3-1-99

@6:39p.m.

This is the first day of the 2^nd semester. As usual we woke up at 6:00a.m. The music and news was loud.

Hugh had a good first day. He moved 3 more students from Class 1 to Class 2. All of them are from Grade 3. The students who moved were Ginger, Kurt and Walter.

It is quite windy today. We had walked up to Grade 3 Class1 to see if Walter had moved his desk to the other class. The classroom was locked. So we walked back to our lodgings. On the way back we met Elton. He was on his way to see us. He had bought gifts for all of us. He gave Hugh a set of marble worry balls. I received a pair of onyx bracelets and a Kwan Yin pendant Both of these gifts looked like jade. Mahala got a rabbit pendant made from jade.

Linda came by and she gave us a big bag of peanuts that her mom had cooked up for us. After Linda left, Hugh and Elton took off. They were going to look for Walter. They came back disappointed. Around 4:30p.m. both of them went out in the field to play baseball. Mahala followed them down too. After playing for about 40minutes they stopped and decided to play basketball. Of course Mahala had to go along. Hugh and Mahala came back at 5:30p.m. We had dinner and then Kurt came. He had bought a lantern for Mahala. Tomorrow is the last day of the Spring festival and all the children carry lanterns then. The lantern is round in shape and is made from plastic. At the bottom there are plastic clouds with 2 rabbits on it. There is a star on the other end of the clouds. On the lantern itself there is a picture of the Lady of the Moon. There are 2 light bulbs inside the lantern. When you switch it on the lantern lights up and plays a musical tune. The tune is called "It’s a Small World After All".

Kurt also informed Hugh that Walter has moved his desk to Class 2.

Walter came after that. He had bought us a bag of fruits. It was apples and bananas. Hugh walked to Class 2 with Walter. Hugh helped Walter move his desk to the front so that he can be beside Lucy.

We had Jessie and Sunny over this evening. Both of them are from the military school down the street. We met Jessie a few days ago while she was staying in the hotel. Both of the girls are English majors. Hey speak good English and are very nice. They stayed for an hour.

3-2-99

@9:50a.m.

Hugh has a class at 10:00a.m. Both of us are having a cup of coffee together. He was relating to me what happened in the field yesterday while he was playing baseball with Elton. A group of children came along and started to go through the baseball bag. They started taking the stuff out and were just being a nuisance and a bother. In other words they were just being in the way. Finally Hugh just called it quits.

It is overcast. We found out that May has a new beau and Louisa has an admirer. May told me that when Ginger and Charlie started going together, the "leaders" of the department put pressure on them to break up. They were punished too, though May was not too sure how it was done. They have stuck it out in spite of all the pressures put on them. In class they are sitting together. Hugh tells me the leaders of the department through the class monitor are trying to separate them in class. It is not going to work.

I walked to Grade 3 Class 2 this afternoon. Hugh was seeking some students to volunteer help the Grade 1 students in their oral English. It is a mentoring program. An incentive to help is the 20% the Grade 3 students will receive in their final score.

I found out today that Lucy and Elton had tried calling us during the holidays. They tried numerous times and everytime they were told that we were out. We are always here. The hotel management deliberately kept the calls from us.

When Hugh came back from his Grade 1 class he seemed in good spirits. After dinner we walked out and bought ourselves some pastries and a loaf of bread. We walked by the fishpond beside the school library. We came back and Hugh lit some fireworks and set off firecrackers because it was the last day of the Spring Festival.

Tonight we noticed that all the rooms above us are in the dark except for the one right above us. That one is occupied. Now Hugh is in a foul mood. I hope he does not act like he did the other night when he completely lost his temper and broke the closet. Then we had an argument. I am really not keen on going through that again.

3-4-99

@9:12a.m.

Thank goodness that there was no noises coming from upstairs yesterday night.

It is blowing today and it feels like Wyoming weather.

I have very little water pressure this morning. I noticed it when I was rinsing my clothes. That was at 8:50a.m. Hugh is still here. His class starts at 10:00a.m.

Today around twilight Mahala was outside playing with some friends. Hugh was taking a shower. She came into the living room and told me that someone was shinning a beam of light on her and her friends. It was a laser beam. I went outside and she pointed to the direction where the beam was coming from. It was coming from the last room on the 4^th floor of the boys’ dorm. Hugh walked out then and wanted to know what the commotion was all about. The individual still kept shinning the laser beam onto the yard. That pissed Hugh off. He flipped the boys off. We could see the 2 individuals sitting by the window all the time. Hugh walked down to the lobby of the hotel and tried to call Mr. Zhao. Zhao was not in. While in the lobby the students beamed the light onto the shopkeeper. That really got Hugh going. He proceeded to walk across to the boys’ dorm to confront them. On the way upstairs he met Apollo. Apollo went along as translator.

To make the story short, Hugh had a few choice words to say to those individuals. He took down their names and read them the riot act. He took the laser "gun" from the student and showed him the warning written on the "gun" which reads "Do not flash light on eyes". He walked back down and went to Mr. Zhao’s office. He was not in. Apollo and the student involved met Hugh outside the hotel. The student on the verge of tears apologized and said he did not intend to harm anyone. He was playing when he shone the beam on the children. Hugh gave the "gun" back to the student and told him not to do it again. If it happens again, Hugh will not give them anymore chances.

3-5-99

@12:22p.m.

Mr. Zhao came by awhile ago. Hugh told him what had transpired yesterday evening. Mr. Zhao wanted to have the students’ name but Hugh told him that the matter was settled.

Hugh made a mistake in his class schedule this morning. He was supposed to teach Grade 3 Class 1 at 10:00a.m. Instead he went over at 8:00a.m. He would not have found out about it if he had not gone over to the English department. During his conversation with Mr. Liu the secretary the matter of class scheduling came out. That was when Hugh found out about his mistake. The teacher who had the 8:00a.m. class was there too. Hugh apologized for the error. She was not too concerned over it.

In the afternoon Mahala tagged along with Hugh to Grade 1. On the way over there they met 3 male students. One of them said hello and it was reciprocated. But then the student and his companions turned around and started saying hello numerous times while at the same time making silly faces at Hugh. That was too much for Hugh and he flipped them off.

Hugh conducted the Grade 1 class outside the school library. The students sat on their stools on the lawn. Of course the lawn was mostly dead grass and hard ground. After awhile an elderly gentleman came out from the library and started to tell the students to get off the lawn. Hugh went up to the man and asked "What are you doing?" The man replied that students are not allowed to sit on the lawn. Hugh "All the other students do it. I see them." The man said "They sneaked in." Hugh told the man "Next time you talk to me first before you tell my students to get off the lawn." So for the rest of the period all the students had to sit on the pavement outside the library.

After class he met Vicky who is the monitor of Grade 3 Class 2. They met in the field and she asked several questions most of it pertaining to the school. Vicky asked if she could talk to Hugh. She looked like she was going to cry. So Hugh brought her back to the rooms. She began to talk and started crying. She had failed her Philosophy class. The only other person to fail too was Grace but upon re-checking her test papers found mistakes in the marking. The teacher had to pass Grace. Vicky was not that lucky. She was the only person that failed that paper. She felt very ashamed. Vicky felt that she had done well in that paper and was surprised that she had failed. Hugh comforted her the best he can.

In the course of our talking with her, she confided in us about her relationship between herself and her boyfriend Jimmy. The "leaders" have been pressuring her to end her relationship with Jimmy because as they put it "she is the class monitor and should show a better example to the rest of the class". She and Jimmy are afraid to go out together in public. All they do is sit together in class and talk. Sometimes they sneak off just to have time together. She does not have any close friends. Her family objects to her relationship with Jimmy. They think he is not right for her because Jimmy comes from a richer family. Vicky’s father works as a factory manager whose job right now is not secure. The factory is laying off workers and he is afraid he might lose his. Her mother has a little business on the side. Vicky was not too specific about what kind of business. Financially her family is going through hard times.

The party leaders are very hard on Vicky because her class is not very active politically in the school. Most of the students in the class are non-members of the Communist Party. There are only 5 people in the whole class that is members. So the leaders think Vicky should try harder to encourage the students to join the Party. In fact Vicky is a non-member. She wants to join so that she can get ahead and go on to better opportunities and jobs. She wants to be with Jimmy but that will be difficult in the future because Jimmy is going to graduate school in Shanghai next year. She will not be able to follow him because she has to go back to her hometown to teach. That way she can help her family.

She tells us that some of the students in her class are bad-mouthing her behind her back. She feels she cannot trust anyone in her class. She does not like the English department because she feels they are not doing enough for the students. She tells us that the heads of the department are corrupt. They, the leaders, are always receiving gifts. All her frustrations about the class, the English department, the school, her personal relationships with Jimmy and her classmates all came pouring out. Hugh sat and talked to her a long time. Hugh told her that she is the best monitor in the whole English department, 8 classes in all, and she should be proud of that. She is doing a good job no matter what any one says. She left us feeling much better.

We had dinner after Vicky left then turned on the television. The TV looks like it is going to go out on us any day now. We are having difficulty changing the channels. I really should have Mr. Zhao replace this one. It has never worked from day one.

3-6-99

@9:36a.m.

We woke up early this morning even though it is Saturday. It is overcast right now.

Hugh is going to have a busy weekend. He is preparing his syllabi for this semester.

This morning we walked out to look for Mark in Grade 3 Class 2. He was not there. We met Lucy and we asked her to accompany us to the carpenter’s shop. Hugh wants to have a bookcase made for the Grade 3 classes. He wants to donate some books for those classes. We talked to the carpenter and the bookcase will be ready next Friday. Hugh is very generous with his students.

Elton came and stayed for 3 hours. He failed his English Literature paper last semester and has to re-take it another time. Monica and Helen failed too. So all three of them will have to sit for the test on Monday. Elton asked Hugh to help him study for the test.

Hugh also had a girl fail in her English Literature test. That girl is from Grade 4. Her name is Linda Zhang. She was caught cheating in that paper.

It has been raining the whole day. The rain came at 1:30p.m. It is now 5:49p.m.

There are guests in the room above us tonight. That bothered Hugh to no end. He started off again on his tirade. I am tired of it. He can be as bitchy as a woman. He started hurling hurtful words at me again. I really believe he is using me as a means to alleviate his anger towards this place. Everything that is wrong or is disagreeable to him, I will have to bear the brunt of his displeasure. He knows what he is doing and yet he keeps on going. Is it to anger me, spite me or hurt me? Maybe it is all three. This is the 2^nd time that he has told me I can stay here while he leaves with Mahala. He tells me I am on the side with this system and I agree with what is happening. That is why I should remain here while Mahala and he goes back to the States. There is a streak of meanness in those words. I do not know how much longer I can put up with those spiteful, hateful, meanful words he keeps throwing at me.

3-7-99

@8:02a.m.

It rained the whole of yesterday night.

Mark came in the afternoon to discuss the setting up of the class library. Hugh is donating over 100 books to start the ball rolling. The students can have access to these books. When we leave, hopefully the students will continue adding to the collection.

Elton came by this afternoon to visit. He wanted Hugh to check his English Literature papers. Lucy and Wendy came by. We mentioned to them that we were hungry. So Elton, Wendy and Lucy decided to walk out with us to get some food. They told us of a good place and they would show us where it is at. Along the way we met Stella and invited her too. The restaurant is down in the basement of a larger building. It is tucked away in the corner and we would never have found it. Elton and the girls ordered the food. It was good and we ate too much. Elton paid for the whole dinner. He wanted to over our protests. We walked back together and Mahala wanted to visit the girls’ room. So while Elton and Hugh went on ahead we climbed up to the 3^rd floor of the dorm.

Upon entering the entrance I was struck by the stench of urine. It remained with me all the time while I made my way up to the 3^rd floor. The stairs and hallways were littered with trash. Passing the toilet I noticed the floors were wet and looked dirty. We sat with the girls in their room for about 15 minutes. Lucy, Wendy and Stella showed us where they slept. The beds were hard. The girls are only allowed 2 quilts on the bed. One to sleep on and the other to cover themselves with. All their most personal possessions are on the bed with them. There are no closet space only shelves where they have their books and toilet articles. Since they have only seen students in that room, they have utilized the empty bed as a storage area. The girls’ luggages are on it. There is a long table running down the length of the bunk beds. They do their studying, writing and eating on it.

Wendy told me that Apollo acts like a baby around Jenny. In class he always puts his head on her shoulder. Lucy then told me that since Apollo came on the scene, Jenny now takes her lunch and dinner with him instead of with her. Lucy feels left out because of that. The girls got Apollo back though. Yesterday night Apollo invited Jenny to a movie that was playing on campus. All the girls in the room decided to tag along. They made Apollo buy the tickets for them. Apollo also had to pay for the snacks. He was not too happy. The girls said that he deserved it. None of the girls like Apollo and they all feel that Jenny can find someone better than him.

