Sinotrekn

Vignettes

Mackinac Island

I invigilated an academic communication exam today. One of the listening exercises was about the Great Lakes. I honestly didn't know that Lakes Michigan and Huron are actually one lake. They're separated by the Straits of Mackinac and one of my favorite places, Mackinac Island, lies in the straits that divide Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. One of the exam questions was to name the straits of Mackinac. Coincidently, today I was wearing my sweat shirt with the name "Mackinac" on the front. I don't think any of my students made the connection.

 

China's Mackinac

I spent Boxing Day on the lovely Gulangyu Island just a 6 minute ferry ride from Xiamen, the beautiful city alongside the Taiwan straits. Like Mackinac Island, no cars or motorized vehicles are allowed (except for the huge PLA base). The island as well as the city of Xiamen are considered one of China's most romantic destinations. I now know why. I spent an idyllic day roaming around this gem of an island. Most of the buildings were built by Europeans as legations. Xiamen was one of the post-opium war treaty ports. Later, rich Chinese and Taiwanese built villas all over the island. The buildings represent an interesting mix of European and pseudo-European architecture. Many of the buildings have been restored. A notable exception is the Japanese legation complex. This set of buildings was given to Xiamen University and is used as housing for retired faculty. It's a little run-down, but as a retirement location it may be one of the world's best. I wore my Mackinac Island sweatshirt while I was there. It helped me make a connection to my beloved Mackinac Island.

 

Silly Girl

While getting wonderfully lost on Gulangyu Island, I came across a small hotel which had been converted from one of the lovely buildings dotting the island. I was interested in the name of its cafe, "Silly Girl Cafe". I stopped and had a coffee and enjoyed the surroundings. Silly girl is a reference that some Chinese girls use when they do something they wish they hadn't or in a way to indirectly criticize someone. Lumeng would often use this phrase when talking about herself and describing something she was unhappy about. She would refer herself as "silly girl" as in "Silly girl ...." then take a slam at me for something I had done that displeased her. The point of these stories was to point out what she thought was my misbehavior that caused her to lose face. 

 

I haven't heard from Lumeng in quite some time. Her last communication with me was that she was going away from Shijiazhuang, but not too far. I asked here where she was going but she wouldn't say.

 

I left Gulangyu Island but left a little bit of me there. Some of my memories...some good, some bitter sweet. Perhaps someday I will return and collect them.

r-e-s-p-e-c-t (...just a little bit)

One of my new students approached me after our final orientation session this afternoon. He asked a simple and sincere question: "How do I show you respect?" He was concerned because I do not require the students to stand when they say something, and I don't sit down when teaching. By asking them to call me by my given name removes another formality in our relationship.

In China, context is important. Context gives them information and with this information they know how to act. Americans are less concerned with context. Situations do not inform us as they do the Chinese. When I go to a banquet with Chinese, I'm seated either next to the leader or I get the leader's seat. It's easy for the Chinese. The person sitting at the head of the table or furthest from the door is the leader. Everyone knows what is expected of them and how to behave toward me. By reducing my student's classroom context, he became a little confused. He wasn't certain how to act towards me. Once he understood my explanation about Americans valuing informality he was a little more relaxed.

My student and I left the classroom together. As we walked across the Tsinghua Science Park campus he asked if he could come to my office sometime and discuss "deep" topics. I agreed. He then offered to take me shopping at Zhongguancun (China's silicon valley) if I ever needed an electronic device. I'm thinking Microsoft Office 2010. Maybe I'll take him up on his offer.

Indoor Toilets

My students this summer (all middle school English teachers) were all from the rural areas of Hebei Province. Some came from the Chengde area in the northern reaches of Hebei. Chengde is the home of many famous temples and was the summer resort for Ching emperors.  One came from An Guo, the small farming village that my student Jannet came from. (I visited Jannet's family there one Spring Festival Eve during my second year in China. Jannet is now married and is expecting her child next month).

Working with the students was not work in the traditional sense. In fact, I would cheerfully do this "work" every year for no pay (I did accept the stipend they offered me; I'm idealistic but not stupid). I am still sometimes surprised by the gap between the rich and poor in China and the differences between city living and life in the countryside. For example, during one exercise, the students worked in groups to identify what they thought were the advantages of living in an apartment building. Although different groups identified several different advantages, each group said the number one advantage of living in an apartment is that the toilet is indoors. No one giggled or laughed. They were sincere and they all clearly agreed on this one point.

Teaching English teachers in the HNU Summer Program

I completed my 5th year teaching in the Summer Program for Middle School English Teachers from the Rural Areas of Hebei Province at Hebei Normal University. As usual, it was nice returning to my Chinese roots in Shijiazhuang and see so many old friends and former students. It was particularly refreshing to be training English teachers from the countryside again. Their dedication to their students and their craft is nothing short of admirable. What they lack in English language skills they more than make up for by being in touch with their students and their drive to do a good job.

