a synopsis

Ni hao from China.
Once again, it has been a long time since my last posting. A lot of things have happened since this summer, and the weeks just seem to be flying by. I guess I will give you some of the highlights.

July: The most memorable part about July was completing our "Summer Project." It is organized by the Peace Corps, and we taught what was basically a summer English camp in the countryside of Chongqing. Our students were actually teachers who work in various primary, middle, and high schools in the nearby county. We taught for around 5 hours a day for 2 weeks. Because it was in the midst of the Chongqing summer, we ended most days in exhausted in our dorms rooms. It was great to get out the megalopolis of Chongqing city. Another highlight was having the chance to see a total solar eclipse. Chongqing just happened to be right in the path of the eclipse, with total coverage being just around 5 minutes. It was pretty impressive!

July/August: TRAVELING!
I traveled to a few different places around China. My first trip was to a place in Western Sichuan province called Kangding. It is located in the foothills of the Himalayas. A small city that is a Tibetan area and surrounded by breathtaking mountains. We spent 4 days exploring the city. It was much colder than we had anticipated, and I was lucky enough to find an outdoors store that had a fleece pullover that actually fit me!
After Kangding, I spent a couple days in Chengdu, mostly to eat Western food and take care of mid-service medical stuff for Peace Corps. I left Chengdu and headed back to Chongqing for a couple days with another PCV, Beth. Beth and I took a Yangtze River cruise together. It took us through the Three Gorges, which were also gorgeous, and ended at the Three Gorges Dam. It was very cloudy, which was disappointing because we couldn't even see the entire dam. After the cruise, we flew to Shanghai, an amazing and lively city. But expensive! I spent my entire monthly living allowance in a matter of 3 days, so I figured it was time to head back to CQ. After getting back to CQ, I spent most of my days in my apartment. It was really hot and humid, so I usually just went out at night after the sun had gone down. I spent the last weekend in August with some fellow PCVs at their sites in Guizhou province.


Septmeber: And then suddenly it was time to start school again. I was happy to have some sort of schedule to keep me occupied and even happier to start classes with my students from last year. It is nice to work with the same group because I don't have to work as hard to get them to relax. They understand my teaching style and that leaves more opportunity for us to interact!

October (which is almost over!): The big highlight this Fall was having my first visitors from the U.S.! My friend Kristen and her cousin Josef made the grueling journey around the world. It was a little surreal and I still have a hard time believing they were actually here. They arrived just in time for the National Holiday, which gave us a chance to do some traveling together. We spent the first 4 days in Chongqing and I took every opportunity to show them all my favorite parts of Chongqing. Then we flew to Xi'an and spent 3 1/2 days exploring the ancient capital. The big attraction in Xi'an is the Terra Cotta Warriors, which were quite impressive. After Xi'an, I had to return to CQ to get back to teaching, while Kristen and Josef moved on to finish their trip in Beijing. And now I that I am back in CQ I realize how much I miss my friends and family back home! Only 9 more months!

One-year Anniversary

I know I haven’t posted in sometime. I have come up with the following excuses:

1. China has blocked access to the “blogger” website. Some people refer to the occasional blocks as the “Great Firewall of China.” You tube has been blocked since around March, and recently we’ve had some issues with Google/Gmail. Not fun! So in order to make this post, I have to use a proxy server. This doesn’t really require a lot of effort on my part, but I like to be able to use it as an excuse….

2. End of the semester. I finished teaching a little over a week ago. So, that means, 2 semesters down, 2 more to go! I am excited for next year because most of students who were freshman this year will be moving to the main campus (where I live and spend most of my time). I will be teaching the same group of students next year, which I see as a good thing. Having already established rapport with them, I hope to challenge them with even crazier activities!

3. End of the semester, Part II. The end of the semester also brings some other things that have been keeping me busy. I had my first birthday celebration in China last week! It was fun to celebrate with all the new friends I have made while living in Chongqing, but I certainly missed being able to celebrate with my friends and family in Minnesota!
Many of the other foreign teachers are leaving for the summer (some to come back in the fall, others to move on to other adventures) so there have been some good-bye gatherings as well. Most of my students will return to their hometowns for the summer holiday, so it is only a matter of time before the campus will start to look pretty desolate.

Lucky for me, Peace Corps has a way to keep us busy! In two weeks, I will leave the city with 4 other volunteers and go to a teacher’s college in the countryside. Over 100 middle-school English teachers will attend our “summer teaching project.” It is basically going to be a 2 week “English camp”. The 5 PCVs will organize classes and activities to demonstrate different teaching methods for the Chinese teachers. I am excited for the opportunity but a little wary because I know it is going to be incredibly hot and humid!

Looking back, I can’t believe all the things that have happened over the last year. Memories of my arrival in China seem to be in the very distant past, and it feels a little strange to talk about the new group of volunteers who will be arriving next week! I know that this next year will probably be just as unpredictable and adventure-filled. I will try to do a better job keeping you posted!

The Lucky One

I have to keep reminding myself that I am the Lucky One. Or I guess "a" lucky one would be more appropriate, as I know that there are other people around who also consider themselves pretty damn lucky.
I don't know where to start, but, for a social studies teacher, micro to macro seems to make the most sense. I suppose you could say this post is a response to my lesson plan for this week -- "the Generation Gap" supplemented with a little "How do we show our parents we love and appreciate them?" discussion in observance of Mother's Day, which believe or not, is upon us.

How could it possibly be May already?

