CHRISTMAS

People started asking us if we would go home for Christmas (Sheng Dan Jie) many weeks ago. Just the thought made us homesick. They understand that Christmas is a family holiday so they assumed we would join our family just like they will for their Spring Festival. Except for this reminder we mostly were too busy to worry about Christmas.

• Our first Christmas party was sponsored by the Electricity and Engineering Department. They invited Renee and I to be part of their entertainment for the party. We were to be the feature of a game like Name That Tune. We arrived early and practiced. They gave us ear phones and played a Chinese tune. We were to hum or sing along and contestants were to name that tune and sing it. We weren't sure anybody could, but we agreed to "have a try." We didn't always get the words, but Renee can pick out any tune. The contestants or the audience got every one. Our gift was a too large Santa as you can see in the picture with other gifts. It was fun and an honor to be invited.
  
• On December 18 Renee and several of the other foreign teachers went to Chongqing for a celebration. (Some of us had classes and had to work.) It was a long ride and a long day. The program was entertainment by foreign students from the province. Renee got to see our other Peace Corps friends, so it was worth the time and effort to attend, but barely.
  
• Both Renee and I had our classes do Pollyannas. We included ourselves. I gave Welsh Cookies for my gift and Renee gave a crocheted rose for hers. Of course, our Pollyanna's loved their gifts. The students each got a gift - made or bought for 7 RMB ($1) or less. The students loved every minute of it. We talked about giving and receiving gifts American style. It's very interesting that in China when a person receives a gift he or she puts it aside to open later in private. You know, of course, in America we can hardly wait to see what is inside the wrapping. The gift giving speeches should have been recorded. The receiving couldn't be. There were mostly shrieks of joy and hugs all around for the simple gifts. We were thanked often for the great activity. Even the boys who were the special targets got into the spirit.
  
• For the last month we both taught our Freshmen classes a Christmas song each week. They learned Deck the Halls, Joy to the World, Jingle Bells, and Silent Night. The purpose was so that we could go caroling. They learned the songs with gusto. The night wasn't so nice with a slight mist and a solid chill. About 100 showed up - by the end of the evening maybe 50 or so. Many brought candles and that was a thrill for them. We sang at many of the dorms and were well received by those who knew we were there. The Physical Education dorm especially went crazy. Caroling was a first for the students. They had some interesting reflections. One said that she had experienced American culture. Another said that when we bring happiness to others, that is our happiness. Indeed. We could not pull together hot chocolate and cookies but maybe next year.
• 
  Christmas Eve Day we began to get presents. The most common present is an apple. We aren't clear about the why, but it is the time for apple parties where they paint, carve, and at midnight eat an apple. It has something to do with healthy and happy or safety and the new year or purity and wholeness or full life - the story is not clear. The students were generous in their good wishes and gifts. They want us to be "happy every day." The Foreign Language Department had a Christmas entertainment. There was little Christmasy about it, but it was fun. Renee was included in the program singing her lullaby with her students. My song "When Christmas Comes to Town," which I was to do with one of classes was axed from the program. (to Rich's chagrin) The school provided transportation so the other teachers and students got a free ride back to our XingHu
  campus.
• I said others because Renee and I didn't go back. To the consternation of those who watch over us we went by public transport to church. We missed the Protestant celebration at 7:30, but the Catholic service was at 9:30. When we got off the bus, the street was crowded with people as was the walkway up to the church (You can't see the church from the street.) The gate to the church was blocked by the police. They readily admitted us - we think they were keeping drunks out. Inside the whole area was lit with lights as was the steeple of the church as seen in the picture to the left. The courtyard was mobbed and we could have been swallowed up in it. There were fireworks, music, entertainments, foods, and people everywhere. We still do not understand that scene of revelry and what exactly the people are celebrating here in China at Christmas time. It seemed like a medieval fair. A stage was set up at one end of the courtyard and people were running around in funny lighted hats. Vendors provided snacks. Finally, we made our way to the church itself. There were mobs of people there as well. We went to where we usually sit hoping to find our seat mates from Sunday, but no. We found a good place to stand, but the choir director was looking for us. She is a librarian at our school and she had taught Richard -- in Chinese, mind you -- the song for Christmas Eve. She had us pulled through the crowd and we joined the choir in the front - conspicuous we were. The church seats 600 and there wasn't any standing room so perhaps 1000 were there. Balloons and lights and flowers were everywhere and the crowd never really quieted. There were three processions - the priests and leaders == children carrying a creche to the altar -- wise men bringing gifts which were the communion elements as well as a bucket to receive an offering. The choir that night was made up of some students from the college and the choir leader and organist, who is also from the college. They were careful to guard us in the crowd and around midnight we returned home.
  Christmas Day was Thursday my (Rich) heavy class load day. My Chinese tutors had arranged, though, to have lunch with me. They also brought along a small collection of student friends, but not those I teach. We went out for lunch and had a grand time, planning the next two years and all they want me to do. It was fun. The most interesting of these guests was an art student who barely speaks English. I have been working with him for a month or so. He has made great progress. (Not the point but I love the piece he is working on which is a block print = he has to make 5. I hope I get one of them) He pulled me aside and gave me a hand carved block so I can seal my writings, another example of the kindness in their extreme busyness of holidays and exams. This was followed by a gathering of the foreign teachers in the Russian artist apartment. We shared some laughs and some food and cheer and hopefully made a new bond between us.
  
