connie's space

Connie’s Open Houses

 

            Unless a Christian, Chinese don’t celebrate Christmas nor do they understand the reason of this special day that sweeps the world every December 25^th.  My students, however, get the full meaning of Christ’s birth and our American traditional customs in my culture lessons.  The classroom comes alive with our manger scene re-enactment, traditional symbols’ lesson and our Christmas bingo game. 

            But what is truly meaningful is to visit my apartment, fully decorated from top to bottom, to see all the decorations and taste cut-out Christmas sugar cookies for the first time.

            At present, students have been visiting my home for the past 3 weeks in small groups and will be doing so up to December 29.   My Chinese colleagues in the English Department had their own party in my home last weekend to celebrate our special Christian day. 

            Today being Saturday, not to mention Christmas Day, the neighborhood kids are coming over for their usual afternoon play date in the foreigner’s apartment.  We will be enjoying cookies and draw Christmas pictures to decorate my empty wall spaces.

           

Christmas Eve:  The Annual College Christmas Party

 

            Last year, I reported about the college Christmas party, led and organized by our English Language Association in conjunction with the Student Union.  If you care to read back over that blog, you’ll find it was a wild affair overrun by the neighborhood kids.  They were everywhere, running hither and yon, weaving among the college crowds and wanting to be included.

            The greatest glitch of the night was when the ruffians attacked Santa once he appeared with his gigantic basket of candy. Suckers, chocolates and butterscotches went flying in all directions with children snatching, grabbing, pushing, shoving and screaming to get their hands on the goodies.

            It was not a pretty sight.

            The decorations last year were also rather dismal, which made for a rather dull-looking indoor set-up.

            Despite that, we had a big crowd and those who came enjoyed playing games for prizes.  The evening wasn’t a disappointment but it just wasn’t exactly what everyone had expected or hoped for.

            This year?  A completely different story.

Students Going All Out for Christmas Eve 2010

 

            By Friday evening, after teaching all morning and finishing up another open house in the afternoon, it was time for me to gain a 3^rd wind for our college party, held from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Christmas Eve. 

            I must say, I was fairly wiped after all my own holiday gatherings during the week.  I wasn’t looking forward to another incident from last year with unruly little ones racing around and knocking people over.  But my role in this affair was very limited. I was to do what I was told, including draw for prizes, looking merry and chipper for student photo ops and participating in active party games.  

            This show all belonged to the student organizers and I was happy not to take responsibility for it.

            But whereas last year the party definitely lacked the “Wow” factor, this year was a 100 percent turn-around. 

 

Our Campus Christmas Party

            What a grand time we had!

            The stage decorations were wonderful with a huge backdrop in Chinese and English, saying “Merry Christmas!”  The students had decorated this with foil cut-out holiday designs.  We also had 4 Christmas trees and lights draped above us in the covered sports’ building.

            Last year’s entertainment was merely games but this year, the organizers invited different student clubs to perform for us.  We had a magic act, enjoyed the dance club perform their sexy Samba routine, and were awed by the dangerous feats of our roller-blading team. 

            Included in the festivities were the children, who received treats from me and our red-clothed college Santa 

            Unlike last year, where utter chaos reigned, the kids were hustled into an orderly line and came one by one to greet me with, “Merry Christmas!”  After saying their English phrase, they received a small bag of candy.  Unfortunately, we ran out of sweets toward the end so some children didn’t get their goodies.  Next year, the organizers will have to prepare for more kids showing up.

            The children were absolute angels, gazing upward with wide eyes and grateful hearts to receive their Santa gifts.  Many “Xie-xie!” (thank you’s)  in Chinese followed as they left the line.

            We only had one ornery pill, a sour little boy on rollerblades whose mother dragged him (kicking and screaming) to the front of the line.  Once there, he snarled and refused to say anything, just shouting in Chinese, “Don’t want!  Don’t want!”

            His smiling mother, having a tight hold on him, refused to let him go until he had uttered the magic words, “Merry Christmas.”

            He never did.

            Nor did he want the candy, which he threw in a tantrum to the floor after Santa generously handed it to him. 

            His poor embarrassed mother!

            I immediately picked up the candy pouch and pressed it into her hands.  The distraught woman certainly deserved sympathy, that’s for sure.

            (Bring back any memories, parents of the classic child’s “I don’t like Santa!” nightmarish mall scene?)

 

The Party Activities

 

            Musical chairs, sack races and a few other Chinese favorites had both college students and little kids in an excited uproar.  Everyone was quick to volunteer, especially when prizes for the winners were at hand.

            One of the evening’s highlights was a “Send your classmate a gift” tradition which has been going on for years.

            On one side of the basketball court, we had volunteers at tables where students could go to send gifts to their friends on Christmas Day.   They would bring their wrapped presents to the table where the volunteers would write down all the information needed:  Who is sending, who is receiving, cellphone numbers and dorm number of the recipient.

             After tagging the gift, it was put in a holding area where Santa Claus (one of the Student Union members dressed as St. Nick) would deliver it the next day.

            Last year was a little unorganized.  I heard some students didn’t get their gifts delivered as was promised.  This year, due to the excellent planning, I’m sure everyone received their special Christmas gifts from their friends.

 

A Happy 2010 Christmas and Upcoming New Year

 

            I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy the photos of all the Christmas activities that we’ve had over the past weeks. 

            Many blessings for your upcoming New Year as well, and also many thanks to those who sent Christmas pencils.  The students are receiving those this week as we end the semester.  They will be thrilled with their holiday presents, coupled with a Christmas photo of me and Little Flower.

