I'll be back in Lanzhou on Wednesday. I'm excited for the semester, and planning has been much more low-key since I know more of what to expect this time around.
I already know how different this coming semester is going to be compared with the Spring 2008 semester I spent in Lanzhou. First of all, I know exactly what to pack (and what not to pack!). The first item on my packing list this summer was instant coffee! The Chinese are, not surprisingly, big tea drinkers. They have instant coffee, but it's already sweetened and has whitener in it. I plan on drinking my fair share of tea, but some mornings I'm sure I'll just want my coffee! I'm also taking some boxes of macaroni, a jar of nutella, and a box of CoCo Wheats. The macaroni and nutella are more so I can share them with other international students, not because I will miss them. The CoCo Wheats are because it's an easy breakfast that I enjoy, especially on cold mornings!
I also think I better planned out the clothing I'm taking. Layering is so important, so I packed colors that go together and items I can wear on top of one another. For anyone planning on traveling, I can't stress the importance of layering!
Another difference I am expecting is in the international students I will be studying with. Sometimes I have an irrational fear that my classmates won't be as cool as last time. What if they're all jerks and we don't get along? On one hand, I know that I can never make friendships exactly like the ones I formed with Dustin, Ellen, Tracy, Travis, and all the other good friends I made last time. But that's the nature of friendship. This semester, I know I will make strong, lasting friendships with new people. Of course it won't be the same, but it will be just as great. By the way, my roommate from before, Aidana, will be in Lanzhou at the same time as me. She's studying at a different university, but she's only a bus ride away! And, my Chinese friends Lili and Ming will be in Lanzhou with me, too. These two were exchange students to Muskingum this past year.
I also know I won't travel quite as much as I did last semester in China. One reason is that I have to be back at Muskingum in January for the spring semester, so I don't have the luxury of traveling for a month after my classes. Since I will be limited to weekends and short breaks, I will have to take trips to nearby cities.
Lastly, because I'm fairly familiar with the city of Lanzhou, I will be spending less time learning the city and walking around taking it all in. Instead, when I go out, I will enjoy visiting the places I remember and trying to find new things to do.
I am really looking forward to my semester in Lanzhou. The city feels a lot like home to me.
31 August 2009
06 August 2009
Phonetics
I taught a woman how to read today. She has been in the beginning English class all summer, and I just started working with her this week. I realized immediately that she could not read, but for a few days we just worked through the class material verbally. She copied from the board without understanding what she was writing, and she repeated sentences after me not knowing what she was saying.
But today, we started at square one. I showed her how to hold a pencil. Then I wrote a capital A and made her write it correctly (I’m really into writing properly after having to write Chinese characters in proper stroke order; it really does matter!).
Then, I did a major throwback to when I was about three years old and would sit on my mom’s lap and do Hooked on Phonics every evening (Thank you, Mom!). Over and over, I had my student repeat “A, ah, apple; B, buh, ball; C, ck, cat, etc.” We went through the whole alphabet, learning to write, learning the names of the letters, learning the sounds each letter makes, and learning new words, too.
Next, I used a random worksheet the student had from class. It happened to be a lesson about health. I circled a word. First she said each letter: S-I-C-K. Then she slowly made the sound of each letter. Next, she put it all together.
She learned to read!
I had her read several words, and after each one she squeezed my hand and thanked me. After class, she gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheek. Teaching her took a lot of patience. But she was so attentive and persistent. I’ve never seen anyone so happy before. I was pretty happy, too.
But today, we started at square one. I showed her how to hold a pencil. Then I wrote a capital A and made her write it correctly (I’m really into writing properly after having to write Chinese characters in proper stroke order; it really does matter!).
Then, I did a major throwback to when I was about three years old and would sit on my mom’s lap and do Hooked on Phonics every evening (Thank you, Mom!). Over and over, I had my student repeat “A, ah, apple; B, buh, ball; C, ck, cat, etc.” We went through the whole alphabet, learning to write, learning the names of the letters, learning the sounds each letter makes, and learning new words, too.
Next, I used a random worksheet the student had from class. It happened to be a lesson about health. I circled a word. First she said each letter: S-I-C-K. Then she slowly made the sound of each letter. Next, she put it all together.
She learned to read!
I had her read several words, and after each one she squeezed my hand and thanked me. After class, she gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheek. Teaching her took a lot of patience. But she was so attentive and persistent. I’ve never seen anyone so happy before. I was pretty happy, too.
04 August 2009
Scandal in English Class
Last week in English class (see TESOL), we were discussing how to introduce oneself in English.
The main teacher began asking some of the students to introduce themselves to the class. A married couple from Africa introduced themselves together, and it was discovered that they were married when the wife was 14 and the husband was 26.
