Wrapping Things Up

Sophomore schedule of remaining exams

The semester is quickly wrapping up. We will take a train to Beijing on Saturday and fly to Lexington on Sunday. We are excited to get home and a little tired from all of the year-end activities. Here are some shots of what has kept us busy in our final weeks in Qufu.

Dinner at a local student's home. . .13 dishes for four people, oh my.


Lots and lots and lots of exam grading


Cleaning out the library


Last dinners out with students


Getting my shoes fixed (for only 5 mao, basically pennies)


Hanging out with students from the local fellowship


Dinner with our Foreign Affairs Officers and their families


Foot massages with teacher friends


Goodbyes and grades at the office


Shipping winter clothes, kitchen stuff, bedding,
and books to Changchun for next year


Wading through the madhouse post office when we went to ship


Red Song Patriotic Singing Contest to celebrate the
90th anniversary of the Communist Party


Going away party for the foreign teachers


And because they make everyone smile, some student quotes from goodbye notes:

"I still remember the first time you came to our class. It was beyond my imagination. Because in my mind the culture teacher might be very serious and wear a pair of glasses, but you look very beautiful and sweet. We like to listen to your class and play with you."

"Your apartment is very beautiful and has many nice decorations. I really want to have such a softly fragrant home."

"Mallary and Chip are the most sweetie couple I have ever seen."

"You are always like the sunshine. I do like your smiling because it's so warm. I really want to know what kind of magic do you have that keep you be happy everyday."

"You are like a bubble full of candies, never depressed."

"You are the very special star in my Milky Way."

"You know what, I am always having a dream about you--that is to invite you to my home and my middle school because I have shown my parents and schoolmates your picture and told them how interesting you are and that you cooked delicious food for us. They are hoping to see you someday. I hope I still have a chance to achieve my dream."

"My first impression of you is that you are lovely just like a little girl. You always wear some decorations on your head. It's so cute."

"I never feel bored in your class even if the contents is a little dull in some degree."

"Chip, you are quiet, humorous, patient, kindhearted, and the most important thing may be that you can cook a lot of delicious food."

"I remembered the time you stayed in our dormitory in Lynn's bed. At first, we were afraid that you might be disliking our conditions. But when you came, I think you really enjoyed it. Did we snore? Or did you hear strange words? The next morning, we looked at your bed, but you had gone early. I believe that will be a good memory for both of us."

"I still remember when a freshman boy suicided himself, you told us that we can call on you if we have some life problems which we can hardly handle. To be honest, at these words I am almost moved to tears. (Believe me, I am not that sentimental). It's because no teacher in my life care about my psychological problems like you. It's because you always let me feel that you are my elder sister who can back me up when I am depressed."

And a few of these. . .

"I hope one day I can meet you in America, and I think at that time I can see the cute baby of you and Chip. Chip is a handsome, nice, and gentle guy."

"We are waiting for the birth of your cute baby."

"I do hope you can send us the photos of you and Chip's future baby."

Chip's Chewable: Must See Photos of Beijing Underwater

Click on the link to view the streets of Beijing underwater, water pouring down stairs to one of Beijing's subway stations, and a lake that has now formed around the the Forbidden City.  Incredible.

Foreign Face

Yesterday I was a superstar. One of my supervisors/colleague asked me to go promote an English training school in Yanzhou--a neighboring town. I knew I wasn't interested, but "no" isn't easy to say in China. In fact, he changed the time thrice to work around my schedule. So two hours after he asked me, we were on the road.

I didn't want to go for two main reasons: One, I knew it would take a big chunk of time, and I had to cancel some plans that I had been excited about. Two, it all felt a little slimy--it appeared that if you chose to attend this "English training school," I would be your teacher, which of course, was not the case. My face was simply good advertising.

We went to a school for miner's children. According to the translator (and student reaction), I was the first foreigner the students had ever seen. As I went classroom to classroom promoting English study, the students roared with excitement.




I hadn't prepared anything in advance, so I mostly asked questions to investigate their interests: surfing the internet, watching basketball, playing badminton, and listening to Justin Bieber.


Students peering in the classroom window to see the foreigner.

