Going, Going... Guan!!!

This has been an incredibly busy week for me.  Classes started for the freshmen this past weekend and the majority of my time has been spent preparing for the coming semester.  I met with four classes of new students this week.  Two of the classes were held on the Langfang campus and the other two classes were held on the Guan campus.  It’s an easy commute to the classes in Langfang.  All I need to do is hop on my bike and I can be at building #10 within 5 minutes.  However, the commute to Guan is a bit more.

The commute to Guan requires taking a 45 minute bus ride through the remote areas of China down small roads used primarily by logging industries and their slow-moving overloaded logging trucks.  Langfang may be a modernized city but Guan is the middle of nowhere.  It doesn't take very long on the bus ride before modern civilizations gives way to a third-world country.  It was raining the day I went so I don’t have any good pictures but I’ll get some next time.  Mainly the countryside of Guan is nothing more than remotely placed 12’x10’ tin-wall cabins that serve as single family dwellings.  It’s a real eye opener to see how people in the countryside of China still live in abject poverty.

The Guan campus is rather small in size and houses only 2500 students.  However, the campus is surrounded by a beautiful Cyprus forest.  It's very peaceful and serene.  Living in the city of Langfang has gotten me rather used to living with constant noise.  Guan, on the other hand, is almost eerily quiet.  All you can hear is the wind in the trees.

The first time I arrived in Guan I had a bit of trouble with campus security.  I was scheduled to address the general assembly and I was told to meet the Deputy Dean in building #1.  However, the police office at the door wouldn’t let me in the building.  I explained to the guard, “Wo shì loshī,” which means, “I am a teacher.”

The guard just put up his hand and replied in a rather demeaning tone, “No shì bùshì yīgè loshī (You’re not a teacher)!”

I was shocked.  Part of me couldn’t believe the nerve of this police officer and the other part of me couldn’t believe I was actually arguing with a communist police office in Chinese.  All-in-all it didn’t matter as I was still escorted out of the building.  Thankfully, the Deputy Dean texted me only a couple of minutes afterwards to tell me I’m late and I responded telling him that the police wouldn’t let me into the building.  The Deputy Dean then bolted down four flights of stairs and out the front door within seconds.  He profusely apologized and then quickly brought me into the building.  The officer then moved to stop my entry once again but this time I was with the Deputy Dean.  The Deputy Dean let this guard have it!  I don’t know what he was saying but I felt rather sorry for the guard.  The officer then started apologizing to me and I told him that it was nothing to worry about.  I was only ten minutes late to the general assembly, anyway, so no worries.  The students were all very happy to see me and they were greatly surprised.  Many of them had never seen a foreigner before and there were quite a few gawking stares.  It’s a strange feeling going to a remote part of China and realizing that I’m the “exotic” one.

My first class with the Guan students was a lot of fun.  I started out the class with helping the students select English names.  I had a list of 200 names to choose from and I said that they could come up with their own name if they didn’t find one on the list that they wanted.  A few of them choose not to use the list so now I have a Sky, a Lemon, and a female Gary in my classes.  We then went through the meanings of all the names and the students really enjoyed picking out their own name.  They were all very happy to get an English name and now many of them are going around campus telling the other students about their new English name.  It was a lot of fun.

The second part of class was the interview and presentation.  This is where I had pairs of students interview each other for random facts.  Then they would stand in front of the class and introduce their partner.  It was very similar to the class in Langfang and I’m happy to report that the students are on an early intermediate level.  There is a lot of potential here.

The return trip from Guan was rather interesting.  It was raining really heavily and, like a fool, I left both my coat and umbrella at home.  I got soaked running from the school to the bus but thankfully it was not too cold.  However, the bus driver was having problems with the bus and at one point in the journey home we even had to pull over and stop.  There, in the rain, the bus driver turned off the bus, got out, and started banging on the engine with his shoe.  It must have worked as it got the bus going again!  It took almost an hour and twenty minutes before we got back to Langfang and I was not looking forward to walking home in the rain.  However, to my surprise, my IECS teammates were waiting for me at the bus stop with umbrellas in hand.  They had even purchased for me my very own separate umbrella.  It was super nice.

It’s a lot of fun being a teacher in China and it’s great to just be able to help the students.  Now, let’s hope I don’t get into any more arguments with police officers! 

