Thursday Classes

"You all have wonderful Chinese names," I said. "Your parents picked just the right name for you, and I'm sure you are proud of that name. I hope you will always use and love your name. But for this class, we are going to have an American name.

"Does anyone not have an American name and need one? I have a list of names you can choose from."

He raised his hand, I handed him the list, which had many boys' names and their meanings.

A few minutes later, he called me over, and said, pointing to the meaning of the name, 'TOBY.' The paper explained the meaning of the name as "the Lord is good." "What that mean?" he asked in all earnestness. I was taken aback. I really was caught off guard for just a nano-second.

Yes, what does that mean to someone who has no beliefs in Christianity, or any form of religion, who does not understand the idea of a Lord God?

When I stammered out an answer, he promptly shook his head, and turned the sheet over to continue looking.

The names continue to amaze me...I wish I could give some advice, like the girl who previously had picked - RABY.

Definitely not my favorite...or how about Vanishing, or Share ("I hungry all the time...when you have food, please to share it with me." She giggled.), or Magician (Magician????really, come on now, who lets you pick these names?), Key, Chief, Captain.

Some, obviously pick quite normal names. They want to be CEOs, business executives, and have significant jobs. Does a name really make the man/woman? Does a name matter?

So, here's the deal, if you hear one day that the CEO of Apple is named Magician, remember, you heard it here first!

Sophomores - 4 plus Zero

What do you get when you put 54 highly-competitive students in a brand new program of oral business English?

You get a classroom of high achievers and one very intimidated, scared-out-of-her wits teacher. This is the Tuesday night class where we go teach at the mega campus which is one and a half hours away.

Here are some of their career goals:
to be the richest man in the world
judge
to be a boss
business woman
Ceo of a company
translator/international journalist
intrepeter or engineer
professor of economics
clinic psychologist
travel all over the world
and, perhaps the wisest of all comes from Rebecca - "just to be happy!"

As you can see, each has his own computer station with headsets. I can look at the teacher station monitor and pick which student or students I want to listen to. (Well, I could if I knew how to use it, but there is just one teeny problem; the instructions are all in Chinese and the lab director only speaks Chinese. Ah, there's that language barrier again...it creeps up all the time!)

So, my stomach aches again....how do I listen individually to 54 students and grade them on their oral ability/improvements?

This gig is a challenge; it's very hard work, very long hours, very little pay, and yet MANY of the BYU teachers who do it once come back again for a 2nd year, or more.

I'm not sure I can come back for a second week.

You Are Invited....

Shopping Carts

Scene: little corner market
Time: early morning, that's when the older ladies go to get the best selection of vegetables
Place: the check-out line
Characters: older lady, Loni, older lady (I was in between two older ladies, if you get my gist here.)
In the shopping cart: older ladies - little plastic bags of varities of vegetables, most unknown to this writer; my shopping cart - 4 bottles of lemon-flavored water, 2 bottles of fruit drink for RAH, and 1 small bag of Lay's original potato chips.

Moral of the story: that's why they (older Chinese ladies) look like they look - very slender, and that is why I look like I look - not slender, but with lots of stored fat from drinking so much water...ha! ha!

The Sigh Heard Round the World

or....
"Twilight" Spans the Globe!

"What do you like to do for fun?" was the question asked on the first day to get acquainted with each of the students.

"I like to watch movies. I especially like the movies about...." she stammered to find the English word. As she tried to think and was speaking to herself in Chinese, a girl in the classroom helped her out....

"The Twilight movies."

There was an audible sigh of recognition from the girls in the class. "Ahhhhh..."

"Ah yes," she continued. "Are so romantic. My dream is to meet Bella in person one day."

I'm still chuckling over that one. Oh, Stephenie Meyer, graduate of BYU, can you even begin to know of the impact you have had on girls world-wide?

(Actually, from your bank account, I would guess that you DO KNOW what impact you have had!)

Dear Abby - Again,

When I woke up this morning, I realized I did not want to go school...

What would I wear?

I have a stomach ache, and a headache, and my throat hurts, and I don't have anything to wear, and it's a bad hair day, and it's raining - I'll get wet.

I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO School. I'm scared really alot!

