The following is an essay I wrote a couple of days ago. Though David already read it, I'd still like to post it as a birthday present for him, for what he has done to us and to people in China. Sorry, David, I can't give you a real present, but I'm glad I remenber your birthday. :-) I was supposed to polish up this essay, but time didn't allow me. I hope you like it (Though you didn't mention you like it on the message string ^_^).
Jenny
**************** He was a boss owning a factory in Canada. He flew pass the Pacific Ocean to look for a change of life, for a brand-new opportunity, as well as for his value in this completely different country. He has found all of these things, plus a lot more than he had expected. Some of his friends say he is an incarnation of Dr. Norman Bethune. He says as a rejection that he never wishes to lose his life in this country far from his homeland. He is so careful that he always cautiously looks out for cars when he comes to an intersection. So you all can imagine what a decision he made to be here in the Gobi Desert. That's right, he is David, our host and friend. I've known him for about two years. In my box line up thirty short letters from him, not too many over the time. As his "little" friend who hasn't really been his second self and has met him a few times, I'd like to characterize him as not a great man, but as an ordinary Canadian. He is a stingy man. At my first glance, he wore an ancient-time leather jacket, and a pair of big brown shoes so old that no gloss remained on them. Along with his small bag on his back, he had never been so alike with some poor Chinese people. When he took off his jacket, I was amazed that he was really poor. A sweater with two patches on his elbows and two on his shoulders! My first thought was that the times of Leifeng had come back. He must have nickel-and-dimed, but he was certainly generous with his ticket to come to my city and with his time to spend with me for hours. "We'll stay here if you think it helps her," he said to his friend when the time came to decide if they took the last train to return home in Shihezi. Then I know under his shabby dressing is an unselfish heart. He is a quiet man, never eager to show his knowledge and achievements. Sometimes I wish he could be more active in conversations with me, but there were very few times when he positively talked to me. He is the only teacher I met who has no an energetic tongue. His ability to communicate and charisma to teach seem underdeveloped. These traits have made him a misfit in the occupation. He also had a hard time fitting himself into the new environment. In a typical Chinese class mostly led by the teacher, he asked the students to come up with a topic. For most of the time, he simply read articles to practice their listening skills. No wonder some of his university students once griped about how dry his classes were! Yet, he looks at you encouragingly and never shows impatience when you search English words in your mind. His soft voice gives you courage and his slow speed of speaking drops off your tension. Wouldn't he become a first-class English teacher if he owned more interest in communicating with people at all ages? Of course, they must be able to speak English. He is a stubborn man with little technique in sophisticated relationships between people. Very seldom did he please his leaders when he was teaching in the university. But he was definitely enthusiastic to please his audience by going to the radio station every weekend, no physical pays for his enthusiasm, only invisible reward for his work. He held an English corner for free also. Unfortunately, with his lack of the tactful character, it didn't last long. Now he enjoys teaching young children in another school. It shows his will to help Chinese students is stubborn, too. He is a lazy man, not willing to learn anything new. He has been in China four years now, but he only can say a few Chinese words, such as Thanks, Delicious, Hello. The most difficult phrase he learned is Happy New Year. He seems not interested in Chinese culture and history. On a daily basis, all he has to do are reading news and novels, taking care of our forum, and teaching. Thank goodness, he is not lazy when people here, me included, ask him for corrections. For one time he even gave up his nap to let me talk with him for more practice. Now a plump man wearing a beard, which I don't like, must sit at his notebook computer, smiling at, or getting mad at the words I wrote above. Well, that's the way I look at him, a stingy, stubborn, and lazy man with a generous, kindly, and diligent heart working on his wish to make a difference in the western part of China.
