Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A beautiful week in Rongchang!

This week in Rongchang has been absolutely beautiful.  The weather has stayed consistent and I have enjoyed immensely my time outside running along the river.  In my experience, the tile surface on the group here is much different than in the States.  Therefore, when it rains here the tile becomes almost a variable ice rink!  To continue my pursuit of running I have one great remedy: our campus track.  There I have found that the running is consistent no matter what the weather is like outside!  I am also enjoying doing a bit of hill exercising.  The view from the top provides a wonderful panorama of Rongchang and the countryside!
I just finished reading two quite wonderful books.  One by Simon Baker catalogued the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.  I recommend this works for anyone who has interest in Roman history but is not an expert.  An expert would find some of the work un-illuminating.  I also finished Thoreau’s brief work on Civil Disobedience.  The importance of this work is well document in the many successful and failed attempts at non-violent resistance in the last two centuries.  I felt a sense that Thoreau did not complete grasp the causation behind some of his assessments in “Civil Disobedience”.  Not to say that I disagree with his over-arching arguments.  However, Thoreau’s works machinations for an equalitarian state does not fully grasp the expediency in which a government would have to go about judging human actions on a level playing field.  In his utilitarian approach he would have not liked the idea of humans (in this case the government) being able to actually “read” your mind and judge your actions.  I cannot think of any other conceivable way that a human could be judge in an unbiased fashion.  Even if such technology did exist it would take a very equalitarian individual and “state” to administer such judgment fairly.  I doubt that an unabashed individualist such as Thoreau would ever submit to such expedient government actions freely.
Thoreau is quite right in many ways still today.  People in power will never submit willingly to a shake-up of a system in which their eminently high social position rests.  In this way, it is unlikely that radical legislation would ever be met with a majority vote.  Also, Thoreau’s perspective of the state and people action’s remaining obstinately restrained in times of turmoil is correct.  Innate human predisposition creates a need for stability.  Thus, often people will wait until the last possible moment to actually try and change something that in any way might greatly impact their life.  Even if their action bears an auspicious fruition people will often decline radical action.  It is as true in Thoreau’s time as it is today.    
I have started reading Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov.  Overall I really like this work.  Dostoevsky does a brilliant job of painting characters that come to life on print.  His unique style of writing also contains many satirical pieces in it which I am greatly amused with.  I have also started reading an autobiography on Gandhi.  I have always been greatly interested in this man and look forward to discovering his creative philosophies.
I have also been writing lately in my “thoughts” journal.  In this journal I have a myriad of topics ranging from “time”, to “freedom”, to “China”, and beyond.  Of late I included a deep thought on religion.  I continue to try and grasp this sometimes nebulous topic through pen.  I often like to draw comparisons between the different religions and find similarities.  I have found that it makes me feel a greater connection with other people and places.  In this way I have found that I am also becoming a more open person to new ideas.  For example, I like the idea of meditation on important questions.  I look forward to trying to mediate deeply this summer while Cory will be away in the U.S.!  I also recently compiled a list of all of the things that I am thankful for in life.  This was an interesting, illuminating, and worth-while activity.  I highly recommend it for anyone who has some spare time!  Some of the things I ended up putting down I would not have come to mind unless I would have take the time to put my thoughts to pen!  It is always good to remember all the things that we are thankful for!
I am also enjoying my first couple of lesson in Chinese oral and written language.  I am starting to get down some of the basics which I am very excited about!  I am very fortunate that Mr. Tian has taken some of his time to help me improve my Chinese.  Cory has also joined me for these appointments.  I enjoy having him there.  He often provides tips for me to help me in my learning.
Overall, it has been a great week here in wonderful Rongchang!  One note of concern is that I suffered my first migraine headache in about seven years yesterday.  I am pleased that some nice rest and Excedrin did the trick for me!  I hope and pray that all is well with all back in America!
      

