Snowy paradise

Anqing was a regular winter wonderland today. The snow began midmorning and continued to fall throughout the day. Students were freezing, but excited to see the ground covered in white and many  threw snowballs during breaks. It was wonderful to observe them having fun.


Yesterday was difficult, but today was infinitely better. My classes went smoothly, I received numerous words of encouragement from supporters stateside, and I had some wonderful interactions with students. I learned a valuable lesson about teaching in China -- in the classroom I must act like a crazed circus clown on crack. I’m really not exaggerating very much. The students require copious quantities of energy to keep them entertained by and engaged in the lesson. It’s not an unattainable challenge to keep fifty plus kids interested in a topic for forty-five minutes, but it does require me perform like a rock star sixteen times per week (my Senior 2 class was cancelled). I enjoy the job and I’m certainly perfecting my pedagogical craft.

Here are some amazing stories from the day:


As we were singing “Jingle Bells” together, one student had an amazing ability to project his voice so that I could hear it above all the others. However, he didn’t fully comprehend the idea of rhythm (or was unable to use the skill) and constantly sang out of time. It took all of my self-control to keep myself from laughing.


In response to my comment, “Americans can learn much from the Chinese about not being wasteful,” one student said, “Don’t follow Chinese!”

An answer to my question -- “Does it snow very often in Anqing?” -- was “Only in the winter.” I responded, “I hope it only snows in the winter.” The student thought this was so hilarious that he almost fell out of his seat laughing.


One girl took video of the class because she wanted to write about it in her blog.


Another girl came up to me after class and said, “Great lesson, of course.”

I have learned that when addressing Chinese students, I need to be careful about how I phrase my questions. For example, during the first few run-throughs of the new lesson, I asked the students, “Raise your hand if you know one thing about Christmas.” In my mind, I thought that the question intimated knowledge of one (or more) facts about Christmas. I grew frustrated when the students didn’t raise their hands, so I repeated the query a few times, slowed down my speech, and eventually gave up attempting to coax an answer from the teens. However, a girl was finally brave enough to raise her hand and say, “I know more than one thing about Christmas.” Well, this explained the problem. When I rephrased the question to include “one or more facts about Christmas” I received the responses for which I had been searching. It was an important lesson for me to learn and I told the story to many of my classes today; they all thought it was a hilarious misunderstanding.


Today I also donned my photographer cap and took a number of pictures of the snowy scene at the No. 1 Middle School. Hope you enjoy the images!

December blues

Arg! Margot (our American boss) was one hundred percent correct when she explained that American teachers in the NCUSCR program often experience frustrations during December. I’ve become a statistic because I’m feeling these emotions at this point in our stay. I’m doing my best to focus on the positives and remain energetic in the classroom, but it’s been a bit of a struggle these past couple of weeks. I think it’s a mixture of student ambivalence, my homesickness (it's hard being away from the States during the holiday season), and everyone’s desperate need for a vacation. I’ll keep pushing through the difficult times and I’m sure I’ll grow from the experience; it’s not always fun now, but I’m sure it will be worthwhile in the end.

I started a new lesson yesterday. The strategy of making Monday the beginning of a fresh topic is working well. Jean-Jacques and I both had flop classes yesterday, so we were happy we could collaborate to make this week’s sessions better. 


Here’s a brief rundown of what we’re doing this week: I post a picture of a mini Christmas tree in snow (see the above picture) and play holiday music for the students as they file into the classroom. I then show them the warm-up question: Briefly describe what you already know about... 1) Hanukkah and 2) Christmas. (The warm-up causes quite a disruption in the room because none of the students have heard of Hanukkah, so they’re troubled they can’t answer the question. I have to assure them that it’s OK for them to write, “I don’t know anything about Hanukkah.”)


To teach them about Hanukkah, I post some vocabulary words (dreidel, menorah, and latkes) and explain how they are important to the holiday. I give a short lecture that contains basic information about the celebration and we watch a Sesame Street segment about the Hanukkah story; after the clip, I ask them some simple questions about the film.


