Susan - I've been fascinated with your trip and following it since you first went last summer! I would love to hear MORE! Did you have people who could not overcome their hesitance to speak out? What were the people like? What grade level or age did most of the teachers teach? Is almost everyone learning English there? Or how common is it to learn English in school there? At what age does common education cease? Do the people really eat all those weird things that they've been showing on tv? What did you eat when you were there? Barbara O.

Ohhh, I love questions Barbara!

First of all, everyone in the program had some level of English. Many of the teachers were sent by their district and had no choice, but most of them were delighted to improve their English and become better teachers. We also had teachers that didn't actually teach English, but were just trying to improve themselves. Also in that category were university students, business people and a few even as young as middle school students. Our youngest was a 12 year old girl who came with her mother. She was put into a separate class from her mom and was amazing! I'm not aware of anyone who didn't overcome their initial hesitation -- on the other hand, they had no choice but to speak at least sometimes. It would be pretty hard to keep your mouth shut for the entire time. :-) They were given citations for speaking Chinese, and if they were caught speaking Chinese more than four times, they were sent home! (No one has ever been terminated for that reason.) At the end of the session, everyone had to recite a 15 minute speech they had written and memorized in order to get their University of Peking certificate. As far as I know, no one failed to get a certificate for not doing their speech.

The people were delightful. I absolutely LOVE the Chinese people! This is coming from someone who was interested in "helping people" but with no special interest or concern with China before going. They were very caring, loving, helpful, courteous, giving, and just about any other good thing you want to mention. They were beyond grateful that we left our homes and came to China to help them. In fact, they could hardly believe that we would do such a thing! This was the best testimony we could have to begin with. It opened up dozens of opportunities to discuss WHY we would want to do this. (I've removed additional explanation that might cause a problem.)

As far as grade level, we had all levels from pre-kindergarten to senior school. The methods we used were based on how children learn...by fun, games and natural conversation. Some of the senior school teachers felt it was too simplistic for their classrooms, but they still learned and improved their English. The biggest problem that hinders English learning is the rote memorization that is used in many areas of education. They "teach to the test" -- sound familiar? Students learn the vocabulary and grammar rules, but don't learn how to carry on a real conversation. They were from all over China and many rarely encounter native speakers.

Yes Barbara, I think just about everyone in school studies English. As poorly as some of the teachers speak it though, you can guess how much their students learn. Normal Chinese education lasts until the 12th grade. Then they are under HUGE pressure to pass entrance exams for the best universities (if they take a test for U of Peking and don't get in...they are finished. They can't go anywhere else...at least that year.) Their success in getting into a "good" university affects the rest of their lives.

Finally, YES at least SOME people really eat those weird things you saw on TV. We were at the same street market where you saw the scorpions and EVERY part of an animal's body was available to be cooked before your eyes. I'm not convinced many people beside tourists trying to prove something actually eat those scorpions though -- none of the Chinese I talked to would actually do it. However, I have pictures of some of my team mates and other tourists eating them. At the left is teammate Sarah enjoying her snack. YUCK! On the other hand, I ate the duck feet that came with the Peking duck. The method of service is to present the perfectly roasted duck and have the chef carve the slices to be served. Then the remainder of the duck is sent back to the kitchen and part of it is made into soup, while the rest of it -- the bones, etc is deep fried. I can assure you that deep fried duck feet is crunchy and chewy, but has no taste whatsoever! We didn't do the Hot Pot this year...but the restaurant shown on NBC was in Chang Ping, the section of Beijing where we stayed, and a number of our teammates ate there. I think you order what you want to have cooked in the hot pot...and it doesn't have to be intestines! We had Hot Pot last year, and it was mainly mutton. Speaking of mutton, that is my new favorite Chinese food! Apparently, mutton is a popular Muslim food and BBQ mutton sticks are amazing! The meat is cut into thin strips and skewered like shish kabob, then seasoned and grilled over coals. They do the same thing with thick bread slices and they both are delicious. I wonder if it's possible to get them here? Yummmmm! This picture is of our last meal in the village before coming home. I think we ordered about 100 mutton sticks for about eight people.

