Before I begin my new post, I want to add to my last post on teachers. I had a chance to once again discuss this matter with some of the teachers, and one of them was confident that things will change in the next few years. The reason? “There are much less children.” The one child and planned parenthood policies are still in effect, although not STRINGENTLY enforced. Many have two children.
Alright, more observations, this time on the gap across generations. It has been said that the generation in university right now is known as the “young emperors.” They are often only children (one-child) and are catered to by their families. Remember, these folks often move in with the husband’s family. So many times they have parents, grandparents, and sometimes great-grandparents to dote on them.
We have one class that is full of students, ranging from Junior Middle School to university. They are aggressive and sometimes controlling. This is much the opposite from the other classes which have adults. The gap does not stop there.
Japan.
A bit of a history lesson. The Japanese and the Chinese don’t get along. Maybe it stems from the fact that during World War II, the Japanese occupied China. The rape of Nanking, anyone? It was brutal. Even since I’ve been here, I’ve seen the prejudice against the Japanese. Mike often uses the Japanese as examples in lectures in order to push this idea. The older generations do not like the Japanese, especially in the north, Manchuria, where the Japanese occupied the longest.
The younger generation does not care. Last fall, I read an article in National Geographic about the northern provinces of China. The unemployment up there is very high, maybe 15%. However, the Japanese are moving businesses into the area. Many of the younger generations are working for them, but their parents are very angry, for they still hold animosity towards the Japanese.
Today in class, I asked the question, “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why.” I had a girl answer, “Japan, because it is very beautiful and it is growing and I enjoy it very much.” I was surprised. Soon after, another girl said, “I, too, would like to go to Japan. My major is Japanese language, and someday I hope to be a business woman in Japan.” I was taken aback entirely. This is unheard of, but the younger generation has no reason to dislike the Japanese.
I almost wonder what their families think.
Regardless, the gap is large. The generations made a huge jump. In the 80’s, China began to open up to the world. It wasn’t until the last few generations that technology has entered into China. So the generations took a huge leap forward in things they used.
Perhaps at some point I’ll ask some of the older generations what they think of the younger generations.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Observations: Teachers in China
I will now discontinue the trend of event and storytelling and now I shall do an observation or topical post.
As some of you may know, many of the participants here are teachers. Middle school teachers to be specific. Now, in China, you only “have” to go to school up to middle school (8th or 9th grade). I say “have” because it’s not compulsory.
Ok, so there are approximately 1.4 billion people in China. There are not enough schools. I have heard of class sizes as low as 40 – 50 and as high as 150-170. Per classroom. In middle school. Because there are many students, it is hard to teach. Many of the students are… well middle schoolers. Unruly and difficult.
The teachers do not have a choice in curriculum or really HOW they teach. They also do not have much money to experiment with what little they can.
Furthermore, I have asked many of them if they like being teachers.
No one really does. It is difficult. I asked them why and they said, “Too much work. Not enough pay.” They work hard and hardly get paid. In fact, I heard at one point that sometime they have to pay for some things. So it is difficult to support a family. No one really wants to be a teacher because the class sizes are so huge, the students do not want to learn, and the pay is not good.
So the teachers do not want to teach and the students do not want to learn.
High school (senior middle school) is much different. That is a choice and so the class sizes drop dramatically. If a student does not do well in school up to middle school, they will not go on. Many of them need to get jobs to help support their families.
Finally, in China, changing jobs is very difficult. You graduate from teaching school and you are a teacher.
For life.
It is extremely difficult to change. In fact, I have had questions asking if it is easy in America to change jobs. This is a novel thing for them. Some of them hope that learning English MAY have the possibility of another job, but hope is grim.
University students are essentially the elite. You do not go to university if you are not a good student. Or at least wealthy. These students are only a small portion of the population. One interesting fact from university: you and your roommates are roommates for your entire time. Also in any grade, a class monitor is chosen and that person is the class monitor for the entire time in that grade school (middle/high/university)
Lastly, in China, you maintain contact with your classmates for life. Even if they are just middle school, or perhaps high school, or even university. You are in contact with them until you die. You know their job, how many children, their names, etc.
As some of you may know, many of the participants here are teachers. Middle school teachers to be specific. Now, in China, you only “have” to go to school up to middle school (8th or 9th grade). I say “have” because it’s not compulsory.
Ok, so there are approximately 1.4 billion people in China. There are not enough schools. I have heard of class sizes as low as 40 – 50 and as high as 150-170. Per classroom. In middle school. Because there are many students, it is hard to teach. Many of the students are… well middle schoolers. Unruly and difficult.
The teachers do not have a choice in curriculum or really HOW they teach. They also do not have much money to experiment with what little they can.
Furthermore, I have asked many of them if they like being teachers.
No one really does. It is difficult. I asked them why and they said, “Too much work. Not enough pay.” They work hard and hardly get paid. In fact, I heard at one point that sometime they have to pay for some things. So it is difficult to support a family. No one really wants to be a teacher because the class sizes are so huge, the students do not want to learn, and the pay is not good.
So the teachers do not want to teach and the students do not want to learn.
High school (senior middle school) is much different. That is a choice and so the class sizes drop dramatically. If a student does not do well in school up to middle school, they will not go on. Many of them need to get jobs to help support their families.
Finally, in China, changing jobs is very difficult. You graduate from teaching school and you are a teacher.
For life.
It is extremely difficult to change. In fact, I have had questions asking if it is easy in America to change jobs. This is a novel thing for them. Some of them hope that learning English MAY have the possibility of another job, but hope is grim.
University students are essentially the elite. You do not go to university if you are not a good student. Or at least wealthy. These students are only a small portion of the population. One interesting fact from university: you and your roommates are roommates for your entire time. Also in any grade, a class monitor is chosen and that person is the class monitor for the entire time in that grade school (middle/high/university)
Lastly, in China, you maintain contact with your classmates for life. Even if they are just middle school, or perhaps high school, or even university. You are in contact with them until you die. You know their job, how many children, their names, etc.
Apartment
Alright. I hope the shock of my eating, and enjoying, dog is over. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read my last post.
I know what you’re thinking. “Wow, Tyler, you haven’t written in a week and now you post a whole bunch.” Well, I’ll be honest.
I didn’t realize it had been a week. Actually, I don’t know how I didn’t see that. I try to be regular, but things were busy and fast.
So back to the weekend. I have one more good story.
I was ready for some downtime when Cindy, one of my leaders, called me and asked if I wanted to go to where my apartment is (for after the program) and stay there on Saturday. Sundays we always spend down at their apartment for a team meeting, so it would be pretty convenient . So, I seized the day.
Carpe diem. Heck yea.
Course, no one had ever lived there. It is fully furnished (I have photos somewhere), but very dusty and dirty. So, I threw some things in a bag and we made the trip. I took inventory and started cleaning. First to sweep. Then to mop.
Oh, did I mention that all floors are tile? Easier to clean or something.
Honestly, give me a vacuum over a mop any day.
So I swept. And mopped. Both rooms, kitchen, and living area. I cleaned the bathroom, wiped off the furniture and shelves, etc. In between all of this, I went to the store with some others and then went out to eat with some of the girls to a Western restaurant. This was an oasis of sorts because it served Starbucks coffee and Hagan-Dazes ice cream. It had some great food, and a live violin player. A great time, to be sure.
So, now we’re back at the apartment after a good meal. Daisy and Ericka came up to show me how to use the washer and fix a few odds and ends. I did some laundry (NOT by hand, but still hang dry) and got ready for bed. I curled up in bed, and dozed off…
…only to awake around 2:30 AM in a sweat. The room was hot. Sweltering. Uncomfortable. Oh, that’s strange, the AC went off. I get the remote and hit the button.
Nothing.
I hit the touch lamp next to me.
Nothing.
Crap. I wander to the window and see lights on in other buildings.
This can only mean one thing.
You see, the week before, I learned that to get electricity, you have a card. You put money on the card and swipe it at your apartment’s meter. When the money runs out…
Well, the power runs out.
Now, it makes sense that there was not a lot of money on the card because no one lived there! I was stuck in a hot apartment.
Try sleeping in a sauna around 80 – 90 degrees and 80 – 100% humidity. Eventually, I did fall back to sleep, and around 8, I could not lay there in my own sweat any longer. So I got up. Thankfully, there was enough hot water in the water heater for a warmish shower to wash the sweat off.
At the time, it was interesting… now it is definitely funny. And, of course, the team kept asking me, with a laugh, “So did you sleep well last night?”
Oh boy, did I ever…
I know what you’re thinking. “Wow, Tyler, you haven’t written in a week and now you post a whole bunch.” Well, I’ll be honest.
I didn’t realize it had been a week. Actually, I don’t know how I didn’t see that. I try to be regular, but things were busy and fast.
So back to the weekend. I have one more good story.
I was ready for some downtime when Cindy, one of my leaders, called me and asked if I wanted to go to where my apartment is (for after the program) and stay there on Saturday. Sundays we always spend down at their apartment for a team meeting, so it would be pretty convenient . So, I seized the day.
Carpe diem. Heck yea.
Course, no one had ever lived there. It is fully furnished (I have photos somewhere), but very dusty and dirty. So, I threw some things in a bag and we made the trip. I took inventory and started cleaning. First to sweep. Then to mop.
Oh, did I mention that all floors are tile? Easier to clean or something.
Honestly, give me a vacuum over a mop any day.
So I swept. And mopped. Both rooms, kitchen, and living area. I cleaned the bathroom, wiped off the furniture and shelves, etc. In between all of this, I went to the store with some others and then went out to eat with some of the girls to a Western restaurant. This was an oasis of sorts because it served Starbucks coffee and Hagan-Dazes ice cream. It had some great food, and a live violin player. A great time, to be sure.
So, now we’re back at the apartment after a good meal. Daisy and Ericka came up to show me how to use the washer and fix a few odds and ends. I did some laundry (NOT by hand, but still hang dry) and got ready for bed. I curled up in bed, and dozed off…
…only to awake around 2:30 AM in a sweat. The room was hot. Sweltering. Uncomfortable. Oh, that’s strange, the AC went off. I get the remote and hit the button.
Nothing.
I hit the touch lamp next to me.
Nothing.
Crap. I wander to the window and see lights on in other buildings.
This can only mean one thing.
You see, the week before, I learned that to get electricity, you have a card. You put money on the card and swipe it at your apartment’s meter. When the money runs out…
Well, the power runs out.
Now, it makes sense that there was not a lot of money on the card because no one lived there! I was stuck in a hot apartment.
Try sleeping in a sauna around 80 – 90 degrees and 80 – 100% humidity. Eventually, I did fall back to sleep, and around 8, I could not lay there in my own sweat any longer. So I got up. Thankfully, there was enough hot water in the water heater for a warmish shower to wash the sweat off.
At the time, it was interesting… now it is definitely funny. And, of course, the team kept asking me, with a laugh, “So did you sleep well last night?”
Oh boy, did I ever…
Plants and other things
I realize it has been a while since I wrote last. Things have been busy.
We went to the Shijiazhuang Botanical Garden on Saturday morning with all of the participants. The place is enormous. Of course, when we first got there, everyone wanted photos. I was so sick of smiling when everything was done. Despite this, it was a great time. There was an amusement park, and I went on a small rollercoaster. It was pretty sweet. You go upside twice, some quick falls. It was about half teachers and half younger students (Pink class). The girl I sat next to was so scared. It was her first time! I was laughing and told her she’d never forget it.
She probably won’t. I was afraid she was NOT enjoying it she was screaming so much, but when I asked her at the end if she enjoyed it, she did!
That was fun, and you can find the photos on facebook.
After the garden, we had a large party for Mike’s, one of our leaders, birthday. This was a good time for all and great food.
There is an important thing here. Maybe some of you skim these, maybe some of you just look for fancy photos which I never include because I hate formatting. However, I want one and all to read this very carefully:
At this party…
I ATE DOG!
It went something like this:
With my chopsticks, I reached for some cold meat. I had no idea what it was, but I just don’t ask. I eat. As I reached for it, my friend next to me said, “That is dog!”
“Dog?”
“Yes, dog!”
“Cool!” And so I ate. The conversation then turned to if we eat dog in America.
It tasted very good. It had a mild flavor (tastes like chicken? It was salty) and was very tender.
So, I will let you digest (HAHAAHAAH) that, and I will proceed to write about the rest of the weekend in the next posting.
We went to the Shijiazhuang Botanical Garden on Saturday morning with all of the participants. The place is enormous. Of course, when we first got there, everyone wanted photos. I was so sick of smiling when everything was done. Despite this, it was a great time. There was an amusement park, and I went on a small rollercoaster. It was pretty sweet. You go upside twice, some quick falls. It was about half teachers and half younger students (Pink class). The girl I sat next to was so scared. It was her first time! I was laughing and told her she’d never forget it.
She probably won’t. I was afraid she was NOT enjoying it she was screaming so much, but when I asked her at the end if she enjoyed it, she did!
That was fun, and you can find the photos on facebook.
After the garden, we had a large party for Mike’s, one of our leaders, birthday. This was a good time for all and great food.
There is an important thing here. Maybe some of you skim these, maybe some of you just look for fancy photos which I never include because I hate formatting. However, I want one and all to read this very carefully:
At this party…
I ATE DOG!
It went something like this:
With my chopsticks, I reached for some cold meat. I had no idea what it was, but I just don’t ask. I eat. As I reached for it, my friend next to me said, “That is dog!”
“Dog?”
“Yes, dog!”
“Cool!” And so I ate. The conversation then turned to if we eat dog in America.
It tasted very good. It had a mild flavor (tastes like chicken? It was salty) and was very tender.
So, I will let you digest (HAHAAHAAH) that, and I will proceed to write about the rest of the weekend in the next posting.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Things
This weekend we went to visit the Zhaozhou (Jaow-joe) bridge build around 600 AD. It’s the oldest bridge in the world of its type and it’s the oldest bridge in China. Pictures: http://nwcollege.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003466&l=4f6aa&id=167100581. To illustrate the importance of this bridge to the Chinese: In the history book I am reading, there is a picture of it; many of the participants in one of my classes could name the man who made it; every Chinese I’ve talked to know exactly what the bridge is. It pretty much rocked. More information is included within some of the photos, so don’t skip too many!
That evening we took two of our Chinese friends, both students at this university, to Pizza Hut. They’d never had pizza. They really liked it! Of course, so did we. The first thing I thought when I took my first bite was, “God Bless America.” There are two Pizza Huts, a few McDonalds, and even more KFC. KFC is huge over here. The Pizza Hut was fancy: you sat down and ordered, the food was great, and they served fancy things like escargot. One of the McDonalds we went to actually sat us down and took our orders.
I love this country.
This week is more teaching. I think tomorrow a few of us have the morning off and are going to run into town to shop. Who knows what we’ll find. Yesterday, I was delayed and missed the rest of the team when they left. We were in another part of town. I really wanted to go to the store, so I hoped a taxi (the main mode of transportation) and went by myself. I wasn’t worried, because at this point it’s old hat. Nonetheless, it was fun. Observations: I’m better with remembering places than I thought. Thankfully. The taxi driver dropped me off somewhere I was only vaguely familiar with, but I found my landmarks. The school is about 20km north of the main areas of the city.
I have a bruise on my arm from playing volleyball. It was a blast, but obviously I have bad form. Highlight: Right when I started trash talking, I totally missed a shot. Teach me!
