It is Friday evening here, and the students had scheduled a basketball game, with the two classes competing against one another, but a thunderstorm whipped through the campus and cancelled that event for now. We try to appeal to their competitive spirit a bit in class with the fly swatter game and other games that have them generating word clusters in groups for points.
I introduced a verbal version of Musical Chairs yesterday, and they loved the scramble to get to the available seat. I put the chairs in a circle, rather than a line, so that we could enjoy the many collisions in the center of the circle. The students added another element to the game: any "caller" who was left standing three times in a row had to sing a song for the class. This is the farthest thing from a punishment you can possibly imagine. Every person in my class has a beautiful singing voice, and hearing them sing in unison is a very memorable and musical experience.
We show two films a week, hoping to expose the Chinese teachers to more of American culture. I showed "Fly Away Home" on Monday and "Rudy" today. I hadn't remembered all the references to religion in the film, as this is one of those more delicate subjects here. The students really enjoyed Rudy's spirit to fulfill his dream of playing at Notre Dame. We'll have a longer discussion of the film on Monday in class.
It is odd how time doesn't seem to be a factor in music. Several students have Carpenters songs as the ringers on their cell phones. The class broke into song one day during break, treating us to their rendition of "Yesterday Once More". They are also very fond of "My Heart Will Go On" from the film "Titanic".
Our conversation groups again focused on teachers/teaching as well as male/female roles. Here are some of the ideas that emerged:
1. William told us that his best teacher ever was like a dictionary that you can get everything you want from. He talked, too, about how Mr. Lee, his favorite teacher, taught him how to find the happy things around him.
2. Another student, Gabby, talked about how her favorite teacher, Mr. Lu, went to see the doctor with his students when they were sick. She told us he is a very old man now, but he still likes to study and learn.
3. Ruby told us about Mrs. Jing who took good care of the students and gave everyone all of her love. She said this teacher never punished the students, but she gave them encouragement instead. She also talked about how Mrs. Jing let her know how to be a good person and told her "nothing is impossible if you try your best to do it." Ruby told us she still remembers what this teacher told her a long time ago.
4. Shirley talked about how Mr. Xu, her favorite teacher, taught her how to become a confident person.
5. Michael told us about Mr An, who taught his students how to "face the hard of our life." He told us, too, that many of his classmates were very poor. They wanted to study, but they can't pay for many books. Mr. An would often pay for many books for his classmates.
6. Michael also told us about his worst teacher. This teacher became very angry when his students made mistakes. He would beat them, hold tight their ear, face, or even kick them with his leg. "We would shiver in class", said Michael. This teacher was often late, he told us, and he did a lot of drinking and gambling . He would drink so much at night that he could not get up on time the next morning. When Michael is stuck for the exact words he wants to say, he moves into pantomime mode. He acted out the beatings this teacher inflicted on his students, and then the other people in the class helped him find the English words to match the actions.
7. Ruby told us her worst teacher abused them. When asked questions that he didn't know the answers to , he would get very angry. This teacher also smoked in class, which bothered the students very much.
8. Gabby talked of a teacher who would get so angry that he would throw classmates' books out of the room. She referred to him as a very ferocious person in her memory.
This group of students , too , composed a list of characteristics of "good" teachers: a. kind-hearted b. responsible c. love the students d. knowledgeable e. has good sense of humor f. has an open heart g. be patient with students h. have good teaching methods i. be good at acting j. be a good leader k. be a good listener l. be a good learner
Some themes that emerged all focused on the significant and memorable role teachers play in all of our lives. Many of the students in their 30's were discussing teachers they had in primary and middle school. What emerged reminded me of the teaching philosophy of Jack Johnson, a dear friend and fellow teacher in Michigan: Students will not always remember what you taught them, but they will always remember how you treated them. We all know that we are more open to teachers who respect and value us, teachers who are kind and gentle and patient with us.
This seems to be universal. I told my class about one of my favorite teachers, Mrs. Volk. This marvelous woman trusted me enough to loan me signed first editions of many books she owned. I was so petrified of dropping the book in a puddle or losing it that I never took any of them home. Instead, I stored her precious books in my locker in high school and then checked the books out of the library to read. Mrs. Volk also asked me to meet her in the parking lot one Saturday night. She proceeded to take me downtown Detroit to the Fisher Theatre to see Julie Harris perform in "The Belle of Amherst". This began my lifelong love affair with the works of Emily Dickinson... Mrs. Volk also asked me to teach the class on occasion, trusting me to synthesize a study of a novel by teaching about themes and relevance in many of the works we read in class.
