Zhang Yi, our English Department Chair

Professor Zhang Yi, English Department Chair

Zhang Yi. English Department Chair

She is our boss, our friend, our guardian angel. She is the deliverer of the answers to many of your prayers on our behalf. We really like her and really appreciate her. Here are some examples of things she has done for us.

She sent one of her Chinese English professors, Maggie, to the airport to accompany the “official” university party. As soon as we got dropped off at our apartment,  Maggie, under Zhang Yi’s direction, took over and spent 2 days helping us get all the needed things done. 

Professor Maggie A great friend and help.

Maggie said, “Zhang Yi wants me to take you shopping for 2 days’ supply of food, but no more.” Actually 2 days of food was about all we want to carry several blocks from a store and up our 75 stairs at one time!

Zhang Yi called the next evening and said, “Meet me downstairs.” She gave us a personal walking tour of campus which introduced us to several places we had not yet discovered. She then drove us across town to “Metro”, an oversized “Costco type” store full of almost impossible to find items. Very civilized to buy things like a Betty Crocker cake mix!

A typical bag full from the market.
Including $0.32 worth or noodles.

Saturday she took all the English Department Professors, including us, to a 5 star hotel for a fabulous buffet and an orientation meeting. (The other professors love anything with us because it normally involves better food than they typically get. And man, do they pack away the food at a buffet!) 

Gotta wash those items.

There were 14 of us: the 2 of us, an older Australian lady who has been teaching in China for 8 years, a 30ish guy who has been teaching in China 3 years and is marrying a Chinese woman in the spring, and 10 Chinese natives – 2 men and 8 women who all spoke reasonable but not fabulous English. 2 were missing: a woman who was taking her freshman daughter to start college in Hong Kong, and a fellow who is teaching in America this year.

These 3 doves have been outside our kitchen window every
afternoon.

The orientation was interesting. Her expectations seemed what you would expect from a traditional faculty appointment. Quite a bit higher than what the BYU training was preparing people for. 

(Just tonight we were looking at an online PowerPoint of some of our BYU training. It included: "None of you will teach just pronunciation; most of you will have it as part of what you do in Oral English." Guess what? Ann has 2 sections of "just pronunciation."). 

Most BYU teachers are teaching non-English majors straight Oral English, and it takes place in somewhat different ways. Additionally, BYU continually emphasized, "Be ready for anything; you will be in China." It was wonderful for us to have it all spelled out so clearly since it is so different from the BYU version.

On another evening Zhang Yi called and said, “Let’s go for a walk.” Turned out to be about a 5 mile walk all over campus and all along the shops on the west and south outside the campus. She showed Ann where and how to get her hair cut (walking by many other beauty shops in the process). She also showed Ann where she shops for clothes and pointed out their prices, styles, sizes and quality are right for Ann.

Every kitchen should have its own washer!

Later Ann sent her an email asking if she had any ideas on locating a cleaning lady. While the apartment is small, the piling on of dust from the environment is awesome and apparently gets even more so when the coal plants fire up in the winter. 

Zhang Yi called Ann a short while later, had it all arranged (“I have had the same person for 15 years”), and she has arranged for Professor Maggie to be here the first time to help Ann get it all set up. a few hours a week, $3/hr.

East Gate Market. Just outside the campus walls.

This has been SOOOO helpful. We are especially grateful for Zhang Yi in our situation. We have been extra blessed by the white glove treatment we have received from her.

Market Cart

I want my present!

We have been told small gifts are very important in this culture. Especially with those we work closely with. In that light, we came a bit prepared. At the department meeting we had a small refrigerator magnet of Minnesota for everyone except Zhang Yi. 

When it became apparent she was not getting one she very disappointingly asked where hers was. Surprise. Instead we had a nice little stuffed loon for her which made the famous loon call. It was fun giving them. Glad we did.

I am not buying. But if I do, Ann is not cooking. And if she
does, I am not eating! 

How does this $$$ work
When we went to pay at Metro, my credit card would not work and I had not loaded up on cash yet. Talk about mortifying. Fortunately Zhang Yi just pulled out her credit card and paid for us. The first week was full of money, credit card, and ATM snafus. Challenging and frustrating to say the least - especially as we wondered what would happen next. Fortunately we seem to have things worked out now and are in the groove, but what a poor start. I guess the American credit cards will only work in the main tourist areas. Thank heavens for the ever present ATM.