I think ZUFE might have a little Las Vegas Bellagio fountain envy because they attempt to imitate Bellagio’s fountains dancing to music. Our fountain dances exclusively to the tune of Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz. I have to admit the lights, water and music are in sync and pretty impressive for a college campus, but that is because they have had lots of practice. For the entire year I have been here they have never varied the music or added additional songs. I actually enjoyed Stauss’s BD waltz for the first 2 or 3 months and on average they only run the fountains with its accompanying music 3 or 4 times a week for 30-60 minutes. After 4 months it became tedious but still tolerable. Last week the Blue Danube Waltz became torturous. The "Experts" were here last week and ZUFE wished to impress. They pulled out all the stops, which include running the fountains and the oft-repeated *&^% waltz every lunch and every night from 7:30 to about 9 or 10. It is Chinese torture! China is a noisy place and for mental sanity the Chinese must be used to blocking out extraneous noise. I thought with 32 years of teaching middle schoolers I could do the same, but obviously I can’t. Strauss and his Blue Danube Waltz are permanently scarred on my brain. I asked Ricky and Nathan who have been in China for 2 years if it bothered them – they were not even aware that the fountains had been on. Maybe it just takes longer or it is a female/mother thing… If anyone from ZUFE reads this blog, PLEASE ask the powers to be to change the tune every once in a while.