This will be short. Things have been relatively quiet, at least as far as what can be said. I’ll write again soon. Things are never quiet for long.
That evening we took two of our Chinese friends, both students at this university, to Pizza Hut. They’d never had pizza. They really liked it! Of course, so did we. The first thing I thought when I took my first bite was, “God Bless America.” There are two Pizza Huts, a few McDonalds, and even more KFC. KFC is huge over here. The Pizza Hut was fancy: you sat down and ordered, the food was great, and they served fancy things like escargot. One of the McDonalds we went to actually sat us down and took our orders.
I love this country.
This week is more teaching. I think tomorrow a few of us have the morning off and are going to run into town to shop. Who knows what we’ll find. Yesterday, I was delayed and missed the rest of the team when they left. We were in another part of town. I really wanted to go to the store, so I hoped a taxi (the main mode of transportation) and went by myself. I wasn’t worried, because at this point it’s old hat. Nonetheless, it was fun. Observations: I’m better with remembering places than I thought. Thankfully. The taxi driver dropped me off somewhere I was only vaguely familiar with, but I found my landmarks. The school is about 20km north of the main areas of the city.
I have a bruise on my arm from playing volleyball. It was a blast, but obviously I have bad form. Highlight: Right when I started trash talking, I totally missed a shot. Teach me!
This will be short. Things have been relatively quiet, at least as far as what can be said. I’ll write again soon. Things are never quiet for long.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Videos and Pollution
Oh snap.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/15/content_348397.htm
Skim down to the fourth paragraph. Skip over some of the names which are near unpronounceable (after studying Pinyin, they are still difficult for me), and you will see down the list a city:
Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province
Word. I'm living in a city that ranks 7 out of 10 in poor air quality. Strangely, I haven't noticed it too much. Our school is just on the edge of the city, so perhaps that is part of it. The times I've been down town haven't been bad though.
In other news, one of my fellow teachers took some videos on my camera of me teaching. I put them together and uploaded them.
http://www.llarian.net/~xhentild/China/Teaching2.wmv
The first video, I am teaching a proverb. You'll notice at the end I blow on the chalk. The tray that the chalks rests in has about a quarter inch of chalk dust…
In the second video, we are playing a game: The Adverb game. I had each participant write an action on a piece of paper, then write an adverb on another piece. Then a team volunteered to come up, randomly pick one action and one adverb, and act it out without using words. Then the other teams had to guess (I had prizes). I think this one was reading quietly.
Enjoy.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/15/content_348397.htm
Skim down to the fourth paragraph. Skip over some of the names which are near unpronounceable (after studying Pinyin, they are still difficult for me), and you will see down the list a city:
Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province
Word. I'm living in a city that ranks 7 out of 10 in poor air quality. Strangely, I haven't noticed it too much. Our school is just on the edge of the city, so perhaps that is part of it. The times I've been down town haven't been bad though.
In other news, one of my fellow teachers took some videos on my camera of me teaching. I put them together and uploaded them.
http://www.llarian.net/~xhentild/China/Teaching2.wmv
The first video, I am teaching a proverb. You'll notice at the end I blow on the chalk. The tray that the chalks rests in has about a quarter inch of chalk dust…
In the second video, we are playing a game: The Adverb game. I had each participant write an action on a piece of paper, then write an adverb on another piece. Then a team volunteered to come up, randomly pick one action and one adverb, and act it out without using words. Then the other teams had to guess (I had prizes). I think this one was reading quietly.
Enjoy.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
MOST uncomfortable and most fun
I know what you're thinking. Two posts in less than 24 hours.
Well it has been an eventful day.
In this wonderful post, we will explore the events of today: the most uncomfortable (moreso than the previous) and the most fun (or BEST).
The most uncomfortable: I spent the afternoon teaching by myself. I found myself really getting into it. I always like to tell stories to illustrate things, and they eat that kind of stuff up. In one of the sections of the poem, "If", by Rudyard Kipling, it says:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
To illustrate the very last line, I told the story of when our house burnt down back in '91 (i think). I found myself getting into it, and actually getting emotional about it. It drove the point home well (to summarize: we lost everything, but I don't remember my parents "breathing a word about our loss").
Back on track. Most uncomfortable moment is very similar, in fact they are related, to this morning (my last post). This one was on a larger scale. I was talking with one of my friends, we'll call him Jack. Jack is a very happy man and always making jokes. Overall a great guy. At one point, he said in a loud voice, "Tyler, we all agree. You are most handsome." I believe he said "of the teachers" but in my own already uncomfortable mind, I like the first version better. There was some giggling from the rest of the class (oh, there are only three guys in the class. Of 30). But Jack was not done. He proceeded to turn around and say to the class, "Right?" And in unison everyone says, "Right!" This was too much for my already beleaguered mind, and I proceeded to attempt to deflect the compliment the Chinese way (Ohhhh no no no, you are too kind to me). This didn't work. Many of them voiced their agreement individually. Eventually, and somewhat quickly, the conversation lulled and changed.
I couldn't tell you why this makes me uncomfortable. I think it is in the FORM of attention I am getting. One way or another, it definitely makes me laugh.
The most fun: My roommate had a brilliant idea: invite all of the male participants to dinner. We have 220 students.
And maybe 30 guys.
So, he had one of the team here help get reservations at a restaurant. We wanted to make sure that WE paid and that they were our guests (we invited, so according to protocol, we pay. However, we wanted to make sure). So we told all of the guys: 5:30, front gate. When we showed up 10 minutes early to the gate, everyone was waiting for us. All of the guys. At first I only saw maybe 10, inside the gate. When we walked out there were almost 20 waiting.
And when I saw this huge mass of Chinese men, ranging from late 20's to early 40's, my heart swelled. They were all so excited to eat with us.
So we arrived. They gave myself and one of my compatriots the seat of honor at one of the three tables. They were so kind: they filled our glasses whenever they were empty (don't refuse. They'll lose face most likely). They toasted to us (make sure to read my entry about banquet etiquette. Although this wasn't a banquet, we did much toasting). In fact, I think we toasted to beer (they drank beer), soda (we countered with soda), young men, old men, fathers, sons, to students, to teachers, to each other, to English, to glasses, to no glasses, to friends, and on and on. I'll tell you one thing: the Chinese know how to have a good time. There was laughter and friendship. We expressed to them many times that it was our express honor to eat with them.
And it was. This easily is one of the greatest experiences yet. And I am sure that it will rank in the top for the entire trip.
There were many pictures taken, but none with my camera. So, we will all have to wait for a while until the team returns to the states.
Sorry this one is so long. Someone comment on these things, for once!
Well it has been an eventful day.
In this wonderful post, we will explore the events of today: the most uncomfortable (moreso than the previous) and the most fun (or BEST).
The most uncomfortable: I spent the afternoon teaching by myself. I found myself really getting into it. I always like to tell stories to illustrate things, and they eat that kind of stuff up. In one of the sections of the poem, "If", by Rudyard Kipling, it says:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
To illustrate the very last line, I told the story of when our house burnt down back in '91 (i think). I found myself getting into it, and actually getting emotional about it. It drove the point home well (to summarize: we lost everything, but I don't remember my parents "breathing a word about our loss").
Back on track. Most uncomfortable moment is very similar, in fact they are related, to this morning (my last post). This one was on a larger scale. I was talking with one of my friends, we'll call him Jack. Jack is a very happy man and always making jokes. Overall a great guy. At one point, he said in a loud voice, "Tyler, we all agree. You are most handsome." I believe he said "of the teachers" but in my own already uncomfortable mind, I like the first version better. There was some giggling from the rest of the class (oh, there are only three guys in the class. Of 30). But Jack was not done. He proceeded to turn around and say to the class, "Right?" And in unison everyone says, "Right!" This was too much for my already beleaguered mind, and I proceeded to attempt to deflect the compliment the Chinese way (Ohhhh no no no, you are too kind to me). This didn't work. Many of them voiced their agreement individually. Eventually, and somewhat quickly, the conversation lulled and changed.
