As my grandfather might have said: "Extraordinary!"

Just when I wonder if this whole project is too challenging something amazing happens.
Today I woke up with very red, inflamed and painful eyes.  Also, today was the day to visit the University (Xi'an Normal University) with my friend/employer Catherine. So off we went in her car.
 to interview prospective teachers.  Mostly they were young people teaching English grammar giving their instructions in Chinese.

Their English is  mostly pretty good, but they have little idea of how to actually TEACH.  They deliver information in a kind of lecturing style with very little effort to engage students in the learning process.  In fact, one of them explained to me that motivation to learn is supplied by the competition to get a high mark on the test.  So the purpose of an assignment is not really to teach anything useful, it is simply get right answers and avoid mistakes.  Both teachers and students agree that the whole process is extremely boring.  They have to work incredibly hard for their results which are subsequently forgotten.  I had  observed this from my bedroom window in the way the students line up in rows everyday to perform exactly the same motions in unison.  The University is vast and impressive but, on closer look, not too well maintained.

The amazing thing was the student who came to my room tonight about 7:30 to ask if I needed anything.  My friend had brought some eye drops which the student had left on my bed.  We proceeded to communicate by means of Google Translate.  He entered Chinese by hand (with considerable rapidity) and I responded in English.  The computer translated everything.  It doesn't do well with paragraphs, but for short sentences its great!  He seemed to be genuinely concerned about me and I have been finding that the boys in the dormitory have a lot of genuine warmth towards my presence next door.  Partly this is because I never complain about anything.  They are noisy, but I have earplugs and they are teenage boys after all.  I told them that I know dormitories because I lived in a dormitory when I went to school. (50 years ago) Plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose.