tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68848765941324842592024-03-06T07:39:58.948+06:00China Service Program BlogChina Country Manager, hosts and team members report on work projects and share their thoughts about volunteer activities and experiences.M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-22534905435959984602013-09-19T14:14:00.000+07:002013-10-12T02:14:43.731+07:00A change in plans<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were up and prepared for a half-day tour
of a replica of a village for this area of China. Our hopes and dreams were
shattered after breakfast when our leader Wang Baoli called to inform us
that the trip was cancelled. It had rained all night and the dirt roads were
impossible. With no alternatives, we stayed in the hotel, assessing our
“belongings” and packing them into our suitcases. We had lunch with Baoli and
son and later her husband came and they took Phyllis out shopping. Tomorrow at
7 a.m. we will meet Baoli, her husband, and her son and visit Baoli’s husband’s
work place and Exposition Park.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Dick<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Message for the Day: </i></b><i>If you do not live it, you do not believe it. – Chinese Proverb</i></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-25248689384658578562013-09-18T20:11:00.000+07:002013-10-12T02:11:47.968+07:00A special farewell program<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was a special day! Although the rain greeted
us in the morning, it turned out to be a sunny day. We kept our morning class
schedule, helping the students with pronunciation of nursing terms and health
questions asked at a visit to the doctor’s office. After our class was over,
some of us were given a tour of the campus which included the sports field,
communication center, dormitories, and cafeteria.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a special day because a farewell program was
held in a big assembly hall. It was also the last day of school for the
week because of the Autumn Festival celebration. The Global Volunteers trio
was introduced and each of us had to make a brief introduction of ourselves.
After that it was questions and answer time, followed by talent
performances of dancing and singing by some students. Julia and Baoli joined
the trio in singing “What Aloha means.” The Urghur students got up to do
their native dance and pulled us up to dance with them. It was fun! What a
grand way to end our service adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before we left the college campus, the college president
presented each of us a Chinese Scroll – a picture taken from the wall of an ancient
cave - and a Chinese Poem. <i>Mahalo
Nui Loa</i> to all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Thelma<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Message for the Day: </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yellow Gold has its price. Learning is priceless.” - Chinese Proverb</span><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-5201251933550097882013-09-17T20:08:00.000+07:002013-10-12T02:08:56.388+07:00A full day of teaching<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is our long day. We began teaching at
8:30 a.m. and ended our day at 5 p.m. Our day began by teaching nursing
students. We all used their workbooks. We went through their new word
list, reviewed last weeks work, sang, and did whatever we thought was
needed. We then spoke to 200 – 300 first-year students. We all shared our
names and what we did. The one hour was not enough time for them to ask
questions. We needed to cut our introduction time so the students would
have more time. We enjoyed a very large lunch of various Chinese dishes. In
the afternoon we taught the Wicker students again. They were easier to
teach. They participated more and their pronunciation of English words was
good. We all had an easier and enjoyable time with the Wicker students. This
was a good way to end our long school day. We all were too tired to think of
shopping. The old guys ate dinner, took a bath, and hit
the hay. <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Phyllis</span></i></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-25381972524798106692013-09-16T18:03:00.000+07:002013-10-12T02:06:01.763+07:00Hundreds of dumplings at Lily's house<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning class was to be with the English
club members. We were told it would be voluntary attendance and it would
be a surprise as to who would come. Last Monday we had eight students. Today
we had two students.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thelma and Phyllis worked with them doing
individual reading of some simple children’s books which we brought, in English,
of course. This went on until about 10:15 a.m. Then after a break, the group
shifted gears. From then until 11 a.m. the group worked with crafts and
conversational English. Phyllis did paper folding or origami and
ended up teaching knot tying for buttons on clothes. Thelma then led the group
in making soda cap leis with the objective of conservation and keeping the landfill
as empty as possible. The two girls embraced the idea of the ribbon soda
cap leis with enthusiasm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shortly after 11 a.m. we left for Lily’s apartment
via an auto ride in Jules’s car. There Lily, her mother, another
staff person, and a student were making dumplings. Phyllis jumped in to
help. They made literally hundreds for lunch. When they were cooked, we
sat down to a lunch of dumplings, string beans, lotus roods, and noodles. There
were two kinds of dumplings: vegetable and pork. The meal was very good, but
for us the dipping sauce of vinegar, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce was a little
rough on our “southern Chinese” palates. The dumplings tasted good without
the sauce for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We spent the rest of time with them, chatting, singing,
and sharing with them Mac Nut covered chocolate candy which we brought
from home. We returned to the hotel via the school ar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Dick<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Message of the Day: </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I was tucking my
son in bed one night I said “Try, I love you! He replied “I do, too.” I
teasingly said “No, you don’t?” He said “Yes, Mommy, I do.” “How do you know
it’s love?” I asked. He responded “I’m not really sure what love is, but
you make my heart smile!” I then realized, without a doubt, he understood love
better than most adults.</span><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-12274392763901540542013-09-13T19:01:00.000+07:002013-10-12T02:01:53.221+07:00The more students the merrier! <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a night of thunder, lightning, and rain, the
morning shone bright and sunny. During our morning session our Global
Volunteers trio became a duet when Phyllis left for a weekend destination.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dick met his new students by introducing himself
and showing his family album, including pastimes activity and observations
of special events. Then he worked with them on calendar words, names of the
month, and days of the week. Next was using the student’s text book to help on
pronunciation of medical terms and usage words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facing a class of new faces, I greeted them with
“Aloha” and a short introduction of myself and where I live. My question - how
can I help the students? The teacher then told me to go over the new words and
expressions listed in the textbook. By this time, our class size had
increased with Phyllis’s class joining ours. Ha! The more the merrier. We
managed to finish this page and started with new words on the next page. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Thelma <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Message for the Day: </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“An inch of gold may be lost</span><b>. </b><span style="font-size: small;">A
lost inch of time, never.”</span><b> </b><span style="font-size: small;">-</span><b> </b>Chinese Proverb</span><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></b></i></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-36172592707549485882013-09-11T17:58:00.000+07:002013-10-12T01:58:30.509+07:00A warm welcome from Principal Liu<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dick, Thelma, Phyllis, and Baoli began the day at
school by walking the three to four flights of stairs to their classroom
as there is no elevator. We began climbing and singing "Climb, Climb up
Sunshine Mountain" to distract us from our first task of the day. When we
reached the third floor, we were informed we needed to go to the
principal's office. We were not sure what to expect. To our surprise
there was a friendly, warm man to greet us, Principal Liu. Principal
Liu welcomed us and shared his appreciation for our volunteering in his
school. Also, if I am not mistaken it is Principal Liu’s private car and
driver who transport us to and from our hotel to school daily. What a
wonderful way for the three volunteers to start their day. <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning we had the HNC1 students. All of
us used their nursing manual. We helped them with their pronunciation and
clarification/definition of the words in their text book. Of course each
day can't go by without singing and sharing of our own heritage and
theirs. Our day ended with a nap then shopping. I'm happy I
found a new Alaska fishing raincoat. My six-year-old raincoat crashed this
year and I got soaked and wet. We are still looking for Thelma’s cassette
player and Phyllis’ terra cotta soldiers. Now for dinner and bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Phyllis </span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-47238307930271627082013-09-10T19:54:00.000+07:002013-10-12T01:55:59.441+07:00A special day for teachers<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is a special day for teachers. For us, the day
began as usual with a big breakfast at the hotel. The three musketeers left for
school and began their days with one third of the two-year nursing students.
