My place is adorable. Red hardwood floors, airy, big and comfy. I have a study that I have made into a winter storage / yoga room. I have great views of the mountains and am not 8 minutes away from where I teach. Woo hoo!
Friday, September 21, 2007
First Week of Teaching!
The first week is over and I am happy. Happy to be back in the classroom, happy to learn new names and faces, happy to learn how to teach in a completely different environment. I teach 4 classes (2 hours each) of Oral English to sophomores. Each class has about 24-26 friendly and eager faces. The main objective for this class is to improve their speaking, so it's mostly a confidence course; giving them opportunities to speak, learn new vocabulary and new things about Western and American culture and conversational dynamics. So far this class is a lot of fun - they are willing to try new things, stand up in front of each other and open their mouths. Here is where my energy is an asset.
Right now I also have 2 classes (2 hours each) of Junior English Writing - each class has about 50 students, but we are working on splitting them up to four classes of 25 students each, in order for everyone to get more attention. Their writing is incredibly sophisticated and their interest in poetry and literature is contagious. They want to be able to use their English with a Western perspective. We will be discussing active versus indirect writing.
As for the campus, we have freshmen, sophomores and juniors - seniors live and go to the main campus in Lanzhou. There are soccer, basketball, badminton, ping pong fields and courts and a new indoor swimming pool that hasn't opened yet. Weekly they show movies - last week was Harry Potter and Mr. Bean and Blood Brothers. Outside the campus there are three streets full of restaurants, internet cafes, KTV (karaoke), photo shops, stationary kiosks, eyewear stores and sports clothing stores. In the evening the fruit sellers come out with their grapes, pears and apples.
Weather here is gorgeous - mid 40s in the morning and the evening and bright sunshine 70s in the day. It takes less than 10 minutes to get to class and the streets are filled with students and not cars or bikes - not many horns blowing, brakes squeaking - very quiet.
We also have office hours in the Volunteer's Office - which is also an English library that students can check out books, magazines, DVDs. I just had my first office hours last night. Basically its students coming in and practicing their asking questions - how old are you? What do you think of Chinese food? Have you watched Prison Break (that show is HUGE here)? Many students are getting comfortable with me so they're asking more questions. We were given many food lists in hanzi, pinyin and english. I have them go through them and check off the ones that they recommend. They also give me walking tours of the town and campus - best restaurants, copy places, etc.
Life here is good. It's still new and I'm still trying to find my groove. I lesson plan most of the time, sometimes to the determent of my sleep or leisure time, but that's understandable.
I was flirting with loneliness but it hightailed out of my sight when I received care packages from some righteous people back in the States. Thank you, ad nauseum. It sustains my energy, my resolve, my contentment quota.
More later. Time to plan.
Right now I also have 2 classes (2 hours each) of Junior English Writing - each class has about 50 students, but we are working on splitting them up to four classes of 25 students each, in order for everyone to get more attention. Their writing is incredibly sophisticated and their interest in poetry and literature is contagious. They want to be able to use their English with a Western perspective. We will be discussing active versus indirect writing.
As for the campus, we have freshmen, sophomores and juniors - seniors live and go to the main campus in Lanzhou. There are soccer, basketball, badminton, ping pong fields and courts and a new indoor swimming pool that hasn't opened yet. Weekly they show movies - last week was Harry Potter and Mr. Bean and Blood Brothers. Outside the campus there are three streets full of restaurants, internet cafes, KTV (karaoke), photo shops, stationary kiosks, eyewear stores and sports clothing stores. In the evening the fruit sellers come out with their grapes, pears and apples.
Weather here is gorgeous - mid 40s in the morning and the evening and bright sunshine 70s in the day. It takes less than 10 minutes to get to class and the streets are filled with students and not cars or bikes - not many horns blowing, brakes squeaking - very quiet.
We also have office hours in the Volunteer's Office - which is also an English library that students can check out books, magazines, DVDs. I just had my first office hours last night. Basically its students coming in and practicing their asking questions - how old are you? What do you think of Chinese food? Have you watched Prison Break (that show is HUGE here)? Many students are getting comfortable with me so they're asking more questions. We were given many food lists in hanzi, pinyin and english. I have them go through them and check off the ones that they recommend. They also give me walking tours of the town and campus - best restaurants, copy places, etc.
Life here is good. It's still new and I'm still trying to find my groove. I lesson plan most of the time, sometimes to the determent of my sleep or leisure time, but that's understandable.
I was flirting with loneliness but it hightailed out of my sight when I received care packages from some righteous people back in the States. Thank you, ad nauseum. It sustains my energy, my resolve, my contentment quota.
More later. Time to plan.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Swearing In Ceremony
Well it's official; I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer. The US Ambassador to China, Clark T Randt, Jr. swore us in. We had a few more speakers and then each site did a small presentation - slide show, skit, etc. Our site did our favorite "Tian Mi Mi" - we added a couple of fan dancers and two solos - my friend Kehl and I. It was a lot of fun. The audience loved the song and clapped along. We had a buffet of Italian, American, Chinese and Japanese (sushi!!) foods.
