I just returned from the market where I purchased two pounds of rice and two pounds of peanuts (I've become a real peanut junkee here) for just a little over $3.00. Walking back I got to thinking that there are some things I don't write about. Sometimes I am overcome by sadness when I am out traveling the streets of Tianjin; sadness for the suffering of the Chinese people in the past and now. I see a hard life for these people, especially the old people, they have lived through a lot, now they are living through a lot of change and we know that change is hard on us old folks. Other times I am filled with happiness as I walk the streets of Tianjin. I am glad to be here, I see hope on the faces of the people in the streets, I am filled with hope for the world that 1/4 of its people live here and have so much to offer. I see how hard they are trying, how much they want to succeed and I want them to succeed, too. I want them to have the sweet taste of success, I want them to feel appreciated. I told my class today that they are priceless and I wonder if anyone has ever told them that before. With so many people, I fear that China does not value its most valuable resource enough. I wonder if the lowliest people value each other, all the way up to the top. I see the Chinese people being such great mimics. Sometimes I am amazed at English corner that there will be one person who is repeating almost everything I say, word for word. The first time this happened it kind of freaked me out and made me self-conscious. Now I see it as one way to learn a language, copy someone who speaks it well. Students learn by rote in many of their classes. They memorize extremely well. Why not learn a language by simply memorizing the sounds and figuring that they'll learn to put them together later. I can't memorize like that. I need meaning. But Chinese students seem to be able to memorize almost anything. I am continually amazed at their ability to learn large chunks of material pretty quickly. So now when someone repeats what I'm saying at English corner, I slow down a little and try to become a little more conscious of what I'm saying and just go on.

I'm beginning to think I'd better get a picture of my students, the people who work in our dorm and the people who work in the market so that I have something concrete to show when we get home. I'll try to have pictures like that when we come back, pictures I haven't posted on these pages before.