The students were basically quiet, but answered our questions and could
pronounce the words fairly well. In my class we practiced “How are you?” and “How
do you feel?” We did some round singing of “The more we get together” and
getting to know you. We also did some energy work and simple massage. I passed
out the sheets with suffixes and prefixes. Dick had fun in his class sharing
his Chinese history in Hawaii. He helped them pronounce the words from their
nursing text book. Of course the retired minister shared his singing ability with
the group, too. As a teacher, Thelma is most capable to help the students with
conversational English. She helped them with the pronunciation of the words in
their nursing text book and happy songs. We had to stay in our school to be
available for the afternoon classes. Julia, Pan Pan, and Baoli took us to lunch
at a restaurant across the street. We had a very tasty and popular Muslim dish
called “beef or mutton soup with bread.” The most exciting part of lunch break
was crossing a street with heavy traffic to get to the restaurant and back to
school. We will be teaching another group this afternoon. The classes will be
with the Urghur group. Now our day has ended and we are heading back to our
hotel and dinner.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Phyllis <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-37426448186339022452013-09-09T17:31:00.000+07:002013-10-12T01:32:55.571+07:00Our first day working with students<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rise and shine! We were up early so that we could
all make it to breakfast and have time to get ready for our first day with
students. Since Monday and Sunday are the school’s weekend, those who would
come today were volunteers wanting to learn English and wondering what these new
volunteers are like. <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We started at 8:00 a.m. with three students so it
was decided for the three of us to work with them individually after doing introductions.
Well, it started that way after introductions, but soon others joined the group
until we had eight or ten students. We then broke up into three groups. Thelma
and I took our students to the office and worked with the kids together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Dick</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-75989389942753401782013-09-08T20:22:00.000+07:002013-10-12T01:26:21.800+07:00Our first work day <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was our first day in Xi’an. It began with a
buffet breakfast at the leisure hour of 7:45 a.m. We knew that the next few
days would be different - leisure hours will be different and rare and 6 a.m. call
ups will surely arouse us from our peaceful slumber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our introduction from our leader, Wang Baoli, was
to meet at 12:30 a.m. for lunch. Lunch was served by smiling waitresses and was
more than acceptable. In fact, it was good. Good ordering, “Madam Leader.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At 2 p.m. we were off to the school where we will
be teaching. We went through the goals and objectives and the other
assignments that Global Volunteers sets for all programs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We then met some volunteer students who welcomed us
to the school. We introduced ourselves and they did the same with some
hesitation and bashfulness on their part. They sang some songs for us in both
Chinese and English. The students were great but shy. We closed with the leader
telling us about them. What I forgot to say was that a teacher in the
school brought her 5-year-old daughter, who sang a song for us. Of course
we all applauded her effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We enjoyed dinner at 6:30 p.m. which ended with
the question of “Who will do the journal?” Reluctantly I did. So ends the first
“work” day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entry submitted by: Dick<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Message of the Day</i></b><b>:</b> “<i>Everyone has noted the astounding source of energy that seems available
to those who enjoy what they are doing. The self-renewing man knows that if he
has not great conviction about what he is doing, he had better find something
that he can have great conviction about!” - John Cardner in <u>Self-Renewal</u></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-10403264194259011372013-07-12T20:14:00.000+07:002013-11-23T01:28:26.395+07:00Volunteering in China - July 12<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4T3BhUOfiz0IgKOCgQfPwOKuTk9EC5-Pjczaqufdcxr46MfVKwTHdWABAUI_NRooDKhg8tVGvssbzA6Cxqzc5ONWh8Cgpev7p_44NdExx5dS-9xDhjs-W5QvgaDglEQYHgkjyq0C1IZyQ/s1600/photo+1+for+July+12+journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4T3BhUOfiz0IgKOCgQfPwOKuTk9EC5-Pjczaqufdcxr46MfVKwTHdWABAUI_NRooDKhg8tVGvssbzA6Cxqzc5ONWh8Cgpev7p_44NdExx5dS-9xDhjs-W5QvgaDglEQYHgkjyq0C1IZyQ/s320/photo+1+for+July+12+journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Team #209 started their eventful
day with their morning ritual of meeting in room 9 for their fabulous buffet
breakfast. Unsurprisingly, there was a latecomer that failed to show up on time
for the morning meal. This time, it was Nora who was just stumbling out of bed
while the rest of the team was enjoying breakfast. As you can see, punctuality is
the key to success, as noted in the team’s list of 15 Characteristics of an Effective Team.</span></div>
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Not only was Nora late to
breakfast, but she was also late in joining Tom and Geni’s class this morning.
Usually, Nora spends the first half of the morning with Fran and Dia’s class
and the second half with Tom and Geni. Fran and Dia’s class started their
morning off with reciting poems. Tom and Geni’s class spent their morning
practicing for their final performance and learning about oxymorons and
opposites. Anne and Myrle’s class was busy performing skits, ordering off
menus, and playing various games. </div>
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At the end of our busy morning, team 209 headed back to the hotel for lunch. Clearly, lunch was one of the best meals the team has had so far. Anne even ate (and enjoyed) one of her most hated vegetables: broccoli. Geni, Nora, and Dia’s afternoon was almost completely uneventful, including only a trip to the bakery and a few games of cards. At the end of the day, the Gualtieris started to prepare for their weekend trip to Shangri-la while Anne and Myrle went to Green Lake and rowed in paddleboats. What a wonderful way to end a busy week!</div>
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<i>Entry submitted by: Geni</i></div>
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<b><i>Message of the Day: </i></b>“Alfonso
is sweet and all, but he’s too in touch with his feminine side.” –Anne Radcliffe<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-35846528590788927072013-07-11T22:20:00.000+07:002013-11-23T01:57:21.669+07:00Volunteering In China - July 11<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxLzL3lFiGME16RT7g-TRzSpYZga1J8PQ4LLt7V8qo_iN9_fQ19Mv9KEHc7FYbcTQbczx5h55w06AQgUKDOVXnk10hek8XXpRe1nxPdb-4Xwt0ZnNmW6seFowAkCCuUJ6BtKccwqKdsfL/s1600/Photo+1+for+July+11+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxLzL3lFiGME16RT7g-TRzSpYZga1J8PQ4LLt7V8qo_iN9_fQ19Mv9KEHc7FYbcTQbczx5h55w06AQgUKDOVXnk10hek8XXpRe1nxPdb-4Xwt0ZnNmW6seFowAkCCuUJ6BtKccwqKdsfL/s320/Photo+1+for+July+11+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Team #209 started the day with a
good breakfast and everyone was punctual as usual. We got to school and Myrle and I started class with
the presentations of some interesting TV show skits. In the other room, a
heated game of “memory” took place, as well as reenactments of popular Disney
stories. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We came back to the hotel for lunch and had my favorite: stuffed buns.
