April Rain but NO Showers!

I couldn't help but begin this post with something about "showers."  For the 4th or 5th time this year we have been without water for an extended period.  This week it happened again.  Apparently, there was a notice on our entry gate stating that the water would be off for about 36 hours. There had been workman laying new sewer pipes and there was a repair needed that required the water be shut off.   Since this has happened before, Nancy was adamant about storing extra water, not for drinking but for other necessary purposes like flushing the toilet.  She has been collecting juice bottles and filling them for some time now, reducing the usable space in our gigantic kitchen by 20%.  Thank goodness she did that because we didn't know the water was going to be turned off.  Several hours after wondering what had happened, a neighbor, who works at the international office, called us and explained that there was going to be a water truck in the parking lot if we wanted some water.  We were supposed to leave right then to meet other BYU teachers at an Italian restaurant, we but felt water was more important!! (We did make it to the restaurant and Stan actually saw a student there.  That is unusual that in a city of 6 million we would go to the same place since it several miles from campus.)  The picture below is what we saw and had to do to get some extra water.  We waited in line for abut 30 minutes to fill a bucket and a few bottles as we watched a number of our neighbors crowd in line.  They do not generally queue in China...fight your way on the bus, etc.!  Nancy was about ready to jump to the front and DEMAND that we all take our turn in order.  However, we didn't know if our gestures would work.  They generally don't speak English.

The line for water.  The truck came about 4pm and was gone when we returned home at 9pm.

Secondary to this incident, the weather turned cloudy and we had two days of good rain.  We actually didn't mind it because it cleans the air and it has been a rather dry Winter and Spring.  It had us thinking, "Water, Water everywhere, but not a drop for a shower."  It is amazing how much we take for granted a stable and clean supply of water.

This week Nancy's class invited her to an activity at the "playground", which we would term, the track.  The university has encouraged students to get out of their dorms and get some exercise, so this class of  29 English/Politics majors gathered together for some games.  There was a three legged race, flying a kite, partners trying to keep a water bottle between their shoulder blades, etc.  Nancy's group won the race where you run around a person at the opposite end and try to keep an object on your head.  She enjoyed interacting with the students on an informal basis.

Our young adult Chinese friend, Lily, has her 25th birthday on Tuesday, April 29.  Since she has to work that day and we will be preparing for a trip early Wednesday morning, she invited us to dinner this past weekend to celebrate.  The Chinese "birthday" honoree apparently invites and pays for the meal!!  We enjoyed some interesting dishes that were quite good.  Lily was thrilled that we would spend time with her.  We also met her friend, Pamela, who spoke excellent English and works for a pharmaceutical company in research.  They met a few months ago when they started taking driving lessons to get their license.  They hope to accomplish this goal within the next few months.  They still have to pass a written test and a driving test on the street.

 Lily posing with her beautifully decorated birthday cake from a bakery.  It was a white cake with fruit inside and had chocolate frosting.  Most Chinese do not bake as their kitchen and oven space is limited and baking ingredients are expensive.

 The vegetable dish has peanuts, horseradish, mushrooms in a vinegar based sauce.  You would never guess that the other selection was cold mashed potatoes with a blueberry sauce.  It was wonderful!  The Chinese enjoy a little sweet "touch" with their meal.  They claim to not like desserts, but we see them eating them all the time!

 This was a pumpkin dish and very yummy.

 

 

 We had a private dining room for 4 people.  It is very common to have a separate room at a restaurant in addition to the large space for most customers.  Pamela, on the right in the beige coat, is Lily's friend.

 We had to take many photos!

 

 Sunny and Lisa enjoying an art project during tutoring.  We sang "Popcorn Popping on an Apricot Tree" and they were eating as much popcorn as they were gluing to their paper!

This past week some of the bus routes changed since construction was completed on a road near central campus, about two miles from us.  We thought we understood the route, but could not find the bus that we normally take to church.  So, we ended up taking an alternative bus and saw a few interesting scenes along the way.
  

 Near our apartment we saw this musical group in the park.

 

 Statue of Mao on the campus of Shandong Normal University near the Hanlin Hotel where we meet for church.