First Day of Class!

Welcome to Langfang Teachers College!

Today I began teaching my first English class on the Langfang campus.  The regular semester started three weeks ago but the freshmen semester did not start until today.  I’ve been given four freshmen classes this semester.  Two classes are on the Langfang campus and the other two classes are on the campus in Guan.  Normally each foreign teacher at Langfang Teachers College is given five classes but I’ve had my fifth class removed due to the commute to Guan.  It’s about an hour long bus ride into the country so the consideration is appreciated.

Today I had two back-to-back afternoon freshmen classes.  Each class had about thirty-two students each and each student was brand new to this exotic college experience.  Most of the students had never seen a real live American before so the culture shock was a little overwhelming for them when they say me presiding this afternoon’s learning experience.  It took a bit for me to get used to them too!  Within five minutes of starting class they were wiping out camera phones galore and snapping away.  I imagined my experience is similar in kind to that of a dancing monkey at a zoo.  Was it me or was I the only one who didn’t care about getting a picture with any of my college professors? 

But the students are great.  The young people of Langfang just have an incredible amount of respect for their teachers.  They’re diligent with their studies and they are eager to give me their attention when I am talking.  However, they don’t believe in paying any attention to each other.  It’s odd how they will talk freely amongst themselves while another student is giving a presentation.  That’s why my style of English education also comes with some old fashioned training in English etiquette. 

One of the things I told my class is that I not only wanted to help them learn English but I wanted to help them learn how to function in an English speaking society.  There are many different social faux pas and cultural differences between America and China.  My hope is to help the class learn how to avoid embarrassing themselves if ever they go to America and in turn they have agreed to help me learn the social rules of China.  It’s a good copasetic relationship.  However, it does mean that one of my first rules of English etiquette is to not talk when others are talking!

The first part of the class was simply helping the entire class pick out English names.  English names are like a badge of honor in China and every English student wants one.  I was warned beforehand that this would be the case so I came prepared.  The students picked out their own name from a long list and I made sure there were no repeats.  However, it’s interesting to note how many names in the English language share a common meaning.

The second part of the class was the interview.  Here I had all of the students get into pairs and practice getting to know each other in English.  They had to memorize each other’s brand new English name and five facts about their partner.  Then the pairs had to stand at the front of the classroom and give a presentation about each other.  I was very proud of how well my students preformed.  I’ll have public speakers of the lot of them!

So I’m on the other side of the desk now.  It feels a little weird but in a good way.  There is no other place in this world where I feel more at home and more natural then behind a teaching desk.  There is just something about being given the liberty to mold young minds in a positive fashion that gives me a surge of energy.  To see my students succeed suddenly becomes my highest goal when I step into that classroom.  It’s a daunting challenge and a high honor.  In many ways I feel unfit for the task at hand.  But, I’m determined to overcome any failings and give my students the best education I can offer.  The students also gave me a nice vote of confidence in this regards.  Several of the students said to me this afternoon, “I think you are a good teacher.”  Words like these make me feel very good about doing my job. 

So this is what the other side of the desk feels like...

The Middle Market

EAT AT THE LANGFANG MIDDLE MARKET!!!

"The Middle Market: Where the food is hào chī (delicious)!"

Huānyíng (welcome) to the Langfang Middle Market!  Here you will find one of the most unique and colorful experiences that you can imagine when it comes to casual dining.  The Middle Market is located in the heart of Langfang city near the main gate of the Langfang Teachers College.  Here you can find a virtual den of local culinary foods and crafts.  Dozens of local venders bring their wares and goods to the Middle Market so there is a virtual cornucopia of dining options to choose from. The Middle Market provides everything from noodles to rice and every kind of vegetable and meat you could imagine… perhaps even some meats and vegetables you couldn't imagine!

Perhaps you’re in the mood for some meat but you didn’t bring your chopsticks.  That’s all right.  This local vendor provides all his goods already impaled on a stick.  Simple pick the one that looks best to you and enjoy your Chinese style shish kabob.

Maybe you’re missing the savory taste of a nice juicy American hamburger.  Well, do not despair!  China may not have hamburgers but they do have the next best thing, Ròu bǐng!  Ròu bǐng is a traditional Chinese pancake with meat inside.  It’s just like a good ol’ traditional American hamburger!  Now if only they had some mayonnaise and ketchup...

