Xiamen, China Oct. 1 2015

This was my first trip to Xiamen. The school gave us off October 1-5 for their National Holiday and it was thrilling to get out of town for a few days. 

Several of my students in my adult class recommended a visit to Xiamen and it is only a few hours from Shantou so it sounded like a great idea, but little did I know what I was getting myself into...  It was a quirky, sad, and difficult experience, but in the end a funny rewarding couple of days that couldn't have turned out any other way. 

 This story is a perfect example of how to survive traveling to a tourist destination during a Chinese holiday and why you shouldn't attempt to do it.  I have traveled during the Chinese holidays before, but always visited places that were remote or at least stayed in a place outside of town so if the crowds were too much to handle -  I could escape.

When I decided to make the trip from Shantou to Xiamen I had plenty of time to plan how to get there, where to stay and what to do. I rode my bike out to the long distance bus station so I could see where the take off point was. I learned what bus to catch in my neighborhood to get out there and researched the city to make sure it was where I wanted to go. 

The morning came for my departure and I was walking up the street to the bus stop when the city bus I needed whiz by me. There wasn't any way to get would get to the destination on time so employing a pedicab was the next best thing. A pedicab is basically an electric motor bike hooked up to a beat up old buggy. At least the poor lady driving it didn't have to cycle this big foreign lady to her destiny which was many miles away. 

After a fast long bumpy ride through town with my hair flying in the wind and water running from my eyes -  I finally made it to the bus station. (In Shantou - it is taboo to ride in a taxi because many taxi's will not use their meter and will charge you double. You have to ask them to use the meter and when you ask them - they pretend they don't understand what you are saying). 

The ride was around 4 hours long and the scenery along the way was mediocre. Outside of Xiamen there were many farms. A lot of them were vegetable, palm tree and duck farms all mixed together. There were also a lot of fish farms - basically ponds with circulating water machines to keep the fish alive and the water fresh. 

Coming into Xiamen we made our way through the industrial part of town and soon after to the island. There is not a lot of industry on the island because  the government is trying to attract foreign attention and keep the area free of pollution. Small lakes and ponds intertwine throughout the city and the government built many parks for people to enjoy along the waters edge. The city is well organized, clean and inviting. I loved it from the moment we drove into it. They cut down on people riding motorcycles and horn honking which was a welcome relief as Shantou is infested with both. There were traffic cops at the large intersections controlling traffic and they were not scared of the cars like the police in Shantou :).

With my overnight rolling bag in tow and my heavy knapsack on my shoulder I headed from the bus station to catch a local bus to my hotel. Little did I know what I was about to happen. 

 The bus traveled through the middle of a quaint little town bustling with tourists and then we hit the coast where a winding road dotted with small beaches and parks ran along the coastline. There was a separate bike trail waiting for me and I was very excited to get to the hotel. 

No one I talked to knew where the hotel was and I walked and walked until my feet were sore and then the wheel on my luggage bag collapsed. 
I walked for hours. 

The sun went down and it was getting dark - it was unsettling not having a place to stay. Soon after there was a little store under a tent near the beach and the owners of the store could tell that I was lost. 

Their daughter who spoke a little English decided to help me and we took off to a funny little section off of the beach with makeshift restaurants, hotels, hostels and food stands. The food looked delicious as there were steamed oysters, shrimp, lobsters, clams and many other things to eat. Even though I was starving  -  it was more important to find the Inn and I am sure that this girl was ready to get me to my destination.  

When we thought we found the right Inn,  they told me that they did not have my reservation and there wasn't a room available. To this day I still don't know if that was the right place. It was late and we gave up and headed back down to her family's store. 

The girl's parents called different hotels in the area and all of them were booked so I called my friend Jason a Chinese teacher back in Shantou for help. He found a hotel online, but it was many miles away and very expensive. At this point I didn't care and just needed to rest. 

The police were in the area and we asked them to flag down a taxi to take me to the hotel.  As embarrassing as this situation was - having the police assistance might have been essential  to getting a ride to the hotel as the taxi drivers have territories and are not supposed to operate outside of their area.   

It was around 8pm when I arrived at the hotel and the room was a suite. It overlooked the lake and the city - it was a beautiful view. I had a king sized bed, huge bathroom with a huge bath tub, a large living room with an attached room set up to play Pai Gow a famous Chinese game. After I searched online for another place to stay for the next couple of days I filled the bath tub and soaked in it for hours. It was heavenly and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

The next morning I went to the hotel brunch which was wonderful. They had marinated tofu squares, rice, noodles, cranberry juice, Chinese tea and some other really good dishes. I had enough fuel to get back to the beach to look for a place to stay. 

