Autumn Tiger

 A week ago I landed in Wuhan. Not only do I feel settled, but I finally have a plan of action for at least the next month in school. My chopstick skills are improving daily and I’ve managed to cook a few meals in the apartment given to me by the school. It is one of the nicest places I’ve ever lived. In addition to having a sit down toilet, there is enough space here for a family, (note; if anyone wishes to visit, PLENTY of space and an extra bed here).

 Outside of going to work, the majority of my week has been filled with staring. Not like Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window, but more like a child at an amusement park. In a bustling city of 10 million, there’s a lot to see. There are lots of small open markets or kiosks selling cleaning supplies, fruits, and vegetables. You can also find niche small markets selling houseplants, guitars, or rubber stamps. The street food is highly entertaining. There are lotus nuts, oranges, chestnuts roasting in coals, beautiful slices of melon on a stick, street doughnuts, and other things that push me to learn at least the basics of the Chinese language. So far I’ve mastered, “Hello”, “Good Morning”, “Thank you”, “How are you doing?” “I am fine”, and “I am your father”. The last one I haven’t used publicly yet.

At the first weekend’s banquet there were 8 new faces from the school’s administration and Ted my translator. After a week of being in school I am starting to sense the personalities behind the faces. Everyone has been very kind and helpful so far. The first week’s task was to give the teachers a survey about their experience in Montessori training, observe in each classroom, and come up with a plan for the first month. From the survey it became clear that the Montessori training programs here are quick certification courses, (something like 5 days of training). Still, the classrooms are beautiful and the teachers are very well experienced in working with young children, (the youngest head teacher has 18 years of teaching experience and the most mature has 31 years of experience).

 Next week I hope to work each morning in one of the classrooms as we continue to establish the all-famous ground rules of respecting oneself, respecting the materials, and respecting others. At the school there are 19 classrooms and 4 of them are mixed ages, (from 3-6), with Montessori materials. My primary focus is the 4 classrooms and the 12 teachers in them.

 At school we get breakfast and lunch. Our breakfast is exactly what the children get, but our lunches are different. According to Ted, the children get nicer lunches, but so far I have nothing to complain about concerning lunches. To give you an idea of the food, Wednesday’s breakfast was cream of wheat (porridge) cooked in chicken broth with a few peas and carrots, a slice of sesame bread, and three quail eggs. On Thursday it was fresh Chinese dumplings with a sausage filling in a cabbage broth. Friday’s end of the week treat consisted of black bean porridge, slices of pork liver, and hot Chinese rolls, (man ho). All of this was bursting with flavor. Most food here is cooked from fresh, unprocessed foods and there are very few if any processed sugars.

Although I noticed different palms and cycads here, I was a little sad to discover that Wuhan is not in a tropical climate. They have four seasons, (similar weather perhaps to North Georgia for my American friends), and there have been a few days of cold rain. Tuesday was sunny and Miami warm. Ted explained that it is a little autumn tiger. Similar to the expression of “Indian summer”, this implies that a few summer days are still left before autumn truly arrives. This weekend I will travel to Ted’s grandma’s home for lunch and his parent’s home for dinner in the Hanyang district of Wuhan. Supposedly this weekend will also unleash its autumn tiger. I’ll carry my umbrella just in case.