Luodai (6-20)

Two weeks ago when I went for a Sunday afternoon walk and passed the auditorium, I was quite surprised to see Mickey Mouse at the entrance. And Minnie joined him shortly after I arrived. I noticed that a number of boys in kung fu outfits and girls in pretty dresses were going in. It was interesting that they paid very little attention to the characters standing there. 

A few boys approached them and hit them and two girls posed close to Minnie, but most just ran by. Since something was obviously going on in the auditorium, I decided to check it out. I sat down at 1:40, thinking the program would begin at 2:00. Wrong. When 2:00 came and went, I figured it would start at 3:00. Wrong again. Since I had my book, I enjoyed sitting in the comfortable chair reading and watching the children run around and rehearse for their performances. Finally at 4:00 the program started. It looked like a school’s end-of-the-year program.

It was fun to watch the children perform—mostly dances,

but there was also a kung fu demonstration. An unexpected, enjoyable afternoon outing.

Last Saturday I went to Luodai to see the Ancient Town and the nearby Jinlong Great Wall, which is the largest simulated Great Wall. (I like to refer to it as the fake Great Wall.) I arrived at the Great Wall at 9:30, having stayed in Chengdu Friday night so I could leave early Saturday morning. 

It goes up a mountain and down the other side and then across and up another mountain. The wall is 3 meters wide and 1 kilometer long. 

Lots of steep, uphill steps. Since it was still early, it wasn’t crowded yet. 

Along the way there are vendors selling drinks, snacks, souvenirs, and incense. 

At the end of the wall there is a temple. There are vans one can take back, but I decided to walk down. That way my leg muscle usage would be balanced. I enjoyed the experience and being out of town in the mountains and fresh air. It was also interesting to see the Hakka vendors.

Next I went to Luodai Ancient Town. It is advertised to be a Hakka minority town. The architecture is a distinctive style, 

especially on the side streets, 

and I could see that the vendors look different. 

On one side, they are in the process of opening a new art district that has upscale-looking buildings and cafes and shops where art items will be sold. Otherwise it was just another touristic Ancient Town. Since I had just been to Huanglongxi two weeks ago, it was too soon to be doing that again. 

Luodai’s shops seem to be noted for shooting rifles to pop balloons and for renting dresses to dress up for photos. There were many of the latter shops along the main street. Since I arrived at 1:30, it was already beginning to be crowded, and by 3:30 when I started back down the street, it was packed, as usual. 

When I started back to the entrance, I met a young family who wanted photos of me with their 6-month old son. His name is Nicholas, and he already has an English name because his parents want him to learn English well and study abroad.

Then I began the 3.5 hour trip back to Wenjiang. I arrived home weary from the walking up and down many stairs and the heat, as it was a hot day.

The school year is almost over, as is my time with Peace Corps. Students have been sweet; many have asked if I will be their teacher next term. The reality is that, even if I were here, I wouldn’t be their teacher because the university does not offer oral English with a foreign teacher to sophomore English majors. They only offer it to non-English majors, the reason for which none of us have figured out. After her final exam, one girl told me that she wanted to let me know that she enjoyed my class very much and I am very special because I am like a grandmother. Another made a similar comment. In China, that’s a very high compliment; so I always feel honored when I hear that.

Discussion groups are dwindling for the end of the semester. On the last couple Thursdays one girl has come each week; so she gets to talk with me a lot. I had a good talk with Sophie last week. She told me that I am her first foreign teacher and the first foreigner she has talked to and I have made her confident. That makes me feel good. I can see the growth in her over the year as she has matured and become a stronger individual. She is so strong that she is not joining the Party because Party members have to follow the group and she wants to be independent. She doesn’t care if she has to accept a lesser job because the better jobs go to Party members.

I met my discussion groups for the last time. I had invited most of the regular girls to come so I could give them something. It’s cleaning time at home, and I had a number of small items that needed to leave my apartment and life. We had good final chats. Thursday’s group was especially poignant. Most are English Education majors and have a lower level of English then the English majors, but they try hard—maybe harder than the others because of their struggle to express themselves. They have become more confident. Our session ended with hugs and lots of photos. One of the girls gave me a long hug and had tears in her eyes. This was unexpected. I know there is a strong bond with some students, but she was a surprise. One never knows how you are affecting others. Zoe gave me a long letter in Chinese, as she said it’s more meaningful that way. This means that she could express her feelings without the limitations of English. I’ll ask Diao Min to translate it for me. Another girl and her friend gave me stone bracelets. Bennie gave me a set of bookmarks with “paintings” of Chengdu sites and a set of postcards with Sichuan sites. She had written personal comments to me on seven of  the cards. Very touching.

Final exams are over. The one for teachers was this week. Most of my teachers told me how much they like me and how much they enjoyed the class and that they will take it again with me. Yang said that the teachers in my class and Dale’s class were very happy with us. Now it’s quiet time for two weeks until I do my Peace Corps Close of Service on July 7.

Wednesday night the piano teacher who is in my teachers’ class was accompanying for a recital. It turned out to be a vocal recital for teachers. What I found interesting was that the music sounded like Western operas sung in a foreign language.

Google is now blocked and can only be accessed with the VPN.

The World Cup is big news here. It’s on the radio or TV in many shops. When I went to Carrefour on Sunday, the sales section in the front of the store was decorated for the World Cup.