Finals Week and Saying Goodbye

This was finals week for us.  For the oral classes we tried something we hadn't done before.  We divided the class into random groups of 3 or 4 and had them report to the classroom at a scheduled time.  For Stan's freshman classes, they were to bring a provocative question to discuss.  (In Nancy's classes they wrote questions the week before finals and she randomly selected them.)  They led the conversation and we just listened.  We were impressed with these discussions.   Some of the topics included:  Personal goals, the environment, marriage issues, .....

This is Stan's Tuesday, 8 a.m. class.  We tried to make it a casual experience.  They were still very nervous.

For our writing students, we had them complete their final during last week's time period.  The topic was "Life Lessons Learned this Year."  'This week we had them evaluate two papers written by their peers.  (Nancy and Stan traded papers)  The evaluators did not know whose paper they were grading because we used only numbers.  It was an interesting experience for them and their comments sounded like the ones we have been making on their papers all year.  Our hope was that if they evaluate other papers with a critical eye, they would also do the same thing with their own writing in the future. 

We followed a similar plan to say goodbye to these students.  At the end of  class, Nancy and I shared some of our Life Lessons and emphasized how much we all have in common, in spite of the political exchanges between our countries.  We then played "Changed for Good" from "Wicked."  It summed up our feelings about our experiences with them this year.  We then presented each one of them with one of our personal business cards and gave them a homework assignment to contact us in 5 years and tell about how their lives were going.  It was and emotional experience for both us and the students.  It was difficult to say farewell.

This is the Translation Class.  They are a very talented group.

 

Carol wore her traditional Chinese dress

 

Serena, Hermione and Carol

This is Nancy's junior writing class.  They enjoyed being silly as they are English/Law majors and discuss serious subjects!

 

We were able to meet with some of our special friends one last time.  Three of Stan's students from the far West section of China invited us out to dinner to eat some Weegar food on Tuesday night.  It was really nice and we enjoyed the things we ate.  It was not typically Chinese food.  There was more middle eastern cuisine; a pleasant departure from the norm.

Corban, Kelly and Zoe  They are very sweet

 

  On Tuesday, during our tutoring time, Stan took Sunny and Lisa to campus and met with Sophia, one of the translation students.  (Sophia still communicates with the Kuzmich's who were the BYU teachers at Shandong University last year).   She and her friend, Mushroom, tried to encourage the girls to practice their English. 

 Sunny, Mushroom, Lisa and Sophia

 

Sophia is a junior English translation major in Stan's writing class.

 

 This is mangosteen which is grown in Asia and has a citrus flavor.  We "sampled" it at Brian and Sara's home on Wednesday evening.  They invited Coxs and us for a "farewell" dinner.

 

 Toby trying on his Portland Trailblazer shirt from Portland, Oregon.  Mom, Sara, is telling him it is not too big for a nightshirt!

 

 Friday night we had a huge thunderstorm.  There is a small alleyway outside the entrance to our apartment and there was about 8 inches of water!

 

 Eating at the Central Campus Faculty restaurant using our meal credits!.  Clarkes in the background and Coxs.

 

Nancy is demonstrating that she can use chopsticks for most foods!

 

Saturday we had lunch with Julia and her 4 1/2 year old son.  Julia runs with Nancy except the last month she has had to do yoga due to a knee injury.  At first her son was "acting out" because he doesn't understand English.  However, he warmed up when Stan showed him a "hide the coin" trick and let him take some pictures with our camera.

 

Another Chinese dinner!  Saturday evening we ate with Robin and Jasper, who hiked the Yellow Mountains with Wayne and Stan a few weeks ago.  The extended family all went out with us to dinner to say "goodbye".  This is Cindy, Keith and Evie.  Cindy and Keith both teach at the college level.  Their family will be visiting Britain this summer and they spent a year in Chicago.

 

We met for the last time with our friends and colleagues for church and dinner.  We have looked forward each week to the opportunity to be together and share our experiences.  It is difficult to say goodbye to these people too.  Everyone will be returning to the states or Canada.  Pam, here in the front left, will be coming back to China to teach another year.

 

 

 Lulu is our medical student from South Africa.  She is the only one from our church group staying for the Summer.

 

Here we have Kathy, Hansen and Simon.  They are planning to move back to Canada in August. They are Canadian citizens but were born in China.

 

 Nancy feels tall next to Li Hong!

 

 Monday morning we met with our co-teacher, Li Hong, to submit our grades.  After doing this it finally sunk in that we were officially "done."

  

BYU teacher, David Cox, with the deputy director of the SDU International office, Ji Rui.

