The Assignment:

speak English outside of class three times.

Then write a short paper telling about the conversations:

"I can use one word to describe the long conversation between us - loquacious." Alice

"Julia and I discussed the incident happened last week. Many people rushed into stores to buy salt due to the rumour that iodized salt can prevent people from nuclear poison. Although it sounds absurd but it revealed a lot of hazards in our society." Apple

"We have talked the earthquake and tsunami of Japan. It always affects our hearts. because We have such experiences too. So we can feel the same as Japanese. Like sad, fear, desperate. We think we should temporarily put aside the ethnic hatred and sincerely pray for them." Damon

"Another topic was the study for we felt the burden was becoming heaver and heaver." John

Spelling and grammar their own.

Monday - Lotus Mountain

Incredible scenery; peaceful setting; serene; and, for once in Guangzhou, a place not totally crowded. It was perfect. And, the music being piped in this beautiful Chinese spot: Moon River

Drats....

...they're back!

Mosquitoes, that is.

What's Not to Love About These Honest Students?

"Joni," I said as she leaned close to me to show me something on the computer, "It looks like those glass frames have no lenses in them."

"They don't," she replied.

"Why do you wear them?" I asked wondering...

"Because I think they are so fashion," she said.

(Later that evening I would see her with REAL glasses.) (Joni, in the back row, with the fashion frames)


ASSIGNMENT: Give a one-minute presentation on what you think is the greatest invention..

Responses:

electricity
bicycle
computer
phone
books
airplane
facial make-up by Harper, a boy

FACIAL MAKE-UP??????????????????????????????

"It will cover a woman's freckles, and will make her feel more beautiful!"

Ahh, yes, of course, Harper, that's very important.

Tuesday Afternoon- Walk to the Juice Bar with Friends

Would you like FLIES with your FLESH juice?
Thank you, but I prefer FRIES with my FRESH juice.
Virginia from Spain, Ruth from Indiana, Meg from Provo
This little kid slept the ENTIRE time we were sitting behind him...we chatted away and he slept in a very uncomfortable position. The kids have two hours off for lunch...seems they need it!
There are no indoor gyms...so they exercise outdoors in all kinds of weather...healthy looking bunch of kids, don't you think?

The entire middle school joins in the stretching exercises as the speaker intones; yi, er, san (that's counting in Chinese!)
All the trees in front of the school on this Tuesday afternoon, had little signs posted on them. This was the only one in English....obviously lessons in environmental stewardship.
I love this lovely neighborhood/campus.

The Stories

Assignment:

Tell something about yourself; an award, an embarrassing moment, a momentous decision, a joyful moment.

I wish I could have recorded them. I laughed, I was astounded, I was goosebumpy, I laughed some more, I felt sorrow, I felt joy, and most of all I was amazed at their incredible vocabulary...wow, these kids told some marvelous stories.

Here's just a sentence sampling of some of their stories:

During my vacation, I volunteered to teach in a poor village...they had so little, but they desperately wanted to learn English. I have determined that my goal is to help children in small villages in China.

I watched the janitor clean my room; it was at that moment, I realized how much alike we all are. I gave him a SMILE and said Thank you. Do you have any idea how powerful a smile can be? It's something we can all do each day.

I was a very naughty child. I refused to do what the teacher said, so he made me run 20 laps. Everything he asked me to do, I refused, no matter what the punishment. Then, I realized how foolish that was, and I became a good student.

She told me I had to practice for two hours...I set the clock forward one hour and fifty-five minutes. My grandmother told my parents when they came home. I was severly beaten.

I was friends with very wild students in my school. One night, when we were sneaking out - again - my pants got caught on the fence...my friends left me. The guard caught me, told me he should expel me, but said he would give me a second chance. I'm grateful for that second chance. I became a good student and am at university.

The police asked me to help in their sting of a student illegally selling books in the library. It was very exciting.

I have lived alone since I was 12. I didn't get along with my mother. But, now we are very good friends.

I usually lock my door, didn't, woke up to a person standing by my bed; he stole my money and he even took my Diary...why would he want that?