3-8-99

@8:50a.m.

It is still drizzling this morning. Hugh is at class. We might decide to walk and visit him before his class breaks.

Mahala made me a cup of coffee this morning.

May and Louisa came over this afternoon. They asked if we had a map of the U.S. It was for a class and they needed it. So Hugh had a copy made for them at the copy shop. Elton came by and he wanted Hugh to read his Tarot cards for him. After that Louisa and May had their cards read too. While all this happening the carpenter came. Lucy and Linda brought him. The carpenter wanted to know the dimensions of the bookcase again. After they left Hugh went back to reading the cards.

We finally found out that Elton has a crush on Amanda. He has been trying to date her since before school ended last semester. He has it bad. The feelings are not reciprocal though. Amanda has told Elton that she has a boyfriend. When Elton left May told us that it was not true. May and Amanda are pretty close and may has been the go between Elton and Amanda. May knows everything.

3-9-99

@1:08p.m.

Hugh woke up early this morning and was complaining of a stomachache. He had diarrhea so he took some pepto-bismol.

In the afternoon we went over to Grade 3 Class 2 for a meeting. It was open to the Grade 3 students of both classes. Mark chaired the meeting. The meeting is to introduce the library to the students and also to answer any queries or questions. The students were quiet and did not say much. So Mark had to adjourned the meeting. He will get together with the students in the next couple of days and let Hugh know what the outcome will be.

Hugh took along nap on getting back to our lodgings. He did not get his caffeine high today.

3-10-99

@9:43a.m.

Hugh is in class. He should be back at 10:00a.m. It is overcast this morning. The weather has been like this for the last 4 to 5 days now. My clothes are not drying.

3-11-99

@9:07a.m.

Hugh is taking his class out for a walk this morning around the school. We are going with the class.

It is still overcast this morning. The rain has stopped though. It has been 3 days since I washed clothes.

Hugh took the Grade 3 Class 2 out this morning. Even though it was chilly the whole class seemed to enjoy the walk. They have to write a paper on what happened on the walk. Hugh made the students stop every so often and write. It was interesting. He made them stop in front of the English department and yell "Hello and Good morning English department". Did they draw a crowd? Some of the places they stopped at were the library, the English department, the dormitories and the faculty housing.

Then in the afternoon we had students coming to our lodgings. They were helping to catalog and wrap the books. We finished at 6:30p.m. It was a long day.

Mahala came in crying. She had bit her lips and it was bleeding. Her friend had accidentally kicked her in the mouth. Playtime was over.

3-12-99

@10:43a.m.

We walked out this morning to buy breakfast and also to get more books for Mahala.

Mahala is with Hugh. He is going to take the Grade 3 Class 1 out for a walk just like he did the other class.

I washed clothes this morning. It is overcast still.

We received a birthday card from Lucille and a magazine from the American Embassy.

3-13-99

It is a very day especially for a Saturday.

3-14-99

@9:33a.m.

Yesterday was hectic. Our day began early.

The first student to come was Elton. He helped Hugh reinforce the bookcase that the carpenter had delivered. Then Roy, Fred and Dan came by. They had with them supplies that Hugh needed to finish up the bookcase, table and chairs that we had bought. Hugh kept the guys busy with the sanding. After lunch the girls came over. There were Amanda, Stella, Grace, Louisa, Joan, Ann, Vicky, Wendy, Lucy and Jenny. All of these students worked hard that day. They were kept busy painting and sanding.

There were students everywhere. Then Hugh called a meeting to elect the library committee. That was their first meeting.

On top of that the rain fell on and off the whole day long.

Most of the students are from the Grade3 Class 2. Ann was the only student from the other class.

Yesterday I felt bad in the evening after the students had all left. I felt cold and could not keep warm. I had the cramps too and was running a low-grade fever. Hugh gave me some aspirins and that made me feel so relaxed that I slept real early.

3-15-99

@12:30p.m.

The music was loud this morning. All of us woke up at 6:30a.m.

In the morning I called the Foreign Affairs Office I talked with Mr. Xu and he agreed to help me collect Hugh’s pay. Walking back from the cashier’s office I told him that the TV was not working and if he could find someone to fix it. I also told him that it has been that way since the day we arrived. Mr. Xu checked the TV and told me he will get it done.

Mahala and I walked out to buy breakfast. We were at the stall buying some egg pancakes when we saw Mr. Xu walking towards us. He told he has the TV set waiting. So all of us walked back together. Along the way Mr. Xu told me he spoke to Mr. Yang the President of the Foreign Affairs Office. Mr. Yang told Mr. Xu to let us have the TV set that was in the Foreign Affairs Office. I then told Mr. Xu that I have repeatedly hinted to Mr. Zhao that we would like to have a TV that works but he has never done anything about it. Mr. Xu is more efficient in doing his job than Mr. Zhao. When we reached the entrance of the hotel Mr. Zhao was there waiting for us.

Mr. Xu and Mr. Zhao took the old TV away and Mr. Zhao acted as if he was the one who made this all happen. He tuned the TV and I believe made it worse. I did not say anything. Neither did Mr. Xu.

The students moved the bookcase, table and chairs down to the Grade 3 Class 2. The books are gone too. The students are supposed to open the library tomorrow.

We found out that Elton’ birthday was yesterday. He turned 23.

May and Hugh was flirting with each other in front of at least 8 students. I wonder what the other students think of it.

The students had a library meeting here. Wendy leaned over and looked into Louisa’s ears and said, "your ears are dirty." Wendy then proceeded to clean put Louisa’s ear wax with an instrument that was curved at one end. She put this into Louisa’s ear and scraped out the earwax. I asked the girls if this is dangerous. All the girls agreed that it is nice to have your ears cleaned. May then told us that she liked to have other people clean out her earwax. In her dorm Heidi is the one who usually cleans the earwax out for the other girls.

3-16-99

@7:23a.m.

I am up early because of the loud music blaring from the loudspeakers. It is real windy outside. Hugh and Mahala are still asleep.

Mahala and I walked out to the shop to buy a gift for the library. We bought a toy yellow bear and took it over to the classroom. The students named it Maggie.

The owner of the food shop that we usually frequent bough a whole cart of firewood for 100yibai. The woodcutter sold it to him for 1mao per jin. The wood was hauled in a cart by a donkey. While the transaction was going on the donkey was left tied up to a light pole. It had a bag of food hung around its neck. I must lead a hard life.

This afternoon after lessons Jenny stayed and chatted for a while with us. She mentioned that something terrible had happened. I asked her what? At first she was reluctant to say too much but when I kept persisting she told me this story. Four young girls had died on the train that Apollo and her was supposed to have taken during the day school ended. At the last minute Apollo and her had a change of plans and went to Zhengzhou instead. The train was so crowded that day that the girls suffocated to death. It is a tragic and sad accident. The authorities always pack the train to the maximum. I guess Jenny felt that it could have been her and Apollo that day instead of the girls.

The rain is going to come soon. For the last 15 minutes or so I have been hearing thunder and flashes of lightening. According to Amanda the forecast is for rain today and tomorrow. Everytime the lightening flashed I could hear shouts of oohs and aahs coming from the students in the field. They were watching the storm. It poured for 5 minutes, real heavy rain. Then all of a sudden it cleared.

3-17-99

@1:40p.m.

It was overcast this morning but it is beginning to clear now. He sun is trying to shine through the dispersing clouds.

We walked to the market to get some meat and vegetables. Since it is my birthday have decided to cook up a good meal for us. I told Hugh not to get me any gifts. We also bought Mahala a pair of canvas shoes.

At the market we saw a very old man walking and at the same time playing a stringed musical instrument. He stopped at stalls he selected and played a tune in front of it. I could tell the shopkeepers did not like it by the look on their faces but the old man was tolerated. At the end of the playing the shopkeepers would give the old man some vegetables, an egg or tofu depending on what the shopkeepers were selling. I feel sorry for the old man. He looked like he has led a long and hard life. A lot of people work hard here especially the poor and it is all physical labor. I see young and old pull and push heavy loads on their carts. The lucky ones use ponies or donkeys to do the pulling.

Mahala’s tutors gave me a surprise birthday party. They came after dinner. Linda was the first one to arrive. She had bought me a plaque. She then asked where Wendy and Lucy were. I had no idea they were coming too. When they arrived they had with them a birthday cake and gifts. Lucy gave me 2 containers of talcum powder and Wendy gave me a wooden comb. Both of them remembered that I had talked about buying those two things. All of the 3 girls wrote me beautiful cards. Jenny came and went. She told me she would be back after she had her dinner. The cake was good and when Jenny came back she had a piece too. Mark dropped in and we gave him a piece of cake too. He left soon after. Hugh forced the girls to finish the last ¼ of the cake and they did. Then we sat and talked until 7:30p.m. The girls left around then.

I was showering when Elton and Roy came. They had a card for me and Elton bought me 2 tiny red plastic lanterns. We had Elton sing us the song that he was going to do in class tomorrow. It was good.

Mark came by again. He wanted to talk to Hugh privately. So both of them are in the 3^rd room now. It must be about 9:30p.m. I wonder what they are talking about. When Hugh came back he had this to say.

This evening some Communist leaders came into the class. They saw the locked bookcase and made Mark unlock it. After looking at the books they told Mark that he has to seek permission first before the students can run the library. It might take a while because the students have to go through the chain of command in the system. Mark informed Hugh that since all the books came from us the Communist leaders might want to have a say in the running of the library. The leaders might also want to check the books first before allowing it on the shelves. Hugh then told Mark that if the situation turns too complicated then the students should just abandon the whole project. Hugh will then distribute the books among the students.

3-18-99

@9:22a.m.

It is raining this morning. I had a cup of coffee and some cookies for breakfast.

Even though it was still raining we walked with Hugh to class. He is going to take the students outside and have them present short skits or sing songs. The students were given one week to prepare for it. It was entertaining and we had fun watching the show. The students did it outside on the edge of the field where there was a stage. It was wet and cold and there was a slight drizzle. All of us had our umbrellas open and we sat on stools from the classroom.

This afternoon Mr. Xu came by with a lady from the Foreign Affairs Office. A few days ago I mentioned to Mr. Xu that the tuning on the TV was off. He told me that a member of their staff is really good at getting all the channels to come in clear. Her father owns a TV repair shop. So she learned some tricks of the trade from her dad. So right now she is in the bedroom doing that for us. After she was done we had all the channels come in clear. I guess the other day Mr. Zhao had messed up the tuning when he tried to do it himself. Mr. Xu agreed with me.

It rained the whole day today and is still raining.

3-19-99

@8:40a.m.

It is overcast and gloomy this morning.

I have a bad cough and is spitting out a lot of phlegm. I feel congested. Hugh made me take some Tylenol.

This afternoon Mahala insisted on going to class with Hugh. So I let her. After an hour or so Linda brought her back. Linda told me that Mahala was not feeling well. I made Mahala go to bed. She threw up before then. I cleaned her up and she went to sleep. Later in the evening she threw up again. She did not feel like dinner.

3-20-99

It is Saturday. I received Mom’s box today.

We had a lot of students coming to help with the wrapping of the library books. They were everywhere, some in the living room and some in the 3^rd room.

It is raining.

3-21-99

@11:31a.m.

It is overcast and cloudy. It has rained on and off continuously this last week. It has been a week of cold and damp weather.

Catherine and Monica came by this afternoon at 2:00p.m. Hugh helped checked the answers on some English papers that Catherine had done. Then Lucy and Wendy came after that. Lucy wanted to park her bicycle in our kitchen. She has found another job tutoring a boy downtown. Her employers have loaned her a bicycle to use.

Apollo and Jenny came in the evening. They had bought 2 chickens and wanted to share it with us. So I made some rice up and we had dinner together. We also bought some cooked vegetables from the canteen. We wanted to pay for the chickens but they both refused to take any money. The chicken was marinated and then slowly boiled. It had the head, neck and legs attached. Jenny asked for those parts but I had thrown them out. I did not know that she wanted it. It tasted all right. I liked the roasted chicken better.

After they left I took a shower, then Mahala. It is now Hugh’s turn. It is 6:45p.m. It is turning cold. It will probably rain tomorrow again.

Hugh has an upset stomach. He has diarrhea and has been to the toilet 6 times already. He thinks the cause of it might have been the "Chow bin". He took 4 pepto-bismol to settle his stomach.

3-22-99

@9:53a.m.

The music is sure loud this morning.

Hugh had a restless night because of his stomach problem. This morning he swallowed 2 more pepto-bismol. I hope he feels better by this afternoon.

Mark and some other students came by with another bookcase. They left it in the kitchen. The carpenter is coming by, goodness knows when, to install a door.

Mr. Zhao came by this afternoon with a proposition for us. He wants Hugh to stay on for another month after this semester end to teach intensive oral English to high school teachers. The college is offering this course. We have no idea of the terms of the contract. We might consider it if the monetary rewards are right.

