Another one bites the dust...

And so my second year in China is nearing to a close. We have one more week of classes (and I mean that literally). Monday, July 4, is the last day of school. But you might say - "Wait, that's only 5 more days of school." But do not forget, this is China. In one of their typical last-minute moves, the Chinese education department said, "It is silly to have the last day of school be on a Monday. Why come back for just one day?" Solution - make Saturday and Sunday school days as well! Now we go straight from Monday to Monday for the last days of school. What are we supposed to do with those extra days? Another good question, as all testing for the school year has been completed. It doesn't make sense, but that's the way it is! So I'm trying to come up with some games and activities that might vaguely require some math... Next year, in Suzhou, this problem won't exist. They are in a different province and have a bit more freedom in their scheduling. In fact, they are already out for the school year. Maybe the grass is greener...

Clearing the way for the next school year...
So with school finished on July 4, I've got a couple days to put things in order here in Xi'an before heading back to the states on July 7. I've been giving away and throwing out a bunch of stuff - it is incredible how much you can accumulate in a short period of time.
About half of the foreign staff is leaving at the end of this school year - about the same as last year. At this particular center, if they retain 50% I think they consider it a success. There will be a new Center Principal and Head of Department next year, and they have their work cut out for them!
It has been in the 90's here pretty much every day for the last couple weeks. One or two days in the 100's. Thank god for AC. A transformer blew up a week ago, and we have had several power outages as a result since then. The longest one lasted 4.5 hours. My apartment was an oven. The locals say that the problem still hasn't been fixed. People seem to take it in stride here - there's no one to call or complain about it anyways...
Looking forward to the return trip and seeing family and friends!! I might get one more installment in before I leave but no promises!
Ggg

The Crew

One of our colleagues is leaving today, about a month early, so I requested we all get together for one last photo while we were all together:Here is the photo, and below are their names and countries of origin (as near as I can gather - some are a bit murky):

Front row (seated) L to R : Michael (Australia), Sean (USA - Arizona), me, David (the principal - Scotland), Virginia (Philippines), Catherine (Singapore/USA)
Back row (standing) L to R: Chris (England), Edward (England), Jake (USA - Colorado), George (Kenya), Benjamin (USA - N. Carolina), Peter (England/India), Guy (England/Australia - he's the one leaving early), Constantinos (Cyprus, Greece), Deka (USA/India), Lukas (Poland)

And there is the Gaoxin No.1 High School  in Xi'an, China foreign staff for the school year 2015-2016!!

The school year is winding down - our last day is July 4 (same as last year - I'll be wearing my patriotic t-shirt!). We are starting a 3-day holiday today for the Dragon Boat Festival (we have Thursday, Friday and Saturday off but we have to go back and teach on Sunday - go figure!).
I hope to travel to the Shaolin Temple on Saturday with Sky. You have to take a speed train to do it in one day. We'll leave at 6 am and probably get back around 10 pm. Hopefully the crowds aren't too bad! I will supply details later...
May your boat travel fast to save the drowning poet...
Ggg

