Letters from Munchkins

Cross-posted from CampChina06 -- visit that blog for stories from my team and others. And I promise, there is still much more to come here. I am still not so much "sorting" my internal text, as "processing". Hang in there.

In the meanwhile, I finally developed my film, and a lot of it has been flickr'd -- go here to view entirely too many photos from this summer.

---

Sometime around our last week in Wujin (I think it was the last Sunday night, probably during our manditory evening group psychosis... also known as Team Meeting) -- we were brainstorming ideas for in-class activities. One of our team members came up with something incredibly simple, yet incredibly brilliant: as the teacher, make a list of family members, friends, supporters -- whoever you like. In class, give one name to each student: no student got the same name as a classmate. Each student was then given a brief rundown on who this person was, and why he/she/it was so darn important to Teacher. Finally... the student was asked to write a letter to this person. It could be short, long, whatever -- but it had to be personal.

Holy Crap.

Yes. Later that afternoon, reading letters in the apartment, I had more than a little bit of a lump in my throat.

No. I wasn't the only one with such problems.

Snippets from letters to come.

---

(I'm posting from a lab on campus; I'll post letter snapshots when I'm in closer proximity!)

Home.

Back home, as of a few hours ago.

So much to process. So much to write.

I'll try to get some sleep and figure out what timezone I'm in now; I plan to finish up the pen-and-paper journal catch-up soon, and then will get a lot of it posted here ASAP.

Thanks to you all for sticking with me -- I know I was virtually Dead To The World for the past two weeks, at least here: it was all but impossible to get to a computer.

Talk to you guys soon.

Weekend Silliness

At our school, classes run every day: 7 days a week, Sunday-through-Saturday. Thankfully for us, our English classes are only Monday-through-Friday -- so we teachers are free on the weekends. Also thankfully: most of our students have Saturday afternoons and Sundays until suppertime free. This means that weekends are when we can break from the Teacher-vs-Students formality, and fall into casual, easy, fun.

Each Teacher, and each class, handles their weekends a little differently: some just share meals together on campus, some leave the city completely, and others stay in town and just "wander". Some have done something new every weekend, others stick with a routine and rotate a small group of students over each weekend. Sometime this week, I realized something pretty cool: no matter how the weekend was spent -- no matter how high- or low- key the activities -- the students were just completely enthralled by the fact that, Dude, our Teacher is Cool. (at least in their eyes!). And any opportunity to get closer to these kids, to escape that barrier of classroom stereotype, is amazing. There's so much more to be seen, and said, away from the schooldesks and chalkboard.

So anyhow: back to weekends. As far as how my own weekends have been spent: the first Saturday here, A few other teachers and I took a decent-sized group of students to "Dinosaur Park" in Changzhou (pic). This was just under an hour's ride on the public bus -- which, on a Saturday afternoon riding to the Big City: was quite packed. We stayed until dark, and the kids had a blast. I've got a paper-journal entry written up about this trip, and if I get time while here I'll post it: otherwise, I'll get it up as soon as I get back to the States.

Last weekend, a handful of my students met at the front gate just before noon, to leave campus for lunch. We walked to a noodle shop that was about 15 minutes away: I told my students that whatever they ordered me had to be under 10 yuan, as that's all I had in my pocket. No problem, they said -- 6 even, and I had WAY too much food left over! Afterwards, a few of the students left us and went to the bus stop, headed to their family's homes for the weekend. The rest of us (4 total, I think) went to the "mall" to get some shopping done -- and really, just as an excuse to stay off campus. My kids are awesome, wonderful, and totally incredible: I love them to death. The week leading up to that day I'd had a cold, and apparently that fact coupled with my announcing at the noodle shop that I had 10 quai led them to the conclusion that their Teacher needed some caring for. When we left the supermarket, I didn't realize that a couple litres of grapefruit juice, a smaller bottle of carrot juice, and a packet of cough drops -- were for me. These were dropped casually into my fridge once we got back to my apartment. And yes, I feel much better now, thank you!

