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Greetings! It is great to be back in the US. We returned about 2 months ago. I was with the group of 8 in Zhengzhou. It was an amazing experience living and teaching in China and I think about it everyday. I am back living in Columbia and working at a restaurant. The work is easy and profitable, but I feel like I could do more somewhere else if only given a chance. I was curious if you ever hear about jobs working with China from the US? Maybe a business or political job spending half of my time in the US and the other half in China, or somewhere else in Asia. I would love a job like that. I am very interested in working in or with Chinese businesses, but don't necessarily want to live in China full-time, although I would consider it, depending on the job. Please let me know if you know of anything like this. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to travel to China. It has truly changed my life. I hope this email finds you happy and busy. Again, please keep your ears open for possible opportunities for me working in China and let me know how possible this would be. I will attach my resume if you feel inclined to send it out. Thanks again, Robert Cranford August 25, 2006 |
| Teaching in China has been an invaluable experience. I have traveled to China before, but I have never worked for a Chinese employer. This has allowed me to see what Chinese society is really like. I find that understanding the education system of China helps me to gain a better understanding of the culture overall. |
| The job is incredibly rewarding, allowing you to see learners grow. More often than not, your students end up being your teachers. They help you learn more about China and sometimes yourself. |
| Working in China is not your regular job. It presents its own challenges. For people who are interested in new experiences and challenges, there is no better place to be right now than China. |
| Philip Lucier, Group Leader of 8 teachers from Wofford |
| January 10, 2006 |
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| Dear Ms. Walker: Thank you for your holiday wishes! I'm sure you've heard all about the progress of our group from Phil Lucier -- he's teaching at the high school with Robert Cranford, Brian, and Katherine, and the other four of us are living and working at the primary school. I wasn't expecting to work with such young kids when I got here, but it's turned out really well -- the younger children are extremely enthusiastic, and our co-teachers all work really hard to make us feel welcome. |
| Happy Thanksgiving! |
| Best, |
| Brooke Baker |
| November 23, 2005 |
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| Ni hao, I haven't written since I've been here so I figured today would be a good day to break the ice. I've been having a good time and have traveled to many places: Manzhouli, Hailar, Hohhote, Ulan Battaar (Mongolia), Beijing, Qiqihaer, Beidaihe, Changbai Mountain, Yunnan Province- Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Xishuang Banna, plus a few other places around my town. The teaching is going well and most of my students have responded very well to me. Though, there is a big difference between the level of English in the countryside and in the big cities. Everyone in the school has been very supportive. But, these teachers and students work very hard, school is not taken lightly and is viewed as the golden ticket to a good job. The strangest thing now is counting down the months until I return. When I first got here it didn't take long to count how long I've been here on my calendar, now I flip through about 8 months and say, "Where did the time go?" Well, I don't know what else to say except this has been an excellent experience for me. |
| Zhaijian, |
| Eric Albritton (Wang Fei ) |
| October 16, 2005 |
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| Hi Lea: Ed and I returned Thursday afternoon from three wonderful weeks in China. It was great to see Eric and to meet the people at his school / town who have so welcomed him into their world. We got to go to class with him and talk with the students, and the teachers and school officials saw to it that we were included in many wonderful meals and gatherings. We ended up staying with Eric in his apartment after only two nights at the ARongQi hotel, which made our time with him even more personal and special. I have many wonderful photos that I'd love to share with you; a few you might want to include on your website. I'll try to get them emailed to you in the next few days. |