I couldn't tell you why this makes me uncomfortable. I think it is in the FORM of attention I am getting. One way or another, it definitely makes me laugh.
The most fun: My roommate had a brilliant idea: invite all of the male participants to dinner. We have 220 students.
And maybe 30 guys.
So, he had one of the team here help get reservations at a restaurant. We wanted to make sure that WE paid and that they were our guests (we invited, so according to protocol, we pay. However, we wanted to make sure). So we told all of the guys: 5:30, front gate. When we showed up 10 minutes early to the gate, everyone was waiting for us. All of the guys. At first I only saw maybe 10, inside the gate. When we walked out there were almost 20 waiting.
And when I saw this huge mass of Chinese men, ranging from late 20's to early 40's, my heart swelled. They were all so excited to eat with us.
So we arrived. They gave myself and one of my compatriots the seat of honor at one of the three tables. They were so kind: they filled our glasses whenever they were empty (don't refuse. They'll lose face most likely). They toasted to us (make sure to read my entry about banquet etiquette. Although this wasn't a banquet, we did much toasting). In fact, I think we toasted to beer (they drank beer), soda (we countered with soda), young men, old men, fathers, sons, to students, to teachers, to each other, to English, to glasses, to no glasses, to friends, and on and on. I'll tell you one thing: the Chinese know how to have a good time. There was laughter and friendship. We expressed to them many times that it was our express honor to eat with them.
And it was. This easily is one of the greatest experiences yet. And I am sure that it will rank in the top for the entire trip.
There were many pictures taken, but none with my camera. So, we will all have to wait for a while until the team returns to the states.
Sorry this one is so long. Someone comment on these things, for once!
Uncomfortable
Today was the first day that I taught a class alone. There is just one catch:
I’d never had this class before. Instead of older English teachers, they were a new class of students. Some middle school , but mainly university. Now their English was very good, but I had a bad feeling when walked into the room…
And the girls started giggling and whispering.
Did I mention that 90% of the room was girls?
In my almost 22 years on this earth, I fear a few things. One is girls when they giggle and whisper.
Did I say fear? I meant I get really uncomfortable.
So I taught the class. It wasn’t my best one, but that’s how we learn. On the schedule was a dumb song, “Scarborough Fair.” Man, I can hardly SAY Scarborough, let alone teach it. I listened to it, looked at it, and realized I did not want to teach that.
So I didn’t.
But that left me with some extra time. So I have a “filler” activity up my sleeve: I ask them questions. It gets them talking in English. The one I have used so far is: “Where in China would you like to visit and why?” I tell you what, I’ve learned a lot about different places in China from this. This activity went very well because these folks were not afraid to talk. We then went into English Corner where there is one foreign teacher to maybe 6 – 8 participants. This is their time to ask questions. It’s very fun and I’ve been asked some really great questions. Today things started out with, “Do you have many wolves where you are from in Alaska?”
I’ll be honest, I was a bit taken aback.
So far the class has been good, right? Nothing too bad. English Corner went very well.
But then the class ended. I was asked several times for my email, which I gave out. However, at this point, something inside me was unsettled. Perhaps it was the severe paranoia that my brother has instilled in me about electronic things. Something didn’t set well with giving my email out, so I decided to make a separate email to give people. So I now have a third email account on gmail.
After this, I had a few more photos (I think I’m past 10 now). Two gals asked for a photo, and I really didn’t want to do it IN the class, so we went into the hall and took the photo. Afterwards, the conversation went something like this:
Girl 1: “I think you are very handsome.”
Me: “Uh, thank you. You are too kind to me.” (The Chinese are very modest, so I was trying to act Chinese throughout this. It fit)
Girl 2: “Me too!”
Me: “Oh, uh, no no, you are too kind.” (I may have been looking for the exit at this point)
Girl 1 looks me dead in the eye: “I am telling the truth.”
Me: “Oh, thank you, you are too kind to me. I must go. Have a good day!” (In the middle of this, I was walking away slowly)
At this point I headed for the door VERY quickly. I think I was blushing. And stammering. And VERY uncomfortable. Luckily, on the way out, I ran into another of my team.
What have I learned from this? The Chinese are VERY indirect about somethings…
And very direct about others.
I’d never had this class before. Instead of older English teachers, they were a new class of students. Some middle school , but mainly university. Now their English was very good, but I had a bad feeling when walked into the room…
And the girls started giggling and whispering.
Did I mention that 90% of the room was girls?
In my almost 22 years on this earth, I fear a few things. One is girls when they giggle and whisper.
Did I say fear? I meant I get really uncomfortable.
So I taught the class. It wasn’t my best one, but that’s how we learn. On the schedule was a dumb song, “Scarborough Fair.” Man, I can hardly SAY Scarborough, let alone teach it. I listened to it, looked at it, and realized I did not want to teach that.
So I didn’t.
But that left me with some extra time. So I have a “filler” activity up my sleeve: I ask them questions. It gets them talking in English. The one I have used so far is: “Where in China would you like to visit and why?” I tell you what, I’ve learned a lot about different places in China from this. This activity went very well because these folks were not afraid to talk. We then went into English Corner where there is one foreign teacher to maybe 6 – 8 participants. This is their time to ask questions. It’s very fun and I’ve been asked some really great questions. Today things started out with, “Do you have many wolves where you are from in Alaska?”
I’ll be honest, I was a bit taken aback.
So far the class has been good, right? Nothing too bad. English Corner went very well.
But then the class ended. I was asked several times for my email, which I gave out. However, at this point, something inside me was unsettled. Perhaps it was the severe paranoia that my brother has instilled in me about electronic things. Something didn’t set well with giving my email out, so I decided to make a separate email to give people. So I now have a third email account on gmail.
After this, I had a few more photos (I think I’m past 10 now). Two gals asked for a photo, and I really didn’t want to do it IN the class, so we went into the hall and took the photo. Afterwards, the conversation went something like this:
Girl 1: “I think you are very handsome.”
Me: “Uh, thank you. You are too kind to me.” (The Chinese are very modest, so I was trying to act Chinese throughout this. It fit)
Girl 2: “Me too!”
Me: “Oh, uh, no no, you are too kind.” (I may have been looking for the exit at this point)
Girl 1 looks me dead in the eye: “I am telling the truth.”
Me: “Oh, thank you, you are too kind to me. I must go. Have a good day!” (In the middle of this, I was walking away slowly)
At this point I headed for the door VERY quickly. I think I was blushing. And stammering. And VERY uncomfortable. Luckily, on the way out, I ran into another of my team.
What have I learned from this? The Chinese are VERY indirect about somethings…
And very direct about others.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Nothing too eventful has happened recently. Just more teaching. I need to take some more photos. Perhaps I will have someone take photos during class today or sometime. I’ll throw a picture in here of my roommate and I are a huge water fight with some kids on Saturday. The game?
Get the foreigners wet.
Other things: I don’t seem to be able to eat much here. I don’t know if it is the heat, but I eat a small amount and I am full. It’s strange, but I’m satisfied with meals, so it’s not bad.
I’m still getting eaten alive in my sleep. Some look like mosquitoes or spiders, others look like bed bugs. Oh well.
I’ll take the rest of this to clarify some of my list:
Times I’ve been swindled: I took a “tourist” taxi from the airport to the hotel. I was tired and wanted to get there, so I took the first thing I got. Yea, it was stupid over and over again and cost me about 10 times as much. First and last time.
