Down on the Farm

The question was, “Who was watching whom?” On one side of the fence were 19 American teachers, three students, and our lovely administrative assistant, Jo. On the other side were a herd of well-fed black pigs, a farmer, and his two assistants. What might have been a commune in former days is now a huge organic farm producing pristine vegetables and raising pigs and chickens.

The farmer called the pigs and they came running across the field, pushing, shoving, and generally acting like, well, pigs. Some jumped in a muddy pond on their way to cool off but all arrived at the feeding troughs where one of the assistant farmers, an elderly woman, dumped slop for them to eat. They fell to with gusto. I thought of our curriculum story next week about the prodigal son!

We left the university campus at 7:30 on Saturday and headed 90 minutes out into the country. One of the other directors had visited this farm last year and suggested it as a very different field trip for the foreign teachers. It turned out to be a great day, and a good break for the team. Two weeks into a heavy program, there are rare moments for the whole team to be together and do something that is not focused on teaching, lesson prep, or students. The students who went with us are all program assistants, speak excellent English, and have become like part of the family. They mix easily with the team and enjoy the banter.

First on the docket on arrival were tea and a lovely video of their production, all in Chinese. But the visuals were great. Then we headed out to the field, walking lanes and byways, to see corn, chickens, the pigs, massive hothouses that are used for winter production, and finally, another big field where we could pick our own vegetables – cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and if we wanted, onions and eggplant. All along the way we interacted with the farm workers with sign motions and a few words. Instead of the typical vendor to tourist push that we get in most places, this was just people to people, trying to communicate across language barriers.

At the end of a long morning we were ushered back into the tea room where we were served an excellent lunch of vegetables prepared from the fields. We boarded the bus and went to a peach farm, picking a few peaches each before we hit the bus again for “home.” And the heavens opened at that point dumping gallons of rain. The trip back took much longer than the trip out but we were secure in a large air conditioned bus, enjoying interaction, games, and connections.

The rain continued all afternoon and into the evening, making plans to go out impossible, but most had no agenda, and hung around in the dorm doing lesson prep. Monday will come quickly and we’ll all be back in class.

At one point back in the pig pen, a big sow lay down on her side and fell asleep. The other pigs nudged her and pushed her but she didn’t move. Then one of the older women farm assistants came out and kicked her. She jumped up and walked off.

“That’s what my wife will be doing with me Monday morning,” said one team member. Always good to know there is still a sense of humor in Beijing!