I returned to my site this morning from Chengdu, Sichuan, where our Peace Corps China headquarters is. About 80 volunteers gathered there for a few days this week to attend our Close of Service (COS) conference. This is where we … Continue reading →
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During the first week of this semester, I had my students prepare questions and interview me in groups. This was both to give them a chance to ease back into speaking strictly English in the classroom, and to give us … Continue reading →
Tomorrow marks Week 4 of this semester—my last in China. It’s hard to believe the wide range of emotions I’ve already felt has just taken place in three short weeks. My heart and mind shuffle between extremes with unsettling swiftness. Today, I’m … Continue reading →
A couple of months ago, I started a women’s group for students in my sophomore classes. It wasn’t my idea. It’s something many Peace Corps Volunteers in China choose to do (as we’re all expected to have secondary projects, in … Continue reading →
Last year, I wrote a post about the founding of a student-led English club, and my invitation to participate in it from time to time. Jack (left) was a freshman last year, and is the “monitor” of his class, which … Continue reading →
This week, I filled the regular “American Culture Point” segment of my classes with a brief introduction to Halloween. I showed photos of jack-o-lanterns, decorated houses, costumed children AND adults, Halloween movie posters and lots of candy and cookies. I prefaced … Continue reading →
After coming over the pass, we came downhill through this valley and arrived at a small farm. There were two buildings in site: a house (below, blue roof) and a small building where snacks and drinks were sold (to the … Continue reading →
Here are a few quotes from the week that made me remember my foreignness (not that I could forget it!): “We have to go now and practice our handwriting,” said several of our students as they excused themselves from Office … Continue reading →
On the second morning we awoke in Lai De, we started the day with about 3 hours of intense uphill. Physically, this was the hardest part of the whole trip for me. In spite of that—and the fact that we … Continue reading →
So, the chronicling of this hiking trip has become much more long-winded than I expected. I’ll be honest—I’ve lost steam. It’s time to move on. These last few Mei Li Xue Shan posts will be much more succinct. At least, … Continue reading →
This was a delightful evening! Since we arrived a year ago, my site mate and I have wanted to know the teachers in our department better. This is surprisingly hard to do. A mixture of busyness, self-consciousness, and conflicting class … Continue reading →
Day 1 As I said before, our hike began at the end of the Kawa Karpo trek. On August 9, our hired van drove downhill along the Mekong River. The road was covered with rocks that had rolled off the … Continue reading →
It’s been a week since I arrived in Bangkok. My arm is healing well, and last night (Tuesday) I was cleared to go home by my surgeon and two Peace Corps doctors. However, booking my ticket is taking them a … Continue reading →
Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman wants Peace Corps out of China This is disappointing. Coffman is surprised to find out that “Peace Corps volunteers are teaching English in Chinese universities, rather than serving underdeveloped rural areas.” First, I’d like to point … Continue reading →
Here are some great blogs about the hiking trip I’ve been writing about: Beka and Charlie are taking the photo essay approach. They have amazing photography, and videos will be coming soon. Jason’s posts are pure wit. There’s one about milking … Continue reading →
“The mountain’s lit up like a fuckin’ Christmas tree!” Christian was the first to make it out of our room that morning. But, with a wake-up call like that, who could stay in bed? I stumbled out onto the rooftop … Continue reading →
During the 36-hour bus ride, we’d made reservations at a hostel in Fei Lai Si, which we soon came to commonly refer to as “Hostile Disappointment.” They never ceased to let us down with their ineffectiveness as a hostel staff, … Continue reading →
I came to Thailand yesterday. I’m here for less than a week, hopefully, to have surgery done on my arm. Most of you probably know that I’ve had a metal plate in my arm for about nine years. I got … Continue reading →
I awoke this morning to the sound of a cascading river and relaxed, Chinese breakfast chatter outside my window. The former reminded me of the natural beauty and peace that surround this place. From my bed, I remembered the lavish … Continue reading →
We stumbled out of our hostel on August 6th too early for a cup of coffee. In fact, we had to call one of the hostel workers and wake him up so that we could even check out. Our bus … Continue reading →
I took a long trip this month — went hiking in northern Yunnan with a few friends near Mei Li Xue Shan, then hung out in a couple different cities on the way home. There’s too much for just one … Continue reading →
Our attendants will be sincerely at your service. I’m sitting on a Blue Arrow train to Guiyang, our province capital. It’s the “nice train,” so tickets are three times the price of others with the same route. On the other … Continue reading →
I’m leaving on a middle-of-the-night train to Yunnan province in about an hour. In Lijiang, I’ll meet up with four other Peace Corps Volunteers, and one student from Inner Mongolia. The six of us will spend about two weeks doing … Continue reading →
This week, during one of our afternoon sessions, we introduced the “Chain Story” activity to our teacher trainees. The trainees broke up into groups of four or five, and each person was given a paper with the first sentence of … Continue reading →
This week, I find myself in Anshun, Guizhou, home of the famous Huang Guo Shu Waterfall. It’s the largest waterfall in Asia, and I look forward to seeing it up close this Saturday. Photo from china-tour.cn. Meanwhile, I’m here with … Continue reading →
