Last Friday we finished our teaching in Shenyang. In the morning between 8 and 12 we had interviews with 21 students to decide which three of them could finish their master studies at the TU/e in Eindhoven. Because there were so many applicants we had only ten minutes per student to find out if they would do well at the TU/e. It is very strange to be able to change someones entire life in only ten minutes.
The next day, after some presentations by the master-students, the dean of the faculty took us to the Benxi Water Cave. We took a boat trip through a long brightly colored cave, which was almost as impressive as the ability of the Chinese to give wonderful names such as, “eight immortals carrying water to the sea” or “protruding phoenix tail”, to totally random rock formations.