Well, it is 1 o'clock and it has already been a long day. The students are spending time with their host families today doing a variety of activities. I am looking forward to hearing what they did tomorrow. I hope that they are remembering to write in their journals all their daily activities, thoughts, feelings, etc. because I'm sure it will make for an interesting read!
This morning, Mr. Kline had an early breakfast at the hotel. Andy, the English teacher, picked us up at 8 o'clock for berry picking. It was an hour drive west of Linhai and we went with some of his family and friends. We were told to wear long pants to avoid brambles. It is ONLY 96 degrees today, just as humid, and very sunny. I would have taken a few scratches just to stay a little cooler.
The "small" town we went to was packed with people. Berry picking is a very popular Sunday activity; people can get out of the city and into the country with their families. The traffic was more chaotic than usual. Anyway, we got baskets and picked yao mei, or Chinese berries. They look very similar to strawberries, but are not berries at all because they have a pit inside. They grow on trees all over the hillside. We had to hike a bit uphill to get to some trees and I was sweating like crazy. Two women with us were wearing high heels, and one was wearing a silk dress, the other silk shorts. If I had to dress like that, I would not survive here. The regular pickers wear the traditional hat, long sleeves and long pants made of linen, and carry two large, round baskets on a bamboo rod across their shoulders. It was surprising to still see this when other parts of the country have become so "Westernized."
We were only out there for about an hour (thank goodness), then got to go into the back of one of the market stands to cool down. One of the people in our group must have known the owners, because it seemed like we were sitting in someone's air conditioned bedroom. After just a few minutes and a bottle of water, we left. I was happy to go back into the heat because it was an awkward situation.
Our 14 person group stopped at a restaurant for a 2 hour lunch. It was three stories and had all these private rooms for family-style meals. I feel like everything they feed us here is special to the area. We are asked to try EVERYTHING because it is so special and so unique. Special? Maybe. Unique? Absolutely! There was a plate set down on the table that I thought was octopus or squid of some sort. Upon closer examination, I realized there were only two "legs." The part I thought was a head, looked like a tongue. They serve duck tongue with the duck's entire bottom jaw! There were 3 children in our group, ages 4, 7, and 14 and ALL of them probably ate at least 10 duck tongues each. Mr. Kline noted how much they liked it (see title) and the kids ate 3 plates worth. The fish, chicken, and duck prepared for us had the heads still intact. There was pig stomach soup, cow cartilage, turtle soup, bean curd, whole prawns, goose liver, and many vegetables. I was so thankful when dessert was placed on the table. They served watermelon (happy 4th of July to us!), a very doughy cinnamon bread, and what appeared to be a fried doughnut- it was very good until Mr. Kline discovered the "surprise" sardine inside. Lovely.
One observation for today: your children are all so well-behaved. I feel as though the kids here are permitted to do whatever they want. When they are misbehaving, nothing is said. I knew that things would be different here, but this is one cultural difference that really shocks me. Basic etiquette, like waiting to speak, table manners, and sitting still, just do not happen here. It is actually rather frustrating to sit through. Thank you for raising such polite kids!
We are resting for the afternoon until 4, when we will go sightseeing and to dinner in Linhai with Andy and Miss Ren. I feel like all we do is eat here!
No comments:
Post a Comment