Two Weeks in Chengdu (1-24)

Before I left for the In-Service Training in Chengdu, April and I went to Carrefour. When we walked in, the halls and the store were decorated for the upcoming New Year. There were rows of red decorations being sold. I found myself feeling excited when I saw all the decorations. It was like walking into a store in the U.S. at before Christmas and seeing all the decorations. The New Year/Spring Festival is often compared to Christmas in the U.S. because this is the holiday everyone goes home for and gifts—red envelopes with money—are given to children. 

We both bought plastic bowls with a “gold coin” cover that are filled with small, wrapped candies. I thought there were gold-wrapped candies inside, but they’re just regular ones—nothing special. But the bowl is fun.

On the 13^th, Dale and I left Wenjiang. We planned to take the 1:00 teachers’ bus to Chengdu, and these usually leave right on time. I arrived at 12:52 and he arrived a couple minutes later. We waited, and no bus came. At 12:15, Director Cheng walked past us and said to Bill, who was helping Dale, that we would have to wait a long time because the bus had already left. Bill then mentioned that two students who were there when I arrived said that they saw the bus leave as they were arriving. So no teachers’ bus until 4:00, and student buses arrive irregularly. Bill also heard what he thought was Director Cheng ordering us a car and driver. Sure enough, a few minutes later Jane called and told us a driver and car would be coming soon to drive us to the hotel. How nice that was! Instead of taking the bus and then a taxi, we were delivered right to the hotel. April told me that on the night we left, she was told that a car would be provided to take her and Mark to their hostel; so they benefited from Dean Cheng having seen Dale and me.

On the way to the bus stop, I saw the first flowers blooming on the trees. I’m looking forward to seeing the progression of blooming trees when I return from my holiday. I remember seeing some when I first arrived here at the end of February last year.

IST was intense. Sessions went from 8:30 to 5:00, with an hour and a half for lunch and only one day off. As usual at such conferences, some sessions were good and some weren’t very interesting. I enjoy hearing about other people’s experiences. We also had Mandarin language classes. The first day I was with a group all of whom speak sentences fluently. So I asked to be moved to a lower level group. The new group was much better for me. The volunteers in that group also struggle to make sentences. Some have more vocabulary than I do, but the gap between them and me is smaller. The teacher was very good about going at a slow pace and having us practice the sentence patterns. Even so, too much was covered each session for me to remember, but at least it made sense. It gave me a lot to spend more time practicing and learning.

I enjoyed meeting the group 19 volunteers. There’s more of an age mix than my group in Thailand. There aren’t many over 50, but there’s a large group over 25. Seven new Response volunteers, four of whom are over 50, arrived and attended the training. We missed it last year due to budget cuts. I especially enjoyed meeting these folks, as we have more in common because we are all not part of group 19 and because two of them are close to my age. I also had good chats with some of the group 19 people and enjoyed meeting them. At a brown bag lunch for older—self defined—volunteers, I met a woman over 60 from group 18, and we were quickly attracted to each other. We chatted a few times, but the lunch was on the next to last day; so we didn’t have much time.

On our Sunday off, I went to the sports store near IKEA to buy new sports shoes since I’d noticed that my current ones have a small hole and small holes only get larger. The first good news was that I found the store. I’d only been there once seven months ago with Katy and wasn’t sure exactly where it is. After realizing that my memory was more vague than I’d thought it was, I wrote “IKEA” on a paper, thinking that people would recognize the name of the store even though they might not know its English name. The security guard I asked first pointed back in the direction I’d come from. After several minutes, I knew that I didn’t remember that route and chose a well-dressed woman to ask, thinking that she might know the store. She did. She told me to follow her and walked me back to the street to the metro. Then she drew a straight line on my paper to show me where the store is. Even though I’d said “go straight” in Chinese and we had both pointed that way, I think she wanted me to know that the store is indeed directly ahead with no turning needed. Having found IKEA, I knew that the sports store is across from it. Success. I had more success in the store when I found shoes in my large size that felt good and were 1/3 off. I was happy.