My students' use of English was generally not all that good. A couple of my teachers barely understood a quarter of what I said, but they came to class every day, smiled, and enthusiastically endured a 5 hour dose of my daily "help". One day, a teacher was having a particularly difficult time pronouncing the "w" sound. I corrected her and she tried but didn't get it right. We tried again, and again, and again. No one in the class spoke or made a sound as we tried it over and over again. They all looked on and silently followed what I was demonstrating to the student. She didn't quit. She clearly wouldn't quit until she mastered the sound. She gave me a small smile when she succeeded then continued on with the rest of the sentence she was reading. The rest of the class gave a small smile as well and the class went on. I thought to myself, where did I learn such patience? Where did she learn such perseverance?

NPR mention

After listening to a National Public Radio report on the upcoming Olympics, I was moved to contact them and express my views. My email was read on air. You can listen to it at the following link,  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89248544&sc=emaf.

Lament

I sometimes don't like Beijing. I often think of my life in Shijiazhuang and wish for a return to those days. Life was much simpler when I wasn't working 6-7 days a week and catching a 6:50 A.M. bus only to return home late in the evening. Part of it I like. I like the responsibility of being a manager again. I enjoy putting together the pieces of the puzzle and orchestrating. Of course, I love teaching. My students and I are close and I enjoy working with them. But, I miss the students and lifestyle of Shijiazhuang. Can I go home again? Please?

A few days ago, April and Victoria came to Beijing to see me. Both represent why i like SJZ. They are dedicated students from humble backgrounds trying to better themselves and make a difference. They are warm hearted and grateful for what they think I've done for them. They are the kind of students that I came to China to teach. And, they like hanging out with me, they're mentor.

Perhaps it's my sub-conscious desire to have had more children, but I have to admit that I love playing the role of surrogate father and mentor to these students. Keeping in touch with the students has been wonderful. For example, Brando stopped by the other day to help Sophia with her computer problems. It was a wonderful reunion seeing him again. I  have secretly always hoped that he and Sophia would become a couple, but that was not to be. Sophia told me she was in love with a boy with whom she went to middle school. They have been spending a lot of time communicating with each other via QQ (like MSN Messenger). She told me she loved this boy and asked my advice about what to do. I advised her to tell him. She might be pleasantly surprised by his response. Sophia went home to SJZ over the New Year holiday and talked to the boy. She returned to BJ and the look on her face told me all was well. She said he felt the same way. I am so happy for her and so relieved. Her mother has been trying to match her up with some eligible guys for awhile now and I know this has made her very unhappy.

So the relationships are important. But, so is the place. I like SJZ. In spite of the pollution and low pay, I was happy there and I often think of returning. I've been invited to return to Hebei Normal University to teach and, frankly, I'm tempted. I've also been asked to meet with the director of the Center for Academic and Cultural Exchanges here to discuss my plans for next year. They're anxious for me to stay at Tsinghua and want to lock me into another year as soon as possible.

One thought I've had is to spend another year in Beijing, retire in the U.S. to draw on my social security, and return to teaching in SJZ. For a long term plan, it sounds rather intriguing. What do you think?

It's been awhile

It's been awhile since my last posting. A lot of water under the bridge. Work has generally gone well. The first semester will end in a couple of weeks. (We're on a holiday break now and I'm recovering from a chest cold.) I'll be the program coordinator next semester. My work on this began over a month ago. We are offering 18 courses to our 230 students. Some of the courses are design by Oxford Brooks University--business classes, others we do. A few are designed in cooperation with Adelaide University and other partner schools. I'll not be teaching in the University of London, SOAS economics course next term since my teaching hours have been cut way back because of my administrative duties.

I put together the courses for intro to business II and urban planning. The latter is a 2 hour seminar for our students who will be going to Michigan State University next year to get a master degree in urban planning. Should be fun. The term project is a re-design of the Wudaokou area near Tsinghua. I like the irony of being a Michigan grad creating a course for MSU.

Not all has been fun. I had some difficulty adjusting to life in Beijing but I managed. BJ is big and impersonal. Fortunately, I have some friends who helped in the transition. The teachers I work with are terrific and that helped. I got involved with someone and it didn't work out. Unfortunately, the situation turned sour.

Further bad news. I bought an electric bike and was able to get to work in just 35 minutes during rush hour. It was great. Unfortunately, someone stole the battery from it one night and I had to get it replaced. Batteries are expensive. The very next week I parked it in an open parking lot next to the school cafeteria on a Sunday while I went in and had lunch. When I came out, the bike was gone, locks and all. Thieves have a field day here. I was talking to April last night who was at the train station getting a ticket to Beijing. While she was buying her ticket someone stole her purse. The second time in one month for her.

