Chinese school visits

One opportunity that Luzhou offered was to visit two local primary schools, where they requested that we teach a lesson. Children are not my forte, but I agreed [I also had no choice – so that helps to make a decision]. Regardless, a visit to the children of the great People’s Republic should be interesting, right?

Oh my. You can see some pictures in the last post. Our first lesson with the primary students was met with some rough patches as we all underestimated the power of rote repetition. In a typical lesson, the children will chant back phrases, words, and mimic actions of the teacher. So it was impossible to ask the kids a question, since they would repeat the question back to us in pure robotic fashion. Quickly, we realized what was happening and modified. A rousing round of head, shoulders, knees and toes, with motions, remedied our situation. The kids were laughing, no longer confused and robotic, and seemed to be learning too. We played some vocabulary building games with the older students, and they seemed to love the competition.

Our second visit was to a more rural school that served students from the surrounding areas. The conditions of the school were a little rougher than the previous and the skills of the students a little lower. But, by far, they were sweeter and more personable.

All in all a very interesting school visit. They also do morning exercises which we got to see [see the pictures below]. There is nothing like seeing hundreds of children doing the exact same motions while a loudspeaker blares music. Creepy and inspiring, it was an amazing experience. The rural school also did the same dances, though with less timed motion and accuracy. Regardless, being a kid in China must be really interesting.

Luzhou [Teaching Pics]

Luzhou [Sichuan]

Ever wanted to be a rock star? Let me tell you now – it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. For exactly 7 days, I and my ETA companions were de facto celebrities in Luzhou, Sichuan. Taller, bearded and rosy cheeked [in a town that you can count the number of Westerners on your fingers and toes] – stares were the norm, pictures were expected, and talking was a must.

I feel like I could write 10 posts on various reflections, thoughts, experiences, and interesting stories about my time in Luzhou. Even then, you wouldn’t have a full picture of what I saw and shared. Frustrating, eye-opening, interesting, humbling, and exciting are words that just scratch the surface of my time there. So, I’ll give just a brief overview of what I did and some funny moments.

Luzhou is a small city in China. By small, it has 1 million people. Yeah, you read that right. China has attempted to totally redefine small town, village, and rural for me. In a lot of ways, Luzhou was like Tai Po. Open markets, greenery, rivers, and high rise buildings. More interesting though, was the huge disparity in the area. The average yearly cost of living on campus was less than 1000 RMB [about 200 US]. In the town, I ate at a totally plush hot pot restaurant where everyone got their own individual pot to regulate what they put in and the spice. The bill was easily 800 RMB – for one meal. Rich and poor seem butted right up against each other in this developing and burgeoning city. But, back to teaching and students.

For the week, I was expected, along with my companions, to present, visit classes and local people, and to give students and English experience. The class visits were great. I have rarely seen students so genuinely fascinated. We introduced ourselves and then spent about 30 minutes rotating between groups of students, showing pictures and answering questions. I brought some US and HK money, which really many of the students had never seen. I was asked the same questions about a million times:

1. Do you like China?
2. Do you like Chinese food?
3. Do you like Chinese girls?
4. Do you have a girlfriend?
5. Can you use chopsticks?

They asked a lot more questions, but those were musts for everyone to ask – even if I had just answered it. After this, we would take pictures. Read that line as – insanity ensued.

At one point, I stood smiling as I faced 15 cameras and phones. I had no idea where to look nor who was grabbing my arm smiling ear to ear next to me. That unknown would scuttle off to the camera, and another would grab my arm. Girls and boys crammed to get into pictures with yours truly. Of course, in our mini group – the Asian ETAs deftly slipped out the door – leaving me [the only male white ETA] and a companion [a tall blond] to be devoured by the masses. To say I was mobbed is an understatement. At one point, an arm shot through the crowd, pulling me out – and it was our Hong Kong leader saving me saying they could take more pictures later. This happened every class we visited.

English corner, where we stood and spoke to students who showed up, had the same problem. As masses crowded around me, inching closer and closer, I worried I might be crushed as more people tried to get closer and closer to me. Once one became brave enough to ask if they could have a picture, madness followed.

Overall, it was great though. My voice started to go and I was exhausted, but it was really interesting. An ETA and I spoke to each other wondering what impact this visit would have on these students lives. Would they at some point, fifty years from now, be sitting with a fellow student and reminisce about the Americans who came to visit? Would this be a blip and otherwise meaningless?

I’m not sure but I will definitely remember that I do not want to be famous.  Next post – teaching pics.