Countryside village and School

We traveled to a village outside of Nanchang Wednesday morning. Every village has an entrance gate to it for the most part. Another myth I'd like to shatter right now is that the idea that China only allows one child is incorrect. Rural families have as many kids as they want. City people have one for free, but can have more if they pay a fee. The one-time fee I calculated would be about $50-$300. In fact in Beijing they are encouraging the business sector of people to have more than one child now.
The village was fun to see. The streets were paved and people do not have carpet in their homes. The doors of all the homes are open during the day and chickens and dogs walk through whenever they want. There are some shops open and you can see people processing fresh pork right in front of you and see it hanging right on the walkway. The sewer system is a little disgusting as it runs between the buildings that are built right next to each other. No one has a yard, but in the back of their homes is a concrete patio with some space to put in a garden. Some homes have rice sitting right in the front of their homes drying in the heat. I really get the feeling that stealing is not an issue in China...especially around the homes. The people again were really friendly to us and just thought we were quite a novelty...probably something they will remember for years. One more thing on the homes, they are quite baren as people in China do not really consume themselves with material things. They enjoy each others' company and spend time socializing than wanting.

This afternoon we visited a local school. We saw students that ranged from grades 2-6. The school was right in the heart of an urban area and the school was a 3 building complex shaped in a U that had the playground in the center. The school you cannot see from the street as the school building butt up against high rise apartment complexes on all sides. There is just a gate that you enter from the street that announces that a school even exists. As we entered we saw phy-ed going on outside and then sat in a chorus class next. The chorus class was just like ones in our schools...with large numbers and the teacher having to keep the boys in line! We sat with the kids and hummed the songs they were singing. After that we went to the dance class. The third graders performed for us and even the boys wore those little ballet shoes. The kids were dancing all over the place even though the room on the 4th floor did not have a/c. It must have been in the high 80's in that room, but not one kid complained. In both class setting the kids were excited to see us and wanted to talk to us. Kids in China begin school at age three. Around that age they are also taught beginning English. English is required in all schools. We had one 11 year-old boy on the playground speak fluent english to us. We then visited a reading class of third graders and they recited out loud the literature they were reading. 30 kids in a tiny room, no a/c and very almost no manipulatives for the kids to use. There was a tv, ceiling fan and some student writing samples on the walls. The samples we saw were very impressive english writing. Our last stop was the playground at recess. I was able to play basketball with a few of the boys and we were definitely celebrities. One boy gave his cookie snack to Eli and the girls just crowded around Kim and Eli. They do not use a bell system between classes. Instead they use music. It was ironic that when recess ended, yankee doodle was the song. The kids were amazingly friendly and the school kids were just like American kids in so many ways. Many people might think there is this rigid, no talking, obey type mentality here. Not so. They were just like us and the the second grade and fifth grade teachers in our group agreed to that. School lasts until 4:30 here.

After school, we made our way to the pedestrian mall...it is the street that is for pedestrians only to walk up and down and go into the shops. We ended up in a disney store and had about five women helping us. They were so helpful and would find us anything. We bought a hat, shoes, sandles, pants, and two tops there...cost came to about $50 US...unreal. Then we went to a store that had sports activewear...and I got a dri-fit polo for the equivalent of $10 US...unreal. Again, on our way back we were stared at with awe. We made it to the bakery on our way home and purchased a small loaf of fresh bread and two slices of jelly roll cake. The purchasing power here is unreal. Kim just got back from a 90 minute head-to-toe massage that came to $11 with tip...crazy. There are massage places all over China...people sure do know how to get rid of stress around here.
That's it for Wednesday. Off to an orphanage tomorrow. This trip just keeps getting better.