The rest of that day was amazing: as the afternoon wore on, no one wanted to leave. We played cards (Uno) endlessly, and the group grew as more teachers arrived with students. Music was added, and snacks materialized. That Saturday afternoon became one of the best impromptu-parties ever: really awful karaoke, heated card matches, snacks, dancing, yelling, and above all -- lots and lots of laughter. Students that were supposed to leave at xx-o'clock to catch a bus ended up saying "oh, that's ok, I'll leave later and take a taxi" -- and stayed until a LOT later. Everyone, Teachers and Students alike, had a great time.

This weekend (the-day-after-tomorrow, this coming Saturday), we've already started making plans. The kids are excited: we used our class break this morning to plan. On Saturday, the entire class and I are going to Changzhou. We'll visit the Cinema (good luck, Teacher, at understanding... but it should be fun no less!), tour a temple, go shopping, see a "scary house made by a man and not ghosts!" (I'm guessing... a haunted house?!) and generally stay out as late as possible. Once we catch the last bus back, most of the students will head either to their dorms or home to spend the rest of the weekend with family. At least 3 girls of my class, though, will come back with me: we're having an "American Girl Slumber Party" in my apartment. The Teachers I live with are bringing girls from their classes also, and we're splurging on cheap "hair stuff", nail polish, snacks, and generally plan to revisit junior high. Everyone is supposed to bring a pillow and blanket -- it'll be crowded, but at least we have a clean floor! The girls couldn't stop talking today once they found out ("OH, I have seen these in film!"). Bonus: we live next door to the guys, so I believe a bit of late-night pranking is also on the menu. Shhh.

So anyhow. I am constantly amazed by how little it takes to absolutely change someone's week: so simple an activity (a little nail polish, a bowl of noodles shared) -- and the glow of laughter carries over into class for days to come. We are so incredibly spoilt: we who spent countless free seconds crashed in front of glowing screens, constantly searching for that ineffable "something" that will fulfill the weekend's boredom. Sure, weekends around here tend towards the hokey and silly and just plain dull a lot of the time -- but the payoff is so, so worth it.

Here and There.

My roommates and I were flipping through journal entries (of the paper variety, that is) the other day, and while counting and adding up -- we realized that we are just about around the half-way mark of this journey. Counting the week of Training in California, we have just passed the crest of this hill.

Strange. Very, incredibly, bitter-sweetly, strange.

On the one hand, parts of us pull to return to the States (already there's a mental distance between American soil and here, a retisence to voice the words "return home" in reference thereof) -- to be able to fully communicate everything, everyone, everybit of this trip. We want to tell you (yes, YOU!) what we've been doing, and words on a page fall so woefully short.

On the other, and for some (myself nowhere near the least of these), larger hand: there's an overwhelming desire to stay beyond our visa's end. The pull towards a concrete runway is overwhelmed by the pull towards yet-another-noodle-shop, where yet-another-student awaits.

But anyhow... I digress. I started this entry because I realized that -- half way into this trip, there's a lot that we've found ourselves becoming "used to", that in the States might have been utterly shocking.

Since our arrival, we've quickly picked up a new word: Lao Wai. We've been told it means "old outsider" -- and is the nicer term for "white foreigner". Apparently back in the day, the invading forces of Europeans all had beards, and were likewise thought to be quite elderly. The natives here were all wondering, "why the heck did they send all the old outsiders to see us?" - Apparently, it stuck.

When we arrived at the airport in Changzhou... it was hot. The building that housed the luggage belt (no, it wasn't truly a 'terminal' in our convention definition of the word) was cooled by a space air conditioner that stood in the corner. Oh good gosh, we pitiful American souls thought, surely this is not normal? Surely we will cool down soon? Our clothes, this soaking thereof, it stops, yes? Silly, spoilt Americans!

