Year Two Begins

We’re back in China for a rest from our busy time in Canada. 43 nights in Canada - 15 different beds. I had hoped to get caught up on my blogging this summer but it appears summer has caught up to me.

We managed to see many relatives and friends during this hurried visit but didn’t get to see everyone we wanted to. Maybe in the Winter Holiday. Our priority was to spend time with the grandchildren and we were really lucky to be able to do that. After a run through parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan we picked up Lise and Claire for four nights on Pender including the annual Art Show. The girls generated lots of art projects, some of which will decorate our walls in China. We met up with their parents in Victoria for a great family party hosted by Jane and Chris. Lots of fun and laughter followed by a return trip to Pender with Maya and Jamie for three days. Dianne managed to develop tendonitis in her left shoulder which was pretty well immobile for a couple of weeks. She is only now getting near to a full range of motion. Everyone thought it very amusing that I would be in charge of all the heavy lifting including diapers in all kinds of condition. Fortunately, in this area Jamie is more cooperative than his father was.

The beaches got a good work out while the kids were with us. One thing all the grandchildren love is books. Fortunately, Dianne could still read so there was a lot of book reading. One of Maya’s favourite books is “The Story of Ping”, an old book about a little duck who lives on the Yangtze River. Seems appropriate somehow considering where we live. For our September National Holiday trip this year we are thinking of doing a Yangtze River cruise; we’ll be watching for Ping.

We think people in Canada were happy to see the back of us. When we were in Mission visiting Christine and the family, there was a massive thunder and lightning storm that wiped out the evening performance of the Mission Folk Festival. In Saskatchewan we encountered more unseasonable weather while visiting Kathleen and Michael. Michael commented that he moved from B.C. to Saskatchewan to get away from that kind of weather. On to Red Deer and another incredible storm. It was raining so hard that we couldn’t see across the street. The next stop was Carstairs where the hail storm was so bad that every house with vinyl siding suffered about $20,000. damage. Our niece had over 30 dead birds in her yard. The wind blew the hail at such an angle that the north sides of trees were shredded and the south sides were fine. Back to China and the humidity is incredible. How soon we forget. We keep telling ourselves to remember how hot it was in the summer when the frigid winter winds arrive in late October or early November.

In the spring, the construction of the new school teaching building, student dorms and staff apartments was delayed several months due to a paperwork problem (we were told). They were back at it by the time we left for the summer but we weren’t holding out too much hope that things would be ready. Well, it will be close, but the new teaching building will probably be useable. The dorms didn’t have doors the other day but, this is China, things happen with remarkable speed when they have to. The new teachers expected to move into the new apartments but they weren’t ready and probably won’t be for a week or two. We had decided to keep our old apartment as it was cheaper, bigger and, more importantly, finished. A lucky choice.

Dianne lost her cosy office at the back of the book room as the ESL building is being totally renovated this fall. All the ESL stuff had to be moved to the other side of the campus. Luckily, I am retired so didn’t have to help. Unluckily, I had to move Dianne’s stuff. To do this, I piggy backed on the movers that were moving ESL stuff to the other building. I felt a bit obligated to help them with their stuff as they had helped me. Everything had to be carried down one and a half stories, moved across campus, up a bunch of stairs, then to the other side of the building and up to the fourth floor. No elevators. They had workers to move the desks, cabinets, etc but the staff had to carry all the boxes of teacher materials, text books etc. Did I mention it was up to the fourth floor and there was no elevator? Did I mention the humidity?

The move did generate one good laugh for me... There are two new Chinese male teachers along with Dennis, the sole Chinese male teacher from last year, and they were organizing the move. Several ESL and Grade 10 boys were somehow coerced into helping. After it was all over, one of the new male teachers came over to introduce himself. He told me I was "very energetic and not .... thirty!". I thought his diplomacy was incredible. He was amazed to hear that even my children were no longer 30. It somehow made it all worthwhile.

Because the powers that be decided to split the campuses on gender lines as well as renovate part of the old campus, there are many changes this term. Two new principals, one new vice principal and two new (of three) system coordinators. Lots of things to figure out. Lots of questions. Am I glad to be retired? Dianne is comparatively lucky. She has had a year on this campus and two months as system coordinator under her belt. The three coordinators are really “head office” functions but Jinshitan is the major campus so they will be working very closely with the local people that she knows pretty well.

So it’s back to “normal” here in China. Who knows what will happen next. We will keep you posted. I may even get around to writing about our September trip from last year!

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