Eating and Outings (10-1)

In the last two weeks we have had two outings, one of which was a barbecue, and two special banquets. Last Tuesday afternoon Dale, Kasey, and I—the American foreign teachers—were invited to a special dinner that evening with some American guests. The guests turned out to be from Pacific Lutheran University, including the man who came in June. It was good to see him, as I’d enjoyed talking with him before, and he was glad to see me again, too. Luckily, I was seated beside him and his wife. Also along were the president of the university, his wife and three other staff members. The occasion of the dinner was to celebrate the signing of an exchange agreement between the two universities which will allow students and teachers to go to the other university to study or teach. (The group was also going to Chengdu to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of their relationship with Sichuan University.) So everyone was happy. Many toasts were made. 

And, of course, the food was fantastic. It included the most dishes I’ve seen at one banquet, many of which were new to me. I lost count after twenty. I enjoyed chatting with Bonnie and Goeff.

When we left the banquet room, we walked through the large room where teachers who had just finished their training session were having a dinner. When they saw all the foreigners, they were astonished. Several men came to the American men for photos and toasts. I think many or most of them had probably not seen a foreigner before and had certainly not encountered so many at once. It was fun to watch their responses.

Saturday we were invited to join the Chinese literature majors’ volunteer group for a barbecue. Paul, Sean, Ian, and I joined them. The destination was Golden Horse River, about half an hour by bus—after walking half an hour to the bus stop. 

On the way from the park to the river, we passed the Teddy Bear Museum and, of course, stopped for photos. I’ve seen signs for the museum and thought it was the other direction; so this was a surprise. 

I may have to return to see the museum, as it fascinates me that there is such a museum here in Wenjiang.

We knew we were at the river when we came to a statue of a golden horse at the end of a lawn area. 

Then we walked to the barbecue area. It was not the lovely, green area we had envisioned. Instead, it is a cement slab along the river with no grass in sight. The man who owns the concession provided grills, charcoal, skewers, stools, tables, and tools for preparing the food, for which we all contributed. The students had purchased a huge amount of meat and veggies to grill. 

They started preparing food and then grilling at 11:30 and did this for two hours. They took turns cooking and cutting and skewering. I skewered lotus root for a short time. It was fun to help a bit and to watch them work together. And, of course, eating was fun. People ate as the food was cooked. The students kept offering me/us food. When they learned that I don’t eat pork or spicy food, they supplied me with non-spicy veggies and were happy when I liked the food.

After eating enough, I sat on a stool and looked at a comic book about learning English that Paul had brought along to share with students. Several girls joined

me and we started to talk. After a while Paul and Ian joined the group. Sean sat elsewhere where another group formed. Discussions continued. After a while we took a break to walk a bit. When I sat down again, a few of the girls returned and more joined us. It was really fun to chat with them and to help them feel like they can speak English.

One of the girls in my discussion circle asked when my birthday is. When I responded that it was at the beginning of the month, they were sad and said they would buy me a gift. Later they asked if I like goldfish. I don’t want a fish in a bowl to have to take care of; so I told them I like fish but don’t want one because I’m afraid it will die when I leave for a few days. After a while, they asked if I like tortoises. I realized that they meant turtles and were thinking of giving me a turtle to keep in a dish. I don’t want one of those either; so I repeated that I don’t want one because I’m afraid it will die. They said they’d think some more. That night I got a text message from one of the girls saying they had purchased a gift for me and arranging to meet Sunday morning. 

They happily brought ma a lucky bamboo plant, and I happily accepted it. At least plants can live for a few days without water; so I don’t need to worry about it dying if I leave for a long weekend. And I do like it. So, now I have two plants—the bamboo and the cactus.

Monday afternoon we were informed that we would have an outing and lunch on Tuesday and our classes would be cancelled. Two people don’t have classes on Tuesday and had made plans, but they were pretty much told they should be here for the outing and lunch. This last-minute notification continues to be a problem and frustration. The event was the welcome outing and banquet for the new teachers—and us returning foreign teachers. We went to the Wenjiang Green Belt to ride bicycles, but the entrance we went to was closed and there were no bicycles. So we went around the gate and walked. 