 After church we went to David and Zina Cox's apartment on Central Campus.  We passed this group of students enjoying some time together.

 Since Zina was in the hospital last week she received many gifts of fruit, including bunches of bananas.  She made banana bread and invited us to enjoy "tasting", even though we had just come from a potluck at church. 

David and Zina celebrated their 38 years of marriage today and posed in front of a picture of their family and 15 grandchildren.   

 

 Eva, Zina's co-teacher, and a friend stopped by to say hello and visit  with David and Zina.  Eva and her friend each have a child in the same class in high school.  Eva is adamant that none of the BYU teachers leave SDU.  She said she will tear up our return tickets to the US!  She says that we are needed here more than at home!  Eva speaks excellent English and has studied in the US.  Her friend claimed to not understand or speak English, but we determined she definitely could follow some of the conversation.  It was so interesting getting opinions on the changes and progress in China over the last thirty years and some of the direction the government is advocating....more activities in high school so the students have some release from studying, etc.
 

Cruising Right Along

Our last posting featured our trip down the Yangtze River.  We were not completely finished so we thought we would add a few pictures.

 

 

 

While on the boat we passed through three major gorges.  The scenery was breathtaking but would have been even more impressive if it wasn't raining.  Like the Columbia Gorge, when it is socked in by low clouds and rain, it is hard to fully appreciate its grandeur.  I have included one picture from the internet so that you can understand what we are talking about

 

 

The Three Gorges project began in 1993 when it was voted on by the Peoples Congress.  600 of its members voted NO.  It was controversial from the very beginning.  For one thing, the project displaced 1.3 million people.  They lost their homes and their livelihoods.   Many of their historical sites are now under water.  Many people had to wait over 10 years to have another apartment built so they would have a place to live.  The older generation suffered the most.  The younger generation likes the new cities that were built and the better living conditions. 

Some of the older generation is still trying to find a way to earn a living.  On our way through the gorge, our boat docked at a small village, (30,000), so we could take a shore excursion.  We were taken upstream to a floating dock where ancient wooden boats were tied up.  20 tourists were packed into these rickety old boats and some very "senior" men rowed us up the river.  We learned that many of these people were farmers, but when the dam was built, they lost their livelihood.  The turned their attention to tourism but they are really out of their element.  But, in a way, it is like farming.  During the tour season there is much to do.  During the off season, their income is little.  It is meager anyway so they still struggle make a life for themselves.

 BYU teachers enjoying the boat ride.  Our guide sang a song to us also.

 

Our boat passed through the 5 large ship locks at the Three Gorges Dam during the night.  We decided to forego some sleep and at least witness the first lock.  It was impressive.  In total, we dropped 300 feet to the water level below the dam.

 Each lock can accommodate five quite large boats, depending on their size.  A "baby" elevator for small pleasure craft is still under construction.

The dam is the world's largest capacity hydroelectric station

 

We had a long wait (8 hours) at the Wuhan airport before returning to Jinan.  Most of the BYU teachers had earlier flights so the bus took everyone at the same time.  Unfortunately, our flight did not leave until after 11 pm.  We got to bed in Jinan about 2 am and had classes to teach at 8am.

Since returning from the Yangtze river cruise, we have had a pretty routine couple of weeks.  We are still spending long hours preparing our lessons and endeavoring to present meaningful things for students to do and write about.  In writing we felt we needed to spend some time learning how to write like a journalist.  Often our students fail to answer some of the basic who, what, where, when and why questions.  So, we gave them some examples of good  and "bad" writing and had them take a position on something they cared about and write an "editorial."  They had only 20 minutes to write but most did quite well.  We have found that in general, when students write during class, their work is better than if they had weeks to write and rewrite, edit, etc.  One major issue in English writing by Chinese students is translation.  They will want to use a certain idea, but when it is translated into English, you have no idea what they are talking about.  It has been helpful for us to ask them to "write like you speak" and to not think so much about it.  When they do this, it is much more natural and understandable.

