Back to work (3-13)

Kasey and I returned to Chengdu on February 25. The flights went well. I was pleasantly relieved when the man at customs stamped my passport without asking any questions, since I had to choose “other” as the purpose of my visit.

Since nothing was happening at the university yet, I was able to relax at home for a few days. Friday I ventured out to buy some food. Shops were starting to open again after the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival holiday. About half of the vendors were at the market. By the following week, all students were back and the shops and markets were open.

Classes for English majors started on March 2; those for non-English majors started the following week. I had spoken to Dean Qiu about my need to have some English major classes, as I really don’t like the large classes (60 or more students) that non-English majors have. I said I could have some of the latter, but I needed to have some of the former as well. He told Hannah to give me only English majors this term. When she gave me the same classes I had last term, which included one class of Automotive Engineering majors, he told her to change it. I would have been fine with that, especially since it was the same class I had before. So I inherited a class of sophomore English education majors that I had last year. Hannah said they were happy when she told them I would be their teacher again.

There are three new interns. Sigve is not back, as his contract negations were not completed by the department head. The new ones are young (20, 21, 23), and everyone comments on that. One is American, one is Italian but has lived in England half his life, and one is French. Two are women, which is a nice change. As I had anticipated, Julie, the French woman, is very popular since students love France and Paris and since she is enthusiastic and beautiful. She has been dubbed “beautiful” while Sam, the American, is “cute.” Although I have never exuded with enthusiasm, I enjoy watching theirs.

As usual, the waiban did not prepare for the new foreign teachers. Omar is in one of the dorm rooms with no fridge, hot plate, washing machine or wardrobe. Sam was told to give him her fridge and she and Julie are to share one even though they are in separate rooms. The waiban had asked for four to six new interns, but they never know how many they’ll get until just before the semester begins. So they don’t plan ahead. Why prepare a new room if an additional teacher doesn’t come? Sam said her room still has long hairs in the bathroom from when Megan was here two years ago. Cleaning is not up to Western standards, and the men who have used the room apparently didn’t care.

We had the first English Corner this week. As always, all of us foreign teachers participated in the first one. We will rotate for the rest of the term and have only six more each. As I had predicted, Julie was the most popular and had the largest group. Mine was the usual size—eight to ten. Paul’s group was smaller than usual, as students wanted to meet the new teachers. I find it interesting to observe the patterns.

As happened last year, more students are coming to office hours. In addition to Ann and Abby, who came regularly last term, two others joined them. When we finished two more showed up, but I had to send them away because another girl had made an appointment. Mimi wanted to see me alone; so we walked and talked, which was a nice way to spend our time together. When I returned to the office, the girl who had failed the final exam and the class arrived with her friend/translator because she had retaken an exam with a Chinese teacher who told her to talk to me. I guess that means she failed again. She is weak in listening and speaking and is afraid to try to talk. Neither of the last two has returned, but both have moved to the front of the class and smile at me.

The university now has campus-wide wi-fi. However, it has not yet been installed in our building. We will have wired Internet rather than wi-fi. Thursday the men were here making lots of noise and putting cables in the hall ceiling. So the process has begun. In the meantime, we have to go to the office to use the Internet, which is a hassle. It’s now working well there most of the time, but it’s just inconvenient to have to plan to go there. I much prefer the convenience of working at home when I want to.

There is a big, new supermarket. It will give competition to the smaller one on Student Street, as it has more products and variety. The café that was there has been moved to the side and is one-third the size it was.

I have now told the important people—foreign teachers, Yang, Michelle, Mr. Huang, and Hannah—that this will be my last semester. Since these are my friends as well as colleagues, I wanted to tell them in person. It’s good to have that done. I have also told Bennie, who responded by telling me how much she respects me and how important I am to her. I was very moved by what she said. Parting will be difficult when I leave, as she has also been important to me.

Weather is getting warmer. The two Sundays have been warm and sunny with some blue sky. I walked around the campus taking photos of the flowering trees. I love them, and this is the last time I’ll experience them here. Bitter sweet.

