Glad Twice in Hainan April 17, 2009 A few weekends ago, Venes’ birthday dinner leftovers beckoned from my refrigerator. I told her I’d add a couple of dishes and we decided to invite two co-teachers. Ella texted me Saturday morning that she had to help a friend move, so I called June, who brought Cherry. Shirley brought Amy. Venes arrived with ingredients for egg with tomatoes and her college friend who took over my tiny kitchen and dumped half a bottle my pricey olive oil into a scorching wok. They wandered about my apartment, chattering. At my tiny table, chopsticks and Chinese syllables flew until I inserted, “Do you mind translating so I can join the conversation?” (After all, I was hostess.) There fell a kind of guilty silence. Then No No said, “We’re discussing whether we believe in destiny. I now do. I used to think if you just work hard and do your best, you’ll succeed, but now I see it depends on your status in life.”
A lively English discussion of destiny, then what they do and don’t like about Golden Sun followed, better than English Corner conversations. Concensus was that the secretary/dance leader/sometimes in-charge girl who just got the only new desk in Helen’s office is the main reason none of them want to return. They all dream of making big money and meeting Mr. Wonderful in Beijing or Shanghai. They advised me to apply to teach at Wuzhishan’s Hainan University, telling me “The air is very clean. You will live longer there.” That’s how I got an invitation to visit Wuzhishan City, north of Sanya, with Amy, June, and Shirley.
The bus ride north was green and winding, with occasional splashes of red or magenta bouganvillia. The city was forgettable–nondescript, dirty and odorous along a river valley. They called their psychology professor, and we met for a two hour lunch where the girls ordered dish after dish. He asked what I’d charge to lecture 90 minutes and seemed to enjoy the girls’ attention.
His teenage son focused on the food and coconut milk drink. June matched her teacher “Gambei” by “Gambei”, downing small glasses of beer. A 20-minute walk took us up-mountain to tour the campus. Roof lines were elegant, classic Chinese above mildewed concrete walls. Shirley, energetic at school, rested several times, shaded by her umbrella.
A taxi took us to Pacific Park, where we climbed concrete steps along a “very clean” stream that seemed quite muddy to me. June, in front, squealed “Snake!” and all three girls beat it down mountain past me. I saw nothing, so I kept going up. 
Eventually, June and Shirley cautiously caught up, but Amy was nowhere to be seen. The reservoir at the top was dry, but the heavens threatened to open and fill it. They insisted Amy was coming, checking on cellphones, while thunder rolled. The minute she arrived, we started down. They said we should take a paved road, not the stairs.
Soaked to the skin, we caught two motorcyclists and paid 6 yuan for thrilling, open-air rides to our modest hotel. We shared an 80 yuan room ($15) with two beds.
No one was struck by lightning, nor did anyone get sniffles, two good possibilities. However, my bed partner, June, missed a few days of teaching because of “red eye” (pink eye?) the next week. The girls prepared as carefully as if their foray for street noodles was a fancy dress ball–sexy underwear, black designer jeans, frilly blouses, and dangling earrings.
I begged off with Shadowlands for company. They returned late, giggling and groaning about how much they’d eaten. TV blared. They announced they’d sleep until 9:00. Unable to stay in bed that long, I slipped out at 7:00 and walked along the river, still unable to see what allure Wuzhishan held for my three friends. The market was busy, like every other Chinese market in early morning.
Shopping was scheduled, along with much more eating, for Sunday. I caught a bus back to Sanya, “Glad twice,” as Dad used to say–”Glad I went, and glad I was going home.” Venes and I got a ginger massage (they actually put ginger on our backs, covered it with a towel, and lit a fire along our spines!) that was penetrating and interesting.
She confided in me, “You know when the teachers were talking at your house at lunch? They weren’t talking about destiny. They were talking about how much space you have and how much you make. I understand a little Chinese.” Discouraging as that was, I took heart when seven of them went to an outdoor English Corner near Sanya River and reported to Helen that “our English Corner, with topics to discuss, is much more interesting.”
They then agreed to go to the larger gathering once-a-month and to speak English, saying “If Virginia goes, I will follow her.” Back at Golden Sun International Class, the class dynamics went beyond interesting last week. Coco, disappointed that she didn’t get the Snow (White) Princess role in our Children’s Day play, cried long and hard when Jay, just chosen Prince, told the class he didn’t think Coco’d make a good queen either.
Shirley gave Jay a piece of her Chinese mind, and he boo-hooed for a half hour. A week later, I arrived to find the two of them sitting in Shirley’s and Ella’s laps, crying again. I figured Jay’d exercised his need to control (often the case) again. Helen translated that Coco’s elder sister had left for a mainland city, and she missed her. Jay’s parents “may be getting a divorce.” A good lesson for me to practice patience, compassion and wait for someone to translate!
Both children were quiet and worked well, once we got ten minutes into English lessons. My ups and downs look small as I hear of Thailand’s Prime Minister’s getting shot or listen to a Philippino business manager tell of the million dollars/day Hilton loses during the Boao Conference (only government officials allowed for three days’ luxury).
Helen says–almost daily–that regulations “seem unnecessary” (the latest one being the Minister of Education’s request that any small disturbance in the kindergartens be reported immediately during the conference), and I read e-mails from some of my most promising students who are still unemployed or working jobs they hate after graduation.
Along with China Daily’s economic news I don’t fully trust, it was fun to read of Bo, Senator Kennedy’s gift to the Obama girls. They got a Whitehouse dog. That’s one campaign promise that was kept!