Hugh should get paid at least US$2,000 and he will require 4 teaching assistants to help with the course. The teaching assistants should be paid a salary, maybe 500yuan each and cost of living allowance. The teaching assistants will also need a place to stay, as the dormitories will be shut down during the holidays. Hugh will need to set up his own syllabus for this course.

But like I said it is a big Maybe. I am inclined to go back. All these terms will have to be met and then more. If we do stay on we will not get back until mid-August. It is imperative that we get back to the States. If we do stay it is only because of the money. That will be the major incentive.

We will need to think it all through before we make a final decision.

3-23-99

@10:11a.m.

The sun finally came out. It is windy though.

It is now 8:56p.m. Mr. Xu left about an hour ago. We had an interesting conversation with him. He told us certain facts that we had suspected and he just confirmed it for us. It mostly has to do with Mr. Zhao and his behavior.

Tonight we learned that Mr. Zhao has been opening our letters. Hugh asked Mr. Xu point blank whether Mr. Zhao was the culprit. Mr. Xu hesitated for a few seconds and admitted in no uncertain terms that it is a possibility. Mr. Xu was not going to stick his head out and say outright yes. But the implication was there. Every piece of incoming mail goes to Mr. Zhao and if he happens to be in the office that time chances are he is liable to open them. Previous foreign teachers have the same complaints and run ins with Mr. Zhao too especially the last one, Tim. Tim was on the verge of calling the American Embassy because of Mr. Zhao’s behavior. Mr. Xu had to talk Tim out of that. Mr. Xu is always the one who has to repair the damage and put matters right again. Mr. Zhao has even asked Tim to get pornographic literature and photos. Of course Tim was not about to do that. Mr. Zhao had also been making himself a nuisance when there was a woman foreign teacher here before. He would come and visit her every night. Finally that woman had to turn off all her lights and not open the door when he came a calling. She asked Mr. Xu to help her in getting Mr. Zhao off her back. Mr. Zhao is not a very smart man according to Mr. Xu. The only thing that Mr. Zhao is good at is lining his own pocket.

We found out more about cheating on campus especially in the English department. Mr. Liu, the secretary, has been giving out the question sheets to certain students, especially from Grade 3 Class 1, who have been smart enough to play the politically correct game. What the students do is to give gifts basically "kissing ass" to get the question papers. Mr. Zhao might be in on the game with Mr. Liu too. That’s why Hugh could never figure out why the students that do badly in class assignments can get good grades in their final. Now we do. Sometimes the test scores are changed even if the student have failed that paper. The only Grade 4 student, Lynda Chang that failed her English paper knows certain people in the department. Even if Hugh failed her, she can still pass. All it takes is knowing people in the right places.

We were also told that the library that Hugh started will likely cease to exist as soon as we leave. All the books that we have given to the library will be taken over by the English department. To insure that this does not happen Mr. Xu wants Hugh to write to the President of the Foreign Affairs Office, Mr. Yang requesting his help in getting a room for the students’ library.

By now Hugh is disgusted with the whole sordid situation.

3-24-99

@10:11a.m.

Hugh came back upset this morning. He cut short his session with the Grade 3 Class 2 because now he knows some of the students in that class had gotten the test questions from Mr. Liu. He told the whole class in no uncertain terms his displeasure in that kind of behavior and then walked out of the room.

Lucy came by at 11:30a.m. She heard through the grapevine what had transpired this morning in class. Hugh is still mad as a hornet. I sincerely hope that he does not run into either Mr. Zhao or Mr. Liu in the near future. He is liable to say some harsh words to them.

I really feel it is best if we leave when the contract is up in 3 months time. We are not happy here especially in light of what we have learned yesterday.

This morning when Mahala and I was out buying breakfast we saw an individual dressed all in black clothes that was torn and tattered. This person had a pole slung across the shoulders at the end of which was attached 2 bags. A hat was upon the head. Upon getting closer to us we saw that all the exposed parts of its body was covered or smeared in black paint or grease. The skin was shiny. The arms and face were all covered with the stuff. We could see the eyes and it looked red. I thought this individual was a man but Mahala told me that he’s a she.

She reminded me of the singers in a show called "The Black and White Minstrel Show" way back in the late 60’s. Only the sole of the shoes were intact. The rest was patched up in rags. I have never seen such a sorry looking individual like her. It is so sad.

3-25-99

@12:49p.m.

On every Thursday Hugh takes the Grade 3 Class 2 out of the classroom to conduct lessons. This morning he is going to take them across the street to the "Sher Her River". All of them are going to take a walk and then write a paper on it. Mahala and I are tagging along with the class.

It is a nice morning, neither cold nor hot. The wind is not blowing. So all of us have on a light jacket to keep warm. The whole class is in high spirits. The students like to be out of the normal classroom structure. We started out at 10:15a.m.

We had a hard time crossing the street. Traffic would not stop and Hugh got mad at a couple of drivers who did not slow down even when they saw a group of students crossing. But all of us made it safely across in spite of the honking of horns. Pedestrians have no right of way here in China. We walked down the street towards the market, kept going until we reached an open area that is used as a dumping ground for trash. We drew a lot of attention from the people. We finally reached the shore of the river. There was hardly any body there at that time of day. We had the river to ourselves. The class broke up into two groups. One group decided to walk down by the shore and the other wanted to walk along the embankment. It was fine with Hugh. I walked along the embankment and Hugh and Mahala decided to walk along the shore. Hugh walked real fast and was ahead of everyone else. He finally stopped and took a pee. I hoped none of the students saw that especially the girls. Mahala stepped on mud and got her shoes really messy. Some of the girls helped clean her shoes for her. The group down by the shoreline played in the water, collected crabs and clams and skipped rocks. The group on the embankment made whistles out off the weeping willows growing along there. Mark was the one who started making one first. The main thing is to find a nice long smooth branch, strip the bark off, and according to the length of the branch you can blow different sounds in different pitches. I thought that was really neat. Pretty soon we had a whole lot of students doing that. Dan made one for Mahala and I. It did not taste too good when you placed it between your lips but it made a pleasant sound. At the end of the walk we came upon a canvas tent that was pitched on the shore. The students became curious and started poking their faces into the tent. There was also a small boat moored close by. Some of the male students boarded it and was going to row out into the river with it. Hugh told them all stop that. By that time it was close to lunchtime. Hugh dismissed the class and we walked back by a different route. The route back was pretty muddy but we managed to keep clean. The path led us out directly across from the school gate.

We decided to buy a pair of canvas shoes for Mahala to replace the one that was muddy.

We met up with Mr. Xu by the hotel. He informed Hugh that he had arranged a meeting for Hugh with Mr. Yang. He then took off as it was close to lunchtime.

Mahala has no afternoon classes. Wendy has gone off to Wuhan till next week. Jenny has decided to quit so no Chinese classes. We did try to encourage her to think about her decision but she was pretty adamant about quitting. She looked bothered and unhappy. She left as soon as she told us that. Lucy was with her then. After Jenny left, Lucy had this to tell us.

Jenny and Apollo have broken up their relationship. It happened yesterday evening during dinner. Lucy and Jenny were in the dining room having dinner. Apollo came in and was obviously being rude to Lucy. He talked to everyone and ignored Lucy for no obvious reason or reasons. Lucy was insulted and embarrassed by Apollo’s behavior. Lucy felt that Apollo did that on purpose and as soon as Apollo left said as much to Jenny. Jenny told Lucy that she will talk to Apollo about his behavior. When Jenny returned to the dorm room later in the evening she told Lucy that she had broken up with Apollo. They must have had an argument and Lucy felt that it was all because of her.

That’s why Jenny is feeling down today.

Lucy stayed for dinner with us. She is going to help Hugh in the meeting with Mr. Yang tonight. Lucy will be the interpreter. Mr. Xu finally came by at 6:00p.m. and told us that the meeting has been canceled.

Mr. Xu stayed on and talked about the summer teaching program for the high school teachers. Mr. Xu had more information about this program than Mr. Zhao did. It was revealed to us that this program was Mr. Xu’s brainchild. He was the one who came up with the idea. The high school teachers will come from all over the Xinyang and surrounding areas. There might be about 180 to 200 participants involved. The classes will be big and Hugh might have to conduct 2 classes everyday. One in the morning and another in the afternoon. It is mostly teaching the teachers new methods on teaching English. It is all lecturing. Hugh might have to travel to the other towns if the teachers cannot make it to Xinyang. Hugh talked about getting projectors and television sets to conduct these classes. Mr. Xu told us that will not be a problem. He can get all those things. Hugh talked about the possibility of getting some teaching assistants to help in the course and Mr. Xu was open to the suggestion. The only topic we have not covered is how much will Hugh be paid for the summer.

Right at this moment Hugh feels very strongly about doing the summer class. He feels that he can help the teachers here do a better job of teaching English to high school students. Besides that if we can get some money out of it why not. I am still hesitant about being here. Right now my feeling are mixed up. On one hand the money will surely help us, on the other I really hate to be here until August. If we do decide to stay then we will be here for another 28 days after the semester is over.

The meeting with Mr. Yang has been tentatively fixed for tomorrow evening..

3-26-99

@4:13p.m.

The meeting is today. The time is around 5:00p.m. or it might be 5:30p.m. Really we are not sure. The only thing we know is that it is suppose to be this evening.

This morning Hugh took his other Grade 3 class down to the river. Mahala of course had to go with him. When they came back Mahala had a wreath on her head. The girls had made one for her out of the willow branches. Hugh also met Mr. Xu on the way to the river. Mr. X passed a letter to Hugh. Hugh is unable to help Mr. X, now that we know Mr. Zhao is opening our letters.

Dan came by twice this morning. The first time he came with a piece of plywood and the 2^nd time he had some nails and a bottle of white glue.

This afternoon Hugh worked on constructing a door for the new bookcase. The bookcase is from the English department. The students had a meeting with the department in which they informed them about the setting up of the English Students’ Library. The outcome of that meeting was the gift of a bookcase from the department.

Lucy came again this evening thinking that her services as an interpreter might be needed. Again the meeting did not panned out. She left about 8:00p.m.

3-27-99

@11:08a.m.

There is loud music coming from the field. The school is having a sports meet today. So far there have been no events as yet. Maybe it will start after lunch.

We watched a movie starring Nicholas Cage. It was a good movie with a good plot but the quality of the movie was terrible. It had obviously been bootlegged. It was made even more obvious that the movie had been pirated by the fact that towards the end of the movie we could see the silhouette of a person moving across the screen not once but three times. The movie must have been recorded in a cinema in the U.S. and then sent over here to be televised on the Xinyang local television station.

Around midnight yesterday both Mahala and I were woken up by Hugh’s screaming "Stop it, do you hear me, I am coming up, and F--- you." There was more than that. Faggot was another word he shouted at the occupants of the room above us. The person or persons were making so much noise moving furniture around and walking. The noises did not stop so Hugh threw a stool up into the ceiling. The stool came crashing down and broke on one side.

After that incident I really think it is not worth the money to stay on this summer. Losing his temper every so often is not good for Hugh’s peace of mind. I cannot deal living on edge with him not knowing when his temper is going to flare up. It is not right living like this. All of us are stressed out as it is. Enough is enough.

3-28-99

@11:23a.m.

It is drizzling now. I washed up 2 loads of laundry.

Hugh is working on the proposal for the summer course. He is setting down his terms and conditions for doing the course. Hugh is seriously considering staying on for this summer course. I am all for going back.

Elton came by to visit after many weeks. He looks sad and lovelorn. He has fallen hard for Amanda. She on the other hand is giving him mixed signals. On one hand she encourages him by going out with him and letting him hold her hands then on the other she tells him she only wants friendship with him. He is very unhappy with the relationship. He only gets to see her on her terms. They have a secret place that they go to when they want to be alone and talk. Amanda has told Elton that she does not want their relationship revealed. In other words keep it a secret. Elton would like to show everyone that they are an item but Amanda will not have any of this. She tells him that she is a private person. Elton feels like he is being used and yet cannot help himself from running to Amanda every time she calls. Hugh advised him that Amanda is not the one for him and asked him to shop around. There are many girls that are more attractive than Amanda is. Poor Elton is in a quandary. He does not know where he stands in her life.

Elton left a few minutes after Lucy arrived. Lucy knows that Elton is infatuated with Amanda. She also knows that Amanda has many admirers in the school and she always play the field. She likes all the attention but she shows no commitment to any individual. Lucy has been dorm mates with Amanda for 3 years and know her very well. She tells us that Elton is foolish in pursuing Amanda. He will not catch her. She is very elusive.

We totally agree with Lucy. Elton is just chasing a dream.

3-29-99

@4:11p.m.

It is 2 more days till the end of March.

We found out from Lucy that she is not paying attention in class. She has told Lucy that it is Hugh’s fault because he brought us here.

Hugh and I are going to talk to Mahala this evening about her behavior.