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A few thoughts on teaching in China

Free time, Individualism, growing up in America; all terms that I thought I knew a great deal of before teaching my first class at Southwest University.  Although I continue to remind myself to be ready to expect the unexpected from my students and their experiences I am still shocked by some of their responses. 
               I opened up my first real unit on America by beginning with “Growing up in America”.  I debated doing a couple of different units first; however, I finally settled on this one.  As with my next unit “College life in America”, I believed that I would be able to have topics which were easily relatable to my Chinese students.  My teaching style has taken on that of a performer on stage.  If the crowd is cheering for an encore performance the artist naturally will play a finale that will bring the crowd to a standing ovation.  Conversely, if you can hear a pin fall in the stadium the performer knows to call it a night and try again next time.  Basically, if my students look like they are bored with something I change gears to keep their interest high which is a staple of any monitoring and adjusting teaching pedagogy.  My period always include some kind of direct instruction.  That might be power point or lecture.  However, I try to limit both of these in favor of individual and group work time which my students respond well to.  I do this in favor of my most successful period each class period which has been group sharing and activities.
               In my group sharing sessions students are all required to respond to questions in the order that they are seated in a circle.  In this way everyone is required to share unless they politely decline (this has yet to happen).  These group periods I have found to be very successful for my student’s confidence in practicing their oral English.  My student’s strength to me has been their emotional prepotency to share life memories which were very painful for them.  In one such sharing period I learned much about the inner strength of my Chinese students.
               The topic was “Growing up in America / China”.  After my presentation and questions in other periods of class we went for a group discussion circle in the back of the class.  This was not their first experience sharing as individuals in front of the large group.  I have found that the group circle helps to break down some of my students self consciousness about sharing.  I think that there are many extenuating circumstances why my Chinese students find it difficult answering questions individually in their desks.  Many of my students do not often share in any of their traditional Chinese classes.  Culturally making mistakes individually is taboo in China for both males in females.  When my students make mistakes in class they often try to deflect their un-easiness by gracefully bowing out of any further sharing.  I find that many of my students are from rural China and naturally shy as well.  All of these factors along with others compound to make some sharing difficult for my students.
               However, it was not my student’s reluctance to speak that shocked me on this day.  Two topics of interest during this period were underscored in this unit: individualism and creativity.  Both topics play deeply important roles in the lives of American students.  They are also key pieces in American culture.  In either case my students had not heard of these terms or knew very little of what they meant before class.  After some real life examples which my students could all relate to: basketball (Kobe Bryant’s individual skill and role as a teammate versus his inability to do anything playing 1 on five against another team) and others my students felt comfortable with these terms.  In our group discussions one major topic was at the forefront: “what was an experience that you learned a lot from as a child”, and “how do you think that it has influenced your life?”
               In many cases I give my students an example to help them with their responses.  I started out this particular unit with my learning experience I had when I was young and touched our neighbors grill.  This life lesson taught me to never touch a hot grill.  What I was about to hear from my students definitely gave me a different sense of creativity, individuality, and life lessons.
               One of the central themes for my students in every class was estrangement from their parents.  When you hear estrangement please do not think I am talking about that their parents voluntarily left my students.  To the contrary, many of my students grew up in the early 90’s when governmental subsidization, laissez-faire economics, and the great migration of rural Chinese to work in the urban China was in full swing.  Unfortunately, the burgeoning urban markets could not meet the supply of migrant workers.  The result was that many millions of Chinese searched hopelessly for jobs in cities across China.  In the case of many of my students their parents were part of that never-ending search for a steady job in the city.
               Many of my students saw their parents once a year only during the Spring Festival holiday.  Others saw their parents every few years.  The sad reality of a history lesson hit home with the cold reality of their severed childhoods.  All of a sudden my child hood experiences, concept of freedom, and individuality took a more sinister veneer.  What must have it been like for my students growing up with little more than a friend, distant relative, or grandparent taking care of them?  Certainly difficult!  However, I was going to find that every single one of my Chinese students expressed neither solace nor regret.  To the contrary, they expressed only feelings that it had all been worth it in the end!  Each person told of how their remarkable experiences had made them a stronger women and man.  There positive reflections really made me feel the strength of my students resolve to succeed in life.
               Both individualism and creativity came through more in the periphery of our group discussion.  Many of my students remarked how they envied the creativity and individuality of American students.  Their sincere interest and excitement about these two topics really made me step back and try and appreciate the unique education, life, and family experiences that I had growing up in America.  If nothing else this introspective reflection has allowed me to feel a stronger resolve to continue to be the best teacher I can be for these students.  Many of my students have mentioned their desire to be able to also have similar life experiences to me.  They really like the idea of being able to teach somewhere else and are especially interested in visiting America.  All of these are reasons why I owe it to my students to give great lessons each class!