The weather was pleasant and the hotel let me leave my bags with them for the day. Through various bus and taxi rides getting lost or rather taking a tour throughout the city I finally arrived at yet another Inn where I had made a reservation the night before. The door to the Inn was locked
 and no one was around.  

An older friendly guy picked up on my frustration and made gestures to show me where to look for a place, but we didn't have any luck. At that point it would be a waste of time to continue searching for a hotel 
so I decided to enjoy the day and
 go back to Shantou that evening. 

There was still a lot of the day to enjoy wandering on foot up and down the bike trails and up the hills off of the beach. Hidden tourist traps with seafood stands and trinket stores were nestled in the hills away from the beach. It was fun to wander among the crowds and chat with a person or two or just smile and watch the people. Lunch was a delectable mixture of squid, tofu and vegetables and for desert a bowl filled with many different kinds of fruit. 

Later in the day the beach was filling up with more people by the minute and it was time to head back home. So another long journey of traveling through the city began in an overcrowded bus with a screaming naked baby sitting on the edge of my seat. When I finally clawed my way off the bus and flagged down a taxi, the taxi driver raced to the hotel, he picked up my bags and off we went to the bus station. Whew, I thought I am finally getting out of here and can get back to my peaceful life......Well, not quite yet. 

The bus back to Shantou was not crowded and it was nice to be able to stretch out and take a nap. By the time the bus arrived in Shantou - it was dark and there were gritty looking Chinese drivers  ready to pounce on me begging for the chance to drive me home. They didn't have any luck for employment and eventually lost interest. Just as I thought I was doomed to walk many miles home with a suitcase without a working wheel -  a nice clean looking friendly, happy Chinese guy drove up to me on a motorcycle to see if he could help. He told me I was going the wrong way so I negotiated a price with him and he threw the busted overnight bag, knapsack and computer case on his motorcycle and off we went. 

 The driver sped through the streets as I said my prayers over and over again and after he got lost several times he finally gave up and listened to my directions to get us to my destination. Forty five minutes later (Normally a 15 minute ride) I finally arrived home. My hair was scattered everywhere and my body was shaking as I got off the bike. The driver and I both started laughing at the experience and we were relieved the ride was over.   He was an adorable man with a great personality, but I know one thing for sure... that will never happen again. 

The lesson I learned is no matter how prepared you are for your journey - there will always be challenges to face and obstacles to tackle. I learned that if you  let go of the way you think it should be and embrace the moment - sometimes you will be pleasantly surprised. 

I met a lot of nice people along the way and they took care of me. They provided help and a safe journey to my destination. More important they brought me smiles and a great story! I will reward them by helping someone in the near future
 -  paying it forward. 

Xiamen is a well planned city with an artsy district, a focus on music and the beach. The next trip to this small city will be a smooth fun time exploring all that it has to offer. AHHHHHHH.

The Solo Train Ride To Dali

     The winter in Baoji is long, cold, and grey every day. The pollution is worse this time of year and I was really looking forward to getting out of town for a while.  A beautiful blue sky and bright sunshine was on the menu and breathing some fresh air was high on the list of priorities.

     I had been warned about train travel in China as being complicated, crowded, and overwhelming and because of this misinformation; I was terrified to make the trip alone. A friend who was supposed to travel with me came down with severe stomach flu and could not make it, but I was determined to make the trip and decided to venture out on my own.

    

     After hours of research on the internet, I learned that Dali has many hostels and there were several owned by foreigners who speak English. Oh, how I longed for a good conversation with someone that I could understand completely. The hostel I decided on was the Lily Pad Inn, they had a private room with a shared bath, but it would have to do as it was the high travel season and accommodations were limited so I packed my bags and headed to the train station.

    

      The train station was not crowded and I arrived very early just to make sure I could get used to the new surroundings and be clear about where I was supposed to go. It reminded me of the airport in Myrtle Beach, not as nice of course, but small and organized. Grudgingly, an attendant and his supervisor carried my bag up a mountain of stairs and found me a place to sit. As time passed, more people arrived and a few came by to display their version of the English language to me.

