Vanessa's Journal

Dec. 17

Today I finished up some e-mails and computer work in town and got ready to go back to Wuyipeng.  I also talked to my mom and dad and my significant other on the phone, which is always rejuvenating. 

I got ready to go back to Wuyipeng and felt that I needed to do something before going up.  When I first arrived in Wolong, my field assistant Lao Yang was not around.  I later found out that he had gone to the city to be with his wife, who was in the hospital.  I’m not entirely sure what her health problem was, but she had to have surgery and has been in the hospital ever since.  At that time back in early December, he came back from the hospital the next day and we continued on with our work, but it was always something we thought of and I would often ask for updates on her condition.  Lao Yang had told me in the field the other day that he thought she would be coming back to Wolong, but he tried to call his house and did not get through because she did not have the time or money to go and pay her phone bill, as she was obviously incapacitated and out of town.  So he was not sure what was going on.  I decided to pay her a visit to get an in-person update.

I had never been to his house before, and as I had a driver take me there, I was struck by how ridiculous it was that we had been working together for four summers and I had never been to his house nor met his family.  There is no excuse for that and really no reason to say that I was too busy.  I didn’t even know what she looked like.  And as my driver stopped at a modest looking house next to an extensive farm plot, he said “this is it.” So I got out with him and we walked to the side of his house. 

There on a bench I saw a beautiful woman sitting there peeling vegetables.  I asked her, “Are you Lao Yang’s wife?” She said yes.  I told her who I was and sat down to get an update.  She, like many others in Wolong, is one of those people who just radiates energy by her presence.  I was relieved to see that she seemed to be energetic and happy, albeit still in the recovery process.  I gave her strict instructions from Lao Yang that she was to kill one of their family’s chickens and eat it for nutrition.  This is a big deal for local farmers because chickens are now really expensive.  It’s a treat and not an every day dinner item, like in the U.S. 

She said she wanted to wait for her husband to come down so they could eat it together.  I promised to make sure he came down in the next two days to see her.  As I left, she thanked me for coming and stood up to wave goodbye as we drove away. 

Then, I hiked up to Wuyipeng and as I walked on a trail towards the top, I was surprised to find Lao Yang walking toward me.  My field assistants had worried about me and had sent him to go make a phone call to see if I was all right and find out when I was coming.  I told him I just saw his wife and he smiled.  I told him that I relayed his instructions to eat one of their prized chickens and she insisted she wanted to wait for him.  He said, “That’s when you are supposed to say no, don’t wait for him!” I told him that I was making him go down the mountain in the next few days to see her, no matter what. 

Back at Wuyipeng, Lao Wang and Lao Fan were also happy to see me.  At dinner, the subject of Lao Yang’s wife came up again.  He turned to me and asked “What was she doing when you went there?” Being someone who has a significant other on the other side of the world and often asks that same question, I got a little choked up at that moment. I said that she was sitting by the side of the house preparing vegetables.  He seemed to envision it in his head and said that he knew she was sitting on the bench on the side of the house that captured the sunlight.  I confirmed that yes, she was.  He mused for a little bit about which vegetables she was preparing.  And I again repeated that he had to go down soon to see her, otherwise she would never eat the chicken. 

Today’s experience was important for me, because I think sometimes I don’t always recognize the difficulties that my field assistants face in being away from their significant others and families while they are up on the mountain.  I try to make it very free and flexible so that they feel like they can go down to town anytime if something comes up, but oftentimes they resist.

It’s easy for me to think of myself as being away from my loved ones because they are on the other side of the earth, but really my field assistants face the same thing, even though their families are not as far away.  Lao Fan’s wife passed away many years ago and I always want to ask about her and find out what she was like, but I can never seem to find the right words.  Lao Wang’s wife is a wonderful person who comes up here sometimes to help her husband or give him a break from his hard work.  I always like having her around.  She has a stoic yet warm spirit and seems to be his rock.  And today I just met the radiant spirit that is Lao Yang’s wife and hope I can go back to their home soon to get to know her better.  I think she will be all right.