A few months ago, my site mate and I attended an optional Project Design and Management workshop at the Peace Corps headquarters office in Chengdu. The purpose of the PDM workshop was to systematically conceptualize and plan secondary projects for … Continue reading →
I opened a package today from Tessa Davis (thanks, Tessa!), and in her letter she mentioned reading a few of my blog posts. I guess that was enough encouragement to get me back on the blogging bandwagon. I don’t know … Continue reading →
Major, campus-wide events have a way of sneaking up on me here. Imagine not being able to read any newsletter, flier, bulletin board or sign — that’s me. If someone doesn’t explicitly tell me about an event, I’m oblivious. Luckily, … Continue reading →
Student feedback is a pretty foreign concept in Chinese classrooms. Classes here are generally “teacher-centered,” meaning the teacher lectures and the students listen quietly. If the teacher says a word or phrase and pauses for half a second, the class … Continue reading →
For me, the highlight of our In-Service Training this month was hearing from our keynote speaker Rob Gifford. From 1999 to 2005, Gifford was the NPR foreign correspondent in Beijing. After his time there, he made a two-month journey across … Continue reading →
A long ten days of In-Service Training finally concluded on Friday morning. Beneath the applause and facetious cheering, a slow, collective exhale resonated through the hotel conference room. I looked around at the hundred or so others and shared their … Continue reading →
On February 27, I took an overnight train north from my home to Chengdu, Sichuan. Southern red dot: Liupanshui, Guizhou. This is where I live, in one of China’s poorest provinces. Liupanshui is 3-4 hours by train from Guiyang, the … Continue reading →
Yesterday, I was invited to dinner by a Chinese friend and her family. Cici is 20 years old, speaks excellent English, and has become a good friend to me. She shows a maturity beyond her age that is not so … Continue reading →
Here are a few photos from our post New Years hiking trip in Northern Yunnan. Terraced farm land like this lined much of the path, from beginning to end. My good friends Jamie and Katherine — we were all in … Continue reading →
Happy New Year! Well, here it is — 2011. The first week of this year has been a blur of trains and hostels, celebrating and exploring. A few hours after entering my students’ grades into the computer system, I took a … Continue reading →
In an hour, I’ll be leaving on a train to Zunyi. It’s a city in Northern Guizhou, which holds a lot of importance for the National Communist Party. Also, it’s where 20 or so foreigners are convening to celebrate Christmas … Continue reading →
It’s Christmas time. You can tell by the Sufjan Stevens 5-volume Christmas album that’s been on repeat in my apartment for the last few weeks. It’s been a strange December, but a rich and enjoyable one, too. Saturday afternoon marked … Continue reading →
Suddenly, it’s December. It rushed up on me this year like it’s never done before. It means Christmas, of course, so I’ve been listening to Christmas music by Over the Rhine, Sufjan Stevens and Ella Fitzgerald. I’ve also been enjoying … Continue reading →
This is not the first Thanksgiving I’ve spent away from home and family. A few years ago, I stayed in Chicago and celebrated with a friend’s family. It was enjoyable, but odd to be in a stranger’s home on such … Continue reading →
This ancient game is one of my favorite things about Chinese culture. It’s most popular among the older generations, but most young people know how to play. I assume that’s because their parents, in need of a third player one … Continue reading →
One very charming thing about many Chinese people I’ve met is that they notice everything. Everything. When a cup is emptied, they jump to fill it. If you cough, they ask if you’ve taken medicine (then, invariably tell you to … Continue reading →
On the last two Fridays, my site mate and I have shown an English movie to all interested students in the English Department. Two weeks ago, it was “Pride and Prejudice,” followed by “Wall-E” last week. Both movies were well … Continue reading →
These are fearfully overdue, but here are some photos from my first two months in China:
Finally, after 6 weeks of training, we received our permanent site placements. (Drum roll…) For the next two years, I’ll be teaching English classes at Liupanshui Teachers College. I’ve wanted to say something so definite for months! Liupanshui is a … Continue reading →
Friday, July 30 marked the final day of our two-week “Model School”. This was our opportunity to practice planning and teaching Oral English lessons to real, live Chinese students. For the last four weeks, we’ve received excellent technical training, which … Continue reading →
I came to China with about 90 other PC trainees, all of whom are posed to become college-level English teachers in September. The wide array of education, experience and motivation among the trainees was quickly evident upon our arrival in … Continue reading →
Trainee: me; someone who has arrived in the host-country, but has not yet completed the two months of training. U.S-China Friendship Volunteers: the program name given to “Peace Corps China” in China. I don’t know why. Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV): … Continue reading →
As you might have noticed from the last post, our days revolve heavily around food. At this point, so does our Mandarin vocabulary. We have about 20 hours of language study a week, which can seem grueling at times, but … Continue reading →
The place I call home these days is a three-bedroom apartment in the faculty housing section of Chengdu University’s campus. It’s comfortable and quaint — a far (and pleasantly surprising) cry from what I expected during the weeks leading up … Continue reading →
I’ve now been in China for almost three weeks. As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer in Washington DC told me it would be, “the days drag on, but the time flies by”. It’s bizarre and true. Sometimes I feel like … Continue reading →
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