Just the facts.....maybe

Ankang is located in Shaanxi province in central China. It is about 260 km (160 mi), or a 5 hour train trip, south of Xi'an, the location of the terra cotta warriors.

Ankang is on the 32 N latitude, similar to Dallas, Texas. It is located in the Qinling and Qinba Mountains of southern Shaanxi. Its elevation is 1040 ft. according to one source. That same source gives the population in a 7 km (4 mi) radius as 31,374. I had heard the population is 170,000 and also 300,000 but don't know the size of the area for those numbers.

The Hanjiang River flows through Ankang. This is either a tributary of the Han River or perhaps it's the name the Han River is called in this area.

Southern Shaanxi has a subtropical climate. The average summer temperature is 24C (75F). Why, then, do I remember so many August days of 36-39C/97-102F? The coldest winter temps are -1 to -3C (26F). I can hardly wait! The average annual rainfall is 550 - 770mm (21-30in.)

From what I have read on the Internet....a significant number of people in the Ankang area were identified as living at poverty level. For the past 10 years work has been done to improve their living conditions. Since 2000 the government has spent 2 million dollars (Am.) to improve the homes and the water supply. The burning of coal, noted as the source of fluorine and arsenic poisoning, has been discouraged and new methods of cooking and heating are being introduced.

Ankang is seen as a developing economy. Food processing, silk garments, mineral products, construction materials and chemical industries are listed in one website as its five economic sectors.

I have read that Ankang and the greater area were suppliers of silk for the Silk Road. Those hungry caterpillars we saw in the countryside last October have been busy for a long time!

from my windows

The front of my apartment is on an active street. From my living room windows I can watch people coming and going. They are going to market, coming to eat at the sidewalk restaurants, meeting up with each other and who knows what else.



Recently I looked out and saw one of the woman from the businesses in the first floor of our apartment building washing her hair. Cold water in a plastic basin, soap and a towel was all she needed. Warm weather was not required.





Then I looked up and saw the waitresses from the hot pot restaurant watching me! Usually I see them cleaning if they are not serving, but they were taking a moment to watch the street activity too. Hot pot is a way of preparing food. Two broths, one spicy and one not, are placed in the center of the table over fire. You can get vegetables, meats, fruits, tofu....actually about anything... that you cook or heat in the broth yourself. It's quite good. A bit like fondue. The hot pot restaurant is busiest in the evening, but the staff arrives sometime in the morning.


The windows on the back of my apartment face the school grounds and the court between my apartment building and the next. A few weeks ago I looked out and saw radish tops drying on the neatly clipped bushes. The radish tops are made into a relish that is enjoyed on noodles and in sandwiches. The drying tops with their red stems and the circular arrangement looked rather Christmasy!

Observed



While family and loved ones at home were thinking about observing Thanksgiving, I was thinking about being observed. I have been observed every year of my teaching career, all thirty of them. But never quite like in China.

At home, once a year, an administrator observed, took notes, and wrote up an evaluation. Soon after we met to discuss the observation. This was part of the yearly evaluation process. Or sometimes student teachers observed. Generally I was observed by one person at a time.

Here I have been observed by Peixin teachers, small groups of college students, and a class of forty college students. This time I was observed by parents.

The school must have been a bit apprehensive. They pulled my regular assistant, ZiChao who is an eighteen year old in her last year at Ankang Normal School, and Miss Yan, one of the Chinese English teachers, assisted instead. ZiChao taught Miss Yan's classes!

Notice of the opportunity to watch the foreign teachers in action on November 21 and 22 was sent out by text message and posted on the chalkboard at the entrance to the school. I taught three lessons that were open to the public: one first grade, one second grade and one third grade. Nick taught two lessons: one fourth grade and one fifth grade.

We didn't know how many parents would attend. But just in case we decided to move the classes to the auditorium classroom as several of the regular classrooms barely have enough room for the sixty students. Good thinking on our part! The parents filled the remainder of the seats in the auditorium and then some. We would never have all fit in the regular classrooms.

I'm not convinced they all came to see me teach. Perhaps they were a bit curious about the foreigner that meets with their child three times a week. Perhaps they were interested in my teaching method. But I think they really wanted to see their little "WuSongLin" perform. You know how we all are when given a chance to see our child in action!

