China Travels | Phil & Sabine's Excellent Adventure
September - A slow start
3rd – 10th September
After a long if not always relaxing holiday, it was time to start work again. During the week, we visited some rural primary schools in order to assess which schools we would work with this semester. These visits are always interesting. Life in a rural school is very different to life in a city school. There is certainly less pressure for the heads and the teachers because they get less money, resources and there is the general consensus that rural students are less able and therefore less help is given to them and the expectations are lower. Our school visits assess the training needs and decide whether the schools really do support the style of training we are able to deliver to their teachers. This is easier said than done, when “yes” does not always mean “yes”!
Whilst waiting for the bus back, we spotted some water melon. We tried to buy some but weren't allowed..... The farmer insisted on giving it to us for free. We are often humbled by people's generosity, especially those who have very little in the first place.
After a long if not always relaxing holiday, it was time to start work again. During the week, we visited some rural primary schools in order to assess which schools we would work with this semester. These visits are always interesting. Life in a rural school is very different to life in a city school. There is certainly less pressure for the heads and the teachers because they get less money, resources and there is the general consensus that rural students are less able and therefore less help is given to them and the expectations are lower. Our school visits assess the training needs and decide whether the schools really do support the style of training we are able to deliver to their teachers. This is easier said than done, when “yes” does not always mean “yes”!
Whilst waiting for the bus back, we spotted some water melon. We tried to buy some but weren't allowed..... The farmer insisted on giving it to us for free. We are often humbled by people's generosity, especially those who have very little in the first place.
10th September is “Teachers’ Day” and it is celebrated every year. There was a presentation ceremony at the school and teachers were awarded certificates for their excellent contribution to teaching. I was one of the chosen few and took my turn to collect my certificate. I was handed two items, one was the certificate and the second as it happens was a double bedspread. Al little surprised, but very practical, and something of which I was in need. Thereafter, we went for a meal with some friends and congratulated each other for being teachers!
11th – 18th September
I went for my first run in months this week and blimey it was hard. The weather is still nice and mild and so my face turned the usual beetroot colour! It may be a while before I do this again! Almost a full day was spent organising our thousands of photos. This was a big job!
Prior to going on holiday, 3 times a day and every day, we have been subject to a loud tannoy announcement being blasted out at 8, 12 and 6 o’clock. We hadn’t missed it in our absence and were delighted to notice that it appeared to have stopped. That was until Sunday morning at 8 AM. It was back and with a vengeance. Why do I need to know it is 8AM on a Sunday morning!
Weekends are good times for a bike rides and so on Sunday, I set off on my bike and explored the local area. The place is changing so quickly. There are modern buildings and then 10 minutes away you can see a famer ploughing his field with a horse. Every day, we are confronted with a rich and a poor China and a developing and a developed China. For me, Xifeng represents these two contrasting worlds – two worlds which are becoming further and further apart from one another.
I went for my first run in months this week and blimey it was hard. The weather is still nice and mild and so my face turned the usual beetroot colour! It may be a while before I do this again! Almost a full day was spent organising our thousands of photos. This was a big job!
Prior to going on holiday, 3 times a day and every day, we have been subject to a loud tannoy announcement being blasted out at 8, 12 and 6 o’clock. We hadn’t missed it in our absence and were delighted to notice that it appeared to have stopped. That was until Sunday morning at 8 AM. It was back and with a vengeance. Why do I need to know it is 8AM on a Sunday morning!
Weekends are good times for a bike rides and so on Sunday, I set off on my bike and explored the local area. The place is changing so quickly. There are modern buildings and then 10 minutes away you can see a famer ploughing his field with a horse. Every day, we are confronted with a rich and a poor China and a developing and a developed China. For me, Xifeng represents these two contrasting worlds – two worlds which are becoming further and further apart from one another.
One evening this evening, we are invited to the opening rehearsal ceremony for the Gansu Sports Meeting which is a high profile sporting event. As is often the case when we are invited somewhere, the invitation is usually to go somewhere or to do something at that precise moment. So when our neighbour asked at tea time if we would like to go, we said yes. It then became clear, that we would be going in 15 minutes. We had just started our tea!! We ate it quickly…
The students from most of the city schools have literally been practising night and day for several weeks for this event. Even in the summer holidays. It was a polished show with lots of dancing and colourful costumes and a light show. The students did really well.
The students from most of the city schools have literally been practising night and day for several weeks for this event. Even in the summer holidays. It was a polished show with lots of dancing and colourful costumes and a light show. The students did really well.