And so yes. We've become used to a lack of air conditioning. Amazingly enough -- it's not that bad. There are still space units in our bedrooms, as we are the honored Foreign Teachers. Our classrooms also have small units, which we turn on (and off) every day. Little things we thought we'd die from, like heat: we live with, and find ourselves wondering "is it just us, or is it cooler today?!"

Mattresses. What are they, again? It's been so long... Our beds are quite comfy, and consist of wooden frames covered with reed mats. For the first few days, the moans and groans were many, especially from the more delicate of teammembers. And yes, it was possible for those so inclined to purchase mattress-pad-type cushions for their beds. But even so: more "little things" which we, so long spoilt through custom and convention, had grown to take for granted. Honestly, I foresee many-a-night spent on my floor once I return home: I can't imagine what my back will think when I throw it back onto something with springs and foam.

Food! It's not a complete entry from Sara without mentioning food, right? But the fact that Americans are accustomed to eating 2-3 different things at one meal (meat, potatoes, salad, etc) -- and that's all... that's a completely, well, foreign concept to this culture. Except for fast food joints, noodle shops, and such, I have yet to eat a meal with fewer than 8 dishes to choose from. My students tell me this is because 8 is "lucky". The family dining-style is round table, with the dishes on a lazy susan in the center -- everyone has their own rice bowl, soup bowl, drink cup, and chopsticks. Everything else is free-for-all -- which I absolutely love. It's completely accepted, and totally encouraged, to go back-and-forth with a friend ("Can I try that?" -- "Oh, you should SO taste this!"). I swear, I'm surprised I haven't gained 10 pounds in the last two weeks -- but like I said, I live on the fifth floor... But so far as differences go: I can only imagine the stares I'll get re-adjusting to American dining again.

Friendship. Too often in the States, I think we take for granted the fact that friendship is something to be cherished. Espcially on campus at the school where I'm working, I've seen absolutely beautiful displays of such feeling. Boy-girl "relationships" are not allowed, and so little to no "romantic" displays are seen -- or officially noticed, at any rate. But so far as otherwise; without the myriad stigma placed on relationships by culture, media, etc: there are so many more outward displays of utterly platonic caring that we in the States might consider strange or simply discourage. High-school students are very hands-on, and girls (who in the states would be going through that "Best Friends Forever!!!! hearts-and-stars-and-warm-fuzzies" phase) often hold hands, hug, share seats, etc. Even the guys who play basketball together might be seen doing the same, though not as often -- and no one looks twice. At the same time, it's take all-too-conscious efforts from we Lao Wai to not stare. Concepts of "normal" and "not normal" or "accepted" and "not accepted" are completely transitive, and this is just the most obvious and common example thereof.

So, so many differences -- and so, so many similarities. I spent this past Saturday with a gaggle of students. We laughed. We talked. We sang. It might have been any random Saturday back home, if I were to hang out with my high-school aged sister and her friends. So many words to be said. So many things to be heard. So many friends to be made.

Always -- you are in our thoughts, and we hope we are in yours.

In the Classroom

I'm discovering how incredibly difficult it is to find, not so much spare time to get online, but spare time in which our single, solitary laptop -- spread amongst 19 American teachers -- is free. Because of that: I apologize to anyone who's wondered why you haven't heard anything more from this side of the pond, of late.

So while I have a few precious seconds with the keyboard, I thought I'd let you know how an average schoolday goes for us...

Tomorrow is Monday. At 7am, I'll stumble out of bed: we crazy Americans are lucky, we get to sleep in. Breakfast in the cafeteria is at 7:15, but I usually eat in my apartment -- my team meets back in the main apartment at 8am before classes, and the walk back and forth is kind of redundant. If I chose to hike it, though, the school lays an awesome spread in the American dining room (yes, we have our own dining room, yay for us!): usually 3+ types of bread, filled dumplings, porridge, and milk/juice. In the apartment I usually just make tea and have yogurt or bread, depending on where I shopped last.

