This post covers a number of recent activities.
The air has been very polluted here. The internet readings have been "Very Unhealthy" and today even "Hazardous". Most unusual. A few days ago Beijing issued another "Red Alert" (their second in 10 days) and I guess the northerly winds have brought that pollution to us. We've even had some light rain, but surprisingly that didn't clear the air. The forecast is for strong winds, so hopefully tomorrow is better and we can get to the gym again.
Note: the Chinese yuan has slipped again. In this post I use an exchange rate of US$1 = yuan 6.5. All money is in US$.
Charles Yu & Jessica Hinde
Towards the end of last year we became friendly with one of my students, Charles Yu Zhi Chao. He was in 3rd Year, majoring in Safety Engineering.
UPC has a program called "3+2", under which a student can do 3 years study here followed by 2 years at an approved foreign university; they end up with two degrees.
In July 2015 Charles transferred to the University of Wollongong (100km south of Sydney) to study Mechanical Engineering. He did well in the semester exams in November (3 Distinctions and a Credit) and is now back in Qingdao for the (Aussie) summer break.
On Tuesday 15 December Charles brought a friend from UoW, Jessica (Jess) Hinde to see our campus and I invited them to attend an Oral English class with EM1502.
They introduced themselves and then answered questions. The students were very interested to hear about College life in Australia and the 50 minutes passed all too quickly.
The students were shocked when Charles told them that he pays $110 per week for a room in a shared house (4 students rent a house near UoW campus). Here at UPC they pay $154 for a bed in a 6-person dormitory for a whole academic year!!! And you can eat 3 meals in campus canteens for less than $5!
Jessica was the centre of attention, of course. She had just graduated in Medical & Health Science. She will have a Gap Year in 2016 (to work and travel), and then hopes to start studying Medicine in 2017.
This last year Jessica had five part time jobs while studying; 3 were on campus (for example, she was the coordinator of special activities for foreign students - that's how she and Charles met); she worked as a receptionist at a Medical Centre on Saturday mornings; and she tutored two private students in maths.
Jessica lives at home with her parents and two siblings in a suburb of Wollongong, about 15 km from the campus. The family has five cars. Jessica said she always tries to pick up other students as passengers because campus parking is free if there are more than 3 in the car.
The following week I asked the class for their impressions of Jessica. It was obvious that she had been a great hit. The students (EM1502 is an all-girl class) were very impressed; descriptions included 'pretty'; 'independent'; 'pretty'; 'strong'; 'pretty'; 'work-oriented'; 'pretty'; 'friendly'; 'pretty'; 'open-minded'; 'pretty'; 'well-organised'; 'pretty'; 'busy'; 'pretty'; 'clever'; 'pretty'; 'cool' ...
If Jessica exemplifies young people in Australia today, then we are in good hands!
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| Charles Yu Zhi Chao, Vera, and Jessica Hinde. |
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| Jessica and Charles answering questions from the students in EM1502. |
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Swimming
Our Sunday routine includes a swim at Shi Yan Experimental Middle School. The school was built about 4 years ago and has great facilities, including a 25 metre indoor heated pool.
After 6pm Monday to Friday, and all weekend, the pool is open to visitors. A single visit costs $6.15, but we buy a 'card' with 50 visits which works out at a much more reasonable $2.75 each.
Visits are for a maximum of 2 hours, but we usually spend 45 or 50 minutes in the water. If you don't stop swimming, that's enough time for a good work-out. Shower afterwards. Vera usually takes the bus back to the campus, while I walk (about 3 km).
It is a nice way to spend time, especially on a cold winter's day.
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| The main entrance of the Shi Yan Experimental Middle School. The building on the left is the gymnasium. The swimming pool is on the ground floor. The top floor has badminton courts and table tennis. |
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| Some of the teaching buildings. A statue of Confucius adorns the centre of the quadrangle. This is regarded as the best Middle School in the district, and many UPC Professors send their kids to this school. It is about 3 km from our campus. |
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| The school has a nice oval for soccer (artificial grass) with running tracks around the outside. |
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| The school's swimming pool is 25m x 20m. Usually heated to about 25C. We try to swim from 12 to 1pm, over lunchtime, when it is less crowded. Good exercise. This photo is a bit blurred because of the steamy atmosphere. |
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First birthday
On 18 December 2015 Professor Zhang Wei Shan (Computer Science Faculty) invited Vera and me for lunch at his apartment, to celebrate his son's first birthday.
In China, families celebrate 100 days and first birthday of a child. In the past many babies (and mothers) died in child-birth or shortly thereafter, so if a baby is healthy after 100 days and one year it means they will probably survive.
It is a tradition to put various things (money, pencil, book, etc) into a bucket, and see which one the child will choose. The photos shows little Chen Chen (his nick-name) selecting the pencil - his parents were delighted as it indicates he will be scholarly!
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| From left: One-year-old Zhang Zhi Jie, his Grandmother; his mother Wang Yi; and his father Zhang Wei Shan. |
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| I presented my book to the monitor (class captain ) of Non Major class 145 as thanks for her help during the semester. Her name is Cristina Zhang Jia Min; 3rd Year Geology; from Xinjiang Province, way out west; her father is an oil engineer and her mother is an accountant. It's curious that many Chinese students wear jackets and coats in the classrooms, even though internal temperatures are quite comfortable - I guess they are told to "rug up" from an early age. |
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That's it for this post.
Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.
Xmas is nigh!
Alex & Vera Olah (aka The Intrepid Duo)
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Wednesday 23 December 2015.
Qingdao TV program featuring two foreign teachers, Dr Rai and me. Click HERE.