For those who don’t know, a “squatty potty” is the most common “toilet” over here. They have western toilets, but in most public areas, there is just a hole in the ground. And you have to squat. It’s really interesting. I’m still perfecting my technique.
As for the clothes: I have about 5 shirts I use for teaching, but I’ve only worn four. I rotate through them and I’ve only done laundry once. I either do it by hand or wait until one of the permanent team goes home and beg them to do it. My roommate did use the laundry service here in our building and it didn’t take too long. I may use that. Anyway, the point of it all is: laundry takes a while (no dryers), so we all wear the same clothes in a rotating fashion.
And no, Brian Baker, I have never said YES to wanting a Chinese girlfriend. That’d be trouble waiting to happen.
The photo one and the thinking fast one also have increased in number.
Monday, July 16, 2007
A new week
Today, I taught my first class as the lead teacher. Then, looking at the schedule, I saw that any time I am teaching, I am the lead. At one point, one of the permanent team mentioned that they knew I could do it. This was definitely encouraging for me because I knew I could do it too, but I was still nervous. Furthermore, my first class was me and another of the new team. I had no permanent team member with me a safety net. It was all us.
And we did it. I even had a participant say I was a good teacher, which encouraged me.
Considering she was a teacher herself.
The new schedule allows for some time off. I have Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning off. I figure this is prime time to catch up on my journal that I have to keep, write up a post about the weekend (with what details I can) and maybe include a photo, and perhaps draft my email list email. I always have some reading to do, and a few other things that are always of high importance.
Also, I think I might clean our room. It’s pretty much a disaster.
So, the minor inconveniences: I separated part of my fingernail late Sunday. I hit my finger, it started to hurt. I looked down, and even in the dark I could see blood under and around a small portion of my fingernail (my thumb at that). Additionally, the last few nights have left me with an increasing number of bug bites. I have them everywhere from my arms to the palms of my hands.
The good things: One of the permanent team washed my clothes on Sunday. Course I had to dry them in my little patio/drying room (I asked if they even HAD dryers in this country. I guess they do, but they use a lot of power and no one wants that), but they were dry by morning. So now I have clean laundry that is just a bit stiff, but man does it smell good. Also, I think I am finally getting better from whatever bug was making its home in my stomach. Perhaps the charcoal pills I took helped.
Today in class as I stood up there and explained something to everyone, I got an overwhelming feeling.
An overwhelming feelings of satisfaction.
And we did it. I even had a participant say I was a good teacher, which encouraged me.
Considering she was a teacher herself.
The new schedule allows for some time off. I have Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning off. I figure this is prime time to catch up on my journal that I have to keep, write up a post about the weekend (with what details I can) and maybe include a photo, and perhaps draft my email list email. I always have some reading to do, and a few other things that are always of high importance.
Also, I think I might clean our room. It’s pretty much a disaster.
So, the minor inconveniences: I separated part of my fingernail late Sunday. I hit my finger, it started to hurt. I looked down, and even in the dark I could see blood under and around a small portion of my fingernail (my thumb at that). Additionally, the last few nights have left me with an increasing number of bug bites. I have them everywhere from my arms to the palms of my hands.
The good things: One of the permanent team washed my clothes on Sunday. Course I had to dry them in my little patio/drying room (I asked if they even HAD dryers in this country. I guess they do, but they use a lot of power and no one wants that), but they were dry by morning. So now I have clean laundry that is just a bit stiff, but man does it smell good. Also, I think I am finally getting better from whatever bug was making its home in my stomach. Perhaps the charcoal pills I took helped.
Today in class as I stood up there and explained something to everyone, I got an overwhelming feeling.
An overwhelming feelings of satisfaction.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Random Facts
Alright, here are some random things from my trip so far:
How many times:
Note, these are all just from a week of being here. Maybe I’ll try to update and add to this list every so often….
EDIT: I thought of a few more things and had to update my "handsome" one. And I reformated to bullet points.
How many times:
- I’ve been called handsome (to my face): 3
- I’ve been called wise by my own teammate in front of the entire class (much to my chagrin): 1
- I’ve been asked awkward questions in front of the class: 3
- I’ve been swindled: 1
- I’ve been asked if I want a Chinese girlfriend: 2
- I’ve had to think very fast in regard to questions asked: 5
- I’ve made a fool of myself: 1
- I’ve had a participant buy me lunch: 1 (today was my first time! It’s an honor for them)
- I've had my picture taken before/after class: 4
- I've thought that the sound of cicadas reminds me of a horror film: 6
- I've worn the same outfit without washing: Almost every day
- the Chinese wear the same outfit without washing: Same
- I've used a "squatty potty": 2
- I’ve eaten donkey: 1
- I’ve wished for American food: I lost count (honestly, everyone thinks that the food is sooo great—when they’re in the States. You try eating it for three meals a day).
- I’ve had a participant or a university student here help me: I lost count
- I’ve caught myself using “Special English” with my fellow Americans: 3
- I've been told by the students that they love us and are having a great time: Everyday
- I've thought that this is the greatest thing I've ever done: Everyday
- my mom has told me she missed me: infinity
- How much my lunch today cost: >$1 (and there was more food than I could eat)
- Scariest thing I’ve done so far: hand my passport, visa, and photo to a Chinese guy (to get my visa extended). Course, I know it’ll be taken care of well.
- How many children in stores have grabbed their mom or grandma and said in Chinese, “Foreigner!”: 6
- How many bugs I drown in my cold coffee this morning: 2
Note, these are all just from a week of being here. Maybe I’ll try to update and add to this list every so often….
EDIT: I thought of a few more things and had to update my "handsome" one. And I reformated to bullet points.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Classroom Observations I
I’ve had two days in the classroom at this point. By the time most of you read this, I will either be sleeping, or back in the classroom for day three. If you haven’t caught on already, I observe. A lot. In fact, I didn’t realize how much I did until the last week or so. I love culture, hence my major, so this is prime time for me.
Here’s a big one: We are required to be in the classroom by no later than 15 minutes before class starts. We are encouraged to be there 30 minutes before. This is so we can mingle with our class. I arrived 30 minute before class one day and half of the class was already there. In fact, every time I thought I was early, I had roughly half or more of the class who had beat me to it.
They take notes on everything.
They remember even more.
Nothing slips past these folks. We read short stories and then ask questions afterwards. They always have the answers. They are quick, sharp, even with a second language handicap. Their vocabulary amazes me sometimes. Today, one of the other teachers asked if anyone knew what "carbonated water" was. Someone said, "Carbon dioxide in water to make it bubbly." That blew me away. I did a test today and during a game I wrote ALASKA on the board. They were supposed to ask me questions to see how that word connected to me. When I introduced myself to all 175 participants, I mentioned I was from the great state of Alaska.
They all remembered.
In fact, they wrote ALL of our names down during that introduction and ALL of the information we presented on the board.
These folks are humbling me. They are diligent, quick, and excited. I love to ask questions when I’m teaching something because they love to respond (and I hate just talking). They love to test words. If I say a hard word like anticipation, there would be a murmur in the room as they all repeated it quietly. They answer in unison very often.
Oh, and by the way, these are 98% adults. Middle school teachers. One guy I talked to has two English classes of 80 students. In the 7th grade. He’s been teaching for 6 years.
And yet, they are excited. I always ask people how class was or how the evening movie was (once a week we have an evening movie and have a lecture), and they always beam and say how great it was. They love this stuff.
Even though I am so much younger than many of them, they respect their teachers very much in this culture. I ALWAYS have participants trying to help me order food (and I appreciate them for that). They always buy me things (even when I refuse. It’s polite). I’m sure before too long, we will be buying meals for each other, as is proper in this culture. There is no “going Dutch.” If you invite, you pay.
I’ve been with these great people for only 2 days, and already I’ve learned so much from them.
