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.