November 9th

Up again at 6:45. Sisters and Brothers had come by last night to bring fruit and thanks. We were given mushrooms as a going away gift. Karol will love the mushrooms.

For breakfast, we went to the same steamed bun shop. I had a large veggie filled bun and four little pork filled buns. Additionally, I had a cup of sweet, warm soy milk.

Today we are waaay out in the country. We’re at a ch that was begun in 1902 by people from Norway. There is a big new building here now – right out in the country located adjacent to a huge expressway. People came from every direction to the event for singing, choir, and the weekend meeting.

Michael and I seem to make a good tag team. He is energetic and very expressive. He involves other people in his presentations. Now that my section is done, he will be speaking (and I will be in the dark since I don’t understand the language – you all know that).

Customs die hard, both good and bad. As soon as one walks in the door, a cup of thin tea in a plastic cup is offered. The cup is hot so one has to keep juggling it from hand to hand. If I greet someone else with a Ni Hao, there is a tendency for that other person to think that I speak Mandarin. So normally I only greet people with a “Very nice to meet you,” and a two handed handshake. The cement floors in this building are kept very clean – one woman was mopping this morning.

But spitting wherever you want to  is hard to change. I remember back in the days when I visited Beijing, there were lots of signs that said, “No spitting.” No such signs out here in the countryside. One of the choir women needed to clear her throat, and then spit. Well, maybe that is why mopping is such an important activity.

Another custom, first learned in Hong Kong, is that it is important to have fresh air. It is chilly this morning and people are wearing warmish coats. But here in the building where it is damp and cold, we need to have all the windows open for the fresh air. So the cover of my computer is freezy cold, and my hands are getting cooler by the minute. The only way to stay warm is with clothes and with the cup of tea or hot water that could be in one’s hands at any time.

About 45 minutes before lunch, I had to use the restroom. Almost went into the wrong place. Afterwards, I wandered toward where they were preparing food. The master chef was preparing the meatball soup in a huge wok, measuring about 2.5 feet in diameter. He tasted it and pronounced it good, so he took it out and began a new dish – carrots and tofu. He peppered, salted, tossed in some spices, tasted it, tasted it again, and decided that one was good too. What a pro!

Lunch with the large group. This time lots of meat: chicken, fish, pork of several kinds, plus vegetables and two kinds of soup. A great meal. It’s always a little uncomfortable for me because I can only eat but carry on no conversation. Another thing I forgot to note that is sometimes common in China. There is no specific place for the bones. They can be stacked in a pile on the plastic table cloth, or haphazardly deposited around one’s eating bowls, or, they can just be deposited on the floor. All options are of equal value.

After lunch, I was to take a rest, so Ruth took me to a room off of the dining area where there were two beds. I said that I was OK and didn’t need to rest. When I went back to Michael, he said that it was important for me to rest. The beds were special, and the bedclothes were brand new – and it was what I was supposed to do. So I did for about 15 minutes. The peace and solitude were very relaxing. I could just be in my own little English world.

Back in session. Michael can go for 3 hours without a break. Fiery and challenging. I’m kind of getting tired. There isn’t much English for me, and to hear Chinese most of the day is fatiguing. But, at least for this trip, once I get to Shenzhen, it will again be English – at least with the people I’ll be seeing.

Dinner was pretty similar to lunch, except there were only about 10 of us at the table. Serinya (27) and I were trying to communicate in English, but her pronunciation is so hard to understand. We got some basic sentences, and lots of laughs at the table.

At the hotel, the group came to say “goodbye.” I’ll be leaving at 7 am with a driver heading for the train station so I won’t be seeing them anymore. Indeed was sad to say goodbye.

I was given a gift of a “chunk” of black tea with all kinds of inscriptions on it. Will last for years…….