Now we are relaxing and preparing for the 22 hour train ride tomorrow to Lanzhou. PC gave each of us two huge rice bags full of medical equipment, hepa filters, and water purifiers. Along with all the books I borrowed from PC head office library, the bedding I bought at IKEA (I realize - surreal) and all my other crap, I will be pleased if I am able to be supine on the ride at all. I start teaching on Monday. Woo hoo!! I cannot wait.
I actually felt it - becoming a volunteer. A shiver, small breeze. It was pretty powerful. Though you realize all that you've gone through and realize that it has only been two months and I still haven't started working as a volunteer officially. Two more years. It is so exhilarating and exhausting and overwhelming. I have done so much, yet this is just the beginning.
Stay tuned, loved ones.
Now we are relaxing and preparing for the 22 hour train ride tomorrow to Lanzhou. PC gave each of us two huge rice bags full of medical equipment, hepa filters, and water purifiers. Along with all the books I borrowed from PC head office library, the bedding I bought at IKEA (I realize - surreal) and all my other crap, I will be pleased if I am able to be supine on the ride at all. I start teaching on Monday. Woo hoo!! I cannot wait.
I actually felt it - becoming a volunteer. A shiver, small breeze. It was pretty powerful. Though you realize all that you've gone through and realize that it has only been two months and I still haven't started working as a volunteer officially. Two more years. It is so exhilarating and exhausting and overwhelming. I have done so much, yet this is just the beginning.
Stay tuned, loved ones.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Host Family Appreciation
Last night was Host Family Appreciation night. We met at a large banquet hall. All 20 of us with our parents and siblings gathered for an amazing meal. The banquets are usually bountiful with at least 15 different dishes to try, but last night we had at least 30 - some of our favorites and some of them came out of left field and left a big smooch on my heart they were so good. Most of the PC ladies wore our Qi Pao that we had made (traditional Chinese dress). I had a dress and a blouse made. The dress is for next week's swear-in. We looked hot.
All 20 of us sang a popular Chinese ballad from the 90s "Tian Mi Mi" - My Sweet Honey. It's a beautiful song. Can't get it out of my head. The banquet was a success. Afterwards we retired to our favorite garden of beer - this has been our place to get together, eat shao kao, drink Snow beer, celebrate birthdays and just enjoy our little neighborhood of Shiling Town. The other PC sites in Chengdu are located downtown so they get together a lot in western restaurants and bars; not us. I am so thankful for that.
As we were drinking and eating, a party of men stopped by, offered us beer, cigarettes and told us it was their friend's birthday. About eight of us made a beeline to his table and sang Happy Birthday in English then Chinese to him. Then we brought down the house when we sang "Tian Mi Mi" again. The crowd adored it. We ganbei-ed to his day of birth, to our beer gardens, to each other, to the stray dogs and cats, to the old ladies polishing our shoes as we imbibe.
Tonight my friend Amy and I took our families out for Huo Guo (hotpot). It was lovely to hang out with them and treat them to such a delicious and spicy meal.
Now at home, my family just gave me two bags of Sichuan specialty foods, a necklace, earrings and their wishes to maintain our connection. I plan on seeing them whenever I'm in Chengdu, which should be at least twice a year.
Tuesday we leave for the hotel. It has been exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, comforting and overall an extremely incredible experience living with our families.
Saturday we leave for our apartments. I am so stoked to get to Lanzhou and start teaching and enjoy the solitude of my large apartment, but I will definitely miss my family here.
-- Be good, Katie
All 20 of us sang a popular Chinese ballad from the 90s "Tian Mi Mi" - My Sweet Honey. It's a beautiful song. Can't get it out of my head. The banquet was a success. Afterwards we retired to our favorite garden of beer - this has been our place to get together, eat shao kao, drink Snow beer, celebrate birthdays and just enjoy our little neighborhood of Shiling Town. The other PC sites in Chengdu are located downtown so they get together a lot in western restaurants and bars; not us. I am so thankful for that.
As we were drinking and eating, a party of men stopped by, offered us beer, cigarettes and told us it was their friend's birthday. About eight of us made a beeline to his table and sang Happy Birthday in English then Chinese to him. Then we brought down the house when we sang "Tian Mi Mi" again. The crowd adored it. We ganbei-ed to his day of birth, to our beer gardens, to each other, to the stray dogs and cats, to the old ladies polishing our shoes as we imbibe.
Tonight my friend Amy and I took our families out for Huo Guo (hotpot). It was lovely to hang out with them and treat them to such a delicious and spicy meal.
Now at home, my family just gave me two bags of Sichuan specialty foods, a necklace, earrings and their wishes to maintain our connection. I plan on seeing them whenever I'm in Chengdu, which should be at least twice a year.
Tuesday we leave for the hotel. It has been exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, comforting and overall an extremely incredible experience living with our families.
Saturday we leave for our apartments. I am so stoked to get to Lanzhou and start teaching and enjoy the solitude of my large apartment, but I will definitely miss my family here.
-- Be good, Katie
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