A Good Life

Dear Family:
Our Internet has been out for a couple of days, so that is why you have not heard from us!
Things have been going on here though... We have been anxiuosly waiting for our Visa's to arrive. There is a hold up and if the "red tape" is not muddled thru by Sunday, September 28, we will be Illegal Aliens!!! As soon as we entered China, we had to apply for a work visa and one was "supposed" to have been issued before now. We hear that the government has changed the procedure for the visa's and it takes a new route this year. Tomorrow we have an appointment with the government for our visa interview. We were told tonight that this may take us several hours. Who knows - we may be coming home soon - if the visa's do not arrive before Sunday, September 28. Yes, we are all "sweating" over this one! Part of the reason for our concern is the fact that we are supposed to go on the Silk Road Trip on Sunday afternoon for 8 days, and we cannot go on that trip WITHOUT the visa! Yes, we are nervous....
Next week is a national Chinese holiday and therefore, no school! That is the reason we planned a trip. However, our teaching schedules have been changed, so we will 'double up" on some classes that will be missed next week. My department really changed my schedule!!! They have my schedule where I am to teach 22 hours of class this week before we go!!! Yes, you read that correctly! 22 hours in 6 days.... Today, I walked and walked and walked to class to teach for 6 hours. The classes are in 2 hour blocks and I am so tired after standing on a little podium in front of a HOT, sweaty classroom. I am beat tonight!
But, the students are so great... Today, a student ask me if the families in the United States had to pay for their children to go to school. In China, only the very best students are priviledged to attend school and it is at the expense of their families. Many sacrifices are made for the Chinese child who attends school. And, that child has to leave home to attend school and pay alot of money. They live in dorm rooms - 8 to a room, with 4 "bunk" beds stacked on each side of the room. The have a shared bathroom at the end of the hall with toilet facilities only. They have to go to the public bath house to bathe. The boys go to the public bath house on certain days and the girls on the opposite days. They have no laundry facilities or cooking facilities. They hand wash their clothes with cold water in their shared "bathroom" in the dorms. And, they eat at the cafeteria or buy food on the street to eat.
And, there are no computers or phones in the dorms. If they want to use the computer, they have to go to the library or one of the computer places and pay to use the computer. They pay by the hour to use the computer! Now, I feel guilty when they ask me for my email address.. knowing that they have to pay to contact me! Another student stayed after class this afternoon and told me that he wants to be a Doctor "very bad". He ask me how he could come to the USA to study medicine, because he has heard that the USA is so advanced in the medical field. He started to cry very hard and he stated that he was so very sad to watch his Grandfather die of cancer. He just "knows" that he will try to find a cure for cancer. The poor little guy just sobbed. It really was touching.
I feel like I am the one getting the education here. They are truly chosen, loving, kind, generous people. I give all the students that have a birthday for the month a chocolate candy. Today I handed out the September birthday's candy. One girl came up to me, during the break and she had 1/3 of her candy left. She said that she had eaten some of the candy, she had given a portion to her friend, and she had saved the last portion for me! I got tears in my eyes, at her generosity. She also handed me a note, and told me that I remind her of her Grandmother, who she loves very much and she told me that she loved me. I feel so very blessed to be among people such as her - she teaches me so much more than I could EVER teach her...
Last night we attended another Chinese talent show. It was a program hosted by the Student Government for the new Freshmen on
campus. They had invited us as "special guests" and they escorted us into the place and when they seated us, they had us all a fancy program along with a bottled water. (By the way, anytime the Chinese invite you to a special event, they honor you with a bottled water!) Rog had a little Chinese student sitting by him, telling him everything that was transpiring. As you all know, Rog is hard of hearing! Needless to say, he only heard a fraction of what was being told to him! After the program, we walked home in the pouring home with our umbrella's. It was beautiful...
We are invited by the Chinese Government to a special dinner this Friday night - a "formal" dinner. We are to get all dressed up and dine with the "big wigs". Can't wait. Especially when we hear of the "horrors" in food we will probably be served..
Also, we will dine with the Qingdao University President this Saturday night. Formal attire also... By the way, formal attire for us, is a skirt and top for me and a white shirt, tie and slacks for Rog!
Will report more later.
Sure do miss everyone and our life there. I am loving the teaching and I know that I should have been a teacher by profession. I LOVE IT. And, I especially love the students....
Thanks for all the concerns and prayers on our behalf - we feel it.
Much Love, Jane