Along the same line, we had them write their own OBITUARY.  This was a little strange for them because they would have to predict when they were going to die.  For the most part, the Chinese do not talk about death.  There is a element of superstition that when you think about it, it will happen.  What we wanted the students to do was to capture the "essence" of their future life and what they hope to achieve and become.  It was wide open and we hoped they would get creative.  Some did, but the majority took the road that they didn't want to brag or put anything in their obituary that was unrealistic.  Most of our students seem to be satisfied with an unexciting life or at least they can't predict the future or define exactly what they want it to look like. 

One Friday night Nancy and I were asked to be judges for a "dubbing" competition.  We had no idea what that was until we arrived.  Students choose a video clip and then "Dub" their voice into the piece.  They were required to do one piece in English and another in Chinese.  We were to evaluate their pronunciation and how well they synched their voices.  It was interesting.  We were glad to help.

Afterward, we learned that one of our BYU teachers, Zina Cox, was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot.  We were scheduled to attend a special trip to an outdoor "wild animal" zoo in the western part of Jinan.  It was an all day event and we had paid about $16 each to attend.  The Cox's were going with us.  In light of the circumstances we cancelled and spent Saturday visiting Zina in the hospital and doing ??? 

Walking into the hospital was like walking back in time.  It felt as if we were in the 1950's.  The hospital room is sterile and absent of furniture.  In China, if you go to the hospital, they provide little amenities.  There is no food service.  Family or friends must bring in food for the patient.  There are no towels, $100 box of Kleenex, no soap, shampoo, etc.  The nurses still wear the old fashioned uniform with the classic nurses's hat.

 Zina had to lie down with her foot elevated.  She was in the hospital for ten days!  Fortunately, the BYU teachers are acquainted with a neurologist in Jinan and she insisted Zina be near her office so she could visit and "supervise" her care.

 After visiting Zina, we took Lily out to dinner at Pizza Hut.  This is the second time she has been there.  The first was last year with John and Roselyn Kuzmich.  Up to that point Lily had never used a fork.  We had pizza and she ordered a smoothie.  (She had never had one of those.  The Chinese shy away from anything cold to drink)  It was a stretch for her, but she admitted that she really liked it.  She also enjoyed the pizza.  How could anyone NOT like pizza?  It is so much fun spending time with her.

Lily insisted on taking our picture at Pizza Hut.

Just had to take a picture of Stan doing dishes after our church potluck.  Kathy (Canadian Chinese) and Lulu from South Africa are assisting.

 

Our friend, Brian, invited us to join him for a ride in his new electric vehicle.  It is considered to be the same as a bicycle so we road on the sidewalk along with pedestrians.  It is a "slick" way to get around.

 

 It is a family tradition to have cinnamon rolls on Easter morning.  Nancy decided she would try to figure out the metric quantities for the yeast, etc. and we shared them with our church "family" in between the break for Sacrament meeting and Sunday School.

One of our BYU couples, Jim and Wendy Purnell, had to leave Jinan for three weeks since his dad was extremely ill in Canada.  (He has since passed away.)  They will return May 2.  Consequently there was such a small church group for Easter Sunday, (Zina Cox in the hospital and Schauerhammers back in Utah for chemotherapy)  that we decided to forgo our usual potluck after our church services and join the foreign teacher Easter potluck celebration.  Many African students from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, etc. also attended and say some beautiful Easter songs, some in their native languages.





Down the Yangtze River

The major event of the week was our trip to the Yangtze River with about 40 other BYU teachers and their "friends".  The Yangtze is the largest and longest in China and is the home to some incredible sceneries (that is the Chinglish version of scenery!)  The trip coincided with a national holiday, Tomb-sweeping Day, giving us a three-day weekend. (Tomb-sweeping is a time when the Chinese visit the graves of their ancestors.  They often decorate them with paper flowers and colorful "ribbons".)  It was also an opportunity to set aside our lesson plans and let someone else take care of us.

We flew to Chongqing and spent the afternoon exploring various historical sites and learning about this unique modern metro area of 34 million residents.  Our guide told us that Chongqing is known for:  hot pot and pretty women! 

This is a Provincial Congress building built in 1954 in Chongqing

 At one end of the square is the Provincial Congress building and at the other end where we are standing is the museum.

This is a museum about the Three Gorges area which was dammed to provide water and electricity to the region, as well as Shanghai, etc.  The building actually looks like a dam from the outside.