• My (Renee) students too outdid themselves to keep our spirits up. Thanks to them we have a little Christmas tree with flashing lights on the TV and a huge red happiness knot hanging from the ceiling, and two Chinese lanterns displayed on the balcony. I also have a huge teddy bear and a lion pillow in which can be imbedded my Ipod so I can listen to music while I sleep. Nonetheless, we could hardly bear to think much about Christmas with family and friends at home.
  
• Soon we will travel to Chengdu (January 7) to participate in a few days of further training.
• For the moment the Peace Corps has nixed our travel plans after that, so we are not sure what will happen. We have quite a long vacation; school does not begin again until mid-February, but we can only be away from our site for a limited number of days. Ah, sweet mystery of life, complicated by many, many rules and restrictions.

Those of you who pray -- pray for our Chinese language test on January 7. We are trying not to obsess about it. Our Chinese works well enough for us to do our daily living and then some, but we have a long way to go:),

PARTY TIME

The weather has turned cold. Today the temperature was in the high 40's. It seems colder than that because it is a wet cold. In the past two weeks we have had some beautiful weather even into the 60's with sun. Then there were several days in a row where there was drizzle and clouds and the feeling of cold. Supposedly, December is better and it becomes drier. (Then our skin will dry out and our lips will crack:) We will see. Of course, the Chinese thought that winter was here when the temperature dropped below 70 here in Yongchuan. I may soon have to get out my winter coat!
There have been three parties of note since we wrote last. (The Chinese call almost any gathering a party = I will have to think what they call them in Chinese. In English it is party.) The first was a birthday party. I had met a businessman from Yongchuan at English Corner. He came because he is going to American next year on business and he is working on his English. Jerry hopes to make that good enough that one of the companies he will visit will offer him a job in America. He has taken me to lunch and to dinner. He called and invited us to his birthday party. He met us and took us by taxi to a restaurant. There we joined his friends. As is common in China, they are his friends from Middle School (High School days) In total 12 people. We had a delicious meal around a Chicken hot pot. Maybe it was mild because of the western guests. They (we) had a good time around the table talking and laughing. Then the drinking games began. Each person took turns challenging one by one the others to a game in which the loser drinks. They did it well and everyone survived nicely. From there we went to a Karaoke bar (here it is called KTV. We actually had a private room with our own technology. ) They sang and we sang and danced. They had a grand time and we tried to relax. The next day was a school and work day so we were not late. Jerry saw us to and arranged a taxi to take us back to campus since the busses stop running at 8. Good time was had by all.

The second party was the Freshman English Majors turn to run an entertainment for the campus. It was one of the Saturday night affairs we have described before. There is some singing and dancing and usually a funny skit or two and an audience participation game. This show featured Renee and two of her students playing guitar and singing. They sang a Chinese lullaby. The students and audience went wild that a foreigner could sing in Chinese. Crowd estimates are hard, but it filled the basketball court and most of the seats surroundding it. I think about a 1000 attend. The night ends with a dance - bunny hop, chacha, and waltz. The dance lasts until 9:30 and then the crowd disperses.
Party number three was Thanksgiving. We went to Chongqing to celebrate on Saturday after the fact (we taught on the day). We managed the transportation and with some help the big city public busses as well to arrive at Renee Vetch's (Can you believe that in our small group of volunteers there is another Renee??!!)apartment. Renee is another volunteer who is working in Chongqing. Renee had the meal well in hand with many things at a good stage of preparation. We arrived and talked and planned. Jason LaBoyer, another volunteer from California, then joined us . Jason and I went out to get some last minute items and the women folk worked in the kitchen. The party was joined by their language tutor and Renee's waiban. The last guest was another foreign teacher. Margaret is from Kentucky by way of England. What American accent are the students learning?? We had a grand time around the table. It felt like Thanksgiving.
Christmas is coming and there are some plans in the air, maybe. There are suppose to be two Christmas parties that the school runs - one at each campus and we will be invited. Renee and I have been invited to sing but so far that seems an idea rather than a reality. Renee and the other foreign teachers will go to a big deal Christmas program in Chongqing on the 18th while I am teaching. We think the churches have Christmas eve services and we are trying to arrange being able to attend. We are teaching our classes some Christmas carols and plan to take them caroling. They are excited about the idea. We get raisins on Tuesday and will try to make a slew of Welsh cookins, an Erickson treat, to give as gifts. There are too many people here we would like to give to so we have some figuring out to do. The students have studied about Christmas every year since they started learning English. They can sing Jingle Bells, Silent Night, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. We hope to share the meaning of Christmas so they can hear it anew and from a new perspective.

Things feel a bit breathless. This last picture is of me and several of Rich's students. One of his class leaders is arranging small dinner gatherings, about 8 students at a time, so that Rich will have a chance to talk more with his students and vice versa. I have been invited to join them, and sometimes I do. I am amazed at the level of English skill that his juniors have in comparison to my freshmen. My students have a long way to go. Rich and I just discovered that we have to take a Mardarin Chinese test when we go for our triaining meeting in January. Yikes! Talk about having a long way to go. We do. And I hate tests!!! Oh well.

DAILY LIFE AT SCHOOL

Our lives are full in China. We have or could have constant contact. Besides our own students we have two campuses full of students who would like to talk with us and get to know us. Two examples: on Friday night an art student from HongHe was at XingHu. He saw us and spent as much time as he could and I tried to arrange an English tutor for him. Last night we went to another party and the photographer of the event - a student - came up to us afterward to tell us he had many pictures of us and he wants to show them to us. Both evenings we had to untangle ourselves to get home. We have community - neighbors both Chinese and international who would like to talk. We have town friends from the two churches we are attending and from the English Corner where some town people get an English taste. Tonight we go to one of the businessmen's birthday party.

