ZUNYI
is a city in Guizhou Province,
just south of our Province of Chongqing.
We went there specifically to visit Zhai Jin, an English teacher who spent a year at Battle Ground High School during 2005-2006.
(Jin lived in our home for the month of October, 2005.)
We took the train to Zunyi, a 6-hour ride through hilly, agricultural country-side. We saw plenty of farmsteads, water-drainage channels, terraced vegetable patches, and rice paddies. Very interesting.
The train itself was similar to America's AMTRAK, as far as speed and facilities. When we arrived at the station in Zunyi, the conductor gave us a V.I.P. escort off the train......good thing, as there were NO signs in English.
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| We had seen these same CONCRETE railroad ties when traveling across Tanzania, in Africa....."made in China." |
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| Zhai Jin taught us to play Mah Jong, with her friends and family! |
It was bitterly COLD in Zunyi. We had assumed that, since we were traveling south, it might be warmer, but the elevation gain caused us to be in a much colder part of China!!
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| Jin took us to visit her school: Zunyi Aerospace Middle School. |
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| This is the spot where Barbara Florence held English Corner conversations, when she and her husband came to Zunyi to teach English two years ago. |
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| More GREAT Kids |
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| Jin had come to visit us when we were in Beijing, too, but now it was especially fun to see her again in her own city. We went out to the countryside for a New Year's Eve PARTY ! |
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| Gardens of the countryside |
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| "Xin Nian Kuai Le" Happy New Year ! |
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| More new friends! |
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| As always, I had the opportunity to make my little speech about America-Chinese relations, and PEACE on the planet! |
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| There was a Karaoke machine, with accompanying music videos |
Click here to hear Paula "sing" a bit of Desperado, again.
Click here to hear and see Jin REALLY SING the theme song from "Titanic."
Jin dedicated her trademark song to "Paula and Chris." She has a beautiful singing voice, and used to sing the theme song from the movie "Titanic," at night, while out in the hot tub, at our home in Dole Valley. When she looked at us and belted out the part about "near, far, wherever you are......my heart will go on and on,"
I got really, really emotional.
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| Friendship is a glorious thing! |
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| One of the other English teachers |
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| All of the teachers in the school performed for the New Year's Show. This group was celebrating the Communist Revolutionary History for which their city is most famous. |
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| One of the few English-speakers at the party was this nice guy from Shanghai. |
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