The students in their red school sweats and red scarves performed beautifully. Yes, they were amazingly on task. Answering questions, running through dialogues, singing songs, calling out letters as we wrote words, etc. It was wonderful. Perhaps I should think about inviting parents to all my classes from now on.

...On second thought, no. When Nick asked me after the first session how many parents had attended, I said, "200." It wasn't that many. It just felt like it. And though everything went smoothly and we did have a bit of fun as we strutted our stuff, I was thankful when it was all over!

Biking on a Saturday

I love to get into the countryside as often as possible. Ankang is interesting and not a bad place to live, but I do like to get out into the greenery and peace and quiet of the rural areas.

Ulla mentioned one Friday evening, at our weekly foreign teacher "it's-the-end-of-the-week!" and "how-was-your-week?" dinner, that she had biked out a bit of a distance on her school's street and it looked interesting. With that in mind, we decided to take a bike ride yesterday. The "we" included Ulla and Nick from Australia, Justin and I from America, and ZiChao, her boyfriend, Zoe and her boyfriend from Ankang Normal School.

The adventure started within three blocks of Peixin Primary School, the school where Nick and I teach. The tires on our bikes were just warming up when the chain on Justin's bike broke. Lucky for us, one of the guys was able to piece it back together and we were off again. But, no. Two blocks later the chain broke again. Three of us headed back to the school with bike in tow, found the bike repairman on the corner and we were in business again.

The road we took eventually followed the river. The traffic was not bad once we got out of the city. But in the city we saw, and heard, a woman on a scooter hit a man who was crossing the street. He picked himself up seemingly unhurt, but upset, and she kept on going! We were all stunned. And glad for less road activity in the countryside.

We were maybe a half hour out of the city when we spotted red along the upper side of the road. Of course we had to stop to see what it was. It was unscented incense sticks for temples. Two men covered in dust were adding wood dust to one end of bunches of sticks all at one time.(Sorry but the blog says the photo I have is one too many.) That end of the sticks had been painted and laid to dry outside. Two women were dipping the remaining end of the stick into paint and the sticks were left to dry a second time. Chickens strutted under the drying sticks.

Back on the road, we pedaled for another fifteen minutes and spotted a "sawmill" next to the road. Actually the mill was hard to miss as two of the logs waiting to be cut jutted out into our lane of traffic. The log being worked on lay on a "table" that rolled along metal runners while the saw cut off boards. Someone carried the cut board away and the log was repositioned for the next slice.

On our bikes once more we pedaled along enjoying the scenery, ribbing each other, and keeping an eye on what traffic there was. Knowing when traffic was approaching was not difficult as any vehicle nearing another body honks their horn in warning. This is a common practice in China and one reason why streets can be so noisy.

Before too long the need for food sent us off on a side road in search of a restaurant. The village where we found the reastaurant was very pleasant and to our liking. At the restaurant the women made the noodles, actually made not just cooked, for our lunch in no time at all. They prepared eight bowls of noodles with a few vegetables and a bit of beef for a total of 20Y ($2.50).

After lunch we explored the nursery which seemed to be the main industry in this village. ZiChao thought the nursery was probably government owned and the adjacent row crops privately owned. It was a beautifully peaceful spot.

Here the group posed around some pots growing at the nursery. The body of these pots were plant trunks trained and grown into the required shape.

ZiChao and I posed at the head of a trail we later explored.

From the edge of the farmland we could look back on the village and over the row crops. Women were harvesting carrots and radishes.

The path to and from the nursery led through this housing area where I assume the workers live.

I must admit I was sore that evening, but nothing a hot shower, some stretching and extra sleep didn't relieve.

It was a fun day. I do enjoy getting out into the countryside.

Storytime


Afternoons some students arrive before the gates open at 1:30. The students are impatient for the start of their afternoon classes. .......OK, maybe they just like hanging out with their friends.







Thursday of this past week the third graders at the gate were waiting for a special activity. When the gates opened they went to their classroom, picked up their seats and carried them out to the playground area where they sat in rows with their classmates. All six third grade classes. That's about 360 students





Mrs. Li sat with her students as they waited for the storytime to begin. She has been their teacher since first grade. Next year she will get a new first grade class and these third graders will move on together to a new teacher. But on Thursday she sat with her third graders to watch the performance. I sat with them as this was my normal time to be in their class.

The first and second graders who had PE during this time sat in the back. No PE today. They listened to the stories from the fringes of the playground.