Today we plan to share typical a day in our school lives.

Rich leaves the house at 7:20 on Tuesday mornings. He takes a bus from XingHu to HongHe where he teaches. The bus ride is shared with many colleagues but on Tuesday especially with "Colin" a Chinese classics teacher. This Tuesday he shared a book of classic Chinese poetry. After the 35 minute bus ride he walks across campus to his class. His class is made up of 30 English majors who plan to be teachers. The class runs for 100 minutes with a 10 minute break. The object is to work on oral English skills and provide opportunity for them to speak.

After class he goes to his office in another building on the fifth floor. It is large with a corner view and many windows. He quickly walks to the art room nearby where a friend from Russia teaches and compliments the young artists. At 10:30 he has office hours. Today five people show up to talk: Three senior girls (all English majors, a young man from the Industrial Economy, and a business English major.) The main topic of conversation is the state of the economy in the West and how it impacts China. They have been given hope by the American election and think that the economy will turn around quickly "now that Obama is President." At 11:30 the girls excuse themselves. The men evaluate the morning and think about lunch. The three have lunch of noodles and conversation. They are joined by a couple of other students and leisurely eat their meal. The picture is a view from the fourth floor classroom into the courtyard of the mamouth building.

At 1:00 he heads back to his office to meet his Tuesday Chinese tutor. The session this day is a continuation of learning the names of body parts and then using them in conversation. The session is supposed to be over at 2 but always lingers on, as they like each other company. Rich heads off to a 2:30 class. It is the same lesson as the morning so the class is easy. While each class has its own personality, the point is pretty much the same. After class he heads to the library. There he reads the English language newspapers and visits with his librarian friend. On this day they discuss how busy the Chinese teachers are because of schoolwide exams - the students this weekend had one of various exams necessary for graduation or certificate - computer knowledge, Chinese Speaking (Mandarin), and Oral English proficiency. Back at the office he goes next door to visit the art class and his two art major friends who are learning English. He has arranged tutors for them with his students. He retreats to his office where he reviews his Chinese lesson and vocabulary. One other ritual of Tuesday afternoon is to try and make contact in the English department. After a quick hello to several and on this day no extended conversations, he is back to the office.

Always checking the time because he can't miss his bus, in the dark at 6 he leaves the office for the bus. The bus leaves at 6:10. The 35 minute ride home is conversation with Jerry or Herbert , two men who live in our apartment complex. After what now seems like a trek across campus - the square, the playground, the hill, he arrives home at 7. One day done.

Well, I cannot top that, but here goes my Tuesday. Some things about it are not at all typical. After checking the weather forecast on the computer, I dress for class, fix and eat breakfast, say goodby to Rich, and leave for my class. It is about a 7 minute walk. Today I want to arrive early because I have some information that I want to write on the board for their exam next week. When two of the boys arrive (most of my students are girls), I request that they go down to the guard's office and retrieve my amplifier and microphone. I used to lug it back and forth from our apartment, but the guard has kindly let me keep it in a corner of his home. It would be nice to have my own classroom, but such is not the case. Today I have also brought the computer. (Students and teachers whom I do not even know sometimes stop me on campus and ask "Why do you carry so many things around with you?" I wish I had a good answer. Too many ideas. The picture is a view from my teaching building.

I have the computer because I want to show my students a short power point about the fall leaves in Pennsylvania. They are properly impressed. One student blurts, "Is this real?" Indeed. The best I can understand the leaves do not change color around here, perhaps because of a different sort of climate -- a bit warmer and very wet. Then I give the directions for our oral exam next week. I hope it is manageable. I am trying to see every student individually in four minute time allotments. By this time we are near the break. I ask my students to take out their homework - a basic reponse to the chapter. I love to ask students "What are you thinking?" and today they are thinking a lot because the chapter is about relationships. True love, they like to say. They work in groups to answer such questions as "Describe the perfect wife/husband." "At what age should girls marry? Boys? Why" It is my best lesson in China so far. I should have been observed:)

The second class is not so successful -- telephoning is not nearly as interesting as true love.

Then it's home to lunch. Some students keep me company on the walk home. Today I call a friend of former Peace Corps volunteers, Becky, who manages a DVD store in YongChuan. I am going to see her. That requires a 10 minute walk to the bus stop and a 40 minute ride on the bus to town and a 20 minute walk from the bus stop to Becky's. It is pleasant, though, and I have my little treats that I buy along the way -- a sweet bean filled roll and some popcorn.

I bring my knitting and sit on a stool on the sidewalk outside of Becky's store and knit. Maybe women stop buy and chat (as well as we can). There are two yarn shops nearby. After awhile I talk to Becky about visiting a student of mine in the hospital. She says she will accompany me and we enjoy a 20 minute walk and chat back toward the bus stop.

One of my students has broken her leg. Becky and I visited. Suffice it to see, if you can stay healthy and out of the hospital, that is always the best thing. Since then she has had surgery and is mending -- perfectly I hope. I also have a student with a very serious injury suffered in a fall at the Sports Meet over the past weekend. I do not know where he is.

Picture of one of Rich's students shot putting. Picture of Sean #4 our good friend and masseur

the school 5000M walk champion.

Then it's back on the bus. Becky and my student are both worried about me and want to know that I have gotten home safely. I do. The bus ride is uneventful, which is fine. I walk 10 minutes back home and work on dinner. Rich arrives. We eat. I clean up. We work a little, and try to get to bed around 10:00. I miss my chiropractor. I need a tune-up and my poor shoulders where I carry my stress are not happy. Anyway, you can see that we have plenty to do. We're sure that you do too. A common student expression -- "I have something to do." -- can be used to end any interaction at any time, abruptly. It's pretty interesting.