Further, I remember a time when the entire school was in chaos on the Friday of Homecoming Week. Truman High School was constructed in the mid-1970's, and the design was essentially a wall-less, open floor plan. Imagine twenty or thirty classrooms in a huge cluster, with nothing but a file cabinet here or there to divide the rooms. Day after day, not just on Homecoming Day, chaos and noise permeated every area of the building, making it very difficult to think, concentrate, or learn. On this Homecoming Friday, Mrs. Volk, as usual, had us seated in a semi-circle, discussing the literature of the day. I remember her leaning toward us and saying, "Isn't it wonderful that we are the only people in the entire school learning anything today?" And all I could do was say, "yes, yes, yes..." I admired her determination to teach and her dedication to our learning, even under difficult and challenging circumstances. I think of her often and wish she were still around to share this China journey with me.
Some history about this Summer Language Institute here at Bijie...
Apparently, this is a highly sought after workshop for many departments at Bijie University. A department chair from another department, outside Foreign Affairs, asked if he could observe my class today. This may have been the first time he has experienced observing an American teacher interacting with Chinese students. We sang and did the choreography to "I Will Plant Seeds of Joy" and "Lend a Helping Hand." We worked on additional vocabulary by generating opposites of words. This professor joined in by offering words to consider, too. We then played the fly swatter game to reinforce the vocabulary and the pronunciation of the new words. And then we read a dramatic version of "The Three Little Pigs." Anthony wanted to play Mother Pig, and he did a most outstanding job offering sage and stern advice to the three little piglets. Cindy took on the role of the big bad wolf, and we all ended up practicing huffing and puffing and blowing the house down.
I also introduced the K-W-L reading strategy using "The Paper Bag Princess." This is a strategy that asks students to discuss what they know about the topic before the story, what they want to know as they read, and what they learned after reading. I chose this story because we had discussed gender roles in conversation groups the day before. I had a marvelous time creating different voices for the prince, the princess, and the dragon - and this story turned the traditional fairy tale on its head. We had a very engaging discussion regarding how the female in this story overpowered the dragon - not with force or violence, but with her cleverness and her wit. I imagine the whole experience was quite a culture shock to the visiting professor, but he left smiling and seemed happy to have witnessed the class today.
For those of you who know me well, you know that my classroom is always open to anyone, at anytime. No prior reservation or request needed. As a result, I do not get nervous when someone visits my classroom. Most visitors discover very quickly that I pull them into the class activity and discussion, which is a joy for me as well as the students in the class.
I am learning about the importance of chain of command here in China. We have been having difficulty with our food, as much of it is swimming in a great deal of oil, which isn't agreeing with our digestive systems. There is also very little protein available. Mr Tang has graciously worked with the kitchen staff to develop a "menu" for us for each meal. We experiment with new foods each day. For example, tomorrow we could potentially have a feast of fried cowpea, fried fungus, and a fried vegetable that resembles an elephant's black, foot - with rice, too. Anyway, Nancy has reached her limit with the oil and the fat, and with the pork in her morning bowl of noodles. Mr. Tang called in the kitchen supervisor today and gave him a very stern old-fashioned tongue lashing right by our table. I noticed that the person receiving the criticism did not look up from the ground at all while being reprimanded. Mr. Tang did not look at him, either. The kitchen supervisor knew that he had to answer to Mr. Tang, and that Mr. Tang was clearly not pleased with his performance. It was a very awkward situation, and the kitchen supervisor was apparently told that if he didn't want to do his job well , he could simply quit his position. We made it clear that we did not want anyone fired, but we are finding that people with particular jobs are expected to perform at high levels, especially where foreigners are concerned.
We experienced a similar situation when we asked Mr. Tang to come into our classes and review some very basic rules with the students: be on time, no absences from the institute, no cell phones, and no guests or children. Mr. Tang, who is one of the kindest and most personable people I have ever known, once again went into "authority" mode, assuring us that students would not violate any of these class rules again. I was amazed that he spoke about each rule for about five minutes. The students were attentive and promised him they would do better in the future. Mr. Tang told us this is the "Chinese Way" and the students understand that they must do their jobs well and be accountable for their behaviors and learning. For us as teachers here, this is a very supportive and "no nonsense" atmosphere in which to teach. I was a bit flabbergasted to see him flip into authority mode, but he balanced the whole situation at lunchtime. Walking past the room where the students eat, we noticed Mr. Tang sharing lunch with the students, smiling and conversing. "It's the Chinese way, " he told us later. There is a sense of duty and consequence here, but there is also a strong feeling of friendship between the professors and their students. Mr. Tang is a master at balancing these two modes, and the students have a great deal of respect for him.
