs office, said: "The government wants to find a better way to solve the problem."
The wreaths were put back after an outcry, but banners calling for a thorough investigation into why the school collapsed were not.
Nationally, state-controlled media outlets have been told to rein in coverage of the schools issue. But having been promised answers, parents will not be easily put off.
"There are two campuses within the University. One is situated next to the DaYan pagoda built in Tang Dynasty; the other is sited close to the Qin Terror Cotta Worries. The university has been honored as provincial "Civilized Campus " and municipal level "Garden-style Unit"."
The above quote was taken from a web site for a university in Xi'an. I had to laugh when I read this.... Qin Terror Cotta Worries. I have no clue what would cause a Qin terror cotta worry, let alone worries. Must be a very serious situation. May Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty not turn over in his grave. I am sure the university meant, Emperor Qin's (pronounced Shen) Terra Cotta Warriors. In China, you will see sites everywhere that say "Civilized Unit"...but after 6 and 1/2 years of being in China, I still have no clue what that means. I saw a sign above a bakery that read Exciting Dreams Bakery. Now, please tell me what kind of dreams would come from eating bakery goods? I sure dont know. One of the best things to do when riding a bus is to read the shop signs and ponder what the Chinese words really mean. Something gets lost in translation. My favorite all time is a sign above a real estate office which reads very clearly, KILLER. Nothing more, nothing less, just Killer... ask me no questions....I really dont know what it suppose to mean.
I went off to my favorite city of China, Xiangfan, last weekend. I rode the bus. Although it is much more expensive than the train, it is also alot more comfortable. Scenery along the road is good. Rice fields give way to the mountains around Xiangfan and Zaoyang. I saw many farmers out planting rice. I admire them for their stamina. They spend hours bent over, in nearly knee deep water planting rice plants one by one. Many of them still use water buffalo in the paddies. Water buffalo are interesting critters. Noone can accuse them of being good looking, but they are hard working. A couple times I saw calves along side the mothers. Little ones are so darn cute. When given the chance, the water buffalo lives up to its name. I saw more than one in a pond with just its head or nose out of water. A couple were laying in a mud bog...happier than clams at low tide.
Weather was good, seeing old friends was good, watching my friend do taiji was good, watching the parade of early morning swimmers was good...Seeing the blue sky, and seeing the clear water of the Han Jiang was good. I just ran out time before I saw everyone I wanted to see...that wasnt so good.
We only have a couple more weeks of school left. Then its summer vacation. Students are already getting psyched. I must say, I, too am looking forward to the end of the term.
Till next time....
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