We then start discussing Christmas. I run through more vocabulary words (Christmas tree, elf, stocking, Santa Claus, mistletoe, reindeer, and eggnog), explain how Americans celebrate the holiday, post pictures of houses covered in Christmas lights, show a clip of a light show at someone’s house that has been designed to flash in time with a special song, show a clip of Mr. Bean’s Christmas, run through six word scrambles that use the new vocabulary I introduced, sing “Jingle Bells” together using a YouTube karaoke version of the song, and answer some closure questions that are designed to review some key information we covered during the class. 


It seems like a fairly exciting lesson, but sadly, some of the students seem too sleepy to participate in the activities. Maybe it’s me who's dropping the ball, but I don’t think that’s the problem. Jean-Jacques and I both agree that the students are stressed, exhausted, and burned-out. They’ve simply had enough and need a break. 


Today I confiscated a video player that one student had been viewing during class. I practically made him cry when I asked him why he was watching a movie during class and not paying attention to me. At first, he refused to reply. However, after I questioned him four times, waited for his answer, wrote the word “Why” on the board, and waited again for his response, he finally said, “I was bored.” 


I replied, “That’s very rude and if I ever see this again, I will talk to your head teacher about it and that won’t be good.” 


The boy never apologized, but he was visibly uncomfortable with the confrontation, so hopefully he won’t repeat the offense. 


I think I have finally fixed my cabled sweater after numerous rows that I’ve had to frog. Yes, it’s been a headache, but I think I’ll be happy with the result. I’d better be, since it’s taken a long time to complete and it’s caused me to suffer though many hours of frustration while I corrected and re-corrected all the mistakes. 


P.S. It’s freezing right now! Literally. The forecast is predicting snow, so I won’t be surprised if we wake up to a little blanket of white outside tomorrow morning. 

The Chinese art of moving

Moving, even if you’re not the one changing addresses, tends to wear a person out. This statement probably seems strange considering the fact that we’re in China and it’s unlikely that we’re switching domiciles. You’re one hundred percent correct -- we didn’t abandon our lovely apartment, but we helped some friends of ours with their move on Sunday. Though it was a long and chilly day (and I’m curled up in long underwear, a fleece, and a blanket as I write this entry), Jean-Jacques and I enjoyed ourselves immensely because we were able to assist the couple.


The adventure began with a text message at eight o’clock am. At this point in the morning, Jean-Jacques and I were deeply sleeping, so I barely recognized the slight buzzing sound that Jean-Jacques’ cell phone makes when it’s on silent and receives a text. I filed away the information, rolled over, and fell back asleep. An hour and a half later, when I was more cognizant, I remembered the sound and went to check the phone. We had received a message asking us to be ready at ten o’clock. Jean-Jacques quickly called our friend to confirm the meeting time; as it turned out, our friends weren’t ready to meet us either, so we agreed to see one another in about two hours. This gave Jean-Jacques and me the opportunity to shower, eat breakfast, and drink tea in a relaxed manner.


Our friend met us at the No. 1 Middle School gate and led us to his current home for lunch. The neighbor was extremely generous and made guōtiē (pronounced giaozuh) for the meal. We ate with our teacher friend while his wife was busy with final preparations. The two had hired a man with a motorcycle-truck to assist with the move and the man was stronger than about twelve oxen; the most amazing part of it all, was the fact that they only paid him about 200 kuai for a day’s work. That’s not much money considering the amount of time and effort he put into the job. However, I guess the rate makes sense since food is so cheap; the man could probably feed his family for about five days for one day’s worth of work. Everything is so inexpensive in China. 


As we assisted with the move, we learned some fascinating things: 

1. Many Chinese follow feng shui rules for important events, like moving. The good weather is less important than good feng shui, which is why we helped the couple move in the rain.
2. Chinese set off fireworks on special occasions, like moving. We even got to experience the ear-splitting custom and breath in the lung-stinging fumes.
3. Bamboo must be the first thing that enters a new home. Jean-Jacques had the honor of carrying it in the apartment.

