Ric Swenson on sun 28 may 06
Well folks, it's been a couple weeks, so time for an update.
Going from driving everywhere in Atlanta and walking nearly everywhere in
China has improved my health, muscle tone and general well-being, I think.
Except for the daily trip to the New Campus...about 20 minutes away by bus,
I walk nearly everywhere in the vicinity. There are 65 steps up to the
fourth floor of the Teacher's Dormitory building, so a navigate them up and
down several times a day. A nice meal at one of the many campus dining
halls costs me about 2 or 3 Yuan ( 8 RMB or Yuan to the USD) I bought a
top of the line Spaulding basketball today for 110 Yuan ( 10 bucks?)
Everything is quite reasonably priced. A realy good meal for two might cost
as much as $ 5.00.
Soon, I hear on the TV, China will have 100 million bloggers.
There are 900 million farmers in China now.
2.6 million Chinese websites now.
247 million Chinese now have a mobile phone (Cellular)
It is interesting to see a peasant working with a cart, pulling the two
wheeler through the streets; delivering pottery or food or wooden tables, or
something and at the same time talking on a cell phone! It seems like
everyone has a cell phone.
I am told that most, but not all students have a mobile phone. I finally got
one about two weeks ago....300 Yuan.....before final tests started for my
students, so they could contact me with their questions and practice english
over the phone...which is very different from face to face communication. I
find myself looking at their mouth to clearly catch each word. It is the
only way I can learn their language. The sounds are just enough different
that I need to SEE how the sound is made....ie... where are the teeth...the
tongue...what are the lips doing?
I have learned some phrases, but I find it difficult. English in linear and
Chinese is tonal and inflected in a subtile way. Pictoral writing is
impossible for me to memorize very quickly. I had the same problem trying to
learn Eskimo dialects.
The other American (Carolyn Broadwell, of Napa, CA) and I read Ogden Nash
poems to a group of about a thousand students who were having a party in
celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival held at the end of May each year.
Ogden Nash is not easy for Chinese students to GET, but we tried. Nonsense
poetry like the TURTLE, The Fly, EELS, The Cow ('The Cow is of the bovine
ilk, one end is moo, the other, milk.') baffled them a bit, but we had
pictures and Chinese explanations ready too.
One highlight of the past few weeks was going to see the annimated movie ICE
AGE 2. I was confused a bit until I realized that it was in RUSSIAN ....but
with Chinese subtitles! That made it a very memorable night.
We had a visitor from the Carrebean who taught us SALSA dancing. I went
BOTH night. It was SO much fun. The Chinese students are SO timid and
shy...but once they caught on, it was SO much fun watching them "cut loose".
They are not used to such hip movements, I think.
Just celebrated the 2550th birthday of the Buddha here. There seeeeems to
be religious freedom here.
I v'e visited many factories and kiln sites, San Bao, Ancient Kiln
JingDeZheng. The industry is absolutely as diverse and wonderful as a
potter would or could want to see and study and try to do.
remember to 'keep your stick on the ice.'
Regards to all,
Ric Swenson
"...then fiery expedition be my wing, ..."
Wm. Shakespeare, RICHARD III, Act IV Scene III
Richard H. ("Ric") Swenson, Teacher,
Office of International Cooperation and Exchange of Jingdezhen Ceramic
Institute, TaoYang Road, Eastern Suburb, Jingdezhen City
JiangXi Province, P.R. of China
Postal code 333001
Mobile/cellular phone : 13767818872
Tel. +86-0798-8494257 (res.)
+86-0798-8499600 (ofc.)
+86-0798-8499012 (fax)
E-Mail: RicSwenson0823@hotmail.com
or
ricswenson082347@yahoo.com
_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now!
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/
| |
|
