Last 3 Months

As we come to the last 3 months of our 1st year in China I thought I would show you one thing that is keeping me busy. Actually, my classes this semester are really great but more work. We are doing PPT and they take more preparation time.

I decided to make my kitchen look a little more interesting. I always thought that Tricia had a great red kitchen, and decided that I would try that color in my kitchen area. You will see above the new sink Jay put in at Christmas. I used red material I had left over from last semesters Freshmen class song and dance routine.
This is my new vegetable and fruit shelf. Doing this is like building a playhouse out in the back yard. I found these chairs that were red. After I got them I figured that I could accent the whole kitchen (all 5 by 8 foot area) in red
We sit on the red stools at our kitchen bar that I made for all our meals. The brown basket with the red on the top covers our gas can for our stove top. I really enjoy being able to do this. It adds some creative juice to my life.
We are doing great. On Friday we are going on a 3 day trip, with two other couples, to the ocean. We are hoping the weather will be warm. Yesterday, the weather decided that we should have a little bit more winter. It has been raining, but they really need it, so I am okay with the weather. We wish we could be home to hear conference, but luckily we can get it on the Internet.

GAMMA KNIFE SURGICAL HOSPITAL

DON'T OPERATE!

This post is meant to follow the previous one at the Neurosurgery Center. We have added a couple of photos, and some short video clips to complement our already posted China Adventure of a --
Saturday with Dr. Wu.

WE ARE GUESTS OF DOCTOR C. Y. WU

VISIT TO THE JINAN HOSPITAL'S NEW MRI FACILITY.
Dana met a famous Chinese Medical Doctor this past week (Doctor Wu Cheng-yuan) a Doctor of Neurology and a Neuro Surgeon, and he invited us to tour the new wing of a hospital where they had acquired new equipment on Saturday morning.

We became aware of Dr. Wu's prominence in China quickly. He gave Dana a signed copy of his recently published book which helped us to understand him better. These are some of the things we learned:

1. He was invited by University of Utah President Cecil Samuelson to attend the U of U Medical School where he did research and contributed to the success of the school.
2. He then went to University of Georgia where he did medical research on a stem cell transplant process which proved successful as he discovered a medical process for surgical treatment of Cerebellar Degeneration. He successfully accomplished the stem cell transplants in the brains of rats so that it would "stick and assist" the healing processes. This was a major medical event and was a new medical treatment. He has lectured about stem cell transplants around the world and in America at Duke University and others. That is not all. He is famous. In his book, among others, he has letters of congratulations on his medical publications and research from not only Dr. Samuelson, but from Dr. Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Doctor Wu and another man, named Jussi (a Chinese English teacher at our university here) picked us up in their car at 8:30 am and off we went about 20 miles to the new hospital facility.

We met everyone who was important at the hospital including the President, CEO, Department Heads, and Managers. They took a lot of group pictures and of us touring their hospital and new wing as well as with their shiney new equipment. They had a new MRI machine, a new Gamma Knife (Lazer) Machine used to find and eliminate brain tumors. They machines were installed and being used for surgery in China. One was made by General Electric and the others were made in China. We went and had a wonderful day with him and all of the other Doctors and Administrators of the facilities there. After the tour, we went to watch a lecture on brain surgery by another top medical professor, which of course was in Chinese, so we all left to go tour the Wards of the Hospital. We met patients in the hospital wards. We learned a lot on this one...

We were told that we were the first American visitors to that hospital. It was clearly a historical event and is now well documented with photos. We even took a few photos ourselves.

Jay had to try one of these Gamma Knife Machines out. Look Mom.

This was a real patient going through an MRI.

Jay and Dana and the shiney new machines...

Dr. Wu and Jay at the new machine made in China.

As we walked to the next building, we watched a medical crew transporting a patient to the other hospital annex.

We witnessed the departure of a patient who had broken bones, which had been mended and so he could go home... He was being loaded into his truck to be taken home. This is not a Chinese ambulance!

Then lunch for everyone, was on our host, Dr. Wu as we drove to a local, but rural, Chinese restaurant. This turned out to be one of the most fun, longest, biggest and best lunches we have had in China. They started off by asking us what we would like to drink. Water or course, but they insisted of a better drink such as wine or beer. It was wonderful as we were wined and dined and as we toasted almost everything we could think of with "Orange Fanta". Hey, they asked us what we really would like to drink? Interestingly enough, they also drank and toasted health, long life, peace and happiness and a miriad of other things with the same drink. They all drank what we liked, not beer or wine which is most common at such a meal. They all knew we were LDS and from Utah. Mr. Wu just knew. He has been to Salt Lake City and to Provo. He told us that the people of Utah were the most kind of all the states of American which he has visited. We had a terrific time and they finally returned us to our apartment with promises to get together again. What a wonderful day we enjoyed today -- with such wonderful people!

SKYPE: COMPUTER PHONE CALLS

FREE PHONE CALLS.

WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUBSCRIBE TO AND USE SKYPE TO PHONE HOME USING OUR LAPTOP COMPUTER.

WE ARE IN JINAN CHINA AND THEY ARE IN ALPINE, UTAH.

HERE I SNAPPED A PHOTO OF OUR TELEPHONE CALL TO OUR OLDEST SON JASON AND HIS DAUGHTER GRACE. IT WAS GREAT FUN TO TALK TO THEM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.

SKYPE TAKES YOU FROM OUR LIVING ROOM/OFFICE IN CHINA INTO THEIR HOME IN SORT OF AN INVASIVE WAY, BUT IT SURE FEELS LIKE HOME TO SEE THEM THERE AND IT IS SO GREAT TO TALK WITH THEM.

Hello

We are now in our 3rd week of school. In the middle of our 1st week, after we had our curriculum set, the graduate school decided that we should be teaching some other classes.
They gave us 4 days to rework our curriculum and then we started our new classes. Once again we have some really most wonderful students. Dana has post graduated students in health and medicine, Jay has post graduates in engineers. Dana also was able to keep one of her freshmen classes. Together this semester we have a little over 600 students. Many of these students struggle with listening and oral English. The can really read English well, but understanding what we are saying and speaking it is very difficult for them.

We are excited to be back teaching. We have never had two months of vacation since we got married. Sometimes being together 24/7 was a little, I don't want to say hard, but it was interesting at times. We have enjoyed being together most of the time and have had some wonderful experience, but it sure is great to get up in the morning and have something to do.
One of the other BYU teachers said, "I know what hell will be like. It is having nothing to do, waiting for someone to tell you what you will be doing --- sometime soon." We both read a few good books and worked on a few projects, but we were ready to start back to teaching.

This semester we are doing a lot of Power Point presentation for our classes. We have gotten some wonderful music from Brother and Sister Bird at another University. They have put together some wonderful music presentation, and we are looking forward to using them. We show a Movie every Tuesday and Wednesday night. We have been able to find some really great movies for our students to watch. This week we showed "The Terminal" a great movie.

Now that school has started there is plenty to do. We are going to visit a few more places before we leave to come home. It looks like we will be able to leave around the 23 of June. We heard that spring is wonderful here, but summer is really hot and it comes in May.

We are still exploring and finding new things in this city. We have some really special Chinese friends that we have shared some special times with. We also have the other BYU teachers that are really amazing people. Getting together every Sunday for Sacrament Meeting is a wonderful experience. We are learning a many wonderful things here and are very grateful for the opportunity to come to China. Next blog will have pictures and we look forward to the last 31/2 months.

ENGLISH TEACHERS WANTED IN CHINA!

SPELL CHECK ANY ONE?

We need English Teachers in China. Even businesses here are in need of better English speaking employees. See the lower photos...

(This is not a Swiss Army Knife. It is a cool China Army Knife with a lot more things, quite big things, on it. I first thought I would buy one for the grand children, but I remember Raichle cutting his finger pretty bad when his Dad entrusted him with a new little pocket knife for his third birthday. These tools are more of a "Man's Toy".)

ADCERTESEMENT COMPANY.

This photo takes the ultimate prize for a clear failure to Spell Check . This is an advertising company in Sanya, China, where they made signs, letterhead paper, business cards, etc. I saw this sign and had to snap a photo. If you doubt me, run their word "Adcertesement Company" through spell check...
What do you get? Advertising Company. This is a classic because it is in the business of printing. This error surprised me and it is way beyond what I was expecting to photograph when I started taking photos of signs, messages, business printings, and direction signs in China.

I could see that the Ad Company sign was getting faded and old. But the sign was still being utilized to bring in customers. Then we walked by the day after, I looked again and they had installed a brand new sign to replace this old blue one. It is now a new, bright maroon color...but clearly the same error prevailed. Spell Check anyone?

This is a "Yield" sign in China. It is very polite in it's message to please yield everyone...Give Way.

This sign said "No Visitors". The interesting thing about it is that it was placed in a heavy traffic tourist area at the entrance to a small convenience store in Budda Mountain. I thought it was another case of not knowing or understanding the sign's meaning and so it was just left there.

This company has someone making their brand name coats and shirts with a simple spelling mistake or just a failure to use their computer spell check.

They probably mean: Kebao Motorcycle Sales Company, Ltd.

This long and wordy sign politely means: "Do Not Litter!"

Spell Check would have caught the #5. grammatical errors and "Night Show".

Perhaps "Scheme" is not the best word here for this organization. It reminds me of the City Government giving annual service awards at a large banquet we were invited to where an award and a large plaque was presented to the Director of the "City Propaganda Department". That's China. We learn more every day and we are glad to be here.

It is often we see T-shirts with a lot of attractive but disjointed words on them This is one example. What do you think is the author's intent here? Guess. Please comment.

Here is another. They love these shirts. Grammar is secondary. Spelling comes in third.

Interesting Shop Name. "I Love Here." It is okay I guess, would fly through spell check, and the shop seems to be doing a good business.

New recycling containers... One is okay. The other...red one needs to be re-cycled.

What is the message? Environmental I think. This one is home made with it's green message.

This expensive leather coat is another Classic Spelling error and worth so much more as a collectors item now than had it gone through Spell Check. I love this one!

PS: I ran this post through Spell Check. "Adcertesement" showed up and I chose not to correct it.