SINGING CITY and OLD CITY

It is amazing that we are approaching the mid point of the first semester. We have been in China for four months. Sometimes it seems forever and sometimes it seems like forever. I think that both of these feelings are normal. Our classes continue to be enjoyable. One of these blogs will have to be a description of a day in my life - three days a week I am on the go for 12 hours. My juniors can do much more complicated work than I have given them so far. I will need to find ways to stretch them. Renee's freshmen and mine are not close to doing what the Juniors can do. How do we get them from where they are to that place? It is not completely our job. The students have four English language classes - oral, written, listening, and pronunciation. (This is 8 of their 22 hours of class.) My juniors also study American literature.

Since we wrote last, we have been to Chongqing twice. We saw a Chinese Opera. We have attended at least three parties (They call almost any gathering a party) where we danced. We have been to three musical shows. We have eaten with students and with one group had a four hour sit around a hotpot. We have played tennis and the piano. I met several times with the leaders of the Green Heart Environmental Project Assocuiation. They agreed with me to clean up around the lake. (Unfortunately, there is litter in China just like in America.) We met and discussed when and where and how to organize. Things sounded great, and I was excited except they put off doing it for several weeks. Ten days before the event they changed the date. The day before the publicity was to go up they changed where they were going to meet (that decision took two hours with the choice being between beside the lake or in the square). Therefore there was no time to decide the time to meet. Two days later it took almost two hours to decide 7:30 in the morning (I think they wanted to limit participation -they kept telling me that they would have hundreds take part) The day came with a light mist in the air - apparently not light enough because they canceled the clean up until the next "fine day." Will they revisit all of their decisions? I have told them to let me know. (Renee - actually, a lot of things do get accomplished around here; we are just not sure how that happens.)

The two highlights of the weeks included a day in Chongqing with a group of young male singers. Renee had heard them practicing and took me to hear them. We enjoyed the experience. The director then asked if we would like to come along for the performance. What fun. We traveled on their bus and were cared for. When we got to Chongqing, they took us to lunch and we had a great time with a few of the members. The young men in tuxedo shirts and black ties looked great and sounded better. Their performance was flawed by mikes that weren't quite balanced, but it did not hurt their sound. We returned to Yongchuan where we ate again and had several rounds of toasts celebrating the day and their achievement. The boys never fail to greet us on campus and we are now part of the music community here. One of our lunchmates is the one who took us to dinner with his friends and is learning Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts.

The other highlight was a trip to one of China's old cities. The government has designated 50 of them to be refurbished for tourists. Song Ji is one of them. Fortunately, we got there before the huge hotel and large housing complexes are finished. We went with several young people from XingHu (Star Lake) campus. Not our students, but they are friends. One of them was our guide since he goes there often. We got there by bus which was an experience in itslf. The old town has narrow streets and cobblestones with huge doors along the way. We saw people playing cards and majong, eating, and selling, and kids playing. It was fun. We found an old house which was for a rich family and had a hundred rooms. We didn't see them all but what fun for a kid playing hide and seek. We then walked through town and market to the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), Scampering back to town center to catch the last bus (We aren't sure of what danger we were in or not - the students didn't seem to worry.), we boarded just in time, it seemed, and then we were back on that long, bumpy, underconstruction road. Fortunately, by that time most of the huge trucks were going home for the day. When we returned, we ate on the street at a vendor who stir fries your choices of meats and vegetables. The fare tastes delicious but is probably not so good for. It was a good day.

Today it is raining, yesterday it rained, tomorrow it is supposed to rain, and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I'm not sure if the two weeks of lovely cool clear weather was all we get of autumn or not. We have tried to ask about whether the leaves change color or not, but that question gets lost in translation. Based on what we see, the answer is no. A few leaves have fallen, but they are mostly green. Although the natural environment may be heading for winter, around our neighborhood life is bursting forth. We have had three new babies in just the last two weeks. One young family have become our friends and we were very excited when Liao Jing safely delivered a boy this week, though she did have to have a C-section. The baby has an auspicious name, something that is very important in China. He is Ji Dian Shuai. The first two names are family names, but the last one means handsome and leader. In fact, when you want to say that a young man is handsome, you say "shuai ge." (schwhy guh)

WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

School began in earnest for both of us over the last three weeks and then there was a week of holiday. My audio visual classes are going well. The textbook is about a Chinese student coming to an American University. It is an interesting idea. In a couple of the classes I am using the theme of friendship as the basis for their conversations. It was fun to hear them sing "Stand by Me." Their dialogues about standing by their friends were very good and revealing. In all of the classes, we do some pronunciation drills and some vocabulary building. They report to my superiors that they like it. I'm not sure that is a very good way to judge a class.

My other English activity also started. I am responsible for an English Corner on the campus where I teach. It made for one very strange day. I taught a class at 8AM and then returned to the other campus, had lunch, and taught at 2:30. Then I dropped off my books and grabbed an apple and took the public bus 45 minutes to the other campus. I spent an hour from 6-7 conversing in English with whoever came. Following the chats, I went with two students for some dinner where we watched the clock for the last bus to my home at 7:40. I made the bus but when we got into Yongchuan everyone got off but me and the driver said the end. Well, I wasn't home. Things were a little nervous, but I called my waiban who told me another bus would come in about 10 minutes. Was I not on the last bus? I still don't know. Being old and a foreigner got me onto the already full bus where I stood on one foot for about 20 minutes until a couple of people got off the bus. The solution to the problems of the evening are still to be debated.

