It's finals week! Here's what's going on for me:
222 final exams given. (Only one cheater!)
132 final exams to finish grading.
108 essays to read and grade.
73 poems to read and grade.
14 lesson plans to format for a portfolio.
9 forms of paperwork to finish up.
1 last team breakfast this morning.
1 big banquet with the dean today... 30 minutes from now.
1 dinner with one of my closest Chinese friends and her roommates on Friday.
1 big party making noodles with students/friends on Saturday.
1 last Sunday at Chinese fellowship.
And only a few more days until…
I am stateside for the summer! I fly out of China on June 30th at 7 PM and will arrive in the States 2 hours after I leave.
Here’s my tentative summer schedule:
• July 4th – 24th Wheaton, Illinois: I’ll be taking my second set of classes for a Master’s in Teaching English as Second Language and Intercultural Studies.
• July 24th-Early August: In the Maryland area to visit family and friends.
• Mid August: In the New Hampshire area to visit family and friends.
• Late August: Back to Maryland for one last visit and packing.
• August 22nd: Return to China for team leader training. Next fall I’ll be stepping into the role of team leader at my university.
• August 29th: Return to Harbin for the fall semester.
I’m looking forward to getting the chance to see many of you, to share with you more about this past year, and to hear about how your year has been as well :)
See you soon!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
KICKBALL!
A few weeks back, the university asked us foreign teacher's to cover for one of the Chinese teacher's that was sick. We had to be creative to figure out how we'd cover it and still be following our contract which only allows for us to teach 16 course hours each week. We ended up splitting up the classes and each picking lessons we wanted to cover. The course? American culture!
I chose to cover families, weddings, and sports in America.
For the wedding lesson we actually had a pretend ceremony. I had the students pick cards to decide who would play what role... except I ran into a problem when it came to groom's men - as there were only 3 boys in this class of 30. One had to be the groom, one the father of the bride, and the other, the best man. Afterward we had some "wedding cake" as I explained more about weddings in America.
And for the sports lesson, what's more all-American than kickball? Well, I guess you could say baseball, but kickball's a lot easier to play and teach. A few people had trouble knowing when and where to run (or to stop after you get to home plate). After about the 3rd inning they started to get the hang of it.
I chose to cover families, weddings, and sports in America.
For the wedding lesson we actually had a pretend ceremony. I had the students pick cards to decide who would play what role... except I ran into a problem when it came to groom's men - as there were only 3 boys in this class of 30. One had to be the groom, one the father of the bride, and the other, the best man. Afterward we had some "wedding cake" as I explained more about weddings in America.
And for the sports lesson, what's more all-American than kickball? Well, I guess you could say baseball, but kickball's a lot easier to play and teach. A few people had trouble knowing when and where to run (or to stop after you get to home plate). After about the 3rd inning they started to get the hang of it.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
MAY SNAPSHOTS
When it comes to spring in Harbin, the two most beautiful places in the whole city are 林大 (the university where I teach) and the 植物园 (the botanical gardens which happens to be right next to my university). I'm not kidding, either. Check out these pictures!
Too bad the smell-o-net (smell-o-vision over the internet) has't been invented yet...If it had, I'd capture the smell of all the lilacs around campus and post them here for you.
Too bad the smell-o-net (smell-o-vision over the internet) has't been invented yet...If it had, I'd capture the smell of all the lilacs around campus and post them here for you.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
APRIL SNAPSHOT
This semester, I've been teaching an intercultural communication class again, this time to sophomores with English as their 2nd major. I organized another field-trip, to the Jewish museum in Harbin, like I did last semester. 25 students came! Since we took public transportation, we ended up having to take 2 buses, but everyone made it! And they all enjoyed seeing a part of the history of Harbin many did not know even existed.
Over a period of about 100 years, 20,000 Jews lived in Harbin. Most came from Russia after 1917. The last Harbin Jew died in 1985. The museum is housed in on of the two standing synagogues near the river.
Over a period of about 100 years, 20,000 Jews lived in Harbin. Most came from Russia after 1917. The last Harbin Jew died in 1985. The museum is housed in on of the two standing synagogues near the river.
Friday, April 16, 2010
"SPRINGTIME" IN HARBIN
I was loath to put on my down coat this past Monday. Something about wearing a down coat in April doesn't feel natural, but once I stepped outside into the wind and snow and pulled my hood tight over my head, I was glad I had put it on. 
At least the snow wasn't sticking to the roads, my co-teacher and I noted as we walked back home from lunch.
That afternoon, I had office hours, and running a bit late, I decided to take my bike. The roads were clear, after all... But when the doorman saw I wanted to get my bike, he quickly said "It's snowing!" "I know," I replied. "You'll break your head open, the roads are slippery!" I looked out the door... "Oh!" He was right, there was 2 inches of snow on the road! I decided to walk.
That evening, after my class ended at 8 PM, two students walked me home, umbrellas in hand. By the time we reach my apartment, there was a thick layer of snow on the umbrellas.
Umbrellas in the snow ... that reminds me of a story ... I should have known that Harbin was under the White Witch's curse.
Tuesday, it kept coming. It didn't keep me from going to the pool, though, but I think trudging through drifts of snow up to my knees and walking against the wind was as much exercise as I got while swimming! I wonder how long it took for this taxi that I passed to get out...
All the locals say this snow was really abnormal - a once in 50 years kind of thing. I admit, it was bit fun to see all this snow at once, but I'm still left wondering, how much longer until Aslan comes? How much longer until Spring?
At least the snow wasn't sticking to the roads, my co-teacher and I noted as we walked back home from lunch.
That afternoon, I had office hours, and running a bit late, I decided to take my bike. The roads were clear, after all... But when the doorman saw I wanted to get my bike, he quickly said "It's snowing!" "I know," I replied. "You'll break your head open, the roads are slippery!" I looked out the door... "Oh!" He was right, there was 2 inches of snow on the road! I decided to walk.
That evening, after my class ended at 8 PM, two students walked me home, umbrellas in hand. By the time we reach my apartment, there was a thick layer of snow on the umbrellas.
Umbrellas in the snow ... that reminds me of a story ... I should have known that Harbin was under the White Witch's curse.
Tuesday, it kept coming. It didn't keep me from going to the pool, though, but I think trudging through drifts of snow up to my knees and walking against the wind was as much exercise as I got while swimming! I wonder how long it took for this taxi that I passed to get out...
All the locals say this snow was really abnormal - a once in 50 years kind of thing. I admit, it was bit fun to see all this snow at once, but I'm still left wondering, how much longer until Aslan comes? How much longer until Spring?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)