It's also in the Ottoson Newsletter and was in the local paper (article scanned here).
I hope that these articles start to get my students excited about the trip- right now they are more interested in who the sub will be for the time that I am gone!
30 November 2009
Publicity
It's also in the Ottoson Newsletter and was in the local paper (article scanned here).
I hope that these articles start to get my students excited about the trip- right now they are more interested in who the sub will be for the time that I am gone!
30 August 2009
Acceptance!
The letter came soon though, and it was Argentina, my first choice! I just had to do a little celebrating... Malbec, my favorite wine, IS from Argentina, after all!
23 August 2009
How it all began
Opening of my TEA Application Essay
Sometimes I wish I had one of those jobs where the office would send me off to exotic locations to do business with a foreign branch of the company. As a middle school social studies teacher, there are not a lot of opportunities to travel for business. Since the idea of sitting in an office all day makes me cringe, however, I probably would not last long in the business world no matter what the travel perks were. That is why I am so excited about the TEA program. Combing my two greatest passions, traveling and teaching, the TEA program is a dream come true. Given my strong background in education, experience with travel and teaching abroad, and dedication to creating global ties for my students as they study world history, I feel I am a perfect candidate for the program.
From a young age, my parents instilled in me a relentless curiosity of the world. I saw much of the United States from the backseat of the car as a child, and continued my explorations of the world as an adult. From my first tentative trip to England during college to my upcoming two-week study tour of China, I have spent most of my free time and money traveling, or planning my next trip. For me, travel is not about sitting on a beach or the deck of a cruise ship. My trips are a chance to see the world and learn about cultures both similar and different from my own. There is nothing as amazing as staggering through a dialogue with someone half a world away, trying to find that common human link.
I am lucky that my passion for travel is so beneficial to my career as a history teacher. Teaching medieval world history to eighth graders is difficult. When our curriculum changed four years ago, it was difficult to adapt from US History. From a young age students are encultured in American history, but the medieval world is far removed from their experiences. Worse, it is often distorted from films and video games. To make the connection to the historical world, I have found that the best method is to connect them first to the modern world. Dragging out my photo albums and souvenirs from trips, I began to build lessons around my travel and experiences to show students the importance of understanding the past to function in the world today.
Anecdotes and photos have enhanced my lessons significantly. Being able to show a picture taken from Spain of the Atlas Mountains across the Straits of Gibraltar and tell kids, “I took this. Europe and Africa are that close together,” drives home a lesson about Tariq’s invasion of 711 more than a map in the textbook could. I use stories from a Moroccan bazaar when teaching about trade networks and life before the supermarket. My Renaissance PowerPoint Presentations are full of my own photos taken while wandering around Florence in wonder. Teaching about the Americans in the medieval world is much more real when I can retell the legends I learned from an Incan woman at Ollyantambo after descending from Machu Picchu. I believe it is extremely important for students have this connection to the world they are studying. I anxiously look forward to creating another bridge with my teaching experience in China this month and hopefully again in another location with TEA next year.
TEA, though, is about more than just gathering stories to use in teaching. It is the opportunity to increase my students’ understanding of their place in the world. I try to create a global classroom for my students. They annually participate in a sister-city program with a town near Kyoto, Japan. They write letters and welcome exchange visits into the classroom each spring. Some of them host traveling students in their homes, and others travel to Japan over the summer to visit and learn. This fall, I coordinated a “Pennies for Peace” campaign with my students to support building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Central Asia Institute. It was so successful that we expanded it to a full-school effort this spring. I hope to add another layer to our global classroom this spring when I travel to China on a teachers’ study tour. The trip includes a day teaching in a primary school in a village near Xi’an, as well as four days teaching at the Dandelion School, a middle school for the children of migrant workers in Beijing. My students have been planning for the trip with me, helping me with everything from learning Chinese to choosing classroom gifts to bring. They have written letters I will deliver to students in China, and I hope to bring back responses to their questions. While there, we will be sharing ideas about differentiated instruction and modifying assignments with the Chinese teachers. It promises to be an incredibly rewarding experience for both the American and Chinese teachers involved in the exchange.
The TEA program is an amazing opportunity to improve my historical and cultural knowledge, as well as my teaching skills. I would love to be placed in a region that I teach about so that I can learn firsthand from the people about the history. Direct experience with another country’s history and culture is more educational than any college course or textbook in learning about the world so I can pass that information on to my students. In addition, we learn best when we teach others. Being able to work with other teachers and share my knowledge with them would improve my own skills in the classroom. I hope that the TEA program would lead to an ongoing collegial relationship with teachers and classrooms in another location, so that through technology and communication, we could continue to learn and share with each other for years to come.