On another note, we saw a snake for the first time this morning on our way to breakfast. Yes, I have a photo, as I haul my camera everywhere. During the rain, many frogs have emerged... tiny little creatures that hop around very quickly on all the steps.
On the basic needs front, we have had steady water for several days now. The mosquitoes are still under control. I battle several flies before I finally go to bed at night. My digestive system is still churning and uncomfortable much of the day. Nancy has decided to "play Mama" to me by plying me with purple Gatorade. She also gave me several capsules of Vitamin C and multivitamins. She has travelled extensively, to many countries, and sees the signs of dehydration quickly.
As a matter of fact, Nancy invaded my dreams last night. In the dream, I was at a meeting with my LATTICE friends, talking about the experience in China. As I was talking, I passed out onto the floor. Then I heard Nancy say that there was no way I was going to a hospital in Bijie, that she wanted me taken to a hospital in Guiyang, the capitol of Guizhou Province. In between her concern, she continued to say, "I told you to drink more water!!!" Ah, Nancy is even invading my dreams with her care taking.
I believe I have developed bronchitis, too, so I am taking an antibiotic I brought with me.... just in case. Feel like I am going to hack up a lung.
So, it is probably a good thing the weekend has begun. I won't have to speak as much, nor as loudly or as clearly. Several students tell me I am very easy to understand and that I remind some of them of the voice of a woman on some of their foreign language learning CD's. For the weekend, we are traveling with Mr. Tang and his driver to see the world famous Zhijin cave about 3 hours from Bijie. We will then travel to Anshun and see the beautiful Huangguoshu Waterfall, the largest waterfall in Asia. Many hours driving, and we plan to stop in Guiyang to have dinner with Bill, the director of the institute.
It is odd to say that I have only known my students for nine days, but I feel very close to them and feel like I have known them all my life. They are absolutely wonderful to work with, and they make me very proud to be a teacher. Their open hearts and minds inspire me everyday. And... with their amazing voices, I am going to teach some rounds and some harmony next week!Music is truly the universal language.
I have learned two new Chinese words today: Shui (水) for water, and MaMaHuHu (馬馬虎虎 - literally, horse-horse-tiger-tiger) for the Chinese equivalent of "so-so". I am finding many situations to apply the phrase MaMaHuHu, as I love to say the phrase. I taught Mr. Tang "spelunking" when we were talking about cave exploration today. Another fun word in the mouth and on the lips!
I will probably not post again until Sunday night or Monday, due to travel over the weekend. In the meantime, I wish all of you a relaxing weekend. As the Nigerian saying goes, "Hold a true friend with both hands." Remember to embrace those you love with two caring hands...
Thank you for your patience in waiting for another entry. Those of you who know me well know that I usually make every effort to update daily. However, due to many circumstances that have to do with very basic needs, my time has been absorbed.
Quick update on basic needs...
1. The mosquitoes were a tremendous problem in the apartment here. I even e-mailed the former Peace Corps couple who lived here right before me, and they had a few suggestions regarding mosquito netting. There was a Peace Corps issue net in the closet, but the custodial staff wasn't keen on putting a hook in the ceiling. The mosquitoes were thick on the walls everywhere, not just in the bedroom. So, we asked for a netting over the bed as well as netting over all the windows.
It took a great deal of negotiating and experimenting with what might work, but we are finally quite protected from the little critters - a mosquito net has been installed over the whole bed. I have to zipper myself in at night, quickly, and it works quite well. It actually is close to the "canopy" I'd always longed for as a little girl. This net is minus the frills and ruffles, but is it very practical. The windows are all covered now, too, and I can see thousands of the mosquitoes trying to get in on the other side of the net. Better out there than in here.
2. The water has gone off periodically. We have a supply of many bowls, tubs, etc... - anything we could find to store water.
3. Food is still an issue, as we feel we are getting very little protein. We've asked that we have a bowl of peanuts served with lunch and dinner, which I think helps. Sometimes meals are about a half cup of vegetables in heavy oil, about a tablespoon of meat, and rice. I've taken to having a half can of Coca Cola at noon to give me a little caffeine energy for the afternoon session of classes.