Scandal? That’s what the main teacher (from Russia) thought. This teacher stopped class and interrogated the 30 or so African students about their countries’ and cultures’ practices.
“You mean small girls – children of 14 - they marry grown men? They have babies? But they don’t know - they can’t think - they don’t understand what they’re doing!”
These African students can barely introduce themselves in English, but they gave a pretty fabulous rebuttal: “In America, 14 year old girls have babies and they’re not married. In Africa, the girls are married. In Africa, it’s better.”
It was also clarified that prearranged marriages and girls getting married in their early teens is not common any more. The aforementioned couple has been (happily) married for 25 years, and their situation would not likely occur today.
During this 15-minute discussion, I wasn’t really sure what to do. At first, I wanted to stop the teacher; rebuke her, really, for being insensitive to different cultures. Then, I wanted to try to help the African students defend themselves. I decided against both, and just watched, listened, and learned. After it was all over, there were no hard feelings. Class continued with a discussion of grammar, rather than have more students give introductions.
The main teacher began asking some of the students to introduce themselves to the class. A married couple from Africa introduced themselves together, and it was discovered that they were married when the wife was 14 and the husband was 26.
Scandal? That’s what the main teacher (from Russia) thought. This teacher stopped class and interrogated the 30 or so African students about their countries’ and cultures’ practices.
“You mean small girls – children of 14 - they marry grown men? They have babies? But they don’t know - they can’t think - they don’t understand what they’re doing!”
These African students can barely introduce themselves in English, but they gave a pretty fabulous rebuttal: “In America, 14 year old girls have babies and they’re not married. In Africa, the girls are married. In Africa, it’s better.”
It was also clarified that prearranged marriages and girls getting married in their early teens is not common any more. The aforementioned couple has been (happily) married for 25 years, and their situation would not likely occur today.
During this 15-minute discussion, I wasn’t really sure what to do. At first, I wanted to stop the teacher; rebuke her, really, for being insensitive to different cultures. Then, I wanted to try to help the African students defend themselves. I decided against both, and just watched, listened, and learned. After it was all over, there were no hard feelings. Class continued with a discussion of grammar, rather than have more students give introductions.
29 July 2009
Indecisive? There's help (kind of)...
If you can’t decide what to drink with your breakfast this morning, what type of keyboard to purchase, or which gesture to use, there’s help. Don’t know whether to break up with your significant other? Can’t pick out the perfect book to read next? Need a snappy quote for your Facebook profile?
Well, all of these (and thousands of other) conundrums can be solved through the use of my now-favorite Web site, hunch.com.
Users sign up for a free, no-strings account (they don’t want your money) and answer some questions about their preferences. The main part of the site, though, is thousands of “topics” that users choose to “play” and see "results." Users are encouraged to give lots of feedback, add their own results, and even create their own topics. Don’t get it? It’s like a decision-making, advice-giving combination of Wikipedia, Facebook, and Match.com.
Some topics are serious, some are educational, and some are simply for fun.
Not for you? You might be surprised at how much you learn from and have to teach Hunch. It’s for everyone; that’s the point.
Follow me!
Well, all of these (and thousands of other) conundrums can be solved through the use of my now-favorite Web site, hunch.com.
Users sign up for a free, no-strings account (they don’t want your money) and answer some questions about their preferences. The main part of the site, though, is thousands of “topics” that users choose to “play” and see "results." Users are encouraged to give lots of feedback, add their own results, and even create their own topics. Don’t get it? It’s like a decision-making, advice-giving combination of Wikipedia, Facebook, and Match.com.
Some topics are serious, some are educational, and some are simply for fun.
Not for you? You might be surprised at how much you learn from and have to teach Hunch. It’s for everyone; that’s the point.
Follow me!
TESOL
(Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
This summer, I’ve been volunteering teaching English in Columbus. The free classes are offered four days a week at a community center. They are sponsored through a federal grant, and any adult who wants to learn English as a second language can attend.
Most of the students are from various countries in Africa: Sudan, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, and Ghana. (I had to study a map after my first day of class!) The students generally can speak their African languages and French – and I’ve become pretty decent at BS-ing my way through French.
Each class is two hours and is taught by a teacher employed by the community center. My job is to work one-on-one with the students who need extra help in the class.
Teaching is hard work. Not only do the students have no English skills, some of these adults are illiterate in their native languages. All of the students work hard; the class is free, and they wouldn’t be there if they didn’t want to come. But how do you explain English sentence structure to someone who doesn’t know what a verb is? How do you describe the difference between “we” and “they” if their language doesn’t distinguish between them the same way English does? How do you make them copy off the blackboard when they don’t know the alphabet? These are things I am learning how to teach. (It’s not impossible!)
