We had to catch a bus to the university at 8 so were up early. Actually, I was up at four since my body was still not used to the time difference. I don’t do jet lag well. I lay listening to the traffic. Like every big city, Harbin never sleeps. And, like Calgary, dawn is around 4:30, but unlike our quiet neighbourhood, Harbin horns begin blaring early.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do while Glen attended the meetings but knew I wanted to pre-write my blog entries while I was ‘in the moment’ of China. I thought I might do some photography, too, so brought my laptop, Kindle, and cameras.
We met David and Chun-Xiao as we disembarked the bus. The sun shone and it was time for the group photo. Glen moved to the back of the crowd while I watched the proceedings. There was a great hullaballoo when someone noticed him there. No, he was an honoured guest so must sit in the front row. Being tall, it was not his usual position in a photo.
The next commotion came when Shu-Lin decided I must also be in the photo. I protested, of course, but was overwhelmed by hands drawing me toward a seat so took my place in the front row. I’ve no idea what the photographer was saying but eventually he got the shot he wanted.
Everyone trouped upstairs to the conference room. I had hoped to go to the office Shu-Lin had given Glen but that was not possible so David found me a place in a nearby meeting room. He set up a small table and I began to work.
At about 10, the ladies from the Faculty Club burst into the room with plates, cups, and food for coffee break. There was much hustle and bustle. I continued to work as I had no idea what they were talking about. It was funny watching the dynamics, though. Plates were laid out then stacked. Paper cups were stacked then laid out in triangle shapes. Cakes were uncovered then recovered. There was also a great discussion on how to spell the English words for the drinks. I wanted to help but wasn’t sure how to offer since none of them spoke English.
Meanwhile, Shu-Lin’s students had discovered my hiding place and began plying me with cups of coffee. It came with cream and sugar, something I haven’t had in years. How does one refuse such hospitality?
I thought Don Mee’s had the best egg tarts but that was before I came to Harbin. I was pushed, literarily, into eating something when the conferees poured into the room at coffee break. I chose egg tarts for both Glen and myself. The pastry alone was like eating sweet air.
Glen survived his chairing of the first session letting his co-chair say the Asian names. He told me Chun-Xiao’s presentation went well. It was her first talk and she did it in English so quite an accomplishment. Later, she told me she was very nervous, but she felt she had done okay.
When the conferees returned to their lectures, the grad students, who did much of the work at the meeting, descended on the leftovers. They were so like Canadian students, it made me laugh. The woman organizing the break told the wait staff to help themselves, too but they refused. However, when it came to clean up and she had disappeared, they ate what the students had left behind.
Glen’s seminar was after coffee but when it was done, Chun-Xiao and another friend came to chat. I had my photos uploaded by this time so could show them the ones I took of Sun Island and shopping. They then wanted to see photos of Canada and couldn’t believe how blue the sky was. I guess it is a rare sight in urban China.
I scrolled through some photos of the family and they loved the pictures of Miles and Elijah. The one-child policy is still in affect in China (David has a 3 year old girl) although it is relaxed in certain circumstances. If students go to America to study, they can have more children and not be ostracized. Children are definitely cherished here by young and old alike.
The two girls thought Glen was so nice and laughed at some of the silly pictures I took of him. They were also fascinated with our Christmas celebrations. When Chun-Xiao saw the photo I took of a squirrel eating from our birdfeeder, she was amazed. I told her we often had hares in our yard and once, Glen came eye-to-eye with a coyote when he was barbecuing. She told me that this would never happen in China.
Lunch was served in a grand ballroom used originally for convocation. Again, the lazy susan was piled high with dishes of the region and beyond. A whole fish lay in a big bowl of broth and shrimps-on-a-stick were stacked like a miniature tent on one plate. There was one dish someone called Chinese tacos -- squares of thin tofu onto which one placed cucumber and onion then added a special sauce. Rice bowls appeared partway through the meal, the first rice I’d eaten.
One reason I sit here watching the girls again prepare for coffee break is that supper will be in the ballroom and it happens 5 minutes after the final session. I am the only spouse so no provisions have been made for ‘hangers-on’. Had I stayed in the hotel, I would have been alone all day and since Glen didn’t want me to wander the neighbourhood, working here was my only option (The above photo is of my work room).
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