Sometimes I wish I had one of those jobs where the office would send me off to exotic locations to do business with a foreign branch of the company. As a middle school social studies teacher, there are not a lot of opportunities to travel for business. Since the idea of sitting in an office all day makes me cringe, however, I probably would not last long in the business world no matter what the travel perks were. That is why I am so excited about the TEA program. Combing my two greatest passions, traveling and teaching, the TEA program is a dream come true. Given my strong background in education, experience with travel and teaching abroad, and dedication to creating global ties for my students as they study world history, I feel I am a perfect candidate for the program.
From a young age, my parents instilled in me a relentless curiosity of the world. I saw much of the United States from the backseat of the car as a child, and continued my explorations of the world as an adult. From my first tentative trip to England during college to my upcoming two-week study tour of China, I have spent most of my free time and money traveling, or planning my next trip. For me, travel is not about sitting on a beach or the deck of a cruise ship. My trips are a chance to see the world and learn about cultures both similar and different from my own. There is nothing as amazing as staggering through a dialogue with someone half a world away, trying to find that common human link.
I am lucky that my passion for travel is so beneficial to my career as a history teacher. Teaching medieval world history to eighth graders is difficult. When our curriculum changed four years ago, it was difficult to adapt from US History. From a young age students are encultured in American history, but the medieval world is far removed from their experiences. Worse, it is often distorted from films and video games. To make the connection to the historical world, I have found that the best method is to connect them first to the modern world. Dragging out my photo albums and souvenirs from trips, I began to build lessons around my travel and experiences to show students the importance of understanding the past to function in the world today.
Anecdotes and photos have enhanced my lessons significantly. Being able to show a picture taken from Spain of the Atlas Mountains across the Straits of Gibraltar and tell kids, “I took this. Europe and Africa are that close together,” drives home a lesson about Tariq’s invasion of 711 more than a map in the textbook could. I use stories from a Moroccan bazaar when teaching about trade networks and life before the supermarket. My Renaissance PowerPoint Presentations are full of my own photos taken while wandering around Florence in wonder. Teaching about the Americans in the medieval world is much more real when I can retell the legends I learned from an Incan woman at Ollyantambo after descending from Machu Picchu. I believe it is extremely important for students have this connection to the world they are studying. I anxiously look forward to creating another bridge with my teaching experience in China this month and hopefully again in another location with TEA next year.
TEA, though, is about more than just gathering stories to use in teaching. It is the opportunity to increase my students’ understanding of their place in the world. I try to create a global classroom for my students. They annually participate in a sister-city program with a town near Kyoto, Japan. They write letters and welcome exchange visits into the classroom each spring. Some of them host traveling students in their homes, and others travel to Japan over the summer to visit and learn. This fall, I coordinated a “Pennies for Peace” campaign with my students to support building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Central Asia Institute. It was so successful that we expanded it to a full-school effort this spring. I hope to add another layer to our global classroom this spring when I travel to China on a teachers’ study tour. The trip includes a day teaching in a primary school in a village near Xi’an, as well as four days teaching at the Dandelion School, a middle school for the children of migrant workers in Beijing. My students have been planning for the trip with me, helping me with everything from learning Chinese to choosing classroom gifts to bring. They have written letters I will deliver to students in China, and I hope to bring back responses to their questions. While there, we will be sharing ideas about differentiated instruction and modifying assignments with the Chinese teachers. It promises to be an incredibly rewarding experience for both the American and Chinese teachers involved in the exchange.
The TEA program is an amazing opportunity to improve my historical and cultural knowledge, as well as my teaching skills. I would love to be placed in a region that I teach about so that I can learn firsthand from the people about the history. Direct experience with another country’s history and culture is more educational than any college course or textbook in learning about the world so I can pass that information on to my students. In addition, we learn best when we teach others. Being able to work with other teachers and share my knowledge with them would improve my own skills in the classroom. I hope that the TEA program would lead to an ongoing collegial relationship with teachers and classrooms in another location, so that through technology and communication, we could continue to learn and share with each other for years to come.
01 August 2009
PDP Summary, Fall 2009
Last April’s trip to China has greatly enhanced my teaching. I’ve never seen students as excited to get back from vacation as they were coming into my classroom that Monday. They begged to look at pictures and passed around artifacts reverently. Their questions were endless, about the food, the clothing, the students at Dandelion and everything else you could imagine. Getting to give them a first-hand count of Chinese culture was such a treat and I hope that future classes will be as interested. I feel that many stereotypes were broken down as I talked with the students about schools in China. Most importantly, many spoke of their own desire to visit someday, fulfilling my goal of inspiring students to explore the world.