Here’s a big one: We are required to be in the classroom by no later than 15 minutes before class starts. We are encouraged to be there 30 minutes before. This is so we can mingle with our class. I arrived 30 minute before class one day and half of the class was already there. In fact, every time I thought I was early, I had roughly half or more of the class who had beat me to it.
They take notes on everything.
They remember even more.
Nothing slips past these folks. We read short stories and then ask questions afterwards. They always have the answers. They are quick, sharp, even with a second language handicap. Their vocabulary amazes me sometimes. Today, one of the other teachers asked if anyone knew what "carbonated water" was. Someone said, "Carbon dioxide in water to make it bubbly." That blew me away. I did a test today and during a game I wrote ALASKA on the board. They were supposed to ask me questions to see how that word connected to me. When I introduced myself to all 175 participants, I mentioned I was from the great state of Alaska.
They all remembered.
In fact, they wrote ALL of our names down during that introduction and ALL of the information we presented on the board.
These folks are humbling me. They are diligent, quick, and excited. I love to ask questions when I’m teaching something because they love to respond (and I hate just talking). They love to test words. If I say a hard word like anticipation, there would be a murmur in the room as they all repeated it quietly. They answer in unison very often.
Oh, and by the way, these are 98% adults. Middle school teachers. One guy I talked to has two English classes of 80 students. In the 7th grade. He’s been teaching for 6 years.
And yet, they are excited. I always ask people how class was or how the evening movie was (once a week we have an evening movie and have a lecture), and they always beam and say how great it was. They love this stuff.
Even though I am so much younger than many of them, they respect their teachers very much in this culture. I ALWAYS have participants trying to help me order food (and I appreciate them for that). They always buy me things (even when I refuse. It’s polite). I’m sure before too long, we will be buying meals for each other, as is proper in this culture. There is no “going Dutch.” If you invite, you pay.
I’ve been with these great people for only 2 days, and already I’ve learned so much from them.
Banquet ettiquette
I’ve been to two formal dinners so far in China, so allow me to elaborate on some of the culture involved in the formal dinner.
China is a ranked society. Everyone is aware of their rank in a room, at work, or in a classroom. When you approach the table, you must wait to be seated by someone, for there is a seating arrangement. The seat of honor sits facing the door. The rule of thumb here: Stand next to the seat CLOSEST to the door and the host or someone will tell you where to sit. We dined with the president of the university here and his wife. Once they had taken their spots, they just told us to be seated wherever.
Toasting. You normally have two glasses: a toasting glass and a tea or water glass. You NEVER toast with tea or water because they have no value—they are free. Before you take a drink, you must wait for the host to make a toast. From then on, you can only drink when there is a toast. Usually there will be several. I’ve had ones to me directly, ones to the guys, etc. We learned quickly that we could toast each other, which is the only polite way to drink when you don’t have a tea cup.
Eating. At these formal meals, the meals are placed on a glass centerpiece that rotates (a Lazy Susan I think?). Each new meal is presented to the host first, and then moved around. You must only take small portions and never load your plate up. The last dish to be served will usually be rice, noodles, or dumplings.
You must never eat with your hands or eat food that has fallen on the table or the floor.
Never stick your chopsticks straight up or turn your glass upside down. These are an insult to your host.
In other news, I ate donkey the other day and it was good.
China is a ranked society. Everyone is aware of their rank in a room, at work, or in a classroom. When you approach the table, you must wait to be seated by someone, for there is a seating arrangement. The seat of honor sits facing the door. The rule of thumb here: Stand next to the seat CLOSEST to the door and the host or someone will tell you where to sit. We dined with the president of the university here and his wife. Once they had taken their spots, they just told us to be seated wherever.
Toasting. You normally have two glasses: a toasting glass and a tea or water glass. You NEVER toast with tea or water because they have no value—they are free. Before you take a drink, you must wait for the host to make a toast. From then on, you can only drink when there is a toast. Usually there will be several. I’ve had ones to me directly, ones to the guys, etc. We learned quickly that we could toast each other, which is the only polite way to drink when you don’t have a tea cup.
Eating. At these formal meals, the meals are placed on a glass centerpiece that rotates (a Lazy Susan I think?). Each new meal is presented to the host first, and then moved around. You must only take small portions and never load your plate up. The last dish to be served will usually be rice, noodles, or dumplings.
You must never eat with your hands or eat food that has fallen on the table or the floor.
Never stick your chopsticks straight up or turn your glass upside down. These are an insult to your host.
In other news, I ate donkey the other day and it was good.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Fool
I haven’t been here a week and I’ve made a fool of myself.
So during the game we played in class today, one of the questions was “Can you do the splits?” Well sure, anyone can do that, right? Well, I guess that some of the Chinese participants understand the English language better than me. THEY thought (and probably rightly so) the splits were ALL the way down… I didn’t, so I signed my name next to that question.
So , today at dinner, I had just had one of our new friends order dinner for me. Before I could sit down, I see Michelle, one of our team members (who has a second Chinese name that means “naughty, mischievous”), come in and say, “Tyler, we have some girls out here who want you to show them that you can do the splits. You told them you could!” Oh man… so I tried the very Chinese response, “Oh, I have another matter to attend to!” This is the polite way to say, I don’t want to. Michelle, however, is NOT Chinese. And she’s mischievous. So, finally, she says, “Just do it. They’ll love it even if you can’t.” No matter of explaining or digging myself out of a hole (or deeper) would work. So I conceded and walked outside, not believing I was going to make a fool of myself in front of three Chinese women, my roommate (who had is camera out and took a video that might make it online someday…), and one of my colleagues.
So I went out and did the splits as far as I could (not very), and said that was all I could do. Ohhh, but those Chinese ladies were upset! I had said I could do it!
“Anyone can do that! I can do that better than you!” Their English was very good.
Meanwhile, not wanting to get killed by three perturbed Chinese women, I was saying no a lot and that I misunderstood. Finally, after lecturing me that I could NOT do the splits, I ran back inside to eat my food.
My roommate took a video on his camera and I might just pull it and post it somewhere… it’s probably really funny trying to watch me dig myself out of the hole.
Meanwhile, there is a huge thunderstorm going on. Flashes and thunder two seconds apart… this is awesome.
So during the game we played in class today, one of the questions was “Can you do the splits?” Well sure, anyone can do that, right? Well, I guess that some of the Chinese participants understand the English language better than me. THEY thought (and probably rightly so) the splits were ALL the way down… I didn’t, so I signed my name next to that question.
So , today at dinner, I had just had one of our new friends order dinner for me. Before I could sit down, I see Michelle, one of our team members (who has a second Chinese name that means “naughty, mischievous”), come in and say, “Tyler, we have some girls out here who want you to show them that you can do the splits. You told them you could!” Oh man… so I tried the very Chinese response, “Oh, I have another matter to attend to!” This is the polite way to say, I don’t want to. Michelle, however, is NOT Chinese. And she’s mischievous. So, finally, she says, “Just do it. They’ll love it even if you can’t.” No matter of explaining or digging myself out of a hole (or deeper) would work. So I conceded and walked outside, not believing I was going to make a fool of myself in front of three Chinese women, my roommate (who had is camera out and took a video that might make it online someday…), and one of my colleagues.
So I went out and did the splits as far as I could (not very), and said that was all I could do. Ohhh, but those Chinese ladies were upset! I had said I could do it!
“Anyone can do that! I can do that better than you!” Their English was very good.
Meanwhile, not wanting to get killed by three perturbed Chinese women, I was saying no a lot and that I misunderstood. Finally, after lecturing me that I could NOT do the splits, I ran back inside to eat my food.
My roommate took a video on his camera and I might just pull it and post it somewhere… it’s probably really funny trying to watch me dig myself out of the hole.