| Because we went to ARongQi, which is not easily reached unless someone will pick you up in Qiqihar as the school did for us, we were able to see and experience a part of China that isn't on any regular itinerary. Most of the people we met during our two weeks there spoke little to no English, which was very interesting for us. We got quite good at a few Chinese words, and also learned to not venture out very far without our Chinese-English dictionary. But even with the limitations of a common language, we felt very welcomed by strangers and Eric's friends alike. We rode the train back from Qiqihar to Beijing alone, which was a real treat - because even though we had loved Eric's and "Frank's" (a/k/a Wang Wei Guo) guidance in Beijing and on the initial train ride north, by that time we were ready to try it more on our own. We ended our trip with two more wonderful days in Beijing - a city we both enjoyed immensely. We were able to see many of the decorations that had been put up during our two week trip to ArongQi as the city and country prepare for National Day today (October 1st is China’s National Day). |
| Eric and several of his teacher friends left early this morning to go on a week's trip to some mountains at the border of Northeastern China and North Korea. The teachers and school officials have a lot of affection for Eric and deep appreciation for his willingness to come so far away from home totally alone. We couldn't ask for him to be in a place that would treat him any better than he is being treated. After being there and experiencing the culture first hand, I understand the drinking pressure that Eric was under when he first went over; it truly is a different culture. But he fits in well - although I felt better about his drinking after being able to spend so much time with him. We were also very impressed with the school - they have such high expectations and requirements of their students. I told Eric that if he ever decided to teach in American high schools, he'd be in for a rude awakening. At his current school, the students stand to attention when the teacher walks into the room, and remain standing until the teacher seats them. |
| Thanks for all of your help in getting us ready to go. It was especially helpful to attend your orientation class. Thanks again for thinking to include me. |
| For the past few nights, I have continued to dream in Chinese - which indicates to me just how deeply we were immersed into that culture. It was a wonderful trip!! |
| Irene |
| 10/1/05 |
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| Dear Lea: To begin Mr. Pu is great. He came to the airport to pick me up and his English was not so good at all but, his personality made it so easy for us to communicate and a little help of an English/Chinese dictionary I bought before coming. We stayed in Beijing over night and left the next night by train for my host school, a 19hr train ride. When I arrived the long travel was worth it because the city is so big and beautiful. I love being here and the people are so nice. The students are very eager to learn. They are interest in learning everything about the American culture. The teachers are very open and we have lunch together and often do things together. This is a great school to send other teachers because the school is very appreciative of Americans and they want to learn so much about our culture. |
| My living condition is good, a few minor setbacks but, I realize that this is China not America so I am adapting well to the change. Everything here is so easily accessible I can call home anytime, and my apartment is so nice. I am happy with my placement. |
| Thank you. |
| I will keep in touch and try to send some pictures. |
| Xia Li (Shaneque Simmons) |
| September 21, 2005 |
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| Note: Irene and Ed are the parents of Eric Albritton, one of our teachers who went to China in Feb. 2005. Eric has done very good job for his host school. He has been on local TV’s and newspapers several times. He has become a celebrity there! The parents went to visit their son in China and gave us their accounts of Beijing in their own eyes by email: September 9, 2005 |
| Ni how (Chinese for hello); (yes this a group email but I'm paying by the minute and figured it was the best way to share our fun with each of you. I am so glad that we came!! We have had a great day and great trip so far, except of course that the airplane ride from Chicago said it took 14 hours but in fact it felt to me like 48 hours. At one point I thought "I've got to get off this plane" but went and looked out the window and we were flying over the frozen Artic Ocean. Ed was sound asleep during that time, so I decided to suck it up and get over it. Which I did; and even managed to get some sleep myself. |
