Doing the Cha-Cha

Only a few weeks after school, some of my Tourism students in the English Department invited me to go to Latin dance class on Saturday morning. I've found that it is the students that fill me in on activities at school and options for things to do, but I could barely contain my surprise or excitedness once I was invited. Learning the Cha-cha and Samba in China - cool!

I dressed in flowing attire and heels, the closest thing I had to what I thought should be worn for such a dance class, and made my way to the gate of the school to meet the girls. Once there, we all walked to the workout center where the class was held and made our way inside. Everyone stared, as per usual, at the even taller than normal foreigner thanks to the heels. At that point I started getting giddy, excited about being in a class with everyone and learning dances that I'd always wanted to learn.

At the start of the three hour class, the students broke-up into two groups, separating and then facing each other. This division was supposed to be the women and men, but due to a lack of male students, many of the girls went to the side of the guys so as to be linked up with a partner. I had started up in the back, but thanks to the teacher, was soon moved front and center. First, a dance was shown. The dance teacher partnered with one of the best male students, and moved with an ease and grace of someone dancing for years and in love with the movements that are so freeing from the stereotype of conservative culture. Then the steps were broken down into sections, which were learned separately, then linked together. At first it seemed like so much to learn, my only dancing in the past few years having been my own free-style of sorts while having a dance party all by myself or clubs in Europe, ballet almost so out of sight, having happened so many years ago. I tried to follow along and laughed at myself when I couldn't. Before long, I was getting the movements down, with the help of the instructor giving me extra attention to adjust my form, hands, or width of steps, sometimes getting carried away with my longer legs.

Starting to get hot with the continuous practice of steps, we were all paired up. As the official guest of the morning, I was paired up with the male students who could lead me in the dances and remind me as we went along. The first few goes were uncomfortable and space-conscious, but soon that gave way to getting into the music and wanting to get it right, my stubborn and competitive streak happy at the thought of showing itself.



I soon took a break in able to observe my students. It was fun watching them and the others, to see them pick up the steps with such ease, but then laugh with each other when they messed up.



Three hours of dancing later, with our tired feet and growling stomachs, we sat down and enjoyed various dishes and rice while talking about the next dance class.

Cooking with Friends

With my last few months going by faster than ever, Jenny, April, and I have tried to get together as often as we could, classes and personal lives permitting.  Cooking with people you care about has always been something I have enjoyed, the secrets shared while preparing dishes creating a special type of bond that can only be found in a kitchen, enhancing both the relationships and the food.  

On this day, Jenny wanted to learn how to make pasta sauce from scratch.  We all took turns dicing the tomatoes while the others looked on, catching each other up on the latest.  Without following a recipe, I dolled out measurements for various items, giving suggestions on ingredients that could be added, trying to be as specific as I could, knowing just how important it is to have definitive answers when cooking a dish for the first time.  

The three of us worked together while preparing the sauce, then April and I taught Jenny a card game that I had taught April and Xiao Bo while on our road trip.  Jenny was a quick learner, and soon I was the one without any luck, being beat by both of my friends.  

Dinner was enjoyed with a little hot sauce for added spice.  We do live in Sichuan province after all!  

Throughout the meal and after, we talked about our ideas on relationships, men, and what we want out of life.  I am amazed at just how much they have changed and grown since I first meet them, making me wonder what changes they have seen in me.  They are both such strong individuals, leaving me in awe of all they have faced over the two years and all they will achieve in the years to come.  


There is nothing more important to me than the relationships I have made and continue making here in China and around the world.  I never thought I would have such amazing friends as April and Jenny when I first came to Panzhihua, and now that I do, I can't imagine parting from them.  They have been sources of comfort, understanding, support, and, of course, laughter.  Jenny and April have given me a friendship that few are only lucky enough to find.  To me, they are treasures and examples of what I love most about my life in China.

Students Of Smaller Proportions - My Visit to a Middle School

In the morning, I met Linda, a teacher at Middle School #21 of whom had been a teacher at the summer project last summer.  After talking about it for months, we had finally set a time for me to meet and talk with her students.  By the end of the morning I had wished that I hadn't waited so long to meet them.


The school was on the outskirts of Panzhihua, being one of the poorer middle schools in the city.  Once there, Linda escorted me back to the principle's office, of whom was all smiles as soon as she saw me.  The principal thanked me over and over again for coming.  After some pictures with the principle and Linda, we headed back in the direction we had come, to one of the school buildings where rambunctious students were spilling out from the classrooms following the sounding of the school bell.  It was then that Linda said that I was the first foreigner to ever visit their school, let alone the first most of the students had ever met.  Before I knew it, students from every classroom doorway and window were spotting me, frantic and excited waves pursuing.  Their eyes lit up in shock and amazement at seeing a laowai (foreigner), erupting in hi's and hello's.


The older students were led to the auditorium and seated, while I greeted them as they came in and continued saying hello to the younger ones.  It just bewildered me how a single smile and a wave from my end seemed literally to make their day. As soon as I came into the room, I was greeted with a large sign "Welcome to Our School," and a bouquet of flowers.  

For an hour I was asked and then responded to questions, all of the students coming fully prepared, ticking off their questions one by one.Some of them were so excited to be speaking with a foreigner that they would forget about the response, starting to talk to their friends immediately afterwards or giggle, a mix of nerves and excitement filling the air.  I couldn't help but smile at them.

When time was up, as the students began to file out, one student shook my hand, which set precedent for the rest of the students, all of them saying thank you and asking if we could be friends.


Afterwards, other teachers came up to me asking if I would come again to speak to their students, and so I gave out my number and e-mail, willing them to have me back.  

My First Last Day as a Peace Corps Volunteer Teacher

This morning before class and while still in my p.j.'s, I grabbed a cab and rode up to the campus, where I collected packages that had arrived for me, loaded them into the cab, and rode back to my apartment. One package was from yours truly, a box full of western food goods I had shipped to myself while I was in Beijing. The other was from my family. Once back in my apartment, I ripped open the package from home. I had been expecting the package as it was things I had asked for or ordered, a calendar (Mom picked out John Wayne - there's nothing like having a man in the house again), a pair of jeans, and garbage bags to start sending stuff home. This package, a delivery I had been expecting, ended up being the best package I'd ever received from home. Not only had Mom included some Valentine chocolates, but she sent homemade cookies (a first), and three cards, one from Mom and two from Grandma Meyer, all containing letters inside. The cards were instantly priceless. Wanting to savor the letters, I placed them on my kitchen table, poured myself a bowl of my favorite cereal, Oh's, and sat down.

I read the letters as I ate, falling in love with the handwriting before me, connecting me to them in a way that phone calls and e-mails will never be able to do. I smiled and my heart warmed as the sweet sound of crunching filled my ears. It could not have been a more perfect way to start off my last semester of teaching in China.

An hour later, I was practically skipping to class. I ran into Nick, my sitemate, just as I approached Teaching Building One, my face, I could feel, was totally aglow. "I can't wait to see the students!" I exclaimed through ever smiling lips. Suddenly I really missed them, as if I had just realized that we had been parted for months.

Each time I saw one of my students or classes for the first time since the break, I felt like I might burst with excitement and joy.