     

     Finally, the train arrived, it was easy to read the train ticket and get on the right train. It was late at night and everyone was asleep so I found my bunk crawled up to it (the upper bunk is the smallest) and went to sleep.  The next day, I met a wonderful warm Muslim family who occupied the bunks underneath me, the wife had a little knowledge of English and between the two of us, we were able to put our two languages together and communicate enough to have pleasant conversation.  She had made some homemade bread and insisted on sharing. She also had an endless supply of fruit to eat and included me in all of the the family meals. They were a wonderful family and today as I write this, I miss their warmth and hospitality.

     I arrived in Guangtong around eight in the morning and caught a bus to Dali, which was around four hours away. The bus driver was a wild man and whipped around the corners and over the mountains in record time. The girl who sat next to me on the bus threw up because of so much motion, but personally, I loved the ride as I sensed that the driver was a professional who makes the trip back and forth over the mountain many times in a day.

     When we reached our final destination, I was met by a warm sunny day with blue skies and fresh air. A nice man with a motorcycle buggy drove me to the Lily Pad Inn. The ride was long and rough as I could feel every bump in the road. Reaching the Inn was a welcome sight and even though I was exhausted, I took a quick shower and went out to explore the town.

     Train travel in China was not as bad as I expected although I believe that the kind of trip you have depends on the friendliness of your travel partners. I was lucky enough to have met one of the nicest families in the world on that train and because of that family, my journey to Dali was a great experience that I will never forget. 

A Humorous Day at the Sports Center in Baoji

My First Trip to the Work Out Center in Baoji

November 20 2012

     It is my day off and the electric has been turned off in my apartment because of the work they are doing on the road. Although this was the perfect opportunity to motivate myself  to get to the gym and take a shower, it provided an extra push to take advantage of the situation and to finally get in a work out session. I was not sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the people were accommodating at the gym and working out was a lot of fun. 

     

     The equipment at the workout center is new, user friendly, and the staff was eager to help, but they were not over bearing. It felt good to exercise at a gym for a change and I had forgotten how much fun it could be, but I believe that I will pay for it in the morning as the aches and pains are already beginning.

     

     Of course, every gym, no matter what time of the day or night one arrives, there is always that one guy who believes that he knows more than everyone else does. Well, this one was a doozy (as Mom would say) and for a while, I thought that he was going to be an ongoing problem. I guess he was around six feet tall and huge compared to the size of the average Chinese man.

     

      He seemed to be fluttering around me (for lack of a better description) working out on each of the machines using weights that were obviously too much for him. At one point, I could not tell who was in charge, the machine or the guy - as the machines he was using seemed to be twirling him around in in many directions. When he needed a break, he would come over and show me what he thought I was doing wrong and set me on the right path. There was a qualified team worker helping me throughout the work out, but I guess he did not approve of the job she was doing.

     

     The last time he came over to give me some of his worldly advice I showed him how to use the machine I was using in a way that he did not know and bingo, just like that he disappeared! Geez, just when I was about to ask him if he wanted to get a cup of coffee – well maybe not. Anyway, this man was funny and entertaining and although he was slightly irritating, I enjoyed the few moments we had together.

    

     Working out at the gym today made me realize how much I missed it and because it is user friendly and accommodating it suits the purpose. If I survive the evening and am able to get out of bed in the morning, I believe I will visit the gym again – of course, the ultimate goal is to get in shape, but an added bonus is to meet more characters with funny personalities for entertainment during the work out.  

Trip to the Vet in Baoji - Lacheena

Xian will have to wait  

Lacheena

October 19 2012

    

     My October this year has been dedicated to getting my Chinese kitty - Lacheena ( L because her name has to begin with an L because of my other kitties, Liz and Loki – CH because she is from China and eena after my black cat who passed away a few years back, her name was Lena) back to good health. This included many trips to a Chinese Vet Clinic in Baoji.

    

     It is very scary going to a Chinese Vet because generally speaking, the Veterinarians in China; do not have a good reputation. Lacheena was in bad health when I rescued her and she needed medical care.  She also needed to be spayed for her own well-being, as well as mine; as a cat in heat will cry and howl all night and all day long – this can go on for days!

     

     Bound and determined Misty (a very good friend) and I transported Lacheena to the vet. It was raining that day, but it did not matter because after weeks of feeding Lacheena healthy food and antibiotics to kill worms and fight off a nasty flu, she finally passed the blood work exam and was ready for the operation!

     

     The Vet tech was kind and eager to make us feel comfortable and the Veterinarian was businesslike and focused. The surgery was a success although after the surgery things got a little weird. After the surgery, the Vet was holding the insides he had taken out of Lacheena in a small stainless steel cup. He asked if I wanted to see it (I did not know this at the time, but it is common practice for doctors to show the patient or family members whatever was removed in the operation) I rudely said that I did not because frankly, I was a little shocked by his request.  