The story I am going to tell is very bloody, so just be prepared for that.

I was watching the young boy on the bus try to pickpocket the old gentleman. I didn't know what do because my parents have told me not to get involved as I may get hurt very badly.

He came up behind me and grabbed my throat; he tried to steal my mobile phone; some ladies across the street just sat and watched.

And, many many more.

Such honesty, openness, innocence, sense of responsibility, sense of fun.

I enjoyed them all.

Here's to the human spirit!

I...Phone...4

NO! I don't have an IPhone 4.

But, I am now on Phone #4 in China...(that's about 1 phone every month and a half!)

Phone 1 - cheapest phone in the store
Problem - dropped calls - stashed away in drawer somewhere

Phone 2 -given to us by branch president when I complained about Phone #1
Problem - would just suddenly shut off even if it was charged fully - gave it to neighbor

Phone 3 - Very nice Samsung phone; internet, mail, etc. Lovely RED
Problem - stolen from pocket while riding extremely crowded bus

Phone 4 - HTC Wildfire; very nice phone with more functions than I know how to use.
Problem - Google phone; can't download apps, but so far, it is still in our possession and working.

And there you have our Phones- 4 of them.

The Speech Contest

25 students
One topic

So, what would you say is..

THE GREATEST INVENTION OF ALL TIME?

They said:

Mobile phone
Language
Twitter
Basketball
Hybrid Rice
Internet
Vehicles
Paper
Books
Compass
Electricity

Wow, phenomenal speeches; glad I didn't have to judge...oh, wait, they asked me to judge the all-school final speech competition.

I declined....too hard. I'm not good at that sort of stuff; they all do so well.

How do they do it? Speak fluently in a foreign tongue? Some have trouble with pronunciation, but their vocabularies are amazing.

Congratulations to you Chinese teachers over the years who have taught your students so well. You can be proud.

They rocked!

I Wanna Be a Loser....

and get paid two million dollars over three years! See story here:

Yep, that how it plays out for the former University of Utah coach who was fired for having two losing seasons.

His parting gift?

A Cool Two Mil!

So, here is the deal. I will coach any college team for two years, they will lose of course, because I know nothing about the game. Losing each game will be tough on my ego, but....

then I will happily collect my two million, thank you very much.

Meanwhile...Back in the States..Virginia to be Exact!

From an email sent by our son to us on March 9

"She was chosen by her peers to serve as Chief Resident during her final year of residency. Way to go Kristi! It's a big honor and a big responsibility.

I'm not one bit surprised she was chosen, as everyone I meet can't avoid commenting on how nice, bright, thoughtful and fun she is."

OH, dear Doctor Rose. Since the time you were a little spunky child, you have done amazing, challenging and difficult things.

Those fortunate people at the hospital at the University of Virgina...I know it will be a challenge, but truthfully, no one could do the job better.

You are a hard worker, smart, capable, and have compassion.

Plus, doctor, you are one mighty good looking doctor!

We are so proud dear Kristi D.

Teeny picture; hard to see, but she is the one at the front of the room in blue while all the others are listening intently....

The Truth About HONESTY

Thoughts on honesty from Chinese College Freshmen in Business English classes at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies: (Spelling their own.)

In fact, we should be kindly dishonest, not cruelly honest.

All in all, let's embrace honesty, not for wealth, not for position or reputation, but for our harmony world!

Honesty is so chief in the world. Since you can get a better life by being honest, why not do it right now?

Honesty seems like a magic wand that can make things divine.

Honesty is important like the story of the cowboy and the wolf. One day, he shouted that wolf is coming when he was browsing in the hill. Other people rush to hill, but they found there is nothing but cowboy and his cow.....The consequence is disaster, he lost all his cow.

When I was a child, I heard this story from my mother, which impressed me a lot. A boy's father loved cherry trees very much. He planted many trees in his garden...one day (the boy) received an axe as a present...he used the axe to cut one cherry tree in his father's garden....his father was angry, the boy told his father the truth and his father forgave him. This boy is the one who made a great difference of the America. He is one brilliant president in American's history. His name is Ninkon.

Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Honesty is the foundation of people's harmonious relationship.

Henceforth, honesty is of great importance in our life. Without it, I think one will become a person without his soul but a thorax.

On the contrary, once every member keep honest to others, our society will be harmony and all of us will feel happier.

Being dishonest will make you suffer. Because everytime you lie, you need to make up planty of stories to convince people. It's fairly tired to make up so many things. This is very torture.

It doesn't matter whether the words are true or not. The key is your own attitude. We're supposed to know the fair knowledge of mankind and face the reality.

There is no right way to something wrong.

Modern society calls us to pay more attention to honesty.

Girl With a Lolllipop

Friday afternoon....I'm walking home from class.

The primary school children are lining up to get on their busses

....the most beautiful little girl is sucking on a lollipop.
She says, "Hello."

"Hello!" I answer enthusiastically.

"You are beautiful," she says to me.

I'm stunned..I'm 67, wrinkled skin, baggy eyes. She is nine, flawless skin, big round dark eyes.

Now I know why so many Chinese need glasses!

What Was That Again?

Assignment: Write a short paper telling how you feel about honesty:

"Never tell a lie except a white lie." Cola

Assignment: Give a short presentation on something about YOU:

"Today I would like to talk about Lady Gaga and her music." Jonathon

A Surprise Around Every Corner

( First day of new semester: our school is loaded with girls because there are no science classes taught here; it is primarily a school for languages.)

There were four students; three girls and a boy.

I ask four different students to come early before class and talk with them individually.

We chatted, I learned about them; then I said, "Is there anything you would like to ask me?"

"Yes," the boy said...."What is the most romantic thing your husband has ever done for you?"

Totally caught me off guard, then I laughed. I LOVED that question from a cute 19 year old Chinese boy who told me he has a girlfriend.

Then I answered: "He came to the school library where I was the librarian; it was Valentine's Day and he sang, "Love Me Tender."

The three girls oohed and aahed.

And the boy?!?!??! He liked it as well.

Like Father; Like Daughter

As I was cleaning out my father's office area in the basement after his death at age 90, I was smiling ear to ear. His clutttered arena was literally strewn with cords, gadgets, gizmos, unopened computer programs that he hoped to figure out one day. There were interesting gadgets, that I had no clue what they were for. My dad was a gizmo afficianado. A man a little late for the techno age, but ready to jump on board. Oh, he loved little gizmos and gadgets.

And, I am his daughter.

I love to walk by the little outdoor stall selling little gizmos and gadgets; most of which I have no idea what they do, but they look so enticing.

If a NEW device comes out, I HAVE to have it.

Lots of early-mobile-phone-years ago, while sitting in the back seat of a car, Dorothy showed me how she could get the weather on her phone by dialing Google's phone number. Imagine, you could dial Google, and get the weather right there on your phone in the little teeny screen where the numbers were typed in. Oh, I just HAD to have a phone that could do that!

That same Dorothy showed me how she could watch videos on her Ipod, as well as listen to thousands, yes, THOUSANDS of songs. Oh, I wanted one of those to listen to the music we had strewn all over the house, yet never listened to. If I had one of those little Ipod thingies, I for sure would listen to all those CDS we had purchased over the years!

When Todd Searle came to church with his new IPad one Sunday, I was GREEN with desire, envy and jealousy. And that was right in CHURCH! Imagine how it would have been had I been – say, even out in the parking lot! I just HAD to have one of those.

Now, as you probably can tell, there is definitely a problem with this kind of thinking; it's very expensive. I married Mr. Financially Conservative Husband. He is using the same pencil he had as a junior high student. How could he possibly understand this illness; this compusion; this DESIRE; nay, this NEED to have the latest and greatest, even if the old is only 6 months old? He doesn't understand that it is genetic; I can't fight it.

So, that is why, for my birthday this year, I bought my own gift; an Itouch - 4th generation. It will totally satisfy my illness, I'm sure – (for at least 3 months).