After completing the purchase, I decided that, since I was there, I should walk through IKEA. Katy had described it as a Chinese cultural experience. The store had hanging, red banners for the New Year’s. 

Since it’s the year of the horse, red horses were part of the decorations. Some dishes have horses on them. I purchased a small bowl for April’s sister and a red, wooden horse for April. The store was pretty crowded, but not so crowded by China standards. People were sitting on chairs and sofas using their smart phones. 

One couple had their eyes closed. Some were sitting down watching TV. Katy had seen people sleeping on the beds; I only saw them trying out the mattresses.

On the way back to the metro, I decided to continue my search for New Year’s decorations. One big store and a mall had some good decorations. 

Since it's the Year of the Horse, horses are common. 

The mall had painted horse statues in the entrance. 

Red balls and knotted diamonds are common. 

It seems that the Chinese have merged Christmas, the Western New Year, and the Chinese New Year. “Happy New Year” messages can apply to both New Years. I find it all fascinating.

Some stores still have Santa decorations; some have Christmas trees. 

(Small print: Seasons greetings and best wishes for the new year.)

Next I decided to go to the Sichuan Art Museum near Tianfu Square. It was a warm, sunny afternoon; so the square was packed with people sitting and walking around. 

I hadn’t seen it so crowded before. I enjoyed watching the people for a while before looking for the museum. I knew I wouldn’t go in that day, as it was already 4:00, but I decided to find it so I’d know exactly where it is. That took some searching, but I did find it. Unfortunately, it’s having major renovations and is closed. 

The whole building is surrounded with canvas walls to block access. As is typical at such blocked off construction sites, the walls are decorated with folk art, which I enjoy looking at. This was the first time I was not moving and had time to photograph them.

When I was walking back to the hotel from the metro stop, I saw a nice café where you choose your vegetables to be cooked. The price listed was 13 yuan for ½ kilogram. I put the vegetables I wanted into the container, and the woman said it wasn’t enough for 20 yuan. I said I wanted 13 yuan, thinking that the two prices were for large and small amounts. Then a man came to assist. With very good English he explained that the price is 13 yuan per ½ kg but the minimum purchase price is 20 yuan. Since I really didn’t want more food, I had to agree to pay 20 yuan for what I’d selected. It was a bit high for my small amount, but I was hungry and really wanted vegetables. The man left and the server asked about rice. When I asked if it comes with the meal, she ran out and caught up with the man to ask him to come back. I followed and joined them. After explaining that rice is included, he told me that he has been to America twice. Before he continued on his way, the server got his phone number so she can call him if another foreigner who doesn’t speak Chinese happens to enter the café.

The vegetables were cooked as a soup with a tasty broth. My amount was perfect and it was delicious. Unfortunately, it made me ill that night. Fortunately, the consequences were minimal and lasted only a few hours. But I was tired on Monday.

I had my Language Proficiency Test on Monday. We could have it over the phone in about a month, but I preferred to have it in person. I felt good that I understood most of what was asked. Sometimes I understood the question but didn’t know one of the words and couldn’t answer. The examiner was nice and cued me several times. When talking to my roommate, I realized that I probably did better than she did. I was able to ask a few basic questions; she wasn’t.

The neighborhood around the hotel is pretty upscale—lots of shops with fashionable clothes and lots of foreign food restaurants.One night I joined a few of the older men to go to the nearby Tex-Mex restaurant for dinner. I debated between vegetable or cheese enchiladas and chose the latter because I seldom have good—or any—cheese here. The enchiladas were OK.The cheese was delicious, but the sauce wasn’t very good—not like my taste buds anticipated. But I’ve tried the restaurant now and won’t have to do that again. The other foreign food I indulged in was a milkshake at Grandma’s and a couple ice cream cones at McDonald’s.