Grief - Chinese style

I have missed my good friend Sky here the last couple of weeks. He is in good health, but that is not why he has been hard to find. Last year on or about July 6, Sky married a wonderful young woman named Jenny. She teaches English on the same school campus, but she is affiliated with the Chinese school, while Sky and I teach at the international one. Two weeks ago, Jenny's father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He is a young 53, and teaches Physics at a Chinese high school. He doesn't speak any English but has never failed to greet me with a big smile on the few occasions I've seen him. Like the majority of Chinese men, he smokes. And Sky, who doesn't smoke, was always grumbling about having to buy him expensive cigarettes on holidays and family occasions. It's a tradition for the son-in-laws... It has to do with respect and a means of demonstrating success - he can then offer his friends to smoke some fine tobacco with him, provided by his son-in-law.
And now it is stage 2/3 lung cancer - not having spread outside the lungs as far as I can gather. He was going to have an operation last week to remove the tumor but the doctors decided it was not advisable - the tumor has grown too large to operate on. So now he has started chemotherapy, as of today, in the hopes that it may shrink the tumor enough to allow an operation. The Chinese do not have a lot of faith in their medical system, and Sky has asked me to investigate treatment in the US. I have made a couple calls to OHSU, and come to the conclusion that getting his father-in-law over there will be a tough task and extremely expensive. Before the doctors can advise anything, they need all his records. Of course! Except they are all in Chinese... I have advised Sky of these things and he will look into it, but I think the chances of going to the US will be very slim.
But that is not what I'm really writing about this for. You see, when Sky first told me that his father-in-law had lung cancer, he told me that Jenny didn't know yet and he was going to wait a couple days before telling her. He was worried how she would take it (she is an only daughter). I thought "wow" he's not going to tell his father-in-law's daughter. But that's not the real kicker. You see, over here in China, the doctors don't even tell the patient. Sky's father-in-law didn't even know. They are afraid that telling the patient news like that will make them even sicker. So they only tell the family (in this case, the mother-in-law and Sky) and let them handle all the grief. The family tries to withhold the news from the patient as long as possible. In some cases, the sick family member may die never knowing the cause... In this case, because of the treatment needed, he had to be told. Sky said that when he finally told him, he thought he already knew. Jenny has been a basket case. Family members take on all the grief and worrying, and it is considered bad form to smile or laugh or have a good time while a family member is seriously ill. So now Sky comes in to school, teaches his classes, and immediately leaves. He has temporarily given up all his other duties. He does not even smile, and I almost felt guilty for trying to get him to crack a smile the last time I saw him. He used to text me all the time and I haven't received any from him other than a response to a question I ask him.
I guess I kind of understand their reasoning behind it all (lots of superstition - and the Chinese are nothing if not superstitious). But it is so depressing, and doesn't really seem to help anybody (from my perspective). I miss the Sky that I have grown to know, and I will only be here in Xi'an a little over a month, and it saddens me that I may never see that Sky again before I leave...
Sky is being the best son-in-law that he knows how to be, and I hope that his father-in-law will have many good years ahead of him in which to enjoy his life...

Frisbee is a dangerous sport...

... when you're sixty.
I was out yesterday doing my weekly extracurricular activity of frisbee - enjoying the cooler air that has come through the last couple days. A student threw a frisbee over my head and I went running after it - somehow tripping or falling down and landing on my left leg. Oh, it hurt! But I couldn't let on that it was killing me, and I was able to get up and slowly move so I knew nothing was broken. I think I bruised a bone in my upper thigh or something, and sleep was difficult last night but it does feel better this morning. I feel like all I need is a cane and I would be walking around like a crippled old man (wait, what is old??). Needless to say, I did not do any more frisbee-throwing or catching after that. I also lost my glasses that were in my pocket during the fall, but I didn't notice until later, back in the office. Sky said don't worry, if I lost them on the school campus, they will be found and no one will take them. I walked back to the track where we had been playing, and after searching around for a while I found them lying on a lane of the track - unharmed! Amazing...
Had some big news yesterday at school. David, our centre principal, called me into his office and gave me a letter to read. It is his resignation letter, effective at the end of this school year. He and his wife have a 3 year old son that was just diagnosed with autism (they knew something was going on), and they can't get the proper treatment and therapy here in China so they are going to his home in Scotland. They asked if I was interested in his post for next year and I couldn't get the word NO out of my mouth fast enough. It requires an extreme amount of patience and willingness to get walked on - both of which I have little in supply these days. Never wanted to be an administrator anyways...
So now they are hunting for a replacement for next year which is very challenging for our particular school because it is the only one set up in its unique way. David and I discussed all the current teachers, and we both agreed that there is only one who is a possibility but we don't know yet if he's interested. If he doesn't take the post, they'll have to recruit an outside person and everyone is afraid of that because you don't know what you're getting... They do like to move fast on these appointments, however (one of the few things they do quickly here), so we'll probably know in a week or two who will head the center next year. Good luck to that person!
Went to the Mogao Caves over the 3-day May Day holiday. It was a quick, fast turnaround trip, but I'm glad I went. It's outside the city of Dunhuang in Gansu province in northwestern China. A bunch of caves hollowed out by Buddhist monks back around 500 AD. Full of paintings and sculptures. It is desert area and was once an oasis (since dried up). It's nice to be in an area of China that is not overcrowded and full of apartment buildings. I would do it again! What it looks like on the parts where a new facade has not been added on:

There are some very pristine sand dunes around there:

You could take a ride on an ultra-light glider for about $60. I wasn't sure of the safety so I passed...