Actually, we mostly ate in the school cafeteria -- which every student said was bad. There were a few things that were good, but by the end the things *I* would eat were pretty limited. If I couldn't identify the concoctions in the pans, I would stick with fried rice and hard boiled eggs. Brown chicken eggs...not to be confused with green duck eggs! They also had bags of yogurt and nutrition drinks based on yogurt, which were very good. Red date yogurt and red bean ice cream were wonderful, believe it or not! Bottled green tea and milk tea were my favorite drinks. We drank gallons of bottled water too.

BTW, when I came back last year, I announced that Chinese people don't eat sweets. WRONG! There was an amazing bakery next to the church we attended that did the most exquisite desserts which was very popular. Also, candy and ice cream were in abundance -- even chocolate. It was not served with meals, however.

Now that we are home, it's time to sort out the events of the past six weeks. We had such an amazing summer that it's difficult to know where to begin. To start with, last year we went to China and saw the country. This year, we met the people -- and they are delightful. It was SO sad to leave.

We went to teach English, and teach we did. The program was called T.I.P. - Total Immersion Program, and the goal was to create a totally English environment for 3 1/2 weeks. There were about 40 of us from America (pictured, below) and about 400 students. We were on the far outskirts of Beijing on a satellite campus of the University of Peking. The campus is perfect for the program because it is quite isolated -- and a little overgrown like the Secret Garden. It is no longer used by the UP for classes, but instead the property is leased to other educational groups. Our students were not allowed to leave campus the entire time except with special permission, and they signed a commitment card to not use any Chinese while they were in the program (day or night, in public or private). TIP is based on the way children learn best...using language in natural everyday situations. For the most part Chinese classes are based on memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules with very little opportunity to actually speak English. Many Chinese people have never met a native speaker and are afraid to speak up for fear of making a mistake. Most of our students were high school English teachers and had many years of book learning but depending on the university the attended, knew very little actual language. In addition to the teachers there were some college professors and university students, as well as a few high school and even middle school students. Their level of oral English varied greatly, so we did an entrance interview and assigned them to classes based on the results -- although some were so nervous that they didn't exhibit their true ability. I was assigned to a class of 17 Low+ (meaning lower verbal skill) students and Paul taught High. One of our first goals was to get them to relax and feel comfortable so they would speak out. We did this by playing games and making the classes as student centered as possible. The first week, we concentrated on getting them to speak...no matter how badly, and to help each other overcome their nervousness. The second week was devoted to listening and helping them to better understand spoken English. The final week focused on activities to get them to think in English. At the end of the program, each student had to recite a 15 minute speech ... no matter how poor their oral English.

In order to build confidence, we worked very hard to get the class to bond and work together toward the common goal. What an experience! Even though they were from all parts of China (one had a 43 hour train ride to get there) we were all best of friends within just a few days. It was a good thing ... in Susan's class, (pictured left) one favorite activity was a "pretend" game. The idea was that they were on a sinking ship and the only thing left for everyone to stand on was a piece of the ship the size of a small square of paper. The men and women played separately, and at the end, 6 adult men managed to stand on a piece of paper about 12"x14". The 11 women were on a piece about 18" x 24". Talk about close fellowship! Paul taught a Science club (below, left) for higher level students, and they also had a lot of fun. One of the projects was for a team of four students to build a bridge that could span a 14" gap – using only 8 chopsticks and 2 plastic chopstick wrappers. The winners were determined by piling journals (college blue books) on top to see which bridge could hold the most. The first week, we were amazed that one bridge could hold 150 books! When he did it the next week with a different group of students, the winning bridge could hold 250 books – a stack about two feet tall!

We were overwhelmed by their love and concern for each other and us as the classes progressed. In addition, we could never have imagined how much their English would improve in such a short time. Even Susan's poorest speaker was able to communicate in understandable English before we left. Obviously, they all had a long way to go to sound like native speakers, but we tried to give them the tools to take home and continue learning on their own. One of my favorite phrases was "You are your own best teacher." As a result, you take your best teacher home with you and continue learning! In addition, since most were English teachers, we offered methods for helping their students improve their English.

I have removed a discussion that may be of concern to certain officials. If you would like further information, please email us when we return.

All in all, the inconveniences of living in a third world country (and there are some) are minor in comparison with the reward of the relationships that we developed. Probably the most significant thing we learned is that people are people no matter where on earth they live. There may be some cultural differences, but their desires, needs and concerns as individuals are the same.

If you are interested in further information about this program look up the websites http://www.esec.org/TIP.htm http://www.teachoverseas.org or contact us.

Thank you for your interest and support as we participated in this amazing adventure.