Signed, Reluctant
PS - I am the teacher

Dear Reluctant,
Your hair always looks bad and if it's raining, what does it matter anyway, no one cares what you wear, and they won't understand anything you say...what have you got to lose?

Now, get out the door and quitchurbellyachin!

Abby
PS before you teach it, you gotta learn it - it's A LOT!

Dear Abby....

Our family just moved to China.

Sometimes I get so homesick that I get a stomache, or maybe that is from eating the unfamiliar food.

What should I do?

Signed, Transplant from America

Dear Transplant,

Stop whining and stop eating.

Abby

What's For Dinner?

Snakes Frogs,
or Beetles????


These were all in bins

outside the restaurant where we ate tonight...

One young couple was busily picking out their fish while RAH took these pictures.

I love this country; something for everyone!

Putting It All In Perspective

I think I'll take a shower:
America - turn on the faucet and presto, instant hot water.
China - try to remember to turn on the hot water heater and 15 to 20 minutes later - hot water
I'm grateful to have hot water.

Time for bed, I'll brush my teeth:
America - turn on the tap and brush teeth
China - go to the kitchen, fill the tea kettle, turn on the tea kettle, wait for the water to boil, pour boiling water over toothbrush, and then brush teeth
I'm grateful to have a stove and electricity.

An apple sounds delicious:
America - turn on the tap, wipe apple off - enjoy
China - put apple in water with 2 drops of vegetable scrub, scrub thoroughly, let soak for 10 minutes, then to be absolutely sure, pour boiling water over apple, peel to make absolutely double sure - enjoy
I'm grateful to have such a rich abundance and variety of food.

It didn't work, better return it:
America - get in the car, drive 2 short miles to Best Buy and no problemo - return item
China - unable to remember how to get to MEGA electronics store about 40 minutes away by taxi. Keep item in closet and chalk it up to experience; money never to be recouped.
I'm grateful to have access to transportation.

In the evening, time to check email :
America - turn on computer - presto - super high speed, check email and respond quickly
China - Sit and wait, sit and wait, sit and wait until this appears across screen: "Unable to connect to network, try again later." (3 a.m. being the optimum time to connect because no students are on at that time )
I'm grateful to have access to the internet.

Meet new friends and marvelous people:
America - anytime and everywhere
China - anytime and everywhere
I'm grateful for this opportunity!

Mid-Autumn Festival or Festival of the Moon Cake

He remembers going to bed hungry many nights; there was not enough food for his two brothers and parents. During the Cultural Revolution, his father, a teacher, was very much looked down on.

She remembers eating leaves and shells of nuts; of being three or four and wanting a piece of candy so badly, but there was no money to buy anything like that. As a young girl, her family often could not afford to buy moon cakes for the mid-autumn festival.


Now, he is the Chairman of the English department, she is a devoted mother/wife. He has worked very hard to learn English and to be successful in his career.

They so kindly invited us over to share their moon cake festival dinner with them in their small, tidy apartment. Small, yes; large with laughter, love, and kindness, yes.

He rides bikes, she hikes the Baiyun mountain every morning, after going to the store to buy vegetables at the Xinghan market. Their lovely daughter, plays the piano expertly, and is also an incredible artist.

I will treasure forever this midafternoon spent in the home of Alan, Lily, and Frances Sun. (I wish I knew their Chinese names...it seems almost sad to be represented by a name picked out of a hat to please us Westerners.)

First, Lily showed us how to shape the moon cake. She had previously made the dough out of rice flour. The different colors came from green tea, chocolate, and lotus blossom seed. This was the first time she had actually made the moon cake, as she always buys them from the store. She did this just to show us the process...how very thoughtful and kind she was.

The dough is formed into a small cup-like shape, a small drop of jelly is put into the center, as well as an almond. That mixture is pressed into a mold, and pushed out onto the plate.


She told us that over the years, the moon cakes have become much more tasty. and they didn't used to taste as good at all. Now, with sugar, flour eggs, flavoring, they are much more pleasing to the taste.
While those were in the refrigerator, she brought out the ingredients for the dumplings. Both Lily and Allen worked quickly and knowingly, as they rolled the dough very thin, added the center filling of pork, cabbage, onion, shrimp. Lily expertly folded the tiny dumplings up and they were ready to drop in the boiling water.