Historically, the trip was a goldmine of information. The day after returning, I removed many of the internet stock photos from my Chinese history PowerPoint notes and replaced them with ones I had taken. The students are always so much more interested when I can say to them “I took this!” I also enhanced what had been a boring couple of slides about culture with video clips of Chinese Opera and calligraphy, things I learned about while traveling there. I have worked with the other two 8th grade history teachers to incorporate some of my experiences and photos into grade-wide lessons.
Historically, the trip was a goldmine of information. The day after returning, I removed many of the internet stock photos from my Chinese history PowerPoint notes and replaced them with ones I had taken. The students are always so much more interested when I can say to them “I took this!” I also enhanced what had been a boring couple of slides about culture with video clips of Chinese Opera and calligraphy, things I learned about while traveling there. I have worked with the other two 8th grade history teachers to incorporate some of my experiences and photos into grade-wide lessons.
01 May 2009
Link to Photos
Trip Photos are located at http://www.flickr.com/photos/81384464@N00/sets/72157617506386223/
26 April 2009
Home
I'm back in Massachusetts, awake at an early hour due to a flipped internal clock, and staring at a mountain of laundry. Good times.
Thanks for all of the comments and questions during the trip- it was a great way to stay connected to home. I'll try to post some more pictures here as soon as I get them uploaded.
Thanks for all of the comments and questions during the trip- it was a great way to stay connected to home. I'll try to post some more pictures here as soon as I get them uploaded.
25 April 2009
Fw:one last post
Yesterday at the Great Wall was amazing. It's taken some time to process how cool it was and almost hard to put into words, just standing there where warriors once watched for invaders. It was crowded but not overly crammed and we walked a good way along it.
After was some final shopping and a Peking Duck dinner. Then one last cultural experience- a hair washing that was really more massage. It lasted and hour and cost only a little more than seven dollars.
23 April 2009
not much news
Today was our last day at Dandelion. The kids there were really great and there was a little show to demonstrate what they'd learned. I have letters for my students from them. It's all rainy outside so I'm bundled up warm and dry at the hotel starting to pack for home.
22 April 2009
Buddha
After Dandelion today, we went to a special needs school here in Beijing for a tour. Then I abandoned the tour for the second day in a row to go off and do more sightseeing instead of shopping. Yesterday we went up this park with five pagodas leading to the top, which had great views of the Forbidden City from above. Then we rode up to the Olympic site and saw the Birds Nest and the Water Cube, which were completely awesome.
Today we went to the Lama Temple-- it's a lamasery. I love that word. They had a giant Buddha statue that's carved from one piece of sandlewood. Look it up-- I couldn't take pictures-- it's 55 ft tall! We saw one we thought was the big Buddha, but no, behind it, there was a hall with an even bigger one. Then we tried to go to the Confucian Temple, but it closed before we got there. We peeked through the cracks in the door to take a picture of the statue of Confucius. We had lunch in some Chinese version of an AuBon Pain. I had sweet potato fries- yum!
Hope everyone back home is well. I love reading you comments, and sharing them with others on the tour. Two more days and then we have to go home. It's gone by so fast!
Today we went to the Lama Temple-- it's a lamasery. I love that word. They had a giant Buddha statue that's carved from one piece of sandlewood. Look it up-- I couldn't take pictures-- it's 55 ft tall! We saw one we thought was the big Buddha, but no, behind it, there was a hall with an even bigger one. Then we tried to go to the Confucian Temple, but it closed before we got there. We peeked through the cracks in the door to take a picture of the statue of Confucius. We had lunch in some Chinese version of an AuBon Pain. I had sweet potato fries- yum!
Hope everyone back home is well. I love reading you comments, and sharing them with others on the tour. Two more days and then we have to go home. It's gone by so fast!
21 April 2009
students
Students board at the school and eat all of their meals in their classroom. They serve each other and all help clean up. They are up doing work until 11 at night and rise at 5:30 in the morning.
food on a stick
20 April 2009
teaching in china
I was really exhausted for the morning ~ I fell asleep before the lights were even out last night~ so I was really worried while we were touring the school. We had some time to prepare and then met the teachers we were working with. Mine spoke no English. Eep. We first met our students at lunch and it was really fun. They asked what kids ate for lunch in America and revealed that they had never had pizza. Can you believe it? I think that should have been our class gift. Wow.
Teaching went so much better than I had expected. The kids were engaged and talkative.
One huge difference between school here and in the US is that school here is a competition. Scores are posted and it is a place of honor to be the best student. Everyone knows how everyone else is doing and it motivates students to work hard. They aren't afraid to tell students that some might have to work harder than others to be successful. Everyone has to keep up to the top of the class.
