Last week I FINALLY had my last classes of the semester, on Thursday. It is bittersweet. I will miss the young ones! But they were sometimes disappointing. My Eikaiwa students tend to use Japanese way too often and too easily, no matter how many times I tell them to use only English. When I am visiting one of their groups, they of course speak in good enough English for the most part, but then all the other groups will be talking in Japanese. It's playing Whack-a-Mole... The alternative would be for me to stand in the center of the room revolving slowly around like the guard in a panopticon, with my hands holding my ears out to catch more sound, straining to hear Japanese and then penalize the culprits. But that's no fun! I like to join in their group discussions here and there, moving around like a butterfly or a bee among the flowers... Sigh.
Anyway! Last week before the last Thursday classes, my wife and I went to China, to Shanghai and two nearby cities, and had a great experience. We were struck by the vast contrasts in China or in Shanghai anyway, between very old (and broken down, shabby, dirty, poor etc.) houses and tall, shining, glassy skyscrapers; between old women begging on the sidewalks and young men driving Mercedes and BMWs etc.; between traditional Chinese buildings or clothes etc. and contemporary western versions... We visited some interesting temples, museums, old districts, and parks and were subjected to a few sales experiences (a silk shop/factory, a pearl shop/factory, an embroidery shop/factory, a latex pillow and mattress shop/factory, etc.). One of the high points was when we visited the Shanghai museum dedicated to the famous 20th century writer Lu Xun, whose stories I started reading before the trip and have been so impressed by. He wrote only short stories, but each one is a perfect creation, opening a vivid window into early 20th century Chinese culture and into the universal human soul. Another high point was when we attended a "circus" in Shanghai, in which the performers used their bodies in ways that human bodies were not meant to be used in, showcasing intense and extreme flexibility, strength, agility, balance, concentration, and so on. Our palms got sweaty watching them do often too dangerous things... And the food was delicious and varied and not unhealthy. The sky, though, was nearly always opaque, a kind of pale gray with brownish tints... winter? smog? both, our local guide said. I'll put some pictures here later... Right--now to get ready for examinations and last grading!
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Jefferson Peters (JP)
Can you find me in the picture above? Archives
December 2023
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