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!

 

 

 

Movie Stars

So my newest BFF is named Diane.  She works at one of the other universities in Xi'an.  She invited/browbeat Tim and I into going to village north of the city with some of her journalism students.  Seems they are doing a video about tourists visiting sites in the area--and we're the stars.  We crammed into little cars--Tim got the center back on the hump! Off to visit Yuan Jia, in Liquan County.

They are famous for weaving cloth, paper cutting, and making vinegar and yogurt.  It is a charming little village, with lots of fun shops...for the perennial shopper!  First we check out the weaving and spinning loom.  The film crew sets up their tripod and catches us looking into the window and sitting at the looms, and buying a few scraps of cloth.  Next they film us going into the paper shop and learning how to fold and cut those intricate little patterns.  Yes we buy a beautiful peacock and some butterflies.  All the while spectators stare at the "movie stars" and want an extra picture with us.

After a lunch of delicious homemade noodle soup, and hot French Fried sweet potatoes, our friends played the starring roles making the vinegar and yogurt.  Then we wandered around and shopped some more.  Finally the film crew staged us meeting up with our friends and enjoying a bit of custard pie.  At every turn we were obliged to tell them how much we enjoyed the goods (we did) and how we were "feeling" about these wonderful crafts and old time culinary arts.  We also watched a great acrobatic exhibition from some young students, and learned to make tea.  Very tricky not to taste that when we were done!  They also found us some hot chocolate with marshmallow cream foam stencils on the top (Eiffel Tower and Hearts with an arrow).

It was another long day--the traffic coming back into Xi'an was horrible.  So instead of the 1 1/2 hours that it took us to go in the morning, it was 3 hours back home.  Fortunately, Tim got to ride in the front seat, but I was wedged into the back!  We went reluctantly, but it turned out to be a delightful day--the real China, updated.  We are anxious to see the video project--maybe they'll use it for the tourism bureau!

Taxis

Riding in taxis is pretty cheap and convenient in Xi'an. The problem is taxi drivers don't really like to pick up foreigners, because we can't tell them where we want to go.  So on Sundays when we need to travel clear across the city to attend church, we text Henry, a private taxi service.  His drivers know where we want to go, and even though it costs a little more we just schedule a taxi pickup and away we go.  Then he returns to pick us up when we're finished.

We've tried to take pix of our bus stop, and other landmarks to show the taxi drivers.  Last week we rode the bus, which is extremely cheap, but often smelly and crowded, to the German Metro (aka Costco).  It was raining when we emerged with our 4 bags of Gouda cheese, meat, cream, avocados, Greek yogurt and other delicacies.  Tim was anxious to get home to listen to the BYU game, so we hailed a taxi.  We stuffed our bags in and hopped aboard, only to discover a female taxi driver.  We showed her a picture of the Rainbow Bridge, which is our drop-off point.  She didn't have a clue where to go but took off anyway.  Finally she pulled a U-turn, so we thought we were headed in the right direction.

Unfortunately, she was a very timid, conservative driver, which does not serve one well in China.  We got into terrible traffic and she was letting all the cars cut in front of her.  I thought Tim would have apoplexy.  The meter was running, and we were still miles from home.  Soon we spied the International Mall, which has a bus stop  we recognized.  We motioned for the driver to pull over and let us out, paid the fee to nowhere, and climbed the steps of the footbridges over the street intersections to catch a bus.

Of course, it was standing room only, and still raining.  We tried to hang on to our 4 bags and case of yogurt.  I stood by the door so I could breathe occasionally when the bus stopped for passengers.  The windows were so fogged up we couldn't see anything familiar, and weren't sure when we were getting close to home.  Finally, after several miles, we rode into familiar territory, and were able to get off at the right bus stop.  Then we carried the bags home and up the stairs to our apartment--still training.  We really enjoyed the groceries, but basically it was the trip from Hades.  Tim will never get into another taxi with a female driver!

Basically, riding in a taxi is a bit of a gamble.  There are bars between the front and back seat, so you just hang on, cross your fingers they're taking you to the right place, and rejoice when you arrive at your destination!

Students in China

Education in China is really a different ballgame.  There's a pre-school nearby,  Each morning the grandparents take the little ones to pre-school, and then pick them up at 5:00.  Meanwhile both parents are working diligently to earn money.
Elementary age children spend a lot of time in music lessons, art, writing--creative things.  They do NO chores.  Their parents or grandparents do everything for them so they can study and be good students.
By middle school they are in school from 7:30 AM until 6:00 PM with a break for lunch and a rest in the middle.  Then they study until nearly midnight. They have “Tiger Moms” who insist on excellence and near perfection.   I'm not sure when or if they ever have much fun.
High school is even more demanding.  They are very studious and quite creative and artistic.  They memorize everything and read voraciously!  Their one main goal is to pass the national college entrance test which takes several hours.  That determines where they can go to college.

My university students go to school most days from 8:00 to 6:00. They have two 2-hour classes in the morning, and the same in the afternoon, with a 2-hour break for lunch and a rest.  Then they study until late, or perform in music groups, speech contests, etc.  They are rarely late to class and humbly apologize if they walk in after the bell rings.  Most score 100% on their vocabulary quizzes, and if they do less than 100% on their presentations, they ask for the chance to do it again and improve.  I hardly dare dock them 5 points, because it gives them such heartburn.  They are very thoughtful and interested in the United States.  They think college students have it much easier, which is probably true.

They live in very basic dorm rooms with a community bathroom and no privacy.  To shower they have to go to a public bath.  They suggested I stop by to see it, but Suggested I wouldn't want to stay long. There are no clothes dryers.  They hang their clothes out on the balcony/porch. Not sure if they have access to a washer, or use the sink.  There is no heat in the dorms, at least not yet.  They wear coats and heavy sweaters all day long, in and out of class.

