Back in Norway

09.06.09
For thoose of you who have visited the blog frequently you have probably noticed that we have not updated our blog in a long time now. The reason for this is that Blogspot was blocked so we could not open, or update it the last weeks we were in Ningxia. We are sorry for this.
So now we will write about some of the things we did the last weeks we had in the Middle Kingdom.

In the beginning of May we held exams at the schools we worked. The last month in Ningxia we also spent time preparing for the follow up work that we have now started in Norway.
The last period in China we went on a couple of trips in the Ningxia area. In the May holiday we visited Sha Hu (Sand Lake), a beautiful site outside Yinchuan, where the desert is right next to a big lake. It was cool to see desert and water this close. It makes you think about the closeness of fjord and mountain in Norway and why it is so extraordinary. Along with Sand Lake we also visited the famous Helan Mountain rock carvings.

The 18th we got to go with the Red Cross to visit a school they help to run in the Tongxin district in Ningxia. The school is situated in one of the poorer areas in Ningxia, where water is scarce. It was an interesting visit for us to the school, and for the pupils, who probably hadn't seen to many foreigners around, it also seemed interesting for them to have us there. The Ningxia Red Cross is giving away different materials to help supplying the school in Tongxin.

The 17th of May (Norway's national holiday) we celebrated with both Norwegians (Tom and Karen from Norway) and Chinese, and we made pancakes in the evening.

The last week in China, we said goodbye to everybody at work and that we knew. We attended some farewell banquets with our Chinese class, and with The Foreign Affaris Office at Ningxia University. We also bought our last gifts and finished our packing.

We came back to Norway in the end of May, and the temperature was about 20 degrees lower than we have gotten used to this spring. In that way (one of a few:)), we knew we had arrived back home. The rain also helped to convince us we had arrived back home.

It is good to be back, with all the things we have missed while in China. The food, our families and friends and the chilly weather.
But we cannot guaranty that we woun't miss China, Ningxia, the people we meet there and the travelling in the future. We had a fantastic time in the Middle Kingdom, a year we will most likely never forget.

Now we are in Flekke working on our follow up work. We want to send a great thanks to all who made this year possible, to Fredskorpset, Red Cross Nordic United World College, Ningxia University and the Ningxia Red Cross. Also we want to thank those at home and thoose who have followed us.

Chris and Tom

The 5th FK China Network meeting

Last weekend (25th-27th of April) we attended FK China's network meeting in Kunming, a beautiful city in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan. Saturday we had a social trip that involved former and new network members, and Sunday we had meetings where both FK partners and participants attended.

On Saturday we visited Jiu Xiang – some awesome caves south west of Kunming. These caves are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The caves had underground rivers and waterfalls and the walk through them was fascinating.

After that we visited Shi Lin (The Stone Forest). In addition to enjoying the scenery all the participants had a meeting where we talked about what we had been working on since the last FK meeting in Beijing.

On Sunday we had meetings and discussions with all the partners. It was nice to meet the people we met on the last meeting, and to meet new participants and partners.

We had a great weekend in Yunnan. When we came Friday we visited a café that had western food, and we decided to try it. The pizza was good, but we especially liked the menu they had there.

Yunnan is known for its many minority groups, and beautiful clothing. These nicely dressed women we encountered at Jiu Xiang. We also saw people walking in Kunming city with colourful dresses.

It was a very interesting city, and the surroundings, with red iron-rich soil, rice patties, and water buffaloes was quite different from what we are used to from the northern part of China. Getting to know other FK people and exploring different areas of China are things we really will miss when we leave for home within a month.

The networks homepage;

http://www.fkchinanetwork.org

Interviews with some of our students

We would like the readers of our blog to get to know some of the people we work with a little better. Therefore we have interviewed some of our students from the different places we work. Meet Tao Jun, He Qing, Yong Hui, Qiao Xiao Hui and Yu Ji.

The Ningxia Red Cross:
Tao Jun (James)

What is your name?

- My Chinese name is Tao Jun and my English name is James

How old are you?

- I am 30 years old.

Where are you from?

- I am from Yinchuan, in the Northern part of Ningxia.

What is your job at the Ningxia Red Cross?

- I work as a district communicator.

How long have you been working at the Red Cross?

- I have been working here for seven years

How long have you been learning English?

- I have been learning English for ten years.

What is your favourite food?

- My favourite food is porkmeat.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

- I like to do outdoor activities and especially fishing. I am also found of tea culture.

He Qing (Anne)

What is your name?

- My Chinese name is He Qing and my English name is Anne.

How old are you?

- I am 27 years old.
Where are you from?
- I am from Zhongwei in Ningxia province.

What is your job at the Ningxia Red Cross?

- I am in charge of the volunteers.

How long have you been working at the Red Cross?

- I have been working four years at the Ningxia Red Cross.

How long have you been learning English?

- I have been learning English for fifteen years.

What is your favourite food?

- Boiled chicken with sauce.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

- I like to play badminton and to travel.

Yong Hui (Peter)

What is your name?
- My Chinese name is Yong Hui and my English name i Peter
How old are you?
- I am 30 years old
Where are you from?
- I am from the city of Zhongwei, in the Western part of Ningxia province.
What is your job at the Ningxia Red Cross?
- I do advertisements among teenagers, and recruit volunteers for the Red Cross
How long have you been working at the Red Cross?
- I have been working at the Red Cross for two years now.
How long have you been learning English?
- I have learned English for ten years.

What is your favorite food?
- Small peeled noodles.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
- I like to watch movies, TV and to play basketball.

Xinhua College:

Qiao Xiao Hui (Alice)

What is your name?

- My Chinese name is Qiao Xiao Hui, my English name is Alice.

How old are you?

- I am 20 years old.

Where are you from?

- I come from Guyuan, in the South of Ningxia.

What do you study?

- I am majoring in English.

How long have you been learning English?

- I have been learning English for eight years now.

Why did you choose to study English?

- Because I like English, and in the future I hope to become an English teacher.

What is your favourite food?

- Rice, fruit, potato and meat.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

- I like reading, go shopping, sleeping and to write in my diary.

Prep School for Ethnic Minorities

Yu Ji (Robert)

What is your name?

- My Chinese name is Yu Ji and my English name is Robert

How old are you?

- I am 20 years old.

Where are you from?
- I come from the city Yantai in Shandong province

What do you study

-I am majoring in Science.
How long have you been learning English?

- I have studied English for ten years.
What is your favourite food?
- My favourite food is watermelon.

What do you like to do in your sparetime?

- In my sparetime I go to the internet bar, I read books and play basketball.