Chongqing Weekend

free time - time that is free from duties or responsibilities
In my experience a typical weekend as a young adult in America always offered a nice respite from the daily routine of a week’s work.  I would often spent this time with friends, family, or by myself recycling what seemed like an endless list of timeless stimulus.  America is famous around the world for its free time pursuits.  Once again permeating from America’s major source of cultural exportation; movies, create a negatively connotative paradigm of what a normal America weekend synthesis involves.  Thus it would seem apropos for an American to go into the night with the mindset of being able to have his fill of libation, find a beautiful Asian girl, and decidedly have his way with the place in their lustful crusade for self gratifying fulfillment.  At least that is what the movies would portray the appropriate line of conduct for an American to behave with.
In my experiences thus far I can safely say that I have seen this side of western culture peak its pathos into the oriental nightlife.  A group of Caucasian males stormed into the Chongqing Cotton Club looking to bring multiple un-opened beer bottles into the club.  When the security guard refused them entrance they began to put up a pathetic remonstrance as to why they should be allowed to bring their beverages into the club.  The verdict, they were refused entrance until they finished their beers outside the premises.  However, signs earlier in the night also lead me to believe that there are many foreigners who do have enough cultural respect and refrain from over stepping their stature.
Upon arriving to Chongqing city, Cory and I left the bus stop station only to begin our journey engulfed by a large group of people.  Truly, the mere enclosure of the train station seemed a micro chasm of experience in large Chinese cities.  The noise, people, begging, homeless, and bustling of the city were all in full effect this afternoon.  Cory and I were lucky to find an honorable cab driver who offered us a cheap rate for the busiest time for travel in the city.  Cory was able to work his Chinese magic once again by striking up a conversation with our host.  He soon opened up to us and gave us an extra fair closer to our intended location.  He next told us that the police would be able to speak English and direct us to our hostel.  Well done Cory!  Upon arriving at the Hostel we checked in and were meet soon after by Cory’s longtime friend, Lili Chen. 
Together we went to do a little sightseeing before we eventually went out to eat at a fancy western restaurant.  Of course Lili spared no expense and paid for our meal in whole!  This cultural custom is certainly not a novelty.  Feeling a sense of entitlement can really throw off the experience though.  Cory and I always offer to pay and are frankly rejected each sortie!  I won a small victory a few weeks ago by taking a group out to dinner and paying for all myself.  A small first step for man… 
After dinner we went sightseeing further around the restaurant complex.  The restaurants and shopping mall was all built on a cliff.  Chongqing truly is a city on the mountains, for this complex was beautifully landscaped and its architectural glory was plain to see.  Afterwards we meet up with other foreign teachers for what would be a night of celebrating! 
Truly I enjoyed myself along with the other foreign teachers in what would be my first experience with Chinese nightlife on a grand scale.  The mixture of bars and clubs would have been enticing to any party seeker around the world.  I tried my best to remember my cultural relativism learned previously from my experiences with Chinese males and females.  Some of their cultural norms such as dancing are much different in China.  I really wanted to be cautious upon meeting the females and still enjoy the moment.  This proved to be a little bit of a wait-and-see experience as I would slowly make my way over to a several females over a period of time.  Each attempt seemed like a very protracted experience to any seasoned American twenty-three year old.  After what would feel like an epoch of time passing I would begin dancing deliberately closer.  At this point, reading the female’s body language became ever important.  It was critical to pick up on their non verbal physical body cues.  I kept my hands in a very neutral position and refrained from using the dancing phenomenon of “grinding”. 
In each case, I could tell that the females were glad that I was showing them attention but not interested in dancing any further.  It was a good first lesson for me in the social-sexual relationship between males and females from two very different cultures!  Another important part of this experience was watching Cory and our other friend Keegan interacting with their Chinese female friends.  In this way I am hoping to continuing gleaning new ways of interacting with the fairer sex in China!  It is also going to help me practice my Chinese since I know now that I would like to be able to communicate with them to help show them that I am not a stereotypical American thrill seeker.  In this way I hope to gain their trust which is essential for any relationship.  This is especially important in China were trust and respect are synonymous to success!
On Sunday I went on a wonderful morning run alongside the Yangtze River.  Although it was raining I enjoyed it greatly.  Cory and I shook off the cob-webs from the pat night and went on an afternoon of sightseeing.  I think we both truly enjoyed our brief American pleasures by eating at KFC and indulging on some gelato ice cream!  The people watching is always magnificent in China.  The women truly are beautiful in Chongqing.  I am not sure if it is the natural fog which leaves their skin softer, the fact that it is very mountainous requiring exercise to travel, or the water but it is truly amazing to see in person.
That evening we enjoyed another on the house fried and steamed dumpling meal for dinner and night on the town!  This time we went out only together since the foreign teachers went back to Beibei for the weekend. 
The next day was our easy journey back to Rongchang.  I can say that because Cory again carried me through the confusing Chinese travel system.  It is always a blessing to have him around to help figure things and act as a tour guide around the best parts of each place we visit. 
A short two hour ride home and another wonderful week of classes ahead of us to look forward to!  Just another example of the myriad reasons why living and teaching in China is quickly becoming the best decision of my life.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Grappling with time...