The finished product was dipped in a delectable home-made garlic sauce, and then it was time to eat....

Oh, my goodness, so very very delicious!

Thank you, Allen, Lily, and Frances for a wonderful Mid-Autumn Festival! And for your generosity in inviting us to your apartment. I will long remember this afternoon!

Market Monday

Leave the apartment early, before it gets too hot; that is the goal of market Monday.

And, also, the produce selection is much better earlier in the day.

So, armed with my shopping bag and my camera, here's what I encountered as I headed to and from the little neighborhood market on an early Market Monday:

And, those are the sights I encountered on Monday Market day...oh, so fun and fascinating.

Poor froggie, he died one day too soon; pouring rain on today's Tuesday.

It Really Happened

January - heard about the teaching program again - applied
February - were accepted by BYU; began series of shots
March - official confirmation from Guangdong Univesrity of Foreign Studies
April - trip to Florida & Virginia, China seemed a very long way away
May - trip to Alaska, hesitated to talk about China as it seemed so remote and impossible
June - started to organize and clean
July - was it really going to happen, I mean, CHINA?
August - workshop, more organizing..what if something happens that makes it so we can't go?
September - China....yes, it really happened!

Rule Number 10

Seen on the wall on the moving walkway leading to Carre Four; a huge French retail store similar to Wal*mart.

Rule 10. Please to stay prone frontage.

Okay, if you say so.

PS Please do not miscontrue this as criticism as I cannot in any way write or speak their language. So many young Chinese do very well. I'm still struggling with, "Where is the bathroom?"

Way, Way Outta My League!

They come from Indonesia, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Brazil, America.

Most all of them speak more than one language; many speak several languages.

They are concert pianist, lawyer, professional world-renowned photographer, businessman, scholar.

They are young, middle-aged, seniors, single, married, divorced, engaged, with families, with cat.

And now, they are all teachers at the international university in Guangzhou.

And, as I sat around the big table listening as each modestly introduced themselves, I kept thinking, "Get me outta here?"

The Great Dilemma

Guangzhou; it's a huge city.

It's beautiful, diverse, and with so much to offer; restaurants of many kinds, a circus, a zoo, marvelous malls and shopping centers.

But, the taxi rides scare the bejeebers out of me. My heart is racing right along side the crazy cab driver who is also racing....what's the big hurry?!?!?!?!?

So, do I sit at home reading my book which I could do just as well in St. George, Ut, or put aside my fears and venture out into the big wide world that is Guangzhou?

The answer is obvious.......

except I'm a chicken at heart, so the answer is not really that obvious after all!

Just Another Day in the Life of a Chinese Worker...

So, oh how I hate to even admit this, but we were sitting by the window of a very clean pleasant - ouch - I have to say it, McDonald's...when out of the corner of my eye I saw this:
Now, in case you are wondering what I was looking at, here it is enlarged...and I'm sure you will agree with me...it's a keeper picture:
I tried counting the bottles...I think there are over 25.

And, you have to realize that this is in crazy, scary traffic...no one gives an inch.

The precious water carrier...he is very important! So, be careful out there, all you drivers.

Baiyun Mountain

Baiyun Mountain...we'd heard about it ever since we arrived. We can see it from the apartment; it's practically next door. It's not a high mountain, but it is totally covered in foliage - very striking!

So, we decided to walk there and see what it is all about. Leaving about 8 in the morning, we headed the several blocks to the delightful, colorful entrance of Baiyun National Park.
The park is stunningly beautiful.



It is well-maintained, with marvelous walkways, side hikes, shuttle service to the top - if desired, and an occasional little refreshment stand along the long long walk. The walk is through dense, lush green plants on both sides of the road. There was, at one point, a small lake where we saw some swimmers enjoying a cool dip on an extremely hot day.

Hundreds of people, many of them senior citizens, were walking along the roadway; talking, listening to music, laughing, pushing baby strollers, clapping. They had their parasols or umbrellas, backpacks, water bottles, hats, fans, handkerchieves over their heads, the men, bare-chested.

