Final Exams

You thought Common Core tests were bad?  Listen to this:  Monday afternoon I was told to report to the gym, which had been converted to a testing center.  It was a huge cavernous facility, big enough to house a football field, or about 6 basketball courts side by side.  (But there were no basketball hoops hanging from the ceiling). The barren tables were set up 40 rows across and 15 down.  My writing class was assigned row #18.

Other proctors passed out the exam papers and answer sheets.  Then the students proceeded to write test essays for the next 2 1/2 hours.  Yes it was cold, January after all, so everyone was bundled up in their coats.  We teachers wandered up and down the aisles, making the students nervous, and observing their efforts.  One student was caught cheating with a cell phone--possible grounds for dismissal.  It was a cold, sterile environment.

I wanted to write a memoir on my cell phone but was told to put it away as there were cameras watching on the wall.  I nearly went nuts for 2-1/2 hours--no reading a book even.  I could have crocheted a whole hot pad!  Some students finished early and left, but about half were still writing (in black ink, no less) when time was up.  The professors swooped down the rows, grabbed up the answer sheets, and voila!  Everyone is finished.

Now I get to grade them, and poor Tim has over 200 essay exams with his combined classes.  When the Dept. head handed them to Tim she said, "I'm worried you cannot finish grading these in a week". (Duh!). She's allowing him 10 days.  So generous.  I guess I'll be helping.

On a side note, I previously assigned a project to my Culture students.  Each chose an American city and wrote a brochure or 2-sided flyer about important sites and famous landmarks for that city, complete with pictures and captions.  I gathered them all into a booklet for each class.  When I showed them to the Dept. chairman she was astounded.  She couldn't believe the students did such excellent work--publication worthy. She was absolutely amazed.  Obviously they are not project-based with assessment.  Only see how long the students  can survive a long, boring writing exam with no breaks.

Next week these culture students take a 100-point exam written by yours truly.  The class was finished on Dec. 1, but no, I couldn't give the test until the appointed time during final testing weeks. It has true/false, multiple choice, and matching questions along with some short essays.  Yes they do these by hand and I grade them by hand.  No such thing as a scantron answer sheets!

New Years in Beijing

Once we finished teaching classes on Christmas Day, we had free time until after New Years.  So Diane suggested we take to bullet train to Beijing.  We managed to buy train tickets and find the station so off we went.  She insisted we stay at her favorite Dragon King hostel.  That was our first "hostel" experience and it wasn't too bad.  It was in a native Hutong neighborhood with old traditional dwellings and narrow streets.  We had a private room with a bathroom ( yes Western toilet).  No toiletries and a pretty thin towel, but reasonably clean and good American food--cheap.

First day we met up with Marilyn Hadd and off to the American Girl Doll store.  We suckered for a couple of dolls and lots of little clothes.  Tim was a good sport and picked out shoes to go with each and every outfit.  We've never really spent much time in a doll store before. We did more shopping and found La Bamba for delicious Mexican food!

New Year's Eve day we booked a tour to the Great Wall, a different section than we've been before.  Nice bus ride and a beautiful clear sunny day.  I about suffocated in the tights and long underwear I brought.  Could hardly make it up the hill in all my sweaters and coats.  One young fellow had pity on me and offered his arm as we were climbing steps.  His name was Salvatore from Sicily.  He had beautiful blue eyes.  Tim is jealous!  They really think I'm an "old senior citizen" around here, and need lots of help so I don't fall over or expire!

We rode a cable car higher up the mountain to the wall; Tim climbed the wall to the top for a couple of hours.  Diane and I climbed a little, took pictures, and basked in the sunshine.  Later we came back down on the cable car and enjoyed a tasty lunch.

New Year's Eve found us at Tiananmen Square which was already closed.  Evidently celebrations in China wait for their lunar new year.  We walked down a quiet street a couple of blocks from downtown.  We stumbled onto a McDonalds and ate their famous fish burger and a peanut ice cream sundae.  Then We headed back to the hostel and enjoyed homemade dumplings with the Internationals.

Friday we followed Diane to the Pearl Market. Oh my, 2 malls 8 floors high with electronics, pearls, scarves, and every knick knack imaginable.  Tim bought some fun Gifts, I loaded up on scarves, and we bought me a beautiful translucent pearl necklace, bracelet, and earrings.  I picked the exact ones I wanted (pricey of course) then watched her string them for me.  We also ate a great lunch at The Brown Door which is frequented by Foreigners and airline employees.  Then we took the subway to an Acrobat show,  It was quite amazing, and we enjoyed it very much.

Before we returned home on the train Saturday, we headed 2 Metro stops to the Lama Temple.  They burned a lot of incense, but it was quite an astonishing place.  Almost a mini Forbidden Palace.  There was a statue of Buddha made totally of one piece of sandalwood that stood 35 feet high.  There were people bowing to all sorts of ornamental statues, but no Dalai Lama today.