I still keep in contact with many of my former students, like April. In fact, 3 of them joined me for Christmas Eve dinner. That was an event. Will's girlfriend, Jane, manages a new restaurant in a hutong near Wangfujing. We decided to create our own dinner instead of paying to eat out at a hotel for 1,000 RMB a person. We shopped for food over a two day period. I put together the menu and helped the chef's figure out how to cook some of the food. They had never prepared Western food before. It was a lot of fun. About 15 of us ate the feast that consisted of pumpkin soup, salad, stuffed mushroom caps, glazed ham, goose with chestnut stuffing, chestnut gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, veggies, apple pie and ice cream. It was to die for.

So, I'd say my first few months in Beijing have had mixed results. It's nice to be making some real money, but I'm not sure I want to stay here. My heart is still in Shijiazhuang.

Could you remember us, Sir?

When Ricky left in May, he told me that during the last few days he was here he was trying to avoid students. Too much crying, he said. I remember thinking at the time that my turn was coming soon. It has arrived.

 

Today, I received an email from the class monitor of my second year International Trade class. I’ve been their teacher for two years. Near the end of the email, she said, “We, the students of 05 international trade, are your friends forever.  Could you remember us, Sir?” When I read the last line I lost it and started crying like a baby. Yes, I’ll remember. I’ll remember to the end of my days.

Tsinghua bound

I signed a contract to teach at Tsinghua University in the fall. I will move to Beijing after I finish teaching in the summer institute at Hebei Normal University. After having resisted the lure of a big time university and the big city for several years, I have succumbed. Tsinghua is the #1 or #2 university in China (depending on whose rankings you read). I’ll be able to do some part time consulting as well. This effort is already well underway. I’ll be making a great deal more money which will allow me to stay in China longer. My current plan is to teach at Tsinghua for two years then see if want to stay in China longer after that. Right now, I have no desire to return to the United States. This is simply to great a life to give up.

 

I taught my last class at Huihua on Thursday. It was rather anti-climatic. I ended the class early so that students who wanted to could take their final oral exam a week early. Several teams took advantage of the offer. Next week it’s exams each day. I have not made a big deal about leaving. Many students have stopped by to say good bye or ask me to change my mind. The second year English majors are very disappointed. They’ve been waiting two years to have me as their teacher and now I’m leaving. Most are not shy in telling me why they think I’m good teacher or the impact I’ve made on them. David (a second year) said “We learn more than English from you. We learn how to succeed.”

 

Tonight I taught my last class at the #2 Middle School. The graduates of this school will all be admitted into tier one universities throughout China. These kids are good. Many speak English about as well as a native born American. They are an impressive lot. Chen, the guy who hired me to fill in for the teacher that left, asked if I would work there full time next year. For a second I was tempted. When I agreed to help them out I didn’t know if I would like teaching high school students. These kids were a joy to teach.

 

So, my bold experiment of taking a year off to teach in China has turned into my new career. I feel at home in the classroom (aside from the more than occasional anxiety of wondering if I’m doing well as a teacher). When I walk into the classroom and say “Good morning” and all the students look at me, smile and say “Good morning” back, I believe at that moment that it was my destiny to be a teacher.

 

My Tsinghua students will be preparing to go to western universities to finish their degree work. I’ll be helping them strengthen their English language skills, critical thinking skills, dealing with intellectual property issues, using common IT tools and working effectively in teams. Should be great fun.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely

I reminded the students at today’s English Corner that this is the 40^th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band. I then asked them what they were doing 40 years ago today. The looked a little perplexed and finally one of them said, “We weren’t born yet.” Right! I was and I was a senior at Rhode Island College fretting about the war in Vietnam and becoming increasingly agitated at students who didn’t seem to care about the war one way or the other. I created a movie for my art class entitled “Commitment” that was meant to show that students needed to understand what was going on and make a commitment. My prof thought it was an anti-war film and labeled it as such for a film competition. I didn’t win anything, but the guy who helped me make the film became my roommate at Michigan the following fall. It was at Michigan that I became radicalized and fervently anti-war (thank you SDS). I still remember my first protest march and encounter with tactical police, rooftop sharp shooters, police dogs, rifles, and the other paraphernalia of protest and order.

 

Today’s EC topic was how much should parents be involved in the education of their children and should they sacrifice their interests to afford the best schools (pre-school through university) for their child. Pretty tame stuff compared to my memories of confronting police dogs. I learned a lot in the streets of Ann Arbor and
Washington, D.C.; things my parents didn’t quite understand; things I didn’t share with them or with my students today. Sometimes education happens when you’re alone—just you facing your nemesis be it dog or rifle. It’s a lonely feeling, but sometimes you can get by with a little help from your friends.