Third Quarter Report Card

Now that the Royal Wedding is over, I hope that we can all get on with our lives. I was amazed at the publicity centered on the Royal Couple. Even the papers in China were full of the wedding plans, Will and Kate, and the British culture. 

May 1^st is Labor Day in China, so I have a school holiday on Monday. Last week the students were very excited, and many of them live close enough to go home for a few days. Meanwhile, I am at the halfway mark of the semester and starting to make plans for the remaining weeks of school.

I decided to do a report card of my performance in China to see if I am ready to return home around the first of July.

Using chopsticks -- C+

After an embarrassing dinner the first week I arrived, I have learned to use chopsticks so I do not starve at a Chinese meal. First of all, I have to be able to coordinate the chopsticks to pick a piece of food from the plate on the lazy susan in the middle of table and bring it to my plate. This can be tricky, especially when someone decides to spin the table while I am stabbing the piece of food I have chosen to eat. Also, it is so embarrassing when I let go and the food spills on the tablecloth. Second, I have to be able to get it to my mouth without spilling it in my lap. After seeing my feeble attempts to put food on my plate or in my mouth, some of the waitresses will bring me a fork or spoon, much to my relief. However, last Saturday I picked up a peanut with my chopsticks which is the big test, so I am currently passing. It takes a while to get full with a Chinese meal. Maybe that is a good thing.

Using squatty potties -- D+

In eight months I have used these facilities maybe ten times and only under certain conditions—must be clean and have water to flush. It is also preferable that they have doors on the stalls. Usually a restroom at a KFC, Pizza Hut, or McDonalds is safe or some rest stops with well-maintained facilities are okay to use. Actually, it is a matter of necessity.

Speaking Chinese -- D-

I still know only about ten phrases: hello, good-bye, I agree, no, numbers from 1 to 10, too expensive, thank you, this way and that way. I resort to using sign language or hoping someone speaks a little English when I go shopping and try to find my way around the city.

Lesson Preparation -- B+

Second semester has been much easier for me. I know what to expect out of the students and have tried to find challenging activities for them to do. I have been smarter about having the students present their own writing or speeches in class, which is the whole purpose of teaching here in China.

Computer Proficiency -- B-

I have made amazing progress with the computer. I have learned to make my own power points and access things online. I am no expert but I can do what I need to do and ask someone who knows if I don’t.

Overcoming Cultural-Shock A-

This area is probably the one I have made the most improvement. I can honestly say that Xi’an feels like home to me. I am used to the climate and the condition of the air (mostly), my humble apartment, hearing Chinese all around me as I walk, shopping in the supermarkets with very few English labels on containers, finding my way from Point A to Point B, using bottled water for drinking, washing fruits and vegetables before eating them, walking everywhere, the traffic, and washing and drying my clothes. However, this does not mean that I am not looking forward to coming home to all the wonderful conveniences right at my fingertips.

Flexibility -- C+/B-

It depends on the day. Just when I think I am getting used to the system here in China, something new comes up. The world does not revolve around me here, but I am never sure whom it is revolving around on any particular day. This week I got a phone call from Mr. Pei, my liaison with the Continuing Education Department on the old campus. He informed me that I needed to move my Monday 2:00 P.M. class to 4:00 P.M. because that class needed to do something else during the earlier time. Grudgingly I told him I would do it but I wondered why the Chinese teachers couldn’t teach at 4:00 P.M. I am sure there is a very valid reason for the switch.

Then a few days later he called again and told me that the department was going to pay me extra money for teaching an extra class. I really did not know what he was talking about so I said that they did not need to pay me, but he said it was not his decision. I walked over to the school on Friday and picked up 300 RMB for teaching an extra class. When they asked me if I had any questions, I said no. I have no idea why they are paying me extra.  The phrase “go with the flow” has a whole new meaning here.

Humility -- Incomplete

I have learned this lesson several times, but somehow it never seems to stick. I guess because when you say you are humble, you are not. For some reason, I never feel totally secure in what I am doing. I still do not understand why I came to China; therefore, I wonder if I have fulfilled my reason for being here. Maybe I will never know. Many people have touched my life in a positive way, especially my students, but I hope that I have somehow touched their lives as well. I do not know if there is/was someone special that I need(ed) to meet or talk with. I just have to rely on the Lord in this category. However, I am not finished yet, and hopefully I can still do some good in the next two months.

Tolerance and Understanding – B+

China is opening up to the world in a big way right now and many people are curious about the Chinese people and their customs. I was one of them. I have learned so much about the people and their customs and beliefs that I hope that I have become more tolerant about why they do the things they do. I don’t think a person can truly understand a country until he or she has lived there for a length of time. My time in China has not been wasted. I have tried to see as many places as I could and do as many things as I could and that has changed my outlook in such a positive way. I hope that this change is permanent and that I can now look at other people who may look different than I do and speak a different language and eat different food and see a child of God, worthy of my respect and admiration. There are many qualities I admire in the Chinese people. They are so generous and helpful. They treat their teachers with a genuine respect that I did not always see in my students in Utah. Their young people are vibrant, knowledgeable, and ready to tackle their new world of prosperity. Yet, they have a long history of values about families and harmonious living that are commendable.

That is my report card. Not very impressive in all areas, but maybe I need to get some perspective on it. I am too close to the source here and still struggling to perfect myself. The most important thing is that I am still moving forward in a positive direction. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this program in China.

On April 28^th the Xi’an Horticultural Expo opened its wide doors in a huge beautiful expanse outside of the city. Several of my students will be guides there for two weeks in May. Our university is taking us there on May 21^st. I understand that it is really spectacular. China never does anything halfway so the grounds must be beautiful. Plus, the city itself has been turned into a Garden of Eden. The workers are placing flowers in beautiful arrangements and cleaning up the streets everywhere. I have been very impressed at the change in the city in the past two weeks.  It is blossoming with flowers. Now the plants need some water (rain) to keep them alive. I also heard a rumor that there is a panda at the park. I have my fingers crossed. I want to see a real life panda before I come home since I will not get to see the Great Wall. Note: They do not plant the flowers in the ground. They just keep them in the pots they were planted in and placed them side by side in or on the ground.

The Phillippis and I have let BYU know that we will be ready to come home on July 1^st. We have not received confirmation yet, but hopefully our plans will work out. It will be weird to leave China on the same day I get home in Utah.  Keep your fingers crossed that this will work out.