A busy semester means a neglected camera. While I snap photos along the way, they sit on the SD card waiting and longing for the day to be written about and shared with the world. As with every foray into an accumulation of photographs, I am reminded of moments captured yet forgotten in my mind. A great example is the above photo. The two month project to replace the road next to our apartment (again) has long been over, yet this photo reminded me of that Saturday morning we so wanted to sleep late yet were brutally awoken by the cackles and obnoxiously loud chattering of these women. Construction noise is a thorn in our sides and this picture reminds me of that fact, yet it also reminds me how their giggles to help pass the time make me chuckle as well.
Thus, with the end of the semester comes freedom and time to clean off the camera. Here is the stash on display and the stories.
Early October, a group of exchange students (from Ghana and Pakistan) walked onto our campus and became an instant sensation. The students, teachers, and surrounding villagers were mesmerized by these people from such exotic places and we reveled in the fact that the paparazzi-esque attention was diverted from us for a time.
The bonus to this international invasion was that we finally had proof for our students that Chinese are not the best at learning English. We have grown tired of pretentious attitudes that their ability to learn English is superior to surrounding countries. Thus, a group of fluent English speakers who have studied and mastered the language in less time than Chinese has been splendid. It is uncountable the times I have carried on a conversation with these guys with students nearby, only for their mouths to stay agape at trying to follow our conversation.
Ultimately, we have loved having a little diversity to our campus as their energy is infectious and lively. It has been delightful to learn about their respective countries and cultures, even having a night of Pakistani food (which is amazing!) Multiple invitations have been proffered for us to visit, and with our love of travel, I could see it happening.
Football consumed the semester for Zach. Whoever was in charge of the intramural tournament was an idiot at scheduling, so the event that would normally be a six week venture turned into four months. Beyond the scheduling madness, it was a great season for the boys and girls teams. They went farther in the tournament than ever before and became the one to beat rather than the easy-to-decimate team. Foreign language teams made a name for themselves this year.
In early November, a 3am toilet run turned into a thirty minute moon-gazing venture. I knew that if I could see the world so clearly without my glasses, it had to be a stunning view with glasses. It was and, for once, I was glad my bladder had woken me up before the alarm.
Attending a behavioral science conference has been added to the category of never-thought-I-would-do-that. Thanks to our friendship with the chairs, we spent a couple of hours one October morning immersing ourselves into a foreign field that involved tons of science jargon long forgotten. Instead of deciphering Chinglish, we were struggling to remember the vocabulary of Biology 101. Thanks to some quick dictionary searching, it was fascinating, yet saddening to hear repeatedly how far behind research is in regards to mental health.
Trading the traditional zen garden for a Japanese maple in a container surrounded by bluegrass, my husband has spent many meditative moments preening his little piece of heaven. Numerous times, I have turned down the hallway to find him halfway out the window mowing his grass, talking to it, and plucking dead leaves (though it did have a Whomping Willow moment earlier in the semester when in one day it lost all its leaves.)
The deer park near our university bedecked itself for the holidays. While it was not the traditional display of Santas, Christmas tress, and bells, it was actually well done for Chinese standards. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed strolling the grounds for over an hour.
Our resident first floor feline, Kitty, has appointed herself as our ferocious door god. Traditionally, along with red couplets outlining the door frame of Chinese homes, two posters of door gods will adorn the actual door. This is a favorite decoration of ours, so we find it fitting that we have acquired an actual door god who ensures that all who pass into our hutong have been screened in some capacity before she runs into the night. She is a skittish door god.