Every day is a new challenge. But I’m learning a comprehensive method for teaching English. When I go back to China in September, I plan on offering free, elementary English courses. I taught English last time I was there, but I had no method… and I think I failed. But this time, I’m determined to succeed.
This summer, I’ve been volunteering teaching English in Columbus. The free classes are offered four days a week at a community center. They are sponsored through a federal grant, and any adult who wants to learn English as a second language can attend.
Most of the students are from various countries in Africa: Sudan, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, and Ghana. (I had to study a map after my first day of class!) The students generally can speak their African languages and French – and I’ve become pretty decent at BS-ing my way through French.
Each class is two hours and is taught by a teacher employed by the community center. My job is to work one-on-one with the students who need extra help in the class.
Teaching is hard work. Not only do the students have no English skills, some of these adults are illiterate in their native languages. All of the students work hard; the class is free, and they wouldn’t be there if they didn’t want to come. But how do you explain English sentence structure to someone who doesn’t know what a verb is? How do you describe the difference between “we” and “they” if their language doesn’t distinguish between them the same way English does? How do you make them copy off the blackboard when they don’t know the alphabet? These are things I am learning how to teach. (It’s not impossible!)
Every day is a new challenge. But I’m learning a comprehensive method for teaching English. When I go back to China in September, I plan on offering free, elementary English courses. I taught English last time I was there, but I had no method… and I think I failed. But this time, I’m determined to succeed.
20 July 2009
Bridge to No Where
Last August I visited Dandong, China, on the border with North Korea. I took a boat on the Yalu River, which separates Dandong from a North Korean city (Sinuiju is its Chinese name). Seeing North Korea was possibly the most memorable part of my trip to China.
I took some video there and here is some of the footage, set to a song by A Rotterdam November. (It's also on Youtube if you're having trouble viewing it here.)
I took some video there and here is some of the footage, set to a song by A Rotterdam November. (It's also on Youtube if you're having trouble viewing it here.)
13 July 2009
Xinjiang and Current Events
While in China, I traveled to the Xinjiang province. I met several of the Muslim minority of Uighurs*, and even became good friends with a Uighur girl about my age. Moreover, Lanzhou has a high Uighur population, whom I interacted with on a daily basis. During my time in China, I learned about the daily struggles of minorities in China.
A good friend of mine who is Han Chinese surprised me one day. This girl is extremely intelligent, sensitive, and kind. She has lived in America (albeit not-so-diverse Muskingum) and speaks English. We were saying goodbye as I was about to take a train to another province. One of the last things she said to me was, “Watch out for the minority people. They are dangerous.” I kind of laughed and asked why, and her reason was that they are allowed to carry knives on trains (unlike everyone else, I guess). I’m not sure if I believe her excuse, but that is beside the point. I understand her concern for my safety, and, yes, there had been recent riots involving minorities. The problem here, in my opinion, is that the Han Chinese fail to see how they and the Chinese government provoke these riots. The minorities aren’t innately riotous and violent. The monkeys at the zoo aren’t either, until you start throwing your trash at them and banging on the glass.
Minorities in China have no way to peacefully express their opinions. There is no organization, and it’s not because they are incompetent. It’s because the government moved massive amounts of Han Chinese into minority regions. The minorities used to be the majorities in their provinces, but were overtaken by the Han (Voice of America).
The government, without fail, cites its generosity toward minority and autonomous regions whenever problems arise. “We gave you billions of dollars and you should be thankful,” the government storms (Associated Press). It reminds me of parents who try to buy their way into a good relationship with their children. The kids don’t want another video game or more candy; they want love and understanding. So it is with the minority regions in China. They may be thankful for the new infrastructure and bolstered economies, but what they really want is independence. And, my opinion is that the government has poured money into these regions partly because a ton of Han Chinese moved there and insisted on more development.
These problems in China have no obvious solution. I disagree when westerns cry for China to give these regions their independence; it’s more complicated than that. China believes that Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet are and always have been part of China. And the minorities want their freedom and independence. If China lets one area go, the rest will follow. This would create a disaster for China, and an international disaster for the rest of the world to deal with. Probably even more minority deaths would occur. I see China’s side, but I don’t agree with their methods. If the government could be more understanding toward the minorities instead of trying to control them and make them conform, the problems of unrest might diminish. Instead of teaching children to distrust minorities, teach them to get along, share, and play nicely.
Lastly, the western world has been all up-at-arms about Tibet; why are the Uighurs and Xinjiang less important (My Sinchew News)? I know, they are lesser-known and the nature of their culture is different, but I just wanted to throw that out there for some thought.
* “Uighur” is just one of several English spellings for this people group, and is pronounced /wee′ -gher/.
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