 

            As always, sending you Ping An (Peace) your way, and a very Merry Christmas, from southern China.

 

           

 

 

A Walmart Bust

 

            How can the Walmart possibly be a bust?

            In Guangxi’s provincial capital city, Nanning, the Walmart for foreigners is the motherload.

            Although a majority of the products and food items sold there are the usual Chinese fanfare, there are a few specialty products which just can’t be found anywhere else in the province. Cheese, Western butter, muesli, ground coffee, hygiene necessities (dental floss, deodorant, shaving cream), and certain appliances (such as coffee makers) are always in abundance at Wally World.

            Lately, the larger Chinese chain groceries have started to carry such things but not in great abundance or on a regular basis.  So most of the overseas’ community living in Guangxi depend on Nanning’s Walmart for their blow-out shopping sprees.

            For myself, the capital city’s Chinese grocery, Ren Ren Le (Everybody’s Happy), holds all my needs.  It’s directly beside the hotel and pool complex where I stay whenever I visit Nanning.  Fighting the Chinese crowds at the Walmart is not my biggest joy so I usually stay far away from it.  I’d much rather make my way through my Everybody’s Happy store and be just that:  happy, not hassled by bumping elbows with enthusiastic Chinese Walmart patrons.

            However, it’s this time of year when the Nanning Walmart demands a necessary visit.

            It’s holiday shopping time, when Land-o-Lakes butter for cookie-baking and new Christmas decorations are on the list.  Where else to go but the Walmart, where the aisles are fully stocked with such things?

            Or so I thought.

            On my most recent visit to Nanning, the Walmart proved to be a bust.

            After picking my way around the Chinese crowds, I excitedly wheeled my cart to the section I wanted only to find . . . vacant spaces.

            The entire refrigerated margarine and butter section was empty!  Not only was America’s Land-o-Lakes missing, but New Zealand’s Anchor and Japan’s Suki butter brands as well. 

            “How can an entire store be out of butter and margerine?” I muttered to myself. 

            I mean, really!

            Obviously, there are more foreigners in the city than I thought. Since Chinese don’t use margarine or butter, who else would be loading up for their holiday baking other than overseas’ people like me.

            Shoot!

            Determined to make my trip worthwhile, my hopes soared during the second floor visit to the Christmas decorations.  Surely the foreigners couldn’t completely buy out an entire Christmas section at the Walmart.

            True enough, the Christmas aisle was still intact but what a pitiful offering.  Limited tinsel roping, tacky Disney holiday door hangings, over-priced table-top fake trees, cheap plastic ornaments . . . What was all this?

            With my purse full of cash to buy out the store, I ended up leaving with a mere 50-cent Santa candle votive.

            And for that tiny purchase, I had to stand in line for 20 minutes at check-out.

           

Hope Restored

 

            With my shopping bag practically empty, I left Nanning’s business district  to return to my small, neighborhood hotel area. 

            Since Walmart was such a disappointment, I decided an Everybody Happy store visit was in line. 

            I didn’t expect much as far as Christmas was concerned at this Chinese supermart. After all, Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year, not Christmas since very few are Christians.  But in recent years, Christmas decorations and the festive spirit of Christmas have invaded the Chinese mindset.  People here enjoy the commercialized Christmas, even if they have not a clue about the religious meaning or why this holiday is celebrated.

            Grade schools and universities have Christmas-style parties. 

            Stores play traditional Christmas carols over their loudspeakers. 

            Cashiers dress in Santa hats and wear “Merry Christmas!” lapel pins.

            Live Santas parade about to entice shoppers to their store entrances.

           Every year, Christmas in China becomes a bit bigger than the year before.  It wasn’t unlikely that China’s chain store, Everybody Happy, would have something of use for my Christmas celebrations but I just wasn’t sure what it would be.

            Entering the store, I began wheeling my cart around the aisles.  Through the electronics section, the household appliances, the clothes, the toys. . . Where would the Christmas section be?       Then my eyes caught something flashing  near the cosmetics.

            Sure enough, there were the sparkling trees of all sizes with the store staff busy unpacking box after box of holiday items. Tinsel roping, jolly Santa posters, glittering tree ornaments, bows, window decals, satiny Santa hats, stuffed St. Nicholas toys and holiday bears, lights . . . .

            Where our American Walmart had failed, the Chinese Everybody Happy had excelled. 

             While the store staff tossed their newly-acquired goods onto table tops, dangled from display hangers and stacked into jumbled piles,  I started digging.

            It wasn’t long before my cart began to fill, thanks to the help of the Chinese store attendants and even strolling customers passing by.

            “How about this?”  a store worker would ask me, holding up a huge bow.  “It’s lovely!”

            “Not good quality,” a woman nearby would frown, inspecting it carefully.  “Don’t get that one,” she’d advise.  “Try this one.”

            By the time I left the Christmas center, I must have picked up about two of everything. 

I certainly had a stunning mound of glittery red, gold and green ornamentations on my way out.  The Chinese gazed in awe.  They had no idea to think of me!

 

A Lesson Learned

 

            On the last stretch before the check-out counters, I had the sudden urge to stop by the refrigerated section.  I had little hopes of finding my sought-after Western item for baking.  Why would a Chinese grocery carry butter?  It was just unheard of.

            Yet there it was, numerous stacked 1-pound boxes of creamy butter, courtesy of the Guang Ming dairy farms of Jiangsu Province.  What’s more, it was $1.00 cheaper than Land-o-Lakes, which sold for $5.00 at our American store.