There was some interesting conversation at the table; however, no one seemed to
believe me when I told them about the world’s best cup of coffee, provided by a
small animal that ate, then returned, the beans that were used to create this
supposedly extraordinary-tasting brew.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After lunch, there was a lecture
back at school given by Fran, who reported back that all went well, except that
she accidentally gave out the wrong information about her children. Who
remembers that stuff anyway? Nora, Geni, Dia, and I started, but failed to
finish, a monopoly game while Myrle worked in his room and Tom attended the
lecture at school. Surprisingly, the sun peeked out in the afternoon for an
extended period of time, which was very uplifting after a spell of rainy days. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrWX5OFzZzJOwVnKMAgmjAYW5RxyQ54skY_TXfAsUZ4SjJeG77kAEjzBlK7R-lONvUoMHHnSDYoCHHUfWX0uziFzi3BhIeB1pOrI_xxZfohO1FI0BELcys4fvpyO3oGPQBWNFobGQZdrq/s1600/photo+2+for+July+11+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrWX5OFzZzJOwVnKMAgmjAYW5RxyQ54skY_TXfAsUZ4SjJeG77kAEjzBlK7R-lONvUoMHHnSDYoCHHUfWX0uziFzi3BhIeB1pOrI_xxZfohO1FI0BELcys4fvpyO3oGPQBWNFobGQZdrq/s320/photo+2+for+July+11+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">Dinner was at the hotel and consisted of some more stimulating conversation. We jumped from topics such as Ebonics as a language offered in school (although no one believed me on that one either), to the most popular sports in the U.S. of A. (three out of the five most popular sports were football - who knew), and we ended by sharing our earliest memories (some of which were very traumatic). After dinner we retired to our rooms to get ready for the end of week one. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Entry submitted by: Anne</i><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Message of the Day:</i></b> “It is noble to teach oneself, but still nobler to teach others - and less trouble.” – Mark Twain</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-83268903283571690432013-07-10T17:45:00.000+07:002013-11-23T02:02:00.235+07:00Encouraging signs<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With all the emphasis on
punctuality, it was not at all surprising that barely minutes after 7:00, the
entire team was seated and enjoying breakfast and lively conversation. With the
usual efficiency of superior leadership, Baoli moved the meeting along quickly
to allow everyone ample time before departure to ensure nothing was forgotten
or neglected on the day of the big song and dance. In the care of our excellent
driver, we made the perilous journey along the rainy streets of Kunming without
incident. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We are by now well adjusted to
our teachers and vice versa. Lesson plans are all over the map and trading
ideas and schemes that worked well in one class are routinely passed on to
benefit others. In our class, we intermixed active segments with language-oriented
desk work to maintain the energy level with some success. The “fly swatter
vocabulary”, tried and recommended by others in the team, proved to be very
popular. The teachers quickly learned how to beat the system to win the
competition, but they did so with good humor and no harm done. We will do a
repeat. Idioms continue to be a challenge to explain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The important day’s take-away for
our part of the team was a perceptible shift in the relationship. We seem to
have moved from an “us and them” condition to one of friendly colleagues
working together to improve language skills and find new methods for teaching
English at the middle school level. Our final two conversations, the first
stimulated by written responses that were discussed and the second an appeal
for a better method of engaging students, were among the most fully engaged
dialogues so far.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The unquestionable highlight of
the day was the afternoon singing and dancing extravaganza. Ably choreographed
by the four young ladies who are rapidly becoming the key to our team’s
success, the afternoon session turned into a noisy high energy event that would
have made Bob Fosse envious. Once Nora warmed up the group and turned them over
to her partners, the beat and step barely paused as they moved from galloping
ponies to moving feet to shifting hand games. We can imagine the teachers,
sweaty and exhausted, collapsed in their beds and wondered happily what they
had gotten themselves into.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Tom and Myrle, wary of being
drawn into yet another activity where their motor skills would be revealed as
inadequate, fled the premises on foot. Dinner was at another restaurant within
walking distance where our thoughtful hostess and intrepid leader lavished
dumplings on the stars of today’s endeavors as a well-earned reward. The sun
was also visible for as much as 45 seconds today: an encouraging sign.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Entry submitted by: Myrle</i><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Message of the Day:</i></b>
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t
do than by the things that you did.” -
Mark Twain<br />
<br /></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-88061699785164587452013-07-09T16:31:00.000+07:002013-11-23T02:27:40.617+07:00Singing and dancing in the classroom <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKqlRCuRZo9DC95TWODoQKNltQVjpgUxzKBjWsVYSEHi4Y9i7Ap19FteaXJ0sPHVG8iPaowsHDZZRW-gPENCIRzf_n1olCPE7Asr_RFVJQgsVlI4rv09UGR2v4uPFGjGhW_MA2AgMvRRA/s1600/photo+1+for+July+9+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKqlRCuRZo9DC95TWODoQKNltQVjpgUxzKBjWsVYSEHi4Y9i7Ap19FteaXJ0sPHVG8iPaowsHDZZRW-gPENCIRzf_n1olCPE7Asr_RFVJQgsVlI4rv09UGR2v4uPFGjGhW_MA2AgMvRRA/s320/photo+1+for+July+9+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></u></div>
<u> </u><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The day started the usual way
with the eight of us eating breakfast in room 9. Tom arrives late while saying
something about punctuality to make up for being the last one down to
breakfast. When we are done eating, Geni and I got supplies for class. I got
scissors, paper, glue, and tape for the primary school teachers. Fran started
class with the primary teachers writing their homework on the chalkboard. She
didn’t plan for homework to take the whole class time. There was only enough
time for Dia to quickly teach the Macarena and the Hokey Pokey at the very end
of class. I was with Fran and Dia’s class for the first part of the morning,
but after their break, I went downstairs. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">I joined Tom and Geni’s class while the junior high teachers were going over vocabulary. Geni and I used their vocabulary words to play the fly swatter game. The teachers enjoyed the game greatly. Later Geni and I got the class to play Picturegram. Somehow the class got an elephant to be a chicken and a car turned into a flower. It was very fun and amusing. Speaking of fun, I heard that Myrle and Anne were teaching their class how to dance to the Cotton Eye Joe. I didn’t know there was a dance for that song; Anne will have to teach me at tomorrow’s dancing and singing session.</span></div>
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<i>Entry submitted by: Nora</i></div>
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<b><i>Message of the Day:</i></b> “Let it be.”<br />
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www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-51282716596098089162013-07-08T20:26:00.000+07:002013-11-23T02:36:37.798+07:00Our first day volunteering<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksqyj_cealzhUJfM3iAik6F8r9Erf2UMjfEcbyuSiqS3sTDut6RUo9TYVOkxsdi4v53eJ8GFyRe79s70vRITleNSVatRweCuPJ5d8869yulfHXJ1CdAqdv7l9FsAZSPBztegCXKa95NkJ/s1600/photo+1+for+July+8+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksqyj_cealzhUJfM3iAik6F8r9Erf2UMjfEcbyuSiqS3sTDut6RUo9TYVOkxsdi4v53eJ8GFyRe79s70vRITleNSVatRweCuPJ5d8869yulfHXJ1CdAqdv7l9FsAZSPBztegCXKa95NkJ/s320/photo+1+for+July+8+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Punctuality is one of the
hallmarks of an effective team. Our team demonstrated peak punctuality on the
first day of class when we gathered in front of the Golden Spring Hotel. We had
eaten our usual hearty breakfasts and had reviewed the minutes of the day
before, delivered by Frances, between bites of dragon fruit. “I’m glad to see
you're all punctual,” said BaoLi. It was a clear case of hurry up and wait
because our transportation vehicle didn't arrive until 9:00 instead of 8:30.
