[Feature Story] Happiness? It's as simple as can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once in a while, you might see an American couple riding bicycles abreast on campus. One of the bicycles they ride is equipped with a big basket at the back, often filled with bunches of fresh vegetables, fruits and even packs of French Fries. Often they will ride to the metro station nearest campus, jump on the subway, and get off anywhere they feel like visiting in Guangzhou. Who are they? Today, our correspondents are lucky enough to interview the couple named Richard Pinegar and Laurie Pinegar, an interview that unveils their colorful life, enriched with "stories" and allowing us to perceive how simple happiness could be.

 

 

Richard and Laurie on their bikes

 

 Unforgettable experiences in China

 

In 2013, Richard and Laurie were both accepted into the China Teachers Program, a one-or-two-year program that is administered by BYU, and thus they came to GDUFS.

 

 

They have traveled to many cities such as Chengdu, Dun-Huang and Urumqi in China. And they describe their life at GDUFS in Guangzhou as great fun. They have great time teaching Chinese students at the International College of GDUFS English, preparing them to go abroad for further studies and more. They are also adjunct professors for the Foreign Language Space, helping students learn about English language and American culture. It is the close student-mentor relation in-and-out-of-class that they cherish most, as Laurie says.

 

In their spare time, they keep themselves busy. They cycle to the nearest subway station and take the subway to wherever they'd like to explore in Guangzhou. Also, Richard loves doing experiments on food, so he often goes to the fruit store and the market outside the campus and picks out some fruits and vegetables that are not grown in the States and makes a dish out of them. This is why the basket at the back of his bicycle is hardly ever empty.

 

What truly impresses them is the cultural shock they have encountered in China especially when ordering food at Chinese restaurants. There was one time when they ordered a dish whose picture looked like "shrimp" on the menu, but to their great surprise, what was served was "frogs".

 

Richard also remembers how embarrassed he once was when he had trouble identifying "duck heads" at the restaurant by the school's main gate. He thought the dish he had ordered was shrimp or steak, but when it was served, he was "struggling" to find much meat in it! He did not realize the terrible mistake he made until he was told what he was eating was "duck heads".

 

"In the US, every aspect of the original fish or chicken or duck or beef or pig is removed, so you don't think at all about the original beast that was killed for you! In China, it's more, you know, proof that this is a fresh animal." says Laurie.

 

Happiness , is as simple as it can be

 

Back in the US, Richard worked as a food scientist, helping his company make potato products such as French Fries, and Laurie was a piano teacher for decades.

 

They lived in a house with a lively garden and spacious backyard near a farm in Caldwell, Idaho, a "quiet" and "peaceful" town as they call it. "I like working in our yard, so this yard keeps me busy. Keeping the grass cut and keeping the trees trimmed properly, getting the weeds out." says Richard beamingly. They also grew vegetables and fruits in their garden. "At our home we can see when the sun rises, when the sun sets." continues Rich.

 

Family photo

 

Grandchildren eating French Fries

 

Married for 40 years, though, the Pinegars look like teenagers again when reminiscing about their relationship and sweet love, their eyes sparkling and with "happiness" etched in their faces.

 

 

 

 

Richard and Laurie reminiscing about the past

 

"Chocolate" might be one of the secret recipes to keep their marriage sustainable and refreshed. Laurie is crazy about chocolate, so Richard would buy chocolate bars for Laurie every week. On their wedding anniversary, they generally go out to a restaurant that Laurie enjoys and Richard would give her flowers, a card and chocolate. "Happy wife, happy life." says Laurie happily.

  

 

The Pinegars with correspondents

 

Love for nature. Love for life. Love for the loved ones. Richard and Laurie's stories illustrate how simple happiness could be. Whether in America or in China, they explore possibilities of life, and savor every minute of it together with open-mindedness and loving hearts. A happy life might not necessarily involve fortune and fame; a happy life might be just as simple as enjoying a "chocolate bar" or a "pumpkin pie", or even challenging a "duck head". Maybe when you embrace such life attitudes will that "simple happiness" truly comes knocking.