Time is such a strange concept for me to grapple with.  It plays such an important part in all of our lives.  We schedule are lives around it, look forward, and dread things all based specifically on our individual predetermined idea of time.   Time is even stranger when one ponders the position of it in relationship to the universe itself.  Albert Einstein discovered that time does not even truly exist in our universe in the form in which humans have devised it.  Nonetheless, time plays an important role in society at large and is essential to organizing a schedule.  However, times practicality runs out when analyzing that its usefulness also hampers the one thing which we can only count on having: the present moment!  Too many people look forward to things in the future which leave them without enjoying the great moments which happen each day.  These daily miracles are often forgotten in the quagmire of things, ideas, obligations, responsibilities, etc that encapsulate the average persons routine.  Regardless of our best intentions we often miss out on these great things each day.  Unfortunately, the greatest negatively derived connation of living in this paradigm is the reality that when we reach that predetermined moment of time which we look to enjoy we meet the reality that time spent in bliss often speeds to an inevitably fast conclusion.  Soon we realize that our moment, the special one to be spent with friends and family is already gone and left forever.  Luckily, humans have the unique capacity for memory which naturally preserves these life moments in crystallized clarity.  Therefore, I have tried to change my thinking while living my everyday life in China. 
In China I have made it my goal to not overlook these tiny miracles each day.  From my nightly stop at our amiable barbecue street vendor, the inquisitive looks which Cory and I get while walking around Rongchang, the beauty of the hills overlooking an afternoon run, the time spent with my hospitable Chinese friends, the joy I get from teaching extremely interested students, time spent trying to communicate in my broken Chinese, to the hidden mysteries discovered from living in a foreign country!  All of these tiny miracles have defined my time in China.  It seems that I am still not yet feeling like I have settled into a routine yet.  Even after being here for a few weeks now I am constantly trying to fit in things which I feel would maximize my time here in China.  My time with Cory is always wonderful.  I am constantly reminded how great it is to have a great friend, mentor, tutor in all things China, and adventurer!  Other pursuits which I am thoroughly enjoying are walking around the town, running, reading (currently Roman history), writing, journaling, teaching, talking with my Chinese students, night activities, eating, eating, and more eating!  All of these things make my days really awesome in all sense of the word.
Time is also even more interesting when analyzing how much of it has passed in China.  All of the memories from past centuries permeate this ancient society.  It is hard to conceive all of the love lost & found, friends made, wars fought, celebrations, dynasties, emperors, and above all memories in this place. In China, the uniqueness of its language and tradition has saved each piece of this hallowed ground.  The preserved culture and tradition leaves in indelible marks on each piece of history saved and cherished within each ancient community.  In Rongchang, some of these are the “old” city of Lu Kong, or Yun Feng monastery.  Each town, village, and city has their own places which preserve their ancient tradition and culture.  During my time here I look forward to visiting as many of these as I possibly can.  
This weekend Cory and I are going to take a bus trip to Chongqing City, the capital city of Chongqing Municipality.  Overall I am very excited; however, it would be apropos in this new life changing analysis of time to not get too excited and enjoy my everyday miracles!
 