But we arrived safely and debouched onto the campus of Kunming University, which
hardly any of us recognized as there have been so many changes made over the
past year.</div>
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Our day began with a special
meeting with all the teachers and the staff of Kunming University. We all
introduced ourselves, first Tom then Francis, Nora, Geni and Dia, and finally
Myrle and Ann. Then Mr. Zhiang held forth, advising the teachers to attend
their classes punctually.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZSQDrOoUazMr2eNZ7YOwL04YCqgx_3WW5z0LKvONt0XKqXA9t7ceI0rnJOkD-t5dPufSJpqg5o-IiZfTXiNrLkW-GFkPEVGb4jutjkS57POhVGi-44sEJtWLrN-2mSPCetkXb9NBjAbN/s1600/Photo+2+for+Juky+8+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZSQDrOoUazMr2eNZ7YOwL04YCqgx_3WW5z0LKvONt0XKqXA9t7ceI0rnJOkD-t5dPufSJpqg5o-IiZfTXiNrLkW-GFkPEVGb4jutjkS57POhVGi-44sEJtWLrN-2mSPCetkXb9NBjAbN/s320/Photo+2+for+Juky+8+Journal.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the chalkboard in the classroom: Students' Lesson Goals</td></tr>
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Tom and Geni met their class of thirteen students; Merle and Ann had sixteen students; and Francis, Nora, and Dia had fifteen. The first day was spent with introductions and discovering goals. It was only a half day. During the afternoon, the team retired to their studies and class preparations.</div>
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Festivities followed during the evening. BaoLi escorted the English language teachers to the Cross Bridge Restaurant. Of what transpired thereafter, your correspondent cannot say.</div>
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<i>Entry submitted by: Tom</i></div>
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<b><i>Message of the Day:</i></b> "Spring into action." -Chuck Norris</div>
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www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-1212287615773664512013-07-07T18:00:00.000+07:002013-11-23T03:30:58.192+07:00China Volunteer Vacation Begins - July 2013<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIfyEJBymgjHD9d1km3BVAgFojhJrLbc5g7vi6amPNwHHLeReodJ7dDH8Jp_-IS2sR_g1qi2pTXRPlao_qWwaxhHyQ82C4LAw7eQe1NqOhkttm2FTZ9d_LDr1LPS6T_rWWJkqwq2NNXWV/s1600/photo+for+July+7+Journal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIfyEJBymgjHD9d1km3BVAgFojhJrLbc5g7vi6amPNwHHLeReodJ7dDH8Jp_-IS2sR_g1qi2pTXRPlao_qWwaxhHyQ82C4LAw7eQe1NqOhkttm2FTZ9d_LDr1LPS6T_rWWJkqwq2NNXWV/s320/photo+for+July+7+Journal.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new Global Volunteers Team in China!</td></tr>
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With a delicious dinner on
Saturday evening, July 6th, Team #209 began their two-week journey in Kunming,
China. Global Volunteer Country Manager Baoli Wang was a welcome sight for
Myrle, Tom, Geni, Nora, Dia, and Fran. Anne has yet to discover what a delight
it is to work with this SUPERIOR LEADER<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6884876594132484259" name="_GoBack"></a>.</div>
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On Sunday, July 7, 2013 we
breakfasted in the Golden Spring Hotel (GSH) before our team orientation. We do
love the GSH breakfast buffet as lots of different and interesting treats are
available. Our enthusiastic team decided our team goals were: to exchange
cultural understanding; to help with the English teachers’ fluency; to enjoy
Chinese food; to explore the city of Kunming; to have fun; and to connect with
the English teachers.</div>
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Our lunch after the morning
session introduced us to Gingko seeds, new to all of us but Baoli. Afternoon
trips included Myrle’s activation of his Chinese phone; Geni, Nora, Anne, and
Dia’s shopping excursion in the neighborhood; and Tom/Fran’s three-hour
roundtrip walk to Green Lake. Dinner included an introduction of spicy cauliflower
and new ways to present an orange on a platter.</div>
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<i>Entry submitted by: Fran </i></div>
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<b><i>Message of the Day:</i></b> “A
journey begins with a single step.” - Lao-Tzu (paraphrased) </div>
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www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-70193408528052343172013-07-06T11:17:00.000+07:002013-11-23T03:37:44.542+07:00We part as friends and global neighbors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p3Alhd8Uy80LcfkZFnoBemhyphenhyphenluSRsO-EHRHJBKGfqZ7zCTBSn9TJiZt1bSff3uhbZGt67IYH4q3Oj0IDBjzWzBEpEkhRf7NIwvsokkgO9waeO1-uw8EPBGX47xib9tQED2aFNiQ2i3d6/s1600/Photo1+for+July+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /> <img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p3Alhd8Uy80LcfkZFnoBemhyphenhyphenluSRsO-EHRHJBKGfqZ7zCTBSn9TJiZt1bSff3uhbZGt67IYH4q3Oj0IDBjzWzBEpEkhRf7NIwvsokkgO9waeO1-uw8EPBGX47xib9tQED2aFNiQ2i3d6/s320/Photo1+for+July+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">Today is the last day of the 23rd Kunming school teachers' training. All twelve volunteers were excited and saddened with the rapid ending of the program. It seemed that the teacher training was just building up steam. The volunteers were instructed to wrap up their training tasks during the first two hours of the day to prepare for the closing ceremony at 10:30 a.m. in the fourth floor auditorium.<span data-mce-style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The closing ceremony was well attended by the Yunnan province education leaders including Yunnan University Training Chiefs, Continuing Education Chiefs, English Program Host (Chris), Global Volunteer China Country Manager (Baoli), all the volunteers, and of course the 90+ student teachers. The noteworthy speeches were offered by the nominated student teacher representative who expressed the benefits and deep appreciation of their two weeks of English training. The individual volunteer short speeches were equally emotional with extended, warm friendship. This was followed by exchanging gifts to volunteers and completion certificates to the student teachers. After the formalities, Nancy and Dixie led everyone in farewell songs. It was a great fulfilling ending to two weeks of intense work!</span></div>
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Zal Jian!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Entry submitted by: Stella</span></i></div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-73348302673811593272013-07-04T00:09:00.000+07:002013-11-23T04:02:54.910+07:00July 4 in China - A Volunteer's Story<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocKEC_9Uv4irhOeQDZGU_YyPKyI83YlPoFrQws43pO__LQGH6YKjUR7XBzvKM0TalhbBxGeYgsKQ3gPzS0i7Dk4fCvq8UQFo33SoeAc3eObQXEUOaZXhV1BQKW38g51FoIUw3_l6TaOEe/s1600/photo+2+for+July+4+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocKEC_9Uv4irhOeQDZGU_YyPKyI83YlPoFrQws43pO__LQGH6YKjUR7XBzvKM0TalhbBxGeYgsKQ3gPzS0i7Dk4fCvq8UQFo33SoeAc3eObQXEUOaZXhV1BQKW38g51FoIUw3_l6TaOEe/s320/photo+2+for+July+4+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Today I was awakened
by the beautiful scent of the fresh flowers given to me by one of the
students. After teaching, we were treated to a delicious lunch by the students.