| Tonight we were both tired when we got to our room, but had thoroughly enjoyed our ride from the airport to our motel. The driver knew enough English to make us think he could carry on a conversation, but mostly he and Ed just kept confusing each other. The sights of Beijing were so beautiful. I felt more "at home" here than in some larger American cities. It is a very clean city, and it is true what they say about the bicycles...they are everywhere!! After we settled into our room and studied our surroundings from the window we noticed a "hutong" ( old Chinese neighborhoods some dating back centuries) across the street from us. We decided to go walking just to see what it was like to be on our own in Beijing. We had so much fun. It was getting dark and they didn't have street lights but everyone was out in the streets - old men gathered around different make shift tables playing Mahjong, daughters pushing elderly mothers around in wheel chairs, school kids just getting out of school, and everyone no matter what clump they were in, looked and sounded happy and related to each other with strong connections. We went into two different restaurants but no one there spoke English, so we finally found one that had an English version of their menu. We still don't know what we had because the English version of what Ed ordered had pork and shrimp in it and he tried to order it without either. We didn’t' see any pork and he only saw one shrimp so we think he was successful. It was so delicious. The waitress kept drawing an invisible mustache over her lips and pointing to Ed. He was the only one there with facial hair, but we also were the only Americans. |
| Then we walked back to the motel and here we are. We love our room and our hotel. Our driver was right on time to pick us up as we exited the customs place. The whole customs and entry process and exchanging money went quite smoothly once you got used to the fact Chinese have no concept of queuing for a line. It is the survival of the fittest, whether in line or in driving on the roads. |
| We called Eric on his cell phone once we got here and he was on the train headed our way. They are supposed to get here at 8am, and we had thought he had said 8 pm, so we realized the importance of flexibility on this trip. We are looking forward to seeing him and also to having "Frank" be our personal guide and interpreter. |
| Our supper cost 49 Yuan; Ed had two beers, and we shared two entrees and a bowl of rice. That is about $6!! Ed said he could live here for sure if he could eat and drink like that for $6.00 |
| one more thing; the scenery when I did get close enough to a window to see it was wonderful. We flew over Canada and the northwestern territories and the Artic Sea and then came down through Siberian Mountains and into Beijing. It was breathtaking. Coming back we actually do have a window seat, so I plan on seeing it all I want that time. |
| In China and loving it, Irene & Ed |
| Hi, Lea: Things go well here in Jinan. The group is enjoying each other, we are able to put the correct name with the students, Maceo and Michael are doing well with the language and we can find our way around town by using the buses. |
| We don't have any plans for the National Holidays yet.
Most of us will probable stay here in Shandong
Province to avoid the holiday crowds. We are looking
at a trip to The Great Wall in mid November. That way
will not freeze and we can enjoy the changing color of
the leaves. I may go to Beijing during the National
Holidays to shop for some winter clothes. Roger and
Xiao Xian may go south to visit her relatives. |
| The classroom work is not too difficult for us, but it takes some getting used to being patience with small energetic, talkative kids. The school is being wonderful to us. For example, Shi laoshi asked if there was anything the school could have done to make our arrival any easier. We suggested that if the future that information on bus passes and where to get them would be nice, irons and ironing boards for teachers to borrow would be helpful. The next thing we knew, there were two irons and boards were presented and bus passes were being ordered. We did not expect that, they were only suggestions because Shi laoshi asked for ideas. |
| Class schedules are very satisfactory. Roger and Xiao Xian asked for two specific afternoons off together so they could attend classes at Shandong University Hospital together. No problem, they received what they asked for. Maceo is teaching away from our International School. He is happy with the assignment and enjoying the students. He is working with a retired teacher from Australia. |
| -Mac, September 2003 |
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| Lea, 感恩节快乐! 你好吗? 很高兴你写信给我. 在中国我干的很好. 现在我在戴南, 一个星期我有三天的上课时间, 还有三天我去泰州中医院学中医. 在这里我很快乐， 这个学校很好， 有很多的好朋友. 我中文学得很快， 一年以后就可以说得马马虎虎. 明年我可能在上海的一家医院找一份工作. 我希望你好. 谢谢你给我这次机会. 你的好朋友， 叶逸飞 （我的中文名字很好听, 谢谢你!） |
| -Adam Addessi |