Monday, March 7, 2011

A Sunday to remember!

Just a typical Sunday…
I rolled out of bed with a text message from Bryan Tian. He wanted to see if I would like to go up and visit a Buddhist temple (Yun Feng) Sunday afternoon.  I looked outside and saw a bright sunny morning and thought with pleasure all the sights before us!  Bryan is my supervisor (Mr. Tian’s) son.  He is very eager to practice his almost flawless English every opportunity that comes to him.  On this day Bryan made it his goal to help answer any of my questions regarding the Buddhist temple.  In general, it has been really nice to travel with Cory and Bryan since they have a lot of China travel experience!  For instance, catching a bus in Rongchang to take us the ten miles to the rural mountain would have been a very arduous task for me to do on my own at this point!  However, with Bryan along, we easily were able to catch the right bus and start our afternoon voyage off the right way!  On the bus ride I tried my best to listen to Bryan’s attempts of translating the local people’s questions of me in English!  I have found that in Chongqing the dialect (Chongqing wa) is very difficult to pick up and in some cases very different from Mandarin Chinese!  Therefore, I was very glad when Bryan was able to help translate for me!
               I started snapping photos as soon as I arrived at Yun Feng.  I was really interested to see all of the town people who came out to have a relaxing Sunday or fly kites.  It really was a nice day to do both of these pursuits (mid sixties and sunny).  Once we got moving around the temple village I really got excited about the beauty of the place.  The traditional Buddhist ceremonies, fables, tapestries, artwork, villagers, etc all made the visit extra amazing.  I really appreciated the ability to feel relaxed in my surroundings.  The entire village was very tranquil in its location at the top of the mountain peak.  I was saddened a little though to see that marketing has even reached the realm of Buddhism.  To enter the Buddhist temple it is customary to leave a gift.  However, there were shops to buy “gifts” that did not seem Chinese in conception.  Either way, it was another glimpse at how global the world truly is becoming!
               At the far end of the village I encountered a curious Chinese Buddhist tradition.  I was told by Bryan that I was to close my eyes, circle completely three times, and walk toward the Chinese inscription; “happiness”.  As tale goes the person who is able to do this will find true happiness in their life.  After a slow start, I was able to finally achieve success with a little coaching from Bryan! 
               After we left the peaceful temple we sent off on a ride back to see Bryan’s family.  I was not however aware that we would also be having a fabulous meal as well!  For once we arrived, I saw in front of me a feast set for kings!  Cory joined us at the feast.  We all devoured graciously the wondurous food in front of us!  I have come to really enjoy Chinese style dinning.  I find having a lot of options very liberating since you can chose to take as much or as little as any plate in front of you.  I always try everything even if I do not think I will like it since sometimes I have been wrong and loved things I would not have considered before!  After a couple rounds of Ghan Bei’s (Cheers) Bryan, Cory, and I left for a bike ride to Lu Kong village.
               I was very happy to have a bike big enough for me (Bryan borrowed it from his taller Chinese friend).  This awesome 8 mile bike ride took us to the heart of the Chinese countryside.  Upon our voyage we were able to witness the peaceful beauty that remains in the untouched fields of rural China.  Having the ability to bike for a couple miles without hearing a sound an awesome feeling!  As a group we soaked in the quite, enjoyed the exercise, and enjoyed the view of the beauty of the fields.
               When we reached Lu Kong village I was at first not sure what made it special.  On the entrance of the village the “new” city seemed like a really small Rongchang.  However, as we passed the outer wall of the “old” village I was struck by the beautiful artwork that encompassed the town.  The 13th century design architecture remained intact and beautiful.  Traditional Chinese medicine stores, food preparation, and culture all permeated the walls of this town.  However, modernity and consumerism both permeated in their forms of the merchandise that street vendors were offering.  All of these marks leave me feeling uncertain regarding the relationship of consumer and producer.  Is it sometimes best to leave things to their own machinations or are some changes best in the long run?  After I finished reading the history of the old and fascinating town’s past we left on our way back to Rongchang.
               Our voyage took on a new form of haste when Cory relayed to me that we were going to be meeting some of his friends at the bar after dinner.  Our plans changed a bit when Bryan informed us that we were invited for another meal with his family… Who would not accept this offer of generous hospitality?!?!  The dinner was unbelievable.  Every part of it was amply available at every corner of the table.  In the traditional Chinese dinning style they continued to pile fresh trays on the table until Cory and I cried uncle!  At this occasion, it took longer than usual since we all were very hungry from our day’s exploration!
               After bidding Bryan and his wonderful family adieu Cory and I went home to prepare for a night of good cheer with friends!  We meet up with Judy (English name), Dong Lijuan, Ann (English name), and Keyan He.  We all enjoyed great conversation with our generous hosts (they bought the round for the table).  I am always impressed at how well my Chinese acquaintances can speak English.  There unique skills are only shadowed by their continued struggle to confidently speak in front of others.  It was another opportunity for me to see that my major goal for teaching should be to help my students improve their confidence foremost.
               This ended a great day of discovery, exploration, travel, marry-making, hospitality, friendship, introspection, growth, and FUN!  I look forward to my next great adventure as I anxiously await each day’s unforeseen wonders!           