4. I am becoming less of an embarrassment to myself as I use chopsticks. I am far from an aficionado with the wooden sticks, but now that I can maneuver them, I actually prefer to eat the food with chopsticks. I am not as amusing to watch eating as I was when I first arrived in China.
Now onto the teaching experience here...
The students are absolutely amazing! They are so very eager to learn, and they are especially appreciative of teaching methods that are active and interactive. For example, to stay better immersed in English, they have all adopted Americanized names in the class. Although part of our job is to help them improve their own English skills, we are also sharing Best Practice methods with them that they can use with their own students.
My group of teachers are primary teachers - which correlates to our elementary teachers. Although I teach middle school, I decided to take on the added challenge of focusing on a grade level that was a bit out of my comfort zone. This was a good decision for me because I am stretching in many ways as I teach here. These teachers/students are accustomed to very traditional teaching. They aren't used to a great deal of interpersonal interaction with their own teachers, largely due to the size of their classes. Most have between 60-90 students in a room at any given time. The desks are in straight rows, bolted to the floor.
One of the best parts about this program, thanks to Bill Richardson (who coordinates the teachers for the Summer English Language Institute through Oakland University), is that he has rooted the program in person-to-person interaction. As a result, we are all getting to know one another as individuals. Cultural stereotypes are constantly challenged because we have each other now as a reference point. On the first day of class, I asked the students to write down any questions they had for me - personal, about American culture, whatever they would like to ask. We draw one each day and talk about the question.
Yesterday's question asked how I like teaching here in China and how I like teaching back in America. I've been a teacher for 26 years now, and this experience is the most profound. My Chinese students have open minds and open hearts, and with all of us reaching out toward one another in so many wonderful ways, we have "bonded" quite quickly. We spend five hours each day in the classroom, and then we often see students around campus, in the canteen, etc...
Anyway, my response to their question caused me to reflect on how much I truly love being with them each day. They want to know, too, if I want to be their friend. I reply with a resounding "yes"... and many tears in the room.
There is much goodness here. I am very grateful to be able to sing and dance, as this gift has enabled me to connect to many of my students very quickly. We start the day with a children's song, and I create motions for ease in learning. These are all songs that will help them and their own students get a feel for the rhythm of the language. To incorporate a bit of American culture, I taught them some swing dancing today to the tune of the Glenn Miller Big Band. We also learned some salsa to La Bamba one morning, just as a way to get us all awake and alert. We've incorporated the Hokey Pokey, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and a host of other favorites. I've used several songs by Gemini (those twin brothers out of Ann Arbor). Nancy made CD's for each student, so they will be able to incorporate these music/language/dance lessons easily into their own classrooms. I am learning about Chinese culture every day, too.
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we have "conversation groups" with 1/3 of the class. The focus here is on speaking and listening, with writing and reading being a secondary aspect of the institute. They get plenty of practice with book learning of English, writing exercises, etc..., but they rarely have the opportunity to learn and talk with a native English speaker. We had two major topics in conversation groups today: teachers and teaching, and gender roles in Chinese/American culture.
Here's what was generated as we talked... First, their list of what makes a "good " teacher -
1. Be friendly 2. Smile to students 3. Be warm-hearted 4. Use humor 5. Don't beat your students 6. Know many things - have knowledge 7. Have a sense of responsibility 8. Be patient with poor students 9. Have confidence 10. Love your students and make them love you 11. Be healthy 12. Love to study 13. Don't be late for class
When I asked them if they were able to do all of these things as teachers, they said it would be very difficult to do all of these things well. They long for personal relationships with their students, but, sadly , the large numbers often prevent this closeness. They all said they must be very strict in order to manage their classes.
Many stories surfaced about experiences they have had as teachers. Many of the students are from the countryside themselves, and they were very, very poor growing up. I am flabbergasted by the diligence and the self-learning that has occurred and the kind of dedication it has taken for many of these students to get where they are. A few do not want to remain teachers and have plans to move into other careers.
One very bright young man wants to be a translator. His English is superb and he studies all the time. The drive in him reminds me of Muari Suvedi, who was the facilitator on my Fulbright trip to Nepal in 2003. When we were down by the river testing the water with chemical kits we had brought from America, there was a young man just bursting with amazing questions. He was thought-filled and simply wanted to learn as much as he possibly could. As Muari and I were walking up the mountain later on, I told him how impressed I was with this young man's curiosity and determination. Muari told me that he was just like that boy as a child, and I saw great love for that boy in Muari's eyes as he relayed his own story of growing up in this village.