Meanwhile, there is a huge thunderstorm going on. Flashes and thunder two seconds apart… this is awesome.
I'm a teacher
These are some of the nicest people I have met. They are courteous and kind to us all the time. Students on campus help us order food in the cafeteria. At a store in the city, I bought a Sprite. One of the ladies in the store came out to me shortly after I left and gave me a COLD Sprite: she didn’t want me to have a warm one! It’s fantastic.
My bed is stiff as a board, the heat is overwhelming, everything is dirty, I can hardly see in my bathroom (maybe that is for the better), I have a blister on my foot that hurts, and I have to do my laundry in a bucket—but let me tell you this: I would trade none of it for anything. This is the greatest time.
This is an adapted form of the email I sent out, so it may be old news to some of you. I’ll try to write up more soon. I think it’s almost dinner time.
I am an English teacher now on a campus that is like a small city: Hebei Jing Mao Da Xue (huh-bay jing mow dah shway). My university has 1,400 students. This school has a building that can house 22,000 at once. There are supermarkets and restaurants, gyms and hotels. This project is unique and exciting. There are around 200 middle school English teachers from all over this province (Hebei). Now in China, they teach English—in Chinese. They focus strongly on grammar but not in oral English. Our jobs are to increase their listening abilities, speaking abilities, show them American culture, and show them better ways to teach. Most Chinese teachers walk into the classroom, set down a book, and proceed to read from that book. The students take vigorous notes and that is it. The most exciting thing in all of this is these teachers will return to their classrooms better equipped and with new ideas. In essence, we are not just affecting 200 people, but many many more.
Today was our opening ceremony. We tested our participants (they are not students because they are teachers. It’s a rank society) on their English skills and then placed them in one of our six classes. We then had a group photo in the blazing hot sun. From there we had a speech by the president, some guy from the province, and our own leader. At this point, it was strange, because all of us staff got to sit on a platform with the dignitaries. Because we are teachers, we are put into places of honor.
The Chinese have a 2 – 3 hour lunch/siesta, which is probably the greatest thing I have ever seen. After this wonderfully long break, we all met in a large room, introduced ourselves (My name is Tyler. Say it with me: Tyler... I come from the wonderful state of Alaska. Alaska), explained the goals, rules, and then played a game. I’ll tell you what, these people are quick even for not knowing very good English. We speak what is called “Special English,” that is, very slow and very simple. They love to repeat things and it really is engaging being in front of everyone. The game required them to ask different people if they liked certain things or could do certain things. When we stood up and turned around to interact with our participants, I looked out and saw a sea of Chinese faces (most of them were women. In fact, the majority of students here are women). It was then that I realized that this is probably the coolest thing I have ever done.
Tomorrow starts our first class. These people were all taking notes during our meeting: they took all of our names and everything we wrote on the board (they can read English better than most of us, but cannot speak it very well). They are very eager to learn, and this makes the prospect of classes very fun.
My bed is stiff as a board, the heat is overwhelming, everything is dirty, I can hardly see in my bathroom (maybe that is for the better), I have a blister on my foot that hurts, and I have to do my laundry in a bucket—but let me tell you this: I would trade none of it for anything. This is the greatest time.
This is an adapted form of the email I sent out, so it may be old news to some of you. I’ll try to write up more soon. I think it’s almost dinner time.
I am an English teacher now on a campus that is like a small city: Hebei Jing Mao Da Xue (huh-bay jing mow dah shway). My university has 1,400 students. This school has a building that can house 22,000 at once. There are supermarkets and restaurants, gyms and hotels. This project is unique and exciting. There are around 200 middle school English teachers from all over this province (Hebei). Now in China, they teach English—in Chinese. They focus strongly on grammar but not in oral English. Our jobs are to increase their listening abilities, speaking abilities, show them American culture, and show them better ways to teach. Most Chinese teachers walk into the classroom, set down a book, and proceed to read from that book. The students take vigorous notes and that is it. The most exciting thing in all of this is these teachers will return to their classrooms better equipped and with new ideas. In essence, we are not just affecting 200 people, but many many more.
Today was our opening ceremony. We tested our participants (they are not students because they are teachers. It’s a rank society) on their English skills and then placed them in one of our six classes. We then had a group photo in the blazing hot sun. From there we had a speech by the president, some guy from the province, and our own leader. At this point, it was strange, because all of us staff got to sit on a platform with the dignitaries. Because we are teachers, we are put into places of honor.
The Chinese have a 2 – 3 hour lunch/siesta, which is probably the greatest thing I have ever seen. After this wonderfully long break, we all met in a large room, introduced ourselves (My name is Tyler. Say it with me: Tyler... I come from the wonderful state of Alaska. Alaska), explained the goals, rules, and then played a game. I’ll tell you what, these people are quick even for not knowing very good English. We speak what is called “Special English,” that is, very slow and very simple. They love to repeat things and it really is engaging being in front of everyone. The game required them to ask different people if they liked certain things or could do certain things. When we stood up and turned around to interact with our participants, I looked out and saw a sea of Chinese faces (most of them were women. In fact, the majority of students here are women). It was then that I realized that this is probably the coolest thing I have ever done.
Tomorrow starts our first class. These people were all taking notes during our meeting: they took all of our names and everything we wrote on the board (they can read English better than most of us, but cannot speak it very well). They are very eager to learn, and this makes the prospect of classes very fun.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
A long walk
This morning, I set out to go to Starbucks. I brought my backpack with a book, the Sudoku pad that Jimmy and Rachel gave me (I’m slowly picking it up), my camera, and a pad of paper. However, once I hit the intersection, I took a left instead of a right, merely on a whim. It would be an hour and a half before I’d make it to Starbucks for that iced coffee.
Well an hour and a half and one blister from my new sandals.
Anyway, I had decided just to wander. Maybe I’d find a new restaurant to eat at. I had been walking for about twenty minutes and came to an intersection where I thought I could take a right and circle the block. Luckily, I continued straight. Later, I would come out of that intersection on my way back to the hotel and taking a right was NOT the right way home.
I walked a bit more and saw a young man sitting on the sidewalk.
“Hello, friend!”
You get used to this over here, “Hello!”
“Have a seat,” he said, pointing next to him.
I quickly assessed the situation. He didn’t look to be selling something, and he wasn’t a beggar. Perhaps he was just a person wanting to talk. At this point, I really wanted to talk to someone. I hadn’t had a conversation in days. So, I shrugged and sat next to him.
“Where are you from?”
And so it began. I told him I was from America and was a tourist. He said he was looking for a job. I asked if work was hard to find, and he said it was for him. Later, he expressed his confidence that he’d find a job—he spoke English after all. We talked about the district we were in which was a more Western area. Lots of expatriates. We talked weather: he thought it was perfect, I thought it was darned hot (and getting hotter). I told him of my travels abroad, and he asked whether I liked Hong Kong or Beijing better. At one point we even talked about English accents. He said he liked the American English better than British English. Easier to understand. I agreed, but told him I was American, so of course I’d say that. He asked how his pronunciation was and I told him it wasn’t bad (and indeed it wasn’t). He said he was in high school (I swear he looked older) and had taught himself English. I commended him for his efforts.
So we sat there, going back and forth for a while. Talking about history and how Beijing had so much. About life, work, America, and on and on. There were times when we just sat there, watching the cars go by. I saw a bicycle go by that was hauling a cart loaded with cakes of coal. Coal is used quite a bit here. It must have looked a bit strange, a young Western man sitting next to a young Chinese man.
Wanting to get on my way, but not wanting to stop the moment, I continued to wait. Eventually, he said that it was time to go look for work.
“It was a pleasure meeting you,” he said, although I never caught his name.
“And you ,friend. Take care, and good luck finding a job.”
“Thank you. Bye.”
“Zaijian.” And I continued on my way.