I continue to enjoy my tennis. I now have been working with some of the new players and running some drills for the older players. I am having a great time. This would never happen in America. One tennis outing was with the President of the University and his wife as well as some of the other officials. The other great thing has been the vacation. On Monday 14 of us - mostly students - climbed the local mountain Wang Gua Shan. Not a big mountain but a good hike. In typical Chinese style the outting took six hours. We climbed and walked and explored and then ate lunch together. Great time was had by all. We then on Tuesday and Wednesday had company; another Peace Corps couple came to stay overnight, Matt and Katie Bridges from Virginia. The visit went pleasantly and gave us confidence that we can handle company. The school had dances at least three nights and we enjoy them when we aren't teaching freshmen to dance. Friday we went to Chongqing. We stayed with one of our PCV friends, Gayle. We went to celebrate two birthdays. Jason threw himself a party - I didn't realize I had missed chocolate until I ate the chocolate frosted chocolate brownie. This was washed down with a milk shake. Our good friends from Chengdu gathered and we visited on Saturday over Belgian waffles, Indian food, and then a cruise around Chongqing harbor. It is amazing how close you feel to these people who have been through and are going through what you are. The other exciting occasion was the trip. We had been nervous about heading out on our own, but at both stations we maneuvered ourselves and to my surprise the ticket sellers got out tickets for us on our first try.

Let me add my two cents or so:) On the climb up the mountain, the students learned the word "winded," which I definitely was and had to ask for a rest quite a few times. For me the ascent was a challenge, although nothing like what Lia and Ned were doing on their vacation. More than half the students were boys, some upperclassmen from Rich's campus and a few freshmen that we had invited or who heard about the climb from a friend or who just joined us at the last moment because they saw a group. The girls were all freshmen, some my students, some not.They all blended quite nicely and I was so proud of my girls because they did not giggle or simper or even flirt -- much -- but just chatted with the guys like they had been friends forever.

One girl was amazingly knowledgeable about the trees we passed, including persimmon and loquat (I haven't looked that up yet.) And one surprise was to see some cactus growing since this is such a humid climate. My special hero was a fellow whose English name is Jackson, who is auditing as many foreign teachers' classes as he can manage because he wants to learn to speak English better and better. Anyway, he is the one who helped me down the rough terrain on the way back. I'm sure he was relieved when we reached the bottom. I know I was.

I am enjoying my classes, what few I have had. I have about 240 students all told in classes of approximately 30. But since I see them only once a week, learning their names and relating to them in a meaningful way is quite a challenge. The ones I know best have walked me home from class. It also helps if they come to English Corner. My first goal for my classes is to convince them that if they are serious about learning English, they need to speak English outside of class. English Corner is one possibility. I was surprised at how well some of them talked in that informal setting when they seemed to be barely able to speak a sentence in class. Now my students will have two weeks of military training (only freshmen) and will probably need to be motivated all over again. Ah, well. I am hoping to put my free time to good use although making productive use of unstructured time is not my strong suit. My biggest hope is that I can get established with a tutor and start to work on learning more Chinese. As I have heard Rich say, as long as we can control the conversation, we stand a chance of being able to communicate, but as soon as the conversation passes out of our control, which can happen after "Ni hao", we are easily lost.

YONGCHUAN, CHONGQING

Our lives have been moving fast since last we wrote. On September 3rd we were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. Until then we were trainees. Thirty five of the thirty six took the oath. We were sworn in by the head of the Peace Corps from Washington, Ron Tschetter. It was Renee's birthday so she got extra attention. After the ceremony we said our goodbyes, ate lunch, and were whisked off to Yongchuan by our waiban (Foreign Affairs Officer).

We are living on the Xinghu Campus of Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences. Our campus is beautiful. The entry road is tree lined and runs along the lake. The lake is off to one side of the campus. Many of Renee's classrooms leave her a beautiful view. The lake has fish and the opportunity for some boating. There is also an island connected to the mainland by a walking bridge. It is a secluded and peaceful spot. Chinese couples are there as evening falls. The center of the campus is a huge plaza for gatherings and then sports fields and two tennis courts, The students live off to one side up a hill and the faculty live off to the other side up a hill. We live separate from most in a building mostly for the seven foreign teachers.

Our apartment has a living room of reasonable size with a comfortable couch - TV, washing machine, dryer, microwave, and water dispenser. The study has two computers with printer and a wireless hookup. We are enjoying working side by side rather than vying for the computer. The room also has a cupboard, and table and chairs for eating. It opens up to a small balcony. The bedroom is also of a good size. We have outfitted with a comfortable bed. (Rich was not too thrilled with the pink bedspread and matching pillows, but we have toned it down a bit with a more masculine looking topsheet.) There is a good sized wardrobe built in. The bathroom is a western style - thank you. The kitchen is small. The stove and limited counter space is low so I hope Renee and I don't hurt our backs. We bought a wok and have a rice cooker. We are set.

Among the great things that has happened is that one of the other foreign teachers is married to a Chinese woman. Nina would like to learn English and Renee would like to learn to cook. In part, I am the winner in that deal. Renee and Nina have been going to the open market for meat and vegetables - sanitation boards would go crazy. (Nina is also coaching me a little on my Chinese language. We laugh a lot. Most of the good food Nina has cooked, but I'm learning a bit. Much of the seasoning is a combination of ginger, garlic, and onions, soy sauce and vinegar and something like powdered chicken boullion, also salt and sugar.)