3-30-99

We received Mom’s box and a letter from the American Embassy. Mr. Zhao brought those 2 articles by. I was so afraid that Hugh might say something nasty to him but that did not happen.

3-31-99

@10:24a.m.

I had a restless night. I felt bloated up. I have gas. So this morning after Hugh left for class I went back to sleep.

This morning Mr. Zhao came by with a letter from Grandma. After he left I checked the letter. Of course it had been tampered with.

Elton came by later in the afternoon. Hugh was home then. He told us that it is over between Amanda and him. He had tears in his eyes. Hugh talked to him and was telling him that he is a good person. We tried to make him feel better about himself. His self-esteem was at rock bottom then. When he left he was feeling much better.

I am beginning to think that we have a select group of students who look upon Hugh and myself as their surrogate parents. It is very flattering to one’s ego. They relate to us in ways that they cannot do with their own parents.

It is now 4:50p.m. I still do not feel too great. I will have to write to grandma thanking her for the 2 care packages and the letter. I should send a letter to the Embassy too.

Wendy is back from Wuhan. She came to see us at 7:10p.m. Dan was with her. He picked her up at the train station. She has a new haircut and it looks good on her. She came back earlier because Dan kept calling to ask when she is coming back. She bought back some Shakespearean books. Hugh had given her about 200yuan to buy some books in the English bookstore in Wuhan. The books are for the library.

She also had a surprise for Mahala. She bought 2 chicken burgers from Kentucky Fried Chicken and a double whopper from Burger King in Wuhan. The trip from Wuhan to Xinyang takes 3 hours. So by the time it arrived here it was cold. We were so happy we did not care at all. I zapped it up in the microwave and Mahala ate it. I shared a chicken burger with Hugh and Mahala ate the rest. It was the best meal we have had since being in China. We were thankful to Wendy for doing that. Wendy also bought a pineapple. I sliced that up and shared it with Dan and Wendy.

4-1-99

@2:07p.m.

Mr. Xu called us at 10:00p.m. yesterday night. We were trying to sleep when we heard a knocking at the door. Hugh woke up half asleep and still in his underwear walked to the door, opened it and shouted in English "Who is it and what do you want?" He was pissed off. The person at the door was the night receptionist. She said in Chinese that we had a "Tien Hua" meaning phone call. Hugh probably scared the lady to death with his gruff demeanor. The call was from Mr. Xu. He apologized for the late call. He could not arrange the meeting with Mr. Yang because he was sent to Zhengzhou apparently with no warning to conduct some school business. Yeah right?

Yesterday night we had people in the room upstairs from ours. They were a noisy bunch. We did not mind the noises too much before 10:00p.m. The problem was the noise did not stop after 11:00p.m. Instead it got worse. We were trying to sleep and all we heard were footsteps and chairs being dragged across the floor. Really this was just too much. Hugh started screaming and cussing at the top of his voice. He hoped the people upstairs might quiet down. The noise did not abate. Hugh finally gave up and he had to sleep in the living room on the vinyl couch.

Being the first day of April Hugh tried to fool his class. He was not too successful because he could not keep a straight face while he was faking a heart attack. The students saw through all this. He tried the same thing on his other class by telling them that there will be a mid-term exam this semester. Could not fool them either.

This afternoon Hugh went to Grade 3 Class 1. He had some of the students in that class help him plaster the holes in the walls and paint the back wall. Hugh also repaired the door and place a lock on it. The Grade 3 students are moving the bookcases up to Class 2, as that class has more space and also to encourage participation from the students of that class which has been negligible to date.

We have 3 more months to go until the end of the semester. Then we are free.

4-2-99

@12:30p.m.

We just came back about half an hour ago. We were with Hugh at his class.

When we reached the back gate to the hotel I saw three little girls ages five to seven all squatting down under a big pine tree. The had their pants pulled down to their ankles. All of them were taking a pee at the same time. I was surprised at that. I remember doing that too when I was a little girl. I guess when you are young you don’t think twice about peeing in public.

4-3-99

We had a group of students come over today. Being a Saturday they had time to wrap and catalog the new books.

In the evening Elton came over and we invited him to dinner. He bought 2 cooked vegetables from the canteen as his share towards the dinner. We sat and talked with him.

After dinner, Jessie, who is a student at the Military School came to visit. She brought along her friend. His name is Lincoln and he is also a student at the same school. We introduced Elton to Jessie and Lincoln and all of us were enjoying our conversation. Jessie was happy because she is the champion in the table tennis tournament sponsored by their school. She also won first place in a speech competition. So her closest friends have decided that Jessie must treat them to dinner. Jessie says it is a must. She has no choice and she is happy to do it. Hugh read her Tarot cards for her then for Lincoln. We wonder if they are an item. Elton even acted as interpreter when Jessie and Lincoln had difficulty understanding Hugh.

Then May showed up. She took Elton aside and whispered in his ear. Elton came back and told us that he had to go. So both May and Elton left. Jessie and Lincoln left too.

We also found out that Mark has an allergic reaction to beer. Hugh gave him a glass and within a few minutes he was covered with red welts on his face and arms. His eyes were all bloodshot. I was afraid he was going to blow up. He was that red. Hugh told him never to drink any alcohol. I know I am not going to give him any.

4-4-99

@11:20a.m.

Today is the first warm sunny day we have had in ages. All of us sat outside most of the day. It was nice and warm and to have the sun shine on you.

Around lunch Elton came by. He had with him 4 pieces of chocolate cake and he shared those with us. They were good too.

Lucy came back from town around 1:40p.m. She bought Mahala a box of ice cream. She also had a replacement electric cord that we had asked her to buy.

Mahala made a new friend today. Her name is Helen and she is a 2 year student with the Foreign Language Department. She is a paying student. Helen is only 17 years old.

In the afternoon the library committee had a meeting with the Grade 1 students. Hugh was there as an observer.

May came to visit us during the later part of the day. She told us that it was Amanda who asked her to come look for Elton yesterday evening. Amanda wanted to talk to Elton and she was waiting at their usual meeting place for him. May admitted to us that she is concerned about Elton. She also thinks that Amanda is not really serious about Elton. She admitted that she likes Elton too but he only treats her like his kid sister. I asked May if she would date Elton if he asked her. She was evasive with her answer. I think she will. May and Elton have a funny relationship. Observing both of them I always get the feeling that May would like something more. She is always flirting, touching and hitting him. Elton seemed not to mind too much. They both get along very well. Maybe something will develop here if May wants to pursue it. We just have to wait and see.

The movie "Zorro" was on TV tonight. It was entertaining. Of course it was spoiled by the noises coming from upstairs.

4-5-99

@10:22a.m.

It is windy this morning. It is not a cold wind though. Mahala and I had to come in after awhile because of all the dust that the wind was blowing around. Trash is collecting in the corner outside the kitchen.

After Linda had finished lessons with Mahala she came by to have a chat with us. I asked Linda if she has borrowed any books from the library. She replied that she is too busy preparing for an exam in May to do any reading. I was surprised, as I did not think that Hugh has any exams planned for May. I asked what type of exam is it. She then told me that she has been asked to sit in for two test papers for another person. Hugh sat up "Who asked you to do this?" The reply from her "My class teacher Miss Li."

The person that Linda is going to sit in for is an individual who is a teacher in middle high school. "Are you paid for doing this?" The reply was a no. Miss Li came up to Linda one day in the classroom and just asked her to do it as a favor to her. Miss Li explained that this individual had failed her English papers twice now and really needs to pass it the third time. If not she will lose her job. Linda felt that she had no choice but to agree even if she knows that would be cheating. She knows that cheating is a drawback to China’s educational system. She felt she had to do it because Miss Li, her class teacher, had personally asked her to do it. She dare not show any disrespect by saying no.

Linda is so bothered by this that she has told her brother who is studying in another college. He has told her "Don’t do it." Her father has always told her never cheat and so Linda is in a dilemma. Hugh has also told her to just tell Miss Li no. Hugh has even told Linda that he will talk to Miss Li about the situation but Linda has asked Hugh not to do it. The choice as we see it is with Linda. She is the one who will have to live with it if she decides to go through with the cheating.

Hugh is angry with Miss Li for putting this kind of pressure on a student. Linda is in an awkward position. Miss Li can make things difficult for Linda if she so chooses. That is what Linda is afraid of. Hugh more or less hinted that he will be disappointed if Linda goes through with this. We agree that as an educator Miss Li should not even ask her students to cheat. It is unthinkable. Linda told us it happens often. Students being asked to cheat by their teachers.

After Linda left I wonder if this sort of things happen in the medical schools. I hope not otherwise they will be passing doctors who are not qualified. Scary though if you think about it.

It looks like there are guests in the room above us tonight. The person sounded like a caged animal pacing the floor. He/she woke me up several times during the course of the night until I finally fell into a deep sleep.

4-6-99

@3:51p.m.

Today is Wendy’s birthday. I found out that Wendy likes music so I gave 10yuan to Lucy and told her to buy the tapes for her. Lucy came back with 2 tapes. I wrapped it up and had Lucy pass it to Wendy. I understand that Dan is going to get Wendy a cake.

Linda just told me that the campus will be without water until 6:00p.m. tomorrow. The whole eastern side of the campus has been affected. The reason being that the main water pipe is broken. I immediately collected some water. So tonight we cannot take any showers.

Hugh asked Linda again if he could help her get out of her difficult situation. All she has to do is say yes and the problem will be taken care of. Linda is afraid to say no. Miss Li is her class teacher and will be until Linda graduates. Linda is afraid of what Miss Li might do. So we will respect Linda’s wishes.

Ernest, Hugh’s student from Grade 4 came to tell Hugh that he has found a job as an interpreter/translator at a hog hair/bristle factory that produces paint brushes. He is very happy because the factory is paying him decent wages. Those are his exact words.

Wendy also came by in the evening. She bought Mahala 10 little tubs of vanilla /chocolate ice cream.

4-7-99

@11:50a.m.

The water came back on at 6:30a.m. It was dirty and filthy and full of sediment. We had to leave the water running to get rid of all the sediment. He water did not run clear until 8:00a.m.

I need to make a run to the market again. I am down to my last 4 eggs.

Mahala has no lessons today so she is now playing in the yard with her friends.

Today has been nice and warm. I was in my shorts throughout the day. Mahala had a sleeveless dress on.

In the evening Mr. Xu came by. Both Hugh and Mr. Xu talked about the library and the students who are running it. Hugh wanted to know if Mr. Xu could possibly help the students get a room for their library. According to Mr.Xu it should not be a problem. We shall have to wait and see.

At 7:30p.m. Chris, the monitor of Grade 4, arrived bearing 2 slices of pineapple. I sliced them up into smaller pieces and shared it with him. Then David came. (David is not a student in the department. He met Hugh in the corridor and asked if it was okay for him to sit in on the classes. Hugh had no objections.) David left after telling Hugh that he is unable to come to class anymore. He is going away.

Chris then told us that he had been to Guangzhou. He went looking for a job. He found a teaching job but had decided not to accept. Firstly, Guangzhou is located in southern China. The people in that area are mostly Cantonese. Chris does not speak that language. The 2^nd reason is because teachers are not respected over there. The general population look down upon the teaching profession. The reason being that most of the people in Guangzhou are involved in the business world, may it be in the manufacturing or assembling. Most families are involved in cottage industries and an average household income in that area is around 300,000yuan. These small businesses employ a lot of workers from the interior. He teachers in Guangzhou mostly come from the interior of China. Teachers in Guangzhou are paid 2,000yuan per month, which is more than the teachers in the interior who only earn an average of 400yuan. The 3^rd reason according to Chris involves your social life. If you are a teacher, most of the women will not even look at you twice. The women tend to look upon the men from the interior as people of no ambition and subsequently of no consequence. Chris did not mention another reason. But I figured it out. Chris wants to go to graduate school and major in political science. He is also ambitious if you ask me.

The people who live in inland areas of China are conservative. They are happy with whatever job they can get. As long as they can live a comfortable lifestyle it is fine with them. The people in the south are so much different. They are very business oriented.

The conversation then shifted to the Gulf War and the current bombing of Yugoslavia by United Nations forces.

Mark came then and he got to talking with Chris. The conversation then shifted to the English library. Mark asked Chris if there was any possibility of the Grade 4 students donating books and magazines to the library before they graduate. Chris said he will donate books and would ask the other Grade 4 students if they care to donate too.

The whole day ended pleasantly.

4-8-99

@7:23a.m.

It is raining right now. It must have started early. Hugh looked out the window and told me that is raining hard. It is dark outside. All of us woke up early because of the news and music blaring from the speakers and also because of the smell coming from the bathroom. It smells like urine. It is nauseating. I asked Hugh if he can smell it. He tells me he does not smell anything at all. Well I do.

In the bathroom there is a main sewer line that runs the length of the wall. The smell seeps through the wall into the other rooms. If it gets too bad we vacate the rooms and move outside to the yard until the smell dissipates.