Since it had just stopped raining, the air was moist and fresh, and it was really nice to be out in the green area. Walking was good because we got to talk with people. I chatted with Hannah, the new teacher who is training to take over Peggie’s “taking care of the foreigners” job. Hannah just finished her Master’s degree in English at a school near Beijing. She’s from central China and wanted to come to Chengdu; so she only applied for a job at this university. Fortunately, she was accepted. Her English is excellent. She is the middle child of three daughters. Her Chinese name means “change” because her parents wanted a boy. Her older sister is “precious” because the first child is always precious. Her younger sister is “stop.” When I asked about the one-child policy, she said they were protected. When an official came to the village to check on families, the villagers sent a messenger telling her parents to hide their daughters; so she and her sister hid in the dry riverbed until the official left.

The river walk was lovely. We saw people planting garlic

and many fishermen. It really was a pleasant activity.

We were to have a meeting at 11:00, but we didn’t return to campus until noon. So the meeting was held at the table while we waited for the president to arrive. It really wasn’t much of a meeting, and most of the important people weren’t there.

They wanted to ask if we had any problems or concerns. Dale mentioned a few things, and Hannah took notes. We’ll see if any action is taken. At the table, Dale was seated next to the president, in the important seat as always. I was seated next to Dean Cheng. This was new, as I’ve usually been across the table. When the president arrived, we had toasts and he welcomed everyone.

This banquet was also fantastic. 

A few special items included especially for the foreigners were French fries with catsup on the side,

 individual plates with a small piece of steak, and a dish of ice cream that was served three-fourths of the way through the meal. 

The whole meal had about thirty dishes. This I know because I took photos of most of them and I have 25 photos. It always amazes me that there can still be dishes I haven’t seen or haven’t seen for a long time. 

A few were repeats, but I took their photos anyway. (eel with ginseng, which was served at both banquets)

The banquet was my last official thing to for the week, as the week-long National Day holiday started on October 1. The holiday is actually five days (Wednesday to Sunday); so since two more are added, we had make up classes for next Monday on Sunday and will have make-up classes for next Tuesday on October 11. Only in China! Since tourist destinations are extremely crowded and hotel prices are doubled, I decided to stay home and have a quiet week. I’ve done the crowds and know I can, but I just wasn’t ready to do that yet. I think the fact that I just returned from traveling a few weeks ago also decreased my desire to hit the road again so soon.

My passport was returned to me on Sunday complete with my new visa. (The office was open because Sunday was a make-up day.) It’s good for 180 days, which will be renewed every time I re-enter the country. So I have to leave before March 17, which is not a problem because we’ll have the winter break starting in January. When I return, the visa will be good for another 180 days. So it all worked out well.

I received my first salary deposit on Tuesday, which is also good.

There is a higher police presence on campus this year. Every day I see three or four of them walking around.

Freshmen and sophomore students are being required to attend a study hall every evening for 1.5 hours. They are not happy, as they can’t go to the library or study where they want to.

My group of sophomore girls came to office hours the first week. It was good to see them again. I know they won’t come often, as they are very busy this year. Sophomore year seems to be the busiest in terms of the work load and having to take the national tests for English. One came the second week and enjoyed being able to talk on a more personal level since she was alone. And one freshman girl came.

My new commitment is to use the social networks that students use. Last year I had one but never thought about opening it. This year I am opening it for an hour or so every night. The other is a phone app that I have on for a few hours a day. I’m not as popular as the guys (Sean said he and Ian can spend a couple hours a night answering messages.), but I have several students who like to chat a bit. This is fine with me.

Another new commitment is going to the fitness center to use the machines for upper body strength. I've been thinking about doing this for a while. Now I am. They have new exercise bicycles that are really nice, and I enjoy riding one sometimes. Yoga class has started, and I go to that once a week. Kasey is going, too, and it's good to have her company. A few of the girls who participate have been chatting with me, which is nice.