I'm sure not every student is so conscientious, but they understand that education is the key to their future and a good job.  They are pretty addicted to their cell phones, and social media as they know it.  Some play pick-up sports, and video games.  I'm not sure when they fit those in.  Many MS and HS students go to extra classes on weekends to learn foreign languages and to be tutored to keep high performances.  It's a pleasure to have such diligent students, but it's heart-wrenching to see how hard they work with so few of the conveniences Americans take for granted (heat, cleanliness, soft beds, drinkable tap water, tv, instant Internet, fast food…)

Perhaps we should ship some of our high school dropouts over here to get a taste of “reality”.  How grateful we are for the abundance of blessings we have in America.

P.S.  I taught my students to square dance in my culture class.  There were as shy as 4th graders, especially the boys.  But they had a rollicking good time!

Halloween in China

It began a week early with my agreement to visit a middle school private tutoring class on a Friday night.  I met the teacher, John, and we walked over to the class of 7 eighth graders.  Fortunately the other BYU China teachers have shared their Halloween ppts. And film clips.  So I dressed up like a witch, complete with hat, cape, fingernails, and horrid nose.  The kids loved it; everyone had to have their picture taken with me.
I showed them everything I know about Halloween, sang a song, showed them scary film clips.  Then we played Bingo.  They thought it was great fun.
So I went through the same scenario all 9 classes, during the week before Halloween.  I scared a few of them with my costume and hairy spider, and isn't that the point of Halloween anyway?  Scaring people and saying, "Gotcha!"
Thursday night we were in charge of English Corner, which is a social gathering for anyone who wants to practice their English.  We showed them our video stuff, then played Bingo and had a cakewalk.  I printed Halloween symbols on some orange card stock, cut them out, had them laminated, and Tim taped them to the floor.  Then we played Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and made them walk the circle.  I had made chocolate cupcakes (from scratch), so each winner got one.  They were a big hit.  When we ran out of those, we gave away our stockpile of "moon cakes " which are a holiday specialty around here. But we weren't sad to see them go.  We also made little ghosts out of lollipops and Kleenex.  There were about 60 students, and they all had a great time.  Some even found a few small pumpkins to carve, complete with tealights.

By the time Halloween Saturday rolled around, it was raining and we were partied out.  When the rain stopped later in the afternoon Tim was hankering for a McDonalds dinner--fish fillets and fries.  Then he had a banana split at Dairy Queen. Yes I had a chocolate almond Blizzard (they threw in some raisins).  Then we found an English movie in 3-D--"Antman". We liked it, even though it cost $15 a ticket.  We picked up a few items from Walmart and found a bus to home.

By the way, both Walmart and the grocery store had a few costumes, masks, hats, and other Halloween paraphernalia for sale, even though they don't really understand what it's all about.  Do we?  We just like to dress up, decorate, and eat candy.  Anyway it was fun to see pix of our grandkids all decked out in their Halloween duds. Happy Halloween!  Onto Thanksgiving and Christmas, hopefully.

Mao and Gao

Mr. Gao says he's our best friend in China!  It's his personal mission to take us to all the sites in and around Xi'an.  “A year is not nearly long enough,”he says. On  Wednesday, October 21, he arranged to pick us up at 5:30 AM for a day trip to the Hokou Waterfalls.  We drove out of the city in the dark, but soon found ourselves in the beautiful countryside on a perfect autumn day.  The leaves were turning colors everywhere, and there were crisp apples for sale at every roadside stop.
About mid-morning we found ourselves detoured to Yan’an, which is the hotbed of the Communist Revolution before and during WWII.  There is a huge statue and museum dedicated to Chairman Mao, with a gazillion pictures of their infamous leader.  Mr. Gao holds him in extreme respect so we didn't express our viewpoint. ( difficult to do with the language barrier anyway).  We also visited Mao’s headquarters, home, meeting rooms, and many spartan cave homes lived in by his generals and other comrades.  It was quite interesting.  Later someone referred to this town as “Disneyland for the communists.”
Mr. Tao also showed us lots of red dates ripening up, but we're just not “date” fans.  No dates stuffed with sticky rice for us.
We then headed down the road and finally stopped for lunch in some little hometown cafe that only Mr. Gao knows about.  Tim ate a Chinese Hamburger, which is a steamed flatbread bun with pork inside.  Then he gobbled down a plate of rice with mushrooms, and a bowl of soup--all with a spoon,since he dreads those chopsticks.  Pretty soon the cook and hosts all come out to watch him eat.  They even offered him another “hamburger” on the house.  It turns out they have never had an American in their little establishment before, and they want to video him for an advertisement--or so they say.
With our tummies filled, we head off to the waterfalls, finally arriving about 5:00.  The Yellow River has cut away a narrow gorge, and when the water rushes through it creates a lot of spray and several cascading waterfalls. It was very lovely and a bit slick on the rocks.  Gao had a quick nap while we wandered around, bought a trinket bracelet, then headed home.  Just before getting back into the car, Tim said he was hungry again.  Gao was quite taken aback, as it had only been about 3 hours since Tim's record lunch.  When George, the translator, told Gao that Tim was just kidding, he howled with laughter.  He seemed to think that was a great joke.
The lights of Xi'an didn't appear until 10:00 PM, making for a 16 ½ hour day--much of it riding in the car without being able to converse very well.  When Mr. Gao dropped us off he said, “if you're exhausted, that means you had a fun day.” Well, we were!