            Lesson learned for the day? 

            Here in China, Walmart ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

 

          Here’s wishing you Ping An (peace) for your day!  Hope you are enjoying your holiday season.  I certainly am!

             

             

           

           

             

           

           

             

 

 

            I don’t have many embarrassing happenings in China anymore.  I pride myself in knowing enough about the culture by now not to have stupid foreigner moments, but last weekend proved I don’t have my act together as much as I thought.

            Last weekend, on our American black Friday, I decided to take a weekend trip to Nanning.

            I had wisely purchased my bus ticket the day before, a 2 p.m. departure, to make sure there’d be room on the bus for me. 

            I had U.S. dollars, Chinese yuan, my credit card and my Chinese ATM bank card tucked away in my purse.  After all, I might just find a great bargain somewhere and need plenty of money for a big purchase.

             I had my suitcase packed, including my swimming gear.  I even brought my wetsuit along in case the pool water (not heated) was too chilly for my mandatory swim whenever I visit the big city. 

            In other words, I was ready to go.
            I was especially smug at the bus station when I ran into one of our  English Chinese teachers who was going to Nanning as well.  Our 2 p.m. bus was full so she had to wait an entire hour until 3 p.m. when the next bus left.

            “You should have bought your ticket yesterday, like me,” I said knowingly.  “You wouldn’t have to wait so long.”

             She merely smiled and nodded.

             I next clamored on board and settled into my seat.

            The bus pulled slowly out of the station and we headed along the countryside access road that leads to the expressway, 20 minutes ahead of us.  The attendant passed out our free water bottles. The bus fell silent while the overhead travel TV played Chinese music videos of modern singers.

            We had crossed the bridge out of town and were cruising along when I started digging around in my purse.

            Oh, my gosh.

            Where was my passport??!!
            Sure enough, after all my prep work, I had forgotten to bring my passport, the one thing they tell us as foreign teachers never, ever to do. 

            The passport ID is  absolutely necessary for all foreigners in China.  Not only could I not spend the night in a hotel without it but because Longzhou is so near the Vietnam border, we have a check-point before entering onto the express highway.  Everyone on the bus must show their ID cards to the checkpoint police.  They walk the aisles and we must produce our identification documents. 

            For the Chinese, it’s not such a big deal if their card is left behind.  They merely get off the bus, sign in at the checkpoint table and get back into the vehicle.

            But for the foreigner, you must have your passport or you can’t go on any further.    

            What would they do if I didn’t produce my passport was something I didn’t want to find out.

            So in the silent bus, the foreigner’s lone voice had to shout out to the bus driver and attendant, “I’m so sorry!! I don’t have my passport.  I have to get off the bus.”

            The driver immediately slowed down but continued driving slowly along.  The attendant popped her head up over her seat, stood up  and gave me an “Uh-oh” smile.  Everyone in the entire bus was staring at me as well.

            A bus discussion ensued as to whether I could continue onward or not.

             I said I didn’t think so.  The foreigner must have a passport. 

            The driver agreed with me and nodded.

             The attendant, however, looked thoughtful.  A few on the bus said I could get by but they were Chinese.  They had no idea that foreigners can’t just sign in as they could and continue on their travels.

           Finally, the driver stopped the bus in front of a remote police station along the road.  Surrounded by sugarcane fields, I got off with the attendant who helped me with my luggage.  The driver said I could catch a ride back to town at the police station.  The little attendant, bless her, went with me to tell the officers I needed to go back.

            Unfortunately, there was not a soul manning the station.  It was completely locked up.

            I insisted the attendant go back, the bus continue and I would get a ride back into town.  I wasn’t sure how exactly I would do this. After all,  I was in the middle of nowhere, but I figured I could flag down a private car, play the pitiful foreigner card and get myself a ride. 

            At that point, I was so embarrassed about my stupidity I just wanted everyone to leave me alone to fend for myself.  Holding up the bus and making everyone late on their journey to Nanning was not something I wanted the foreign teacher to be remembered by.

            Although I started walking back along the road, the bus driver refused to continue onward.        The attendant did return to the idling bus but for a long time, the vehicle sat there while I looked desperately for a passing car to hail.

            Finally, the attendant came running back to me and insisted the driver wanted to take me back to the station in Longzhou.  It was O.K.  We were very close and I could exchange my ticket for another one.

            Reluctantly, I let her help me back on the bus where I apologized to everyone profusely. 

            I was so upset that the woman sitting next to me said, “Don’t worry!  It’s OK.  We don’t mind.”

            Well, maybe she didn’t mind but I certainly did for putting everyone out.

            Naturally, quite a few of the station employees were surprised to see our bus pull back into the terminal.  With my luggage in tow, I quickly clamored off the bus, waving gratitude to the driver.  My ride then backed up and sped away in a hurry, already 20 minutes late.

            I was ushered into the bus tickets’ back office where I had to exchange my bus ticket for another day, leaving on Saturday morning and not Friday because the buses were already full for the day.

            And to make matters worse, my colleague, who was patiently waiting for her 3 p.m. bus, spotted me.

            “Why are you back so soon?  What happened?” she asked with great concern, rushing over to my side.

            “I forgot my passport,” I moaned.  “I’ve never forgotten my passport before!  I feel so stupid and embarrassed.”

            Her words of sympathy?

            “Yes,” she smiled smugly, her 3 p.m. ticket in hand.  “Next time, you mustn’t be so careless.”