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Observations from first week in Rongchang, China

I wanted to share some quick observations from teaching my first week of “Oral English and American culture,” in Rongchang.  Many of my Chinese students are very shy and require a little positive reinforcement to help their confidence in the classroom.  In no such way does that mean that they are no less creative, inquisitive, or introspective in their thinking.  To the contrary, many of my students are budding with thoughts and questions regarding American culture once they start to open up in the classroom.  The trick for me has been to find activities that get my students to feel comfortable in their surroundings to share their thoughts in the classroom.  I have found that smaller “jigsaw” activities have been successful at piquing student interests, comfort, and confidence thus far.  I am continuing to look for more activities that will be both stimulating and elicit a sense of comfortability for my students in the classroom.
Many of my students have a certain set of lose “ideas” revolving mostly around their limited knowledge of what American culture really is.  I am starting to secretly believe that some of my students think that I am actually some kind of “American movie star” in disguise.  This is a strange thought for me to pounder; however, once one thinks about how American movies are the only major medium of American cultural exportation that kind of thought processing would make logical sense.  It also causes me to pause in what I feel are my real “American” values, goals, and actions.  I am especially interested in the reactions that my actions have on others.  Trying to see my actions through another culture’s perspective is a strange paradigm shift for me.  Do not fear that this is any way causing me to somehow try to actively act like I am not the person that I have always been.  It has actually reinforced some of my actions.  For instance, the other night we tried a wonderful Chinese barbecue.  Cory and I both decided that we would try a little pig’s brain.  We were told that it was a delicacy and something that we should at least try.  Back home in the States I would have passed on that no matter what; however, knowing that this action would be disrespectful to my hosts I acquiesced along with Cory to try a little.  Upon trying it I realized that I would not any more.  It was not disgusting, but I still had a mental wall built around eating anymore.  In this way, I was a little more daring than I would have been to be polite to my hosts; however, I held true to my morals “and stomach” by not eating any more of the pig’s brain!
My students are wonderful.  They follow my directions thoroughly and thoughtfully.  Our group work this week was awesome and I learned a lot from my students in only two days.  The students excelled at group work as well.  I have been told that group work is not a staple in Chinese education.  Therefore, my students are very interested in doing activities that are is groups.  I am hoping that some of my student’s confidence in expressing their thoughts will be improved in this manner.  My students are very clever and have great thoughts on a variety of topics!  I look forward on starting our next unit on “Growing up in America and China”.  In each of these activities I will try my best to have one English and both American and Chinese cultural themes.  In this way I will be able to learn a lot from my students as well.
On a side note, I am picking up a little bit of the language daily.  I cannot wait to start to do a variety of things all in Chinese!  At this point, Cory is the point man for a lot of my questions but I hope that I can find a Chinese student to help tutor me!  In accordance I plan on helping out any students outside of the classroom improve their English and answer questions regarding different American themes!