8am is when both American teams meet in the downstairs apartment: usually it's only for about 5-10 minutes, just to make sure everyone is on the same track for the morning lessons, and to make any last minute schedule changes for the afternoon, etc. After that, we walk to the classrooms together: our block is in one building, about a 6 minute walk across campus from our apartment dorm (4 if we're in a hurry!). Oh, did I mention this is a huge school? Yes. Yes, it is. In the states, we'd consider it larger than many smaller colleges -- 3200 students during the regular year, the majority of whom live on campus.

8:30am By now, all teachers should have been in classrooms for at least a few minutes -- there is no central air system, so we need to open windows, turn on fans, and turn on the room's A/C systems (they use remotes, and if we forget to carry the remotes from our apartments: oh well. Sorry, class.). The campus bell rings through the loudspeaker at 8:35, and students storm the walkways and stream in soon after.

8:45am. Class officially begins with another bell. My class is composed of 17 students, who officially scored at the "beginner" English speaker level -- but in reality most of our students at this school should be classified towards the top. We only drew divisions out of necessity, and our school's divisions don't necessarily compare to a school using the same curriculum in a different district.

Morning Session lasts until 11:10am, and we give one 10-minute break somewhere during that period. Usually when the students start drifting off into space... or else when Teacher needs to use the W.C . :) This is most curriculum-based session, and is almost purely classroom-based. Essentially, this is what most people think of when they think "English Teacher".

11:10am Class Dismissed! Yet another bell (these quickly have become ingrained within our systems, as they ring class and meal changes across the entire campus -- dorms too -- from 6am to 10:30pm) signals the mad rush to lunch. I stay behind for 10 minutes or so to close up shop, and gather up forgotten textbooks, and then head to lunch with my teammates. I am so glad the Americans get an air-conditioned dining room.

After lunch, the schedule changes from day-to-day: On M/W/F, we have an Afternoon Activity Session from 1:45-3:20pm, which is less class-oriented and more -- gee, guess? -- activity oriented. We rotate classes between 4 classroom 'stations', and they get 4 activities of about 20 minutes each. Generally, these are language-based games (a modified Scatagories is pretty popular) -- but anything that gets students active, laughing, and communicating is fair game. Actually, I bought a set of speakers for my apartment last week -- and I think tomorrow I'm hauling them to class... my students are big Electric Slide fans. Ohhh yeah, baby.

At 5pm, the supper bell rings -- and the entire school, again, rushes the dining hall. My team generally eats on-campus, but occasionally (if we don't have evening activities) we have gone to local spots for dinner.

On T/W/Th, we also have Evening Sessions from 6:00-7:30pm. This is officially termed "Culture Festival" night, and each session is supposed to give the students a chance to have some sort of "cultural" exchange. In reality, this means anything from a night showcasing American Weddings (yes, we're having a wedding!) -- to a dance party, to a series of nights in which we show an American movie (in English, of course!). Again, this is a combination of learning-that-you-can't-get-from-the-textbook and just-getting-students-to-interact. All of the above are completely foreign concepts to the students', so far as their usual style of learning, which is why we were invited to teach here in the first place.

Depending on the days of the week, sometime throughout the day, at least once -- sometimes twice! -- we (the team) get together to have a curriculum/planning meeting. These can run from 20 minutes to over an hour, and this is where we do our mad dash of who-will-do-what for the afternoon/evening activities. Especially since we rotate through sooo many different activities in the afternoons, it's important to make sure we always have original ideas (read: make sure the kids don't do the same thing twice in one day!). And of course, these planning meetings are often our only time to get any prep work done: so if your activity requires any preperation, you darn well better enlist a few helpful hands ASAP.

At the end of the day, we usually get together at around 8pm, just to unwind, discuss the day, and generally "chill". We don't stick together very long, though, because we still have lesson plans and curriculum to go over for the next day -- fun, fun. A little personal time for email (if we're lucky), journalling, showering, and the all-important laundering (oh yes, by hand!) is also on the list.