           

            From Longzhou, China, here’s wishing you Ping An (peace) for your weekend, the first Sunday in Advent.

           

 

         For most of you in America, it’s turkey day and gearing up for shopping ventures to start out the Christmas season.

         In China, I am finishing up my Christmas lessons tomorrow and getting ready for final exams already, but I couldn’t help sending this along for your Thanksgiving Day.

         The below was emailed to me by a relative with his warning of giving sage (or basil?) advice on what not to do to your turkey for Thanksgiving.

         Hope it arrives in time for your dinner to be enjoyed, not destroyed.

 

          The turkey shot out of the oven and rocketed into the air.

          It knocked every plate off the table and partly demolished a chair.

          It ricocheted into a corner and burst with a deafening boom,

          Then splattered all over the kitchen, completely obscuring the room.

          It stuck to the walls and the windows.  It totally coated the floor.

          There was turkey attached to the ceiling where there’d never been turkey before.

          It blanketed every appliance. It smeared every saucer and bowl.

          There wasn’t a way I could stop it.  That turkey was out of control.

          I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure, and I thought with chagrin as I mopped,

          That I’d never again stuff a turkey with popcorn that hadn’t been popped!

 

Happy Thanksgiving and Ping An (Peace)  from Connie and Little Flower!

 

 

 

 

            Two weeks ago, I stopped in the English office to find out exactly when my courses should be finished for the semester.  As the foreign language teacher, my testing and classes are always completed earlier than my Chinese colleagues.  This is to give students time to concentrate only on their Chinese courses instead of adding mine to the pile as well.

            Chinese New Year being so early this year (Feb. 3), I figured our school year would be ending earlier as well.

            Sure enough, the official schedule had us finishing up mid-January. 

            And for me?
            January 1^st was to be the end of my term.

            Heavens!  That’s early!

            It was a scramble to put together testing information and Xerox copies of what would be expected for the final exams but I did it. 

           With 280 students, my oral exams always take 3 weeks to complete with the last week being our “wind-down” class.  In other words, the entire month of December would be testing, testing and nothing but testing.

            With such a rushed agenda, choices had to be made about holiday lessons.  Would it be Thanksgiving as usual or would we make the leap into Christmas? 

            Good question.

            Do the Pilgrims take precedence over the wisemen?   Does the turkey trump Jesus?

            I think you can guess where I was journeying and it wasn’t on the Mayflower.

            Yes, it’s been the holy lands all week with our annual classroom re-enactment of Jesus’ birth.

            Every class has been enjoying our Christmas skit, performed via a name draw for a live and in-person touch of the Christian religion’s most important story.

            As promised to the students, the photo album assigned to this blog is all about them.  

            Have fun, everyone!  Enjoy your photos and memories of our first Christmas lesson together.

 

            Ping An (Peace) from Longzhou

 

 

 

             Our school, which is run by the provincial government, was founded in 1939. It has two campuses — the Chongzuo campus and Longzhou campus. The Chongzuo campus is in Chongzuo, 1 1/2 hours away from here, and is the newest.  It opened last year in 2009.  The campus you are visiting now is our old campus, which will close in 2012 and all students and faculty will move to the Chongzuo school.

           We have 2,193 students on this campus.  Most of them come from countryside. There are three types of English majors in English department on this campus. They are English Education major, Business English major and Practical English major.  And we have 228 students in English Education, 206 students in Business English, and 292 students in Practical English.

            All our English majors are on a 3-year study program.

          We also have 33 English teachers on this campus. They teach reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, translation, interpretation. 

          For English Education majors, they pay 2,000 yuan ($294) for 1 year of study. The students should take numerous classes such as in integrated English, teaching methdology, grammar, and oral English.  In their 3rd year,  they go for a one-month teaching practice session in some nearby junior middle schools.  To receive their teaching certificate, they also are required to pass the government-mandated College English Test 4 and 6, known as the CET exams. Usually,  98% of these students become teachers after graduation.

            From 2005 to 2010, we have had 8 Amity teachers to work at our school: Elissa, Kyle, Thomas and Connie, from America ; Heidi, from Finland , Rex, from  the Philippines, and Tomas and Rachel, from Sweden .

 

Name List of our Amity Visitors for the 2010 25th Anniversary

 

1)  Peter Weigand                    (male)               Germany

2)  Renate Paulsteiner   (female)            Germany

3)  Christian Paulsteiner            (male)              Germany

4)  Katrin Feidler                       (female)           Germany

5)  Rebecca Asedillo-Cunningham  (female)  Philippines, working in USA

6)  Michael Tournee                 (male)   Germany

7)  Teresa Schwehm                 (female)            Germany

8)  Clarice Nobbs                     (female)            America

9)  Mozart Makafui Kudjo Adevu   (male)   Ghana 

10)  Anders Granberg  (male)               Finland, works in Hong Kong Amity Office

11)  Su Tong                            (female)          China, works in Hong Kong Amity Office

 

 

 

 

 

Amity’s 25^th Anniversary

 

            This year marks the 25^th anniversary of The Amity Foundation, which is our United Methodist partnership organization in China. Amity is also my sponsoring agency while I’m in China.  The Amity education director oversees my teaching placements here, including my well-being and supervising my work. 

            Every 5th-year anniversary, Amity invites all its sponsoring organizations to send representatives to participate in its celebrations.  The week-long invitation includes 5 days of seeing Amity projects in the many Chinese provinces that Amity has been working.  Sponsoring agencies are presented a list of provinces and projects to choose from.  Each province has its own special focus, such as the handicapped, agriculture, health, Chinese church-initiated programs, education, AIDS prevention, and micro-loans. 