Ten third grade students recited stories from their reader in front of the third grade classes, their teachers and a panel of four judges. This young man is one of my students. He is quite outgoing. He was the most animated in this story recitation activity. He was quite entertaining while other performers were trying to remember all the words.

After her performance another of my students posed with her mother. Her mother, when she is able, sits in on our class in order to learn English along with her daughter.

In amongst all the third graders I spotted one or two students following along in their books. Actually I'm not sure they were following along. They might have been taking this opportunity to read ahead.

To the left of our "auditorium" area, the older students continued with their PE class. They played badminton and basketball while we watched the performance. Well, some of us did. Many third graders visited with each other. Some teachers also. Occasionally even the judges. And, of course, the first and the second graders in the back didn't last long.

The reciters were noble in their efforts. Nothing distracted them. Especially the last three performers. Unfortunately I had returned my camera to my apartment, in order to be ready for teaching my next class, by the time the last three performed. But picture this. The bell rang for the end of the class and the kindergarten students and first and second graders came pouring out. Our performers were in their play area. Some recess takers recognized a performance was going on and stood on the stage area watching and listening to the stories. Some of the recess takers were oblivious to the performance and ran, chased, and tussled next to the performers. The third grade teacher in charge tried to keep them at a distance, but that was a chore. I tried not to laugh. And the reciters continued on like nothing was happening. It was priceless. The third graders continued listening, visiting and horsing around as before even though they were missing their recess. The last reciter finished. The teacher in charge read a short statement. And we left. No applause needed. No standing ovations. We just left.

An aside......

The school likes to display the students' works. Another way they do this is to mount written works on large boards that are placed along the stage area. They must be displayed outdoors since their are no indoor halls. The photo was taken when art and calligraphy works were on display. This week papers from students' English classes were on display. Next time the display could be works from their Chinese classes.

My ABC List after Eight Months in China

A friend asked me to make an ABC list to on China. Here it is.

Apartment…. Most of us, but not all, live in an apartment. It’s how you get more people into a smaller area. Some are plush, others are not.


Bread….many different forms, none like home (no whole grain). Much is made simply from flour and water. It’s fried, baked or steamed. The one variety most like US has a sweeter almost Wonder bread quality.




(This bread will bake in this street oven. Top is behind with eggs cooking on it.)



Cash…we don’t use credit cards. We do have ATMs card but only to withdraw money from bank accounts. All my transactions are cash. The largest bill is the 100Y and it is widely used.

Diet… Delicious vegetable dishes are the common place. Also notable is the abundance of fat and oil in dishes, the rarity of boneless meat or fish, the frequency of eggs in meals, the many varieties of dumplings and the scarcity of green salads. Desserts are nearly unheard of.

Exercise….Walking is a favorite. Many people walk after a meal. But you also see, in the mornings especially, a lone person here and there doing modified tai chi and stretching exercises. In parks and large open areas you might see groups in dancing or true tai chi exercise.

Friendliness…People are friendly and helpful. I can’t talk to many but it doesn’t totally matter, we smile and talk at each other, and those who do speak English go out of their way to use what they know. …And for F there is also Furnace…or the lack of one. There is no central heating. Windows and doors are often left open. We put on more clothes and turn on the space heater.

G…. The gate at the school that closes on my gated community at 11pm and opens at 6am? ....Ginger? Grandparents…many couples live with their parents. Their one child is babysat by the grandparents. You see grandparents tending children everywhere.

Hair…I thought everyone would have black hair. But hair here is also many shades of dark brown and some medium brown. There is also quite a bit of dyed hair. Much like home people here cover their gray hair or change their color. And although the reddish dark hues are as popular here as at home, you also see blond and light brown shades. Also for H let’s not forget “Hello” since as a foreigner it is the most commonly heard word.

IVs…Many times the first dose of a medication is delivered by IV drip while the patient is at the clinic or hospital. Sometimes patients are seen sitting in or walking near the clinic with IVs attached. ---And there is the Internet! The Internet is as important here as elsewhere.

Jade…is worn for good luck. Most often it’s in the form of a bracelet or pendant. I have a ring.

Kitchen…Some are more equipped than others. Generally the apartment sink is in the kitchen. Water is cold. The bottled drinking water dispenser has a cold and hot tap, but otherwise we heat water on the element. Some people heat water on portable coal burning bucket-type devises. People have one or two electric or gas elements, a wok, a soup pan, and a rice cooker most assuredly. Many have refrigerators. Some have microwaves. A few have a countertop oven. Some cook over burning wood. Some kitchens are tiled and have marble counters. Some have cement floors and plywood counters. The food that is cooked in these kitchens is healthy and delicious.