 

We were called to the SDU main campus for meeting on Monday afternoon.  The university wanted to thank us for our work and service and ask for suggestions.  We had some ideas.  Also in the meeting the deputy director repeated several times how much the university appreciated the relationship they had with BYU and the China Teachers Program.  They would really like more teachers.  Any volunteers??

 

 The BYU teachers and members of the

SDU International Affairs Office.  Mary, on the left, lives in our apartment complex and has been very helpful.  She has spent time in the US and has worked with the BYU program since its inception twenty years ago. Ji Rui, the deputy director is in the back right.  In front of him is Melody, a new employee who took us on a trip to Cufu about a month ago.

 

 

This is the Chinese version of a moving van

  

We are leaving for Tibet and Nepal on Wednesday.  We will not be able to post anything until we return to the states on July 7th.  It has been quite a "ride" and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us.  We leave China with many wonderful memories.  Of course, we want to go home, but there are things here in China that we also wish were in the states.  There are benefits to living in both places.

The Home Stretch

Our official classes have ended.  We spent the week in our oral and writing classes discussing with the students the topic, "Life Lessons."  We shared some final thoughts about how we felt though music from "Wicked"....
"Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
 But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
 It well may be that we may never meet again in this lifetime.
 So let me say before we part, so much of me is made of what I learn from you.
 You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart.
 And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend...
 Because I knew you I have been changed for good..."

It has been an emotional week as we said "goodbye" after spending ten months with the same students.  There were a few tears, hugs and photos as we parted.  They are diligent young adults who are concerned about their future career and have a desire to bring "honor" to their family. 

Tuesday evening we were invited to attend the farewell dinner for the Foreign Language Department.  It was mainly to honor the foreign teachers who have been on our campus.  There are a few teachers returning to SDU this fall, including a French teacher and three Oral English teachers.  The two Spanish teachers , a Japanese teacher, a Russian teacher and the two of us are leaving .  We were asked again if we knew of anyone we could encourage to come to SDU and teach English, as there are still some vacancies.  The dinner always includes about 15 toasts!!

Far left:  Christina and David (Spanish teachers), Ken (Oral English from Scotland), Jason (Oral English from US), Mark (Oral English from US - but Korean, Morgan (French teacher)

 

During the dinner, a department teacher mentioned that one of Nancy's students had posted some positive comments about her oral class on the SDU website .  It is all in Chinese, but with Bing and Google translators we were able to get the idea of what she had written.  Nancy felt honored that her efforts in class were appreciated.  Several students have written in their journals or given us notes to thank us both for teaching them this year.

This week we have oral finals, to finish the written final and have to prepare grades for submission.  We are also trying to box up BYU items to be moved to another apartment, since there currently is no replacement BYU couple for our campus.  Plus we are sorting what to leave behind in China, clean the apartment and pack for a trip to Tibet/Nepal and our return to the US in July.  It will be a busy time!!

 We all raved about Lulu's outfit today at church.  She was accessorizing in South African style!  She will be spending five years at SDU to become a doctor.  She will not return to South Africa during that time.  When she is finished with medical school in China, she will continue to study for an additional three years in her home country.

  

Our final foreign teachers'  potluck on Sunday....right after we had our own church potluck.  And we still ate!  Mary from the SDU international office is in front followed by long term US teachers in China, Pam and Robbi.  Danny from San Diego (with hat) has taught oral English and has a masters in business.  He has enjoyed his teaching experience at SDU and will be getting a PHD in literature at Princeton in the fall.  Zina Cox, BYU teacher has on the blue top.  Lynn, the black teacher, is Canadian.

 

Stan celebrated Father's Day with two of his favorite foods....carmel corn and a chocolate chip cookie!

  

We have included a few additional pictures from the Huangshan trip.  It truly was amazing!!!

 Stan, Robin (Chinese colleague of Wayne Clarke), Wayne and Jasper (nephew of Robin)

 Notice that Stan is touching the post for support.  He said that crossing the bridge was a little unsettling!

 

Exploring the Yellow Mountains-Huangshan

About a year ago, Wayne Clarke, (fellow BYU teacher) and I talked about hiking in the Yellow Mountains.  I took a look on the internet before we left for China and read some comments from hikers.  Some of them described hiking there as the most dangerous in the world.  It was noted that the trails were not trails but steps carved into solid granite.  There are so many people on the steep and treacherous steps that a person should be advised of the danger.  But, we also learned that you didn't have to spend time in the most challenging areas.  We found that we could bypass some of it by simply taking the cable car to the top. 

