Joe Tsujimoto shared Lara Mui Cowells status. a few seconds ago Remembering the bright life of Hope Staab, also known as Guo Laoshi: my freshman and junior year Zhongwen teacher. This living woman warrior commanded her classroom with energy, sharp wit, and mischievous, sardonic humor. Though small in stature, she was a formidable, even intimidating dynamo who expected the best from her students. Slackers and goof-offs? Thoroughly tongue-lashed! Excuses? Extinguished with a dry Huo gai (tough luck!) I remember when Laoshi taught our class to play mah jong. After a couple rounds, my friend Jen and I, bored of playing, got certifiably off-task and started building things out of our tiles. Laoshi came by, arched an eyebrow at our edifice, and clearing her throat, queried, Mei Cui Juan, Huang Mei Feng, nimen zuo shenmo? (What are you doing?) Totally busted! So, without skipping a beat, we started extolling the virtues of our five-star hotel--in Chinese, of course--with its moon gate, teahouse, fancy restaurant serving Japanese, French, and Chinese cuisine, its lush blooming gardens, and even a swimming pool! Guo Laoshi wagged her finger at us, shook her head, and walked away, trying--not very successfully--to suppress her smile. Laoshi was a superb role model: bright, inquisitive, and a visionary leader--cant say Ive been able to follow her example of a 9 p.m. bedtime, however! She was proud that I continued to study Chinese in college, and even more delighted when I became her colleague at Punahou. Her friendship and support throughout the years was unfailing. Ill miss her dearly.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 17:52:55 +0000
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