The hired worker did most of the loading, but we assisted with the unloading. (Well, I really mean Jean-Jacques, because I acted as guard for the two loads: one time I was sitting on a couch in the apartment and the other I was standing outside in the rain while absorbing mass quantities of precipitation into my clothing.) However, I also did some dusting in the apartment while the wife and I were waiting for the guys to gather, pack, and drive over the rest of the items remaining in the “old” apartment. 


After the move, the couple invited us (and the woman who made the guōtiē for lunch and her daughter) to a celebratory/thank you dinner. We ate at a fun restaurant that had a charming decor of East interprets West; there were a number of pictures of famous Americans on the walls and the dining area was filled with tables in chairs in the Western fashion (we all ate together, not in special rooms, like you often do in Chinese restaurants).


Chinese people are shockingly strong in many ways. Not only have they discovered how to lift incredible amounts, but they also manage to survive in the winter without heat. I’m not sure how they can endure the cold, but somehow they manage and sometimes they even leave their windows open for “fresh air”. Wow. We probably are going to be taken over by the Chinese soon. Plus, they have amazing work ethics.  

Adult Sports Day

The Dart Judge

I just woke up from an hour and a half our nap -- talk about a relaxing Saturday. This morning wasn’t quite as restful, though, because we had to wake up at seven so we could be at Jean-Jacques’ school by nine for a special sports day event. (The alarm went off at seven and we got our sleepy carcasses out of the warm bed at around seven thirty.)


We picked up breakfast before we took at taxi to No. 2 Middle School. I purchased a Taiwanese “pancake” (it’s made from a round, bread-like substance, has a fried egg put on top, and is slathered with two special sauces that are delicious) and Jean-Jacques bought some flat bread that we’ve both been interested in eating for quite some time. We were both pleased with our choices and throughly enjoyed the meal.


The special sports day event turned out to be an event for teachers at the No. 2 Middle School. It could have been a team-building exercise, or simply a fun activity planned for a Saturday. I’m still not certain which category it fell under; perhaps it was both.


Many events were set up around the school’s track and field.

The left hurdle "bit" me

We could choose to participate in darts, ball hurling, frisbee throwing, an obstacle course, and three legged race. Jean-Jacques did all of them, and I ran the obstacle and in a three legged race. I had a difficult time fitting under the hurdle, so I feel down and skinned my knee a bit. I’m fine now and it was only a slightly unpleasant experience; it certainly wasn’t life-threatening.

Jean-Jacques throwing a shot-put Chinese-style

The organizers handed out bottles of oil for participating in the activity day. We were certainly thankful for the gift, but are a little unsure how we’re going to use the new oil. If necessary, we can always regift it to someone else.


After we finished making an appearance at the sports activity, we walked home through food street and down some fascinating side streets. It wasn’t the time for me to haul out my gigantic camera, but  I’m going to return soon to snap some photos because the areas are fascinating. We saw old men playing cards in makeshift rooms crafted from tarps and polls, people heating dumplings in bamboo baskets over rusting barrels, and numerous scraggly dogs scrounging for food. There was the definite feel of hustle and bustle common in many cities; however, the difference was that it felt distinctly “Chinese”, which is something that you don’t often experience since much of the Middle Kingdom is becoming westernized. 


This evening, we’re going to watch a Christmas movie and cook dinner. We’re planning to make broccoli, rice, and heat up some breaded chicken we discovered in the supermarket. I’m sure it won’t be quite as delicious as some of the food we buy from our local haunts, but it will nourish us and enable us to stay in the apartment for the rest of the day.

Gblebh

Normally, today is my Monday because I have been starting a new round of lessons on Thursdays. However, Jean-Jacques suggested that I change my strategy and I’ve decided to stop my current method, get everyone caught up, and begin the fresh topics on a Monday. I think this makes a world of sense for a few reasons: 

1. Jean-Jacques and I will be able to better implement suggestions we have for one another if we teach the same lesson every week.
2. My Monday classes are slightly more well behaved than some of my Thursday sessions, which would make my life easier while I am learning how to best teach the new topic.
3. I think my Thursday periods could benefit from a more “polished” lesson.