I wandered and eventually got to a park that flanked a canal. It was a fairly typical canal in Asia: low water, stagnant, and full of trash. I took a few photos that I’ll post later. The bandwidth here at the hotel is low. I wandered the park a bit. I made to circle around, but found I wasn’t going the right way. So I cut through a forested area where a man was practicing some sort of martial arts. It followed a fenced area that looked to be an International School. Eventually I came around the other side, wandered up the street, and found myself at the exact place that I almost went right.
So I walked back and finally made it to Starbucks. The heat had grown. I figured at this point, I’d earned that iced coffee.
Well an hour and a half and one blister from my new sandals.
Anyway, I had decided just to wander. Maybe I’d find a new restaurant to eat at. I had been walking for about twenty minutes and came to an intersection where I thought I could take a right and circle the block. Luckily, I continued straight. Later, I would come out of that intersection on my way back to the hotel and taking a right was NOT the right way home.
I walked a bit more and saw a young man sitting on the sidewalk.
“Hello, friend!”
You get used to this over here, “Hello!”
“Have a seat,” he said, pointing next to him.
I quickly assessed the situation. He didn’t look to be selling something, and he wasn’t a beggar. Perhaps he was just a person wanting to talk. At this point, I really wanted to talk to someone. I hadn’t had a conversation in days. So, I shrugged and sat next to him.
“Where are you from?”
And so it began. I told him I was from America and was a tourist. He said he was looking for a job. I asked if work was hard to find, and he said it was for him. Later, he expressed his confidence that he’d find a job—he spoke English after all. We talked about the district we were in which was a more Western area. Lots of expatriates. We talked weather: he thought it was perfect, I thought it was darned hot (and getting hotter). I told him of my travels abroad, and he asked whether I liked Hong Kong or Beijing better. At one point we even talked about English accents. He said he liked the American English better than British English. Easier to understand. I agreed, but told him I was American, so of course I’d say that. He asked how his pronunciation was and I told him it wasn’t bad (and indeed it wasn’t). He said he was in high school (I swear he looked older) and had taught himself English. I commended him for his efforts.
So we sat there, going back and forth for a while. Talking about history and how Beijing had so much. About life, work, America, and on and on. There were times when we just sat there, watching the cars go by. I saw a bicycle go by that was hauling a cart loaded with cakes of coal. Coal is used quite a bit here. It must have looked a bit strange, a young Western man sitting next to a young Chinese man.
Wanting to get on my way, but not wanting to stop the moment, I continued to wait. Eventually, he said that it was time to go look for work.
“It was a pleasure meeting you,” he said, although I never caught his name.
“And you ,friend. Take care, and good luck finding a job.”
“Thank you. Bye.”
“Zaijian.” And I continued on my way.
I wandered and eventually got to a park that flanked a canal. It was a fairly typical canal in Asia: low water, stagnant, and full of trash. I took a few photos that I’ll post later. The bandwidth here at the hotel is low. I wandered the park a bit. I made to circle around, but found I wasn’t going the right way. So I cut through a forested area where a man was practicing some sort of martial arts. It followed a fenced area that looked to be an International School. Eventually I came around the other side, wandered up the street, and found myself at the exact place that I almost went right.
So I walked back and finally made it to Starbucks. The heat had grown. I figured at this point, I’d earned that iced coffee.
Finally!
So today when I walked into my room after a long walk (which will turn into another post, but I need to write it out. Internet costs by the minute, so I'm going to go offline and write it after this), I turned around to see a note under my door. A large smile crossed my face and I may have laughed out loud. After not having a conversation with anyone for a few days, finally I get to meet the person I will interning with. I had just missed her, and she said she was going to the airport around 1:30 to pick up her husband, who's been gone in the states for a month. I called her room, no answer.
So I wandered downstairs and had a coke. Then, went back upstairs, wrote a note saying I was going to lunch, and slipped it under her door. Then I went to lunch.
I paid my bill at 1:30 on the dot and was resigned to the fact that I'd have to wait a few more hours to meet Cindy. I wandered back to my room, and went to the phone to try her room one last time.
She picked up on the second ring.
We decided to meet in the lobby and hang in the Subway. She said she had a green dress.
"Are you Tyler?"
"Are you Cindy?"
We shake hands, "I'm probably the only 21 year old in the building."
So we sit and talk for a while. She bought some water and wanted to go check on its delivery, so we wandered down to the market. Along the way, she tested my knowledge of life over hear. It was nothing new to me, which pleased her (and me). We brought the water back, then went back to Subway to finish talking. She asked me about life, family, etc. I gave the shotgun story: what I want to do, my family, my travels, etc.
So now she's off to reunite with her husband. And I am one happy foreign traveler.
Looks like I'll be getting a cell phone during the internship too.
So I wandered downstairs and had a coke. Then, went back upstairs, wrote a note saying I was going to lunch, and slipped it under her door. Then I went to lunch.
I paid my bill at 1:30 on the dot and was resigned to the fact that I'd have to wait a few more hours to meet Cindy. I wandered back to my room, and went to the phone to try her room one last time.
She picked up on the second ring.
We decided to meet in the lobby and hang in the Subway. She said she had a green dress.
"Are you Tyler?"
"Are you Cindy?"
We shake hands, "I'm probably the only 21 year old in the building."
So we sit and talk for a while. She bought some water and wanted to go check on its delivery, so we wandered down to the market. Along the way, she tested my knowledge of life over hear. It was nothing new to me, which pleased her (and me). We brought the water back, then went back to Subway to finish talking. She asked me about life, family, etc. I gave the shotgun story: what I want to do, my family, my travels, etc.
So now she's off to reunite with her husband. And I am one happy foreign traveler.
Looks like I'll be getting a cell phone during the internship too.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Alright friends, I've confirmed that Livejournal is blocked over here. I remembered that when I was out and about today and my brother confirmed it with me. This will now be my journal while I'm in China! I tried to make the address easy to remember.
While we're here, a few observations while I was wandering around:
There are a lot of recognizeable cars on the streets. Mainly foreign (in the US sense), although I did see two Fords and one Chevy. The most common car on the street: Volkswagen.
Everyone smokes.
Looks like I can get just about anything I need here: head and shoulders shampoo, Renu contact solution, Adidas body wash. Common brands: Nivea, Neutrogena, Dove.
Most surreal experience: It'd be a toss up between standing in a grocery store looking at items that I recognized while Norah Jones played. They had Friskies cat food (somewhat ironic I think), Kingsford briquettes, tide, A1 steak sauce (in case that cat just isn't tasting good...), and anything else under the sun. The other would be eating lunch and listening to Johnny Cash.
There is a Starbucks nearby. Prices are similar ($2 on the dot for an iced drip). Looks exactly like a store back home.
I'm trying to stay active and eat at regular times (although I'm not that hungry). Tomorrow I should meet up with everyone.
While we're here, a few observations while I was wandering around:
There are a lot of recognizeable cars on the streets. Mainly foreign (in the US sense), although I did see two Fords and one Chevy. The most common car on the street: Volkswagen.
Everyone smokes.
Looks like I can get just about anything I need here: head and shoulders shampoo, Renu contact solution, Adidas body wash. Common brands: Nivea, Neutrogena, Dove.
Most surreal experience: It'd be a toss up between standing in a grocery store looking at items that I recognized while Norah Jones played. They had Friskies cat food (somewhat ironic I think), Kingsford briquettes, tide, A1 steak sauce (in case that cat just isn't tasting good...), and anything else under the sun. The other would be eating lunch and listening to Johnny Cash.
There is a Starbucks nearby. Prices are similar ($2 on the dot for an iced drip). Looks exactly like a store back home.
I'm trying to stay active and eat at regular times (although I'm not that hungry). Tomorrow I should meet up with everyone.
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