News from "Marge"

(Sandy)

The sun is shining again!!! What a beautiful day in Hangzhou. It is a bit warmer and we are even beginning to remove layers of clothing. Yippee!

I begin each morning at about 6:30...getting ready for school and my truly lovely 10 minute walk down the "silk street" to the school. While I have been told about the optional gated back door that the Chef will open for me, I really prefer the short walk and the cool morning air.

This morning we had Chinese class. We reviewed the alphabet and the double vowel sounds and then went for a walk in the courtyards where our teacher pointed out many different objects and gave us the Chinese name, character and Pinyin spelling of each. Liam, our young interpretor also helped in class and gave us some useful words to use when bargaining...a process that is ALWAYS used when purchasing, even in department stores. I find it exhausting and actually miss having one price for one item. Two pears in China are about two yuan which is about 35 cents and a whole watermelon is less than a dollar. All in all, it was a pleasant low-key class that was perfect for those of us who are novices with the language, but I am sure a little too simple for Cassie, Lauren and Alex.

After Chinese, we had calligraphy class...a subject I was looking forward to and not disappointed with. Along with the calligraphy teacher there was another man who who was known as the "gentle guide". He has been retired for a while, but I guess shows up to help once in a while. He showed us samples of his beautiful writing and helped us with ours as we practiced the simple but technique-strong strokes that are used to write the beautiful Chinese characters. A simple horizontal line is NOT just a simple horizontal line! It is slowly created with a 7 degree upward angle, a little backstroke at the beginning and another little puddle at the end. We were given a huge pad of the practice paper which is made up of squares that are divided into a variety sections...just like the paper in Zhu Laoshi's class. This helps us to keep our lines at the right angles and in the correct proportions. Each of us was also given a portion of a 5-part quote that we will learn to write well and will eventually write on good paper as a final project. We all really enjoyed the calligraphy class.

Today I "taught" three afternoon classes. Here, teaching for me  is really just showing pictures of my family and talking about where I live. I then open the class up for questions...and there are always lots. Many are about SATs and how to get into an American university! Others include questions about our schools' similarities and differences, American culture, how much and when kids in America study, sports, our travels in China, food, my dog, and even how I met my husband! I have been talking sooo much I'm loosing my voice. Alex said my crackling up and down tones sound a bit like "Marge Simpson"...and also like another Marge in his life! I guess I have a new name.

All the best, Sandy...ooops, Marge.