A fresh start

We will be leaving tomorrow morning for a new adventure in China. As we explained in our "travel with a Purpose" statement, our goal is to teach English in various parts of the world for short periods of time, and then travel in that area while we are there.

On this trip, we will be in the Beijing area for about six weeks. The first 2 1/2 weeks will be training, and then our team of about 35 will spend 3 1/2 weeks in a total immersion program with about 200-300 students. Most of these students will be English teachers from around China and we will teach classes, but also actually live in the dorms with them and be together 24/7. For the classes, we will work in teams of two with about 20 students and help them to hone their English skills. Many Chinese people have studied English in school and have a lot of "book knowledge" but have little experience speaking the language -- especially with native speakers. Our goal is to help them to gain confidence with practice, practice, practice, using fun learning techniques with someone who knows how to speak English as a first language.

We will be returning to the US when these classes are finished at the end of July, since we have already visited China...and so we can be home for our first grandchild, due on August 25th!

Our schedule as we know it so far:

Monday, drive to Irvine to visit with our kids who are living in that area.

Tuesday evening we will get to the airport in PLENTY of time to catch a 1:30 AM flight on Wednesday, non-stop to Beijing.

Each in our team arranged their own transportation, so our flight will have two others from our group and we will be arriving at 5:20AM Thursday. We will be picked up at the airport and transported to the Chaing Ping campus of the University of Peking, our home away from home for the next six weeks.

I will be keeping a journal as before, and posting as the internet is available, but may not be able to do much until we return.

Final posting

This blog describes in words and pictures our 21 day tour of China. To begin with day 1, go to the bottom of the page and select "older posts", then do the same on each page until you get to the beginning. It will take a while for each page to load, but you will be able to follow along on the trip day by day.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me:

psbringard at gmail.com

Thanks for viewing my blog.

Day 21 Flying home

We arrived at the airport in time to be near the front of the line for check in, which is important when you fly Air China. They don't allow early seat selection and it's first come first served. At least we were able to select seats on our flight from Beijing to San Francisco. NOT!

We were late getting into Beijing, so they had a special bus to take us to the check-in. When we actually got to the gate to check-in, the attendant tried to change our seats, but we told her we wanted it the way we had arranged it. Of course, when we got on the plane, one of our assigned seats were already taken--by someone who was also assigned that seat. It turned out to be great though, because the we ended up with a row all to ourselves -- and we were in front of the wing! As Paul said, this was the best situation we could have had. There was a very long line of planes waiting to take off from the Beijing airport, but we finally got in the air and had an uneventful trip home. Even though it was a 12 hour flight, we were able to relax a little because of the empty seat in our row and it went very quickly.

It was exciting to see the California coast and the Golden Gate bridge as we arrived in San Francisco! The trip was wonderful and we loved just about everything about it, but it was definitely good to get home.

Day 21 Leaving China

After our final breakfast, we took the bus to the Meglev train for a high-speed ride to the airport. They claimed it would take 8 minutes and that it was about an hour and a half bus ride. We had to wait 15 minutes for the next train, but it got up to 431 Km/hr, which was VERY fast. The biggest surprise came when we passed the train going the other direction. The air currents really rocked us, and it happened so fast, we didn't even see the other train.

It was also a bit strange to see no track, since the train runs on a cushion of air.

Day 20 An evening on the town in Shanghai

As we were leaving McDonald's, we ran into John from our tour group, who had a subway map. Even though our guide said that the subway was too difficult to navigate and that a taxi was the way to get back to the hotel, John said he had done it and it wasn't difficult at all--that it stopped in sight of our hotel. He gave us the map and we determined to try it at the end of the evening.

We had planned to meet several of our group at the top of the Hyatt Hotel to watch the sunset and the city lights at night. To get there we took a tunnel under the river that was called the Tourist Light Show. It was a little like a Disney ride, but a downgraded quite a bit. The first picture shows some of the lights.

When we got to the other side we had to walk quite a bit to get to the Jin Mao Tower, and when we got there, they told us that the Hyatt didn't have a restaurant on the 88th floor. They sent us up to the Observation Deck, which WAS on the 88th floor. By then we had missed the sunset, but the city lights were breath-taking.