    

     Lacheena was groggy and unstable when I got her home, she kept trembling and falling when she tried to walk, but soon she settled down and slept. For the next 3 days, she went to a local vet closer to home so that they could administer a few vials of IV’s at each visit; I guess it was to assure that no infection would develop, so I did not protest.

     

     Although I was apprehensive about getting the surgery done in China, I am glad I did. It is over now, my Lacheena is back to her normal self-running through the apartment, playing hide and seek, and eating and sleeping whenever she wants. She lets me know everyday how much she appreciates her new life and she is great company to have around in this foreign land. 

My Trip to three Ancient Cities in Yunnan – Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang with Julia, Johnson, and Eric 

August 2012

      Wow!  The opportunity arose to travel with Julia and her family to Yunnan Province on the short summer break from Kid Castle! The school is open year round so we only got a week off, but it was enough time for Julia, Johnson, Eric and I to catch a flight down to Kunming and do a bus tour of a few ancient cities in Yunnan Province.

     

     Did I say bus tour? Yes, I certainly did…  I am not a bus tour kind of person; however, we were traveling in the midst of the high tourist season and our traveling options were limited.  This was a pre-arranged trip and I was under the impression that the bus tours in China would be different from other bus tours around the world. Why you ask? I believe that this was a subconscious plan implemented by my evil twin to send my conscious mind into a state of oblivion (for lack of a better reason). In many ways, the bus tours in China are different from other bus tours around the world in a horrific way and as I attempt to tell you about my travels, please keep in mind that we all had a great time and that my writing for the most part will be from a cynical point of view.   

     

     We arrived in Kunming at 2:00 early morning and stayed in a rather scary looking hotel in Kunming. Breakfast was at 6:00am and from there we left for Cangshan Mountain. The road to Cangshan Mountain, which is outside of Dali, was very long and seemed like it took forever to get out of Kunming. Our bus tour guide was a young enthusiastic Chinese girl with many stories to tell. She propped herself up, legs straddled on the first two seats  in the bus, grabbed a microphone and began to talk as soon as we were on our way;  she did not stop talking for 3 hours! I kid you not – she did not stop to take a sip of water, to take a break, to eat a cracker – nothing. So here, we are – less than 4 hours of sleep – crammed into a bus – with a chatty Cathy! Does this sound like Chinese torture treatment? I believe it was. I was looking around the bus hoping to make eye contact with anyone who was suffering as much as I was, but to my dismay, everyone on the bus looked passive and relaxed. I began to think that there was something wrong with me so I took out my iPod to listen to some music and tried to tune her out. Soon after I saw another tour bus pass and that guide were doing the same thing (It must be a China tour bus thing)! When our tour guide finally decided to take a break and shut up, I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the ride.

      

     Driving along the outskirts of Dali the beautiful architecture of the buildings and the breathtaking scenery displayed itself lazily throughout the countryside. The outskirts of the city looked enticing to visit, but jumping out of the bus to explore was not an option. We arrived at Cangshan Mountain soon after and climbed up many stairs passing a few little outdoor shops filled with beautiful homemade items. There was not any time available on this obnoxious time sensitive tour to wander amongst the shops and bargain with the locals. We continued to race up the stairs to our destination and our reward was rich as the mountains were beautiful covered in lush greenery, dabbled with wild flowers and different shapes of waterfalls.  Many trails were available to explore, but time was limited and after a cable car ride to the top of the mountain and back, it was time to go.

  

     Moaning and rattling that old bus crept over the rolling plains, quickly moving up curvy mountain roads deep into the abyss of the Yunnan Province. For a period, there was a feeling of being far away from civilization and I was almost grateful that I had the security of the bus tour to guide me on this journey.  There were farm homes that looked like small compounds, but large enough to house an extended family.  Dabbled throughout the land and up the hills farmers tended to their rather huge gardens and nearby a group of cows grazed as the lonely cow herder enjoyed summer breezes and the warming sun. There was a great feeling of peace and tranquility, and it was soothing to know that every day these people were tending to the earth. Upon returning home, there was a feeling of longing to see these rural farm people once more so that I could once again experience the inner peace they instilled in me.

    

     Our next stop was Lijiang and after stopping in town for dinner, we drove around town looking for a hotel (they forgot to book a room for us). We finally found a nice hotel around 12:00am and Julia informed me that we would be getting up at 5:00am to eat breakfast, and head out to Snow Mountain. This was madness and unacceptable! The meaning of the word vacation or holiday is not synonymous with the word torture and getting up at 5:00am was out of the question. Julia, Johnson, and Eric needed a family day together and we could all meet later in the day.

