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It seems crazy that I'm already writing my third quarterly report, especially now that I have finally started to get a handle on how things work here. I know how to order a respectable variety of restaurant food and have begun this semester's classes with a clear and confident course charted. The erhu that I began learning shortly after my arrival actually feels like an instrument rather than an exercise in frustration when I play it. While I'm far from being neatly assimilated into Chinese society and still learn new things every day, my daily routine has become much more routine. I feel like I live here and am not just visiting. When the new crop of students moved into Xi-Yuan at the beginning of the semester and began discovering new things, I remembered my own first few months of discovery in turn and wondered what I must have looked like to other people who were already here when I arrived. I've been homesick, but since returning from my travels, I realize that I have also found a home in Nanjing.
As I sit here writing, I find myself still marveling at how quickly time seems to pass (regardless of whether one thinks of time passage in a Western way or a Chinese one, the way Katie does J). It seems like only last month that classes were starting again and I was busy picking out a new computer to replace the one waiting for me in my room last August. Wait a second-it actually was last month; between traveling and the untimely demise of the old computer, my last report was later than it should have been, for which I apologize. Because the beginning of this semester still feels close, I have to remind myself that it really IS March, and that I only have a few months left in my current position at the school.
With this report I feel like I am ushering in the autumn of my year in China. I hope that the upcoming months here will be my most golden ones, but think I've learned enough during the first semester to help make them so. While I was still at Grinnell I remember talking to Doug about doing service internationally and being intimidated by the 2+ year commitment that many of the programs asked for. At that moment, I thought one year would be plenty of time away from the life I had previously known, and that I would be happy to return to the states after it was over. After all, a half a year was enough time to study abroad; a full year ought to be plenty of time to work abroad. Perhaps that would be true of other countries. China, though, is just so vast, so full of people to meet, places to see, and things to learn, that I can imagine living here for another five or ten years and still have new experiences all the time. I am lucky to live in a place so full of adventure and excitement.
When I began my year as a Nanjing Fellow, I had no idea how long it would take just to acclimate to my new environment. I feel like I have only started to scratch the surface of Chinese culture, and wonder if I would ever really fit in, regardless of the amount of time spent here. I feel that even if I were fluent in Chinese and had a solid understanding of the culture (both which would be in the distant future, if ever) people would still treat me differently just because I am a "laowai," or an old foreigner. However, I also feel that I have come a long way since August in my grasp of Chinese language and culture, and am starting to see the benefits of being on a program than lasts for two years rather than just one. I think I'd serve another year as a Nanjing fellow if I had the chance. It would allow me to take the experience I gained during the first year and put it to use by going somewhere deeper and farther during the second. Getting to where I am now has been a long process for me, but maybe it
will not always be so for those who follow. One thing I have become more aware of during this quarter is China's great capacity for
Change
As near as I can tell, China has been changing-and changing quickly-for quite a while now. There are the obvious, large-scale sources of change like the construction of the three gorges dam and the one child policy. It also seems like many of the renovation and face-lift projects currently underway have been inspired by the upcoming Olympics in 2008. For example, a 24-hour English-only channel (CCTV9) has recently joined the other government-sponsored channels available across the country. Just last semester, the only equivalent that existed in Nanjing was the ten o'clock news from Shanghai, which mysteriously disappeared halfway to December. While there are still many things that are NOT shown on this channel (the only history shows I've caught have been about the flying tigers of WWII) it is still a big change from just a few months ago.
Another event signifying the country's rapid change took place last October, when China put a man into space for the first time. I realized what an amazing thing this really is when I was standing at an intersection waiting for the lights to change and noticed everyone looking at a big-screen TV on a nearby building. After I realized what everyone was staring at, I joined the rest of the country and watched footage from the first few hours of the launch. I wondered if this is what it must have been like when America put its first man in space; since I wasn't alive when that happened, I feel lucky to have been here for the third nation in human history to do so. Although some of my foreigner friends dismissed it as a ploy for prestige, I think it is more an indication of things to come than simply an international status symbol.
I was able to witness this kind of rapid change on a much smaller scale a week or two ago when a team of Chinese workers dissembled a fairly large brick house by hand. In less than 24 hours of work (probably closer to 18), the team had torn down a building next to Xi-Yuan without any motorized tools and cleaned up the site. And by "cleaned up" I mean that they removed the mortar from the bricks and carted them off to a new location to be used again. It was one of those seemingly random experiences that I think will stay with me for a long time, and although this is the first time I have seen it myself, I have heard that this type of deconstruction is common in other parts of the country. I feel like I am constantly reminded of the power of manual labor here in China; it's something I never really think about when I'm in America. Even the building being erected across the street from my room looks like it is nearly done (and now that the only thing I hear in the middle of the night is what sounds like wor
kers sword-fighting with pipes, it must be nearly complete).
I feel that this aspect of Chinese culture is related to a problem I have encountered more frequently as of late. Maybe I'm just a big clumsy foreigner, or maybe I shouldn't be using things the way I do, but I feel like things break here much more often than they do when I'm in the States. I've lost track of the number of times I've had to take my bike back to the shop where I bought it because a pedal broke off, and I never know the next time my chain will snap and be lost as well. This is really more an annoyance than anything else, since the shop where Katie and I bought our bikes still repairs them for free. I have a feeling any bike I bought would have similar problems, though, so I am thankful we were lucky and got a good maintenance policy.
