Letter #39

This is how the Chinese beat the heat. This is located at the Wild Goose Pagoda. A common sight is to see the men with their t-shirts pulled up to their armpits with their bellys hanging out.On our walk we realized that these people were washing the entrance way to their restuarant -- the hose is hooked up to a faucet inside the kitchen and then stretched out the window to accomplish the task.

Another very common sight is the babys' bare bottoms -- winter or summer.

Another way to beat the heat and take that afternoon nap. Usually from 12 noon to 2 pm.

This is the lady who did all of our alterations on our clothes because of the weight we both lost.

Letter #39 (June 14, 2009 – June 20, 2009)
Sunday, June 14, 2009 – Dad – Church today. Just as we were about to start Sacrament Meeting the Branch President leaned over to me and asked if I would go to the main gate of campus and meet and guide two brethren to our services. So, by the time I met them and escorted them back they were finishing the Sacrament and I didn’t get any. I taught the Priesthood lesson today. We had a potluck after the block in celebration of the time we have had as a branch. One of our couples is leaving tomorrow with others to follow – including ourselves so we enjoyed one last feast on American style food. Very warm today!
Monday, June 15, 2009 – Mom – A very hot and muggy day. We got up early and went on our walk by 7:00 am to avoid the heat. Then we just waited for the day to pass by watching a movie. We did some laundry and I cleaned under the kitchen sink. We are giving away stuff a little at a time. Our pay was delayed this month until today (should be paid on the 10th) because our waiban’s computer crashed and she had to get a new computer and re-enter all the information. This is the last pay we will receive because we were paid during the month of January when we were on holiday, so it all works out.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 – Dad – First day of final testing. The kids are doing very good! We noticed that the traffic had slowed to a crawl today on the way home. When we got to the obstruction on the two lane highway a car was in the middle of the road and the driver was changing his flat tire. There is no room on the side of the road so that is the logical place to do it. We exchanged our yuan savings today in preparation to going home. Parkson helped us exchange so we took him home and fed him chili, crackers and cheese. He didn’t like the chili. The gas tank we use to cook our food on our one burner stove ran out of gas (11 days before leaving) so we had to get another bottle (tank) and install it. Hot day!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 – Mom – I expected that it would be very boring listening to the students do their final exam, but it has been very interesting. The Chinese students are masters at memorizing – that is how they learn. So, they have done a great job with their conversations – even if they are memorized. The students seemed so shocked that we will not be back next year to teach them. A very common phrase among them is: “that is a pity.” The students have brought a lot of joy to us and it makes me feel very good when they tell me that I have taught them to have more self confidence in speaking English. Dad had a boy student ask if he could give Dad a “thank you” hug. Dad said this student has always been a very quiet boy and was quite surprised and then pleased when this young man asked that. We took a long walk today in spite of the humidity. In the construction zone, we noticed some very long bamboo poles tied together so that they crossed at the top and made a V-shape. Then all the overhead wires crossing the road were placed in the “V”. People, vehicles and wires just maneuver around the construction site – no complaining or griping. People just move around any obstacle. I say many times, “there would be a lot of complaints about that where we live.”
Thursday, June 18, 2009 – Dad – Today after class and a good nap I went to get my feet attended to. On the way I saw a man with a wooden chair which he had on the ground trying to fix it. It was an old chair, one which I would have thrown away but he wanted to repair it. He had a huge ball of bailing wire of which he was cutting off pieces and putting it on the chair to tighten the joints. They use everything and make do where we give up repairing and discard it. On the way back from the foot callous cleaning, I saw how they construct the sidewalk over here. First, they make a valiant attempt to level the ground by hand, then they put a two inch layer of concrete over the ground which they let dry. I noticed that the cement was too thin to hold the weight and use and would crack and break up. Anyway, they then place about an inch of sand on the concrete and then a 12 inch by 12 inch piece of tile on the sand. Any undue weight or harshness on the tile will break it and they never replace a broken tile. So, you are constantly looking down to protect against spraining your ankle. Hot day.
Friday, June 19, 2009 – Shirley’s birthday - Mom – We are half way through with our final exams. Again, this is the part of this job that I do not like. I just enjoy everything the students are saying and I forget that I am supposed to be analyzing. It rained “cats and dogs” today and most of the night. The other building that the foreigners live in had water in front of the door. Svetlana, from Russia, just wore her sandals to the bus and then brought her shoes in a bag because she had to wade through the water to get out of the apartment stairwell. In the evening, we had a pot luck with all of the foreign teachers. We had some very interesting dishes. We were told we could invite our Chinese friends. We told Helena about it and she came. When we arrived, there was one of my students. Naturally, I could not remember her name, although I did recognize her immediately. Helena asked her English name and bailed me out of my “would-be” embarrassing situation.
Saturday, June 20, 2009 – Dad – A boring day – the electricity went out until 3pm. Mom had a Primary Activity Day at the Britton’s house. We got several pictures of the house which took 3 hours to download – that is China’s slooooooow internet. Went to KFC tonight for dinner. The rest of the days will be eating what is left in the cupboards and refrigerator. We are packing as we go – more clothes to pack tomorrow after church – church clothes. I will be teaching Priesthood tomorrow and Mom Primary.