I am discovering that the Chinese students are a wonderful combination of cooperative learning and competitive learning. They are kind and patient with one another, and they help one another when words/phrases are difficult or new. There is a sense of community here that is very alive.
They are also very competitive. We play the "fly swatter" game when we learn a new set of vocabulary. For example, we examined American coins and bills, talking about all the items, words, and symbolism on each coin. I wrote the new vocabulary related to money on the board, divided the class into two teams, and then proceeded to shout out a word. One member from each team has a fly swatter, and the first team member to run up to the board and swat the word gets a point. Leo, who is the epitome of a polite gentleman, pushed a female classmate right out of his way in order to swat the word called. The class burst with laughter... which happens a great deal.
Today they worked for a bit on acrostics of their English names. They had to think of an adjective that describes them, using each letter of their first name. I always model the activity and brainstorm with the students first, so as we were helping Diana (Zhan Chun) write her acrostic, some said she was "delicious" for the "d" in her name. Their English is sophisticated enough to allow for a great deal of banter and natural language humor, so the class ended up "playing" with the word delicious for the rest of the day. They have a collective delightful sense of humor, which makes teaching this class simply loads of fun.
We practice vocabulary, pronunciation, and rhythm through short exercises called Jazz Chants. Today, they especially like the one that involved a mother and father talking about a sleeping baby. We worked on another scenario about a parent trying to urge a slow-moving child out the door. Joe and Anthony ended up acting out the scene with phenomenal facial, body, and verbal expression.
We've been using photos and art as an impetus for writings, which I do in my English classes at East Lansing, too. I brought laminated photos/artwork of children, the elderly, nature, abstract art, etc... We began with some bizarre photos, one of which was an elephant with a man's head in his mouth. I am discovering that the Chinese have a deep sense of ferreting out themes in anything they approach, whether it be a photo, a book, or a film. This elephant/man photo, which I simply perceived as funny, elicited a comment from the pair working with the photo that it demonstrates the ability of nature and human beings to live together in harmony.
In our conversation groups, we also discussed gender roles and body language. Here are some things I learned:
1. If you form a "c" with your thumb and forefinger, and then leave the other three fingers standing together, you have the request for a water closet. Very helpful if you don't speak Chinese.
2. The Chinese have a proverb/philosophy that "women lift up half the sky" and that "men lift up half the sky." They deeply value the contributions both males and females make to holding up the sky, and they talked in depth about how cooperation between men and women creates a full, round sky.
3. When we discussed why people might break apart when dating, Joe (Wang Jiazhou) told us that he once broke up with a girl because she played mahjong too much. He said that if she insisted on playing so much with her girlfriends, then she would not devote the necessary time to her family.
4. The female students said that sometimes they break apart a relationship when they discover that the man is drinking a great deal of wine. Wine here is sometimes referred to as "spirits," and this is usually locally made liquor that will knock you right out of your socks.
5. Anthony (Zhou Liang), who is very young looking but has a son of five years old, told us that his wife works in the countryside and that he is willing and responsible about watching his son during the week. He takes on all the duties associated with child raising. All of the students in the class gave him a huge round of applause, telling him he was a great father and a great husband.
6. When we discussed the advantages of being a female in Chinese society, the students said that a woman will someday have the honor of being a grandmother; a woman is the first teacher of her child; a woman gets to wear more stylish clothes than a man; and the woman is the center of the family.
7. When we discussed the advantages of being a male in Chinese society, the students said that men sometimes get to sleep and watch television while the wife cooks; have the honor of providing for his family; has strength physically; and can help the woman when difficulties arise.
8. When we talked about dating and how one shows their love for another, they said that the man gives the woman flowers; the man sends notes of love; the man sometimes writes love poetry for the woman; and the man gives gifts like CD's to the woman. When I asked if the females did the same, they said no. The woman, it seems, are usually the recipient of the gifts, the notes, etc... Only when the couple becomes engaged would the female feel free to give gifts to the male.
9. When we talked about who initiated romance, they resoundingly agreed that this was the duty of the male. None of the women would consider being the initiator of a romance.