And finally, Crescent Lake which is where the old oasis is. The size of the lake has shrunk considerably in the last 50 years, and I think they add water to it to keep it there...

Here's to the last few weeks of this semester going by quickly...

Xin hun kuai le

That's Chinese for Happy Marriage! That goes out to my niece Kelly who got married last week and I was unable to attend. (btw, my Chinese is terrible! I can't get the hang of the language at all. I learn a word or phrase and then it's gone 10 minutes later...) Chinese marriages are quite different - the couples are actually legally married sometime before the marriage when they go and get a marriage certificate. At the wedding, a "host" or DJ runs the show. The bride and groom may get up on the stage and say some vows to each other, but there is no priest or religious attachment to it at all. The vows and/or speeches will not take very long, and then the eating commences (you generally sit in a hall at tables that seat about 8-10 people or so). The weddings usually start around noon (they'll have a start time like 11:58), and after the meal everyone heads home (by 2 pm it's over). People dress very casually - only the bride and groom are all gussied up. While you're eating, the bride and groom will circulate and go around to each table with a tray of shot glasses. Each person gets a shot of bai jui, or Chinese white wine/spirits. Trust me, it isn't anything like wine and is definitely an acquired taste. Then you toast the bride and groom (they drink too - but the shot glasses are very small so they can still walk out of there - and the bride may not drink at all). Some of the bride and grooms may go on a honeymoon, but it usually happens at a different time, if it happens at all. I haven't seen any dancing at a Chinese wedding... And do you need to save the date for a wedding? Nope, you get an invitation about 2 weeks beforehand. They say it's not necessary to send them out earlier because they're never doing anything anyways, and I suppose since it just happens during an afternoon it's no big deal...

I went and saw the new Jungle Book movie this weekend in an imax theater with dolby sound. It was quite good. You buy the tickets online (or on your phone) and pick out your seats at the same time. Wish they did it that way in the US too - then you don't have to get there early to get a good seat. I think tickets were about $6 or $7 US. The new cinemas that opened in the new mall near us are pretty nice. Unfortunately, they don't usually have many English movies (one at the most). All the movies, even the Chinese ones, have Chinese subtitles. I asked why they need Chinese subtitles for a Chinese movie and they said because they often can't understand the speaking, so they always read...

We are getting close to the AP exams - about 2 weeks away. It'll be nice when they're over because then our teaching schedule will be reduced significantly. I've had a busy schedule this year and I can't wait. We have a 3 day weekend coming up for May Day but I haven't been able to find a good place to go yet. It's often best just to stay put because everything can get so crowded.

We've been up in the 70's a few times but I haven't broken out the short sleeve shirts yet. That'll be soon!
Zaijian!

Professor Lirpa Sloof

Today, I thought I'd share an email that I sent out to all my colleagues yesterday morning (it is April 2 here now):

Good morning all!

Last night I received an email from a friend back home in the US and I thought I’d share the gist of it with you. My friend is a professor at University of Oregon where I did some of my post-graduate work. Professor Lirpa Sloof (obviously not of American origin) and I met at a university function many, many years ago and we shared a common passion of mine at the time, racquetball, and we often played and enjoyed some adult beverages afterwards while I was going to school there. We’ve kept in touch over the years, and 2 years ago he took on a post with the AP College Board. After reading an article recently (2 days ago) on problems with the SAT and how the system is being scammed, I sent him an email asking for his thoughts on the matter. Rather than paraphrase his words, I’ll just copy and paste the body of his text:

Hey old man, good to hear from you! We’re drying out here after a particularly wet winter, but otherwise the campus is in fine fettle. We were sorry to see Oregon get beat in the NCAA tournament, as you mentioned, but they did make it to the Sweet 16!

