It's beginning to look a lot like...

We had planned to spend a quiet Monday afternoon at home, but David received a message that we were supposed to go to a meeting with the Vice Dean of the Graduates.  Last Saturday, just before our Thanksgiving dinner, Lynn, one of the other teachers in the graduates department had been told that she was being moved to the new Campus at Qingdao for the Spring semester.  The university is moving six schools (law, chemistry, biology, management, micro computers and physics) to the new campus and they have promised the graduate students that they would have a foreign English teacher to teach them.  Lynn was not happy at all and refused to go.  It would be a very hard move for her.  In the four years she has been in China, she has learned little to no Chinese and would not have a system of support people to help her there, like she has built here in Jinan.  She threatened to quit if they did make her move.  Thus, the meeting in the Dean's office on Monday.

There were four of us English teachers and three deans or associate deans at the meeting.  They explained to us that they needed an English teacher to go to Qingdao.  Beside Lynn, there was Machelle, a woman from South Africa that is teaching on the Medical Campus and David and I.  Machelle's husband is a Medical student at SDU and she was hired to teach English.  When Lynn vehemently refused to go to Qingdao and cited that she was contracted to teach in Jinan only, they turned to Machelle.  She and her husband are still newlyweds and he can't go with her because he is going to school.  They said they would pay for her to go down there for four days a week and then come back on the weekends. Poor Machelle just looked at them and simply said, "If I can't be with my husband in China, then I may as well go home."  She said that four days a week away from her husband was not acceptable.

Qingdao is a coastal city that is a two and a half hour high-speed train ride from Jinan and then an hour bus ride to the campus.  The campus was build where a small, quiet fishing village used to be.  It is a huge campus from what we have been told.  They are still finishing the buildings.  They don't have foreign teacher housing like they do here in Jinan.  One of the teachers that was here for 15 years is there now teaching and the other one that has been here for 17 years will be moving there in January.  They are building a subway that will make the trip to Qingdao a lot shorter, but the housing is a problem.  The one teacher who is there now, was fortunate to find an apartment that was already furnished by a teacher who was going to move there, but now he has been sent somewhere else and can't use it.  The other teacher has found an apartment that will be furnished by the time she gets there.

After the deans realized that neither Lynn nor Machelle were going to budge, they looked at David and I.  They knew right off that separating us was not even an option, so they suggested sending both of us there.  They have about 240 graduate students that they are sending there which really only requires one teacher teaching 7 classes during the week.  David looked at them and questioned, "You would send two of us to teach?"  They backed off of that proposal very fast!  At one point, they wanted to go out of the room and leave us to try and come up with a solution, but Lynn asked what good that would do?  The meeting ended in kind of a stalemate.  No real solution.  They said they would get back to us with a decision, but no one has gotten back to us yet... but we really don't expect anyone to.

We did have lunch on Wednesday with some of the other Chinese English teachers and told them about the meeting on Monday.  Evidently, the decision has been made to just make one of the Chinese English teachers go there. They don't have a choice like the foreign teachers do.  If the university says to go, you go or lose your job.

Eva had bought a present for David and gave it to him on Wednesday.  It was a new hat and scarf.  She had bought us both scarves when we were here last time.  I brought mine with me, but David hadn't so she decided to buy him another one.  I think they look good!  She wants to go shopping with me sometime to help pick out something for me.

David's new hat and scarf from Eva.

Friday afternoon, one of the BYU teachers at SDNU needed a prescription refilled, and so we made an appointment with Dr. Tricia to see if she would  be willing to do that.  We were there about 10 minutes before our appointment time and when I first saw Dr. Tricia, she looked a little sad.  She brought us into her office and after learning what the other teacher wanted and also helping David get another shock-wave treatment for his ankle, we sat in her office and talked.  Dr. Tricia wanted to know more about the other teacher and her life.

After a little while, Dr. Tricia said she wanted to talk a little more about what we thought about death.  Last time, she had told us that her father had liver cancer and was taking treatments for it.  I asked how her father was doing and she broke down in tears.  When she finally had enough control to tell us, she said that he was in the hospital and probably only had two more days to live.  She had called his brothers from the cities they lived in to come and say farewell to him.  She felt that it was her fault because she felt she had delayed treatment for him.

About a year ago, Dr. Tricia had given her father a physical.  In that physical, the blood test had shown that he might have a possibility for liver cancer.  At that time, she thought it would be better to get him some health insurance in case something did happen.  While they were waiting to get the insurance, the cancer must have spread fast, because in less than a year, he is dying.  She had some of her crying under control by the time David got back to the office, but he could tell that something was wrong.  Dr. Tricia had to step out for one minute to talk to the young man who had helped David get the shock-wave treatment and I let him know what had happened.  Then she received a phone call and had to get back upstairs to her father.  We hugged her and she cried some more and then we had to leave while she hurried up to him.

Kayce, a BYU teacher, wanted to do something on Saturday, so we went to lunch at the Subway near her campus and then decided to take her to see the old market that is near Hongjialou campus of SDU.  We have enjoyed shopping there before. It is just one of those experiences that is SO Chinese!  When Kayce walked in, her mouth dropped open!  She couldn't believe how packed it was with vendors and STUFF!  We saw a booth that had Christmas items and David and I decided to get some Christmas decorations for the apartment.  In the apartment, there were only two 10 inch little trees and some other small things from previous years left here.  So, we bought a tree that is about 30 inches tall, some lights, and ornaments.  We paid the equivalent of about $10 dollars for all that we bought.  Then we wandered around for about an hour and just marveled at all the stuff.  We have been there before and I knew of some gifts that I wanted to buy there, so we bought those and then left.  Even having been there before, we still get a kick out of going there and looking.

Some of the Christmas decorations on David's desk.

Our little tree and the wall decor.  We need to go back and try to find another stocking.  There was only one here when we opened the box to get the other decorations out.

This Sunday was my turn to teach the lesson for Relief Society.  It was on acting with kindness, love, forgiveness and service as Christ would.  Try to remember to do those little acts of kindness and service that may not be seen by others, but when they are done, will brighten someone's day, lift a load of burden, show someone that they are loved.

To my family: I made a pumpkin roll for the dessert for our dinner today.  It was well received.  I'll make one when I get home for you!  Kisses and hugs!  ;)

Wish I could run a contest to see if anyone knows what these are...

Kayce made them to help decorate for Christmas!

The lobby of the Hanlin hotel, where we meet for Church.  They have the outside all decorated with a large tree and lots of lights.  You would think you were in the US when you see it at night.