Lucky. Micro. I have a great family. I really don't like to brag, but my unique family structure (both immediate and extended) is something I ponder on a daily basis, if not because students are asking me questions about my life in the U.S., then it is because I am just thinking about missing them. I try to explain my family/hometown (because they are essentially one in the same) to people I meet (both Chinese and other foreigners) and usually people think I am making it all up. All I can do is offer that they come and visit when I return, so they can see it (and meet all the characters) for themselves.

My students often talk to me about the pressure they face, mainly from their parents, who want them to study hard so they can get a better job. They ask me how I deal with pressure from my parents, to which I have to admit that my experience is really different from theirs. Sure, my parents want me to be successful, but I think they would probably put happiness above money. Right, Mom?
Money is something my students also talk a lot about, as they see it as the golden opportunity for their future, which includes taking care of their parents and their own family.

At this point in the conversation, I am again forced to recognize my fortune. Mainly in the form of opportunities. Americans really do have so many opportunities! The very fact that I can take 2 years out of my career-earning years and pick up and move to China. This is something most of my students can only dream of doing.

So, even though I am going to miss seeing my crazy family on yet another holiday (and not bake my mom a Lemon Supreme Pie), I realize it is a minimal sacrifice. I will soon again be eating Lemon Pie in Albertville, and I should try to focus more on the opportunities I have in China.

Happy Mother's Day!

After an extremely long week, I am spending a weekend trying to relax! Lessons to plan, midterms to invent, and, of course, meals to cook! I have invited some students to come over to my apartment for some Western cooking fun. They are curious to know what Americans eat -- most are convinced that we eat at KFC and McDonalds everyday, and that vegetables don't ever appear on American dinner tables. I suppose I have found my calling as a PCV in China! Food education!
I am planning on making chicken fajitas with the students, including some Spanish rice and beans. I will be sure to let you know whether or not they approve. I will also try to remember to take some pictures.

The picture I posted with this entry was taking last weekend (3/21) on an outing with my school. My school is wonderful -- they arrange transportation and meals for a field trip/outing once a month for the foreign teachers. This includes all the people who are teaching English, in addition to the 2 PCVs. I love it because it gives me an opportunity to see more of the countryside that surrounds Chongqing. Last weekend we visited Hechuan, which played a substantial role during the Song Dynasty in defending the area against Mongol invaders.
Very exciting!

Until next time -- I miss you all!

Is it March all ready?

I can hardly believe it. I am nearly finished with my second week of teaching. Things still feel really hectic, though. Students still have the option to drop and add classes until the 4th week, which makes it a little tricky to plan for things like how many copies to make and planning various activities. I look forward to the point where I will settle into a routine.

I wish I had some exciting news to share, but I am having a really difficult time thinking of things. I spend most of time planning for the semester, coming up with lesson plans and activities without having the slightest clue about whether or not they will be successful. Usually I end up saying to my PCV friend, "Either this is going to be really wonderful or it is going to completely flop." And usually I am proven wrong, as I was this past week. I tried a "jigsaw reading" activity, with the intention of trying to encourage as many students to speak as possible. It was neither a success or failure, as it was the first time most of my students had tried such an activity, and therefore I spent a great deal of time explaining the directions and defining and redefining the goals and intentions. I think I will have to try it at least 2 more times in order to really call it a success or a failure. And suddenly I recall...This is something I should have anticipated, something I learned 3 years ago when I was student teaching. Oh, well. My excuse is that being in China has thrown me off my guard.

Other than teaching, I spend the rest of my time cooking and inviting people over for dinner. In short, my life in Chongqing is essentially the same as it was in Minnesota. Really.

The food (most recently, lentil soup) usually comes out tasting a little different, as the ingredients I have to work with are different (in the case of lentil soup, which called for leeks, I had to improvise!). But it always seems to be edible.

Until next time...

a review

And so the second semester begins. I think I find great comfort in the structure of my Peace Corps experience. Serving in China as a University TEFL volunteer comes with a built in schedule. This is imperative for me, as it provides a very clear picture of what I need to do and when I need to do it. I know other PC countries operate on very different schedules, or no schedules at all, which leads me to believe that PC China is really ideal for me.

I start teaching again on Monday, February 23rd. I have been on “vacation” since just before Christmas, so getting back to the routine of the semester is going to be yet another transition. So what exactly have I been up to? After the holidays, I went to Chengdu, where I met with all the volunteers in China for a 4 day in-service training. It was wonderful to see other volunteers, the 14s I trained with last summer, as well as the 13s, who have been here since summer 2007. After training, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go back to Minnesota for 2 ½ weeks. I got an awesome deal on a flight, and although I returned to MN just in time for the most frigid temperatures of the year, it was more than worth it. Being able to see my family and friends and step back into my old life was fantastic. Although now it all feels like a dream, like I imagined the whole thing. I came back to China at the end of January, in the middle of the Chinese New Year celebration. My campus was completely deserted. I mean, not one person was around. It was extremely lonely! The festival usually lasts for 15 days, so with a lifeless campus surrounding me, I decided to take a trip to a southern province, Guangxi Zhuang. I visited the cities of Guilin and Yangshuo, both famous for their landscape of karsts. It was beautiful. I went with 3 other PCVs and the experience definitely got me interested in exploring more of China. Now I am planning for summer travels!
Since coming back to my site, I have been spending most of my time relaxing and visiting with other volunteers. And suddenly my campus has come to life again. The students have returned, and a few new foreign teachers have arrived for the next semester.

It is beginning to warm up as well. I am trying to enjoy these mild, spring-like days, as many students have warned me that the scorching, humid, summer comes early (like the end of March). Something to look forward to, I guess.
Hope everyone is doing well!

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!!!