The restaurant served Bai minority recipes. The food was delicious and
abundant. It was served by waitresses dressed in minority attire. I commented
to the students that the meal felt similar to our American Thanksgiving.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 1.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">During lunch I
enjoyed chatting with one of our Hani minority students while he described all
of the fascinating insects he encountered while on a recent hike in the
mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">While I've now been
away from home for 3 weeks, leaving Kunming
is bittersweet. I will miss the students and the volunteer team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Despite my
frustration of trying for several nights to locate an appropriate quote on
volunteerism from a website that isn't blocked, I found the following quote
which seems to fit:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">"Never doubt
that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's
the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Wishing all my
fellow volunteers “happy trails” and best wishes in all that you do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"><i>Entry submitted by: Wendy </i></span></div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-37108376258580431402013-07-03T18:31:00.000+07:002013-11-23T04:05:29.524+07:00Wrapping up a productive week in Kunming<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Reflection for July
4 in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>:
Are we adequately serving as good will ambassadors, or visiting firemen,
or a little bit of both? Where do you stand in your cost-benefit study?<br />
<br />
Baoli and her <em>"gang of twelve"</em> volunteers settled into their teaching routines at
the Kunming Continuing Education Teaching Institute. The veteran teaching
teams were busy making new friends and renewing old relationships. The
newcomers, like Stella and Lester, were learning the routines and mastering
their new tricks. Baoli's skillful assignment of teaching teams utilizing
the available, extensive experience by our volunteers are bearing fruits. The Yunnan student teachers are showing their interests by working hard
in classes; asking diverse questions to their instructors; actively
participating in the songs and dances offered by our volunteers; and sharing,
without hesitation, their teaching experience and friendship with their
respective instructors.</span></div>
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In the morning, the Leon/Lester team continued to work on the students'
prepared biographic summaries and pronunciations. The Nancy/Kitty team and the
Esther/Wendy team worked on their respective skits with the students. The
Janet/Michael team were immersed in sharing their mastery in various famous
Chinese love stories. The Jim/Mary team played American folk song games, while
the Dixie/Stella team continued to work with the students on their vocabulary
and pronunciation.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nancy</st1:place></st1:city>
conducted a lecture on "Pioneers" in her family. Mary also
lectured on Native Americans. Wendy lectured on "Pow
Wows". The students seemed to enjoy the photos and drawings of miners,
cowboys, Native Indian dancers, and drummers.<br />
<br />
No job is finished until the paperwork is done. After the school work was over, Baoli asked the whole team to
sign the completion certificates for the students.<br />
<br />
<i>Entry submitted by: Lester</i><br />
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www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-13564431185698145492013-07-02T18:28:00.000+07:002013-11-23T04:28:00.431+07:00"There is no end to learning"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-HVTcXccpys8LuFMq7rC2G_zigcRt7b8mloSJ-mr0UqWZeHW84qy0OT8uaBgQxg8Jz9myB4gugCP4s4l2cg308tSokUG7gy-asTSSmCAdhZKem31ZW7filbqBd-GhLtoUf3ABzGfl0ZK/s1600/Photo+1+for+July+2+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-HVTcXccpys8LuFMq7rC2G_zigcRt7b8mloSJ-mr0UqWZeHW84qy0OT8uaBgQxg8Jz9myB4gugCP4s4l2cg308tSokUG7gy-asTSSmCAdhZKem31ZW7filbqBd-GhLtoUf3ABzGfl0ZK/s320/Photo+1+for+July+2+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">How true the Confucian saying that there is no end to learning! Perhaps nowhere is this concept more evident than in the teaching-learning process. If the sage were living today, he would have more than a thing or two to learn about this ever-changing world, wouldn't he? I wonder what kind of student he would be if he were in our class. Would he give Nancy and me a thumbs-up for our teaching? Would he have trouble pronouncing the /i/ and /e/ phonemes? Would he say "pain" as "pen"? Would his pronunciation of these and some other sounds make <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nancy</st1:place></st1:city> throw up her arms exasperation? Well, enough of my reveries!<br /><br />This was an unusually full teaching-and-learning day, enriched by an exhilarating field trip and concluded with a sumptuous banquet at the "Kind and Gentle Like Spring" restaurant.<br /><br />In each of our group learning session, Nancy and I use appropriate songs, drills, exercises, and dances to help the teachers improve their English skills. Today was no different, but, in addition to using the Bingo game to reinforce their learning about antonyms, we asked them to write stories on such silly topics as "an elephant that can talk," "an invisible island," "a car that is afraid of kids, " etc. At first, we thought the assignment might be somewhat daunting for them, but they allayed our anxieties with surprising aplomb. We did, of course, have to correct their pronunciations after their recitation to the group, but we were pleased by their overall performance and look forward to using the assignment as the basis of a skit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Unlike the field trips that I took when I was a school girl, this afternoon's outing was a learning activity which was both inspiring and fun. At Hump Memorial Park, the stories and photos about the Flying Tigers, the construction of the airfield, and the building of the Yunnan-Burma road not only underscore the human capacity to endure extreme hardships and to make personal sacrifices but also affirm the triumph of good over evil. </span><br />
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The sacred grounds around the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Flying</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Tigers</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Monument</st1:placetype></st1:place>
provided a natural surrounding for volunteers and their teacher-students to
take group photos. It was particularly amusing to see them compete for
having a shot taken with us, as if we were celebrities. Their laughters
and giggles as they stood by my side made my heart flutter with excitement.
After the shutterbugs had put their cameras away, the group did singing and
dancing in the much-admired accompaniment of <st1:city w:st="on">Nancy</st1:city>
and her sister, <st1:place w:st="on">Dixie</st1:place>, strumming on their
Ukuleles. The joyful noises this large group made reverberated through
the verdant mountains and lush trees, so much so, in fact, that perhaps even
the dead in those tombs on the hillside wished they could join in the fun.<br />
<br />
To our gastronomic delight, the extraordinarily rich banquet of 30-or-so dishes
promised to be something to write home about. Lester wasted no time to
capture on camera the mouth-watering food arranged around an ornate centerpiece
on an enormous round table. He had a hidden agenda, it seemed, and that
was to have Stella learn to cook the dishes for his epicurean enjoyment after
they return to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
<br />
<br />
As I was writing this journal, Dixie called to say that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Leon</st1:country-region> had found a way to import photos and videos
to his Mac and invited me to her room to let <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Leon</st1:place></st1:country-region> upload the videos on my iPad
for Baoli. So in a late-night crash course, I learned
something new. Indeed, there is no end to learning. From learning
about how to teach ESL effectively, to learning the songs and dance steps, to learning
the technique of uploading or downloading photos, we live and learn until our
visa on this planet expires.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span></div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-59329247142056210132013-07-02T06:26:00.000+07:002013-07-06T06:29:49.935+07:00"Their Lives Matter to Us"<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><em>“If I died tomorrow, I
would die feeling I’ve lived my whole life 110%. And for that, Tiger Mom, I
thank you.” Sophia Chua Rubenfeld, oldest daughter of Amy Chua<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmJKK78LV56D4INFu0JQxuxZcedARuhUv_a3qojZFHr64B_8BGL9UJcePnEAwwqBH6eCGEE95vcR5B3A1TwTuZfcismIvv335r7vypBkQJrolHlogiVA3517ueY7G5OA0Q7aB2BJfIus5/s1600/Photo+for+July+1+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmJKK78LV56D4INFu0JQxuxZcedARuhUv_a3qojZFHr64B_8BGL9UJcePnEAwwqBH6eCGEE95vcR5B3A1TwTuZfcismIvv335r7vypBkQJrolHlogiVA3517ueY7G5OA0Q7aB2BJfIus5/s320/Photo+for+July+1+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">We have an unprecedented opportunity here as volunteers to gain a "ground-level" perspective of Chinese culture. When my friend, Jane Tom,
asked me for advice about what to say in a speech at her daughter’s wedding, I
replied, <em>“Tell everyone how proud you are<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>of her and why,”</em> and she replied, “<em>That’s not Chinese.”</em> When Matt Fong,
the son of our neighbor, was the republican running against Diane Feinstein he
was asked whether he had really attended an EST seminar. He confessed and added
rather sadly, <em>“It’s the only time my father ever hugged me.”</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em> </em> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">We think these Asian
American parents don’t represent American ideas of good parenting. In fact Amy
Chua, the tiger mother, appalled most Americans and Jane and Matt Fong’s father
seem too stinting in their praise and affection. </span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">But even in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> people
are questioning what the "tiger mother" calls traditional parenting and asking
questions like, “Why can’t we produce a Steve Jobs?” And they are personally
aware of the system’s harsh consequences. One of our teachers left our class in
tears after receiving a phone call from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>her distraught<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>daughter who had not
done as well as she hoped on an exam and therefore would not be able to attend
the school she had chosen. Another stayed in class but her eyes filled as she
told me the same thing had happened to her niece. And still another, to my
surprise, asked me what I thought about "tiger moms" (I didn’t realize people in
China knew the term), and unhappily confessed to being one and not being able
to stop herself from calling her 7-year-old “stupid” and then hearing him cry
in his room. These teachers are clearly unhappy with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s educational system and
sometimes with themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And apparently
people outside the school system agree. Global Volunteer Stella reported that
in church Sunday the minister preached against the great importance the Chinese
put on tests and the pressure they put on students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">At our afternoon meeting
last time, we taught with Global Volunteers the director of Foreign
Languages<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learning in Yunnan
Agricultural University, who had just returned from observing teaching in
America, contended with passion that <em>“there is never enough praise while any
criticism is too much.”</em> I looked back at his audience expecting to see some
resentment and saw only solemn faces and nods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So what is our role as Global Volunteers here?