The trip back to Wenjiang took a total of three hours door to door, as I had to wait half an hour for the second bus. But I had seats on both buses, which was good since I had my baggage. When I was walking to the dormitory, one of the guards chatted with me a bit. I was able to tell him where I’d been and that I’m leaving for Hong Kong next week. Slowly, but he understood. I learned how to say “Hong Kong” in Chinese in the language class. At the market, the woman I buy tofu from asked where I’m going for the Spring Festival. I was touched, as she’s never shown any interest in me, and was please that I understood (“Spring Festival” was another new word in class.) and could answer. Made me feel good to be able to respond.

I’ll enjoy some quiet time here for two days before leaving for my vacation. Dale didn’t return today, as he wanted to hang out with his friends another day, and he’ll leave for his Hong Kong trip on Saturday. So, I’m the only person living in the building now. The security guards are the only other people on campus, as students have gone home and all the shops are closed for the holiday.

Another Semester Ends (1-12)

The semester officially ends on January 17, but for us foreign teachers, it is over. All work is completed and turned in.

Last Saturday April, Ed, Mark, two students, and I went to the back side of Qingcheng Mountain. As always, it was an adventure. The trip there took three and a half hours from the time we left the dorm until we arrived. Once there, we separated, as the guys wanted to walk up and April and I were taking the cable cars up. One of my goals was to get to the top, which Megan and I didn’t do. The first cable car takes ten minutes. 

Then we walked to the second cable car, which was only a twenty-minute walk. The second cable car ride is twenty-five minutes. It goes up and down over a couple mountains and has great views. 

In several shady places we could see remains of snow. Once on the next mountain, we walked to the temple near the top, which took an hour. We had no idea there was so much walking involved at the top. The plan was to meet at the starting point at 3:30 so we could get a bus back to Wenjiang, but we called and let them know we wouldn’t be there and they could do what they wanted to do.

On the way to the temple, there is a cave along the cliff that has many Buddha sculptures, some of which are different from most I’ve seen. 

There is a section where the trail goes up along a cliff that is covered with niches of seated Buddhas. 

The temple has a standing statue with 1000 arms. This was the first time I’ve seen one that we were allowed to take photos of; so I was happy about that. When we were walking around the temple, we met Mark, who had walked all the way up. I knew the guys would be able to walk much faster uphill than Megan and I did, but it was a surprise to see him that far up. (The girls had started to walk down. Ed had gone his own way and wasn’t with Mark. Since he doesn’t have a phone, he waited at the meeting time, then walked partway up again, and met us when we returned to the starting point.) The steps to the very top of the mountain were closed due to damage; so we didn’t get there, but we saw what we wanted to see. 

The three of us took the cable car down. 

On the way to the lower cable car, we missed a turn and ended out walking the rest of the way down. Since someone had told April that the last shuttle bus leaves at 6:00 and it was almost 5:00, we walked down as fast as we could. Not much time to enjoy the greenness and waterfalls. But we met Ed and the girls in time to get a shuttle. Then we hired taxis to bring us back, since it was too late to get a bus. All in all, it was another successful outing—even though my calves were stiff for two days afterwards. The temperature was comfortable, not too cold. Good weather for hiking.

The TTC people will be gone when I return from the break. I’ll miss having April across the hall and hanging out with her frequently. But she’ll be teaching at another university in Wenjiang; so we can still get together sometimes. The students will miss the handsome, friendly, young men.

On Wednesday, the waiban had a meeting to give certificates to the teachers in our classes. It was in a conference room and was rather formal, but it was nice. Since teachers are very busy with final exams and their semester-end work, only about half attended. The university president and the waiban director both spoke. Then they had each of us say something. And then the class monitors—or a designee—spoke. Mine gave thanks for “our Jackie,” which really touched me, and mentioned how I am very kind. When the formal part was over, my six teachers came to ask what level I will teach next term because they want to be in my class again. I’d love to continue with them, as we all get along well and they are a good group. So we’ll see what happens. Of course we had a photo of the small group of us. The TTC folks were given a hand-embroidered picture on a scroll. Quite nice. Giving a gift is a new addition, as that didn’t happen last term.

