The time has flown by, this is week 2 of the new term and I have seen my students at least once so far. Week 1 was memorable because I started teaching new classes meeting new students, but it was a blur of activity.
On Saturday after a week of first classes at the university, I had my own first class as my piano teacher had come back from his Spring Festival holiday. I was also honored that a woman and her child another piano student wanted to hear me play and sat in my lesson as I played my favorite piece, Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude Op. 28 No. 15.
Sunday brought Carol and Lucia who taught Nate and I Chinese lessons, which reminds me I need to get my homework done.
Monday was another teaching day like so many before…
Tuesday was lots of fun and new things to experience. I went for a back massage and got a very different treatment. Today as the doctor was massaging my neck he stopped and prepared a box of burning coal that he then placed on my lower back. With the box covered up with blankets the doctor went back to massaging my neck. When the coals had done their duty (actually I said it was hot) the doctor removed the box, and then massaged my lower back and legs. After an invigorating massage the next stop was to go on an adventure with Sandra one of the foreign teachers with EduLink. Our mutual friend Amos connected us and he did a wonderful job. Not only is Sandra a black belt like myself, she crochets, and has a younger sister like I do. Today our search was for ‘silk yarn.’ We took the school bus from the new campus to the old campus and from there we walked to Gong Ren Road (工人路) where we went to the market there and then we walked to the same yarn store that Emily, Nate, and I went to in the fall. However, since we got there as everything was closing, we took the opportunity to walk around and found that instead of two or three yarn stores, there is an entire courtyard of yarn stores. We are planning a trip back with a Chinese student or two to translate for us. We then found a steamed stuffed bun or baozi (包子) stand and had a tasty dinner. We then caught a taxi to Wanda Plaza Wanda guangchang (万达广场) where we went to Boo Bear Coffee and then Wal-Mart. I was showing Sandra how to come home on the city buses when we meet Jean; an English Speaking Chinese woman. She showed us how to read the bus schedule and we saw that the bus we were waiting for was long gone. She then offered to split a cab with us and that is what we did. Thank you Jean, you helped to tired and weary foreigners tonight and we appreciate that!