     

     The next day after a long leisurely morning, I ventured out to visit the ancient city of Lijiang. They renovated the city and made it into a tasteful tourist destination with many shops and restaurants depicting the culture of the people showing off their lifestyle and artistic talent that has endured hundreds of years. The people were friendly and knowledgeable, I was able to relax, enjoy the day and wander through the streets of this wonderful city. Later Julia, Johnson, Eric and I met and went to the Naxi Ancient Music Festival. It was a fantastic show and a great way to spend the evening. After the show Julia, Johnson, and Eric wandered through the city and I strolled through an avenue of bars and restaurants. Each establishment was open and airy providing music and entertainment for the pleasure of the passersby. The next morning we were back on the bus, headed back to Kunming to visit the Stone Forest.

    

     On the way back to Kunming, we stopped at a couple of local veggie stands where locals had huge vats cooking corn on the cob – it was delicious. There were also Pomegranates fresh off the trees, small tasteful bananas, and many other kinds of unfamiliar fruit that was delicious!  We also made a few stops to places that sold Jade and other types of jewelry. I believe that they took us wherever they wanted us to spend money. We arrived at Stone Forest late in the afternoon, the Forest was breathtaking, but very crowded and we rushed to see it at the speed of light with barely time to take pictures. At this point, the thrill was gone, I just wanted to go back and explore the town of Dali, but I was not going to get my wish.

      

     After the long trip back to Kunming, we settled into our hotel rooms and I was able to catch the news and some of the Olympics on Chinese TV. The next morning we ventured out to visit the Flower Market and it was something to see. They specialized in rose oils, lotions, coffee, tea, bamboo products, jewelry, and many other things. The market went on for miles and it was like venturing into maize with hundreds and thousands of things to buy at reasonable prices. Once more, our time was limited and next we rushed to the airport for our trip home. It turns out that our flight was delayed and because of this, we spent many hours in the airport waiting for the plane.

     

     I was not impressed with the city of Kunming, and like most cities in China, it has a problem with pollution. It was nice to get out of there and head home, but leaving that beautiful countryside was hard. Memories and visions of the rural farmers working the land and the peace and tranquility of this beautiful area etched in my memory allow me to visit this land whenever I choose.

     

     The nice thing about the bus trip was that it took us too many places that we might not have been able to visit if we were on our own. The positive outweighed the negative on this trip and the people on the bus tour were the nicest people that you would ever want to meet! I was fortunate to be invited to go on this journey and I am glad I went even though it took my body around three days to stop feeling like I had been crunched up and sitting in a tin can.  

Apple is Alive and Well in China

     

It is interesting to look into different cultures to observe different marketing strategies used in retail to promote business. Many malls and super markets use a lot of sales people as marketing tools to stand in their assigned position waiting to pounce on anyone who dares to walk by, but if you are lucky enough to have a small store on a city street the marketing strategy is a little different.

     

Around dusk you may see a lot of people migrating outside of a store with a lot of hustle and bustle going on. Workers (or a catering company) are busy setting up huge lights, a stage, speaker system, smoke machine, and a tent with marketing information. They can get this thing set up and ready to go in about an hour. Then the promotional marketing show begins – it usually consists of two cute Chinese girls wearing matching short shorts and t-shirts – the music begins and the girls dance in the form of an aerobic workout session. I can never tell if we are supposed to join in like a flash mob dance or just stand there and watch – well after around 5 minutes the realization settles in that they only have a couple of routines that continue over and over again. Oh well, the thrill is gone. Reality sets in and I take note of the store doing the promotion and move on. 

     

Now that you have an overview of this marketing strategy I can tell you what I experienced last night.

      

I was riding my bike home from my weekly shopping excursion when I noticed a promotional event taking place in front of the new Apple store.  China is big on Apple products and although many cannot afford them – given the choice – most people would buy them - including me. An unlocked GSM iphone would answer all of my prayers at this point in time, but at $800-900.00 a pop currently this lands at the bottom of my priority list.

       

The music I heard intrigued me and as I got closer, I noticed two Chinese girls on stage; both were beautiful with long black hair and both girls were dressed in the same classy white ruffled outfit. Each was playing a violin and they were doing a great job. The violins were backed up with an almost eerie new age techno sound and it was strangely enticing. 