Renee starts teaching next week. She has eight Freshman classes of oral English. It looks like two of them are large. I have seven classes of Juniors on the new campus. The ride is horrible - I'll have to think how to describe it. My classes started last week. I enjoyed meeting them and reports back to me are good. They are capable students. On the new campus I have a large corner office with a great view. The schedule gives me a lot of time to use the office. I plan to have my Chinese tutoring done there. I'm off on Fridays, but Peace Corps rules say I can't leave site until 5. My eighth class is a Freshman class at Xinghu. I meet them this Wednesday.

For me my best things are three Chinese young men. Bob is in one of my classes. He has helped me with the computer (everything is in Chinese). He has talked with me, introduced his girlfriend, and shared some of Chinese student life. It will be my first try at tutoring. A second student is Xiang. I met him at the Traditional medicine clinic on campus. He is their best student. After my massage there I contacted him and he has agreed to give me massages at half the price at my apartment. What a wonderful young man. He has high asperations. The third is a group of tennis players. I have now played with them several times. I have also watched their practice several days. At this point I'm invited in and kabitz with the coaches and teachers. Two of them are names Zhou (Joe)' They invite me to play. On Saturday not only did we play, but Renee and I went with them for Duck Soup for lunch. I hope this relationship will grow. All I need to do is become proficient in Chinese.

I (Renee) feel that our life is filled with serendipities, which I know are the results of your prayers. God is very good to us. One day we met an older couple. An affectionate name for a person is Lao whatever. They said we could call them Lao Shang and Lao Wang. I guess we would be Lao Erickson. Perhaps we will share a picture of them one of these days. We can barely communicate with each other, but we seem to hit it off. Then there is Miranda, a Chinese friend of one of the other foreign teachers, who gave us a lesson in Tai Chi in the center of the campus one evening. Americans think they are interested in staying fit, but Chinese are serious about it. Women my age are agile and vigorous and walk with purpose. They love to ask how old we are and share that information. Here it is not impolite to ask. One other wonderful thing for me is that I can occasionally use one of the practice rooms in the music department to play the piano. The room is small with no sound absorbtion and the piano is well tuned, so I sound almost good:) I am a little anxious about my teaching; hopefully, I will quickly get into the swing of things.

GETTING READY TO MOVE ON

During these weeks the Model School ended. Language classes became more intense. We often had 3 or more hours of language in a day. The focus of the learning is on survival communication - how to buy a ticket, find a bus, get repairs in your apartment, call for help. We don't focus at all on everyday conversation, which is what I want desparately to do. This learning comes to a head this week as we have our final language test. Pray for us. The test comes right when we are pretty confused - we learn Mandarin, in Chengdu they speak Sichuanhua, and this week we found a new dialect in Chongqing.

We have had a great time with our host family here. They have attempted to give us a good taste of life in and around Chengdu. We visited a Buddhist temple, Bao Guang, in Xingdu. What a nice experience. We met a monk who got us in to see the relics of Buddha. The small town had a great park for walking. After dinner we found people were dancing in the park so we joined them. We visited the home where DuFu the Chinese poet of the people wrote his poems, a setting somewhat like Monet's. We learned some Chengdu history. We spent an afternoon in a panda preserve. There are two in China. We saw some of the pandas resting in air conditioned buildings. It was too hot for them to be outside, but we walked a sweated. Along the way we met a young couple who were from Chongqing. Somehow we got to talking and spent some time walking together. We then decided to have tea. A cup of tea turns out to be an event. We ordered tea and sat in the shade around a lake. We enjoyed the coversation and watched the tea leaves settle to the bottom of the glass. A slow motion ballet is more like it. What a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. I enjoyed it but will need to be careful about accepting invitations - they could take a couple of hours. This week we went fishing in a small farm village. Renee turns out to be a fisher woman. (By that he means that I caught three fish. Though I landed only one, that was the most for our family.) We ate our bounty right on the spot. Today was the family matriarch's birthday so we had a long and sumptuous meal in downtown Chengdu with family. During the week we study and I play tennis once or twice a week, Wednesday night we join the other volunteers for Pizhou Wednesday.

One new event for me, Renee, took place last Saturday morning. One of the volunteers, Jennifer, invited me to go exploring with her to find out what the drumming sound was that she heard outside her window on the weekends. We walked to where she thought the sound came from and we saw no one. However, before we could turn back, women began to appear. Some had drums, about the size of a snare drum, which they beat with two decorated mallets. Some had cymbals. A few carried fans. One who was the leader had a huge drum, too big to carry. She kept the rhythm. We were welcomed. Soon the women began to form ranks. There were about thirty altogether. We joined in as best we could, marching and clapping. They seemed to be practicing a certain routine. We wondered if there were competitions of such groups. But, of course, we could not ask. They were a happy, happy group, and we thought "What a wonderful way to get exercise and enjoy community and create beauty all at the same time."

The most important event of the time, however, was a visit to our home for the next two years. We will tell you about the place in the next blog. We are in Chongqing Province in the city of Yongchuan at the Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences. You can look any of them up and learn. Don't be surprised that small means big in China. We went there by bus. It takes three and a half hours. We were met and escorted to our new home. They have taken great care to make it comfortable. The previous volunteers had gotten a dryer, so we have a washer and dryer. So much for roughing it. Renee will be teaching Speaking English to Freshmen and I will be teaching Audio Visual English to Juniors. Our biggest challenge is that we are working on two different campuses about 45 minutes apart. When will we touch base other than in the evening at home? We will devote the next blog to life in a new town.

