The students are three children from the neighbourhood. We were asked by Wendy, our supervisor in
the foreign teachers office. Since she has been so attentive, we thought that it was impossible to
decline. That is Chinese guanxi in action.
The two boys, Hao and Bill, are eight years old and Luna is ten. To be honest, the little boys are very
unruly, but I wouldn't want to generalize. We are becoming attached to them and they are starting
to conform to our expectations, somewhat. They are fun, competitive and anxious to please, and are
excellent with their hands. Don's paper airplane was a clunker compared to their fancy creations. When
we had a button-sewing lesson, to keep their hands busy, Luna sewed on her button with the fanciest
design I have ever seen. The field trip outside lasted about five minutes, because how do you tell
children who don't speak English to stop running away? I do the lesson planning, but Don has promised
that he will be there. Last semester Paul refused to help Ann, and Don understands.
It is interesting to observe the various personalities. I have noticed that without good language communication,
you notice different things in people's natures. Hao is very dominant and a social "alpha male." Bill has been
described as backward and slow by Ann, last semester's English teacher. We couldn't disagree more. He
is a slow English speaker and is very shy, but his creativity and focused intent make us think that he is
the brightest of the three. Probably a late bloomer when it comes to socializing. Luna is a typical, nice
little girl. Once in exasperation I blurted out, "Are only little girls taught manners in China?" Then again,
by the time these "little emperors" are young adults and in the university classes, their manners are superb.
Below is a photo of Hao (on the left), Luna and Bill. Don't even ask what Don and I look like, and I am used to
teaching Primary children, who are often naughty.
Another picture is of a busker playing a guitar and singing while standing on his head. There are many
buskers in Guangzhou and they make the city fun and colourful. For those few who have visited, this was taken
by the Pizza Hut. Wait! Maybe that is Don after our last Monday night class.
And finally, Don wanted me to take a picture of the wonderful bruschetta that he ordered last week in a
new-found Italian restaurant. When Westerners get together, much of the conversation turns to
food, good and bad.
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