(Portable coal-burning cooking devise)






(Cooking in a wok overburning wood)









Laundry…Many have a washing machine. Some wash their clothes in the rivers. Laundry is washed in cold water. There is little hot water plumbing. The washed clothing hangs out windows, on roofs and in living room alcoves to dry as only the laundry businesses have dryers.




(Laundry drying in the living room.)


Mail… Mail takes about two weeks from the States and a few days in country. Two letters were delivered without my name on them. I get no junk mail. Mail is given to the men at the gate who get it to each of us. You can buy an envelope, a box, and stamps at the post office where you go to post your mail. Nothing is self-sticking. You find glue in dispensers at the post office. Oh, and let’s not forget Mah jongg….the favorite pastime of all Chinese in this part of the country. It must compare to the mania for golf in the States.

(An afternoon of mah jongg at a farmer's restaurant in the countryside.)

ABC...(part 2) .....





Noodles…freshly made most often. It’s the other staple.


(A woman rolls small grooved noodles in her market stall.)

Outside…There are two aspects to this. Going to the countryside and being outside there is a treat. A day of mah jongg includes going to a farmer’s restaurant. But in town …. there is an aspect to life that is the outside inside. It’s that no central heating, windows open, wearing layers of clothes, shops with no doors, spitting bones on restaurant floors, etc.

Plumbing…First, the Chinese toilet takes some getting used to. Squatting is so low. And then there is the sewage system that cannot handle toilet paper? Bathrooms are sometimes separate from buildings and have an outhouse quality. Second, water is heated in tanks in the bathroom (Solar panels heat water on rooftops.)

or solarly on rooftops for those of us with showers. …We must also mention the Power outages…we’ve just had 4-5 days (8am to 6pm) without electricity in the past 2 weeks. No problem. Everyone takes it in stride and life goes on.

Quiet…This street is quite noisy during the day with vendors hawking, music lessons in the building across the street, car horns, children, etc, etc. But from 11pm to 5am it is virtually silent.

Rice…Plain white rice, the main staple with every meal. It is usually served after the vegetable and meat dishes, toward the end of the meal.

S….There are the snack seeds: watermelon and sunflower. The abundance of salesclerks. The beautiful scenery in the countryside. No seatbelts. The tiled sidewalks that are easy to take up so work can be done, but difficult to make level afterwards. There’s the memory of the silkworms. There are my Students. Bundles of energy and enthusiasm. 60 bundles per class.

(My 120 first graders, their head teachers and myself.)

Tea, of course…. Green tea. Black tea is difficult to find. Coffee is rare and often instant. Decaf? Ha! Green tea….it’s healthy. But there are also the Tones in the language. Everything you’ve heard is true. They are difficult for us to hear and say, but, oh, so important!

Umbrellas….rain or shine. They’re everywhere. And so colorful!

Visas…I’ve had mine renewed twice since I’ve been here. Each is good for 6 months. Wonder why the Aussies can get a year permit.

Workers…With 1.3 billion people there is an abundant source of laborers. You see them digging ditches with shovels, tearing down blocks of buildings with sledge hammers, on bamboo scaffolding laying bricks and then spreading the stucco, tiling, farming, pulling or pushing loaded carts, mending tea kettles, bikes, clothing and shoes, selling snacks, vegetables, fruits and meats, etc, etc.

taXi…Every other car is a taxi. They’re green or maroon in Ankang. There are also mini mini vans that act as taxis on specific routes. With all the taxis and the city bus system it’s easy to get around.

Yogurt…It’s not as thick as at home, but it’s just as delicious. There is also a yogurt drink that is popular. It’s much like drinking milk. Milk is ultra heat treated so it’s not kept in the cooler in the store. It only needs to be refrigerated after it’s opened. Yogurt, butter and milk are currently available in Ankang. Cheese is available in Xian.

Zebra crosswalk….a crosswalk? Yes, we have them. And generally we try to use them. But why? They don’t mean the pedestrian has the right of way. Pedestrians need to be on the alert at all times….especially for taxis….and for traffic coming from uncommon directions!

That’s my list. It was fun to do. The ABC aspect was confining as it determined what I could write about. But it was liberating too as it reminded me of things I’d forgotten…things that seem natural to me now.