Sunday was International Women’s Day. On Friday there were display boards for the occasion. 

One advertised “Girls’ Day.” The girls could get in line to win a prize. They were very pleased that only girls—and not boys—could participate. I joined the line after a few people said I should. The first step was drawing “no” or “pass.” I got “pass,” which meant that I could spin the wheel and get a prize. I won a cup, which pleased the girls.

Remnants of Chinese New Year are still around. 

Also a few remnants of Christmas, since the two seem to be merged here in terms of decorations.

Back to Delhi (2-24)

We arrived in Delhi early Monday morning—on time—and our agent met us on the train, which was a nice surprise. First on the agenda was resting in our hotel room. I’d slept on the train fairly well, but Kasey hadn’t.

After a few hours, our driver picked us up for our last day of sightseeing included with the tour. The agent had suggested a temple that we could spend a few hours at because there’s a lot to see, but it’s closed on Monday; so the driver made some alternate suggestions, some of which we’d been to the week before. When we drove past the President’s House, it was barely visible; so it was good we’d been there before. First we wanted lunch, since we hadn’t had breakfast. This turned out to be a project. We told him we didn’t want to go to an expensive restaurant; he took us to the same expensive restaurant the guide had taken us to the week before. Then he suggested a restaurant in a garden. We knew that would be expensive, and it was. It occurred to me that perhaps the driver doesn’t know how expensive the restaurants are and just knows that many tourists are taken there. Kasey explained again that we wanted a small, local restaurant. This time he took us to one. The food was good, and we were happy.

After eating, we returned to Lodi Gardens, where the second restaurant is, to walk around. There we saw a 15^th century mosque 

and two 15^th century tombs 

and enjoyed the beautiful flowers and gardens.

Next we went to Gurudwara Bagla Sahib Sikh temple. Since we hadn’t been to a Sikh temple, we especially liked this suggestion. When we entered, our driver went with us, which doesn’t usually happen. First we went to the welcome center for foreign visitors where we left our shoes and socks and were given a head covering, as people who enter the temple must have their hair covered. No tobacco is allowed in the temple, and we were asked if we had cigarettes. When we walked to the temple, there is a small pool of water to walk through to clean one’s feet. Inside the temple, there are no images—statues or paintings. There were some men playing music while people sat to pray. The dome is gold covered. There is a very tall prayer pole that people walk around in prayer. A main feature of the temple is a large pool of holy water. 

On the outside edge there is a small trench of water for people to use to wash and bless themselves. A man told me that this water is holy water coming from a natural spring. There is a carpet on which to walk around the pool, which I thought was especially nice after walking on hot marble at the mosque in Semarang, Indonesia.

Our last stop was a handicraft store. The salesmen there weren’t very pushy and let us walk around on our own after a brief tour of the shops. We both bought a few items. My purchases were a painted Buddha and a brocade pillow case. It was handy that the shop took credit cards and I had mine because we were on the way to the airport.

Tuesday was an extra day. Transportation to the airport is included in the tour, but, since our flight wasn’t until 10:30 PM, we paid for a car and driver for the day. In the morning we went to Sarojini Market since I really wanted to see a local market and it was closed on Monday. Since we parked near the vegetable market area, we walked through it on the way to the main market area. 

When we arrived shortly after 10:00, most vendors were just opening. There were many piles of items wrapped in plastic outside the shops, and the shops were not yet open. We watched as people unwrapped their goods and started to put them on display. By the time we left, all the shops and stalls were open and the market looked like a different place. 

Many of the trees have altars around them. We both enjoyed shopping and spending most of the money we had left. It was a good thing to do just prior to leaving.

Since we liked the restaurant on Monday, we returned there for lunch again. On the way we drove down embassy road, a lovely road on which many embassies are located. There are signs pointing out the various embassies. The median has well-groomed bushes and flowers.