We trudged onwhard, ever higher. Then we came to a Pagoda-like building to stop for a minute to rest. Sweat was literally dripping off the ends of our noses. Allen's shirt was drenched in sweat. My glasses had long ago slipped entirely off my nose. My clothes stuck to my body. Ruth's face was flushed.

"How much further to the top?" Chye asked an older gentleman speaking in Mandarin. The gentleman smiled, "At least an hour. And, it will be very difficult for elderly people such as you are."

Ha! That made us all smile and laugh. Here was a senior citizen telling us it would be very difficult for us to get to the top.

So, we did the only thing truly possible.

We turned around and walked back down...saving the top for another, much cooler day.

And, remembering the shuttle sounds like a really great way to get to the top!

Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me

"So," he asked on the phone recently, "have you lost any weight?"

Long hesitation - then honest reply.

"No. If I only ate the Chinese food, I would be skin and bones (mainly because that is all they eat!), but here's the deal," I said.

"We go out to the cafeteria where I have stewed pumpkin, steamed cauliflower, and boiled string beans. A perfectly healthy meal.

"But, then I come home, I'm starving! My body just can't take health food, so I finish the meal off by gorging myself on Oreos (which I've never really liked until now where there is no Taco Time to fill the stomach hole), Chocolate marshmallow cookies, peanut M&M's - given to me by a neighbor before we left (they're disappearing fast), pecans which we brought from home, Pringle's potato chips,and a Danish butter cookie.

"So that is why I can't lose weight!"

But, on the other hand, Chye, who was already skinnier than a rail, told us last night, he has lost weight. He is in food heaven. He's getting all the comfort foods of his childhood growing up in Malaysia. He cannot understand why I start crying every time we walk out the door to go eat. He is as eager as a boy on Christmas morning to get to the cafeteria.

Last night, we walked down a street we have never been on before. It was a long, long street literally filled with restaurants teeming with: seaweed, little meat balls of indescribable meat, live beetles waiting for you to pick the one you want and have it cooked before your eyes, lettuce dropped and boiled in oil. Chye can hardly wait to go eat there tonight. Seriously, the man's face lit up as we walked down the street, filled with teenagers/students/shoppers/families and the smells of many things being cooked in the open air. "It's just like where I grew up," he said.

So, tonight we will go back there....fried beetles, anyone?!?!


How could I deprive a man of his comfort food.

And, as soon as we return to our cozy apartment, I will head straight for the choclate-marshmallow cookies!

Don't Ask; Don't Tell

She looked as shocked as if Allen had started to undress in front of her. Her face registered total disbelief. She stammered, stuttered, stepped back. She was stunned.

And, what was it that was so shocking to our efficient faculty advisor?

We had just spent over an hour going over the expectations/procedures/syllabus/outline of our Freshmen Business English classes. Kathy (her American name), had explained the vocabulary the students would be required to know by the end of term 1. Our job was to help the students with their ORAL English skills...not writing, not listening. They had Chinese teachers for those skills. We were to go through Book 2 of the Business English handbook.

And, then, she had wanted us to look at a classroom similar to the one we would be teaching in. As we stood in the classroom by the front podium, which has multi-media capabilities, Allen had shown her his web pages, and then asked....

"Is it alright if I use music in the classroom to teach idioms and American culture? I had planned to bring a guitar and sing with the students."

And, that is when the horrified look had appeared on her face. She was so taken aback. This was something that was beyond the traditions in the classroom, beyond how she had been taught, and beyond how she herself teaches in the classroom. Finally, recovering, she had asked, "How often were you planning to do this?"

So, here's what is interesting about this whole scenario.

One of the reasons the BYU teachers are so highly successful year after year as teachers in China is because they do what has not been done in Chinese classrooms before; namely group activities, class discussions, interaction, and MOST OF ALL; MUSIC!

Over and over in our two-week workshop in Provo, former teachers told us how they incorporated music into their teaching; it's a good way to help the students learn and it makes the learning more memorable. The students give the BYU teachers glowing performance reviews; they love the new ways of being taught, and most importantly - they learn. One teacher told me two days ago, that her Freshmen students scored the highest in her university on the standarized tests at the end of the year. And, she had used music in her classroom EVERY DAY!