This week a colleague of mine got married and we attended our third Chinese wedding. As is often the case, it was a large affair with about 400 people. The wedding meals are usually held at lunchtime so that most people can attend. We were supposed to sit with my school colleagues but were ushered to the front of the hall to sit with the more distinguished guests. This caused a little embarrassment on my behalf as the only reason we were sitting at the front was because we were foreigners, and not because we were distinguished. Consequently, we sat with a group of people who we did not know and with whom we found difficult it to converse. Oh, yes and I guess it looked like we had snubbed my colleagues. Not sure if they would think that, though. Maybe that is just a western point of view. In fact, it is very difficult to know what a Chinese person is thinking, period! They would make excellent poker players!
It was at the wedding that I learned that if you go to a countryside funeral, the more you cry, the more respect you show the deceased and their family. And the louder the better. If you are not close to the deceased, it is therefore a little difficult to cry. Failure to cry, can often cause offense and so my friend said that on the way to the funeral, she had to practise crying, just so as not to offend anyone. Strange but true!
On Saturday we held our first English Language Improvement Training of the new semester. Or so we thought. Out of a possible 25 participants, only seven attended. Three of them had not even been invited. It transpires that Saturday this week is a holiday. Of course this was not made clear to us. Would you go to a training course on your day off……
It was at the wedding that I learned that if you go to a countryside funeral, the more you cry, the more respect you show the deceased and their family. And the louder the better. If you are not close to the deceased, it is therefore a little difficult to cry. Failure to cry, can often cause offense and so my friend said that on the way to the funeral, she had to practise crying, just so as not to offend anyone. Strange but true!
On Saturday we held our first English Language Improvement Training of the new semester. Or so we thought. Out of a possible 25 participants, only seven attended. Three of them had not even been invited. It transpires that Saturday this week is a holiday. Of course this was not made clear to us. Would you go to a training course on your day off……
19th – 30th September
This week we met up with our Tibetan friends we met on a bus in the summer. They are students at the local college and have part time jobs in the college canteen. So, the first thing they did was to invite us for dinner. They ordered really quite a lot of food. This is a Chinese custom. If you eat everything, it is thought that not enough food was ordered. Consequently, if there is food left, it means that the host was generous and this is seen as being more hospitable, even though a lot of food then goes to waste. We had a bit of a chat and then went to see what events were happening at the stadium as part of the Gansu Sports Meeting. We had a look in some shops where local artists were selling traditional crafts and playing some music. Almost immediately we were accosted by the shopkeepers and customers to have our photograph taken. It is still a humbling experience even though it is a regular occurrence, that so many people want their photo taken with you just because you are a foreigner. I was also given a paper cutting of a monkey which is my Chinese zodiac sign.
This week we met up with our Tibetan friends we met on a bus in the summer. They are students at the local college and have part time jobs in the college canteen. So, the first thing they did was to invite us for dinner. They ordered really quite a lot of food. This is a Chinese custom. If you eat everything, it is thought that not enough food was ordered. Consequently, if there is food left, it means that the host was generous and this is seen as being more hospitable, even though a lot of food then goes to waste. We had a bit of a chat and then went to see what events were happening at the stadium as part of the Gansu Sports Meeting. We had a look in some shops where local artists were selling traditional crafts and playing some music. Almost immediately we were accosted by the shopkeepers and customers to have our photograph taken. It is still a humbling experience even though it is a regular occurrence, that so many people want their photo taken with you just because you are a foreigner. I was also given a paper cutting of a monkey which is my Chinese zodiac sign.
This week, we said goodbye to our friend and colleague Zhang Dan who left us to pursue a new life and career in the capital. A big, brave step and a challenge, but one that we know in which she can excel. Phil and I joined several other colleagues for a “hot pot” with her to say our goodbyes. The next evening, a smaller group of us met again to say yet another goodbye. There is a new restaurant part of the town which we thought we needed to explore. Merrily chatting away, we somehow all agreed to go with Zhang Dan to her hometown the next day to see her off and visit her family. It was Mid-Autumn Festival and we were owed a few days leave so we thought why not! After leaving the restaurant, we took some pictures and then were invited to the restaurant next door for a meal. We explained that we had just eaten but the owner was rather insistent and suggested we only come in for a cup of tea. it was 10 o’clock in the evening at this point. Before we knew what was happening, they were serving us not only a cup of tea but Sichuan style hot pot. Everybody as so full, it was quite difficult to actually eat anything. We managed a few mouthfuls, uttered hoe delicious it was, had the obligatory photo with the chef and restaurant owner and quickly said our good-byes before they asked us to eat something else!
The next day was an early start as we caught the 7AM bus to Tianshui. Eight hours later, having spent the time alternating between listening to my MP3, sleeping, reading and staring out of the window, we arrived at what we thought was our destination. Zhang Dan, in order to celebrate the day’s festival, gave us a “moon cake” each. “Moon cakes” symbolize the gathering of friends and family and are given on this day every year.