This weekend, Wayne and I, along with Robin, a Chinese SDU employee and his nephew, a high school sophomore, took an overnight train about 600 miles South to Huangshan.   The first leg of the trip took about 14 hours, but we purchased a ticket in the "sleeper" car so we could "sleep" on the way.  It was the ultimate in communal living.  There was absolutely no privacy.  There were 6 bunks in our compartment with no door.  It was "grand central station" most of the time with people moving in the corridors or sitting in the corridors or vendors pitching their wares.  At about 10 p.m., however, all the lights went off and people settled in for a night of being rocked to sleep by the gentle swaying of the train car.

 Wayne in his bottom bunk.

 

Upon arrival at the train station in Huangshan, we hopped onto a bus for a 45min to an hour trip to the base of Huangshan mountain park.  From the visitor center, we took another bus to the first cable car station to the East.  We noticed something right away.  There were very few people.  This is not like China!!  In a matter of minutes, we were at the top, or where we thought was the top.  We learned quickly that there really is no top, just up and down;  and very steep ups and downs. 

 Notice the number of people waiting.  It was FANTASTIC!!

 

This was taken from the cable car on the way up 

 You can see Wayne standing on this precipice.  This was one of our first stops after exiting the cable car.

It is difficult to describe the mountains of Huangshan.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.  We were very impressed with the trails/steps and how well maintained everything was.  There were dangerous areas, but if you stayed on the trail or in the designated areas, there was nothing to fear.  That doesn't mean that there were times when I felt a little "woosy" as I crowded next to a guard rail posing for a picture.  There is nothing like these mountains in the US,  and certainly, no place where anyone could be so close to a 1000 ft. drop-off. 

As you will see in the pictures, the cliffs and mountains are a little obstructed by fog or haze.  Even with the haze, I hope you can appreciate the beauties that we experienced.

There are no roads in the park.  Everything for the hotels, vendors, etc. must be carried in.  We saw many Chinese men providing this service.  We also saw groups of men who would carry you up and down steps for a fee.  At the end of our trip, that option started looking tempting.

 This is a stone bridge in front of our hotel.  It was a 5 star facility, possibly the best we have seen in China.

 Most of the time the steps are very steep.

It's hard to imagine that off the edge of this stairway it is a

 very long way down.

 I'm not kidding when I say you could parachute off of this point and free fall for quite a distance before deploying the chute.  This position really gave me the "willies."

 This is Robin and Wayne.  Notice Robin was starting to drag a little and his face is showing it.

 I don't think you can see it but on the very top of this peak are some observation areas with their guard rails.  Fortunately, it was closed this week.  Otherwise, Wayne and I would have been "obligated" to try it.

This is a very "famours" (the way Chinese speak English) tree in China.  It is the "Welcoming Pine."  All those who are hiking up the West trail will pass this tree.

 After coming off of the mountain, we had dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant in old town Huangshan.  Robin and Jasper wanted to eat here because they serve a special fish and they love it.  They told us that it doesn't smell very good, but it tastes "deliciours." (again the way they pronounce the word).  We've learned that when someone says something like that, "DON'T EAT IT!"  They loved it, but one small taste for me was enough.  How can you separate the smell from the taste?

 On the way back to Jinan, we took a slow train to Nanjing.  It took 6 hours.  What you see is what we saw.  There were about 100 people in our car.  Of course, Wayne and I were the only foreigners on the train.

Upon arrival in Nanjing, we took the subway to the other train station and climbed aboard a High speed train to Jinan.  It was a nonstop and the speed was flashed on to the screen.  307 km/h is the equivalent of 191 mph.  Unbelievable!

While the "guys" were hiking, Nancy and Libby went shopping, accompanied by Lily.  We went to a shopping "mall", which is fairly new about 2 miles from our apartment.  This "mall" has individual vendors with small storefronts and has three floors....one for electronics/jewelry, one for clothing and one for shoes.  You see similar styles at several vendors, but the price can differ somewhat.  You can also try to bargain.  Libby was hunting for some "dress-up" shoes for her granddaughter who is 10 years old.  Size was not a big concern.  There are many glitzy styles in China and you see them everyday with jeans, etc.  Red and gold is popular as those colors mean good luck in the Chinese culture.  The shoes were about $12-30 US.  We are certain that most of the styles we get from China are not available here.  Lily wanted some shoes, but they were very stiff plastic and several styles are very high heels.  She finally found some flats she felt were comfortable and good for driving in the manual car for her driving lessons!

 For dinner we ate at the central campus "canteen".  There Lily approached some college graduates at the canteen who were wearing their graduation gowns.  She wanted to take a picture since she never participated in a ceremony although she has a 3 year degree.  It is interesting that many Chinese are "shy" and won't volunteer answers in class.  However, you get them talking easily on an individual basis and they are not shy about asking "personal" questions like, "How old are  you?" or "How much to do you make"?  Lily did not hesitate to talk to strangers so she could have a photo in a "borrowed" gown!