Your Questions Answered

I love it when people comment, and especially when they ask questions. But...

:(

...it has been many moons I could access my comments to write something back. Since I can't reply in the comments, here are a few answers to questions I've gotten this month:

12/12, on student leaf sweeping:

Q: Are they assigned certain areas? Where do they get the supplies and equipment? How does it all work?
A: I don't know how it all works! Each class has designated cleaning groups, which take care of different tasks on Wednesday afternoons (cleaning day). Maybe there is a grounds-keeping cleaning group. I don't really know. One thing I do know is that Chinese campuses make liberal use of students -- free labor that can't quit!

12/17, on buying cheap groceries at the market:

Q: are you makin' salsa? :-)"
A: Pretty much! I think pico de gallo was on the menu that night.

12/19, on the sights and sounds of a Friday after class:

Q: Refresh my memory about what exactly haws are---they look like glazed meatballs on a stick...
A: I am no expert on haws, and have googled them a few times trying to decide if those things are really haws or not. They're fairly common here -- a smooth, walnut-sized fruit with a pit; a little dryer and blander than an apple. You can also buy hawthorne nectar. Yum.