Walking in Other's Shoes.

China requires a residence visa permit within 30 days of arriving in China.  Mr. Chen, our university liaison, prepared all the paperwork for us and told us to take it to the police station.  This was last Friday.  We got to the police station and found hundreds of students there waiting in lines.  We didn’t know what to do so we stood in the lines which quickly turned into a mob situation.  People were pushing and shoving to get to the front window where they were giving out numbers.  About 30 minutes of standing in the mob, the police announced that no more numbers would be given out and to come back on Monday.  The students standing around us were so interesting to talk to.  The majority were from middle eastern countries.  We talked to students from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh.  Many students from Turkmenistan. They were shocked that we were from America.  They were friendly and warm and wanted to visit.  One student from Jordan said, “We all have a common bond of being in China.  We all have unity and get along.”  I have thought a lot about his comments this week.  So many difficulties and tragedies are happening in the world between countries represented in that police station.  Here we all were being kind and helping each other.  If only people in the world could walk in each other’s shoes. I hope I can represent America well, even if it is just one person at a time.

We went back to the police station on Monday, and it was worse.  At that point we reached out to our university’s foreign affairs department, and they helped us.  Teachers are treated with great respect. Having this experience was a highlight.

Highlight number two was we were invited to a reception celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.  It was a reception for dignitaries from the Shaanxi province.  We were seated behind the governor and other secretaries of the party which held important positions.  As we stood for China’s national anthem, I just couldn’t believe I was experiencing this.  First there were speeches, with English translation on the large monitors. The speeches talked about the rising influence and modernization of China.  There were 8 cultural numbers that were performed ranging from acrobatics to an ensemble of ancient instruments.  It was a fabulous show.  I have no idea how we got invited to this elite reception, but it was an enlightening experience.

Our classes were engaging this week.  We love to see the students laugh and work together on projects.  One of our activities was planning a meal from a Lin’s grocery store ad (from Hurricane).  The students are so fascinated.  They work with a partner and plan to the penny how much they would spend for the meal.  One partnership spent $71.83.  Another $17.50.  The students did 4 different presentations during the class so they got a lot of practice.   

We had an assignment called, "I Am."  The students write answers from prompts and then give a presentation.  One student's paper was especially good.  His English name is Vi and he gave us permission to put his words on our blog.  

I am the son of Chaos

I wonder if life is worth the fight

I need solitude but crave connection

I see beauty in the birth and death

I am fire and ice

 

I feel joy in the embrace of my friends

I hate the chains, yet fear freedom

I worry that dream is beyond reach

I am the harmony of chasing and waiting

 

I say never to give up on searching for the light

I understand the contradictions within me

I fear the stillness after the storm

I try to reconcile the opposites inside

I hope to find peace in the chaos

I am both lost and found.

 Teaching - What a Joy!

The highlight of our week is teaching.  We have about 180 students.  We have 4 classes of medical students and 4 classes of  graduate students ranging from public administration majors to mechanical engineering majors. We are teaching the same subject to each of our 8 classes - oral presentation.  Last week we were working on the pair pronunciation of mouth – mouse.   When the students recited, the two words sounded exactly the same.  We spent some time on teaching them how to stick out their tongue to say the th sound.  When they finally got it, I got excited and said, “We did it.”  They cheered and smiled and clapped.  It was at that moment that I realized how much I love teaching them.  By the 8^th class our dog and pony show got old.  When we showed the picture of Ashley and Adam, and said, “See Adam’s cowboy hat, he is a cowboy,” I really laughed out loud.  The students ooh and aah.  We had our family picture on the PowerPoint and had the tallest student come up and the shortest student come up and see where they fit in our family.  The picture is a few years old, so most of the tall students were Morgan’s size, the shortest Trey’s size.  They would all laugh when we told them Trey was 10 years old.   To end our lesson we played 20 questions.  Doug was thinking of President Xi.  It took them awhile to figure out how to ask broad questions.  One of the first five questions was, "Do they wear glasses?"  In one of the classes the students guessed President Xi on question 19.  Now that was a fun way to end a class, with the students clapping for the lesson!

Lunch with a few of our students

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival this week.  We traveled with Dr. Feng and his family.  We visited an ancient town named Chenlu, which is famous for their use of porcelain.  Ceramics have been continuously produced since the Tang Dynasty (618 -907) and the fire in the kilns has been on for over one-thousand years.  It was fascinating waking through the town.  They use discarded pots to make houses, walls, and roads.  The highlight was getting a tour of the ceramic workshop.

We visited Zhaojin Danxia National Park.  We hiked up the mountain and rode a cable car down.  It is the setting for a famous painting.  We enjoyed traveling with new friends.  Their 7-year old daughter was too shy to hold Doug's hand so she kept a water bottle between them.  

Our last stop was Da Xiangshan Si Temple, a famous small Buddhist temple.  It is at the top of a mountain.  We really enjoyed seeing this sacred place for so many people.

Jiaotong University 

We are having a grand adventure in Xi'an, China.

In the spring we decided we wanted to look at opportunities for service.  After making a pros and cons list we settled upon teaching again in China.  We previously taught in Nanjing for the 2018 - 2019 school year.  We loved our students, fellow teachers, food, travel, and China.  

BYU China Teachers has 23 teachers serving this year throughout China.  It is a wonderful program and we feel so fortunate to participate.

So here we are!

We had a long flight, which at the time was excruciating, but now seems comical.  Let's just say that Doug sat with a baby cradle over his lap.  

We are teaching at Jiaotong University.  We have 8 classes with 173 students.  The class is titled, "Oral English Presentation."  Our first day starts on Tuesday.  We brought from the USA a big box of Oreo's in our suitcase.  A debate activity will highlight our first lesson plan on whether chocolate flavor or golden flavor is the best.  

This week has been busy with business such as opening bank accounts, phones, campus ID cards, moving into our apartment and lesson plans.  

We live adjacent to a large park known as Xingquinggong Park.  We have loved the sights and sounds of this Chinese park with musical performances, dancing, Tang Dynasty costume faze, iconic bridges, and serene water landscapes.  

One night we explored the renowned Muslim food street, where a variety of intriguing food options captivated us as we walked along, observing demonstrations and attempting to identify the various dishes.

We have found delicious food to eat so far.  Some favorites include cold noodles, Chinese hamburger, beef noodles, dumplings and a sweet potato and cheese dish.

Funny experience of the week:  We went to a spa today to get a pedicure.  It was an hour process starting with a back massage and ending with an ear wax cleaning.  It costs less than $14.  We were translating back and forth with the technician.  When we told him we had 5 children, his translation back to us said, "You are an over-birth gorilla team."

Xi'an

Chinese hamburger and cold noodles

Squid at the Muslim Food Street

Stretching and cooking noodles