    

 It was awesome, I was ready to run home, grab my neighbors and come back out to listen to the music, but after about five minutes – as with most promotional events – I noticed that the music was sort of doing the same thing over and over again. Once more reality set in as I took note of the store and moved on.  

     

Please keep in mind that I never visit cities in the U.S. unless I am on business, visiting my brother and his family who lives in Seattle, or my sister who lives in Fort Lauderdale. It is possible that this type of promotional event is common practice in U.S. cities and I am not aware of it.     

     

This is interesting to me because when Myrtle Beach runs a promotional event we usually go to a lot of trouble to set it up and it would probably last all afternoon or evening. Sales people would be standing by with promotional items and drinks and food would be served. The media would be alerted as well as the police and possibly an ambulance would be on alert for the occasion.

     

So given my experience with promotional events (and I have both worked and participated in quite a few) I must say that I sort of feel like I was ripped of something more that was not there. 

I may not be ready to take the Apple plunge today, but it will happen in the future. 

     

If Apple had added a little more to this event such as – complementary bottled water, a few snacks, and possibly a few friendly low key sales people wandering around to motivate the crowd to be happy or to dance

 – would this be more effective

 – or was it just as effective the way it was? 

Would I have become a more motivated Apple consumer buying an iPhone at an earlier date if I saw that this company was making a better effort than other stores to reach out to its potential clientele?

       

It might have knocked the iPhone up a notch on my wish list, but as of today, my thoughts still stand solid. This was a class act promotional marketing tool shining a new light on Baoji. It raised the bar just a bit – to show that culture could be intertwined with marketing promotions to compliment the people who live and work in the town instead of the gimme, gimme, gimme attitude.

:)

Fun at Kid Castle

     

     Many of the classes are winding down and kids are getting ready for summer break. At the end of each class, we create a presentation for the parents to show them what the kids have learned. The Chinese teachers do most of the work and I pitch in to do my part when needed.

     

     The communication barrier is extremely hard to deal with when working with Chinese teachers, but as long as we remind each other that, that is the problem – everything seems to work out. The real problem is that the Chinese teachers do not include or ask for help from the foreign teachers when they need it and they are not very good at clarifying and expressing how they want to put together a program.  Therefore, when it is time to do a presentation it is turned upside down and I end up doing a lot of improvisation. This is a pain because preparation is the key, but it may be good practice in learning how to think on your feet. Anyway, at the end of the day, everyone is happy with the presentation and all is fine and dandy.

     

     The last presentation I did  I was apprehensive about because it was not my favorite class and I had a few students in that class that were hard to work with, but they surprised me to the point that I was really proud of all of them. They sang a Christmas song that was amazing and wrote a short dialogue about their family to present in English. I asked them questions and they all answered them correctly. Got to love when that happens!

     One of my best classes was winding down after the final oral exam in the last class and there was extra time to kill so I decided to show the kids the portfolio I had put together with pictures of the beach, family, pets, and things I like to do when I am home. They had a blast and loved every minute of it! The kids screamed, laughed, and kept saying how pretty all the pictures were.  After the class, a couple of Moms came to the office and wanted to see the pictures. The Moms were excited and loved the pictures, but at the end an overwhelming look of sadness took over their facial expressions – it was disheartening to say the least.

     When I had time to reflect on this experience and put myself in their shoes an understanding came almost immediately. Most Chinese people believe that all United States citizens are rich and many have difficulties when thinking about us in any other way. So looking at this situation from the Moms point of view this is what I believe they experienced:

     “Hmm, let’s see, Wendy’s dad owns a plane, her mom is a famous artist who sculpts beautiful birds, her older sister is beautiful, her younger sister is also beautiful and owns horses and a lot of other things. Her niece is beautiful and spends a lot of time at the beach, her nephews are very handsome and have many hobbies. Her brother is very handsome and looks to be an upstanding citizen with a fun family. Her friends are well dressed and look rich. Wendy lives in a huge white plantation house in Myrtle Beach and has two other huge homes in the same area. She loves to go to the beach and she owns two pristine cats (you would understand this is you could see some of the cats around here).  One of her homes has a river flowing through the middle of it with lots of pretty fish in it. She even has beautiful artwork and sculptures on her properties. 

What a lucky girl."

Yes, I am blessed with a wonderful life, but boy, oh boy, I never saw this point of view until I put myself in their shoes. 

Next time I show my portfolio to students, I will be sure to have a translator close by to help me explain the story.

Do I have to say it?

Oh, if they only knew!

:)