About 50yards away from our kitchen, on a slope, there is a public toilet. When the place is being cleaned the stench is so over powering that you have to pinch your nose or move to the front of the hotel to get away from the smell.

Then all of a sudden it hits me. We are living in such unhygienic and unhealthy conditions. We smell urine and feces everyday.

And when I complain about it to Hugh he treats me like I am an idiot. Mahala picks up on it and in her own ways she is treating me the same way. It is worse when it comes from your family. Their sometimes off the wall remarks about my lack of intelligence really hurts me even if it was meant as a joke. It makes me realize that I must be dumb. I am not up to par with them. All I can do is clean, wash and cook.

I should learn to just keep quiet. That way I will not be put down. Sometimes I feel that I do not belong or rather they do not belong to me. With Hugh I still feel like I am an outsider even though we have been together 12 years. I get the feeling I am living on borrowed time with them. I feel detached and excluded from them. I will have to learn my lessons the hard way.

4-9-99

@7:31a.m.

It rained the whole day yesterday. So this morning it is rather cool.

The odor coming from the bathroom is terrible this morning. It is a combination of urine and rotting vegetables.

Mr. Xu was here this evening. He came around 5:00p.m. Hugh bought beer and both of them talked for a long time. According to Mr. Xu, Mr. Zhao is a womanizer. Zhao taught English at Henan University in Zhengzhou years ago. He had a relationship with one of his students. Apparently the girl got pregnant and her parents went to the school authorities. Zhao did not marry the girl. Instead he lost his job. He then applied for the Director’s job in the school. Mr. Xu suspects that Zhao would not have been hired if the school authorities here knew about his indiscretion in Zhengzhou. The only way Zhao got this job was because someone manipulated his records. Again it is a matter of not what you know but whom you know.

Mr. Zhao has lovers and girlfriends around the city and also in Zhengzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. He is like a sailor with a girl in every port. Mr. Xu himself has personally seen girls come to Zhao’s hotel room. Sometimes the girls call him up and arrange meetings. Mr. Xu himself has intercepted calls for Zhao. One time Mr. Xu was in the hotel room and there was a knock at the door. Mr. Xu opened the door and there was a woman looking for Zhao. That is why Mr. Zhao always insists on having a room to himself. He tells Mr. Xu that he is a light sleeper.

Mr. Zhao is also into pornography especially dirty pictures and books. He keeps those articles in a locked drawer in his office. Mr. Zhao gets those articles from Hong Kong. Mr.Xu found this out by accident. He was told to search for a document and instead found all these. Mr. Xu tells us that the pictures and books are disgusting. Mr. Zhao is sick in his mind. Those are Mr. Xu’s exact words.

Of course as we know already, Mr. Zhao also opens mail intended for other. Once he opened Mr. Xu’s letter. The letter was from his girlfriend. Mr. Xu told Mr. Zhao never to do it again or else.

Mr. Xu tells us that there might be a possibility that we can go home before July 4^th. As soon as Hugh grades the final test and turns it in to the English department then we can be gone from here. That is provided the English department fixes an early date for the test. Mr. Xu told Hugh to talk to Mr. Liu and get his help. We shall just have to wait and see.

We also found out that Mr. Zhao has an old father that lives alone. Mr. Zhao’s mother died when he was a young boy. His father remarried and his stepmother raised Mr. Zhao. Then a few years ago the stepmother died. Since then his father has lived alone. Mr. Zhao only visits his father a couple of times a year. We understand that Zhao’s wife dislikes her father-in-law. That is why Zhao senior lives by himself rather than with Mr. Zhao and his family. Once Zhao senior came to visit. Instead of staying with Mr. Zhao and his family, the old guy had to stay in a hut located by the entrance leading in to the faculty housing. It is unthinkable for Chinese to treat their parents that way according to Mr. Xu. Mr. Zhao is controlled by his wife.

Late yesterday night May, Amanda and Louisa came in the rain. Louisa had some questions for Hugh. She needed Hugh’s expertise in teaching methods for children ages 8 to 9.

4-10-99

@9:56p.m.

The school looks busy the last few days. The occupancy rate in this hotel has increased. Guests are everywhere.

Mark came to visit this evening. He stayed and talked until 8:50p.m.

It was in the seventies when this happened. All the farmers in the region had a very bad harvest. People became poor and they did not have the money to buy fertilizer. Everyone was hungry. Mark and his family were affected too.

Mark comes from a poor family background. He has an older brother and a younger sister. When he was a young boy the family was always hungry. His father used to work at an ammunition factory and his mother took care of the family. He remembers once the family did not have anything to eat not even rice. So his mother boiled up sweet potatoes everyday for at least 15 days. That was what they survived on.

Mark remembers staying with his grandmother because his family did not have enough to eat. At his grandmother’s place it was hard too. Mark remembers eating animal meat, dog, snake, monkey, rabbit, mule or donkey and even rat. His uncle has an old shotgun. One night the family saw a rat climbing along a wall. The uncle shot it and the family cooked up the rat. It was protein and they were hungry. We asked him if he had ever eaten cat before. He replied that it is taboo to eat cat meat.

Mark is now 24 years old. Things are a little better. His family and brother are helping him through school. Mark wants to finish and then be able to help his family in return. He is a filial son. At the beginning of every semester his family gives him 500yuan. He has to make sure that the money lasts the whole semester. So he is very frugal and careful with his money. He does not spend it frivolously. He makes do with whatever he has. He spends 1yuan a day on lunch and another on dinner. He always buys from the school canteen because the food there is cheaper.

Hugh promised Mark that he would give 100yuan to the library fund on the next payday. He will also buy more books and another bookcase. I wish Hugh would not do that. In my mind it is like taking from Peter to give to Paul.

Hugh has told me before that he has budgeted the money so that we will not be short. I certainly do not see it that way. The money being spent on the library we could use to spend on food and ourselves. We always end up being short on supplies towards the end of the month and then he will not let me buy anything at all because we are down to our last 50yuan. He gives way too much to the library in terms of money, time and effort. Is it selfish to think of one’s family first? Charity should always begin at home.

I have not spent a single penny on myself besides sanitary supplies. All we have goes into food and Mahala’s tutors. So I begin to resent it when Hugh tells me he does not have money and then turns around and spends it on the library. He skims on us and splurges on the others. It is unfair to Mahala and I. He should get his priorities straightened out.

He gave Wendy 100yuan to buy books in Wuhan. I have yet to see him give me that much to do as I please. He gives me all kinds of reasons on why he is doing this. It is still robbing from the family.

Right now on this day we have only 100yuan. And we have 4 days till Hugh gets paid again. I know what will happen on that day. He goes out and spends his money on the library and then subjects us to a strict budget. It is the truth. I sort of regret the day the library came into existence. The library is like a thorn in my side. I know Hugh is trying to get the library on its feet but I sure wish it is not at our expense. Not a single teacher has come forward with their support for the library. It is because of this that Hugh has taken what is rightfully ours and given it to the library. It has only been through Hugh’s generosity that the library has survived so far.

4-11-99

@8:50a.m.

It is raining. The rain started falling early this morning.

Lucy came by at 2:00p.m. She was returning my camera. She had taken a trip to the mountain yesterday morning with her class. They left real early and came back in the evening. I asked her how the trip went. She told me everyone felt tired. Their class teacher Miss Li had gone along too. She took her soon with her. As far as I know Linda, Wendy, Dan, Elton, Roy and May were the others who went along too. She saw a dead snake on her hike up the mountains. She told us that Elton got sick on the bus trip and felt bad all the way. The mountain was pretty and they had fun playing in the streams.

Lucy wanted to take some pictures of us so that she can get the roll of film developed. She took some of us and went back to class to try and finish the roll. Mahala went with her. She brought Mahala back and went to deposit the film at the photo shop. Then she came back and sat with us.

Hugh started teasing her about "ren ro pau tze". Mark had kindly volunteered this information when we last talked with him. Hugh was discussing cannibalism in China with him. Mark has read that in ancient times unscrupulous food traders would murder unsuspecting travelers and use human meat in the "pau tze". They would then sell the "pau" to other travelers. "Ren ro pau tze" literally translated means human dumplings.

So, Lucy surprised us when she admitted that she had eaten human meat before. She told us it came about because of her youngest brother who is now deceased. She explained it this way. "My youngest brother had a disease. The doctor told my family that he had only fat no muscle tissue. He was a sickly child and never went to school. The rest of us taught him how to read and write. If he had lived he would have been the smartest of us all. He likes to draw and used his left hand to do it. He would sit all say in his chair. Because he could not go out and play my parents finally decided to buy a television set so at least he could keep himself amused. My parents went all over trying to find a cure for this disease. We were told that human meat could cure my brother. So one day my mother bought some from a nurse. My mother cooked it up in soup and all of us had some."

Lucy was vague about the meat. It first she admitted it was human meat then she changed it to "the part that comes out with the baby" which I took to mean the placenta or an aborted fetus. She was not to specific about which part of the body was used. It makes sense if it was the tissue of an aborted fetus. The brother was dying and the fetus represents a life beginning. The mother probably bought the tissue from the nurse who worked in the local hospital. The family was desperate to do anything to insure the brother lived. That brother died when he was 16 years old.

The day he died Lucy remembers him telling her that his head was aching. He wanted Lucy to rub his head. But Lucy had to go to school so she was a bit impatient with him. Later in the afternoon her eldest brother came to school and told her that their brother had passed away. Lucy and her siblings were the ones who made all the funeral arrangements and went to the cemetery for the burial. Their parents just could not do it. Even till today her mother sleeps on the boy’s bed. She tells the family that his ghost comes to visit her. Lucy agrees with Hugh that if a loved one dies and you do not go to the funeral, burial or memorial then you’ll always think of the deceased and can never let go of the person.

From what she has described of her brother, we can only guess that he had muscular dystrophy, the wasting away of the muscles. He was alert mentally. His limbs were skinny. He was diagnosed with this ailment when he was nine years old. I looked up this condition in my medical dictionary and found that it is hereditary. Hugh has told me not to tell Lucy. At this point in her life she does not need to know. It is usually passed from mother to child and it almost always affects the son.

I have killed 2 centipedes in three days. I was lying down in bed this afternoon when I caught a whiff of decaying material. We checked around the bathroom. Hugh lifted up the bed and we found a dead mouse under there. It must have died a couple of days ago. We tossed it over the garden wall. What is next?

4-12-99

@11:15a.m.

We are down to 80yuan. The library has consumed most of our extra money. This has to stop. This cannot go on. We are down to nothing at home and we are short on a lot of supplies because we do not have the money to get them. How can I make Hugh understand that what he is spending or intends to spend on the library is not fair to Mahala or myself. Why should we have to forego certain comforts so that he can spend it on the library?

It is overcast this morning. The cicadas have been making a lot of noise the last week or so. It must be the coming of spring. I have told Linda that she need not teach Mahala any Chinese and to just continue with the English lessons.

Elton came during lunchtime, as he usually does. He talked mostly about his feelings for Amanda and how far their relationship has progressed. I guess Amanda has him on a string. Elton still jumps when Amanda calls. He is trying not to do it. Hugh in fact has told him that there are better fishes in the sea and to just forget about Amanda. He is just chasing a dream.

In the afternoon after her lessons with Mahala, Wendy came by to talk. She was telling us about her trip up the mountains. Mrs. Li tagged along with her and Dan. I gather Wendy was not too thrilled to have Mrs. Li along. Mrs. Li also brought her son with her. Wendy said the child is a brat. He was climbing trees and Wendy was afraid that he would fall and break a bone. Mrs. Li never once bothered to check his behavior. Wendy was upset because Dan was paying so much attention to Mrs. Li and she felt excluded. Wendy felt like an interloper. She felt like a mother-in-law, loving her son yet disliking the daughter-in-law. Wendy also told us that Mrs. Li is the leader who did not like the students to form relationships while in college. Yet Mrs. Li met her husband while in college herself. Mrs. Li did not practice what she is preaching.

Wendy then told us that when she came back, she was upset over a situation that developed with a certain individual. She did not mention the name of this certain individual. Wendy proceeded to tell us what happened and started to cry. Before she left that morning she had asked this person to refill her hot water flask. When Wendy cam back she found out that her flask was empty. This individual then told Wendy that the boiler room where they usually get hot water was closed. Wendy did not believe that because her flask was where she had left it. The flask had never been moved at all. Wendy would rather have this individual tell her the truth, that is she had forgotten or just did not bother to do it and leave it at that. So that night Wendy did not have any hot water to clean up with and she had to walk out to buy a flask of hot water from the outside vendor.

From this conversation we finally figured that the person involved is Amanda. Lucy confirmed it for us later. We understand that during their freshmen year Wendy and Amanda were very close. 14-13-99

@12:06p.m.

This morning in class Hugh caught Apollo and Catherine reading a book entitled "Sexual Love". It was in Chinese.