We have brought games, songs, dances, new techniques and knowledge about child
rearing. We believe in praise and have modeled it in our class rooms. We could
be seen as the solution to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
education problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">But in the back of our
minds, we know that Asian parents in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> are on to something. My
friend Jane Tom’s daughter is a Harvard graduate and so are Jane's four other
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matt Fong, our neighbor’s son,
was secretary of State of the State of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">But we don’t need just my personal anecdotes
to tell us that traditional Asian parenting can produce very successful
children. My granddaughter’s <st1:place w:st="on">Chinatown</st1:place>
elementary school, where she is one of very few white students, is rated as one
of the best in the city. <st1:placename w:st="on">Lowell</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">High School</st1:placetype>, the top public high school in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>, which
admits students on the basis of test scores only, has a nick name: Chinese
Girls’ School. And the <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">California</st1:placename> at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berkeley</st1:place></st1:city>
has more Asian students than white.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So what is the best way to educate for
success? The Chinese who may think we know best I suspect are not aware of how
often we Americans have changed our minds and our practices. Pick the baby up
or let him cry<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- teach students to read
with phonics or lots of stories – teach by focusing on the book or the child -
always teach with groups or emphasize individual effort<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-practice zero tolerance of any infractions
or create a Summerhill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I think what we bring as Global volunteers is
not just the techniques for getting teachers to teach their children to speak
and enjoy learning English, but the example that <em><strong>we care</strong></em>. Wang Baoli spoke of
this eloquently in our first meeting and our teachers seemed impressed. I think
it helps explain the success of different kinds of teaching and parenting. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Asian parents in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> may not
hug and praise much, but their children can tell, perhaps especially by their
hard work and sacrifices, that their children matter to them. The tiger mother
Amy Chua apparently has a grateful daughter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">I used praise in my
classroom and received it from my mother throughout my life, but I disagree
with the speaker from the Agricultural college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think there sometimes can be too much praise and sometimes too little
criticism. And I think even striving for a balance is hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what there can’t be is too much
caring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We Global volunteers have shared
techniques for making learning English more fun. But I hope the main impression
we leave is the one that is more important. Strict or lenient we care. The
lives of our Chinese teachers and their students matter to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br />-Janet</span></span></div>
</div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-89729033235242760092013-07-01T08:18:00.000+07:002013-07-06T06:30:12.341+07:00Weekend for Vacation Volunteers in China<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikb5nKHOwOP9hhiDYBQGBelZoN8eO31gEHek3Z7g3RmlIgGP9ooBHxHDp7uRuQMTSbnasqYDiofvXBB9VTJ2FlTb_SHmrve_v40Ucj5-B_ZWcHJEuKJWaYxnFVI9d-Rzm44mts6oJDZpcK/s1600/Photo+1+for+June+29+&30+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikb5nKHOwOP9hhiDYBQGBelZoN8eO31gEHek3Z7g3RmlIgGP9ooBHxHDp7uRuQMTSbnasqYDiofvXBB9VTJ2FlTb_SHmrve_v40Ucj5-B_ZWcHJEuKJWaYxnFVI9d-Rzm44mts6oJDZpcK/s320/Photo+1+for+June+29+&30+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thought for the day:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><em>"It is good to have an end
to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> " -</span></em></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><em><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span>Ernest
Hemingway</em></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman Italic","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The trails of our intrepid
band of 12 Volunteers separated and converged in several ways for Saturday and
Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Free time destinations
included Tanhua Si Park, Green Lake Park, Yunnan Ethnic Peoples’ Theme Park, a
Yi Stone Village and Shilin Stone Forest, the Provincial Museum, the Kunming
Exposition Hall, the Military Museum and Anning Hot Springs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Special meals were served
to the Volunteers al fresco at the Inn in the Stone Village, and at a rustic
Dai barbecue restaurant near Anning. Special dishes were enjoyed by some of the
Volunteers at the elegant restaurant of the Green Lake Hotel.</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Li Baokun (Chris), our
Host, directs the Continuing Teachers’ Education Program at Yunnan
University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He accompanied the Stone
Village/ Stone Forest Four on Saturday, and the Hot Springs/ Dai Barbecue Six
on Sunday.</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9clto8XaCCLAtZPaGMaM5kshAENBgbbUOfNCxY1wC5u9lWIs6JXFc5bSTuliryR8RL2EaE4rpMmnVRmN12A1hQNZMWRAxFmKCNED1AzqOc1ZFN30AUNoknJfPgHyl5SpORx81wbbNuzG/s1600/Photo+2+for+June+29&30+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9clto8XaCCLAtZPaGMaM5kshAENBgbbUOfNCxY1wC5u9lWIs6JXFc5bSTuliryR8RL2EaE4rpMmnVRmN12A1hQNZMWRAxFmKCNED1AzqOc1ZFN30AUNoknJfPgHyl5SpORx81wbbNuzG/s200/Photo+2+for+June+29&30+Journal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Our Country Manager,
Wang Bao Li was our companion to Tanhua Si Park and to Anning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Tanhua Si Park is reached
by public bus, about 10 minutes’ ride from our Hotel. The grounds of the
7-story Pagoda slope gently up from the Park’s entrance at street level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are sections of garden, pavilions, fish
ponds, covered passageways, bamboo groves, and a grass-covered open space on a
hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw drawing classes, crafts
stations for young children, fish feeding and fish catching, picnicking, music
rehearsals, and martial arts practice. Inside the pagoda, we ascended 7 levels
and were rewarded with views of the City and of the Western Hills.</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The Hot Springs, an hour’s
drive from Kunming, is in a delightful pine forest setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dozens of pools come in a variety of
temperatures and colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the
cooler pools was the one with small fish that delicately nibbled the feet of
Lester, Stella, Leon, Nancy and Bao Li. After relaxing in a couple of pools for
almost 3 hours, that group headed to one of the many Dai barbecue places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meal consisted of grilled chickens, split
and flattened, with heads still on, crispy-skinned whole fish, mushrooms
wrapped in banana leaves, whole eggplants stuffed with green onions ground meat
and chilies, doufu, grilled bread, soup with greens, and pineapple rice served
in a pineapple shell. The seasoning, very spicy, was superb.</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">All, in all, the weekend
was relaxing and restorative. </span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Now we are energized for
