We skyped "My Wind" in the morning. And started going strong all day. Breakfast buffet, van ride the one block to the college, tour of the college, lunch, signing exchange agreement, back to hotel. Short break to freshen up then dinner at one of the most elite restaurants in Quzhou, out on an island. Many more people to meet and lots of toasting. We tried a local lotus wine, it was a sharp alcohol, more like a strong liquor. It felt like nails going down (after the fourth evening it got a little more palatable-Brad did a pretty good job challenging himself the following evening). Again, I had to watch my foolish mouth which landed me an invitation to have a cigarette with the Director of the Foreign Affairs Office. Needless to say I turned him down.
Brad with "White Lightening" AKA Lotus Wine on our Second Night
Then an evening performance at the Confucius Temple: plays, dancers, singing, poetry, music. It was beautiful but I was exhausted (and did begin to nod off a little during the plays that were only in Chinese).
The highlight of the day was visiting the college. First, each small group had his/her own translator and that was really helpful. We visited the Fine Arts building, the Nursing building, and the "Engineering" building. The engineering was mostly engine repair, CNC, Solar panel work, tool and die, etc. The grounds were beautiful in many ways. The buildings surrounded a central courtyard that students used for clubs and activities like in-line skating and tai-chi. We saw many students in class or getting ready for class. The class sizes were large; the campus included over 4000 students. Some students even put on a performance for us. That was amazing. They did calligraphy, "silk" flower making, painting, and sang a song that included some dancing. The students and on-campus faculty hung their clothes off the balcony and their blankets outside in the sun anywhere they could find room to lay them out, since it was a good day to air them. I did this when weather allowed it when My Wind was in diapers, as the UV light kills many microorganisms and helps with stains. It was fun to see these little differences and on one hand appreciate the convenience of our dryers and on the other hand be reminded that there are more simple and environmentally friendly ways of doing simple things. The buildings themselves, even though they were only ten years old, looked much older and did not have any heating or air conditioning. I was shocked. Thin walls, thin doors, it must be a challenge for the students. We spent some time with students making gyoza (dumplings) and then the college served us one of my most delicious meals. It was lazy Susan style and the food just kept coming, as it did at every meal we enjoyed. But it was so delicious.
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