The timing of your question about the status of the SAT comes at a very interesting moment. I will give you a brief heads-up about what’s coming down the road – and I’m taking into consideration that you are way the hell over in China and are so far out of the loop that a little early information will do no harm.

When I took this post with the AP College Board almost 2 years ago, I naively assumed that the tests we administered were valid and fair. Recent revelations have not only shattered this illusion but left me completely awe-struck. As you mentioned, it has been admitted that some SAT tests have been compromised, with students being able to receive actual copies of the tests beforehand, along with the correct answers. As will soon be revealed, however, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Not only have an unknown number of tests been released prematurely, but it has been systematically covered up as well. Evidence has also come forth that actual members of the AP Board have been complicit, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal compensation has been received. In order to salvage what little integrity may remain for these tests, the Board has decided to be as transparent as possible. Early next week a press conference will be held where we are announcing the cessation of all SAT testing and AP testing, effective immediately, until all security issues have been resolved. (The AP tests are being included as we discovered some anomalies on these tests as well.) We are hoping to be able to resume testing as early as 6 months from now, but it could be up to a year. We realize that this may cause a severe inconvenience for some students, but college admissions officers are telling us that given the present set of circumstances, they have no choice but to disregard these results anyways. Students will have to rely on their GPAs, course selections in high school (perhaps select an IB curriculum), and possibly take the ACT tests instead.

I know that in China your students have a heavy reliance on test scores, but unfortunately we see no way around this at the present moment. I’m letting you know about it now as you may want to get an early step on looking for a new job next year. When I took this post on the AP Board, I did not have an inkling that I would get mired in this! Maybe if you visit this summer we can solve all the problems over a few glasses of hand-crafted beer… In the meantime, I’m thinking maybe Trump can solve all our problems and make us great again… Good to hear from you and take care…

Prof. Lirpa Sloof

And there you have it, from the horse’s mouth…

Gregg

As with most cases when you are pulling a prank, it helps to have some actual truth mixed in. Turns out there is quite a bit of truth in this one. Recent articles in the New York Times have revealed that the AP College Board has been aware, at least since 2013, that SAT tests are being compromised (most of this is happening in Southeast Asia - i.e. China). And not only have they been aware, but they have been covering it up. The victims of this are everywhere - the Chinese students, the US students, and the US colleges and universities. AP says they can do better, but they would have to double the price of the test. I don't think a single Chinese student over here would complain about that. They spend a fortune on these tests anyways (they have to fly to Hong Kong just to take the test as it's not allowed to be given on the Chinese mainland). They go to private SAT tutoring schools who provide them with "past papers" to study from. They do not know that often they are receiving the actual test they will be taking, but when they go in to take the actual test and discover that they have seen many or most of the questions before, they just consider themselves lucky!

This weekend is a 3-day holiday. Monday is Tomb Sweeping Day. You go and do some upkeep on the gravesites of your relatives. Except the young don't seem to do it much these days - it's only the older generation... No plans for the 3 days. Weather is looking good, pollution is mild...

Latern Show!

Made it to the lantern show last Saturday - the last weekend before they take it down. It was on top of the city wall that goes around downtown Xi'an. The colors and lighting are really nice. There are 2 main lantern shows in Xi'an during every Chinese Lunar New Year Festival (at least that I'm aware of), and the other one is located more on the outskirts of the city. As the festival already passed, the admission fee was reduced from 100 yuan to 60 yuan. I don't know if the fact it was a reduced price, or the last few days of the show, or it is simply always this way, but there were a lot of people there!
All of the "lanterns" are made with a hollow frame. lighting inside, and then covered with fabric. Hope these pics give you a flavor of it!

That's it for today! It's staying warm enough here so that I don't miss the fact that the heat has been turned off!