Happy Birthday, kiddo!

Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Today was Women's Day, so the middle school held a sort-of celebration on the playground....they exercised to fun, rousing music and spoke in English. Aren't they adorable?
Just in the park area, I counted 16 grandparents with their grandchildren. They tend the children while the parents work...not a bad arrangement. According to the richest woman in China, that is how Chinese women can afford to work; they have free day care in the grandparents, who are delighted to be so involved in their one grandchild's life.

After a 15 minute walk, here we are in the classroom the first day. Eager students, ready to get to work.

And, those are just a few of the wonderful people in the neighborhood.

Come Away to Sunday School...

every Sunday morning...with

Benjamin, Massimo, Simon, Jacob, David, Ja'el, Luke and Joshua

And then there's

Abigail and Mercedes

And of course Katie and Isabella

Ah, I love Sunday mornings in the hotel room with these 12 lovely kids from Hong Kong, China, South America, Great Britain, Spain, Phillipines, and Korea/America.

Tina

( Before class starts in a new semester - waiting for the rest of the students to arrive.)

RULE 2 FROM THE BYU/KENNEDY TEACHERS HANDBOOK.

“Do not show favoritism to any student...what you do for one, you must do for all.”
She came each week to the extra session I held before class. She wore the same blue pants and blue tee shirt every Tuesday night. One evening, she casually mentioned that she was from a very very poor village.

This term, she arrived at class early and offered to help set up the computer station. She had on the familiar blue pants and blue tee shirt.

After class, she asked me to list the pages for the entire semester that we would be using in the text book. “It is a pity to buy the whole book, and only use a few pages,” she said. She added that she would xerox the pages we would actually be using. That way there would be no waste.

I looked at beautiful Tina...what she was asking was impossible for me....I can not possibly know what pages we will be using for the entire semester; not because I don't want to help her, but because I never know exactly how much we will cover each week. I'm not sure how the chapters will play out over the next 17 weeks. Maybe we won't use a page I think we will; I just play it by ear.

So, herein is my great dilemma....how to help Tina, and perhaps a few others who simply CANNOT afford a book – I could easily buy their textbook for her/them.

But, does that violate RULE 2?

Seeing the Value of Good Nutrition

WOW!” I said looking up into the eyes of the way-over-six-foot-tall Chinese student. “You are mighty tall...what did you eat growing up?” I joked.

“Milk,” he answered very seriously.

He is not my only tall Chinese student, in fact we see tall students quite frequently.

Twenty-four hours later, as I walked by the little play area where many grandmothers tend and play with their grandchildren, I noticed something....ALL the grandmothers were well under five feet. Thinking of all the grandmothers on the campus that I see every day, I realized that they ­ and the grandfathers are all short.

And, then it hit me – like a bat over the head!

HAVING FOOD TO EAT!

GOOD NUTRITION has made all the difference in these two generations. The grandmothers were probably very hungry in their early years. One Chinese lady told me of going to bed hungry EVERY night in her childhood, of eating nut shells and weeds to fill her empty stomach.

The Chinese government is making concerted efforts to feed their billion and a half people. And, they are succeeding, as evidenced by the tall people we see.

I love seeing the tall Chinese....and I'm grateful life has changed for them.

Here Comes Trouble

“Is TROUBLE your English name?” I asked him the first day.

“Yes,” he answered, ducking his head slightly.

“Well, could I speak with you for a moment after class?”

“Okay,” I said at the end of the first day...see you next Wednesday. TROUBLE don't forget to just stop by and talk with me for a minute, please.”

He stopped by the desk, timid, eyes cast down.

“Where did you get the name, TROUBLE?

“From my classmates,” is what I THOUGHT he said...I can't be too sure.

“Do you know what TROUBLE means in English?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“For this class, I'd like you to have a different name...is that okay?”

He pointed to the roll.....where he had written another name....Lawliet.

“Is that what you would like me to call you? Lawliet?” Again he nodded in the affirmative.

“Okay, Lawliet, that's great...see you next week.”

There'll be no more TROUBLE in this class!