After walking all around the Observation Deck, we left and walked back to the Light Show tunnel, and then to the subway station--at least where we thought it should be. We went back down Nanjing Road, and finally found the station--exactly where the map showed it. Fortunately, everything had English subtitles, so we found the train we needed and the right direction to go. John was right--it was quite easy, and because it was later in the evening, it wasn't even crowded. When we got back to the hotel, we found out that we were suppose to go to the BAR on the 87th floor--not the restaurant on the 88th floor. Oh well, we still had a good time.

The last picture shows the night view out of our hotel room. We were further away from downtown, but there were still pretty lights.

Day 20 The Shanghai Museum and on our own

The Shanghai museum was an historical museum of clothing, furniture, currency, jewelry, and minority handcrafts. There were many beautiful exhibits, and we could have spent all day there. In fact, some of our tour group chose to stay instead of exploring the town on their own.

After lunch, we chose to go back to Nanjing Road, but explore some of the side streets. It was interesting that the shopping area was very western and upscale, but the side streets immediately off the main road were very Asian and often run down.

As in all areas of the country, the laundry was hanging from poles and people were carrying out their daily activities on the streets.
Apparently the men were unemployed, and some were perhaps even homeless.

We were also on our own for dinner, and I think the entire group went to either McDonald's or Pizza Hut! We got hamburgers and chocolate shakes, and even though the girl at the counter didn't speak English, she pointed to the menu, her way of asking "do you want fries with that?"

Day 19 ends with the Chinese circus

After our "shoportunity" at the bazaar, we visited the Chinese Acrobatic Show, or Circus. It was interesting that we sat next to another China Focus tour group. They seemed to be on a 10-day tour and had a lot more people.

The performances were traditional Chinese acrobat routines and were a lot of fun to watch.

At dinner, we were treated with a dinner show, with a number of young performers. Unfortunately, they sat us right next to the speakers, and it was VERY loud.

Day 19 More of Shanghai

After lunch, we visited the Yuyan Garden Bazaar, which was an old style market. The main distinctive of the old city is that the buildings are only two or three stories tall. As in all the other areas of China we visited, there was deconstruction and construction everywhere.

In the bazaar, one of the interesting shops was the dumpling shop. They had windows to watch dozens of employees making dumplings. There was a long line to buy them too.

Day 19 continuing around Shanghai

After the Bund, we had the opportunity to walk down Nanjing Road, a famous shopping area.

The Peace Hotel was along this road and was getting ready to close for renovation the next day. This hotel was originally known as the Cathay Hotel and opened in 1929. At the time, it was considered the most luxurious hotel in the Far East. It's guests included leaders and celebrities from all over the world.

Several blocks of the road were closed to private vehicle traffic and were a pedestrian mall. There were lots of people shopping, and even more just hanging out.

Day 19 touring Shanghai

We began our visit with a walk along the Bund, which has been a symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. It borders the western waterfront of the Huangpu River and has a beautiful view up and down the river. Most of the buildings along the road are European architecture, giving it a very cosmopolitan feel.

In the first picture, the tall building in the background is shaped like a Lotus blossom. Our guide told us that there are about 3000 high rise buildings in Shanghai. He indicated that the city is growing so quickly that in five years, there will be 5000-6000 high rises.

This area is very popular with both tourists and locals. We found that many Chinese people want their picture taken with foreigners. They don't even seem to care if they get a copy of the picture.

In the picture of the eastern side of the river, you can see the Oriental Pearl TV tower. The next tallest building is the Jin Mao Tower. This building houses the Hyatt Hotel from the 57th to the 87th floor.

The last picture is the view down the atrium from the 88th floor observation deck.

Day 19 a ride to Shanghai, our last stop

We had a very full day today. We began by driving into Shanghai. The first picture is of the toll area of the freeway. There were flowers everywhere. Of course, statues of Mao are also everywhere.

Our driver was the king of U-turns and he showed us his talents several times as we made our way through city traffic.

Day 18 A final look at Tongli

Some of the streets were very narrow. Our guide called this first one the "narrowest street in the world", but I would call it a sidewalk.

Since this was a water town, there was a wide variety of seaweed for sale.

We couldn't determine if this old man was just enjoying the sunshine, or if he was a tourist attraction.

The old ladies in the house were definitely just there to enjoy a game of Mahjong.

Day 18 Tongli streets

There were a wide variety of shops and restaurants in the old town.

The first picture is of a wedding carriage and the others represent some of the shops and streets in the town. The barber shop wasn't busy today, but the seamstress probably always had something to do.