Archive for January 6th, 2007

Jan 06 2007

school visit, part 2

Posted by: doramac in China 2006

1/6/2007 9am Saturday

I am finishing the school visit story. I wanted to include more photos, but these will have to do. I may have sent some earlier. Zoey and BoBo are great company and I have enjoyed all of the time spent with them.

School Visit Part 2

On December 25th I went with Lillian to visit BoBo and Zoey at their school, He Feng Middle (also a high school. He Feng means mild breeze and silent drizzle. I found a Chinese tv transcript on the internet from the school’s renaming ceremony 2 years ago.) The school is in the Town of Doumen. It is called the Town of Doumen because there is a business/shopping center and a school so the whole area is called a town. It is located in the larger area of Doumen, hence "Town of Doumen." (our hotel is in Jiangan, also within Doumen.) Lillian and I took the 609 bus, the same one the girls take and the same one we took to visit the temple and pick strawberries. The school is further away than the temple, but maybe a 20 minute ride including a few stops. The "girls" make this trek once every 2 weeks and are at school having classes and studying Sunday through Saturday all the rest of the time. That’s right, one day off every 2 weeks and the rest they are in school. They wake at 6 am and go to sleep about 11 pm. From about 6:30 till 8 am they read and have individual study. Then they are in class from 8am till 11:30 with a short exercise session squeezed in. From 11:30 ~ 2:30 they eat lunch in the lunch room and then may rest in their dorm. (The dorm is kept locked hours when the students are supposed to be in class.) 2:30 ~5:30 more classes. 5:30~6:30 is dinner. After dinner they study until 11 pm. Everyday, Sunday through Saturday for 15 days straight! During the first 2 hears of high school they had one day each week to go home. Middle school is like our 7th, 8th, and 9th and high school is 10th ~ 12th. Also, the students remain in the same room and teachers move about the school. So in Zoey and BoBo’s class there are mostly girls because boys have chosen to focus on sciences or maths and the girls seem to focus on history and English or Chinese. Like the USA. I asked if they used computers much and was told they had no time because of school work and studying. Every student had mountains of books on his/her desk and most learning is done from these books or from the teachers. There are lots of hard copy periodicals in the library and some books. If a book isn’t available the librarians will try to get it for the students. Both girls and Lillian said that younger grades learned how to use computers, but studying for college entrance exams took most of the high school time. Zoey said that she especially liked her English and Chinese classes and both girls are focusing on history and I think that’s how they met. They do not share a dorm room, but each girl is in a room with at least 9 other girls since rooms have between 10 to 12 students. The students stay at school to avoid wasting travel time. This option is only available to the high school students and lower grades travel home each day. If a student lives close by, they may also go home at night. Students who stay on campus may only leave with special permission and BoBo and Zoey had to have permission to go off campus for lunch and a stroll during our visit. The students wear uniforms; grey track suits. I didn’t think to ask if they liked or disliked that. I think they can pick their shoes because I seemed to notice shoes were different among the students.

During our visit we met the Headmaster Mr. Shun Shong Qing who kindly gave us bottled water and told us to explore where we wished. We also met 2 school librarians Ms Lixian Liang and Mr.Cheng Qin Yu. Through Lillian we were able to talk about their brand new library, dedicated a few days earlier, libraries and life in general. They asked about my life and our planned travel. I told them I knew I was very lucky to be able to do such a thing. I really wish everywhere in the world we all spoke the same language because I wanted to know more about them and their lives, but without lots and lots of time it’s just not always possible. We did all speak "librarian speak" so that made conversation easier. I was sorry when finally we had to leave. But Lillian had to get back because after this busy day she still had to work from 4 pm until midnight!

Another building, after lunch the area was filled with typical teens

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Jan 06 2007

Dumplings

Posted by: doramac in China 2007, General

1/6/2007 8:25 am

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping this will go with the internet issues we still have. I had to compress the photos so they aren’t so clear. This is another adventure with BoBo and Zoey, the high school girls we met.

New Year’s Day, 1/1/2007. BoBo and Zoey (my high school friends) came to visit and I learned to make dumplings! When I had gone to visit their school the girls had asked if they could come to see our boat on New Year’s Day. They have so few days away from school, but they would be home in Jingan that day. When Randal and I knew we would have time on the 1st text messages were exchanged ( with Lillian’s help) and we arranged the visit. This really is a great compliment to us, I think. The girls live at school and only return home once every 2 weeks, but chose to spend it with us.