| Hello Lea! How are things in South Carolina? We miss the warm and short winters. It got cold much sooner than we expected here in Northern China, but otherwise we have been enjoying our stay. We are making the best of things, exploring the area, learning Chinese and making new friends. Over all, we love being in China, and plan to stay for a few more years! |
| -The Cox Family, November 2003 |
| I really like China. I'm planning on staying in China for another year, at least. I have a lot of friends who will be staying here for the next year. I have made friends with people from many different countries and I'm enjoying myself more than I have in a long time. I've lost quite a bit of weight since coming here. I will most likely stay in China through the Beijing Olympics in 2008. |
| -Nicole Parren, April 26, 2004 |
| Hi Lea! WE finally got our digital camera sent over, so here are some recent pictures. A few days ago we visited QuFu, to see the Confucious temple and forest. It was wonderful, but VERY cold! But the Temple was beautiful in the snow, and with the weather as it was, it was very quiet and peaceful, which made the visiting the tomb more reverent and much less like a tourist attraction. |
| Your email mentioned working with employers in China. for positions other than teaching. I am interested in business as well as teaching positions for next year. If you need my updated resume, let me know. |
| Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy. |
| -The Cox Family, January 2004 |
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| Hello out there! This is Maceo, and you are correct, I am doing fine. I would like to thank you for all of your work in helping me to get to China. I will always remember you for bringing me closer to my dreams. I plan to renew my contract with the same school for another academic year. |
| Peace |
| -Maceo |
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| Dear Lea, Thank you very much for responding to my e-mail. Things are going well with my classes this semester. The inherent shyness with the students to express themselves in English in my Oral English classes prevails. I utilized strong motivational skills last semester to encourage participation and this semester I have to do the same thing with the students. I enjoy the results that I get, and the students are quite often surprised at what I get out of them. |
| In my Composition class, I don't have as many talented writers as I had last semester. In that class I have begun to challenge them to remain more focused in their communication when writing. I have assured them that the technical skills will develop when they write more assignments. |
| No, I have not "secured a new employer for next year." I have been thinking about that, as you know, and I am interested in having a complete awareness of what will happen when my contract expires in this school. If you would take my best interests into consideration, I would very much appreciate that, Lea. |
| Being in China has been a worthwhile experience for me and it does appear reasonable that I should attempt to increase my experience here. So, I would appreciate your "inside" help. |
| Monday, Linda, Ann, and a foreign teacher from India and I are going to the Yellow Mountain for three days. The college is sponsoring the excursion for us. I am looking forward to it, since I did not do any traveling during the summer. |
| Thank you again, Lea. Hopefully I will be hearing from you soon. |
| Jeffrey |
| October 1, 2004 |
| Nimen hao!! (Hey y'all) Well, it was quite a trip getting here! I flew from Columbia to Chicago, and then straight on until Peiking (Beijing), for a total of 13 hours of flying. Once we arrived in Peiking it was a madhouse of people, but fortunately the other English teachers and myself kept close to one another, grabbed our additional luggage, and made a beeline for the exit. |
| Being bused to our host school, what a sight we beheld: The mighty Huang He (Yellow River), not 5km from the city; a huge stadium used for soccer and the like; wide streets bustling with buses, people, cars and motorscooters; and finally our new home, a prestigeous International School, nestled in the "Noble District" of the city...and on a MOUNTAIN!! |
| We quickly unloaded our things with the help of some school officials, and joined the Vice Principal of the primary school, Mrs. Shi, for a quick lunch; afterward, as befit my position as Group Leader for the seven English teachers, I met with Mrs. Shi to determine a time for the first group meeting of the teachers, meeting our bilingual coworkers, deciding who would teach what grade level, etc. |
| This leads me to inform you all that I will be teaching Grade Four (9 yr olds) and I will instruct 18hrs/week. |
| My living quarters are very nice: Western-style toilet, full size bed, icebox, water purifyer, bathtub, sink, mirrors, cabinets, satellite TV, furniture...excellent. |