19 April 2009
forbidden city and tienamen square
18 April 2009
other blog
I almost forgot: check out chinastudytour-april2009.blogspot.com for the official trip blog.
Beijing
Just got into Beijing this morning. We took an overnight train from Xi'an. It was a fun experience but we're all just very tired. It's been raining, but that doesn't stop the tour from traipsing us around in the wet, so everyone's a little damp and sleepy.
Yesterday we went to visit an art school where kids were learning the ancient calligraphy. It's an extracurricular here, like kids take music lessons at home. We also had some more time in the markets, but I didn't buy anything except a wonderfully delicious medium fry at McDonalds. Yes, I gave in. It was worth it. We also went to the Xi'an History museum, which had stuff from the dynastic periods in Chinese history. Oddly, the museums are the least interesting to me because we have all of that stuff at home.
Today we're going to Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City. It's exciting, but I can barely keep my eyes open, and the idea of going back out into the wet is not very appealing.
Yesterday we went to visit an art school where kids were learning the ancient calligraphy. It's an extracurricular here, like kids take music lessons at home. We also had some more time in the markets, but I didn't buy anything except a wonderfully delicious medium fry at McDonalds. Yes, I gave in. It was worth it. We also went to the Xi'an History museum, which had stuff from the dynastic periods in Chinese history. Oddly, the museums are the least interesting to me because we have all of that stuff at home.
Today we're going to Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City. It's exciting, but I can barely keep my eyes open, and the idea of going back out into the wet is not very appealing.
17 April 2009
new people and experiences
Lots to write about today, so it may take a while to get this all in and uploaded. Yesterday we visited a primary school out in the village. We were treated like dignitaries when we arrived. The kids were all out front, and a band. Many of the townspeople came to meet us. We had welcome speeches from the principal and the village president. I was amazed that even this tiny school in the middle of nowhere had a ceiling lcd projector. After the speeches there was an assembly and student songs and dance. I've got videos when I get home.
We taught a lesson to a 4th grade class, looking at rocks with magnifying lenses. The kids loved it. They were so adorable and having so much fun introducing thrmselves to us in English. The school was really basic and some of the classrooms were being repaired from the earthquake last year, even this far north.
Our lunch was interesting. We split into 2 groups and went to local houses. The meal was like Chinese fajitas. I tried lotus root. Yum. Crunchy.
We went to the Wild Goose Pagoda yesterday, which was fantastic. It was the fisrt strong sign of Buddhism that I'd seen here. They had the 3 Buddhas: happy, lucky, and traditional.
Our final activity was to have dinner with a local woman. She took Mark and I to dinner, and then to the grocery store when we loved the lily root in one of the dishes. She bought us each a bag of dried lily root to take home. We ended up back at her house to meet her husband and son. Her son is 14, very tall, and loved basketball. He likes LeBron James the best, and the rockets. We taught them to say Celtics the right way. Next time I'd bring NBA stuff. Their apartment was really modern, which surprised me.
We taught a lesson to a 4th grade class, looking at rocks with magnifying lenses. The kids loved it. They were so adorable and having so much fun introducing thrmselves to us in English. The school was really basic and some of the classrooms were being repaired from the earthquake last year, even this far north.
Our lunch was interesting. We split into 2 groups and went to local houses. The meal was like Chinese fajitas. I tried lotus root. Yum. Crunchy.
We went to the Wild Goose Pagoda yesterday, which was fantastic. It was the fisrt strong sign of Buddhism that I'd seen here. They had the 3 Buddhas: happy, lucky, and traditional.
Our final activity was to have dinner with a local woman. She took Mark and I to dinner, and then to the grocery store when we loved the lily root in one of the dishes. She bought us each a bag of dried lily root to take home. We ended up back at her house to meet her husband and son. Her son is 14, very tall, and loved basketball. He likes LeBron James the best, and the rockets. We taught them to say Celtics the right way. Next time I'd bring NBA stuff. Their apartment was really modern, which surprised me.
16 April 2009
Terra Cotta Soldiers part 2
It's just after 3 and we're on the bus again after a great lunch at a very touristy restaurant near the terra cotta soldiers. They had these 'belt noodles' that were flat and wide and served plain with scallions and they had sweet and sour chicken, not deep fried. They also has sweet potatoes but they were really just potatoes with a candy glaze on them. ~ ate them even though I'm not crazy about potatoes. Mom, you should be proud.
Before that we spent hours at the terra cotta soldier museum. It was fascinating. There are 3 pits they are excavating. One was damaged by a peasant revolt thousands of years ago. One was damaged when the roof caved in. The other was slowly being dug out. Most of the statues you see have been damaged or put back together. Only five were found in tact. At night archaeologists are still working on it but it is slow going.m There is a very strong belief in China that you are not to disturb the tombs of the dead which is why they don't excavate more even though they know it's there. There are over 600 pits and only 30 have been investigated. The tomb itself has not been touched at all.
