New Friends
We have seen lots of new sites, eaten new foods, learned a few Chinese phrases, but the best part for me is the people we meet. There are 6-million residents in Hangzhou, but striking up a conversation is not possible if you cannot speak Chinese or they English. The university assigned a young man to help us out, who will be starting this fall as an English language major. His name is Laurie. He and his friend Charles have gone with us to various site, eaten a few meals with us and taken the students out to enjoy the city from a college student’s point of view. From conversations with them I have decided that people have the same basic desires and goals.
We have also had a chance to meet the new Chinese language professor who will be at UE this fall. She and another professor took several of us out last Friday evening for dinner and a boat ride on West Lake. It is these relationships that we are building that make this experience so worthwhile. - Kathy