            After groups travel for their 5-day look at Amity’s good works, they return to the Nanjing headquarters for another 3 days to share experiences, see the main offices, visit Amity’s Bible Printing Press, the new Nanjing theological seminary and discuss household issues concerning their support of the organization.

            95% of the money for Amity comes from overseas’ sending agencies, a majority being Christian denominations.  Thus this invitation is one which is highly prioritized by the staff during any anniversary year.  They want everything to run smoothly and well when their international sponsoring representatives come to participate in celebrations and project visits.

 

Guangxi Province Amity Projects

 

            Guangxi Province is one which receives quite a bit attention from sponsors. 

            Amity has numerous rural development projects among both the Han Chinese and the many ethnic minority peoples of the province.  Guangxi itself is touted as having the highest number of ethnic peoples, 80% being the Zhuang nationality although there are those from many other nationalities as well.   Agriculture, micro-loans, and AIDS prevention are Amity’s biggest concerns here.

            As for education, that would be my placement in Longzhou. 

            After discussion of which projects should be included in the Guangxi tour, it was decided that the group could swing way down to our southern border area and take a look at an Amity teacher’s placement.

            That’s me!

            When the school and I received this news in early September, we were all quite excited.            The school was excited to show off their campus and hospitality to international guests.  But I was more excited to have 11 foreigners to share with my students. How often does that happen in our little tiny Longzhou?

            Not often!

 

What Was In Store for Our Amity Visitors on November 5th

 

            Friday, November 5, was the assigned day for our hosting events.

            It was going to be a short, 3-hour visit only, so in order to prepare the schedule well, there were many meetings to determine how best to show off the campus and students.  My concern was getting maximum student contact time with our guests. This meant planning events that would put our visitors in direct face-to-face encounters with our English language classes.

            The school was in charge of the first hour of the visit, which would be opening speeches by school leaders, a speech given by one of the English Education students and then 30 minutes of student performances.  For entertainment, we’d have an English skit, two ethnic minority dance numbers and the famous Zhuang ball toss and basket catch game with audience participation.

            After that, I was in charge of the next 2 hours.  There would be a 30-minute English Corner where chosen students would talk to our guests in small groups, then lead them on a 30-minute tour around the campus.  We’d also have 30 minutes in the English Center where English Center volunteers would introduce the Center’s history, volunteer program and lay-out.  Last stop was a visit to my apartment to see the Amity teacher’s home before the group jumped on the bus for a fast 2-hour drive to the airport.  They’d be  leaving immediately for Nanjing to continue in celebrations at the headquarters.

 

Preparing for the Visitors

 

            Preparation on my part fell into several categories.

            First, I  selected students to lead our English Corner and campus tour.  I chose 24 from my two  English Education classes, second year only, as it was only fair that they receive the honor. After all, Amity stresses English Education majors more than other English majors.  Plus my second year students had the language ability to carry on conversations with other English speakers.  We also added a few more young hosts to the lucky ones.  My co-teacher Abby Yi chose 12 from our second year Business English and Practical English majors.  I had those students last year and didn’t want them  moaning and groaning that they were being ignored and not considered worthy enough for meeting our international visitors.

            All together, we had 36 who were paired in groups of 3 and 4 to talk to and lead their guests around our campus.

            We had 3 practice sessions for 1-hour each before the guests arrived.  In this way, when it came time for the actual visit, I could just step back and let the students do their thing and have their special moment.

            The same went for the English Center. 

            We had 4 students who were chosen among the Center’s volunteer members to man the Center when the guests arrived.   We all practiced their 10-minute presentation numerous times until they were ready to handle things on their own.

            I also worked with our chosen English Education major, James (Jiang Zhihui), who was to give a 5-minute speech to the Amity guests about the importance of his education here.  James wrote his own speech and then we worked together practicing it to perfection.

 

The Skit Miracle

 

            My last duty working with students was helping with the short skit. 

            To be honest, this duty was actually a last-minute thing.  Years ago, I had written a 10-minute Reader’s Theater performance of Little Red Riding Hood and done it as a class assignment.  When I was approached by our panicking students, needing to do something for an English performance, I handed over the script and figured they’d ask if they needed help.

            They didn’t.

            Two days before the arrival day, I felt I should at least see a rehearsal of their performance so I requested a listen.

            I think you can guess the result of that first listen:  Disaster!
            Not only had no one prepared, but we had characters missing who went home and weren’t coming back until the night before the guests arrived.  Needless to say, everyone’s pronunciation was horrible, they had no idea what they were doing, and, worst yet, they were goofing around.  I walked in on them chasing one another about, fiddling with their cellphones and not really caring one way or another if they pulled this thing together or not.

            Obviously, it was time for the teacher to give them a good talking to, which I did.

            After that, it was down to business. 

            We prepped for 2 hours and then the next day for another hour.  There was a night rehearsal for all performances, which gave them yet another few hours of practice.

            It was still pretty awful Thursday evening when I left them on their own to continue working on their lines and diction.

            I wasn’t at all confident that they could pull this thing off.  Another 2 days of practice would have been ideal but there comes a point when you just have to give it to God and let the Lord take it from there.

            For the skit performance, I gave it to God.

 

Our Amity Guests Arrive

 

            Thursday night, a very exhausted group of 14 (3 Amity staff members and 11 representatives) landed at our Longzhou hotel.  They’d had an 8-hour bus ride from the far north where they’d been in Guangxi’s deep mountain areas, seeing Amity rural development projects among tiny remote villages.  After such a hinterland visit, landing in our small town must have seemed more like landing in civilization.

