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!

 

 

 

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!