the final 5 intensive days of classes and 2 afternoons of off-campus activities
with our students!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
- Dixiewww.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-6846244243376709682013-06-28T18:07:00.000+07:002013-07-06T06:07:37.830+07:00First Week of Teaching English in Kunming<br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thought for the day:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: #0400; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Use what talent you
possess: the woods would be very silent if only the best songbirds were
singing.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The end of the first week
of teaching. The volunteers and their teacher/students are settled into their
morning routines as witnessed by the stories of successes and semi-successes
heard on our bus back to the hotel and at lunch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwHzWv3o5Fmh0PcBMAGhE6-RczXWvcOUb-9l-6tOKJNxmUOszCGCElmzBQx1jnBql2KfUQXNy0uIdIyE_v4JdpoRwrl7JYVxaMRMORHdiEMCvWFxHU6nH0bl_DJMM9vXbqp-l6Pn9-YnJ/s1600/Photo+1+for+June+28+Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwHzWv3o5Fmh0PcBMAGhE6-RczXWvcOUb-9l-6tOKJNxmUOszCGCElmzBQx1jnBql2KfUQXNy0uIdIyE_v4JdpoRwrl7JYVxaMRMORHdiEMCvWFxHU6nH0bl_DJMM9vXbqp-l6Pn9-YnJ/s320/Photo+1+for+June+28+Journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Lunch was also an
opportunity to discuss plans for our first free afternoon and our weekend
activities. Several weekend activities were planned that will be reported in
the weekend journal. For this afternoon, Dixie and Leon offer to lead a walk to
some of the nearby Kunming attractions, with a promise to get back to the hotel
in time for dinner at six.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Lester, Stella, Kitty and
Esther us up on the offer which began with a ride on the 69 bus, westward to
Zhengyi Road, which is a pedestrian street leading south through a mixture of
old and modern buildings. On the left were stores with familiar western names
such as Papa John’s. On the right were the remnants of old Kunming, including a
partially restored 300 year old mansion. We hesitantly entered the courtyard
and found several young people busy working on computers. One took us under her
wing and led us around telling us (through Kitty acting as interpreter) that
this building was the only one in the area not damaged by an earthquake and was
being prepared as museum to illustrate part of the early history of Kunming.</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The walk continued south to
a huge open market with stalls selling anything anyone could ever want or need:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in 61.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">living birds, turtles, snakes,
scorpions, frogs, puppies, piglets, fish, rabbits, mice, and other
creatures which might be used as pets, or eaten.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in 61.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">embroidered bags, hats, scarves,
blouses, shoes, pants and all varieties of clothing.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in 61.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">tools and machines of every kind
and description</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0d3G92Q4WFJnLo2ITr4JbE1vvFTz-r0Eh0BXuqYYuYFSRtclC4kH3t7GIVo24K76XGghg3P0VEEmXX6qt7URdiAW-68hC0D1CRMu88R_MqtomAtqKGTyy7VTr1VBDBTeRCs1G2qhnhYpJ/s1600/Photo+2+for+June+28+Journal+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0d3G92Q4WFJnLo2ITr4JbE1vvFTz-r0Eh0BXuqYYuYFSRtclC4kH3t7GIVo24K76XGghg3P0VEEmXX6qt7URdiAW-68hC0D1CRMu88R_MqtomAtqKGTyy7VTr1VBDBTeRCs1G2qhnhYpJ/s320/Photo+2+for+June+28+Journal+.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">But you get the idea. Since
this particular walking group consisted of committed non-shoppers, we passed
through this extensive market relatively quickly and came upon the four story
“Bird and Flower” market which is famous for selling almost everything except
birds and flowers. Here you will find larger and more expensive items like
furniture, ceramics, clothing, etc. However, we were not tempted by wares in
this building. We continued south (after a detour to the west toward the
Provincial Museum to find a place to cross Dongfeng Road). We made a short stop
at a Starbucks (known for their clean, western style bathrooms) and came to the
Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Memorial Arches. Continuing south we finally
reached the West Pagoda and walked to the East Pagoda past very realistic
life-sized bronze statues commemorating the Tea and Horse Road of Yunnan. Then
we hailed cabs back to the hotel for dinner.</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">After dinner, Mary, Wendy,
Lester and Stella went to “Dynamic Yunnan” a spectacular display of the dance
and music of the minority peoples of Yunnan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
-Leon</span></span><br />www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-69050879426156940622013-06-27T21:51:00.000+07:002013-07-06T05:55:13.999+07:00More Lessons; More Discoveries in Kunming<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em><u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thought for the day:</span></u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> It
is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do
not dare that things are difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>--
Seneca<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">This saying may be
appropriate for some people, but not for our Kunming Global Volunteers, who
have dared to bring their culture and life experience to a group of people who
are daring in their own way to gain knowledge of a foreign people who insist on
saying "ih" instead of "ee" and provide fly swatters to
whack on whiteboards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFFjQRtho_hWY5S_8HFBDFVHu7xRKW222htQVYhK-ldiPI-Oc4T7fQP3vsOQABVrMiF2T6SJAw2T6OF_1k47wQHe38gFcF7WAd0lBaIVXmtuwnu_4m95dI90kwqikmk5VXyTilL9qpGVv/s1600/Photo+for+June+27+journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFFjQRtho_hWY5S_8HFBDFVHu7xRKW222htQVYhK-ldiPI-Oc4T7fQP3vsOQABVrMiF2T6SJAw2T6OF_1k47wQHe38gFcF7WAd0lBaIVXmtuwnu_4m95dI90kwqikmk5VXyTilL9qpGVv/s320/Photo+for+June+27+journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thursday began and ended
with a gentle rain. We climbed the three, four, or five flights of stairs at
the school to reach our classrooms, as usual. The teachers of elementary
students that Kitty and I are encouraging to speak -- and to listen -- became talkative
for the first time. We passed out menus and fake money and introduced the
Restaurant Scenario to four groups of two or three "diners" and a
"server" for each group; the pretend dining experience was a great
success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Jim and Mary's class
enjoyed a game of Around the World, with a wide range of questions for the
person who attempted to answer before each of her opponents could speak up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The afternoon brought more
questions, this time for Esther, whose talk on parenting programs sparked a lot
of interest. Jim spoke about a different area of education, presenting a look
at the demographics in American schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Leon, Dixie, and Nancy
scouted out a route to the Bird and Flower Market, observing that more old
buildings have been demolished since last year in the busy area that is
becoming filled with new shops, including American chains whose names are all
too familiar. But the birds and bunnies and bangles still abound in a warren of
tiny stalls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thursday's meals brought
sensory delights, as they have every day. Our bodies were well-fed with no
difficulty at all, as we dared to try the continuing variety of unfamiliar
foods at the porridge restaurant's buffet and the delicious dishes ordered by
our steadfast Wang Baoli.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