A Green Light Idea

The first time I saw this light timer at an intersection, I marvelled. And wondered, "Why don't we have this in my hometown?"

There are two traffic lights on my normal routes at home that bring out the dread I can usually relegate to the back edges of my mind. You know the dread. You know the intersections. You approach them hoping, promising the Greater Power anything (even your only child), that the light won't be red.

If it is red, you wonder if it will turn green in this century. Maybe it is stuck or broken. Maybe we are all fools for sitting here for this eon waiting for the light to turn green. There is no cross traffic. Maybe we should just go.

If the town fathers were to install these timers, we would sit at those dreaded lights with more peace of mind. We could see that the green light was coming. No need to worry. Our turn is approaching. See it's only 36 seconds away. We haven't been forgotten!

I give this idea a green light!

Shoeshine and More

Shoes looking a bit tired? Take them to one of several corners in central Ankang where you will find shoeshine craftsmen. You can't miss them. They wear red vests. They sit on their kit boxes in front of a wicker chair. They are under trees or a large umbrella they have supplied. Often there are as many as twenty lined up along the edge of the sidewalk. A few of them will display a collection of heels, soles, pieces of leather and a manual stitching machine along side their kit box. There are now, or at least on most days, three seats at my corner.
Over time I have stopped at several seats. Sometimes on my own suggestion, sometimes on the shiner's. For 1Y (12 cents) your shoes are cleaned and polished and waxed and brushed and buffed. Buffed two or three times. The shiners get a workout! My now usual shiner works up a sweat.
Most shiners impress me with their cheerfulness and big smiles. The women especially love to talk. They talk at me. I talk at them. And we all laugh. Then they talk to each other about "ta" (she/her). The first time I sat in a chair I took my dictionary with me for help in asking "how much?" (duoshao qian?) Someone in the group that had gathered to watch my shoeshine experience reached for the dictionary and soon the group was looking at it and talking loudly. They laughed and pointed and passed the book around. When I left with my shoes shining and my dictionary, they were still talking.
Last week I noticed my black sneakers were coming apart at the seams. So I stopped at the corner where I removed one shoe and then the other to have the seams sewn while I waited. While I sat with my socked foot under my fanny (why hadn't I checked to see how clean those socks looked?), two teenage boys stopped to ask me where I am from and what I am I doing in Ankang and to apologize for their English. That about exhausted their English and my Chinese is not up to conversation level so they moved on. After they left a woman older than me (yes, they do exist)stood at a bit of a distance smiling and nodding her head in approval. I put the second shoe on and had the pair polished. A mother and her young daughter waited for the bus. The daughter smiled but said nothing. As I got up to leave the shiner's wife arrived with his lunch. She smiled too. I left maybe 15 minutes after sitting down, with mended polished shoes and only 3Y out of my pocket. With prices like that and the opportunity to observe the community, I've decided not to purchase my own polish.

Bird Market
Sunday mornings around 9 o'clock, if you wander down to the riverfront walk near the bridge, four blocks from my apartment, you will find the bird market.
People gather here to show and buy birds and to buy supplies, but I'm sure they are also exchanging the latest gossip.
It's not a large market. Not many of the people I know come to it even though they can tell you about it. But, then, the few people I know don't keep birds.
The people who do keep birds hang their cages during the day on their balconies, under their eaves or in tree branches outside their front doors. When I'm walking I often hear the birds singing and then, following the song, spot them in their cages. I've also seen birdkeepers "exercising," or it might be "airing," their birds...they carry the covered cages as they walk on the wall or toward the park. Or they ride their bikes with the covered cage hanging from the handlebars. Maybe they are just taking their birds to visit friends but it always looks like they are "walking" them, much as people walk their dogs.
The people who own birds are most often men and most of them older men. Birds seem to be a pastime of grandpas. A cigarette vendor on our street often allows his grandchild to feed and talk with his caged bird. This is how they pass the time as he waits for customers to stop at his cigarette case. The majority of the people at the bird market are men.

People who keep birds are interested in quality birdfeed, stylish cages, and paraphenalia for cages - all of which you can find at the market. I guess most hobbies lead to an interest in supplies. You see the keepers scrutinizing and quizzing as the vendors attempt to assuage their doubts.
But some of the keepers and their friends just sit and "talk story." The birds are their scenery.