10. Before our discussion, I asked the students to jot down some of the advantages and disadvantages of being male and female, respectively. One group of women called me to their table, telling me they could think of very few advantages of being a female in Chinese society, and told me their list of advantages for males would be much longer.
As you can see, I am learning a great deal about Chinese culture via our discussions...
On Friday, the students have planned a party for us. I've been told to wear the Chinese shirt that I wore earlier this week. It has dragons on it and is apparently representative of the Tang Dynasty, which was 2000 years ago. There will be something to do with karaoke at the party, and Nancy and I have been asked to perform something. The students are filled with excitement about the party plans. They often express their gratitude for our presence and our devotion to them, and the party is one way of thanking us for traveling across the world to be with them. I am often overwhelmed by their kindness.
I have had many students bring guests to class: friends, siblings (ethnic minority couples here are allowed to have more than one child), fellow teachers, etc... The visitors arrive and then remain for days, which has made the class grow in size. Normally, the institute has a policy of no visitors because the workshop is designed to assist the participants in a very meaningful and direct way. So, we had to put a cabash to the visitors because we no longer had enough desks for everyone. They were very willing to share desks, however... yet another sign of the cooperative spirit here.
Time for some lesson planning for tomorrow. By the way, it is my husband Michael's birthday today. When I told my students that I was sad to miss his special day, they broke into song - the English and the Chinese versions of "Happy Birthday". They asked me to tell him of their singing for him. The Chinese version wishes him good health, and happiness every day for the coming year. They hoped he would hear their song across the many miles.
I knight my Chinese student "William", after my father, and tell him that there is a song about Billy Boy and making classic American cherry pie. We ritualize this tradition here, giving each student an English name.
There is no sword or crown - only a fly swatter we use to imprint these alien-to-tongue names, a team race to the blackboard to swat each English name as it is bellowed out in class.
In return, the students offer a Chinese name to me, their foreigner, their teacher for the summer. A chosen name after voting thumbs up or thumbs down, a remnant from yesterday's lesson on democracy and voting. They baptize me with "Bai Ling", a rare Chinese bird with a beautiful song voice. They tell me, "We give this name to you because you fly high and free and beautiful and have a song like this special bird."
In mute thanks, I enfold my wings around their open hearts, and whisper a quivering love song into the palms of their gracious hands...
Every citizen has work, has a job to do, "Professor Tang tells me. A sense of accomplishment. A sense of purpose.
I. And I watch the men with the the woven baskets longer than a human torso harnessed to their backs. They appear in pairs, in trios. They have come in from the farms, from the China countryside, from villages even more remote than Bijie.
They wield picks capable of crushing rock into fragments of fractured gray stone. Their arms pulse at wrist and elbow, sinewy and stretched, like human flesh canvas over ancient bone.
The nails of their feet are black and cracked like stubborn Bijie mud after a thunder and lightning sky. A replica of the encrusted lines below their eyes. These are old eyes, cavernous eyes, eyes that have absorbed the dust of the road, the refuse of the pick, the very earth itself.
II. And I watch the woman with the alley marketplace straw broom sashaying side to side her whole body familiar close to the stick, the broom handle her wooden lover. Her hands clutch the shoulders of the broom and the dust dervishes round her shoes, burying them in brown haze and smoke. All around her the dust swirls inside the weary wind, and the dance goes on, never exiting to stage right or stage left.
III. And I watch the man with the pick axe hacking away at a furrow in the road, hollowing out a jagged line of concrete where new road will be laid. His woven triangular hat pushes the sun from his eyes and the dust from his mouth.
His pounding is rhythmic, his hands are metered machines, liaisons between pick and cement.
He has been chiseling this miniature trench since I passed him at 7 a.m. It is now almost supper, and he does not raise a chalky palm to wipe his forehead. His work is below his eyes, fixed, assured that time will never stop breathing as long as his hands are in motion, as long as the pick axe breaks ground.
So very much happens here in such little time and I am becoming back logged in keeping up my notes. I have met with my students for two sessions now, and I really want to tell you about them, but I will continue with the Kaili adventure first... and later update you on my students.
When last I wrote, I was speaking of the dinner plans, which included selecting fresh fish and purchasing Yang Mei wine from the woman with a small shop of jug vats on the street. Within minutes of these two purchases, we were sitting around a hot pot of the region's specialty item: sour fish. The hot pot is a very large, sometimes wok-shaped pot, placed on the center of a wooden table that has a heating insert. The insert, supplied with electricity, keeps the contents at a slow boil.