He also found out that the earliest the English department can schedule the English exam is on July 5^th. That is a Monday. That means we will probably leave 2 days after that. Hugh will need at least 2 days to grade the papers. I had hoped that the department could have scheduled the exam a week earlier.

Mr. Xu came by this evening. He wanted more information about the student library. He wants Hugh to write a letter stating the benefits of the library. Mark and Wendy were visiting then too. W e told Mr. Xu about the date of the exam. He seemed surprise that it was scheduled so late in July.

There was a knock on the door and it was Mr. Zhao. He seemed surprised to find Mr. Xu with us. The purpose of his visit was to ask Hugh’s help in correcting some papers. Mr. Zhao had done a translation in English and he wanted Hugh to go through them to correct any mistakes. Mr. Zhao told us that the paper was for the Tea Festival that the city is hosting later in the month. After Mr. Zhao left, Mr. Xu told us that Zhao was being paid to do the translation. Xinyang is famous for its tea and every year the city holds a festival. Foreign guests are invited and the city has parades and different events promoting the tea-growing region.

4-14-99

@9:40a.m.

This morning started out on a bad note.

Hugh wants me to consider staying on for another month. Firstly so that he can teach the summer class and also to keep an eye on the library. He told me that if he teaches the summer class it will give him more leverage when he makes his request for a room for the library to the Foreign Affairs Office. This is real upsetting to me. My whole day will be ruined because I will not be thinking about it all the time. I had hopes that by July all of us will be ready and willing to go home. Now Hugh wants to stay. I am going crazy here. My life swings one direction one day and the other the next. Just like a pendulum.

Only death will put a stop to my life’s uncertainty. I cannot take this much longer. My tears fall and there is not much I can do to put a stop to it. I cannot console myself. I have nothing. I am tired of living like this. I have nothing. I question myself, why me, what have I done to deserve this kind of life. Always living on the goodwill and charity of others especially Hugh’s mom. These thoughts revolve around my mind all the time. There has not been a day here that those thoughts do not creep up and bother me. I try not to think about it but on days like today I cannot seem to shake those thoughts away.

Hugh had to kick a student out of Grade 3 Class 1 today. It was in the afternoon. The student’s name is Tina. Tina is one of those students who have been skipping class consistently. She never finishes her assignment and never studies. Hugh has spoken to her many times about her performance in class. During the last semester after the class had sat for the English exam she came to Hugh and was literally asking Hugh not to fail her. She knew she had done very badly. Hugh had in fact given her extra points so that she just barely managed to pass. Of course Hugh always does that to all the other students. He gives them credit for class work and participation.

Tina has told Hugh before that she is not interested in learning English and is just pleasing her father. Her father is the one who wants her to major in English. Tina prefers to major in Chinese. So all these 3 years Tina has been just coasting along in the class. She does minimum work and every term barely manages to pass. Hugh has mentioned the problem he has with Tina to Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu told Hugh to send Tina to him and he will have a talk with this girl.

So this morning Hugh pulled Tina to one side and talked to her outside the classroom. She has to leave the class, go to the English department and talk to Mr. Liu. Tina came in and sat down in her seat. Hugh went up to the chalkboard and started writing. He looked around and Tina was still there. He told Tina again to leave the class. Tina still remained. Hugh lost patience with her and screamed at that point "Tina, leave my class." At that point Tina walked out and banged the door after her.

4-15-99

@4:51p.m.

It started as any usual day.

I called Mr. Xu and asked if he could help me collect Hugh’s salary. Then Mr. Zhao turned up to collect the papers had had corrected. We made small talk. Zhao offered to collect Hugh’s salary but I told him that Mr. Xu had agreed to do it. After he left Hugh walked out earlier than usual because he had some business to do at the English department. He wanted to talk to Mr. Liu. Mahala and I left shortly after Hugh. We waited for Mr. Xu at door to the Foreign Affairs Office then all of us walked to the cashier’s office. Mr. Xu walked part of the way with us to the classroom. We parted ways in front of the English department. Mahala and I then walked over to the Grade 3 Class2. Outside the classroom and through the windows I could hear Hugh talking. We heard him mention suicide and how to look for signs in a person that are on the verge of it. We then entered the classroom and sat down trying as much as possible to be quiet. Hugh looked distressed and started to tell the class about his dad’s own suicide. He started choking up then and tears welled up in his eyes. He could not continue and just said "class dismissed" and motioned for us to follow him. I knew there was a problem then. He told me to follow him outside. He was really upset.

Walking back Hugh told me that Tina had tried to kill herself. The first thing I thought was, did Hugh’s action yesterday cause this girl to do that. She is hospital right now. I could tell that Hugh was blaming himself for it. If the girl dies than he will be never be able to forgive himself. He felt that he was the trigger that made her do it. I told him it was not his fault and not to blame himself. We had reached the playground by that time when Julia came running up behind us. She wanted to talk to him in private so Mahala and I walked a little distance away. Then Vicky and Mark came up and joined Hugh and Julia. I was too far to hear the conversation. The students left and we walked back to the hotel. Elton and May were there. They were concern about Hugh and his feelings and just wanted to be there with us. But Hugh was not in a talkative mood. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

Later in the afternoon Hugh had this to relate to me. He had gone to the English department. Mrs. Li was there. Her first words were that Tina had poisoned herself and was now in the hospital. By then Hugh was thinking the worst. Mrs. Li then told Hugh that Tina is now recovering. For an instance there, Hugh thought he was the cause of Tina’s death. Mrs. Li should have broken the news to Hugh in a more tactful way. She obviously was not thinking of Hugh’s feelings at all. If she meant to hurt then she achieved her goal.

I cannot be sure what is going through Hugh’s mind right now. He is so quiet and is mulling over this affair. I keep telling him that he is not to blame. Obviously Tina has hang-ups of her own and needs a professional to counsel her. Hugh cannot be consoled with what has happened.

Right now Hugh is very unhappy and looking dejected by the events of this day. This evening May, Amanda, Ginger and Charlie made it a point to come by. Ginger is a good friend of Tina. She came to explain to Hugh the circumstances surrounding the incident yesterday. Ginger is in the same dorm with Tina and so has first hand knowledge of what actually transpired. She was also the one who stayed with Tina in the hospital until Tina’s parents arrived.

After Hugh kicked Tina out of the class, she went to buy herself a bottle of white wine. She then went back to her dorm and drank the whole bottle. When some of her dorm mates came back to the room they found her passed out on the bed and saw the empty bottle of wine. They could not wake her up. The girls were frightened, so they called in a clinic "doctor" who gave Tina and intravenous. By then it was late in the evening. Still Tina did not wake up. It was then that they informed Mrs. Li. That was when they took Tina to hospital. Ginger went along and the doctors in the hospital did a blood test. He blood tests showed no poison in Tina’s system. They kept her overnight for observation and discharged her the day after the incident in the afternoon. Tina is fine and is suffering from no ill effects of the so-called "suicide attempt".

Hugh then explained to Ginger what Mrs. Li had told him yesterday morning. How Tina had taken a bottle of poison. When he heard that he felt that he had caused a student of his to kill herself. And for 6 hours after hearing the news this thought was going through his mind. It upset him so much that he would not talk to any of his students who came by to talk to him. He just wanted to be alone. He then wrote a letter of resignation to the Foreign Affairs Office explaining that the effectiveness as a teacher has been brought into question by the actions of Tina. In fact he had given this letter of resignation to Mr. Xu just before Ginger came to explain what really happened. Mr. Xu was quickly acquainted with the facts of the story. He refused to take Hugh’s resignation letter. He wants Hugh to hold on to the letter until Monday. He is also going to make his own inquiries into this matter.

Charlie told Hugh not to resign because "You have taught and given the students a whole lot of new ideas in teaching methods." That touched Hugh more than anything else.

Ginger and Charlie were very upset over what Mrs. Li told Hugh. They want Hugh to know that Mrs. Li is just trying to make Hugh feel bad. She should have told Hugh the truth that Tina had drank too much and passed out. That is all that happened. Tina did not try to kill herself. She was unhappy and felt loss of face when Hugh kicked her out of class. So she decided to drink her unhappiness away. Nothing more than that.

We were also told that Tina has had some personal problems since coming back to school after the break. She has been feeling depressed and unhappy because she has broken up with her boyfriend. Tina made a promise to Ginger that she will try and do her work in class. Ginger will help her.

4-16-99

@10:10a.m.

Hugh woke still feeling upset over the events from yesterday. This morning he is gong to talk to the Grade 3 Class 1 students over the events that occurred 2 days ago. Tina is a student from that class. There will be no lessons until Monday.

Mahala and I walked up to the class with him. He wanted me there to observe the students’ reaction over this episode involving Tina. When we walked into class, it was just like any other normal day. All the students were doing their thing and carrying on as usual. That was my impression.

After the class had settled down Hugh began talking. He started by telling them to write down on paper what they thought happened on the day that Tina got drunk. He discussed the face system that is very important in the Chinese culture and also the differences between the American and Chinese systems. He stressed to them that in real life adults play for keeps. Only children play games.

After the students finished the paper Hugh went around collecting them. He asked if there were any questions he would be happy to answer them. The class remained silent. Hugh then asked the class if any of them were unhappy with his teaching methods. If so he would be more than happy to have another teacher take over the class. It was then that I heard voices saying no. It was muted and faint. We left after that.

Right now Hugh is reading through all those papers. He is not saying much. After Hugh finished them I would read them. The majority of the students in that class feel that Tina is spoilt. She does not attend class or even do her assigned work. All of them feel that Hugh was right in kicking her out of class. In the same note they write that Hugh does not understand their face system, that Tina felt embarrassed, hurt and ashamed. That was why she attempted to kill herself by drinking the whole bottle of white wine. One girl wrote that all Tina actually did was drink wine and that she needed psychological help. Some felt that that Hugh could have been less harsh on her. Not a single person has blamed Hugh for Tina’s actions. Most of them thought what Tina did to herself was stupid.

This action by Tina has spoilt the whole of our stay here especially for Hugh. If it was hard before it will be harder now being here. Hugh will have to face the student population in the English department and never really know their true feelings about this matter. A big percentage of the Class 1 students knows that Hugh is an excellent teacher basically the best they have but because of Tina’s actions we are seriously considering bailing out now, pay the price and just go back. Hugh cannot teach if there is any form or show of animosity and anger from even a small number of students. This weekend we will have to decide on our future here.

This afternoon Monica, Star and Ann came. Susan, Alice and Helen joined them. All of them were from Class 2 except Monica. They could not come right out and say it, but I figured the girls were here to show Hugh that they were behind him in this affair. A show of support.

Monica told Hugh that Tina was up and about. She went home with her parents after she was discharged from the hospital.

After making inquires of his own Mr. Xu had this to tell us. Firstly this is not the first time Tina has attempted to do away with herself. In Grade 1 she did the same thing. Since then most of the teachers have left her alone. As long as she passes her exams the teachers never bother her. She is an unhappy person and has no close friends. According to Mr. Xu she is a silly girl and she did not try to kill herself that day.

4-17-99

@2:25p.m.

It has been three days since the incident involving Tina. Hugh is still very much upset by the chain of events that has happened before and after that. There has been totally no communication with the English department over it. He is still sore with Mrs. Li over the way she broke the news. So this morning Hugh wrote a letter to the department with his recommendation, thoughts and feelings over Tina’s actions and the consequences. I feel the letter is too direct and might convey a different feeling than what Hugh had intended. I wonder how the reader will take the contents of this letter. I hope it does not blow into a major issue. I hate confrontations. Hugh is still not sure he wants to remain here after what happened, though yesterday, he asked me again to reconsider staying here for the summer. I still say no.

Hugh’s feelings about remaining here is like the tide. It comes and goes. One day he feels certain he can make changes to the system and the next he hates it here. I am certain that he is only considering staying here because of the library and also he wants to help some of his students earn some extra money. I am not wrong in these conclusions.

On the evening of 4-15-99, Lucy, Mahala and I went to buy some cakes behind the girls’ dorm. After getting the cakes we walked back the same way. Approaching the gate leading into the campus we saw a young person of maybe about 11 or 12 years old leaning against the wall. This individual had on a pair of running pants and was barefoot, and was just standing there grinning with all the teeth showing. To me she looked like a girl but Mahala was sure it was a young boy. Whatever, this person looked schizophrenic.

Coming back to this morning. A little boy about 5 years old was picking up snails in the garden. He would then use a brick to crush the shell. After that the snails went into a bottle of water. The bottle would be shaken. He explained that this is the way snails drink.

The centipedes are back. Hugh killed 2, one in the bathtub and another on the floor. Last Thursday I killed one that was lying under by bag on the bedroom table. At first I though it was one of Mahala’s plastic centipede toy. I whacked it with my shoe. Hugh had also killed one in the bathroom in the spare room.