After lunch it was time to go to Kingdom of Dreams, which our agent had suggested for the afternoon’s activity. The main activity there is a theatrical show. They put on three Bollywood-style shows that combine a story and musical performances. The one that afternoon was Zangoora, the Gypsy King, an old Indian story in which a prince is lost and raised as a gypsy, is found, and becomes the king. The show is truly an extravaganza with lighting, acrobats, songs, and dancing. We had translators that provided the spoken parts in English. 

After the show, we walked around the Culture Palace, which is mostly places to eat and shop. 

The setting is like Las Vegas casinos with buildings on the sides and a sky on the ceiling. It was a great way to spend our final few hours.

After the show, we were dropped off at the airport for our flight back to China. We had our last Indian meal, and I had my last lassi.

Random information

At many stop lights in Delhi there are vendors selling things like newspapers, water, and towels as well as women and children begging. They would tap on our windows to get our attention.

Our guides often referred to the caste system, which surprised us, as we thought that was no longer in place. Perhaps they still use this language to refer to different levels of social status. 

Varanasi Part 2 (2-22)

Sunday morning we awoke early to return to the River Ganga to observe morning washing. After leaving the car to walk to the river, we joined a group of local people going to the ghats. I enjoyed their music and chanting/praying. After several minutes, they turned off to go to a temple to pray before going to the river.

At the river we took a boat to watch the morning washing. We were at the same area where we had watched the ceremony Saturday night. In the morning, foreign tourists were in the boats while Indian tourists joined local people on the river bank.  

Both men and women bathe in the sacred river. 

Women enter fully clothed while men wear a cloth around their waist. 

In addition to bathing, different sections are used for washing clothes. This is done by people whose families have been clothes washers for many generations, as families stay in the same job. Nowadays, however, some young people are leaving their family profession for better jobs where they can make more money.

In addition to observing the washing, it was nice to be able to see the buildings along the river. 

While we were there, the sun rose on the other side of the river. That side has no river bank and is sandy. People go there to swim. In the monsoon season, the river is much wider and higher. 

We exited our boat near the cremation area 

and saw the piles of wood being delivered and stored.

Then we had a quick walk along the narrow lanes of the Old City to get to the street. There was so much to observe that I felt a bit rushed as we hurried along them to get to the street. 

The lanes are lined with small altars. 

Many houses have a sculpture of Ganesha above the door for protection and good luck. There are many altars outside the houses. There was a man with a cobra who wanted money from tourists. There are also many temples. After leaving our bags in a shop to ensure that we couldn’t take photos inside, we went into an old temple that has a gold stupa—about 50 kilograms of gold.

At 8:00 we returned to the hotel for breakfast. The guide informed us that our tour was over and he’d pick us up at 3:00 for the afternoon activity. I was not happy about having seven hours in the hotel, as we had guide services for the day and our itinerary had a morning activity. We had changed the early morning river trip from Friday to Saturday because of our late arrival, but we still should have had the morning activity. I realized that he had combined that with Friday’s plan, probably so he could have some time off to visit his son who was home for a friend’s wedding. But I was still didn’t like being left for seven hours and told him that I was not happy. He then offered to take us to his home in a village. Kasey decided not to go because we had to eat breakfast quickly and then leave and she wanted to rest for a while. So I went with him on his motorcycle. It turned out to be an interesting experience.

At the house I met his wife and sons and the three friends who had gone to the wedding Saturday night. One young man and the guide’s uncle were watching the India-South Africa cricket match of the World Cup for cricket. I learned a little about that game, about which I knew nothing and which is quite popular in India. Matches can take all day—8  hours.

Then the guide said his son would take me around the village. I invited his friend to join us, and one of the women also wanted to go. They were excited to have this special tour because I was there. We went to the Sisters of Charity orphanage, which is affiliated with Mother Theresa. It is an orphanage for handicapped children ages 8 to 18. About 50 children live there. Around 12 are physically handicapped and attend the small school so they will have an education. Another 15 are mildly mentally handicapped and receive job training. The sisters also help them get married and provide a sari for the occasion. The rest of the children are severely mentally handicapped. It looks like the children are well cared for. The place is clean and neat. Children I saw looked happy. When parents abandon the children, they have to register with the police that they are leaving their child at the orphanage. Children who are too young or too old for this orphanage are sent to homes in other cities. Parents who give the children to the orphanage have to sign a paper with the police.