            Early the next morning, the group arrived on our campus at 7:45 a.m. to be greeted by  tinkling, bouncy recorded music (Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head), female students dressed in colorful ethnic garb, and gifts of embroidered Zhuang nationality necklaces.  We had huge banners in place and displays of the Amity Foundation’s work as well as photos of past Amity teachers.             The school had really gone all out in getting ready for our visitors and it certainly showed.

            Everything from the opening speeches to excellent performances to the leisure campus tour went like clockwork.  Even my seemingly doomed skit performers managed to wow us with their humorous portrayal of Riding Hood and her entourage.  It really made for a good laugh and lighthearted moments.

            While the visit was short, I helped lengthen it a bit when I joined the group on the bus for the 2-hour trip to the airport.  Rebecca Aesidillo, my UMBGM boss, was among the visitors so this was my chance to get to know her better.  We chatted the entire time, sharing personal stories and some business matters about my future placements with the Board.             

            It was a very special time for both of us as it was our first time meeting together other than talking over the phone.  I can definitely say we were kindred spirits, especially after she informed me her daughter was on a college swimming team. 

            Well, what do you know! 

            I also was a university swimmer during my college days as well.

 

Pictures Galore

 

            With the students entertaining the guests so well, my biggest role was to take pictures . . . and more pictures . . . and even more pictures of everyone’s interaction with each another.

            Chinese have a great love of pictures, which must be taken everywhere, with every sort of background imaginable and every sort of pose possible.  My students wanted memories of this exciting visit and my job was to give it to them.

            Looking at the photo album included, I think I did well.

            Enjoy the photo journey, although the picture quality is not as I’d have hoped.  (Might be time for Santa to send me a new digital camera!)

 

           Ping An (peace) from our little Longzhou

 

 

 

             Saturday night had streams of students entering our school’s indoor sports’ building.

            What was the big draw?  Nothing other than our annual Halloween Activity evening, sponsored by the English Association!
            Last year’s Halloween event was a big one and this year was just as exciting. 

            From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., we had the new English Association members busy at work painting faces.  Swirling flowers, butterflies and scary facial designs were the most popular and quite impressively done.

            At 8 p.m., I opened with information about Halloween’s history and traditions, although a majority who attended were my first year students.  We’d been doing Halloween in class for 2 weeks so they were well-prepared for what was ahead of us that night.

            As always, our jack-o-lantern carving contest was the biggest hit.  Being in Guangxi, where pumpkins are not easy to find due to the hot weather, we substituted watermelons instead.  It was a bit messy and watery but our 5 groups of three carvers didn’t seem to mind.  They spent over an hour getting their entries ready for the lighting ceremony and judging which took place as the last event.

            The costume-changing race, which had students walking ping-pong balls on spoons while wearing costumes, went well.  No bobbing for apples this year, which I thought was a shame but the leaders opted for another apple game:  passing the apple down a line of people by only using your neck to do so. We included the sound contest again as well:  cat, witch, ghost, wolf and scream. 

            We also had a few new additions to the program to lengthen things a bit. 

            The ballroom dance club came in to do their moves for us, which wowed everyone.  And on the opposite end of that came our masked hip-hop dancers.

            Plus we included our younger visitors this year.

           Last year, the campus children were running about, wanting so much to be a part of all the fun activities.  So this year, I suggested we have a time for the kids.

            This worked out perfectly!

            Our MCs, Hera and Steve, gathered the kids around.  They then explained the word “Trick-or-Treat!” to the children, had them practice numerous times (including a “thank you” at the end, and finally lined them up to trick-or-treat to the foreign teacher (me).

            First in line was Amy, who is a frequent visitor to my home for the kids’ Saturday afternoon in my home.  She did the children proud by shouting “Trick-or-Treat!” the loudest of anyone else.

            It was great to include the children this time around. After all, that’s what Halloween’s all about!  And I can guarantee we’ll be doing it again another year.

            The next English Association venture will be the Christmas Party.  Until then, enjoy the photo album of our Halloween Night at Guangxi Normal University for Nationalities.

             

            Tonight being Halloween, I have readied my apartment.   An inside display greets anyone visiting and my balcony is about to be lit with Halloween luminaries and my own jack-o-lantern.  Added to this will be leftover Christmas lights I didn’t bother taking down.  I always knew they’d come in handy again before Christmas.  Guess I was right!

 

            Have a Happy Halloween, everyone!  We all certainly are here.

            Ping An (Peace) from China

           

 

A Distressed Student

 

            When the telephone rang late Sunday night, I figured it was a panicked student leader wanting to talk to me. 

            I’d been gone for the weekend in Nanning for some shopping and swimming pool time.  For 3 days, I hadn’t been available for discussions on the school’s yearly Halloween bash  taking place on Saturday, October 30^th.

            Last year’s party was a great hit and this year’s would as well if the English Association leaders would get on the ball and meet with me. So far, I hadn’t heard anything from them.  With less than a week to go, we had a lot of prep work and planning to do.

            Thus on Sunday night, I thought surely this would be one of them on the phone, ready to start organizing and getting ready for our fun-filled evening.

            “Hello!” I answered with a chipper, inviting greeting.

            There was a slight hesitation on the other side until a male voice stammered, “Hello . . . uhm . . This is Lan Tongliang . . . I am . . . your  first year  . . . English Education class.  I . . . English is so bad . . I  have a problem . . . ” 

            The call then erupted into sobs, sniffles, and tearful  gulps as my student tried desperately to tell me what was wrong.  

