I have been told that this small city--Yangshuo--hosts more foreigners than anywhere else in China save Beijing. Maybe it's not true... but I can certainly believe it. There are so many fun things to do... great food of all styles Chinese, Asian, and Western... and of course the main attraction is the view. The world-famous, green-covered, hill-mountain karst wonders of China is an army that surrounds you from 360 degrees. You are the island, and these hills are the sea and the towering waves that approach you from all sides. To be there is to be humbled and captivated by their presence... and no art or photographs ever do them justice (although traditional Chinese brush stroke paintings do come close!)
I arrived in Yangshuo on the weekend, which meant I had plenty of time to "chill" before the structure of orientation and training began on Monday. I had already been to Yangshuo in 2005, so I did not feel the rush to take it all in. On Saturday, I hung around Owen College and met the staff and the fellow foreign teachers. That night we had a barbeque, and I met some of the local Chinese students at the college. What a great group of people all the way around! On Sunday morning, I took a leisurely stroll through the city toward and through West Street all the way to the Li River. It felt like a homecoming as the familiar sights reappeared. "Hey! That is where we all got off at the end of the river cruise!" "Hey! That is where one from our group was hassled for taking a picture of a Chinese fisherman without seeking his permission!" "Hey! That was where Paul and I hard-bargained for the 100% silk pajamas that we both knew very well was 0% silk!" So much about Yangshuo City has changed in the three years since I last was here, but West Street was the same... if not in every last detail, at least in spirit!
On Sunday afternoon, a group of us--another teacher and some students--went for a bike ride to see Moon Hill. Only fifteen minutes riding through and amidst the chaotic streets of Yangshuo City before we escaped into the wide-open country. And then we were lost! Our punishment was the steep grade roads that we climbed over and over again trying to find our way. One woman assured us, "Oh, just 30 minutes that way..." An hour later, another man assured us, "Oh, just 30 minutes that way..." Two hours later, we were there! I had seen Moon Hill before and, honestly, had not been impressed then. I was even less impressed seeing it a second time. It's a hill like all the other thousands of hills around Yangshuo, only this one has a hole in it. But I was smiling and genuinely happy. Why? In being lost, we saw a part of China that I had NOT seen so intimately ever before. Rural southeast China. Rice fields with farmers waist-deep in their toils. View-bending stretches of citrus groves. Water buffalo everywhere crossing our paths. Hordes of chickens and ducks boldly defending their territory until the bike tires got close enough to spook their confidence... and then a cacophony of squaking. And people everywhere smiling, waving, and acknowledging our presence with a friendly "hello." Darkness had only just settled in when we arrived back in Yangshuo to return our bikes. And then we feasted on great food and good company.... Alice, Joel, and Candy are, like all the Chinese students I have met so far, so friendly, generous, and kind!
Pictures from our bike ride... images of rural China in all its peace, simplicity, and freshness!
Aaron in front of Moon Hill (below). Can you see why I'm not all that excited? And can you see why the above is so worth the journey and the muscle-work? Life is full of surprises!
On Monday, we began our orientation and training. The week passed quickly with all our lessons and taks. We learned about the nature of the Chinese education system, delved into the "typical" Chinese student, talked about lesson planning, classroom management, and then a whole host of cultural topics in which we learned some valuable lessons, including but certainly not limited to: 1) don't touch any metal wires coming out of the outlets! they will kill you! 2) avoid the discotechs if you want to avoid serious injury 3) don't have sex with the students and 4) be careful when crossing the streets. In all seriousness, we learned a lot of very important and many not-so-obvious things about Chinese culture and life. And the training sessions were always lively and attention-grabing.
On Thursday we went for our medical examination in Guilin. It was painless, really, at least for me.... the phlebotomist missed a couple people's veins and had to go striking for blood a second time.... :-S
On Thursday and Friday we did our practice teaching... oh my, the pressure, it was like the first day of student teaching all over again! But it was valuable and necessary. On that note, I must say, it has been almost three weeks now, and with each passing day I am more and more grateful for the orientation and training. Teaching social studies in America is very different from teaching oral English in China. Teaching here in general is radically different in fact. In the next year, I will have much more to say about that... but it all comes down to the key differences... China's large class sizes (my classes have over 70 students each) and China's method of instruction and learning. The training in Yangshuo will give anyone who has never taught English in China or never taught at all the resources and confidence they need to succeed... plus post-training support for the duration.
And I can also say that it seems to me--here and now in this moment--that having come to China to teach was the perfect decision. Teaching in China will target what I perceive were some of my weaknesses in studnet-teaching... classroom management and planning for interactive lessons. I want these to be rock-solid, and China is going to give me opportunities to do that. Classroom management? Come on, I have 70 students! (and contrary to the myth, they are NOT all obedient, respectful, and motivated, even though they all smile and say "hello" like angels) Active lessons? It's perfect... I have to plan purposeful, active lessons that emphasize practice and student-centered learning. And I have to do this in the face of vast differences in skills, proficiencies, and motivations. Maybe teaching in China isn't all THAT different from teaching in America after all...
As in both, I am absolutely loving it! More to come on that later...
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