MODEL SCHOOL

Time is flying in China. I just used an idiom. We are learning that we use them all the time and it makes it difficult for foreigners to understand Americans.

The biggest event of the past weeks has been Model School. We have had to perform for the Peace Corps so that they can see that we can teach. For my classes I was bussed into center city to work at Sichuan Normal University. There I taught for 7 days students from 15 to 27 who wanted practice in oral English. My idea was to tell them about America and then have them tell me about China. They loved teaching me. The class started with 21 students and by the end had 30. The Peace Corps supervisors were impressed with the result and the idea.

Out of the class on American foods, came the offer to take me to dinner. Actually a couple of them had the idea of taking me to HotPot. I think the original idea was to watch me eat strange foods so spicy it would kill me. In the end the opportunity went to everyone. Thirteen of the students joined me for dinner. One of the students arranged the restaurant and led us there. We sat around the table and laughed and talked for three hours. All had a good time. Instead of killing me they were very careful of the spice I ate. They were thrilled I enjoyed the cows neck and the pigs stomach. It was a successful night.

My class (Renee) was much different than Rich's. First of all, they were not all able English speakers. Their ages ranged from 14 to 17, two years to five years of formal English study in school. Some of the older students were extremely capable, but some of thc younger had great difficulty conducting a conversation. I have so much to learn about teaching oral English! Despite the obstacles, I enjoyed my seven days of teaching. I had an idea that I wanted to have "Building a Bridge" as a theme. Of course, I wanted to do some singing, so on the first day, I taught them "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Somehow a college student was in the class that day, and she contributed the word "metaphor." That was pretty amazing, and it worked very well with the idea of language as a bridge, which I was going to bring up later. My favorite activity was role plays because the weaker students could write very basic dialogues, and the stronger students could show off. My partner, Rebecca, who is teaching now, is much better at devising many activities around a central theme. I am learning a lot from her. One fun thing was that I became wired for sound. Instead of telling me that I needed to shout to make myself heard, the Peace Corps supervisor provided me with a portable microphone pack. They said I could request on at our site:)

While teaching, we continued to study Chinese. I (Rich) have ups and downs. I speak to our busdriver and learn about his family and I'm excited. I speak to someone else and there is no communication. My teacher seems happy and I am mostly. Renee has been moved up to my class so we will be able to work together this week. On Saturday, August 2, we went to a wedding. Don't ask me why or how, but I was called on to give a speech in Chinese. The speech ended up being five lines but everyone was happy and I got across my main idea. I (Renee) was very proud of Rich.

On weekends we have also been busy. Everything seems to take the same amount of time - six hours. We visited LouDai, an old city famous for commercial ventures, Wen Shu Yuan, a Buddhist temple where the ashes of our host father are stored, Jin Sha, an archaelogical site of what is thought to be the original Chengdu, San Sun Xiang, a garden where we ate under a canopy of vines and is always referred to as the countryside. During the week we take walks around campus and into town. I have been able to play tennis, usually twice a week. This week I played with the computer faculty on Monday and Chengdu government officials on Saturday, thanks to my host father.

Renee continues to have some physical issues - a cold, a lingering cough, and a foot which is recovering from a good twisting at LouDai. I remain well with energy to do most things to the wonderment of the Chinese who can't believe someone my age can even carry my bag.

Today we had two visitors. Both were students from Wuhan, but they didn't know each other. Ace is a Junior and lives in Chengdu area. Peng Hu is a graduate student who Renee has helped with his English. He came to thank us for our help. It was his first time to fly on an airplance. He and the other Chinese humble us with their kindness.

Jim and Carol Ernst wrote this week and sent postcards from Montana. Five cards did not raise the mailing costs. We have already used them. We could use cards from Philly and PA, but also from other places if you are of a mind. We love getting snail mail as much as your email thoughts. Keep them coming:)

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Erickson

Sichuan University

Mail Box 278
Wang Jiang Road #278
Chengdu,610064

People's Republic of China

CHENGDU FIRST STOP

We are loving our time in China. We arrived a week ago Saturday and stayed at a hotel in downtown Chengdu for several days. While there, we learned more about what we are to do in China and also began our Chinese language classes. We enjoyed meeting and working with the other volunteers from all over the country, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Then we were divided into two groups. Our group was assigned to do their training at Chengdu University. We were also placed with a family. They will be our hosts for the next ten weeks. We are off to a great start with them. We met their extended family on our first day. They live a couple of hours away, but I think maybe they came to help with our luggage! We needed them. Our host family's son has been dubbbed as our teacher. He has helped us with our lessons and also with the customs of the house and China. Our host mother and father are about 15 years younger than we are, but it is a great match for us. We got the placement because I play tennis. The father and I have already done that with good success.

We are going to the university each day for classes. We have two language classes each day. Renee and I have been in the same class, We have a great teacher and we have made good progress. We are able to go to a restaurant and order food, pay the bill, and be courteous. We can get directions and ask and tell time. We also have classes in cross cultural contact and in teaching English as a foreign language. We mostly enjoy all of this along with eating great Chinese food particularly in our home and being with some outstanding young people.

The other day we were treated to an interesting cross-cultural simulation. A young man and a young woman entered the lobby in which we were all assembled. They were dressed in white toga-like garments. The man communicated with a series of clucks with his tongue. something like "Clock, clock." After a few "clocks", the woman knelt. The man then pushed her head futher down. Then the woman got up and give the man a bowl. He took it to all the men and indicated that they dip their fingers in the bowl. Then the woman came to the women and hissed. She wiggled her toes and we figured out that we were supposed to take off our shoes, which we did. Then the man when to each of the men and made his sounds and assumed a position before each one that looked sort of like a Hindu god. Then the woman took another bowl and fed the other women. Finally, the man and the woman took a female member of our group and departed.