It was really fun. . .until someone asked for my signature. I hesitated. I really shouldn't have said yes, but my supervisor nodded that I should. Then there was a stampede. It was my first time to be mobbed. I was nearly knocked down, I couldn't see to sign my name and children kept forcing their papers over others to ensure that they got my, well, completely worthless scribble of "Mal."

Can you see me? I'm in there.

When we got to the car, students pounded on the windows. My colleague said I should do a few more signatures so with the window rolled down and the car surrounded, I signed many a Hello Kitty notebook.

I was the guest of honor at a dinner as a thank you for coming to the school. I didn't want to be honored. I just wanted to go home. Two hours of stares and physical bombardment had worn me out. It was a rough night at the dinner. I knew it would be when I saw the boxes of alcohol carried in. Only my colleague could speak English (and one other guy, but his English was poor and worthless once he was drunk). There was lots of drinking, toasting, vegetables dishes in my honor (and confusion about why I wouldn't eat meat), and loud Chinese that I didn't understand. Me and my colleague gave rides home to the others who were all red in the face and high in spirits from an evening of too much rice wine.

We left Qufu at 2pm yesterday. We got home about 10pm. Not exactly how I would have chosen to spend my day. It's not easy being a star.

Chip's Chewable: China: Beyond Borders

NPR has been doing a series of articles about China called, "China:  Beyond Borders." According to their website, the series of articles "examines the many ways China is expanding its reach in the world — through investments, infrastructure, military power and more."

Click the title to check out the different stories or check out the web address below to view a map of China's current global investments.  Shouldn't go ignored. 

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/10/136930746/explore-chinas-global-reach

Superstitions?

Below is a list of common knowledge health habits of our students. They wonder why we, as Americans, don't know and follow such rules. And we are curious, too. Is it just superstition and tradition with a placebo effect, or are some of these cultural eating habits actually valid? If you know some of these ideas to be true, please comment.

1. If you eat too many cherries, you will get a nose bleed.
   
2. When you have a stomachache you should eat raw peanuts and porridge.
3. If you eat too many oranges, you become angry.
4. Eating cucumbers will improve your skin.
5. Eating too much spicy food will cause your skin to breakout with pimples.
6. Do not eat egg and soy milk together or else you might die.
7. Eating honey and green onions will hurt your eyes.
8. Eating shrimp while drinking beer will result in paralysis.
9. Consuming potatoes and bananas together will give you freckles.
10. After giving birth, women should not shower or leave the bed for one month.
11. When females are on their period, they should drink brown sugar and water to relieve the discomfort.
12. Women can eat as many sweets on their period as they want because they cannot gain weight.
13. Eating papayas will increase breast size.
    
14. Women should not eat dates while on their period because eating dates will increase blood flow. They should eat dates after their period to help replenish their blood.
15. Women should avoid eating or drinking cold items on their period. For example: ice water, ice cream, fruit.

Assorted Freshmen Activities

Strawberry Smoothies






Drinking coffee and eating Chinese junk food!


Mod Podge!


Surprise Dorm Visit


Fingernails and Facials






Lots and lots of Cookies





(This student took 101 photos during the hour & a half she was at our house making cookies).







The below video was made by a freshman. It is very Chinese in style. I share it not because I think the repetitive photos (including photos of photos in our home) and imagery are high quality, but so that you get a better understanding of our students' innocence. And of course, it is the gesture that I appreciate most.
NOTE: The music will not play due to copyright. So turn on some teary goodbye music while you watch.

Henan

The Foreign Language Department at our university takes a trip every year. The trip is open to teachers and their families. The foreign teachers were also invited, so Alison and I decided to go on a Chinese-style tour to Henan province.

The attraction was called Ba Li Gou--basically a gorge

Alison, Bernie (French teacher), and me wearing our tour group red caps.



Photo with the tour guide (our red hats didn't last long)



Our fellow foreign language teachers


The scenery was truly captivating



In a cave behind the waterfall



Canoeing on a bamboo raft

Then we took these crazy blue steps up the side of the mountain.

An awesome view from the top

Gettin' on my gear to go down the alpine slide. Sure beats the stairs!


The entire group from Qufu. Can you find the three foreigners?

Two of the teachers' children. They took awhile to warm up to us, but on the way home on the bus, they gave Alison and I one sunflower seed each--a sure sign of friendship.