This evening Lucy came to visit. Her sister who is visiting came along too. We understand that the sister came here looking for a job. Lucy’s sister was supposed to get married right after the Spring Festival. That did not work out. The boyfriend never showed up for the ceremony that day. He has another girl on the side and did not want to marry Lucy’s sister. After that because of loss of face the sister got very unhappy. She decided to leave her hometown and come to Xinyang to look for a job with out much success. She has been here for about a week now. She sleeps in Lucy’s dorm. Last evening their mother called. The parents need her home because they need to decide on the fate of their shop. Lucy’s sister runs the shop and is in charge of the inventory. She is the one who calls the shots.

Lucy bought a bag of fried snails that she wanted us to try. The snails are about the size of a nickel and are harvested from the Sher Her River. That river is contaminated because all the effluents flow into it.

4-18-99

@9:46a.m.

On the way out to buy breakfast this morning I ran into Jenny. We said hello.

I saw 2 busloads of old; young, men, women and children disembark in front of the school gate. They walked through the gate and right now most of them are assembled in the field. Later in the morning I heard music being played. It is a promotion for some form of exercise. The people are out in the field practicing the moves.

We had a group of students that came in the afternoon to help wrap more books for the library. I had to mop the floor after they left because of the pungent smell that stayed around. The smell came from the students’ feet.

4-19-99

@7:43p.m.

This afternoon Mr. Xu came by with 3 pieces of mail for us. All of them came from Grandma.

Obviously the 2 letters have been tampered with. The package was clean.

Hugh gave a letter to the English department stating his views and opinions regarding the future of Tina’s performance in his class. In the letter he stated that Tina should be moved to Class 2 where there is support from a friend namely Ginger. He also wants another individual moved to the other class too. Her name is Shadow. This incident over Tina has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Hugh also hinted that if these requests are not met than he is inclined to just leave.

Then he was further aggravated today by the events surrounding the library. Mr. Xu had made an appointment to come by this afternoon. They were going to talk with the President of the School regarding the future of the library. Mr. Xu did not show up. That made him real uptight. Could not settle down, then he began to cuss and swear. He only settled down when Mr. Xu came by this evening.

Because he was so uptight Hugh decided to replace a bulb outside the rooms. That light has never worked at all and we do not even know where the switch to the lamp is located. He climbed the wall to get to the lamp and screwed in a new light bulb. He then jumped down from the wall. While doing that he scraped himself and started a round of cussing again. He then glared at me as if everything that happened was my fault. He does this every time especially when the situation does not work out his way. He strikes out and most of the time the target is me. I hate it when he does that. It is demeaning and embarrassing to me especially when we have company. He tries to make a joke out of it but I have been married to him too long to know that he was serious in his actions.

At this time he is in the kitchen with a group of Grade 1 students. The group is interested in doing plays and Hugh might have some ideas on how to go about getting the group started.

When he came in after the meeting I noticed that the scratch he sustained while climbing down the wall was all red and raw. The area was also bruised.

4-20-99

@10:59a.m.

It is overcast this morning.

Today might be the day that Hugh finally gets to meet the President of the college about getting a room for the students’ library. If it happens that will make him happy.

Around noon Tina came by with a friend. Hugh and I were outside in the garden having coffee. I could tell she was uncomfortable and nervous about meeting Hugh. Hugh asked her to have a seat. This is the first time they are meeting since the incident. I did not want to be there so I walked into the living room. I did hear Tina apologize to Hugh for her behavior. Hugh then began to explain to her the reasons why he wants her to do her work. Then Linda from Class 1 came to join them.

All of these happened while I was entertaining Louisa and May. Both girls had gone to Loyang for the International Peony Festival. Loyang is famous for its beautiful peonies. If I am correct it is China’s national flower. Louisa had bought us a wall painting of the flower and also some picture postcards. They left after ½ an hour. Both of them had to attend the library meeting.

After the girls left, Elton came. So I asked him to wait for Hugh. He was still with Tina. Then Lucy walked in. She had just finished her class with Mahala. So all of us talked while Hugh sat outside with Tina. From inside the living room I saw Ginger walk up to the group outside. After about 15 more minutes the group left. Hugh then walked into the living room.

During his talk with Tina, Hugh found out that Tina did not want to move to Class 2. Hugh was insistent that she does this in order to be able to help her more. Tina finally agreed. She also promised Hugh that she would do all work assigned to her and not skip classes anymore. So immediately after talking with Hugh, Ginger with Charlie’s help will move Tina’s desk down to Class 2. The other girl, Shadow, refuses to move at all.

In the evening Mr. Xu came by. He had some news for Hugh. He could not find time to arrange the meeting with the President. He was busy this afternoon arranging his trip to Zhengzhou. He will be away till at least the weekend. He stayed and shared 4 bottles of beer with Hugh.

After he left we walked to Class 2 to see the new seating arrangements. Elton and Lucy were there. Lucy was busy preparing for her Chinese oral examination, which is next week. All college students have to pass this exam before they can teach. It is the standard Chinese for the whole of China. Because Lucy is from this area she is afraid that she will fail her oral Chinese. She has a strong accent. Mark who is also from this area failed his Chinese last semester. So he is sitting for it again this semester. Stella is helping him. Lucy has no one to help her. So Hugh told Elton to tutor Lucy. Hugh has offered them the use of the spare room so that Elton can help Lucy study. They will start studying "Pu Tong Hua" tomorrow.

4-21-99

@9:35a.m.

This morning Hugh will have to deal with Shadow. He is not sure if Shadow have moved her desk yet. The department has given the approval for Hugh to move her.

After Hugh left, Mahala and I walked out to get breakfast. We walked by a group of men sitting by the field wall. We passed them and that was when I heard Hello. I stopped, turned around and asked, "Yes, what can I do for you?" All the men were taken aback and the speaker of the word had a silly grin on his face. He looked away when I stopped to stare at them. I thought to myself "what an idiot."

When he came back after classes Hugh told me that when he arrived in Class I, Mrs. Li was in the midst of moving Shadow and her desk to Class 2. "Now she will hate me forever," said Hugh.

Lucy came over to our place to eat lunch. She bought some "man toa" and salted duck eggs. She shared the food with us.

4-22-99

@1:30p.m.

We walked with Hugh to Class 2 this morning. This is the first day for Tina and Shadow in that class. I was observing both the girls. Shadow didn’t seem too happy but she brightened up during the 2^nd period. Tina looked her usual sad self.

Roy gave Hugh a Chinese stamp. He had carved the stamp himself. A man of many hidden talents, that’s Roy.

I met Mr. Xu this morning. He looked very busy. He was going to Zhengzhou at 10:00a.m.

This afternoon after class, Hugh told me that Roy was going to sit in for an English exam for another person. I do not know who gave Hugh this information.

After lunch we decided to walk to Class 2. We met Elton along the way. We then decided to just come back to the hotel and Elton came with us. I asked him about what Roy’s so called English exam. Elton told us that a teacher had requested Roy to do it. He then told us that last Saturday all of his dorm mates including him except for Hill sat in on an exam for civil servants. A teacher had told them to do it. We asked him if the teacher and the students were being paid for this service. Elton said no; the students did it as a favor to the teacher.

This particular exam is targeted at the civil servants. The government is pursuing a policy of making sure that some workers know some rudimentary English in the course of their jobs. So the workers fearing that they might fail have students sitting in for the exams. According to Elton this is not an important exam. It is the Chinese culture. He sees nothing wrong in doing this. It is not like cheating more like a favor to a friend in this case the teacher. It is merely giving face to the teacher. Hugh told him "cheating is still cheating" no matter how you rationalize it.

Then Lucy showed up. Hugh asked her point blank if she has ever sat in an exam for another person or has any teacher asked her to do it. She replied "Never." She disagreed with Elton on one point. In her opinion there is usually some form of monetary compensation involved if a teacher asks a student to do it. The teacher is the one who usually benefits from this sort of cheating. The teacher gets cash or "return favor" rewards. No one is going to do something for nothing.

Both Lucy and Elton agreed that "it" is ethically wrong, they know it "it" is wrong but the pressure on the students is so strong that they have no choice but to do "it". The students are afraid of the outcome if they refuse to the favor requested especially from their teacher or a high ranking official. As Elton puts it, the teachers can make it difficult for the students, maybe fail them or just make life intolerable. Cheating is rife here in this college. Nearly all the students have at one point or another done "it". Hugh is disappointed with this.

Hugh feels it is corruption and the students are being given the message that it is normal trend. He realizes now that even getting the room for the library will be difficult. Mr. Zhao now has a hand in this matter. We have also being informed that the summer program has been scraped because a certain individual feels that there will be no money to be made out of it. In our conversations with Mr. Xu, he has in fact told us that he is glad that we will be leaving at the end of this semester. In fact it will be better that we leave.

Tonight Hugh told me that he is going to change US$100 to yuan. He needs the cash to photostat some papers. He wants to conduct some research before we leave. I guess if he must then he will. There is an American movie playing tonight. It is Indiana Jones and the temple of Doom.

4-23-99

@10:40a.m.

It is raining this morning. Mahala is playing with some friends under the eaves. They are playing "pee jer" a Chinese rope game. Mahala has grown quite good at it. As for me, I feel relieved that in 2 months time we are leaving this place.

4-24-99

@9:46a.m.

It rained for almost the whole day yesterday. It was a steady and strong rain. This morning when we woke up it was still raining.

So this morning the damp brought out the termites in droves. They were everywhere, especially in the bathroom. It was most annoying. We sprayed down the whole bathroom not once but three times. We also found a centipede in the bathroom. We made short work with that one.

This evening we walked out to buy some pastries. On the way back Mahala fell down. She had slipped on the mud.

Lucy and Elton came by around 5:00p.m. They needed to use the spare room to start on the "Pu Tong Hua" exercises. Lucy is taking the test tomorrow at 4:00p.m. Then when we thought we were settled for the evening along comes Louisa, May and their respective escorts George and Jason. I was not expecting them at all. Hugh had totally forgot that they were coming. They bought some strawberries and bananas to share with us. Mark was here at that time too. Then Lucy from Class 1 came. She did not stay. All she wanted was a piece of paper and a pen. Then she left. Mark left at 8:00p.m. The rest stayed till 9:00p.m.

Lucy finished with her lessons and she came over. From the light shinning through the door Hugh spied a centipede crawling along the side of the wall. He caught it. It was a big one. Lucy wanted the centipede. She was going to give it to a Chinese doctor for medicinal purposes. So we found a bottle for the centipede. A little later we caught another one outside the same door. We gave this one to Lucy too. The "doctor" steeps the centipede while it is still alive in a bottle of wine. The centipede literally drowns to death. The Chinese believe that by rubbing this wine over the area bitten by a centipede helps heal the bite and neutralizes the venom. It reminds me that we killed one centipede and also discovered the loss of our old plastic dustpan. So in the course of about 24 hours we have managed to kill 2 centipedes and capture 2.

For some reason I had to go to the kitchen. It was dark. I could make out something long and fat on the floor outside the kitchen. I poked it with the handle of the broom. It started to wriggle fast. I squealed and shouted for Hugh to come. He came rushing out and I pointed to the thing on the floor. It’s a snake I cried. Hugh picked it up with a pair of tongs and laughed, it’s just a big, fat worm. Mahala wanted to keep it. So Hugh had to go out in the rain to dig up some soil. We left the snake in the soil in the bottle. I have never seen such a fat worm in my life. It looked like a little snake.

After all the fuss had died down Hugh conducted an MPD test on Lucy.

4-25-99

@8:55a.m.

Our days here are beginning to get shorter.

Being a Sunday we had students here wrapping and cataloging more books. Some were making posters.

In the afternoon Lucy helped Hugh with recording pieces of music from different parts of the world.

For dinner we ate the chicken that Wendy had bought for us. We shared it with Lucy. Elton came in the evening to return the bicycle he had borrowed from Lucy. He had gone downtown to shop for some clothes and a pair of shoes. He finished the rest of the chicken.

4-26-99

@8:20a.m.

This is the last week of the month. Hugh has no classes on Thursday and Friday. The school is holding its annual sports meet. All the students have to attend. The teachers or class monitors will be taking attendance.

Mark came by today. It was mid-morning. He had just come back after spending part of the morning downtown. He had a confession to make. He had gone downtown for a purpose. He was sitting in for an exam for a friend. Mark told us that he felt terrible and guilty about doing that. This friend had asked him several times before to sit in on this exam but Mark had always refused. I guess persistence finally wore Mark down. Mark finally agreed but only after telling the friend that this will be the first and last time. So this morning Mark sat for a Business English exam for this friend. Afterwards the friend wanted to take Mark out for a bite to eat but Mark refused to go. Mark saw a lot of other students doing the same thing while he was in the hall. These people were all waiting outside the hall waiting for the students to come out. Maybe the students are being paid for sitting in the exams. Mark refused money because then it would be doubly wrong, cheating for someone else is bad enough but to receive payment would be bribery.