It is difficult to escape the rising steam, as the room is small. As a result, between the spicy hotness of the actual dish and the steam rising, the room becomes very much like a sauna quite quickly. Add a few glasses of Yang Mei wine, and you have the proper picture in your mind. The sour fish speciality dish was very good. Like nothing I have ever tasted.
I am slowly becoming less and less intimidated by the chopsticks. Everyone has their own way of holding them, but the idea is to get the food from your bowl to your mouth, whatever that might mean for you with the chopsticks in hand. The stabbing method works especially well for food that has more of a solid texture, like dumplings. Now I am able to eat most foods with the chopsticks and can actually carry on a conversation at the same time. It reminds me of the joy I finally felt when I was able to drive a car and carry on a conversation with a passenger at the same time. For the first week or so, I felt very clumsy with the chopsticks, thereby having a very distant relationship with the food that was offered.
It is custom here to offer many toasts when drinking the local alcohol. The challenge of "Gan Bei" is often presented, which is equivalent to our "bottoms up." The Yang Mei wine is made from local fruits, deliciously sweet, and very easy to consume. As a result, one doesn't realize how woozy one is becoming after several "Gan Bei" declarations. To make a long and rather dizzy story short, my sour fish dinner ended up back on the table, and two very kind Chinese men maneuvered me down the twisty staircase and out of the restaurant quite a time after it had officially closed. Nancy didn't lose her dinner until we arrived back at the hotel, fortunately for her. However, the night of sour fish and Yang Mei resulted in one wicked tie-over into the morning for both of us.
We were awakened by a phone call from Wang Shan before 7 am, wanting to know how we were feeling. Nancy answered the phone, and he asked her to "touch Marianne to be certain that she is alive." He was very worried, as he is very protective of these two American woman who have arrived in his hometown. He continued to call every 45 minutes or so, making sure we were okay. In his words, he was "terrified all night long" worrying about our health. He was very pleased to hear our voices and know that the only residue was a throbbing headache and a sick stomach. Needless to say, we have sworn off Yang Mei wine.
By noon the next day, Wang Shan escorted us on a bus to one of the Miao villages outside Kaili. As I said earlier, Kaili is the "gateway" to many of the ethnic minority villages. China is composed of approximately 90% people from Han ancestry, and the other 10% are the 56 different ethnic minorities. Each minority has a uniquely preserved culture, often associated with particular clothing, customs, foods, handicrafts, and architecture. We visited the Nanhua Miao Village, which was about 40 minutes outside Kaili. One enters a very different and beautiful world outside Kaili. The homes are mostly constructed of wood. Bridges, too, are all wood, and they are made with joint structures that interlock, rather than using any nails. There is a serenity in this place that is peaceful and graceful. Many of the rooftops curve upward just a bit on the edges, and they lines of the roof are covered in a white material that looks like a sort of muslin or thick linen from a distance. This is the China that many Americans might recognize from photos... the old men and women carrying double sided baskets over their shoulders, the women pounding rugs down by the river, the person carrying sticks or greens inside a triangular shaped basked affixed to one's back, etc...
We entered the village via a wooden bridge, and literally every turn of your head offers a site more beautiful than the one before. The land here is used in creative, ingenious, and lovely ways. Terraced crops are everywhere, with the predominant crops being rice and corn. As we walk toward the town, we climb a gentle mountain path alongside many of the Miao village residents. At the top of the climb, there is a group of young boys playing basketball, which seems to be a very popular leisure time activity here. Rarely, however, do we see females playing this sport.
The village itself is comprised of many small houses nestled into the mountain. The path from top to bottom of the village is very people-friendly: a stone path of steps in the center, with two narrower flat path to either side of the steps. This allows for ease of walking while pulling or pushing a wheeled cart on the smooth surface. A great deal of practical design has gone into the planning of this village, making the daily chores and moving about as manageable as possible. I am so very impressed that practicality and logic go hand in hand with the gracefulness of the whole village.
There is much beauty here. Ascending the path of the village, there are many small shops. Here you can purchase crafts unique to the Miao people: silver jewelry, embroidered tapestries, batik clothing, etc...
Wang Shan is of Miao ancestry, so he shared customs and traditions with us as we walked. With very little urging, we were treated to a traditional Miao song and dance by him when we purchased a traditional Miao flute for him as a gift. Wang Shan also has a most lyrical, light, high, and airy voice, and he shared a few Miao songs with us once we reached the top of the village. Many of the songs are about a young man waiting for his lover, wishing for her to appear in his life or to return to him. I am discovering the the Miao people are very romantic.
