Merry Christmas!!

Where to begin? I have certainly made some unforgettable memories for my first Christmas in the Middle Kingdom. This past month has been a whirlwind of activities, not to mention the roller coaster of emotions that generally define my daily life in China. I finished teaching about a week ago, but I have felt just as busy during this past week as I did while I had classes. My school has planned several events to celebrate any and every occasion. The end of the semester, the New Year, and, yes, even Christmas. There has been everything from parties and dinners to phone calls and text messages. Last weekend, people who work in several different departments (the School for Foreign Languages, the Foreign Affairs Office, and the International Business School) organized at wonderful event called “Night of China.” Basically formatted like a variety/talent show, everyone involved in the University had an opportunity to display their talents, foreign teachers included. We were asked to sing some Christmas songs – Joy to the World, Jingle Bells, Auld Lang Syne, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. If you look at the picture you will see me holding a toy keyboard, as I somehow was appointed Choral Director. Another foreign teacher bought some garland and made some fashionable headwear for the women to sport. Really, though, I enjoyed the party, and it was a very entertaining evening.

To celebrate Christmas Eve, I decided to stay in for the evening. Apparently there is a major celebration in the city center, Jie Fang Bei. I have heard (and seen pictures from the past) that people fill up the square and beat/hit one another with plastic/blow up hammers and mallets and spray silly string all over. (I have also been told they do this because it is a “Western” tradition…) As intriguing and fun as that sounds, several people warned me that a foreigner would be the most sought after target. It didn’t take long for me decide not to go anywhere near the area. Instead, I made some Chicken Wild Rice soup and bought one of my beloved baguettes and enjoyed both while watching Love Actually. I wish I would have had It’s A Wonderful Life. The movie was constantly interrupted by phone calls and text messages from students wishing me a Merry Christmas. I wondered whether I should wish them a Merry Christmas in return. Most of my students don’t celebrate Christmas in the religious sense, but have recently invented their own unique way to mark the occasion (see above story). Christmas is like a novelty in China, I guess.
Maybe next year I will be brave enough to go and check out whether the stories about silly string and hammers are true.

Merry Christmas to everyone! I certainly miss spending the holiday with my family and friends!
圣诞快乐!!!

To be a teacher

As my first semester teaching in China comes to close, I can't help but look back and think: Did my students learn ANYTHING? One of the biggest struggles I have encountered during my first few years as a teacher is trying to answer this question. I suppose it would be make more sense to phrase the question as "What did they learn?" as they had to have learned SOMETHING, even if that something is merely my name.

As difficult as it was for me to gauge student learning in the States, it feels at least ten times more difficult to assess it in an entirely different system of education. Yikes. What have I gotten myself into? I am already thinking about next semester. What should I do differently? And by this question I am referring to essentially every aspect of the classroom (topics/content, delivery, activities, behavior, expectations, and on, and on.) It never ends. And trying to answer these questions in China is really hard. I look to other PCVs and foreign teachers, only to realize that everyone who is teaching here is really just doing whatever they think is best, and every Spoken English class varies greatly. Classrooms lead by foreigners entirely determined by the individual and singular desires of the teacher.

Wouldn't you like to be a Chinese student?

A Day in the Life

I sometimes have a difficult time trying to think of what to write and post for all of you to read. A part of me knows that I could write anything I wanted to, and that even the really mundane things would at least be something to let you know that I am indeed still alive. Well, I am alive; there is no doubt about that. Daily life in China has strangely become “normal,” and believe it or not, I sometimes forget that I am so far away from Minnesota and the life I used to lead. Perhaps this is just another stage on the Peace Corps experience, settling in, getting accustomed to the culture, and the whole transition phase wearing off. I don’t really care to put a label on it, I guess.

Having said all that, my days in China still include their fair share of surprises, excitements, and difficulties. I am writing to you from my apartment, wearing a scarf and winter jacket as there is no indoor heating. The air temperature doesn’t get nearly as cold as MN of course, but the temp. has dropped to around 50 degrees during the day and the low 40s at night. I have a portable heater, but I have to be careful about energy consumption. When you live in a neighborhood that has around 2 million people [yes, I am talking about my “neighborhood” district, not even the entire city] you have to be especially conscious of what you consume, which means I usually only use the heater around dusk, when it gets really cold in my apartment. Teaching class wearing my jacket is somewhat of a new experience as well. Although I do recall a time last winter when the pipes or something in my classroom in Big Lake froze, and I did actually wear my scarf, gloves, and several layers of clothes to keep warm. When I recall memories such as that, I can’t help but thinking it was in preparation for what I would face in China.

The semester is almost over, and I have to say I am looking forward to the break. I look forward to next semester as well, mainly because I can put all the things I learned this semester to good use. I have had a lot of fun with my students and slowing learning more about the Chinese culture. My language skills feel like they are still seriously lacking. I study with a private tutor, but I find that I too afraid to make a mistake, so I hesitate to use the spoken language. (It is a bit ironic because I spend a great deal of time with my Oral English students trying to convince them their mistakes don’t matter and they just need to TRY…) I have been trying to learn the characters, and I do find some fulfillment when I go out into the city and can read part of the signs/billboards/advertisements.

By the way, I will be posting some new pictures on Picasa. If anyone would like to view them, email me so I can send you a link/invitation! The picture I posted with this entry is of me and Margaret, another foreign teacher. We were at a buffet/reception sponsored by some student volunteers.

I know I always say this, but I will try to write again soon. I hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all!