However, what we thought was our destination was not quite the case. Another one hour bus ride traversing the mountains was still to come before we arrived at the next main town, where we were picked up by Zhang Dan’s brother. He drove us to the village where Zhang Dan’s family live and we were welcomed by what seemed like rather a large family – unusual for China. It seemed that most of the people were introduced as either her brother or sister. And we thought China had a one child policy. We were really quite surprised. It only transpired over the next couple of days that “a brother” and “a sister” are common expressions for a cousin or bother/sister in law. Quite simple really!
Zhang Dan said that when she told her mother that she was bringing some foreigners to visit, her mum was panic-stricken! Bearing in mind that was less than 24 hours before we arrived, and that one was a vegetarian. And yes, that meant that she really didn’t eat any meat, even chicken or pork. Well, she had no reason at all to panic. The food over the next few days was fantastic- traditional and rustic but mostly delicious. We even ate some fried potatoes and made some Chinese pancakes over an outdoor stove. In the evening we ventured out to the local temple, where Zhang Dan’s family said prayers for her, in the hope that she would be safe and well when living in Beijing. The village had rarely seen foreigners before and so as is often the case, we were stopping people literally in their tracks to stare at us. Some of the more confident younger children climbed the temple steps with us and tried to speak in English with us.
The following day, we visited the local primary school. It really was quite funny to see the pupils’ reactions. When they went to school that morning, no way did they expect to see foreigners walking around their playground!! There was a look of surprise, shock, disbelief and in some cases fear in the children’s faces.
After a hearty lunch, we helped peel and knot the sweet corn so that it could dry over winter. As the children returned back to school after lunch, a few walked past Emma’s yard only to see us, the foreigners. We invited them in and before we knew it there were about 60 kids all crowding round us; laughing, smiling and shouting. Word had got round where we were staying and so we were gate-crashed! A fantastic photo opportunity!
However, what we thought was our destination was not quite the case. Another one hour bus ride traversing the mountains was still to come before we arrived at the next main town, where we were picked up by Zhang Dan’s brother. He drove us to the village where Zhang Dan’s family live and we were welcomed by what seemed like rather a large family – unusual for China. It seemed that most of the people were introduced as either her brother or sister. And we thought China had a one child policy. We were really quite surprised. It only transpired over the next couple of days that “a brother” and “a sister” are common expressions for a cousin or bother/sister in law. Quite simple really!
Zhang Dan said that when she told her mother that she was bringing some foreigners to visit, her mum was panic-stricken! Bearing in mind that was less than 24 hours before we arrived, and that one was a vegetarian. And yes, that meant that she really didn’t eat any meat, even chicken or pork. Well, she had no reason at all to panic. The food over the next few days was fantastic- traditional and rustic but mostly delicious. We even ate some fried potatoes and made some Chinese pancakes over an outdoor stove. In the evening we ventured out to the local temple, where Zhang Dan’s family said prayers for her, in the hope that she would be safe and well when living in Beijing. The village had rarely seen foreigners before and so as is often the case, we were stopping people literally in their tracks to stare at us. Some of the more confident younger children climbed the temple steps with us and tried to speak in English with us.
The following day, we visited the local primary school. It really was quite funny to see the pupils’ reactions. When they went to school that morning, no way did they expect to see foreigners walking around their playground!! There was a look of surprise, shock, disbelief and in some cases fear in the children’s faces.
After a hearty lunch, we helped peel and knot the sweet corn so that it could dry over winter. As the children returned back to school after lunch, a few walked past Emma’s yard only to see us, the foreigners. We invited them in and before we knew it there were about 60 kids all crowding round us; laughing, smiling and shouting. Word had got round where we were staying and so we were gate-crashed! A fantastic photo opportunity!
Later in the day, we returned to Tianshui. Just before we left, Emma’s parents very kindly, gave us some of the local bread to take back with us. In fact they gave us half the bakery! It is great tasting and shall be enjoyed at our leisure…. First, we dropped Emma oft at the station, said our last “goodbye” to her of the week and then continued to drive to Emma’s uncle’s flat where we stayed the night. When we arrived, the aunty answered the door and she seemed a little surprised to see us. She sat us down, gave us a cup of tea and then disappeared for about an hour. We were alone in the flat and beginning to think that maybe she wasn’t the auntie as we were led to believe as were under the impression that the uncle lived alone here. Suddenly the door rattled and in walked the uncle with his grandson. We exchanged formalities and he then proceeded to explain in quite fast Chinese that we would be going out somewhere very soon. After much gesticulation and guesswork we understood that we would be sleeping elsewhere; namely the hotel down the road. No problem, we thought. At this point, “the lady” returned, cooked us some food and we all sat down together to eat as if we had known each other for years!!