After all is said in done, the days are (hopefully!) complete by around 10:30pm. It feels incredibly early to hit the sack before 11pm by American standards -- especially for a bunch of college students... but when you pack this much into one day, then it gets very wearing, very quickly. Add in the fact that there are little things like no A/C, no 'lift' (and we live a mere 5 flights up, lucky us!), and such: and we find our Western-spoilt selves worn out much sooner than later.

It's all worth it, though. When you walk into class in the morning, and 17 voices shout "GOO' MORRING, TEACHA!"... when you realize that there are smiles all around that haven't been learnt and practiced over a lifetime, but just happen out of the blue -- it's totally worth it.

If you don't like it...

Hide it under the rice!

...So goes the catch-phrase of the 20-plus teams of teachers that are currently scattered across Eastern Asia, along with myself and my folks here in Wujin. We even have shirts that say that, and yes, our students (the ones that have read them, anyway) crack up every time.

Funny thing though, I haven't had to hide anything under the rice since I've been here. I have tried plenty of new things, from cold snapping turtle to congealed duck blood: and that's just in the past 72 hours. I've been quite proud of my teammates, too -- about the only dish I didn't have more than one taste of was the cold fish gelatin, but of course there had to be someone sitting two chairs over who says "Whoa, that's actually good" (as he speared a slab with a chopstick and shoved it on in). And the medal for "most unassuming teammates" has to go to this tiny little pixie who, under normal circumstances, is absolutely the sweetest thing around. At the Chinese dinner table, with chopsticks in hand: she was an entirely different creature! Fish eyeballs were her favorite, as she circled that table like a vulture. We just stayed out of her way...

Our team's introduction to Chinese cuisine began Saturday night -- yes, about two hours after actually arriving at the school. Our hosts (namely, the principal of our school, along with various faculty members) had planned a Banquet for our team. These long, formal affairs are more than just food: they are FOOD. We were warned to "pace ourselves" -- and that was an understatement. Each course is a full meal in and of itself, and there are dozens of courses. And also, as the guests of honor, you are expected to sample every dish... So yes. We were very full afterwards...!

But all in all: the shirts are funny, and the slogan as an inside joke is cute -- but after all, who ever has rice left over, anyhow?

In California!

I've just spent an incredibly busy (read: hot, lots of running around, and perpetually TIRED!) week in Riverside, California. My teammates and I arrived on Saturday (July 1st). Since the minute we all got here, we've been non-stop busy. Our schedule was set for us by the directing Powers That Be, and from 7am to 10pm at night we are in training sessions, discussion groups, team meetings, or - thankfully, occasionally! - at team mealtimes.

As far as the locale goes: it's my first time in CA, so I can officially mark one more state off my "visited" list. It's breathtakingly beautiful out here; yes, it's hot, and you do down a lot of water bottles as a result. The view, though, is more than worth the discomfort: mountains on the horizon, olive and lemon trees covering campus, and seagulls flying in off the coast every afternoon. The occasional evening lightning show has been nice as well: still no clouds, but at least "pretty lights".

Because we are on a college campus, it feels a lot like freshman year orientation week: living in a dorm again (Yay, roomie), eating in a cafeteria, and coping with non-stop activity and noise. The all-encompassing focus is learn, learn, learn: we're cramming months of knowledge into a few days' worth of training sessions. The curriculum we will be teaching is really amazing: everything from the title pages and table of contents, to the illustrations and page footers, are materials that have huge teaching potential for our students -- it's amazing what we will be able to do for our students both in and out of the classroom.

A lot of teachers and team leaders are leaving tonight, so we are having our closing session in just 15 minutes: I need to run if I'm going to make it. My group is the very last to leave the country -- we'll leave campus tomorrow (Thursday) night, and board our plane sometime in the wee hours of Friday morning. Keep us in your thoughts, and I will keep you posted!