The first is a picture of Alisa and Maria at our pearl shop in the wholesale pearl market. As usual, the shops are like
little cubby holes and there are literally thousands of them in this building. This shop was recommended as being
honest and we have found that they are very helpful even though most of the orders are wholesale orders. We have learned a lot
about different grades of pearls. The mother is always there stringing pearls and her son, who speaks very good English, is the main
salesman. Whenever we take the metro to this area, I feel like we are in Old Canton. The streets are narrow and the trees, which Don
thinks are a kind of ash, form a canopy over the streets. It feels like we are walking into an area and a business that has
been in Canton (Guangzhou) for hundreds of years, right in this district. If I were to write a novel about China, it would be centred
in these streets around the Pearl Market.
The second picture comes from another wholesale area called the Fashion District. They are iPhone covers. It may surprise you to
know that China has a lot of bling. It may be the bling capital of the world. Everything is cute and fancy.
The last photo shows the workers in the Foreign Office. They take care of us and are so kind and efficient. We haven't had any of the problems
that some of the teachers at other universities have experienced. They are perfect. Left to right, Susan, David, Maria, Don, Alisa, Kathy, Maggie and Wendy.
David is technically in another office but comes to all the dinners. He is interesting and has just returned from spending a few years in the Chinese
Embassy in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The three "girls" in the office gave a lovely gift each to Alisa and Maria. The office was closed
for the spring festival when Lily and Debby came to visit.
By the way, some of the problems experienced at the other universities are no schedule for times or finals, walking into a class and not knowing what
you will be teaching, or never getting a definite answer.
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