After the meeting, we were taken to lunch at a restaurant that specializes in beef. They serve beef and vegetables. It’s the same restaurant we went to last term when Meghan, Kim, and Beth arrived, but I don’t remember so much beef on that occasion. I do remember the individual hot pots. 

There were seven plates of various kinds of raw beef in thin slices that could be cooked in one’s hot pot. We non-beef eaters ate lots of veggies. They ordered extra veggies since three of us don’t eat beef. So we didn’t go home hungry. The thank you lunch was also a new addition this term. Last term they talked about doing that but waited until too late and it didn’t get scheduled. So it was nice that they planned ahead a little and it happened this term. They really are making more effort to treat foreign teachers well and show their appreciation.

After lunch, April and I went for a foot massage. We had planned to do that on Monday, but we went to the train ticket purchasing office, which is near the foot massage place, to help Mike and Ed get their train tickets. The line was long and only one woman works there; so it took an hour and a half. And the line behind us got longer after we arrived. That poor woman, having to deal non-stop purchasers all day long. When we finished, we didn’t have time for the massage because we had an evening event.

The evening event was the new year show for the education department. It was basically like the others we had been to, but we both enjoy the shows. They’re good entertainment. One of the special dances was the woman with a thousand arms. April had highlighted that for me, as it’s one she has always wanted to do but couldn’t get enough women to join her. 

They also did an umbrella dance, which I always enjoy.

Thursday Mr. Xie, our Peace Corps supervisor, came for his site visit. He reported that the waiban is happy with Dale and me and that Director Cheng has told him that they would like me to stay and brought it up again during this visit. That is very affirming. I haven’t heard anything about it, but it feels good to know that. Staying here has actually crossed my mind as a possibility if it comes up. Something to think about if/when an offer is made.

After he left, I walked to the bank. I hadn’t been on the river walk for a long time; so it was really nice to be there again. The willow trees are yellow-green, a sign of how mild weather is here since it’s already mid-January and they’re just changing color. 

Since the weather was mild for a change, many people were dancing in the square. And many people were out walking. On the way back, I stopped to watch the dancers and a man came to talk to me—in Chinese, of course. When he took my arm and guided me over, I thought he wanted to dance, but he took me to the bench where he was sitting and had me sit down. Then he chatted some more. I love how people continue to chat in Chinese even after they understand that I’ve told them I don’t understand or speak Chinese. He opened a magazine he had and started writing in the white spaces—Chinese, of course. He would tell me what he’d written. He had me write the English word “China.” Then he wrote “America” in Chinese. When I started to write that in English, he took my hand and made the characters. He wanted me to write it in Chinese! When I didn’t do well enough, he took my hand and guided it again. When I got it OK after a few attempts, he gave me a thumbs up. When I decided it was time to return home, he wanted me to stay, but I was ready to move on.

Recently I’ve noticed a lot of sausages drying in various places including balconies and trees.

Chinese New Year is coming soon—January 31. Red lanterns and other red decorations are starting to appear.

Off to two weeks of in-service training with Peace Corps. We missed that last year due to budget cuts, but the new group of PCResponse volunteers will be there this year. It will be a good opportunity to learn more, have Chinese lessons, and meet more people.

December Bits and Pieces (12-31)

In addition to Christmas-related activities, there were several other events this month. First was Dale’s birthday. We had dinner at an Italian pizza place April and I had been to. They also have Western dinners, and a few of us had chicken. When we returned home, we had cake here. It was a fun evening.

I was surprised to learn that winter solstice is celebrated in China. Some students who live in or close to Chengdu went home for the special dinner featuring mutton. Mutton is eaten because sheep have wool that keeps them warm and eating it will keep people warm for the cold season.

Speaking of keeping warm, that has been a challenge. I now have three lined, stretch sweatshirt fabric tops. These are snug on the body and keep me warm. I also have leg warmers and lined tights. And I’ve succumbed to wearing lined boots, which are my latest purchase. I knew they were worth the money when I wore them to class and, for the first time this month, my feet weren’t freezing after an hour. All the new layers keep me warm in the unheated classrooms. I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter what clothes I wear because we never take off our coats and seldom unzip them these days. Temperatures have been in the 40s and up to the 50s some days in the afternoon. Without heat, that’s cold for standing or sitting in class.

