March 12, 2007

Greetings All:

The lunar Year of the Dog is out and the Year of the Pig is in. Best greetings to you all. This festival is probably the biggest celebration for the Chinese. Sort of like Thanksgiving (everyone returns to visit family), Christmas (gift giving, mostly money), and New Year rolled into one.

I took advantage of the six-week semester break to travel. An Amity teacher friend and I flew to Beijing (cheaper than train), witnessed the glorious Wall, which did not disappoint, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Ming tombs, glimpses of the Olympic stadium, etc. Wow!

I’ll skip the part about being sick as a dog for two days.

Xi’an

Next we flew to Xi’an to see the terra cotta warriors. Again, they did not disappoint—three massive areas with buildings put up around and over them.

The beautiful, ancient Drum Tower and the Bell Tower in the city of Xi’an were the stuff of storybook illustrations. So too, the Great Goose Pagoda and the Small Goose Pagoda.

It was in Xi’an that I took the plunge. Eli nudged me after getting her hair cut. Mine hadn’t been cut for six months, out of fear. The shop was near the hotel, so no excuse about distance. Off I went. The guy did a great job. I was afraid that they wouldn’t have much experience cutting curly hair and I didn’t need to go looking for trauma. I don’t know where he was trained, but he did a good job, and both he and I were pleased. Of course, if I want to go back to him, it will be rather expensive, with airfare and all. Haircuts are normally about 10 RMB ($1.25). He was 30 RMB ($3.75) and worth every jiao.

Chengdu

We headed back to Nanchang for a few days then off to the Amity Conference in Chengdu where the Panda Research Base is located. A group of us headed there one afternoon and loved it. What a sight, eight or ten cubs, some so lazy they wouldn’t get down from their sleeping platforms to eat. One rolled down an embankment and stayed down in the gulley until the handler went and got him. Then he or she and a buddy actually play-fought and rolled around like children.

Most would not even walk over to the area where the workers had their bottles ready at feeding time. Each one had to be picked up, carried to a chair, or propped up, or settled against a tree trunk. One worker climbed to the sleeping platform, reached as far as he could to drag a cub over, but no good. The tyke was not interested enough to move a muscle. The sub-adults even had to be tricked into following the worker into the house for feeding. She tickled him, poked him, and slapped his nose lightly before he decided to get up. Their lack of interest in social interaction (even finding a mate) is one problem with their decreasing numbers in the wild, according to the film shown.

The red pandas are quite different—smaller and very active. They reminded me of foxes. The Research Base was something that I had hoped I would get to see in my time in China, so I was thrilled.

Sizhuan

We took a four-hour bus trip with other Amity teachers to see some of the Amity projects in the rural areas of eastern Sizhuan province, mainly retraining and teaching skills for the blind and low vision. One visit to a church and its missions, partly funded by Amity, included visits to medical facilities, a kindergarten, and a center for the elderly (ages about 50 and up) where the ladies were waiting in two columns outside the church, in brilliant yellow and red outfits, drumming us in. It was breathtaking. They performed several dances for us. At the kindergarten, the children were ready with songs and smiles. We surely were welcomed.

At another church we had sort of a sing-off, I guess. The church choir (this was on a Tuesday, so not all could make it) sang several songs. Then they asked us (about 50 Amity folks plus representatives from various sending-agencies) to sing “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” and “Amazing Grace.” After the first verse, they joined us, in Chinese, so we were cultures and languages, blending in song. It was moving.

Both church structures were several hundred years old and have congregations with more than 500 members. They meet the needs of the disadvantaged in the community and surrounding countryside. The larger church (in the smaller city) had several pastors, working part-time, I think, but the senior pastor was a young woman who is finishing at the seminary this year. Very dynamic and an effective leader.

More information about their projects can be found at the Amity Foundation Web site.

Atlanta

After the conference, I headed back to Nanchang for a few days. Then I flew to Atlanta to see a dermatologist for a bump that had appeared in December and wouldn’t heal. It turned out to be a malignant skin cancer, which was removed. The pathology report gave me a clean bill of health, so I am greatly relieved. I was lucky to land in the hands of a skilled physician’s assistant on short notice. I knew he and I would do well when he asked me to smile, squint, grimace, etc. so he could mark the lines for his stitches, in case I should get wrinkles some day, he said, he wanted the scar to blend. The whole process was easy, painless, and efficient.

I got to visit family, friends, eat ethnic food, get some summer clothes (I didn’t think I could count on the men’s dept at my Nanchang Wal-Mart for this, though they clothed me this winter). I now have a computer and count myself among those who use bill-pay and e-statements. You go, girl! I even got a digital camera and may (or may not) learn to attach photos to future emails.

The trip back to China was wild. I ended up having an around-the-world trip in three weeks. Due to lightening storms in Atlanta at departure, it took three days to get back. On my way to the States, I went via Shanghai, Tokyo, and Detroit. I returned via Frankfort, over the Ural Mountains, and western Siberia. I stayed overnight in Shanghai, then went on Nanchang the next day. Even more astounding was the fact that my luggage arrived in Shanghai when I did. I still can’t see how, since I was rerouted or delayed three times. Oh well, I’m grateful.

I got back Sunday night and classes started Wednesday, so life continues. The students and I are eager to get going.

Blessings and peace from Nanchang,

Lucretia