-Nancy</div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-34042122167747283582013-06-26T20:45:00.000+07:002013-07-06T05:46:28.918+07:00A Good Kind of Busy
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG0wfJ5ckjepdrQODcmYSNtypDsbkPRtUnXvqPTTZ3eCHe2rdL9YWKZECATPQpG4sA0IOZdSTBcslTuY2T31G4T0C90dKpyvHFPBUm1bdfcuv8Z5dK-INaavPSNYjpezXHODp1T9pWhrr/s1600/Photo+for+June+26+Journal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG0wfJ5ckjepdrQODcmYSNtypDsbkPRtUnXvqPTTZ3eCHe2rdL9YWKZECATPQpG4sA0IOZdSTBcslTuY2T31G4T0C90dKpyvHFPBUm1bdfcuv8Z5dK-INaavPSNYjpezXHODp1T9pWhrr/s320/Photo+for+June+26+Journal.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></u> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thought for the day</span></u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">: Act
as if what you do makes a difference. It does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Today was a jam-packed
day. All the teams taught their morning classes. Mary and I
continue to be impressed with the students’ eagerness to do a variety of
activities. Today we played vocabulary games, talked about the lectures
that Leon and Lester gave, talked about what makes a good teacher, taught some
idioms, and did some song preparation for this afternoon’s activities, among
other things. Today we also got to know a bit more about our students by
having them introduce each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">We came back to the hotel
and had another delicious lunch together. We were then able to rest a bit
before heading back to campus for afternoon activities. Since this year’s
group is so large we divided the students in half. Half the classes
listened to Michael’s lecture on “What American Students Study When They Study
China and Chinese”. The other half did songs and dances under Dixie’s and
Nancy’s very capable leadership. After about an hour the students
switched sessions. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">We got back to the hotel at
5:00. Some of us prepped a bit for tomorrow’s classes before going out to
dinner. We went to a nearby restaurant where the specialty is a large
fish that is turned inside-out to reveal a fluffy sweet-and-sour treat.
We also had many other dishes. There was really a lot of food!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">We also discussed where to
go this weekend with a van that the school has graciously offered to
furnish. If it can be arranged several volunteers will go to Stone
Village and Stone Forest on Saturday. Temporary plans for Sunday are to
go back to a hot springs park that some of us went to last year. It will
be a very relaxing way to spend the weekend after our first week of teaching. </span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">It was a busy day.
But it was a good kind of busy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">-Jim<o:p></o:p></span><br />
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6884876594132484259.post-41164121523136656252013-06-24T08:01:00.000+07:002013-07-06T05:02:28.650+07:00A Day of Preparations<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLmMMqyGo9d1tn5uYpwG6VJEqufJf39j0ISQX4OqNoE1nMWygBF4StQLZi1mmxNXxl1jpKx4VcaB-EcX6FQ_aK7pjywGLuxd5TvQCnpCr1BXEtbkI9vyViVKUi-W5QfMbZkWIVfVGQf2x/s1600/Photo+for+June+25+journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLmMMqyGo9d1tn5uYpwG6VJEqufJf39j0ISQX4OqNoE1nMWygBF4StQLZi1mmxNXxl1jpKx4VcaB-EcX6FQ_aK7pjywGLuxd5TvQCnpCr1BXEtbkI9vyViVKUi-W5QfMbZkWIVfVGQf2x/s320/Photo+for+June+25+journal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Thought for the day</span></u><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">: <em>“One
who knows his destiny does not resent Heaven; one who knows himself does not
resent others.” Xunzi<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday morning Janet and
I met for the first time the group with whom we will be working for the next
two weeks. They are 22 teachers in junior and senior middle schools in Kunming
and surrounds, but I think none come from so far way that they are staying here
rather than going home at night. I must find out. Most are married; the one
young woman who admitted to being single did so with some degree of
embarrassment, I thought, and she did mention having a dog. Most are married
with a child, though one woman said her family had five members: her husband,
herself, a dog, and two fish. One young woman had lived in Cincinnati for six
months on some sort of exchange program. She wants to return. Not surprisingly
her English is pretty good, but somewhat rusty, I think. In the group is a math
teacher who occasionally teaches English. She seems quite shy, which no doubt
is due to insecurity. Another young woman, when introducing her partner, Daisy,
ran to the front of the class and led us in cheers—“Daisy, Daisy, DAISY!” She
speaks Chinese, English, and Thai. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">And then there is Helen,
whose family name is Yang. Yesterday she gave as one of her goals for our class
“Love stories.” Today she told us that she is a little bit plump and a little
bit beautiful, so her students call her Teacher Gui Fei. Yang Gui Fei was the
beautiful consort of Tang emperor Xuanzong who so distracted him that he lost
control of the empire. Now there is a love story. And after Lester finished his
lecture this afternoon she asked him, “How did you meet your wife?” She can
smell a love story from a mile away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Finally, even though I know
I am notoriously bad at judging the ages of Chinese, I was still very surprised
when I learned one teacher had been teaching for 28 years and another for 31
years. Reflecting on them after class at first I felt quite presumptuous to be
talking about teaching methods, demonstrating teaching methods, holding forth
on teaching methods in the presence of these two who had clearly survived what
are to me the difficult conditions of Chinese classrooms. But further
reflection led me to a couple of ameliorating thoughts. First, we can have a
conversation about teaching. Second, that conversation can go on in English. As
long as I don’t pretend to know more than they, for surely I don’t, we’ll be
okay. I remember Chaucer’s line about the clerk of Oxford: “And gladly would he
teach, and gladly learn.” No doubt I will learn a lot from them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Chaucer’s line led me
further, led me to a possible answer to the questions, “Why do you people
return to China to teach over and over again? And to the same city, over and
over again? And pay for the privilege, over and over again?” Well, teaching is
fun, sure enough—cheering for Daisy was a kick— but of course it’s also hard
work. So perhaps it’s the other half of the line—“gladly learn”—that might
prove fruitful. Do we learn from what we do here? When I say something really
stupid in front of my grandchildren they respond with a mournfully derisive, “Oh,
Bapa.” I can hear them now as I repeat, “Do we learn from what we do
here?” “Oh, Bapa.” Stupid question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">So it’s not do we learn but
what do we learn? There’s a Chinese word - guanxi<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> -</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">
which means connection or relationship. It’s a very important word in Chinese
culture, since relationships of all sorts are very important. For example, the
Chinese system of kinship terms is much more elaborate than the
English-language system. That is to say, familial relationships are spelled out
in much finer detail. I suspect that what we learn here, or what we form here,
are relationships—with fellow volunteers, with Global Volunteer staff, with the
hotel staff, with the locality, with the country and its culture, and
especially with our students. These relationships, I suggest, are what draw us
back over and over again. Or, to put it in Teacher<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> Gui
Fei’s terms, it’s a love story between China and us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p>- Michael</o:p></span></div>
www.globalvolunteers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10482325695295176924noreply@blogger.com0