The fast train home  took 4 hours and 15 minutes from Beijing-- only one stop.  It travelled over 200 miles a hour. Pretty sleek.  We brought 2 small duffle bags to Beijing, and returned with those plus 2 very large zip bags.  Good thing we weren't flying.  Dennis L. And Vik B. Would have rolled their eyes!  We're glad to be back.

Christmas in Xi'an

I've already mentioned there are Santas and Christmas trees aplenty--I'm so disappointed not to find gorgeous nativities, either to see or to buy.  But many people are aware of the coming holiday , and choose to celebrate with parties and good food.

Our focus has  been trying to provide service to our students and friends.  I've made several hotpads and ribbon bookmarks.  Tim hauled a Christmas tree on the bus to deliver to one of our teacher friends, Kristy.  We have enjoyed hosting home-cooked dinners for the foreign teachers from France and Slovakia, and our BYU friends.  My rolls were a hit!

Tim has dressed as Santa--to the delight of many students. We bought 350 large candy canes to distribute.  One little girl whispered in his ear that she would really like a beautiful white dress.  So I
hope her "Santa" can make that dream come true.

XJTU sponsored a dumpling-making demo.  We're getting pretty good at pinching them together.  They boiled them, we ate them, then took some fresh ones home.  I gave them a quick boil, then put a little oil in a pan and fried them up--They're even better as potstickers.  Tradition dictates that if you eat dumplings on the winter solstice (Dec. 21-22) you will not have cold ears in the winter...

XJTU also hosted a Christmas luncheon and gave us lovely bamboo silk scarves.  We had a nice anniversary dinner at an elegant restaurant called "The Moon" with Diane and Kristy.

The highlight of our celebrations was an invitation to a Christmas Eve buffet with our friends the Gaos--held at the Grand New World Hotel.  I nearly cried when I walked into the lobby and  found a glowing Christmas tree, angels, and elves.  It finally felt like the real holiday.  The food was sumptuous, and the program afterward lasted 3 hours! There were singers, dancers, magicians, a clown, and a talented trumpet/horn player.  Even Michael Jackson appeared--quite the imposter.  There were door prizes--the Gaos won an overnight stay at the hotel with 2 free breakfasts.  They gave the coupon to us, so when we finish our finals we will go back to celebrate.

Finally Christmas Day...Enjoyed a quick phone call to Clark and Char Family in St. George, then off to classes.  It was my writing class so I had them write descriptive paragraphs about Christmas trees and Santa.  The jolly old elf (Prof. Taylor) appeared and gave them each a candy cane.  My 20-year old university students were as delighted as any 7-year old you've ever seen.  Likewise Tim's students were thrilled and line up for hugs and pictures--needing a grandpa I suppose. 

That evening (after Tim taught all day) we were suddenly able to download the First Presidency Christmas fireside.  Our internet is pretty sporadic. That was a tender mercy to be able to watch those beautiful messages and listen to the beloved Christmas music.  Of course, the very best gift was reading the sweet service emails from our children and grandchildren, and visiting with them on the phone.  It was a very simple and uncomplicated Christmas, but one we will always remember--with ever greater appreciation for our Savior Jesus Christ.

December in Xi'an

Hurray, eight of my nine classes are over the first week in December.  I finally have a little free time to breathe.  The first week was warmish (mid-40’s) so Mr. Gao took us to Huaqing Palace Hot Springs near the Terra Cotta Warriors.  It was beautiful and tranquil--built long ago by. a Chinese Emperor for his lady love. Tim and the men tried to hike the mountains, but I just wandered the lovely gardens and shopped and found my favorite Magnum ice cream bar.

We've explored Xi'an a little more, experimenting with the bus system to find our way around.  At 16 cents a ride it's more than a bargain.  In fact sometimes we get a massage by being squished tighter than sardines, and trying to make our way from the front door to the middle when we need to exit.  We've enjoyed shopping in the Muslim Market, and eating noodles and gelato.  (Yes, 2 different stores).

We stopped at the Big Goose Pagoda and watched the synchronized water show.  We found the city wall, and the Shaanxi Museum which has artifacts that are 5000 years old.  They buried their beautiful treasures in the Emperors Caskets and mausoleums, so many brass, iron, and potteries are very well preserved.

I've discovered IKEA across the city.  It's worth the trip to eat some Western food (salmon or Swedish meatballs), buy lingonberry jam, and European chocolates! No they don't have a “cheese slicer” among the kitchen gadgets, nor does anyone else in China.  They told me to use a normal knife.  A brick of Gouda cheese is one of our luxuries here.

I was finally able to order some cotton crochet thread through Amazon China and a student, so I'm busily crocheting hot pads for friends and neighbors.  Plus I'm hosting a couple of Christmas dinners, so no boredom here even though I don't have to go to class so often. Tim still has a double-full load of classes twice a week, and we both have to teach on Christmas Day.  Boo-hoo!  We're planning to take the high-speed bullet train to Beijing for New Years, so that will give us something to look forward to.

Bookmarks

I had one of my students order me a huge skein of yarn from the Chinese equivalent of Amazon.  I've been crocheting like mad making hot pads for Christmas gifts.  I've also been making ribbon bookmarks for my students. 

