LATE SPRING IN NAN CHANG

Well well well things have gotten more interesting, confusing and hot here.

Interesting: A new bar has opened and it is fun. It is like the Baton in Chicago. Interesting about bars here, most close at midnight. The people are so used to early closing time that by 11:30 they start to leave.

Confusing: I will not have a job at JUFE next term. Seems that the African teacher that was leaving is not leaving and he satisfies their quota for that skin color. I may go to an Army national defense school 4hours away from here. A friend recommends it highly, only no overnight guest and security is tight.

Hot: 33 yesterday, that is 93 in normal numbers but, it gets up to 44, 40 is 104. And, I will be here until July 29th. I will experience a long period of oppressive heat. The women/girls here carry umbrellas for 10 months of the year. In S. California I was surprised to see people with umbrellas in the sun, here it is common. Following this entry are some umbrella pictures.

TTYL

Terry







This is the only time I have seen a male carrying one.

WEATHER

It has gotten hot here. The sun is much more intense, I think it has something to do with the sun's declination (hope I used that right). The pictures are of the umbrellas women (well mostly) use to protect their skin from getting darker. Some of them look like they should be for women's under garment.

Here is a picture of a friend, his name is Lai Zhou, he smells and has never had a girlfriend but, he is cool anyway (he just said that he has had not girlfriend because he is ugly, he forgot to add that he smells). Here is his picture.




So that is Lai Zhou. He is a good friend. Jack and I are corrupting him, we took him to a club with lots of women and he was shy...but, we will get him a girlfriend

EARTHQUAKE

I experienced one earthquake in California, it happened at about two in the morning and really freaked me out. The one that occurred here this week I did not feel.in fact, I did not know about it until I got home at seven that night and read about it on the Internet. For two days it was an abstract concept then, I talked to a student that I know and learned how people here in Nan Chang at affected by it.

The student told me about a meeting/rally by the student center for the students from that province, Sichuan. There are one hundred students from that area here and many of them have not been able to talk to their families and do not know if they are okay. Luckily the student I know family is okay.

What would it be like to have no way to reach your loved ones after a major catastrophe. I do not want to find that out.

The west has so much more going for it. Until Thursday the government had just 20 helicopters in that area, since then they have sent 90 more. This made me think about our society. We have so many companies with the resources to help. Those resources are not available here. I was thinking of the companies I have worked for and thought they would have sent the equipment to help immediately.

I am going to do some research and find out how to send money here to help. The people here live without indoor plumbing, heating, air conditioning and many other things we consider basics. I want to help, the government is only allowing the Red Cross to deliver items but no outside presence is being allowed. This means any thing we give has to be directed to the right organization.

While this has been going on I have been having A LOT of fun. I am seeing someone, going out and enjoying the great (hot) weather. The torch was here today and I got to see it. Friends laughed at me because I wanted to see it. They were right, it is just a burning stick. The parade was filled with local politicos and hanger ons. The night before I was at a dance club and a local cop that was to be a torch bearer was swigging beer and dancing on the bar, when he left he said his wife would be mad if he was not home soon.

I will post pictures of the Green Bamboo Forest, people at the torch rally and some friends this weekend.

All is good for me here.

Terry