Field Trip

The sun has just broken through at 6 PM for the first time in days. All day it rained, fairly steadily and hard and finally we are seeing a break in the horrendous pollution we've had for a good five days straight. You would not believe the crud that hangs over the city many summer days -- it's hard to see the next building at times. But rain had fallen and the air is a lot more fresh.

Today was field trip day. We move the learners and foreign teachers out of the classroom and into the city to see places that are important to Beijing. The goal is English conversation outside of class, and it never ceases to amaze me how well it works. I accompanied a class of lower level students and their foreign teacher. At the beginning of the morning as we entered the huge Beihai Park (used to be the emperor's playground) the conversation was spotty at best. Eight learners -- seven university students and one 65 year old woman who with a friend has been part of this English program for three years now. This year we separated the two women to get them to speak more and it is working. We walked, with umbrellas, in the rain, for about three hours, looking at plants, flowers, buildings, climbing up and down towers and hills, in and out of temples, across bridges. By the time we were ready to leave the park and go find lunch, the learners had made some quantum leaps in their willingness to talk.

Lunch -- the planning of it -- is their responsibility on field trips. The university gives them a budget but they have to decide the restaurant and the menu. Our group chose, at the suggestion of the older woman, a traditional place right by the park. We had a separate dining room for our class, typical of many restaurants when you go with a group. The menu appeared and there was much discussion. at that point we let lower level learners speak Chinese so they can decide adequately. then the food began to arrive. We had at least ten dishes of amazing variety, including the crowning delight of Peking Duck complete with thin wrappers, neatly sliced duck, tiny fingers of cucumber and spring onion and the sauce. You take a wrapper, pick up a piece of meat and dip it in the thick sauce, place that in the wrapper, lay on cucumber and onion, close it up like a tortilla, and eat it. At the end of the meal we were served soup made from the duck carcass which is the classic end to Peking Duck meals. And then more food arrived just in case we were hungry -- a plate of sweet potato candies and a platter of vegetable dumplings.

By the time we finished, English conversation was flowing quite well. Two of the learners decided to accompany me back to the university while the rest took their teacher to see some other things. My guardians, a young woman and man, talked steadily all the way to the bus, on the bus, down into the subway, all the way on the subway, and all the way back to campus. When they each went their separate ways, they said, "We've NEVER spoken to a foreigner before and we've NEVER talked this much English." They were just delightful young people.

I arrived back to find my husband a little better after a full day of rest. His pain level has been extremely high the last two days and we're hoping the break in the weather may help a bit. He was back to the traditional medicine doctor this morning and has two more visits. Then we'll evaluate whether or not he continues to visit this hospital. Staying back was not all bad -- several of the administrators came and sat by his bed to talk and a former student came by for some spiritual counseling.

Time to heat water and have some noodles, fruit, and yogurt for supper. Certainly don't need anything more than that. Maybe I'll fit in a walk in the little garden across the street before the sun fades away.