yd Ee i -- -------- CS RE Wo CE In Son Saw ate we Gm Win. OE Ll RI 8 SN lh me lr rl, Si SSRI Laie } mate Et he ------ Cl a TIRES BR RTIRY A TR 16 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 13, 1993 / "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Chalice' Marlene Russell back By Julia Dempsey Port Perry Star Marlene Russell has returned from a three-month sojourn in China. The Prince Albert resident left Tuesday, March 30 and re- turned Wednesday, July 7 with many fascinating storfes to tell of her trip to the Orient. The main purpose of the trip for the member of the Baha'i community was to learn more about the Chinese culture. One of the ways she had hoped to do this was by studying Mandarin at a university in Harbin, locat- edin northern China. But her plans changed dra- matically upon arriving in the country. "The first thing I learned about China is you have to be flexible," she told the Star. Instead of learning Mandarin in Harbin, Mrs. Russell taught English in Jiamusi, also located in northern China. She had two Jobs: one at a teacher's college and another at a university. "English is very limited the further north you go," she ex- plained. Mrs. Russell met and became good friends with Wang Tia- LAKEVIEW BEER BREW shan, one of her students at the university. | Her friendship with the young man gave her many in- sights into the country's cul- ture. "The family unit is so strong," Mrs. Russell says. She cited Tia- shan and his family as an exam- ple. He ig going to school to be- come better educated so that he may care for his aging parents, send his younger brother to uni- versity and another brother to a specialty school for the deaf. The modes and means of transportation were also for- eign to Mrs. Russell. "No rules exist for traffic," she says, recalling an incident she witnessed in which one car pulled out to pass a group of cy- from China of riders. Train travellers take someone to "see them off". The person sneaks onto the train to save a seat while the rider pur- chases a ticket, Mrs. Russell says. Travelling by bus wasn't any easier. The roads are bumpy and the buses are in disrepair. During one bus ride, Mrs. Russell says the passengers were being bumped all over the bus, but at the same time they were falling asleep because of the fumes. Before leaving for the East, Mrs. Russell tried to prepare herself for all changes she would be facing. "I expected to be able to han- ; dle everything, but I couldn't," she admits. "The hardest part was miss- ing my family," Mrs. Russell says, adding she felt physical pain. Food was also a concern. Because she was living in res- 159 Casimir St. Port Perry Wells, Pools, Cistems Or Any Of Your Water Needs 986-4564 3,000 gallons $6. ] DURHAM REGION The Regional Municpality of Durham NEW HOURS OF OPERATION clists. That car was being HOURS passed by another car which MON.-FRI. was being passed by another 10-9 car. "And there was traffic com- >< pm ingin the other direction." SAT. Train travel is also very diffi- 10-4 pm cult because of the large volume RAN A he = Marlene Russell has returned from a three-month excursion Tvs to northern China with a feeling that she knows everything -- yet nothing -- about the country's diverse culture. emotional pain after being struck by a bike. "Ifeltit was done on purpose," she says, explaining that the Chinese adore Canadians, but she may have been mistaken for a Russian. "I've never been a victim of prejudice. It was very frighten- ing. She limped for three-and-a- halfweeks as a result of the inci- dent. Although all of her experienc- es were not positive, Mrs. Rus- sell fell in love with the Chinese people and their country and has vowed to return. She has been asked to return in September to resume teach- ing English during the school year. But Mrs. Russell says she will probably turn the offer down because she doesn't want to be separated from her family for that length of time. She is also hesitant about moving the family to China because she doesn't feel her children are pre- pared to be separated from their friends. In the meantime, Mrs. Rus- sell intends on expanding her connections in China. . FOR LANDFILL AND idence at the university, she had no where to make her own meals and had to depend on res- taurants for food. But the standards for cleanli- ness are much lower than in Canada. Restaurants wash all the dishes in a big tub of water. Instead of drying them, the dishes are taken out of the wa- ter and stacked in a pile. "For a whole month I felt queasy," she says, adding she had to force herselfto eat. Mrs. Russell felt physical and RECYCLING SITES The Oshawa, Cartwright and Scugog Transfer and Recycling Sites will be open Tuesday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. effective July 1, 1993. 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