Back to Work (9-20)

It was good to arrive back on campus. I met the three new teachers: Kasey, the new Peace Corps Volunteer, Sean, and Ian. All are recent graduates. We now have seven foreign teachers, and two of us are female. We each teach six or seven classes and have two days without classes. Not a difficult schedule. My two free days are Friday and Monday.

Three of my classes are English education majors, which will be a bit easier because I taught that class last year and have a syllabus already. The class went well; so I don’t think I’ll make many changes. Two classes are business English majors. I taught that class during my first semester here, but the first semester is new to me. The last class is from the automotive engineering department. For non-English majors we will use the syllabus Dale put together in June. I recently learned from Paul that it correlates with the textbook students use with their Chinese teacher. This will make the program more relevant to students.

I had a good reception on campus. When I entered the building, the building guards and staff gave me big smiles and waves. One of the first things I did was go to the shopping street to buy boiled soy beans, one of my favorites. When she saw me, the vendor light up with a big smile. It was nice to be welcomed back so warmly.

I’ve encountered several former students who have spoken to me. The English education sophomores have Kasey as their teacher. When they saw that they have oral English again, they thought I would be their teacher again and were disappointed when I told them that they have a new teacher. Part of me wanted to continue with them, as we got along well and I could start them off where we left off and continue their progress. On the other hand, I knew it would be good for them to experience a different teacher. I hope that their shy time with Kasey will be less because they had me last year. It will be interesting to see if the girls continue to come to my office hours sometimes. And it’s fun to have new freshmen who are excited to improve their oral English and to have a foreign teacher.

When I did my first walk around campus, two girls spoke to me. They are freshmen who speak very little English. They don’t know what they are studying in English, and one girl used her fingers to count when I said a number. But they were very sweet. They walked me back to my building and told me they love me.

At home, I returned to find a lot of mold in the bedroom. I’d left the closet doors open; so it wasn’t as bad as last year in the closet. But the desk was a mess with white mold, especially on the underside. I spent most of the first evening cleaning the wood surfaces. Over the next few days I washed the few clothes that had spots of mold and the bedding. The pillow was covered with black mold. It was good to get everything clean and get the room set up again. I’ve become a fan of bleach, which I’ve seldom used and never purchased. It really cleaned up the pillow case and the white sofa covers.

Classes started this week. I saw only three of mine, as two were having their medical checks. The three classes I saw gave me small gifts. The first class gave it to me at the beginning of class. I thought they were trying to be my favorite class. Their gift was a water/tea bottle. The next class gave me their gift—a small cactus in a cute pot—after class. 

The third class gave me a gorilla—stuffed, of course. It’s big and black. I’m still getting used to it when I see it in my apartment. I named it “Garky.” It is the English name of a student I had last year. I always liked and was amused by the name and I like the boy. And Garky the Gorilla is alliterative.

English Corner also started. All English majors are told to attend the first one as well as all of us foreign teachers. When I arrived, one of my classes was standing together waiting and called me over. 

When it was my turn to introduce myself, my classes cheered. That was heart-warming. Many photos were taken. Some of the sophomores who attended pretty regularly also came this first week. It will be interesting to see if they continue to come. They are very busy this year. I remember this from the sophomores last year.

When I stopped at the fitness center to say “hello” to Rick, I saw the changes he had told me about. The room was expanded by combining with the yoga room and there are more treadmills and a few other machines. Yoga will be in the new gymnasium. I learned that there is also a room with exercise bicycles, which I will use. I’ve also decided to use the other fitness machines this year, not to just think about using them. I had Rick give me a lesson on how to use three of the machines.

I went to the bank to cancel the old account with the lost ATM card and open a new account. The good news was that there was still a lot of money in the account.

On Friday Michelle and another young woman took me to the immigration office in Chengdu to apply for my visa change and extension. It was easier than I had thought it would be. The woman had said she would only extend it for 90 days, which isn’t enough. They called someone at the university who talked to the woman, and she gave me 180 days. The visa cost 950 RMB/$155, which is more than my first one cost ($140). When it was time to pay, of course no one had enough money, and we didn’t have enough cash among us. Michelle used her bank card. She will get reimbursed eventually. I enjoyed the car trip with Michelle, as I seldom have the opportunity to talk to her alone and personally. I usually see her in the office and have just a brief greeting and chat.

