Frustration at procedures and admin continues but life in China, as the weather warms, is pleasanter and the chill dour exterior of neighbours and colleagues lessens as they see us more often. In fact, I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of so many of these people that I feel guilty at how judgemental we seemed to begin with.
I guess it began several weeks ago when I was asked to edit a professor's research submission to a scientific jopurnal. After this, the requests came thick and fast and I helped an English teacher with her Personal Statement which she has to present to the members of the University of Minnesota when they come later this month. Her thank you consisted of a desire to spend more time with me to practise her English and a beautiful little tin of the famous Dragon Well tea
grown by her father in law in the famous tea estates, and a trip to Silk street to see the silk market there.Shop after shop full of silk trinkets, clothes and bolts of cloth assaulted my eyes. This is primarily a wholesale area with small shops on the roadway for the tourists. There I saw many people from other lands who come to do business in Hangzhou - the centre of the silk industry.This was followed by a group of teachers who wanted extra lessons speaking English - again to prepare for their two weeks in America in July where they will go to do a special ESL course and so be able to teach their computer courses in English when they return. One teacher gave us a ride home in her car and her thanks for our time was a box of White tea.
and it costs a lot of RMB (yuan). No wonder Mick and I could not find tea in the stores. We were looking for little packets like at home. Here tea is so special that it is sold in very fancy boxes. I felt embarrassed to take it but she said she had been given two such boxes and she really wanted me to have one....so...Another of these teachers got married the first week I met her and brought us back some of her wedding favours so it seems that it is similar to a Canadian wedding
Earlier a neighbour in the complex saw me trying to discreetly dry our clothes on the back of a chair outside the door and she insisted on taking it all to her apartment and up onto the roof (to which I have no access) to dry in the special drying area they have there. She then sent her gorgeous little 9 year old down, with it all dry, later in the day. She speaks no English but the child is beginning to learn some so they have stopped by several times to exchange a few words and to collect our wet laundry. Harry, the little boy, is of course an only child and even looks a little like Harry Potter. This kind lady (Xzou Hong) from the third floor brought her sister in law, who speaks English and also has one son, to call one day to ask if I would accept a present of ....... tea.
She was not sure if we drink or like it. Several assurances later Harry presented us with a huge beautiful box of Green tea. The sister in law also indicated that Mr Xzou owned a company and therefore his wife Hong was able to stay home all day and she would like to be my friend and could easily do our drying and anything else we might require! As well they thought that, as we had no children living with us, we would like to have their two boys to come to stay with us sometimes at the weekend and that we could go climbing or sightseeing together with them and they have a car to take us. We did not say that sweet as Harry is, young children are not on our agenda right now, but we smiled and thanked them and .....showed our friendly Canadian natures. This weekend when we returned home Xzou presented us, via Harry, with a lovely plant to grow
.......and so it continues
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