Allen was very disappointed as we left that encounter...he said, "Why did they hire us? They could get an ape to go through the student manual." It was all very discouraging.

When we talked it over with a long-time teacher of English from America, he said, "You shouldn't ask...just do it...what are they going to do? Fire you?" Then he went on to add; "This is my job. I have to comply, but you should just stick to the manual for the first couple of weeks, then do what you had planned."

So, I've learned the Military had it right; don't ask, don't tell.

But, in the meantime, Allen has lost a lot of his enthusiasm for our experience here. What those students are now missing!

Oliver's Food and Wine...

and most important of all...

Western Brands;

Star-Kist Tuna, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers (which I had been craving), Campbells Soups, hamburger patties (from Australia), Butterfingers (which I don't like, and didn't buy, but they have them for the Americans who love them!)

Pricey, but a taste of home!

Ah, such Western decadence.

Chye - our next door neighbor and fellow foreign teacher - looked on in disgust as I gleefully went through the small shelves of familiar brands and items. Chye is having such a grand time eating Chinese food (he's originally from Malaysia of Chinese descent, so he loves the food here.) I'm sure he was thinking I should be eating the more healthy/less expensive fare of the Chinese.....

But, I will continue to try the local food - after all, that is part of the experience and the adventure; it's just that every once in awhile, I will now sneak in a Campbell's tomato soup, with little Goldfish swimming around the bowl, for a taste of the familiar.

It's a Small World

"Do you want to watch a movie with us?" Chye asked on Saturday night.

The previous teachers had left two big boxes, plus there were a handful of DVD's sitting on Chye's couch. I glanced through the ones on the couch, and picked one I had never seen, but had heard about. It was a video of three short inspirational stories used to teach values. Some of the BYU teachers had used these little videos put out by NuSkin International in their teaching (no religion is allowed, but values are okay.)

We gathered in the bedroom, where the DVD player is located. We watched short movie #1, and said, They're short, let's watch the next one."

Movie starts...I suddenly scream, "Stop the movie!" I got a little carried away, but you see, MY NEPHEW from Salt Lake CIty was featured in the little movie. It was so fun! I'm sitting in a bedroom in Guangzhou, China watching an obscure movie that I picked from a large selection of titles, and there is MY NEPHEW! Oh, so amazing to have that moment/coincidence!

So, of course, I came home, dialed up Shauna and told her I just watched her son in the movie.

I watched him in China, I called her in Utah from China. What's not to love about a modern world?

The Down Side of Technolgy

It was pretty exciting!

Imagine, living in CHINA, but still having our home phone and home phone number right along with our toothbrushes and vitamin pills. Doesn't get much more personal than that.

So, armed with our Magic Jack phone device, we could call our family and friends back home in America, and they could call us; no problem, no cost. Just be sure to remember the 14 hour time difference; when it's morning there, it's night here...when it's day in America, it's middle of the night-time here.

But, having our home phone means that tele-marketers could ALSO still call us...which they have done...twice....

at 4.a.m. in the morning.

Ah, gotta love technology, except when it wakes you up in the wee hours of the morning!

Our Next Door Neighbors.....Chye and Ruth

Chye and Ruth Teh are from Bloomington, Indiana where Chye worked for General Electric and Ruth worked at Indiana University.

Ruth was raised in Hawaii, and served a mission there before going to BYU, where she met Chye.

Chye was raised in Malaysia of Chinese parents until he moved to Australia at age 18. Upon joining the church in Australia, he went to BYU, where he studied Mandarin Chinese. He felt a deep connection to his Chinese heritage and studied very hard to learn the challenging language. Now, 40 years later, he is putting that Chinese to use.

And, we are the happy recipients of his fruitful study.

Oh, he has helped us soooooooooooooooo much as we struggle to communicate with the beautiful people of this country. When we have ventured out on our own, as we have on several occasions, we have sorely missed having Chye with us.

I will always consider it a great blessing that of all the 70 people coming to China, we were blessed to be neighbors with the Tehs.

Long live this friendship and Chye's Chinese!

An Anniversary

The menu: home-made soup made with potatoes, carrots, squash, beans, corn and served with Chinese Ritz crackers. I don't know when a meal has tasted so good.
The place: our living room
The town: Guangzhou, China
The occasion: 46th wedding anniversary

Humidity....