During the "debriefing" most of us felt that this was some sort of a sacred ceremony in a culture that was definitely male dominated. (The woman had knelt and had her head pushed down more than once.) One funny comment was from the male language teacher. "I like this culture," he said, "because in Chengdu the women are the boss." Men must have a "soft ear." Then the leaders explained the simulation. In this culture the earth is sacred because it can produce life. Women are also sacred because they produce life. The women are the only ones who can touch the earth. Hence, they do not wear shoes. The man touched the woman's head because that is the only way he can worship the earth. The women were fed because they must keep up their strength. They picked the woman with the biggest feet to join them. The point of the simulatin was to show us how our own cultural experiences color our interpretation of behaviors in another culture. I thought it was a very interesting experience.

We sweat all the time. Today was no expection. We traveled about an hour and a half north to observe some Peace Corps volunteers who are doing a summer project that tries to improve the classroom teaching of teachers from outlying communities. Then after lunch we visited the Giant Buddha, the largest Buddha statue in this area. The town is LeShan if you would like to Google it. Rich climbed and I rode in a boat, but we both sweated.

OFF TO CHINA

The days have gone by quickly. We are in better shape for going than we thought we would be. I can tell you that Goodwill, Purple Heart, and CityTeam in Chester have gotten a good deal from us over the last two weeks.

In addition to getting ready, we have been visited by our son and his family and Doug Long, one of Renee's high school classmates. Any number of friends have stopped by and it was great to see each and every one of them. It has been also good to get the phone calls and notes from so many people. Thanks for all of the good wishes.

Tomorrow at 8:15 we leave for the train to Washington. In Washington we take a taxi to the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington for staging. We will meet our teammates and some of our leaders. We will learn more about procedures. One night we will be out to dinner with some returned Peace Corps volunteers. We fly out on Monday the 30th. We go direct to Beijing and after a short layover we fly to Chengdu.

In Chengdu we stay in a hotel for a couple of days getting our sea legs. While that is happening, we will begin our Chinese lessons. We will meet our In Country staff. By the end of the week we will be introduced to our host family and be moving in. Pray for them and us. We also will be divided into two groups and then even smaller so that the training will be more specific. After going out with the staff for one meal, we will have to fend for ourselves.

We have been warned that internet access this first week may be limited and may even be more so when we move in with the host family. Every day's schedule seems packed, so our time is structured. We will do our best to communicate, but be patient. You can always reach us at erickson3@comcast.net.

We are as prepared as we are going to be -- now the adventure begins.

Home Again Home Again

We have spent the last three weeks traveling. First we went to North Carolina. We visited with our son, Ned, and his wife, Lia, and daughter, Anna Rose. We were joined there by my sister, Janet, and her husband, Dan, and their grandson, Jacob. We had a great time hanging out. Jacob and Anna quickly became great friends. This was our really first goodbye. It was hard to do - two years seems like a long time, but we do know it will pass quickly. Fortunately, Renee's sister Melanie and her family live close by so that we were able to spend some time with them as well.

We then flew to Turkey to visit with our daughter, Lee, and her husband, David, and children, Rebecca, Joshua, Samuel, and Peter. We barely got settled in Istanbul when we left for Macedonia to visit our friends there. We took an overnight bus trip complete with the smuggling of cigarettes and prerequisite border stops. It was worth it to see Nikola and Anica and their new daughter-in-law, Goce. We also were able to meet our Roma friends, the large Gashi family. We were able to see first hand Iso's new baby Erhan. The newlyweds seem to have settled nicely. Iso has found a steady but hard job. Seeing others from the Roma church was also great.

Back in Turkey we visited David's English class. We met Hafize, who became our tour guide through part of historic Istanbul. Most of our time, though, was spent playing with grandchildren. We were able to play with the neighborhood kids -- taught a little baseball -- and met many of the neighbor mothers. One family had us in for an evening. Peter, the youngest grandchild, has been growing fast. He certainly looks and feel sturdy after a seven week early start. Their neighborhood is new so the roads are dusty and often noisy with construction, but that will soon enough be complete.

We arrived home with much to do. High on our list is the language training. We continue to try and spend some time each day. Second, we have worked on the myriad of forms that need to be filled out before our departure. Third, has been the consideration of packing. Suitcase space is limited by number but also size of bags - we usually try to play by the rules. Renee has a mound of clothes on a bed just for her that will never fit into the suitcases - Help!

Our address for the first three months will be

Dr. and Mrs, Richard Erickson

Sichuan University

Mail Box 278

Wang Jiang Road # 29

Chengdu, China 610064

People's Republic of China

We give you this only because we know you would like us to have mail when we arrive.

Yes, Chengdu is the staging area for all of the earthquake relief that is going on in China. We have been able to get good information on the extent of the tragedy in the area. It will not directly affect us. The only change we know so far is that some of the host families will not be able to take PC volunteers this time because they have taken in family from the affected area. If you would like to contribute toward the relief effort, we know the following agency will send all contributions with no administrative cost to the effort.

American International Cultural Exchange Institute

216 Avondale Drive

North Wales, PA 19454

This is the group we went to China with last year. They will be able to do direct funding of the relief monies. You could also contribute to the Chinese Red Cross or other agency which is working in China.

Pray for us to calmly use these last weeks to prepare ourselves for this adventure.