Today is our last day in Zhengzhou. The sky warmed up
enough for the grandfather to dry his grain on the road, but our reception here
was not as warm as in Beijing. Even with the excitement of English Corner, the
students seemed uninvolved and the staff seemed just involved enough, and no
more.
I did get a ride to the nearby Yellow River, often referred to as the "Mother River" of China. I was not expecting the Amazon or Mississippi or even St. Lawrence, but it was still underwhelming. The shores were strewn with garbage, the excursion boats were shabby, and the water level is the lowest in decades. My driver showed me a local fish from the mud flats, probably somebody's banquet tonight. As in many tourist spots around the world, the posters showed a river with blue skies, colourful costumes, and cheerful people. Not!
Pat's students presented marketing plans in painful English. Professional to the end, Pat graded on the spot. The finale was her PowerPoint show on the Culture of Canada. It sure looks like a great place from here! The gift exchange, heartfelt goodbyes from the best students, and that was it. On the way home, we passed a typically loud, bright, student Friday. Anticlimactic!
Tonight we're packing up again. Tomorrow it's China Eastern Air Flight 5934 to Shanghai. It's all up from here!
I did get a ride to the nearby Yellow River, often referred to as the "Mother River" of China. I was not expecting the Amazon or Mississippi or even St. Lawrence, but it was still underwhelming. The shores were strewn with garbage, the excursion boats were shabby, and the water level is the lowest in decades. My driver showed me a local fish from the mud flats, probably somebody's banquet tonight. As in many tourist spots around the world, the posters showed a river with blue skies, colourful costumes, and cheerful people. Not!
Pat's students presented marketing plans in painful English. Professional to the end, Pat graded on the spot. The finale was her PowerPoint show on the Culture of Canada. It sure looks like a great place from here! The gift exchange, heartfelt goodbyes from the best students, and that was it. On the way home, we passed a typically loud, bright, student Friday. Anticlimactic!
Tonight we're packing up again. Tomorrow it's China Eastern Air Flight 5934 to Shanghai. It's all up from here!
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