As we ascended the mountain, Nancy was curious about the very black hair of the older Miao women. She was wondering what mixture they might use on their hair to keep the gray from showing -- similar to the way some cultures use henna in the hair. We asked Wang Shan to translate, and we discovered that the Miao women do nothing to their hair - it is simply naturally a very dark black, even in old age. The old woman, who was carrying a granddaughter on her back in an intricately embroidered backpack, was very flattered that we found her to be so very beautiful. When I asked if we could take her picture, she paused and asked if she could have a moment to put on her good apron - and then I was able to take a picture of this lovely woman.
About halfway up the path, a little girl of about 9 years old began to follow me. We quickly became good friends, and she loved seeing the pictures in the digital frame of my camera. She stayed with me the rest of the time we were in the village, enjoying making what appeared to be the peace sign with her hands in several of the photos. Laughter is easy and free here, and seeing her made me miss my own daughters even more.
I shared with her a little rhyme story my Nana (my Lithuanian grandmother) used to do for me when I was a child. It is "Vido Vido Cushia" which is the story of a little mouse that is in search of some cheese. I remembered my grandmother's callused fingers making circles on my palms, telling how the mouse was scurrying around looking for food. Then, suddenly, the mouse spies a piece of cheese, and this is represented by my Nana racing her fingers up and down my arm. This story always elicited giggles from me as a child, and I witnessed the same delight in the laughter of this little Miao girl. There are no walls here.
By the way, today is my Nana's birthday. She is 95 years old and currently lives in an Alzheimer's Unit in a coal-mining region in Pennsylvania. Her days are spent listening to radio broadcasts and music from the 1940's, which they pipe into the ward. The theory is that most of the people in the ward are existing in that time period in their minds, so the broadcasts create some measure of comfort, stability, and reassurance. When I visited her in this unit, I felt like I was in the middle of a very bizarre episode of The Twilight Zone.
At the top of the village, there is a pavilion for traditional dance performances. There is no schedule posted anywhere and the performance simply begins when it begins. For about an hour, the elders of the village gather at the top of the village. The men position themselves on the steps, and the women tend to gather on the edges of the stage. Again, everywhere you look there is beauty. This seems to be a very social culture, providing many opportunities structurally in the village for gathering. At the same time, amidst all the sharing and talking, a few people in various directions sat alone. There seems to be a respect granted for whatever an individual needs at any given time, and the flow from being alone to blending with the community appears natural and free-flowing. The sense of community, though, is visibly tangible.
I am reminded of a conversation I had with a man from Bosnia a few years ago when I attended an AP English conference in Vermont. He was the driver who came to pick me up at the airport, so we had about two hours to talk on our journey. He came to the United States to leave his war-torn country. When asked how he liked living here, he told me that he did not understand Americans at all. In his country, people work during the day, and then in the evening, after dinner with their families, they move out into the streets, visiting with one another. He told me it was nothing to take a bottle of wine to a neighbor's home in the evening, just spontaneously, without formal invitation or pre-planning. They share the wine, talk of their day, and enjoy the company of each other. This practice, he told me, allowed all of them to feel strong enough and refreshed enough to return to work the next day. The time with friends in the evening revitalized all the members of the community, enabling them to return to work with a lighter heart the next day.
Americans, he told me, lock ourselves in our houses in the evening. We eat alone and then don't go out, don't visit with neighbors, sometimes don't even know our neighbors. We must be a very sad people, he said, without this refreshment that he knew every night. He felt that Americans are very isolated, lonely people, and he didn't understand how we continue on each day with such loneliness and separateness from one another. This man from Bosnia would be very much at home in a Miao village, where they know and live the value of community and sharing time together.
More later... Now our apartment is being outfitted with mosquito netting for our beds and windows. There are literally thousands of the fragile-winged critters in the apartment, and they frequently buzz around my head. There is always the taste of mosquito in my mouth, as they permeate this space. We are hoping that the netting will help us sleep better at night. Tang Gang, our Bijie University liaison, is taking very good care of us while we are here.
On another note, we saw a snake for the first time this morning on our way to breakfast. Yes, I have a photo, as I haul my camera everywhere. During the rain, many frogs have emerged... tiny little creatures that hop around very quickly on all the steps.