10 am the girls arrived at our hotel. They had brought Randal and me Chinese bank bobbleheads, a smiling Chinese man and woman, both in glasses. It is very cute and when I look at it I will also think of the bike riding frog couple that my sister gave me but is in Roanoke. Zoey and BoBo had also brought food to make dumplings. We left the food in the hotel cooler and walked off to meet Randal who was already at the Yard. The girls, Lillian and I walked over to the ferry. Little did we know what was in store for us. Everybody in Jingan was also on their way Biajiao. There was a larger than usual crowd waiting for the ferry and maybe that should have given us a clue about the street scene in Baijiao, but it didn’t. The ferry was crowded, but not terribly crowded, not crushing crowded. But when we got off the ferry and made our way from the little terminal area to the roads of Baijiao it was bedlam! I haven’t been in a crowd like that since I went to see a Sly concert at UMass long ago. It was a mix of people, bikes, motorbikes, motorcycles, three-wheeled trucks, big trucks, cars, and hundreds of people crammed into the street, sidewalks, everywhere. It seemed like the motor vehicles were stopped in their tracks in the middle of the road. Everything and everyone else moved very very slowly along the street edge and sidewalks which were also full of little shops and stalls of people selling things. And it was hot too and there was diesel smell in the air. Horns were honking. But no one got mad and no one yelled and no one got hurt and eventually we all made it to the major intersection where we turn left to go to the Yard. Whew!!!

We arrived at the yard and were welcomed by Bill, Stella, Randal and “Dirty-faced dog.” Many of the workers were off for the day. Randal gave the girls a tour and they took lots of photos and video and made us pose lots of times. Bobo and Zoey officially tested the bunk beds for the first time. They saw how the radar and steering work. Bobo, who had been a little reluctant to walk the dock over to the boat and climb aboard was climbing one handed and taking photos by the end of the tour. While the girls and I were taking more photos Lillian was learning more about the boat. Each visit she learns something and may well be ahead of me. Lillian is also very good with the computer and has taught me about working with photos. (Once upon a time when I worked in the library I knew how but just haven’t done it in so long.)

After the boat tour we all went to eat lunch in the yard canteen and as usual it was very good and I ate too much. (Not a good idea when we would be making dumplings later.)

Randal wanted to keep learning the boat systems, but Lillian, BoBo and Zoey and I returned to the hotel to make the dumplings and to use our computer to copy the pictures I had taken on the school visit and the pictures they had just taken at the yard. Computer whiz Lillian actually did the computer work. Then we went to the 6th floor kitchen to make dumplings. Lillian made sure we had everything we needed and then went to use the hotel computer to make another c copy of the photos for Zoey. Well Zoey took the lead in the dumpling making. There was meat to chop, mushrooms to wash and chop, turnips or parsnips (no one is sure) to peel and chop and lettuce to wash. Giant cleaver in hand Zoey chopped the meat and BoBo and I worked with the vegetables. All of the ingredients (except the lettuce) were mixed together and Zoey added chicken bullion, salt, and soy sauce. Then we took a little round flat (1/16th inch) piece of dough about 3 and ½ inches in diameter. We put about a rounded tsp of filling in the center and then folded all of the sides up in a special way Zoey could do very well and BoBo and I as well as we could. When they were all filled it was time to cook. Garlic had been cooked in a little oil in a big pot ( to add flavor) and then water was added to the pot and brought to a boil. Dumplings were then added to the water to cook. How long? Don’t know because I had to go to our room where I had forgotten my phone. But I think it must depend on the filling and the thickness of the dough, but not long. I don’t think I was gone longer than 15 minutes and when I got back my bowl was filled with dumplings, cooked lettuce and broth. And of course they were wonderful. Everyone had a few helpings, we had made lots, and then it was time to say good-bye to the girls. They had to go home, bathe, get ready and then take the bus back to school where they would spend the evening studying. They take university entrance exams in June and if they are successful (and I’m sure they will be!), they will go to a university in September. I know Zoey says she hopes to go to university in Yunnan Province west of Guangdong Province, the province that includes Zhuhai, which includes Doumen, which includes Jingan where our hotel is located. Yunnan according to the atlas is China’s south western most province and Zoey says is very beautiful and that’s why she wants to go there. She and BoBo want to study history.

There are lots of dumpling recipes on the web, just link dumplings and New Year. They are lots of fun to make and taste really good.

Starting and washing the veggies, mushrooms, and greens