After a long, long break the school year began. We each now have eight classes or sixteen hours of classes. We each picked up an extra class when one of the foreign teachers did not return this term. Renee has six of her classes at HongHe where we live and two classes on Thursday in XingHu where we lived last year. All of the classes are sophomores and all classes she has had before. She has been having them solve riddles and tell jokes while she tries to motivate them and give them a bigger vision of what could be accomplished now and in their lives. I have four Buiness English classes at HongHe, one of them a new class. My other four classes are at XingHu where I go three times a week. Here I have two sophomore classes and two new freshmen classes.
Our week follows a pattern. On Monday we have dinner with students from one of the classes. They are organized so everyone gets a chance to eat with us during the year. Tuesday, Renee is off to see Becky to tutor or to talk with in Yongchuan. I get to read and sometimes play ping pong or walk. We have been following So You Think You Can Dance on Tuesday nights. On Wednesday we have English Corner in one of the two sites. I go to the gym after my class and after that or English Corner, I have shao kao, fried vegetables and meat, and some beer with a group of my young men friends on the street. Afterwards I go to Yang Lu's Karate School where I have learned TaiChi and have met some great people. On Thursday Renee is off to XinbgHu where she teaches, has lunch, plays the piano, gets tutored, and every other week has shao kao with her young girls friends. Thursday night we have been following that weeks events on American Idol. Friday after I return from XingHu is our day to just do whatever and often watch whatever the film of the week is. Saturday we go into town and have a traditional Chinese breakfast of steamed dumplings, fried bread, and hot soy milk. Then I often play tennis with whoever I can and Renee cleans. Once a month she goes to a big store in Chongqing to buy "western" things. Last Saturday we had a big day in the afternoon we went to a birthday party for a 30 year old friend in town. Then to an English Program on the public Square in HongHe. We returned to the birthday party for dinner' and then went back to campus. On campus on Saturday night there is a show and afterwards dancing. We are regulars at both. Last weekend an art student friend invited us to go with him and his girl friend for tea so the evening was eventful. Sunday we go to church in the morning. Now we alternate between the Catholic and the Evangelical church. Both have advantages and disadvantages for us. Sometimes in the afternoon we go to a college age house church. Last Sunday one of the Russian teachers gave a piano concert so we enjoyed Shubert, Chopin, deBussy, and Rachmaninov. A week in a glimpse. It leaves out some tutoring, Renee's reading buddy, and our Chinese tutors. AND it leaves out Renee's dog bite. Bitten by a teacher's little house dog, Renee then had to go to ChengDu at the Peace Corps insistance to get shots and be observed. The process took a whole week of time.
During this time we got to the top of Huang Qua Shan for what should be our last time. We went on during the flower festival which turned out to be one week too early. But we had a great time with some student friends and saw some new sights on the top of the mountain.
There is also a new park that has been built right behind our dorm. There is no gate there so it takes 20 minutes just to get there. A bus driver pointed it out to us. We have gone with our neighbors from last year -Sally, her husband and baby. I have then gone with some students to climb the man made mountain and see the whole of the mad made lakes and gardens. A local business man has built the park in exchange for the land which he will now make a fortune off of by building houses, offices, and businesses.