Before that we spent hours at the terra cotta soldier museum. It was fascinating. There are 3 pits they are excavating. One was damaged by a peasant revolt thousands of years ago. One was damaged when the roof caved in. The other was slowly being dug out. Most of the statues you see have been damaged or put back together. Only five were found in tact. At night archaeologists are still working on it but it is slow going.m There is a very strong belief in China that you are not to disturb the tombs of the dead which is why they don't excavate more even though they know it's there. There are over 600 pits and only 30 have been investigated. The tomb itself has not been touched at all.
15 April 2009
long day
ugh. got up @ 4 to go to the airport to fly to Xi'an. got there- no plane. and fog. so we sat on the floor from 6 until 11 waiting not even able to check in. we finally got in and went through security, which was very strict. then we waited at the gate until almost 1. it was a miserable wait: crowded, sitting on the floor, and loud. then the plane was even worse. the flight was so turbulent that I thought we were going to start barrel rolling.
The best part of the day by far was a stop at the tomb of the 4th Han emperor. unlike Egypt, Chinese tombs are not excavated. they are only digging in the trenches around the burial mound. each trench is a "room": garden, kitchen, etc.
The best part of the day by far was a stop at the tomb of the 4th Han emperor. unlike Egypt, Chinese tombs are not excavated. they are only digging in the trenches around the burial mound. each trench is a "room": garden, kitchen, etc.
14 April 2009
school
13 April 2009
The height of luxury
I promise that post about fashion is coming, but I'm going to put it off until after we visit a high school today.
Last night we went for the ultimate luxury: a foot massage. If you're thinking of an American pedicure, think again. This massage starts with your neck (which okay, I think I'm a little bruised from that, ow), then travels to your arms, and finally your legs and feet. FOR AN HOUR. That's right, an hour long foot massage, working away the stress of the day. They bring you green tea and a warm compress for your shoulders as it occurs, and you sit in a recliner with your legs propped up on a soft ottoman. The room is almost dark, with quiet music and nature sounds, the drip of a fountain too. It's heavenly. I admit, I fell asleep, and almost feel bad about missing the luxury of it.
After dinner we decided that we were all sick of Chinese food so we went to a Middle Easter restaurant. Hummus and tomato soup served in a bread bowl that would make Panera jealous. It was delicious.
Cabs here are incredibly cheap. They all start at 11 RMB and we rode for almost half an hour the other night and it only went up to 20 RMB. That's under $4. One US dollar is worth about 6.8 RMB (Yuan). Everything's really cheap here. We were talking to the restaurant owner, a guy from Israel, and he said that he has considered opening a branch of his restaurant in Europe or back home but when he looks at the numbers the cost would eliminate his profits. He also said he's benefitting from the economy because people aren't going to really fancy restaurants anymore, they're coming to mid-range places like his.
Last night we went for the ultimate luxury: a foot massage. If you're thinking of an American pedicure, think again. This massage starts with your neck (which okay, I think I'm a little bruised from that, ow), then travels to your arms, and finally your legs and feet. FOR AN HOUR. That's right, an hour long foot massage, working away the stress of the day. They bring you green tea and a warm compress for your shoulders as it occurs, and you sit in a recliner with your legs propped up on a soft ottoman. The room is almost dark, with quiet music and nature sounds, the drip of a fountain too. It's heavenly. I admit, I fell asleep, and almost feel bad about missing the luxury of it.
After dinner we decided that we were all sick of Chinese food so we went to a Middle Easter restaurant. Hummus and tomato soup served in a bread bowl that would make Panera jealous. It was delicious.
Cabs here are incredibly cheap. They all start at 11 RMB and we rode for almost half an hour the other night and it only went up to 20 RMB. That's under $4. One US dollar is worth about 6.8 RMB (Yuan). Everything's really cheap here. We were talking to the restaurant owner, a guy from Israel, and he said that he has considered opening a branch of his restaurant in Europe or back home but when he looks at the numbers the cost would eliminate his profits. He also said he's benefitting from the economy because people aren't going to really fancy restaurants anymore, they're coming to mid-range places like his.
talking with students
we met with some students today. i talked with a 18 year old student from Shanghai. he told me there is no Mexican food in china. Kelan wanted to know that. He is in hotel management at university. Another person said people in China love Obama. they don't vote here but love their president because he's good for the economy. To learn English they go to American restaurants- KFC, Dunkin Donuts, PapaJohns. Kids here spend most of their time alone so they love the idea that kids in America go to sports, etc, after school. Kids spend too much time alone with video games here. They also thought we looked like American movie stars.