            Was it family illness?  Classmate difficulties? Depression over English?  Money woes?

            I honestly had no idea.

            Whatever it was, it was heartbreaking to listen to  the poor thing search for words to express his thoughts while emotionally falling apart.

            “I don’t know what’s wrong,” I finally said in Chinese. “Let’s see each other.  I think you need to talk to me face-to-face.  Can I come to your dormitory?  Do you want to meet somewhere?  How about the cafeteria?”

            Tongliang wasn’t at all keen on meeting, leaving me to wonder if this was a private matter he didn’t want others to know about.  I almost thought he was going to hang up on me when an intelligible English word popped out:  dog.

            “A dog?” I asked.  “You’re calling about a dog?”
            “Yes,” he sobbed.  “My dog. My little dog. . . . I don’t know what to do.”

 

The Story

            After that, the full story emerged.

            It seems that Tongliang bought a dog in the local market and has been keeping it in his dormitory room.  How long he’d had the dog, I had no idea, but keeping pets in the dorm is expressly forbidden by school authorities.   Students can get in a lot of trouble for having them, although every so often, they sneak in a puppy or kitten for a short time period.  Sometimes they take the animal home with them on a weekend visit.  Other times, they just toss them out when the dormitory monitors threaten to turn them in.

            In Tongliang’s case, I’m guessing an authority figure got wind of his puppy and demanded that it be gone ASAP, like that evening.

            “I love my dog,” Tongliang said.  “I want to find him a good home but I don’t’ know anyone. I have no time tomorrow to find him a home.  I have classes all morning.  I’m too busy. So I call you.”

            Uh-oh.

            A peeing, crying, teething, playful puppy was the very last thing  my jealous Little Flower or I needed.   And although I’m a sucker for wayward pets, not to mention desperate students dissolved into tears,  there was no way I was going to volunteer myself as another dog owner.

            To be fair, Tongliang didn’t ask me to take his dog.  He wanted to know if  I knew someone who would like a dog. 

             I gave him the telephone number of Little Flower’s weekend sitter, my co-teacher Abby Yi, and suggested he call her.  Maybe she could look after the dog for a few days until he found someone.

             I also suggested he ask the shopkeepers outside our gate.  Many of them had dogs and might like to have another one.  That way, he could see his dog whenever he wanted.

            All were good ideas and Tongliang seemed happier.

            He thanked me and hung up.

            30 minutes later, his second call came.  He hadn’t bothered Abby about his dilemma, mostly because as a Chinese teacher, she shouldn’t be helping students hide their pets.  As the foreign teacher, I can get away with things more easily, especially since I already had a dog of my own. 

            Instead, he had carried his puppy outside the back gate and found a fruit seller along the road who was willing to take the dog.  She would sell it in the market the next day, keeping the money for her troubles. 

            “I think tomorrow I will find her to give her the hong bao (red envelope with money inside),” he continued tearfully. “That is our Chinese tradition.”

            The hong bao was a hope that she would feel somewhat obligated to take better care of the puppy before selling him.  After all, she could just promise to help him and then dump it on the street. 

            Whether this would work or not, my student had no idea but it couldn’t  hurt.

            There was more crying from his end and a lot of comforting words  from mine before he finally ended the call.

            A distressing evening for both of us.

 

Learning Responsibility

 

            I did feel bad for my student, and even worse that I didn’t help him out.  English studies, pronunciation practice, organizing school events, advice about school life . . . all of that I can do.

            But when it comes to dumping your own responsibility into the foreign teacher’s lap, that’s a whole other ballgame.

            We all have to think of the consequences of our actions before we do something. Finally, my student was realizing that buying a pet in the market demands a lot more thought than an emotional tug on the heart and that it looks cute.

            What will you feed it?  How will you hide it from the authorities?  What will your dormmates think?  Who will look after it when you’re in classes?  What if it gets sick?

             Most people in China, including my student, don’t think about such things. Responsibility and diligent care of pets is still a new concept for the Chinese, especially those in the south where animals are eaten, not kept as family members.

            Yes, I feel awful that Tongliang’s puppy is no longer with him and that I didn’t volunteer as his doggie’s caregiver. But this is all part of growing up.  He could have tossed the dog into the street, or done something even worse.  Instead, he found a willing seller and was even wise enough to consider the hong bao to aid in his plea.

            Not a very desireable outcome, but a well-learned lesson about life and responsibility.

            We’ve all been there.  Just this time, it was Tongliang’s turn.

 

Until next time, here’s Ping An (peace) sent your way for your weekend.

           

 

           

 

 

            It’s official:  No more holidays now until January 1^st, our Western New Year.

           Starting this past Monday, our classes will continue uninterrupted without weekend make-up days or missed courses.  It’s finally time to settle into our normal schedules, giving both teachers and students alike some much-needed continuity.

            It’s also time for after-summer, no-show students to make an appearance.

            National Day holidays are so close to the beginning of the school year that some students remain at home, not bothering to show up until October 8.  Some miss home and want to prolong  their summer vacations for as long as possible.  Others are scrambling for money to pay for yet another year of school.  A few just are unhappy as students and would rather forgo education all together.   They put up a fight among family members concerning a  return to school, sometimes winning and other times not.  One or two have illnesses which keep them at home to be treated and looked after by Mom and Dad until they’re better.