Part of our tour of Chongqing was this museum dedicated to the "Flying Tigers," a US unofficially sanctioned air combat group that helped the Chinese fight the Japanese during WWII.   The name came when the group won a battle with unfavorable odds and a journalist said they "flew like tiger".  The Chinese still talk about this and are appreciative of the support and training they received from this elite volunteer group.

The museum is located on a hill above the city.  Very narrow streets.

We boarded the "5 Star" Presidential #8 at about 8:30 p.m.  We were scheduled to sail at 10pm,  but since everyone was on board (all 350 of us, as passengers and crew), we left early. 

 This is a night shot of Chongqing.  Cruise ships line the shoreline.

This map shows the cruise route.  Chongqing to Yichang.  There are three major gorges between those cities.  They reminded us of the Columbia Gorge in Oregon.

This was our boat, the Presidential #8.  We actually walked on those "rafts" to get to the boat!

Dining room 

Stan relaxing in our bedroom on the cruise

We sailed through the night to a location some 200 kilometers down river.  Some time during the night it started to rain.  The forecast led us to believe that there was, at most, a 60% chance of rain and only during one day of our voyage.  That turned out to be wrong.  Most of the trip the skies were gray, the fog was in and the precipitation high.  Since we are Oregonians, the rain is only a minor nuisance.  We still went on 4 different shore excursions.  I can't tell you the number of pagodas we have toured in while in this country.  We added a few more to our list.  One was quite interesting in that it was built into a rock wall.  No nails were used in its construction and it wasn't actually attached to the rock wall.  It was held in place by the way the timbers were angled in.

Nancy just loves the rain

 

 There are three bridges to represent the first judgment linking the underground.  Troubled water comes from the idea that if you are evil you can be knocked into the water. 

Walking hand in hand over this middle bridge is for persons who have been "good" in their mortality and they are supposed to have love forever.

 You guessed it, the 5 bats represent happiness

 

 These folks guard the way to the Buddhist Temple.  This one snorts and is crushing a demon under his foot!

 

Since it was a national holiday, we were a few amongst a mass of Chinese humanity.  We saw many ships similar to ours, going both up and down stream.  At each location, there were multiple ships docked together.  In some cases we had to walk through an adjacent ship to get to shore.  There were a number of Americans, besides our group of 40 on our ship and a group of 20 German speakers.  Stan took the opportunity to visit for about 20 minutes with a couple from a small city outside of Karlsruh in Southern Germany.  He practiced his German and in the process leaned just how much he has forgotten.  We did see that the cruise line had made an effort to modify the menu and added a number of western dishes to their Chinese cuisine options.

This is a Chinese character meaning happiness.  On the right is a line which means roof, a square for a person and a field for crops.   Essentially if you have a roof over your head and something to eat, you are happy!!

BYU teacher, David Cox trying to move a 400 lb. ball of lead and iron to the top of the ball in the center.  This is a test for a future husband.  If he is successful he will have the strength to be a farmer and be a faithful spouse, having no concubines!

David was not successful, but this local farmer was.  He makes more money from the tourists by demonstrating his strength so he gave up farming!

On the ship there was a demonstration of painting snuff bottles.  The artist uses a small brush with a slight hook that is inserted into the bottle.  The design is painted in "negative" so the proper picture will show on the outside.  We were told that only 100 artists in China still practice this craft.

This suspension bridge led to a pagoda.  The bridge was built in the last few years, but was not yet "finished".  We were grateful to cross successfully!

This sign has 4 Chinese characters that are combined and mean "only kindness brings peace".

This emperor was the King in Chinese heaven and with his advisors. His wife, the "queen"  of heaven was off to the side.

These interesting people  are characters sent to earth to execute judgment based on orders from Yama,

Original Yama, represents a god of death and judgment, in a Buddhist temple that was built in the 1600's and not destroyed in the Cultural Revolution.  The red color means warm and represents heaven.  Another section of the temple was blue for hell since that color means cold!

Our river cruise "guide", Alice, who was responsible for the daily activities onboard the ship and organized us when we went ashore for excursions.  She was being the mistress of ceremonies for a staff talent show.