The following morning we were given an early morning call at 6AM by the uncle who had come to pick us up for breakfast. We walked back to his flat passing groups of students going to school for the day. Yep, at 6.20AM! We ate our traditional breakfast of steamed bread, bean porridge and salad. and then caught a taxi to the long distance bus station. Once on the bus, I had the sinking feeling I often get when something is wrong. I reached in my bag and noticed that my camera was missing. The bus was leaving in 10 minutes. Even though Emma was officially no longer working for us/ looking after us, I rang her to ask if I had by any chance left it at her parents’ house. She called back to say no, but that the hotel had found it and that her uncle was on the way to give it to me as we speak. With seconds to spare, he arrived. Was I grateful! It’s not so much losing the camera itself, but rather than pictures and the memories that are on it.
Usually the journey on the way back feels quicker. Today, it was not the case. The journey seemed endless. Nine hours later, we were back at our flat. The last few days were quite an adventure and we were worn out as a result. An early night was called for!
The following morning we were given an early morning call at 6AM by the uncle who had come to pick us up for breakfast. We walked back to his flat passing groups of students going to school for the day. Yep, at 6.20AM! We ate our traditional breakfast of steamed bread, bean porridge and salad. and then caught a taxi to the long distance bus station. Once on the bus, I had the sinking feeling I often get when something is wrong. I reached in my bag and noticed that my camera was missing. The bus was leaving in 10 minutes. Even though Emma was officially no longer working for us/ looking after us, I rang her to ask if I had by any chance left it at her parents’ house. She called back to say no, but that the hotel had found it and that her uncle was on the way to give it to me as we speak. With seconds to spare, he arrived. Was I grateful! It’s not so much losing the camera itself, but rather than pictures and the memories that are on it.
Usually the journey on the way back feels quicker. Today, it was not the case. The journey seemed endless. Nine hours later, we were back at our flat. The last few days were quite an adventure and we were worn out as a result. An early night was called for!
The Mid-Autumn Festival “holiday” meant that schools often have a “catch up day” at the weekend. Essentially you have a day off and then go to work at the weekend to compensate for that day off! A good example of Chinese logic. In some schools, Sunday was Friday and in others it was Thursday. Of course nobody knew which day it would be until they got to school that morning; staff and students alike. Difficult to plan your day really, but that doesn’t enter in to the psyche of the leaders who make these decisions.
Chinese Corner started up again this semester and so once a week we meet up with some Chinese students for a meal and a chat in Chinese. It’s a pleasant way to spend an hour or so and allows us to practice the language.
In the evening we went with two colleagues to do a “reccy” at a newly opened western restaurant in the town. We planned to go there later in the week with the leadership team at my school to celebrate the belated “Mid-autumn Festival” and so our visit was to assess the suitability of the place. We ordered some pizza and salad and drank some red wine. It wasn’t too bad at all. I had to remind myself that we were still in Xifeng and not some big city in China where western food restaurants are quite the norm. A few days later, we returned. The food had been pre-ordered and was a mixture of western and Chinese food (“Chinglish” food). We gave a few quick lessons on how to eat with a knife and fork and most had a go; some where more successful than others. Despite remarking that steak is not usually eaten with chopsticks, it fell on deaf ears. Surprisingly, most of the colleagues were not too impressed with the steak. Not too sure if it was to do with the chopsticks or not!! The school were very generous and hospitable and a pleasant evening was had by all.
Chinese Corner started up again this semester and so once a week we meet up with some Chinese students for a meal and a chat in Chinese. It’s a pleasant way to spend an hour or so and allows us to practice the language.
In the evening we went with two colleagues to do a “reccy” at a newly opened western restaurant in the town. We planned to go there later in the week with the leadership team at my school to celebrate the belated “Mid-autumn Festival” and so our visit was to assess the suitability of the place. We ordered some pizza and salad and drank some red wine. It wasn’t too bad at all. I had to remind myself that we were still in Xifeng and not some big city in China where western food restaurants are quite the norm. A few days later, we returned. The food had been pre-ordered and was a mixture of western and Chinese food (“Chinglish” food). We gave a few quick lessons on how to eat with a knife and fork and most had a go; some where more successful than others. Despite remarking that steak is not usually eaten with chopsticks, it fell on deaf ears. Surprisingly, most of the colleagues were not too impressed with the steak. Not too sure if it was to do with the chopsticks or not!! The school were very generous and hospitable and a pleasant evening was had by all.
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