To get everyone caught up, I showed a MythBusters episode today. It’s about idioms and the hosts test to see if there is scientific evidence to support the verity of two sayings -- "Cold Feet" and "When Poop Hits the Fan". It was fascinating to watch the students’ reactions to the show because many of them were either extremely interested or horribly bored/sleepy. I’m hoping that it was the former reaction and not the latter. 


Unfortunately this morning was not as relaxing as I had hoped; I received an email from my grandmother explaining that she was unable to post comments on the blog. This was not the first communication that I have received from frustrated readers. Over the past few months, I have spent countless hours attempting to fix the plethora of problems that iWeb and MobileMe have thrown my way. 


At my wit’s end, I decided to give the programs one final chance to remedy themselves forever. I searched the internet for advice that would help me enable comments for people using web browsers other than Safari; I quickly discovered that many others have been frustrated by the same issue, but that they were unable to remedy the situation. That was the final straw for me and I mentally signed the death certificate for my website at web.me.com/katie.tetu. 


It took most of my morning to create the new blog at blogspot.com. However, now that I have learned how to edit settings, post pictures, add copyrights to my photos, and create new entries, I’m a happy camper. In many ways, I prefer using iWeb because it’s an easier program to use and I have more control over things; however, blogspot.com is known to work and I don’t think I’ll have as many issues as I did with iWeb. 


I’d better not experience more problems!

A visiting dignitary

The past few days have been a blur with Margot’s visit. She arrived on Monday and left this morning.  Her presence was productive, and it was fun to see her. We attended two banquets (one hosted by No.1 and the other by No. 2), went to a tea house to chat with Margot, and ate lunch with her and some people from my school. Yesterday morning at around nine o’clock in the morning, Margot and a some people from No. 1 visited the apartment to ensure that everything was in order. (It didn’t take too long to clean everything up; Jean-Jacques is so wonderful because he’s The Dust Warrior and constantly vanquishes the foe with broomstick in hand.) After the home visit, we toured the school’s museum, which was fascinating since I learned some interesting information about the school. We then walked to a famous building on campus and waited to start a meeting that I never attended because I had to leave early to prepare for class. 

Margot and a few teachers observed a lesson that went extremely well. The students were excited by the content and essentially forgot that we had visitors. I was pleased by the observation and I think that all the spectators (students and and official watchers) enjoyed the session.

Today ended up being excellent. At the start of it, I wasn’t sure that it would be a wonderful Wednesday; although I slept a considerable amount last night, I’m still a bit sleepy today. (I went to bed late on Monday and slept horribly.) I had a headache this morning and struggled to teach. However, the lunch rest was wonderful and my headache vanished.

This afternoon, one girl asked if she could bring a camera to the next class because, as she explained, “I want to record this time.” My heart melted because I think that she enjoys my lessons so much that she wants to be able to remember them. 

One boy had some horrible wounds on his face. He was obviously conscious of them and attempted to hide them from the world behind a hand. As he walked into the classroom, his head was down and he was obviously embarrassed. While the students were working on warm-ups, I walked up to him to ask if he was OK. A neighbor explained that he had hurt himself from “running”. I’m not sure this is a logical explanation, but I’m in no position to pursue the issue any further. As the period progressed, the boy seemed to forget about his face, participate in the activities more, and smile broadly. Needless to say, I was pleased that he was able to focus on something considerably more pleasant than his injury.

Now I’m home, listening to Shakira, processing photos I snapped yesterday, and enjoying a moment to breath since this week has been busy. I’m especially happy that our lives are back to “normal”. I hadn’t realized how much I depend upon a routine. When my comfortable schedule is thrown out of whack, I feel discombobulated. Life here is crazy enough already, so I tend to cling to any semblance of normality. 

P.S. The chicken in the photo above was stuck on the roof of a next-door building; it’s gone now, so someone must have rescued it, or it gathered the courage to fly-fall from the space. For a couple days it was an unhappy creature and looked extremely confused. Hopefully it’s in a better place now.