12 April 2009
Using computers in China is difficult。
Hi！ Using computers in China is difficult。 Ｔｈｅ ｔｈｉｎｇ ｄｏｅｓ ｗｅｉｒｄ ｓｔｕｆｆ ｔｏ ｓｐａｃｉｎｇ ａｎｄ ｋｅｅｐｓ ｔｕｒｎｉｎｇ ｏｆｆ ｍｙ Ａｒａｂｉｃ ｌｅｔｔｅｒｓ ｉｎ ｆａｖｏｒ ｏｆ Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｓ。 Ａｎｄ ｍｙ ｄａｄ’ｓ ｃｏｍｐｌａｉｎｉｎｇ ａｂｏｕｔ ａ ｇｒａｍｍａｔｉｃａｌ ｅｒｒｏｒ。 Ｓｈｅｅｓｈ。
Ｙｅｓｔｅｒｄａｙ ｗａｓ ａ ｇｒｅａｔ ｄａｙ。 After touring the gorgeous gardens in the morning， we went to lunch at a restaruant。 All of the meals here are ‘family style’ where they bring out a bunch of dishes and put them on a big lazy suzanne spinner in the middle of the table。 It then spins around and you help yourself to whatever you want。 They have meat， lots of seafood， vegetables， and they finish wish soup and then dessert。 Ｓｏ ｆａｒ ｍｙ ｆａｖｏｒｉｔｅ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｓｐｉｃｙ ｃｌｅａｒ ｎｏｏｄｌｅｓ ｉｎ ａ ｓｗｅｅｔ ｐｏｔａｔｏ ｓａｕｃｅ。 Ｙｕｍ！
Ａｆｔｅｒ ｌｕｎｃｈ ｗｅ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｍｕｓｅｕｍ ｆｏｒ ａ ｆａｍｏｕｓ ｗｒｉｔｅｒ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｅａｒｌｙ １９００ｓ ｎａｍｅｄ ＬｕＸｕｎ。 Ｗｅ ｈｅａｒｄ ａ ｔａｌｋ ｆｒｏｍ ａｎ ｅｘｐｅｒｔ ｏｎ ｈｉｍ， ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ ｔｏｕｒｅｄ ｔｈｅ ｍｕｓｅｕｍ。 After， we walked through an area called the Japanese Concession to his final residence in the city。 The walk was great- we saw the street meat vendors and people selling everything from hangers to fruit from the back of their bicycles。 The house was not that interesting， except to see the tight quarters people lived in。
After the house， we walked back to the museum which was in a huge park。 We had some free time there。 It‘s not like parks in America。 Ｆｉｒｓｔ， ｉｔ’ｓ ｒｅａｌｌｙ ｎｏｉｓｙ。 It‘s beautiful， but there’s music everywhere， from organized group-sings to a random guy with an instrument。 Ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｅｖｅｎ ｋａｒａｏｋｅ ｓｔａｔｉｏｎｓ ｓｅｔ ｕｐ ａｌｌ ｏｖｅｒ ｔｈｅ ｐａｒｋ。 Ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｐｅｏｐｌｅ ｐｌａｙｉｎｇ ｂａｄｍｉｔｔｏｎ ａｎｄ ｄｏｉｎｇ Ｔａｉ Ｃｈｉ，ａｎｄ ｅｖｅｎ ａ ｇｉａｎｔ ｂｏｕｎｃｙ ｐｌａｙｇｒｏｕｎｄ ｔｈａｔ ｍａｄｅ ｍｅ ｗｉｓｈ Ｉwas a kid。 Some Chinese guy thought we were really funny taking pictures so he took pictures of us。 I‘m glad Iｗａｓ ａｍｕｓｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｓｏｍｅ ｏｎｅ。 Ａｆｔｅｒ， ｗｅ ｃａｍｅ ｂａｃｋ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｈｏｔｅｌ。
Ｉ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｃｈｕｒｃｈ ｌａｓｔ ｎｉｇｈｔ， ｓｉｎｃｅ ｉｔ ｗａｓ Ｅａｓｔｅｒ， ａｎｄ ｔｈａｔ ｗａｓ ｒｅａｌｌｙ ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｉｎｇ。 The whole service was inＣｈｉｎｅｓｅ， ｓｏ Ｉ ｄｉｄｎ’ｔ ｇｅｔ ｍｕｃｈ ｅｘｃｅｐｔ ｆｏｒ ａ ｆｅｗ ｓｏｎｇｓ ｔｈａｔ Ｉrecognized （Thine is the Glory， Jesus Christ is Risen Today， and that one that goes “and all these things will be given unto you， alelu， aleluia”） which was so cool to be able to quietly sing along in English while everyone else was in Chinese。 