Next we visited the 600-year-old ashram that the family has belonged to for many generations. They follow a guru named Kabir. My hosts talked with one of the men for a long time, as they were quite interested in Kabir’s ideas, some of which they translated for me. Kabir questioned the caste system and believed that it should be eradicated. He believed in equality for all people and all religions. He thought people should focus on life now and not put their energy into being concerned about an afterlife. They also believe that there are 25 elements to understand. The last two are nature and humans. When they understand all 25 elements, they are enlightened.

Kabir’s followers wear a necklace made from string as a symbol of their commitment. Three of the people we saw were teenagers. Like the young Buddhist monks, they may be there so they have food and a good place to live. Later they can stay or leave. The ashram has daily prayer services that people can attend or not as they wish. Many of the followers go around the country preaching their ideas.

We stopped at a temple to see the stages where a special Hindu play is performed every year. The stage on one side is for God; the stage on the other side is for the devil.

The village has a mixture of houses, which probably represent a mixture of socio-economic status, in close proximity. The guide’s house and a few others are quite nice. Others are simpler. 

Dung was drying on the ground 

and on walls.

Another activity was visiting the uncle’s home business making aluminum containers. Amazingly, it takes only two minutes to form and polish a container from the round piece of aluminum. The man who was asked to take me there was a friend who is starting his own travel agency in Delhi. He was in Varanasi for a month to learn more about his home city. Our guide is his mentor.

I was given lunch, and my guide told me what foods go together: rice and lentil dal; bread and potatoes and peas. The woman sitting with me told me that the guide didn’t think I was eating much, but I thought I ate a lot and I was full.

The final activity was visiting another relative’s home. This one is a painter who paints people in a state of meditation. Then we went to say “good-bye” to the friend who got married, as he has a couple weeks of leave before returning to Delhi and work. This was an arranged marriage. Prior to their marriage, the couple had met twice over half a year. They talked on the phone every day for about an hour; so their friends felt that they knew each other well enough to get married. The bride was sitting on the bed wearing her wedding sari. The groom was in casual clothes. The visitors from Delhi were given gifts. Later I learned that it is traditional to give close friends a gift. They received two boxes of sweets, and the woman I’d talked to quite a bit gave me one. It looked like there was also silk in the bags the women were given.

Since they were returning to Delhi on the same train as Kasey and me, they joined us for our afternoon activity and we all went to the train station together in our van. The afternoon activity was visiting Ramnagar Fort. 

Built in the 18^th century, some of its architecture is more European in style than the older forts. 

It is, of course, intricately carved in many places. Some of it is now a museum with displays of old American cars (surprisingly), guns, rifles, and some European vases. The weapons had basic labels, but the other items didn’t. The main item of interest in the museum is a clock that is several hundred years old and is still accurate telling the day, time, horoscope sign, and a few other things.

The fort is on the river bank. There is a floating bridge across the river for bicycles and motorcycles that is taken apart and stored during the monsoon season when the river is higher and wider.

Our final stop was a small temple to the goddess Durga. 

Two of the doors have bells that people reach up and ring for good luck. 

As I was finishing walking around the temple, I heard drumming. The guide called us to go out to the street quickly. A small wedding party had arrived and people were dancing at the base of the temple. The groom was standing in the background. 

Children surrounded Kasey after she shook hands with two of them.

Then we went on to the train station for our overnight train to Delhi. Our new friends took us to our car and made sure we found our beds. This time we had the side beds, the ones parallel to the aisle. They turned out to be OK, as once the curtain was drawn, it was very private.

Random information:

All of our cars had fire hydrants, which I’d not seen before.

Indian calendars have the days down rather than across. That would take some getting used to.