Hugh of course is all upset over what has happened especially sine it involves most of his students. He has taken it very personally. In this kind of exam oriented system if you can afford it you can always pay to have another person sit in on any exam for you.

Lucy came by again to record more music. I hope Hugh tells her to take a break soon.

Last Saturday we had a visitor by the name of Coco Cheng Ker. She hails from Xinyang and she is studying English in Beijing. She lives by Nan Wan Lake. She is back in town because it is vacation time for them. She had written a letter explaining who she is and what she is all about. Basically all she wants is to be able to practice her oral English during the vacation. Hugh told her that she is welcome to sit in his classes and he will introduce her to the other students who might be able to converse with her in English. Hugh then proceeded to give her a schedule of his classes. She told Hugh that she will try to make it to his class. She needs to work on her oral skills. Coco is very fashionable. She has dyed her hair, has flawless make-up, and the latest in apparel wear. She had on leather pants and jacket. I bet Coco’s parents must be rich to be able to afford to send her to Beijing. I wonder how the other students will take to her especially the girls. I am sure the boys will be bowled over. We shall find out tomorrow if Coco turns up. Hugh doubts it very much.

We received a magazine from the American Embassy. The magazine is called Vanity Fair. Mr. Zhao delivered it. Mark also came by this afternoon with an individual who is a member of the "Crazy English" club. Did their feet stink or what? The smell stayed in the room for about an hour after they left.

Elton bought us some cooked food for dinner. I made up the rice. Monica showed up and so we had to ask her to eat with us.

It is now 8:35p.m. Mr. Zhao, his wife and son left 10 minutes ago. They gave us a big bag of "chiao tze" that Mrs. Zhao had cooked up. There was also a packet of sausages. The library came into the conversation and the prospect of getting a room for it. Mr. Zhao told Hugh that a room might not be available and that Hugh might want to talk to the President himself.

4-27-99

@10:06a.m.

It is raining again today. It has been 4 days of constant rain. It sure gets depressing as heck. All my clothes are damp and this morning I had to wash up more clothes. I just do not know how it will all dry. I have the heaters on in both rooms. That helps dry the clothes a little. I have to hang the clothes directly over the heater.

Hugh informed me that he intends to change US100 into Chinese yuan. He will get about 800yuan at the current exchange rate. He intends to use 300yuan for his research, 200yuan for the library (May is going to Wuhan so he wants her to buy more books) and 100yuan to Elton (he is going home and he is getting Hugh some Crazy English tapes). That will leave us with about 200yuan.

I told Hugh this morning that all our money goes to the library and when will all this spending stop. He says, until the day we leave. I got angry with him then. He may deny it but any spare cash that we have goes into the library. I resent that. I sometimes wish that the library would fail. Hugh acts like Mr. Bountiful all the time. He is too generous to his students, catering to their every need. The way I see it, our family’s needs come first. Since being here I have not spent any money on myself. I have sacrificed a lot especially in monetary terms during the last 2 months. It all goes to the library. It really gets me when we have no money at the end of the month because all of it has gone to the library. So from now on I will spend our money on our needs first. If we have any extra then it can go to the library. It is only right.

This month to appease me, he gave me 100yuan. I bet my bottom dollar that I will have to use that money at the end of this month because we are sure to run low again. That money is our emergency stash. Every time I protest about his spending money on the library he tells me that "in US dollars what he spends on the books and library is minimum." It only comes to US$10. That is not true. He spends more than that and he knows it. Am I right or wrong in bitching about this state of affairs? I wish he could be that generous towards his family especially his wife. This has got to come to an end. He needs to let the library go and let the students handle their own financial situation. I feel he has done more than his share in setting up this library. Why can’t someone else do it for a change? He knows I am angry at his spending our money. I would not mind if he spend some money on the library but do so every week is too much. I hope he sees it soon and stop doing it.

I want him to put his family first. But for the last 2 months all I see is the library taking over. Financially the library has taken a lot from us. It is up to Hugh to want to change towards the library. He created the library but he has to let go sometime soon because I absolutely refuse to have the library take what is rightfully our. Our needs are greater than the library. End of discussion.

It is now 11:26a.m. I just had breakfast and lunch at the same time, just packet noodles. I am still thinking of the talk I had with Hugh about my feelings regarding the library. I know I am not wrong. Hugh refuses to acknowledge that he might be in the wrong. Since being here we have decided that we will not exchange any US dollars. We want to take it back with us. Now all of a sudden since the library started Hugh has decided he needs to change some money. Guess where most of it is going? It will not be spent on either Mahala or me, as Hugh is fond of saying. At first he just wanted to use the money to Photostat papers for his research. That was fine by me. Now he wants to use part of that money on the library. All I need to know is when will it all stop. Will Hugh find out that he needs to buy more things for the library and he needs to change more US dollars? So, when will this stop? I am tired of spending our money on others.

Maybe Hugh feels since he is the only one working and bringing in the income he can use the money in whichever way he pleases. I cannot object because I am not contributing any money to the family. That was what was implied during our conversation this morning. That remark was meant to hurt and it did. I know that I am not working, that is way I never buy anything for myself. I feel that I should be very frugal not to overspent on anything frivolous. So it hurts me that my efforts at trying to save, so that we are never short at the end of the month is just being tossed aside. I know that the 100yuan he gave me this month was so that I would not bitch when he spends money on the library. I am not that naïve to think that he just wanted me to buy myself something with that 100yuan. This is the first time in 8 months that he has given me money. Hugh has never done it before. I get 100yuan and the library gets 300yuan.

Since the 15^th of this month, I calculated that Hugh has spent a total of at least 300yuan on the library. He tells me I am wrong. The final score is Rosie gets 100yuan and the library 300yuan. This is pretty embarrassing. The wife comes in a poor second to the library. I get the bones, crumbs and the left overs. The meat and main course goes to the library. I feel worthless. I will have to put my foot down on this issue. I can be just as opinionated and stubborn as Hugh can. He simply must come to a compromise with me on this issue of the library and how much we spend on it. I have never insisted that he not help the library. All I ask is that he needs to have a limit on how much he can afford to spend on the library each month. He cannot simply give it all to the library and make us go without. I did not come here to do that; I can do it just as well in the US.

My anger over this is eating me up inside. I cannot control my anger because Hugh refuses to even listen to me. All he cares about is the existence of the library. He refuses to compromise and I refuse to believe that he does not spend that much on the library. He does and he will keep on doing it regardless of my feelings on it. I need to stop. I have a nosebleed.

This afternoon we went downtown with Elton and Lucy. We decided to take a taxi. We had Elton and Lucy tell the taxi driver where we wanted to go and to which bank. He taxi driver took the correct route for the first couple of miles then instead of making a right he kept going straight. I knew then that we were going in the wrong direction. The driver dropped us close to the railway station. By then we were totally lost. Since Lucy and Elton were not locals they were as confused as we were. Lucy asked for directions and we must have walked a mile before we came to the spot where the bank was located. Hugh managed to do his cash transaction.

On the way back we stopped at the central market called the "Double 8 Market" and is right across from the "Sher Her River". We bought 3 roasted chickens, vegetables and eggs. Lucy bought a pair of scandals for Mahala and Elton bought some local pastries to share with us. When we got back to the school I made up some rice, stir fried the vegetables and boiled up some "chiao tze" for dinner. Elton and Lucy stayed for dinner.

After the students left Hugh gave another 100yuan. He told me it was mine to do as I please. That’s good.

He also told me that next Monday and Tuesday is a holiday. It is May Day or Workers Day. Because the mid-term exams is just round the corner, in fact after the holidays, Hugh will have to go tomorrow evening to Class 2 to review their text for the test. The review for Class 1 will be held tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) at 2:30p.m.

4-28-99

@9:13a.m.

We are going to the morning market when Hugh comes back at 10:00a.m. I need to buy more meat and vegetables.

Hugh is still upset with the English department because of the way they sprung the mid-term exam on him. He was not expecting it because this semester is a short one. There really is no need to give the students the exam. He also needs at least 2 hours each with both classes to finish reviewing the text.

Mr. Xu informed Hugh that the library would be getting a room after all. I do not know whether I should be glad or sad. The reasons are pretty obvious. Sad because it will mean Hugh will be spending more money on the library and glad that the library will not need to be a squatter in Class 1 anymore. That will make Hugh happier and if Hugh is happy the family will not suffer his moods.

4-29-99

@9:20a.m.

Today is a big day for the school. It is holding its Annual Athletic Meet. The organizers of the meet have spent the whole month preparing for today. The athletes have spent numerous afternoons training for their individual events in the track and field. Yesterday they had their first dress rehearsal.

This morning as early as 7:00a.m. we could hear activity going on in the field and around it. There was an air of excitement in the whole school. We decided to walk out to have a look. We sat with the students from the English department.

First came the parade of all the athletes representing their departments. Roy and another student from Grade 1 carried the English department banner. Both of them are the tallest men in the department. After that the female teachers in their white "samfoo". Each of them was carrying different colored umbrellas and a pink handkerchief. There was a band made up of the elementary school students. They looked cute in their uniforms and red rouge on their cheeks. All of the participants walked around the field once and then took up their respective places on the field. Then came the colorful flag bearers. They positioned themselves around the field. They made a colorful sight. Of course there was the usual speeches. After that came the entertainment. The female teachers all did a traditional Chinese dance. It is called the "Yang Ger". Usually women perform it only. Then a group of female students did a modern dance. The girls were dressed all in black. There were six of them. We knew some of the girls. They were May, Shadow and Shirley. Each of them had a strange hairdo. Their hair was tied in clumps on their head. Then there was another dance performed by possibly the Grade 1 girls. The girls were dressed in white tops and black pants and each of them carried and waved a semi circle loop, wrapped in red and yellow tinsel. They used these as part of the dance routine. Balloons were released and then the meet began.

We sat there chatting with Hugh’s students. We saw food vendors everywhere selling anything from cooked food to bottled water. There were cakes, fried pieces of chicken and duck, pig legs, boiled eggs(chicken and duck), pig ears, packet juices and ice cream. Business was brisk. Around the field we could see bottles of the local beer called "Ji Gong Sheng". Students were drinking them and just tossing the empty bottles willy nilly everywhere.

Some of the students were telling us that they had to attend the meet. It is compulsory. Their attendance is checked. All the students will have to write a 3-page paper about what they saw and heard today. We used up a roll of film. We cut short our stay because Mahala decided to have a temper tantrum. Hugh spanked her there and then. She started to cry and we decided to just walk back. Most of the students felt that Hugh was too harsh on her. I did not. She was really acting up.

We have had no lights in the bathroom for the last 3 days. Mr. Xu told us that an electrician would come by to fix the problem.

Linda and Lucy came by early in the evening. I gave them their paychecks. They stayed for dinner. Then Elton showed up. He had bought us 2 containers of cold noodles. It was tasty but spicy. I could only eat some because we had just eaten.

Later this evening, Hugh called a meeting with the committee members of the library. Hugh told the members that the Foreign Affairs Office has promised to help the library all the way if the committee members can prove themselves in their efforts to keep the library active.

4-30-99

@8:27a.m.

It is Friday and the 2^nd day of the sports meet. It is sunny and clear outside. Hugh and Mahala are still sleeping. I am having quiet time by myself.

This afternoon I bought myself 2 ears of corn from the vendors outside the field. Mahala ate one and I had the other. It tasted starchy. By afternoon the sports meet ended. What a relief! No more loud music and announcements that is several decibels higher than it should be.

Tomorrow the weekend begins again. Then the May holidays. Classes will resume on Wednesday.

Elton came by this afternoon. He has gained permission from his teacher to leave this afternoon for home. He is ecstatic because he was not sure whether he would be able to do it. He came by to tell Hugh that he would be back on Monday or Tuesday. We wished him a safe trip. Then May came by in the evening. She is going to Wuhan with her boyfriend Jason. They will be staying with his friends. I saw Hugh pass her 200yuan for purchase of books. Hugh has promised Elton 100yuan if he can get those tapes for the library.

While taking a shower this evening I finally figured out the mysterious disappearance of the tin cup that held our toothbrushes. Yesterday evening I remembered seeing one of Mahala’s playmates holding a tin cup with a crawfish in it. I asked Mahala and she finally admitted giving the cup to the little girl. She was afraid we would get angry with her if we found out that she was the one who had taken the cup.

Mr. Zhao came this evening. He had an envelope from Grandma. Its contents were a book, a math workbook, a lead bag for our rolls of undeveloped films and some newspaper clippings.

We have another 2 months to go here.

Tonight Hugh said the skin on my legs is dry and scaly just like a lizard. I do feel old and tired here. It is affecting my skin. All of us have aged by at least a few years. This place has had a devastating effect on our mental and physical well being. We look and feel old than we should. I will never look kindly back on this place. It has made us so unhappy.