March 30 - April 1



Boardwalk along Ocean

Wednesday was another gorgeous day.  Roger and I went for a long walk in the morning along the beach.  There is a nice boardwalk to walk on and it gave you the feeling you were far removed from the city.  We got back in time to meet up with the team we have been working with and have lunch at one of their homes.  There were about 15 or so of us there and it was a simple delicious Chinese lunch.  It has been so fun to get to know these people.   After lunch we stopped by the office and were given an overview how the Bridge was started and what all they do. 

Leading Management vs. Leadership Session

That evening after a time of rest and preparation we met our interpreter for dinner and then went to the Bridge.  Roger did a presentation on Management versus Leadership.  It was well done (of course) and many had questions after the meeting.  It is a bit scary when we think of how eager some are to take advice and learn from us…but also very rewarding as well.

University Campus

On Thursday…another sunny warm day…we met a couple of Xiamen University students who had offered to give us a tour of the University.  They were both law students there.  They like to practice their English and we enjoy being with them so it’s a win-win situation.  After wandering around the campus, which is quite pretty, we asked if they wanted to join us for lunch.  We went to a nearby Chinese restaurant….passing up the McDonalds by the campus. 

Walk to Restarant for lunch

We asked them where they would go if they were going to have lunch with friends.  It was delicious…..as usual.  We have eaten so many different dishes and there has not been one I did not like…well…maybe the oysters but I have never liked them anyway.

About 1:30 we went back to the hotel and had some rest and downtime before going over to the Teeter's home for dinner.  They were having a group meeting in their home but it was all in Chinese so we excused ourselves and walked back to the hotel.  It is only a 10 minute walk.  It was good to have an early night and some quiet reading time before bed.

Large tree on University campus

Friday was a busy day.  At 9AM we were scheduled to meet with some different people who had signed up for one on one, one-hour time speaking English about whatever they wanted.  They were all people we had connected at some time during the week.  The lady I talked with had an interpreter with her in case she needed help but she did a great job speaking.  She had even written out notes in preparation for the topic she wanted to discuss.  We had had several good conversations during the week so it was more like a continuation on the topics we had already been talking about.  It was hard to say goodbye to her knowing I would not see her again.  It is amazing how quickly we have gotten attached to some of the people we have met here.  While I was talking to this lady Roger was talking to someone else. When the hour was up someone else came.  So after 2 hours we were excited about the time spent with these new friends but also a bit worn out.    We had a few minutes break before going to lunch at the home of the people who helped started the Bridge.  It was good to get to know them a bit better.

Music and Arts builing on campus

We headed back to the hotel about 2 PM and spent the afternoon tweaking our marriage presentation.   We had to make it shorter since we were using an interpreter and had a time constraint.  At 5:30 our interpreter came by the hotel and we went to dinner with him and his wife (S and E).  They were a sweet couple that had met at the Bridge and been married a couple years.   The dinners with the interpreters were always fun because we got to hear their stories and get to know them a bit and vice versa.  After we ate we went to someone’s apartment where the presentation took place.  It went real well and people here are always so appreciative for any new info you can give them to help them.  I must say it was much harder doing the presentation with an interpreter but overall it went really well. We again walked back to the hotel and it always feels good to get a little walk in between activities. On the way home we found a Magnum bar and enjoyed sharing one.  When we got home we finished packing up and went to bed with the alarm set for 5:30 AM.