  

Thursday evening Yienfanh and I got together. I took Kasey to introduce them. We had a good time catching up. It's always good to see him.

Friday Peggie and her husband took me to dinner to thank me for my wedding gift (cash). We ate at a reception hall, one they had tried to book but couldn’t because it was already booked. I think the dinner cost more than half of what I gave them. That wasn’t the idea, but it was good to meet him and chat with them both. He understands more English than he speaks, which is common.

Saturday Diao Min to me to our favorite eggplant restaurant to thank me for everything. I think that included revising her friend’s cover letter and introducing her to Kasey. Since I won’t continue formal Chinese lessons, I’ll miss seeing her regularly.

Now that I’ve had a break with good travels and good times with my friends, I’m ready to be here and teaching again. I’m enjoying the new students and the new teachers as well as the continuing teachers and my former student friends. This is good.

Remembering Things Thai (9-8)

Remembering things Thai: an incomplete list in no particular order

Beautiful Thai silk and cotton

Foods: 

som tom/papaya salad—normal, sweet and with balah, 

pad Thai, 

grilled chicken, gang keow wan/green curry, sticky rice, salted fish, noodle soup, 

mok naw mai/bamboo steamed in banana leaf, 

foods wrapped in banana leaves, 

blah toom, 













duck noodle soup

bamboo soup

Eating leaves and herbs; cooking with leaves

The funny way papayas grow on the trees.

Spirit houses at houses and special, old trees

Beautiful rice fields

Wearing white clothes to the wat

People chanting/praying at the wat every day for 2.5 hours during the three-month rainy season

Sleeping at the wat on Buddha days during the rainy season

Inflated plastic bags for everything. Thais are great at spinning them around so they are inflated.

Special way rubber bands are used to seal plastic bags

Taking your own towel when visiting friends

Eating with a spoon, with a fork to assist 

Fresh coconut juice in the coconut

No top sheets. Using a blanket instead.

Condensed milk—in cold tea, in shakes, as a dip for fried dough

Flattening the back of shoes so they slip off and on easily

National anthem at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. All stand.

Phone calls before 6:00 AM

Colorful shirts often with cute characters

Memorizing speeches for the impromptu speech contest

Bucket showers

Sinks that drain onto the floor

The Thai years. It is now 2557.

Old calendars hanging on walls because they have the king’s picture

Clocks that have stopped but no one changes the batteries

Dogs lying in the middle of the road and barely moving away when cars come

Cars double parked

Feet: don’t point towards the Buddha, monks, other people

Return Part 3 (9-7)

Since Wednesday was my birthday, Khun Toy and Khun Dakom had said I should take something to give to the monks in the morning for good luck in/blessings for the coming year. 

After returning home, she and I started cooking for my party at noon. This was a small party just for me because I would miss the big party for the September birthdays: Khun Toy, Khun Teamjan, their friend Khun Tam—and me when I was here. Since we were going to the wat in the evening, my birthday meal/party was lunch rather than dinner. Khun Dakom had two chickens ready to be cooked and Khun Toy had purchased a fish. 

My jobs were to cut the ginger and take leaves off the stems. Later I chopped a papaya for somtom. Other than that, my job was to watch, which I did happily.

At 10:00 we took the food to Khun Suwit’s farm where we finished cooking. Khun Tongbai also joined us and brought bamboo. While they prepared the bamboo, I rubbed the leaves to make the green sauce for bamboo soup. Lunch was delicious, of course. 

After eating, Khun Toy presented me with a moon cake from Malaysia and we all shared it for dessert. Then Khun Dakom had everyone say a special wish for me. After he started this, I remembered that it is a tradition he always starts.

After a relaxing afternoon, Khun Toy and I went to the wat for the evening service. So the events of the day were pray, eat, pray. It was good. Vanessa sent several messages on Khun Toy’s Line, the final one being a voice message with her and her daughter singing “Happy birthday.” Tuk called me at night, and it was good to chat with her again, too. A good birthday all in all.

