Only Three Weeks Left

We spent most of this last week preparing our lessons for the end of the semester.  We also had to decide what the oral and written final was going to look like.  That isn't totally completed yet for our writing students.  The challenge is to come up with a final that requires THEM to write but doesn't require US to grade it.  Any ideas?

One thing that we have had to deal with lately has been unusually hot weather.  The lowest "high" temperature this week was 96 degrees.  It was actually 102 on Thursday and 100 on Friday.  We are lucky to have air conditioning in our apartment, but there is none in the classrooms.  Teaching a roomful of sweaty, uncomfortable and very tired students was a challenge, especially since Nancy has two classes that start at 4pm!  There is no air-conditioning in the dormitories so the students complain that it was impossible to sleep or study.  We really can't blame them.  We didn't feel like teaching either!!

In spite of the heat we finished our 14th week of this semester.  We are trying to cut back on the amount of homework and create activities that are higher interest to keep them engaged.  We still feel they are starting to check out.  In that way, they are no different than US students.

Nancy was back in the recording studio this week.  Our friend from the university called again and asked her to help with another Oral English Exam recording.  She really enjoyed being on the other side of a microphone and they paid her really well.  She was just a strutt'en when she arrived back home.

Our friends, Brian and Sara Harmon, invited us over Sunday evening to spend time with them sitting outside in cool breeze that came in with a major change in the weather.  It was so nice to NOT cook when outside.  Brian let Stan take their little tricycle car for a spin around the parking lot.  It was fun but didn't convince him than he try driving in real Chinese traffic in this thing.  It's "cute" and does work but doesn't provide much protection.

Stan enjoying the "drive"!

 

This is Brian with his 6-month old son, Pacific.  

 

Sara with Pacific

 

"Big brother", Toby, is very active 4 year old and didn't want to hold still for his picture to be taken.  He did allow Nancy to read him a few books a little later in the evening.

 

This is the hotel where we meet for church each Sunday.  When we arrived this morning, it was obvious a wedding would be held at that location.  There were fire crackers ready to light in the tubes at the side of the red arch.  That is traditionally a part of a Chinese wedding, along with a rented procession of decorated cars for the wedding party.  We never seem to have the camera available when the wedding cars are coming along the street!

Nancy was scanning the journal entries for her writing class.  She noted that a few weeks ago a few of her English/Law students had the opportunity of having lunch with 14 "assistants" to US Congressman.  The students really enjoyed telling them about Shandong University and conversing in English.  Plus they could ask questions about American government.  What a wonderful cultural exchange!!

We attended another college senior recital this past week at SDU Central Campus, but we forgot the camera.  We were just so excited to enjoy the air conditioning in the recital hall as it was a hot evening and most places on campus do not have this luxury.  This concert there were several selections by a brass quartet and a violinist.  Since the MC speaks in Chinese and the program is in Chinese, we just hope for familiar music.  Overall, this was one of the better performances we have seen on campus, although there still seemed to be some "off"  notes for students majoring in music performance.

Tomorrow there is no school.  It is Dragon Boat Festival, although most of the races take place in the south of China.  The holiday is known as Duanwu Festival and the stores have a lot of rice wrapped in bamboo leaves...zongzi.

(Picture from the internet)

 

Best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan (c. 340–278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty.  A cadet member of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry. Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured Ying, the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River.  It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him or at least retrieve his body. This is said to have been the origin of dragon boat races. When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi."

 

 

 

One of our BYU couples tasted zongzi and said it was ok, but "nothing to write home about"!