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.
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