Wuhan
Monday, July 28, 2008

Today we finished up the official class portion of our program here at Hubei University. There are a lot of mixed feelings in the groups. Without a doubt we are all anxious to return home to family and friends. We look forward to familiar things and comfort items. On the other hand we will definitely miss our time here in Wuhan and at Hubei University. Before I wax nostalgic for a place I have not even left yet let me briefly recap the day.

The first class, taught by Dr. Yang, focuses on the cultural differences between China and the US. Specifically it enlightened us to the common misconceptions that plague our understanding and communication between the two cultures. The lecture topped on a number of topics and specifically addressed the following; daily communication, hospitality, romance, table manners, and privacy. It was a fascinating lecture that gave us some insights to our host country.

Our imstructor rolling out the dough

After lunch we had a demonstration, more specifically a cooking class. We learned to make Chinese dumplings. It seems every culture has some doughy confection that people hold dear. The Italians have ravioli, the Polish have pierogi, and the Chinese have dumplings. The making of them is a gathering and family affair. It was fun to watch Dr. Kung dive into their creation. He is quite adept at the rolling of the dough and stuffing of the mixture. You can stuff them with anything you like. Ours were a mixture of pork, celery, spices, and different Chinese herbs. After watching the demonstration we made several ourselves. Thankfully they benched the Americans and put in the first team. They made the rest up, which we gladly wolfed down for dinner.

I give my best effort

These are finised dumplins, mine were .., not chosen

After dinner we went bowling, yes bowling. A number of us went to the on campus alley and had a great time. Our scores did not match our enthusiasm but despite our respective performances we enjoyed ourselves. We called it an early night, very busy tomorrow.

The crew getting our bowl on. There was no draft beer:(

I had the middle score. My usual bowling name is "Chunky Luv".

Paul and I have been asked to give a presentation at the closing ceremony tomorrow. Paul is preparing the power point slide show and I am writing a small speech to go along with it. It is an honor to do so, but I am admittedly a bit nervous.

More photos and videos of the day, Click here. (Micah there is vidoe of the cooking)