I heard one word over and over again in the sermon， and our guide said it was “we“ or ”us“ but it sounds like ”woman“。 Anyway， it was surprisingly full and most of the people there were Chinese。 Ｉ ｇｕｅｓｓ ｔｈｅ ｒｕｌｅｓ ａｂｏｕｔ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ ｈａｖｅ ｒｅｌａｘｅｄ ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒａｂｌｙ ｉｎ ｒｅｃｅｎｔ ｙｅａｒｓ。 Ｓｔｉｌｌ， ｅｖｅｒｙ ｂｕｉｌｄｉｎｇ ａｒｕｏｎｄ ｔｈｅ ｃｈｕｒｃｈ ｗａｓ ｌｉｔ ｕｐ ｂｕｔ ｔｈｅ ｃｈｕｒｃｈ ｗａｓｎ‘ｔ， ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗａｓ ｎｏ ｃｏｌｌｅｃｔｉｏｎ ｐｌａｔｅ ｐａｓｓｅｄ。
Ｄｉｎｎｅｒ ｌａｓｔ ｎｉｇｈｔ ｗａｓ ｇｒｅａｔ。 Ｗｅ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ａ ｒｅｓｔａｕｒａｎｔ ｃａｌｌｅｄ ｔｈｅ Ｃｒｙｓｔａｌ Ｊａｄｅ。 Ａｎｄ ｏｋａｙ， Ｉ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｏｎｅ ｏｆ ｍｙ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ ｏｆ ｃｈｉｃｋｅｎ ｗａｓ ｒａｗ ａｎｄ ｓｐｅｎｔ ａ ｆｅｗ ｍｉｎｕｔｅｓ ｐａｎｉｃｋｉｎｇ ａｂｏｕｔ ｓａｌｍｏｎｅｌｌａ， ｂｕｔ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｔｈｅ ｆｏｏｄ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｂｅｔｔｅｒ ｔｈａｎ Ｉ ｅｘｐｅｃｔｅｄ。 I’m a lot more cautious than a lot of people， not drinking anything with ice or eating raw fruit， but I‘m living by the lessons of Peru and hoping to survive the trip without any gastrointestinal issues。
So Iｓｕｐｐｏｓｅ ｔｈａｔ’ｓ ａｌｌ。 We’ve got an extra half hour today because the didn‘t do a wake up call， but I’ve been waking up early every morning anyway。 Someone remind me tomorrow to talk about fashion here in China- it‘s definitely an amusing experience。
Ｙｅｓｔｅｒｄａｙ ｗａｓ ａ ｇｒｅａｔ ｄａｙ。 After touring the gorgeous gardens in the morning， we went to lunch at a restaruant。 All of the meals here are ‘family style’ where they bring out a bunch of dishes and put them on a big lazy suzanne spinner in the middle of the table。 It then spins around and you help yourself to whatever you want。 They have meat， lots of seafood， vegetables， and they finish wish soup and then dessert。 Ｓｏ ｆａｒ ｍｙ ｆａｖｏｒｉｔｅ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｓｐｉｃｙ ｃｌｅａｒ ｎｏｏｄｌｅｓ ｉｎ ａ ｓｗｅｅｔ ｐｏｔａｔｏ ｓａｕｃｅ。 Ｙｕｍ！
Ａｆｔｅｒ ｌｕｎｃｈ ｗｅ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｍｕｓｅｕｍ ｆｏｒ ａ ｆａｍｏｕｓ ｗｒｉｔｅｒ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｅａｒｌｙ １９００ｓ ｎａｍｅｄ ＬｕＸｕｎ。 Ｗｅ ｈｅａｒｄ ａ ｔａｌｋ ｆｒｏｍ ａｎ ｅｘｐｅｒｔ ｏｎ ｈｉｍ， ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ ｔｏｕｒｅｄ ｔｈｅ ｍｕｓｅｕｍ。 After， we walked through an area called the Japanese Concession to his final residence in the city。 The walk was great- we saw the street meat vendors and people selling everything from hangers to fruit from the back of their bicycles。 The house was not that interesting， except to see the tight quarters people lived in。
