Early Christmas

It has been an interesting past couple of days. Jodi's mom, Mrs. Poon, came to visit on Thursday. She comes to China sometimes for business so she stopped by Nanchang for less than 24 hours. She brought me a package lovingly put together by my own mother, which mostly included a few books and a couple of American snacks! It was seriously like Christmas.

Mrs. Poon also cut my hair, because she is a professional hair stylist. It was pretty fun. (See the pictures). We also went out to eat lunch with her and several of Jodi's and my best Chinese friends. (See pictures again). I couldn't be happier eating and walking and talking and laughing with our friends. They are just so accepting and warm. Most of them are also sisters, so they encourage me in my walk with Him.

On the 20 minute ride to new campus Thursday morning, I saw police officers lining the road. I was really confused to see all of these officers standing guard very seriously and talking on their walkie talkies. Later I found out it was just a crackdown on the illegal breakfast stands that usually set up shop in the mornings along the street. Most of my students didn't eat any breakfast that day. However, the police were gone Friday morning, and all the breakfast students were back in their places serving steaming bread or dumplings.

Then an 18 year-old economics major at our university in "Dorm 12" died from H1N1 on Tuesday. She is the first reported casualty of swine flu in this entire province. (There have probably been more deaths, but they haven't been reported. Officials get in trouble if the outbreaks occur in their "territory.") She apparently got pretty sick last week and only went to the campus clinic to get some medicine. The medicine, which was probably some herbs, didn't do anything. She got progressively worse, and died on the way to the city hospital. She was diagnosed with H1N1 after she had died. I only found this out by students and vague news reports. Nobody higher-up will say anything about it.

However, today the Foreign Affairs Office gave us masks to wear when we are outside and a glass thermometer in case we have a fever. They told us to stay very warm, and to avoid public transportation - all of which is virtually impossible. :)

Then one of my students, Will Lee, wasn't in class on Thursday. His classmates said that "something was wrong at his house." I asked one of his close friends what happened. Apparently Will Lee's 45 year-old mother died last night of a heart attack. It just broke my heart, because he's such a positive, upbeat boy and he's always so respectful. Please remember to think of him!

Many of our students have also had to go to the hospital because of high fevers and H1N1 symptoms. Please also think of them, because they don't have adequate clothing, no heat, and not enough money. Some of them won't seek help, because they don't have any money to spare. (It's probably only a few dollars to go to the doctor's).

I don't mean to be a Johnny Raincloud! He is incredibly good and loving, although it is difficult to understand why these things happen, especially in the lives of my sweet, innocent students. Thanks for letting me share!

How to Prevent H1N1 (Chinese Style)

Not a whole lot happened today. It was really cold again, but I'm starting not to notice anymore! I taught six hours of class, and they were pretty good. I've decided to ditch the textbook for a while and go back to writing my own lessons, because they provide better, deeper conversations. Lately we've been talking about character and morals. It's actually been really interesting and thought-provoking for them.

For lunch I went out with three students, Ashley, Karen, and Karin. Yes, Karen and Karin are best friends and apparently have found the need to have nearly identical names. We went to the student cafeteria to eat together. We chatted a little, but we were mostly shivering too much.

Afterwards I visited their dorm room, because my students like to invite me to their "homes." Every time I go to my students' dorms, I always think about how American dorm life is like living in a palace. Here they live four to eight girls to a very small room with concrete floors.

When they were walking me out of the building, I walked by a communal bathroom, which didn't have any soap, like usual. However, people had just finished painting the foyer walls with whitewash, masking the streaks of black and spots of water damage. I asked the girls why the people were painting, expecting them to say, "To make it look nicer." But, no. They gave me an answer that surprised me, even though I've been living in China for a while now and feel rather immune to surprises.

Very seriously they told me the school was painting to "prevent H1N1." Did I hear correctly? I asked them the same question again. And again they repeated, "It is to prevent H1N1. The paint makes everything cleaner." Wow. I could only look at them in complete disbelief. Then we said goodbye.

Usually I try not to judge the customs or culture in China, but this I will say is incorrect. Painting a wall does not prevent sickness anymore than painting your hands. Where is the soap? You can't find it here. Where are the people covering their mouths when they cough? You don't see it here.

I guess if H1N1 spreads to our campus, which it already has, then the officials will get in trouble, because they did not stop it. So if they were trying to be proactive, which must even include painting walls to ward off swine flu, then they won't get in trouble with the higher-ups.

Sometimes I just have to smile at the things people believe - like it is bad to drink water after a meal (I was informed of that by Karin after lunch), that exercising will help you grow taller (even if you are already 30 years old), and that rubbing your earlobes will help heal a burn somewhere else on your body.

That's all for today! I'll be off painting my bedroom...

(I've included a picture of a cute couple in my class - Karma and Kasha. They were sharing gloves and mittens today).

Feeling a little frosty

October was the most beautiful month of weather for this city. It was a lot milder than normal. Usually it is still about 90 degrees all throughout October. Now it is mid-November, and the weather is more like the end of December. It is still rainy, extremely windy, and really cold. The temperature is about 30 degrees inside and outside with a wind chill of a lot lower.

During class today my students said, "Miss Laura, your nose is purple!" I was a little concerned, and pictured myself with a bright purple face. Later I found a mirror and was relieved to see that it was only bright red. Too bad I don't have nose warmers! I do have plenty of long underwear on, though, as well as mittens and my winter coat. I brought my extra warm L.L. Bean coat this year and Columbia boots, but I am still feeling cold. So I walk around the freezing cold classroom looking like a big, lethargic bunny. It takes all my energy just to stay semi-warm.

The class buildings here don't have doors to them, and there are gaps between the extremely thin windows. When I'm writing on the chalkboard, I can feel a quite steady and strong wind blowing on me. The plaster by the windows are all soggy with rain that has streamed inside. My students just complain that it is too cold to write or do anything. My heart aches for them, because they don't have any quality clothes and shoes. Jodi said one girl in her class today literally had blue fingers.

This afternoon I had Chinese tutoring, so I took my friend Amy nearby to the teacher's cafeteria for lunch. The food was already like icicles before it even hit our metal bowls.

In other news, it's not unusual for the power and water to be cut off here pretty frequently. Yesterday the water was off for about five hours and we managed to cook a pretty decent meal of noodles and chicken - all without using water! And the power has gone out for the past two nights just as I'm trying to get to bed. Tonight I 'thought' expectantly, "Can You please turn the power on?" At that very second, the electricity came back on! I ran to Jodi's room and told her what had happened. And right as I was telling her, the power cut off again. Jodi said with her usual dry humor, "Next time you should be more specific." Then I 'thought', "Please turn the power back on and leave it on! Thank you!"

Hope you're staying warm wherever you may be!