This past month also marks the first time I can remember ever being stuck in an elevator. Does the fact that I just wrote that make it sound like I've lived a sheltered life? Well, if I have, I'm making up for it in China. I was coming back to Xi-Yuan late one Saturday night, when the elevator (on the right side) made an unscheduled stop on the 11th floor. I wasn't worried at first, because this happens from time to time and it always finishes its scheduled route afterwards. However, on this occasion, the lights on all the buttons and floor numbers went off and the elevator started going down. After it stopped, the doors didn't open, so I hit the red "help me" button. I could hear a faint "beep" on the other side but after about five or ten minutes of this I realized that very few (if any) people would be awake at this hour to help me. I decided to try the doors and was able to force them open pretty easily. I hopped down to the 1st floor and took the other elevator up to my room to finally get some
sleep. I think the elevator and I have an understanding now, and we haven't had any disagreements since then. In all honesty, though, I think the elevator is working better now than it was before the incident, and I feel like this constant accumulation of small improvements to bring about big change is something that permeates China.
When I think about the kind of things that have changed since even a few years ago (foreigners are no longer restricted to certain approved accommodations when traveling, for example) it makes me wonder how different things will be in five years; I can't even imagine what China will look like in ten. I definitely think the country is moving in a good direction, but I can't at all predict what direction that will be, how long it will take to get there, or the kind of place it will end up.
Back to School…
Again. This semester Katie and I were able to keep the same daily schedule, although we did switch students. Initially, I felt more disappointment than happiness about this; I had just begun learning a decent number of my students' names and I had developed a feel for each class' personalities and distinct characteristics. I had bonded in some way with each class, and was going to miss that kind of connection when I gave up the first classes I had ever taught and took on all new ones. I'm sure I'll remember my first group of students in the years to come, but now that I've taught the new classes for about a month or so, I've started to see the benefits of switching classes, too.
In some ways, this semester gives me a second chance to perfect my lesson plans. I can vary the topics that were well received the first time, and make them even better with the clarity of hindsight that often came a few hours after class was over. But I also have the opportunity to substitute better lessons and new ideas for the classes that didn't go as well as I had initially hoped. I can further build upon topics that Katie covered with her students and continue to make my kids feel more and more comfortable speaking in class. I have also begun the bonding process with my new students as well. During the initial two weeks of class, I had another "first" here that I hope is a sign of how things will develop during the rest of the semester. I was impressed by the students' behavior in one class and decided to dismiss them a minute early. When I shared the good news with them (that I would dismiss them early), they all shouted "no!" After I got over my surprise, I was thrilled that they wanted to sta
y, but doubt I will ever receive the same response as their semester continues to get busier and busier. In general, classes have been going well, and teaching has been a lot of fun. Katie and I were even invited to climb Purple Mountain with some of our students this past weekend. While the view from the top could have been better, I still had a great time hanging out with them and feel much more accepted by the students than I did at the beginning of the year.
English Corner has also become an even more integral part of my week at the school. We haven't had many students come on any given Wednesday, but the ones who do are dedicated to working hard and are excited about speaking English. This is another place where I am able to derive satisfaction from teaching. The regulars have made a great deal of progress in confidence and ability since the beginning of the year, and it is really rewarding to think that I played even a small role in that process. I look forward to more students coming as the weather improves because I have also been able to use English Corner as a way to get inside my student's heads and find out what they really think about my classes. They seem to be much more comfortable telling me the things they are interested in, and the things they want to do in class when we're not actually in the classroom. For example, one student asked me how to call someone on the phone in English, which planted the idea in my head that slowly turned into a le
sson plan the following week. The "telephone lesson" ended up being pretty well received by my students, and with any luck they will start to come by and drop helpful hints as the semester progresses.
After having taught more classes, I would agree with Emily's past assessment that skill-based lesson plans seem to go over well. I would also add that finding ways to introduce competition into classes can be effective as well. I have found this to be true in my own classes and have heard similar things from other friends who are teaching in Nanjing, so it seems a tip worth mentioning for future Fellows.
Seasons
Living in Nanjing has reminded me that I want to be able to enjoy all four seasons in the place where I eventually decide to live. Spring is on its way; the weather is getting warmer, it has finally started to rain again, and the leaves are forming on the trees along the path on Purple Mountain. While I very much enjoy being in Nanjing, I often miss experiencing the seasons the way I had before. Summer here is stiflingly hot, and winter is likewise very cold, but temperature seems to be the one reliable indication of the time of year. The only place in the city with enough greenery to show seasons changing is the Purple Mountain area, but that's is a good distance from Xi-Yuan and I consequently don't see it too often. Even there a blanket of pollution still makes the sun shine more like a fluorescent light than a light bulb or candle. Although I was cold this winter more frequently than any other winter I have felt so far, I only remember one day that it snowed at all (and it only stuck for a few hours
). Now more than ever I look forward to the times that I'll be able to have golden-red leaves in the fall, crisp snow in the winter and fresh, clean air in the spring.
I hope everyone reading this takes a moment to enjoy spring wherever they are, and anyone at Grinnell spends some quality time outside when thedaysthatmakeitreallyhardtogetworkdone arrive. You know what I mean J. Besides, now that I'm an English teacher (and a "foreign 'expert'" one, no less) I can officially make up whatever words I like. Speaking of thedaysthatmakeitreallyhardtogetworkdone, I think today might be one of those. There's even enough direct sunlight to make shadows! (I've never found shadows to be so exciting as I do now.) Days like these don't come very often in Nanjing, but that makes the ones that do come even more wonderful. Enough already! I'm going to go out and enjoy it myself before it's all gone.
Bai bai! (Pinyinglish for "bye-bye")
Justin
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