| So, that is all for now. In the words of Garrison Keilor, "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch." |
| Zaijian (Goodbye), |
| Melissa "Ma Yan" Martin |
| August 29, 2004 |
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| Dear Friends and Family, I've taken so many pictures already, so it was a hard decision as to which ones to send directly. I am looking into building a website so that: 1.) Your email boxes are not flooded; 2.) You may access these delightful pictures at any time without having to log into your email account. |
| I can't believe it is almost three weeks that I've been in China and almost two since I began teaching. The kids are great, the food is decent and the other English teachers and get along very well, even hanging out in each others' rooms, exchanging books, getting photographed by and with the locals, shopping, sharing the cost of taxi rides and going out to the local halal grill (in the Muslim district of Jinan) and dancing it up at the internationally-oriented Pyramid Club on the weekends. |
| Chinese lessons were supposed to begin this evening but we will wait and start next week, as this is when our books are to arrive (but hey, no guarantees on this). The weather has begun to change from the typical hot and dry summer of Northern China to the wet and cold (not to mention long!) winters of the same region. Some of us have developed colds and had to take a couple of days off from teaching; however, the Chinese teaching and administrative staff have proved extremely caring and flexible concerning these matters. I, fortunately, remain healthy and decided to add more exercise to my routine; so, today Dave (another English teacher from Arizona) and I hiked up Mt. Yanze (see photo) in about thirty minutes. When we arrived at the top, I was dumbfounded to discover that one of the weathered mountains looks very much like the French cliffs (Les Calanques) that overlook the Mediterranean. Talk about deja vu! |
| Last Friday was National Teachers' Day; so to commemorate the date a ceremony was held in our honor, during which all of the teachers received red flowers which were pinned to our shirts by a student. (I decided mine looked better in my hair; and before class several students came up, touched both flower and hair, and said, "Teacher, so beautiful!"). Also, we were able to acquire our first paycheck one week early which allowed some of us to take advantage of the numerous 'Teacher Day' sales going on around town. |
| So, I believe that is a quick rundown of everything of importance that has happened in the last couple of days. Thank you all who have sent words of encouragement; that means a lot when one is far from home. |
| Take care and keep the emails coming! |
| Zaijian, |
| Melissa "Teacher Ma" Martin |
| September 15, 2004 |
| Dear Friends and Family, Can you believe it's almost been a full month since my arrival? As the year progresses, my schedule is taking full form: 18 hrs of class; lesson planning; Teacher Meeting every Monday; English Night every Tuesday Night (sing songs, watch Disney Magic English VCDs, learn new games, geography lessons, American culture, etc.); starting Wednesday, October 13, Superkids from 1630 to 1730 (extra English practice and American culture for the best students in each of our respective classes); and beginning this Wednesday, foreign teachers' Chinese lessons taught by a Chinese teacher. |
| I am happy to report that yesterday afternoon I received my PRC (Peoples' Republic of China) Foreign Experts' Certificate in the form of a small burgundy, leather-bound booklet, as well as my PRC Foreigner Residence Permit (a green leather booklet). My passport was also duly returned to me. In the words of Sting, "I'm an alien/I'm a legal alien/I'm a [blonde teacher in Kaiyuan]." |
| Not many more days until China's National Holiday on October 1, 2004! All students and teachers (including us!) at Kaiyuan will be on vacation from Oct. 1-7; but before that, we will be having a National Day Ceremony on Thursday, September 30. I have been asked to read a poem in English about the Chinese National Holiday, so I'll definitely have to do a little web surfing on this one. And yes, all 1300+ students, teachers and support staff will be there, so here's hoping I won't get nervous! |
| In other news, I went to Carrefour (French co.; but they're here in Jinan) the other day and bought a printer for Y269 (about $31) and hooked it up to my computer today. Despite its low cost, it works very well and I was very proud of myself on the successful purchase and installation thereof. |
| So, that's all she wrote for now. Thank you for your continued support by writing; it really means a lot! |
| Zaijian, |
| Melissa "Teacher Ma" Martin |
| September 21, 2004 |
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