After the house， we walked back to the museum which was in a huge park。 We had some free time there。 It‘s not like parks in America。 Ｆｉｒｓｔ， ｉｔ’ｓ ｒｅａｌｌｙ ｎｏｉｓｙ。 It‘s beautiful， but there’s music everywhere， from organized group-sings to a random guy with an instrument。 Ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｅｖｅｎ ｋａｒａｏｋｅ ｓｔａｔｉｏｎｓ ｓｅｔ ｕｐ ａｌｌ ｏｖｅｒ ｔｈｅ ｐａｒｋ。 Ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｐｅｏｐｌｅ ｐｌａｙｉｎｇ ｂａｄｍｉｔｔｏｎ ａｎｄ ｄｏｉｎｇ Ｔａｉ Ｃｈｉ，ａｎｄ ｅｖｅｎ ａ ｇｉａｎｔ ｂｏｕｎｃｙ ｐｌａｙｇｒｏｕｎｄ ｔｈａｔ ｍａｄｅ ｍｅ ｗｉｓｈ Ｉwas a kid。 Some Chinese guy thought we were really funny taking pictures so he took pictures of us。 I‘m glad Iｗａｓ ａｍｕｓｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｓｏｍｅ ｏｎｅ。 Ａｆｔｅｒ， ｗｅ ｃａｍｅ ｂａｃｋ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ ｈｏｔｅｌ。
Ｉ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ｃｈｕｒｃｈ ｌａｓｔ ｎｉｇｈｔ， ｓｉｎｃｅ ｉｔ ｗａｓ Ｅａｓｔｅｒ， ａｎｄ ｔｈａｔ ｗａｓ ｒｅａｌｌｙ ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｉｎｇ。 The whole service was inＣｈｉｎｅｓｅ， ｓｏ Ｉ ｄｉｄｎ’ｔ ｇｅｔ ｍｕｃｈ ｅｘｃｅｐｔ ｆｏｒ ａ ｆｅｗ ｓｏｎｇｓ ｔｈａｔ Ｉrecognized （Thine is the Glory， Jesus Christ is Risen Today， and that one that goes “and all these things will be given unto you， alelu， aleluia”） which was so cool to be able to quietly sing along in English while everyone else was in Chinese。 I heard one word over and over again in the sermon， and our guide said it was “we“ or ”us“ but it sounds like ”woman“。 Anyway， it was surprisingly full and most of the people there were Chinese。 Ｉ ｇｕｅｓｓ ｔｈｅ ｒｕｌｅｓ ａｂｏｕｔ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ ｈａｖｅ ｒｅｌａｘｅｄ ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒａｂｌｙ ｉｎ ｒｅｃｅｎｔ ｙｅａｒｓ。 Ｓｔｉｌｌ， ｅｖｅｒｙ ｂｕｉｌｄｉｎｇ ａｒｕｏｎｄ ｔｈｅ ｃｈｕｒｃｈ ｗａｓ ｌｉｔ ｕｐ ｂｕｔ ｔｈｅ ｃｈｕｒｃｈ ｗａｓｎ‘ｔ， ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｒｅ ｗａｓ ｎｏ ｃｏｌｌｅｃｔｉｏｎ ｐｌａｔｅ ｐａｓｓｅｄ。
Ｄｉｎｎｅｒ ｌａｓｔ ｎｉｇｈｔ ｗａｓ ｇｒｅａｔ。 Ｗｅ ｗｅｎｔ ｔｏ ａ ｒｅｓｔａｕｒａｎｔ ｃａｌｌｅｄ ｔｈｅ Ｃｒｙｓｔａｌ Ｊａｄｅ。 Ａｎｄ ｏｋａｙ， Ｉ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｏｎｅ ｏｆ ｍｙ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ ｏｆ ｃｈｉｃｋｅｎ ｗａｓ ｒａｗ ａｎｄ ｓｐｅｎｔ ａ ｆｅｗ ｍｉｎｕｔｅｓ ｐａｎｉｃｋｉｎｇ ａｂｏｕｔ ｓａｌｍｏｎｅｌｌａ， ｂｕｔ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｔｈｅ ｆｏｏｄ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｂｅｔｔｅｒ ｔｈａｎ Ｉ ｅｘｐｅｃｔｅｄ。 I’m a lot more cautious than a lot of people， not drinking anything with ice or eating raw fruit， but I‘m living by the lessons of Peru and hoping to survive the trip without any gastrointestinal issues。
So Iｓｕｐｐｏｓｅ ｔｈａｔ’ｓ ａｌｌ。 We’ve got an extra half hour today because the didn‘t do a wake up call， but I’ve been waking up early every morning anyway。 Someone remind me tomorrow to talk about fashion here in China- it‘s definitely an amusing experience。
11 April 2009
gardens
10 April 2009
02 March 2009
Getting Ready
One thing our tour groups wants us to do is to bring gifts for a family that will host us for dinner, and for the class we will be teaching. Any suggestions?
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