Perhaps you’re worried about the quality of the food.  But all the food in the Middle Market is cooked fresh right before you as you wait.  All the Middle Market vendors cook using state of the art upside-down 50-gallon metal drums with smoldering piles of ash underneath.  Observe as these vendors prepare their jīdàn bǐng (egg bread wrap) right before your very eyes using a metal plate on top of an upside-down drum!

But perhaps you’re here for a more organic experience.  Then you’ve come to the right place.  The Middle Market offers garden fresh fruits that are just ripe for the picking.  Apples, pears, grapes, watermelons and bananas are just some of the many fruits the Middle Market’s street vendors have to offer.  Perhaps you'd even like to try some of their fresh bīng táng húlu (sugar coated hawthorns on a stick)?

If shopping is more of your thing then the local shops are right up your alley... or should we say, they're right up our ally!  With a large verity of goods to choose from your head will be spinning before you ever leave the shop.  It might be a little hard to find what you want at first but you'll find it somewhere.  Yes, you may be wondering why the candy is next to the toilet paper but with deals this cheep who cares where it's located!!!

Tired of all the shopping?  Then why not have a sit down at one of the local eateries.  These quaint little restaurants will offer you up some of China's finest dishes at a price that can't be beat!  Try some classic gōng bǎo jī dīng (Kung Pao Chicken) or maybe something new like the delicious de sān xiān (potatoes, peppers and eggplant).  There is even free street parking for your bike!

But wait… there’s more!  The Middle Market offers other services than just food.  Perhaps you need your bicycle repaired, a dress mended, a shoe mended, or you’re just looking for a cheap flash drive.  The Middle Market has all this and more! So come on down to the Middle Market and get your fill!

 

Tianjin Pizza

The IECS Tianjin and Langfang Teams

This past weekend the team and I decided we would take our first venture out of the small city of Langfang and we would make our way to the big of city of Tianjin.  Tianjin has the population of New York City squeezed into an area that’s half the size.  So it’s a “big” city!  It’s also a very modern city.  The streets and buildings all have been modernized and the number of accessible trees and parks give the city a rather hospitable look.  It’s a rather pleasant place to visit.  But we were not traveling to Tianjin just to go site seeing.  Rather, we were traveling there to celebrate the birthday of one of the four IECS teachers stationed at the Tianjin Vocational School.  So the Langfang team hopped on a train to meet the Tianjin team so that we could all celebrate Sarah’s birthday together.

The journey started with a 45 minute train ride.  We had the option of either spending two hours on the train to go to North Tianjin or to spend 45 minutes on the train to South Tianjin and then taking a bus through the city.  We choose to go to the south station and then take the bus north; however, it still ended up being about 2 hours of travel time regardless.  The best (or worst) part of the trip was riding in the cramped three wheeled scooter-taxi-thing known an “auto rickshaw.”  There are very few non-motorized rickshaws in China but there are hundreds of modernized ones zooming around the streets.  It's a little awkward having five people ride in a three wheeled car that's smaller than a Volkswagen Bug.  But finally we arrived safely at the Tianjin Vocational School and the celebration began.

It was late when we arrived so after the initial meeting we quickly headed to bed.  The Tianjin team had their accommodations inside the school’s “hospitality learning center.”  It’s a mock hotel where students learn proper hotel management.  The school actually uses the facility as a hotel where the students get to take care of any and all guests of the school.  I think the biggest surprise of staying at the hospitality learning center was that they had soft beds!  I didn’t know soft beds existed in China!

The next day we headed back into the city with the Tianjin team towards the city’s famous Italian District.  This area of the city was quite a sight.  All of the architecture is done up in an Italian style and the area is full of Italian restaurants.  We were treating Sarah to an authentic pizza experience and we went to a little eatery called Pizza Bianca.  I could hardly believe my taste buds when I realized I was eating true New York style pizza in the middle of China.  I’m also quite glad that it was okay to use our hands and we did not have to eat the pizza with chopsticks!

Our adventure to Tianjin was quite the experience.  It was good to spend time with the other team and to meet their students.  We’ve invited the Tianjin team to come spend a weekend with us in Langfang; however, I don’t think we have any pizza to offer… unless you count Pizza Hut!  

 "That's a spicy meatball!"