"You just never get used to it," Alison, from Great Britain, said as we chatted on the front steps of the apartment building. This is her 8th year teaching in Guangzhou.

Sweat was literally poring down all our faces.

Later in the evening, we talked briefly with another teacher from England. He said, in passing, "No one can quite really prepare you for the weather, can they?"

He got that right!

Walking up the path to our apartment building....(I've never been so grateful for air conditioning in my life!)

The Choice Is....

stay in the canteen a block from our home, and sneeze our heads off; have our throats constricted so badly we couldn't breathe....(I didn't even know that I had allergies that bad)! And, Allen couldn't even breathe as long as we were in the eaterie. It really was the strangest thing I have encountered in an eating place. The minute we walked in, both Allen and I started coughing, sneezing, having trouble breathing. That was choice one...

or

eat outside and be literally eaten alive by mosquitoes.

What a dinner to remember.

The front of our apartment building. Many foreign teachers

from all over the world live here.

English Yes, but Business?

Your assignment..should you choose to accept it (and you already have), is to teach:

Five classes of business English from the business text book.
One advanced class of business English in the campus clear across town - a one hour ride each way.

Some of the terms which you will be teaching and which you are undoubtedly an expert in are:

Marketing
Advertising
The Future of Business
Takeovers and Mergers
Raising Finance

...and 25 other business related terms.

At the end of the year, the students will be required to pass a rigorous test on this, as well as speak impeccable English in a business setting.

When do you start? We, as the English department head and dean, have no idea.

Where do you teach? We, as the English department head and vice dean, have no idea,
but we are glad you are here.


However,in spite of not knowing those things, they could not have been more friendly, helpful, kind, willing to be accommodating,

They then gave us a beautiful gift of some moon cakes to help celebrate China's significant holiday; the Moon Festival.

End of meeting; beginning of heartburn, headache, stomachache, nausea, seasickness, and once again the burning question..."What were we thinking?"

After 10 Days, What I....

wish I had packed:
my curling iron
my shorts and tee shirts - it's just way too hot, and at the last minute, in an effort to reduce the weight of the suitcase, I took them all out. dumb, da dumb, dumb
my pillow - I have the best pillow; it makes me not like other pillows.

am missing:
Hungry Howie's pile-it-all on pizza
veggie burrito from Taco Time...I need a Mexican (american style) chimichanga fix

am grateful for:
air conditioning; many of the students don't have it in their dorm rooms
the marvelous people in our branch and although we've met only a few, they are so wonderful, kind, helpful, and good.
that Allen is here to help me and to share this with me. I would be even more apprehensive if he weren't here to negotiate the myriad new sights, sounds, smells, and terrifying/death-defying taxi rides.

look forward to:
the reason we came - to teach. Of course, I am extremely apprehensive, but I am also eager to begin the job of getting in the classroom and meeting these marvelous young people.

Two graduate students who spoke good English. They were just walking down the street and we asked them to help us translate so we could speak to a sales person.

Sights from the City....

China's Most Precious Resources...(just a note, Allen always asks permission when he takes a person's photo.)

Handy form of transportation

Noodles of every kind imaginable...this is at the Trust*Mart; now owned by Wal*Mart

A fish-lover's dream....

People had told us that China has a rich abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables....just be careful to wash them thoroughly...aye, there's the rub. You wash them in a chemical, but isn't that also harmful?

I have great admiration for the Chinese, who over many years have learned to eat whatever is available to them.

From the open-air market not far from the local Chinese equivalent of Wal*Mart.

Walking along one of the many tree-lined streets of Guangdong University for Foreign Studies - this university gives Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Degrees. It has a large faculty of foreigners.

Kentucky Fried Chicken; Chinese Style. The burrito-like thing is burning-hot chicken; the cole slaw is a mixture of corn, carrot, cucumber; and the drink is a fruit drink...what can I say; it's downright delicious.

The students were on the field doing their marching drills as we walked past...one young voice yelled at us: "Good afternoon, how are you?" All the students giggled and repeated the phrase. Here are two of the girls from the marching class.