On the way home, we stopped at a new small market in the village where a few women sell food. One gave me a bag of passion fruit, from which Khun Toy made juice on Thursday.

Thursday we skipped the morning service, which surprised me. Khun Toy took me to Nam Tuam School so I could say “hello” to the teachers there. I was greeted with big smiles and lots of hugs from the kindergarten teacher who especially likes me. I met the new English teacher and was pleased to learn that she speaks English well and may stay at the school for a long time, as her husband also teaches there and they live nearby. 

She had me speak to the assembled students and had a few boys come to the front to have a conversation with me. They did a good job. After asking each question, which I answered and then asked them, they conferred to plan the next question. It was nice. Like Chumchong Puai Hua Dong School, I always felt comfortable at this school. It, too, has a good atmosphere. I was really glad I went. Before leaving, a teacher who wasn’t there before gave me a bag of longans, probably from his tree. The rest of the day was mostly for relaxing for me. Khun Toy prepared food but told me to sleep. We went to my last evening service at the wat. Although I had learned to use it as meditation time, I was tired of sitting on the floor, which had become more difficult for my knees every day. So I was happy to be finished with this activity. I enjoy being there but not on a daily basis.

Back at the house, Khun Toy cooked dinner for me to take to Khun Yindee’s house in the evening: fried chicken, fried fish pieces, sticky rice, and mok naw mai/bamboo steamed in banana leaves. She’s so generous and giving.

Friday was my last day with Khun Toy and Khun Dakom. We began the day by going to a wat I’d not been to before. It’s a very small wat in a very small village near Lue Amnat. We gave food to the monks along the road on the way in. 









Then a man took us to the three buildings that house altars to three former monks. Each building looks like a small house, which I hadn’t seen before. The man placed flowers on each altar. Afterwards, we joined the villages to pray while the monks began their breakfast. They gave me some fish and sticky rice to take home.

Later in the morning we went to a traditional Isaan music contest in Lue Amnat where we met Khun Wasana. When we arrived, the contestants, many of whom were students, were playing a traditional stringed instrument that is now electrified. This made it too loud and acoustic for my taste, and I didn’t especially enjoy it. One of the instruments had been modernized in style, thus the old and the new. Khun Toy had tried to buy a small papaya to make somtom for me, but the only ones at the market and store were really big. So she bought some from a vendor, and the three of us went to a café for lunch. (In Thailand it’s OK to take food from elsewhere into a café where you are going to purchase something else to eat.) My last somtom. 

After lunch, the contestants were playing the traditional bamboo flute, which I enjoyed more.

At 4:45, the van Khun Yindee takes to Ubon stopped at the driveway to pick me up. It was hard leaving these wonderful friends, but now they are on Facebook; so we can keep in touch a bit, which we couldn’t do before.

Saturday I just hung out with Khun Yindee. Since she’d been so busy with many projects at school, I hadn’t seen much of her. We went out for lunch and I had my last pad Thai and roast duck. Hanging out at her house is like being at home.

Sunday it was time to leave, which is always hard. Khun Yindee cooked fish I like and three kinds of mushrooms (for good luck) for breakfast. Then they took me to the airport. It’s always hard to say “good-bye” to her, too. But the time had come.

I flew to Bangkok and stayed at a hotel for the day and night. There’s not much near the hotel, but I noticed a sign for massage and decided that a Thai massage would be a good treat before leaving. It was.

Leaving Thailand is always hard, but it was time to return to China and teaching. As the time has drawn near, I’ve started to feel like I’m ready to return and start teaching again. One of my girls wrote that about her summer. She had shown her friends at home a photo with me and reported that her friends think I am adorable. It’s been a long time—if ever—since I’ve been called adorable. One reason I stayed at the university is my groups of girls. I know they will be sophomores now and will be very busy and won’t have much time to meet with me, but they will remain my special friends and I’ll be happy to see them whenever they want to and can meet. And there will be a new crop of freshmen to get to know. Now I’m ready for them.