Teaching in China with Buckland --from Judy Cairns

11-- More and more interesting things

Monday December 14
Ni Hao Everyone:
Happy Holidays to all of you--I hope Santa is good to you and you are good to yourselves and each other! Happy New Year, too!

For Xmas day, some of us foreigners are getting together with some of our Chinese friends in Ningdu and going to climb a famous mountain near here. After the mountain climb we will visit a nearby lake and maybe go boating. We will all have a big dinner together. We decided it would be nice to have Chinese food. We are supposed to have a day or 2 off at Christmas, but since it is on a Saturday and we already have a holiday, I don't think we get extra days.

I never tire of the strange, different, or exciting things I see on the streets in this town. Here are some of these things:
--a donkey running along beside a man on a riding a motorcycle
--3 large monkeys on ropes, loping along beside a man
--a man, woman and a child all on the same motorcycle--this is very common, but in addition they had a medium sized house plant and a small tree in a planter on the motorcycle with them
--the different loads on motorcycles amaze me--mirrors, sheets of plywood, stacks of lumber, furniture, 5 people, cases of beer--you name it.
--2 long lines of monks and drums beating--I was told they were Kung Fu monks--between the two lines of men there was a man doing back flips so fast you could hardly see him; also a man showing his expertise at throwing around some martial arts weapon--the chains=they were advertising a performance at the theatre. I would have loved to go, but didn't know how I would by myself, and had no money with me anyway.

There is a lady we call the "sweet potato lady" who goes around with her large cart every day selling baked sweet potatoes. Some are orange, some are white--they are about half a yuan each and are delicious! There is also a man who comes around every morning between 6:30 and 7:30 (depending on the time of year--right now it's 7:30) selling fresh warm soy milk and fresh tofu. He shouts something that sounds like "peugot!", but it is not that. I have bought that a few times. I am positively addicted to my morning hot drink of soy milk (usually powdered), with a touch of coffee and a touch of cinnamon. The cinnamon is a recent addition, thanks to a care package from some very caring friends! Actually the town is so different at different times of the day. In the morning, all the breakfast places are out on the sidewalks, selling steamed bread with or without filling and other breakfast goodies. At noon, the lunch places are cooking up a storm. At night there are many, many portable restaurants that set up shop and cook food right there. They set up on some of the side streets and are only allowed out at night.

I go for facials once in awhile and still love them. They massage your face, head, neck, arms, hands and back. When they do my back they always hit one of my ticklish spots and I burst out laughing! The whole place starts laughing. No language barrier when people are laughing!

Right now there are lots and lots of tacky and beautiful Christmas decorations going into the stores. They don't start in October like at home, but just these days.

Sunday a bunch of English teachers went on a bike ride to Qing Long Mountain. We left our bikes at the bottom of the mountain, climbed up the mountain--amazing views, good company. Only 3 foreigners went. I have been to this mountain twice before, but not in the fall. It changes. There is a temple at the top that is very beautiful. We walked down the mountain, only to find that Nicole's and my bikes had been stolen! Lorlie didn't ride hers--she got a ride on a motorcycle. Ours were the only two stolen. We found out that Mr. Zhou would buy us new bikes, but we were pretty upset for a day or so. Yes, we locked them! I guess locks don't keep thieves away. The bikes were pretty new, though there were other new bikes--I guess ours looked appealing.

The discussion we had in class on AIDS, drugs, smoking and drinking recently was totally amazing. I set up a competition--the students love competitions! The class was in 4 groups--each group had one of the above-mentioned problems and they had to give reasons why "their" problem was the most serious. I wrote down their reasons on the blackbaord and they tried to out-do each other with the most number of reasons. The blackboard was totally covered with words. At the end they realized that the same reasons applied to all 4 categories--they all are expensive, they all can kill, they all can break up families, they all are harmful to unborn babies, etc. They worked so hard to come up with the English to describe what they already knew in Chinese. This week's lesson is a bit more difficult. It is on "Saving the Earth". They know in Chinese what to say, but the English is a bit more difficult for them. Some are trying really hard because they have a point to make--others are falling asleep!

I went to a photo place I know of to get some prints made from my digital camera. The owner was there and did the prints for me. I complimented him on how the place had changed since the last time I was there--he has a photo studio where his computers are. He took me into a bigger room with about 6 studio backdrop scenes. They are amazing. He had a whole room full of clothes that people can wear--traditional Chinese, Japanese and some wedding wear. I found out that he owned the huge wedding shop downstairs and next door. It is full of wedding gowns and attendant dresses. He rents these dresses and suits out to people who are getting married--he also does wedding photography. In his studio upstairs he had about 8 different lights--the backdrops ranged from seascape, to woods, to shore, to dock, to piano (wooden keys, but lifesize) and I can't remember what else. I saw some of the photos on these backdrops and they really looked real. He has a real sand beach on the floor in front of his painted beach, so in the photos they blend in. He has run this business for just over 20 years! It was all familiar and fun to look around!

I have a story to tell you. Nicole came to Ningdu around the end of September. She had just come from Yangshuo. In Yangshuo, the Buckland office has a training program for the new foreign teachers. When there are a lot of teachers at the beginnings of new terms, the training classes are live, with real live instructors. If a teacher arrives after the beginning of the term, they must watch a VCD with Owen talking, and maybe some other teachers. I have been there for the live training the last 2 terms. I have heard that I am featured on one of the VCDs--as a foreign teacher. Nicole finally told me after she knew me better about what happened when she was watching the VCD with 3 other foreigners. The camera was up close on me and it looked like I was saying "oh, shit!" I really have no idea what I was saying, but I don't think it was that--anyway, every time it came around to that shot, they would say "oh, shit" in unison with my mouthing the words. I became known as the "oh, shit" lady! Nicole was really excited to see that she would be in the same town as the "oh, shit!" lady. What a hoot!

Another funny thing--last night Nicole and I went out to get our hair cut. All went well. After that we took a little walk to the 'shopping district' in Ningdu, where we ran into some of her colleages--and my former students. We were chatting, and all of a sudden this white car comes roaring up to us, horn honking. The 3 guys jump out of the car and come over to talk to us. They don't speak any English, but I knew they were talking about us. I asked Cui Lan what they said and she told me they were inviting us to KTV--Ningdu Karaoke. Then I realized that one of the men was totally hitting on me. Even Nicole said "he is totally hitting on you!" He was tall, handsome, but a stranger. I declined. Then he said "may we take you home?" in Chinese--Cui Lan translated. I was shocked, flattered and not disappointed that I didn't go. I think Chinese men have a thought that foreign women have a certain reputation. Maybe because of our more liberal sexual practices--such as sex before marriage. That doesn't happen often in China, though that is changing. Anyway, it was fun to be a part of at my age.

That's about it for this time. Keep the emails coming. It sounds like I am comfortable and settled--and I am, but I still miss people a lot, and some other things at home. I look forward to the emails to help keep me connected.

Stay warm and jolly...Love and hugs...Mom/Judy

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