            In my case, two students were missing when I came back from my Nanning venture.  Would they be around for our Fall semester or not?  This week would tell.

 

“I’m Polly!”

 

            The first student missing was Polly (Huang Jingmei), now a second year English Education major.

            It’s very hard not to miss Polly in a classroom because she is one of those exuberant, overly hyper students.  While her classmates sit respectfully and obediently, listening to the teacher, doing what they’re supposed to be doing, Polly is messing about.  She’s either talking to her neighbor, trying to complete the already due-in-class homework assignment, checking her cellphone messages, straggling in late (hair disheveled, bleary-eyed and obviously not awake) or bouncing in and out of the room during the break.

            “Hello, Teacher Connie!  Do you remember me?  I’m Polly!” she greeted me all last year.          Every time we met on the campus, when I was shopping, while I was walking Little Flower, and even in the classroom, it was always the same:  “Hello, Teacher Connie! Do you remember me?  I’m Polly!”

            Yes, that gets a bit old after awhile but one thing’s for sure:  I definitely had no trouble remembering Polly.

            So when our first week of classes in September produced no Polly, I noticed.

            Nor did she appear the second week, or the third, and then it was October, after the National holidays.

             Still, no Polly  . . .  until today.

            Who came bounding down the classroom stairwell this morning, racing up to me  with childlike glee, but Polly.

            “Teacher Connie!  Do you remember me?  I’m Polly!”

            Being the kind of student she is, her English isn’t that great.  Why she was so late in returning to classes is still a bit of a mystery but there was something about her being sick.  Perhaps next week, I can find out exactly what kind of sick we’re talking about but until then, it looks like Polly’s back among her classmates, ready to start up another school year.

 

Isaac’s Life-Changing Experience

 

            Yet another young person missing from our campus was Qin Haibo, known to most of you by his chosen English name, Isaac.

            Isaac was a second year Business English major last year and a complete loner.  He skipped classes, he wandered about campus by himself, he didn’t talk to anyone and he preferred computer games and movies to studying.  He was never exactly my student but a loyal visitor to the English Center.  That’s how we met.

             It’s also where Isaac’s attitude changed.  

            He became more vocal, more open to the other students, and more interested in English.  In our small Center, Isaac blossomed.  Playing Uno  and Scrabble with others became a constant every time he visited.  He even began walking with me and Little Flower at every opportunity he had.  As we cruised the campus, Isaac would initiate the conversation by asking all sorts of questions or making remarks.

            It was on our last walk before the summer break that Isaac shared with me that he didn’t want to come back to Longzhou.

             It was boring here.  There was nothing to do.  The classes were useless.  He didn’t like anyone. He definitely didn’t want to study English.  This was just not the place for him.

            His unhappiness was pretty apparent so after wishing him a happy summer, and giving my hopes he’d reconsider returning, we said our goodbyes.

            I honestly didn’t expect to ever see him again.

            But just like Polly, who made her appearance today, last Sunday afternoon, there was Isaac. 

            While Little Flower and I were walking around the sports field, Isaac’s tall figure came jogging toward us.  His face was full of excitement.

            “Connie!  Little Flower!  I come back!” he shouted.

            After that, it was a steady stream of conversation about his adventures during the holidays.  His older sister, working in the city of Wuhan, found him a job in Beijing for a huge business company.  She paid his way to the capital city, gave him some spending money and there he stayed for 2 months.

              Isaac lived with the company boss, enjoying time with a new family and learning the ropes under the help of other employees.  He went to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and even the Shanghai Expo.  He worked hard, spending 7 days a week in the office, and enjoyed every minute of it.

            Finally, no more theoretical business talk in classrooms.  Isaac was doing it all, hands on.

            Because of this turning point, he decided to return to school to at least get his certificate of business.  Even though our 3-year school doesn’t give degrees, a certificate of study is still important.  Isaac figured he could hang on for just 2 more months, which places him at the end of December, to finish the semester and thereby finish his studies.  After that, he’ll return to Beijing to continue in the company he left last month.

            “I have a new idea about life,” Isaac proudly told me as we walked.  “I change.”

            While I can’t guarantee he won’t be absent from classes, or study much harder than before, at least he has a positive attitude about his future as a businessman.  Better yet is his ability to work with others and socialize, which we all know is the key to being successful in his field, or any field for that matter.

           

           

English Center Crowds

 

            In the meantime, we have been experiencing record crowds in the English Center now that students are ready to hunker down into their college studies after the holidays. 

            Part of our high number turn-out has to do with my mandatory 5-English Center-visits-a-semester.   This is a requirement for all my 210 1^st year students or I will not give them their grades at the end of the term. (A little threat never hurts!)

              To make sure they do this, I included a page in their textbooks which must be signed and stamped by Center volunteers after they visit.  This allows me to check and make sure they’ve attended their 5 times.  They must stay for at least 15 minutes and so far, most are staying much longer.  They’re reading magazines, checking out books or DVDs, joining Isaac and me for Uno games, or just talking in English. 

            Our TV is still being repaired so no movies yet but at present, we’re doing just fine without the extra entertainment.

            This weekend, we’ll be seeing new volunteers inducted into the Center.  The second round of English interviews for candidates is taking place tomorrow (Friday).  The first round had 120 trying out and now the number is down to 60.  From that number, 20 will be chosen to run the Center for this semester.

            Wish everyone luck who’s trying out!  Being a Center volunteer is a big deal and I’m sure we’ll find great workers to start up on Monday.

 

            From Longzhou, here’s Ping An (Peace) sent your way.