HUP..TWO...THREE...FOUR!

Today Dave and I were at the campus post office directly across from the campus elementary school(for teachers' kids and others who qualify)to mail in our income tax papers. It was almost noon and the grade school kids were getting out for their two-hour lunch and rest time. (This two-hour mid-day meal and nap time is a Chinese tradition even college kids adhere to. There are no college classes held between noon and 2 p.m.) It was so fun to watch this "getting out of school" process. A crowd of about 100 parents and grandparents were gathered near the gate to pick their children up. Each class was excused, youngest to oldest, by marching as a class group, one little sign-carrying child at the lead, and all chanting their marching rhyme (don't know what it said). When they got to the gate, a child-leader shouted some message to the class, (probably something like "Have a harmonious and lovely meal and nap. You are now excused!") and then off they went to hop on the backs of the waiting parent-driven bikes or scooters. I immersed myself in the crowd and started clicking pictures right and left. I was definantly out-of-place in this Chinese crowd, and many little voices called out to me, "Hello! Hello!" My response: "Hello! How are you?" Always, their text-book reply, "I...am...fine...thank you....and....you?" Just another little happy dibble-dab in our overall Chinese adventure that makes this experience so great.