CHINA: END OF 3RD YEAR.

Finishing up the school year.

Here Dana is in her English class and teaching her students to "SPEAK ENGLISH!" She is an excellent teacher and her students love her.

Jay's classes did drama (skits) this week using the items he provided to the class. They had a ball and really enjoyed the change from their previous, tedious and tiring engineering classes.

This past week, we had three more Christian students from Ghana come to church in our apartment. We had a nice lunch afterward. They are cool.

This was taken on Chinese outfit day at church. This is kind of a Jinan twig "once-a-year" tradition. The twig group photo is priceless however...

Judges at the speech and debate contest---in English.

We entertained a little too.

We took our classes bowling at the big Sofital Hotel bowling alley here in Jinan. It is the only one we have found. We got a great discount rate and most of our student were able to learn about bowling, play two games and have a group photo taken there. The cost was: 8.5 yuan per game with free shoes, or about $1.20 american. They each paid for their experience. They loved it and learned how to bowl. Almost all, about 99%, had never bowled before, or even seen a bowling alley. However, one of the male students bowled a 161 and took the prize -- five more free game coupons.

We went shopping in Qingdao on our vacation there last week with 9 other english teachers. This was a glass shop with giant glass diamonds for sale... I bought a few.

Dana and the others shopped for pearls. They found a lot of them and bought a lot too.

In Qingdao, at the quad in front of the Catholic church, there were about a dozen brides and grooms doing wedding photographs... This couple was willing to pose for us. They all had the same color and fashion design from a rental shop.

We travelled by fast train. In Qingdao, we all stayed in an Elder Hostel there. They are quite inexpensive and quaint. This one is in an old observatory. They served us breakfast up in the top. They had a pet dog. He was the center of attention and even demanded service from the front desk...

On our tour of the Qingdao bay, Dana helped a newlywed couple take their cruise photos...

Back in Jinan, the huge, new shopping mall across the road from Quan Chung, town square is beginning to look like "Noah's Ark"...don't you think?

China Culture

Differences in culture.

Every day is a new adventure. We love it here in China.
Here we are visiting Zibo (about 2 hours away by bus) and walking the "Qi Great Wall",
re-furbished, but left over from the Qi Dynasty.

In Zibo, we were treated by our university, to a day there, and to tours of two glass and ceramic factories. The workers were fascinating and busy. Despite the danger, all 20 of us tourists mingled with the workers and took photos as they dodged and wieved around us to get their products completed while they were still hot.

Morgan Jones and Jay went exploring one day and ended up in the top dome of one of twin commercial buildings downtown. It was open and so we went in a took some photos there.

This is the other twin tower with it's matching dome.

We enjoyed "Red Leaf Valley" near Jinan, by taking a city bus there for a day tour with Luci and Morgan Jones, our neighbors.

Morgan and Jay went to the rock show in Jinan. There were interesting rocks and things there. These rocks look like meat. They were really hard meat however...maybe it is petrified meat.

"Fools Gold". This is a big specimen for sale... "Pyrite", I remember from my geology class at BYU 45 years ago.

Jay was fascinated with these colored rocks. He bought three of these which are shown in the photos. A Red one, A Green one and a Yellow one. Why?

Here Morgan is observing the rocks for sale and how he could get this one home. A suitcase would be too small... Perhaps as a carry on! Are these even legal to own in USA? Probably now.

Some more rocks for sale... Lool close up and you will see some interesting geodes and unusual rocks for sale.

There was a lot of specimens of Petrified Rock. This is one of the larger ones and in perfect shape. It was for sale, but for a huge prices... and again how to get it home? Do Chinese have new cars? YES. They have anything they want to import. Many have new cars, Cadilacs, Audis, BMWs or Hummers.

Jay took a photo of his class room this year. It is a new one with good media facilities. This is the first year it is being used. It was recently remodelled.

Dana is shopping and here she is considering buying some dates on a stick. They are dipped in liquid sugar syrup which dries hard. They are quite good, especially the mandarin oranges ones.

Dana with her new Chinese dress and new wig.

Jay at the RT Market shopping. See they are all smiling.

Lydia's Italian Restaurant is close the main campus and here the whole group of English Teachers are dining out.

Shopping at what we have dubbed "Costco", an outdoor wholesale market place on the far west side of Jinan. Bus #115 goes there. It is an interesting cultural experience to shop there. Most things are available in bulk and at a relatively low price. Dave and Sue Alexander and Morgan and Luci Jones accompany Dana and Jay.

This is the "Water Boy" and his wife. He delivers water to our apartment when we call. It costs us 9 yuan per large bottle. 7 yuan is one US dollar.

Smile!!!!