One of my students said it was the "most precious gift she'd ever received" and she loved my intricate weaving.  Dad says she just wants a good grade. 

Thanksgiving

It has been really fun discussing Thanksgiving traditions with my culture classes.  I especially emphasized gratitude and thankfulness.  They were awed at pictures of a thanksgiving feast.  Most of them have never tasted turkey and they would love me to make bake them a turkey dinner with pumpkin pie.  But it ain't gonna happen, especially in my toaster oven!  I tried pumpkin snicker doodles.  They were just ok.  But we enjoyed traditional pumpkin pancakes.  i’m seeing how far I can stretch my can of pumpkin that cost $5.00!

I also assigned my students to write or We Chat me about what they were grateful for.  Most are truly devoted to their parents and thankful for their upbringing, and the sacrifices and efforts their parents and some grandparents have made to get them this far at XJTU university.  There were truly some poignant stories.

Instead of me cooking,Annie and her hubby, the chef at the Italian restaurant, are willing to serve a thanksgiving dinner every night for a week.  So on Friday, November 20 we enjoyed homemade cream of mushroom soup, Cobb salad, turkey with blueberry sauce, a dab of potatoes and peas, spaghetti (?), and cheesecake with a peach and ice cream for dessert.  All of our BYU friends came too.

Then the following Wednesday, Thanksgiving eve, we invited Mr. And Mrs. Gao to join us for another round of the same dinner.  They brought along her brother and sis- in-law, who surprisingly spoke some English!  The Gaos speak no English besides “good morning, beautiful,” and our names.  We also included George, our translator friend, and John, the middle school teacher who made the initial phone call that brought us all together.  Everyone enjoyed the meal. First time they had ever eaten turkey.  The men especially cleaned up every bite on their plates. ( I had the foresight to ask for my pasta in a takeout container).

We felt very fortunate to be able to share this special occasion with Chinese people who have truly become our friends.  It made missing our family a little easier.  Friday morning we called Clark and Char’s house and talked to all of our children and spouses, and most of the grandchildren as they ran past a phone.  I walked to class with a happy heart that morning.

My gratitude list is greatly expanded this year, with some basics like clean water and sunshine.  I am especially grateful for our new friends, wonderful students, challenging and adventurous experiences, our LDS Branch, and the opportunity to reflect the light of the gospel in China.

Mt. Hua

11/18/2015  Break out the winter woolies. Mr Gao is taking us to Mt. Huashan, a mini Mt. Everest. He says we will have a good time, rain or snow. So we pile on the layers and take our winter coats and gloves and are ready for pickup at 5:30 AM. 

Two hours later we pull into the parking lot of the ticket entrance. It's cloudy and misty and we can barely see a mountain. But soon we are on a cable car climbing to the 10,000 foot summit. It is so steep that in the middle it goes downward before climbing back up to the top. We are delighted to see some sunshine above the clouds. The view is absolutely spectacular! Steep gorges, colorful autumn leaves, and razor sharp mountain pinnacles. 

We arrive on the west side at a famous lookout point. Mr. Yao informs us we are going to traverse the mountain to the north face--a mere 10 kilometers. That translates to 6 miles--I'm an old woman. But he's not about to let me go back down the same cable car, so off I trudge with a prayer in my heart. 

I was foolish to think that at the top it would be a level path. I spent the next 6 hours climbing up and down rock stairs of every height and width (mostly very narrow, 6” max). They kept telling me we could take it slow.  In fact Mr. Gao preferred my pace instead of trying to keep up with Energizer Tim. (He smokes two packs a day!) The last mile or so it took Tim on one arm, and Mr. Gao on the other, to drag me down the last several flights of stairs. The only thing that kept me going (besides that I really had no other choice) was a couple of encounters with some poor workmen who were hauling over 100 lbs of goods on their shoulders, to the top of the mt. Things like 3-4 cases of water bottles, and boxes of food and vegetables.   I can't imagine how they do it--their backs must ache terribly. And I'm sure they don't get paid much!

The views above the clouds truly were gorgeous. It was a pleasant day, very little wind, so I didn't even need my heavy coat. George the translator carried that for me. At last we  arrived at the North face and gladly climbed aboard a cable car for the descent. He said the food wasn't "safe" on the mountain so finally took us to lunch/dinner back in the city at 5:00.  We had snacked on tangerines and cucumbers, but Tim was ready to eat most anything.  Chinese pork sandwiches, noodle soup (no spicy), and rice with scrambled eggs and tomatoes--always a sure bet.

Mr. Two seemed quite pleased that we made it before dark, and admitted that he was worried about how I would handle the whole experience. (Then why did he plan such an arduous climb?). I'm glad to say I've been there, and I did have a feeling of accomplishment when I survived. Plus I knew if I died up there, Rachel was the only one who would come to visit my old bones. 

I should retrace my vacation steps of the last few years. This was definitely harder than all the pyramids in Central America, and all the cobblestones, coliseums and cathedrals in Europe combined!  And I didn't climb most of those!