My other addition for the purpose of keeping warm is my hot water bottle hand warmer. It heats electrically and stays warm for a couple hours. I took it to class for final exams so I could take turns warming my hands while students talked. Sometimes I take it to bed with me for a last minute hand and chest warming before going to sleep. It’s one of my favorite things.

On the way home from the buffet dinner on Christmas Eve, we passed the Global Mall. Our driver pulled over so we could take photos of it lit up for night. When I got home, I looked it up on the Internet and learned that it is the largest free-standing building in the world. April and I decided we had to see it. So, on Saturday after our Christmas lights trip, we went to Global Mall. 

Since we arrived before 10:00, the stores weren’t open yet. So we had to go to Starbuck’s, which is conveniently open for early arrivers, for April’s morning coffee. I had a hot chocolate and cinnamon roll, both of which were delicious.

When the mall opened, we went to the top—the fifth—floor to start walking around. In addition to seeing the mall, we were also on a last quest for Christmas decorations. Some stores had trees, and there were a couple trees in central areas. 

The hanging mobile in the center featured snowflakes, presents, and parachuting Santas. 

The mall is beautifully decorated. There are many large vases of artificial flowers. 

On the bottom floor, there’s a water park. We looked at it only from outside, as there’s an entrance fee. After two hours, it was time to leave, as we were meeting Jane for lunch. So we didn’t see the whole mall, but we saw enough to know what it’s like.

On the way to meet Jane, we made a quick stop at Tianfu Square to see if there were Christmas decorations there. There weren’t, but there was a huge 2014 in the street; so it was worth the trip. It was also worth the trip because April hadn’t been there before. 

Jane’s daughter and two of her tourism students joined us for lunch. Of course, it was huge. We had Beijing duck, shrimp, broccoli, and other dishes. The most unique was one that April selected: chicken and duck. It wasn’t what she expected from past experience. The dish had half a chicken on one side and a bowl with duck tongues standing up on the other. I tried a duck tongue out of curiosity and found it tough with not much meat; so I didn’t eat it.

Jane’s daughter is a high school junior at an IB school that sounds prestigious from the way Jane talks about it. Chloe speak English very well and hopes/plans to go to the U.S. for university. Her first choice is Cornell.

After lunch, we were off to meet the Wangs for their son’s birthday. (Dale was unable to join us because he was ill.) The party was at a nice karaoke place. The building has five floors of karaoke rooms. We had been told to meet them at 1:00, but April changed it to 2:00 because of the lunch with Jane. So we thought we’d be there for only three of the four hours that rooms are rented for. Not the case. When the birthday cake was served just before 5:00, it became clear that we were there till 6:00. I’m not sure why we were to be there an hour early, but I’m glad we changed it. This was the nicest karaoke place I’ve been to. The room was large with comfortable seats. The videos were good and were interesting to watch. So I was able to stay interested for a few hours. But four is too long for me. It’s not my favorite thing to do, but this occasion helped me see how it is a good activity for a group of people spending time together. Wang Ji had two of his good friends and a cousin with him for the occasion, and two mothers were also there. Most of the singing was done by the adults, but Wang Ji got into it, too. April and I were given a small, framed shadow puppet.

After karaoke, we all went to dinner. Another large, delicious meal—our third for the weekend. A special dish was a special fish served for the new year. I don’t remember why it’s special for this occasion.

Students--mostly freshmen--in each department have been having new year’s shows. April and I went to the one put on by the computer technology department. She, Dale, and I went to the show for the foreign language department on New Year’s Eve. For that one, we were seated in the front row with the special guests. The shows consist of dancing—modern and traditional, singing and short skits. It’s fun to see the students demonstrating their talents.

Final exams will be finished on Friday. Thus ends another semester.