Tuesday Morning Image

China turns 60 this week on October 1, 2009. It is a big deal everywhere we look, on campus, on TV, and in the students minds. Beijing is planning a huge celebration military parade through the main East-west avenue of the city. We are planning to watch the whole thing on TV to share in the experience with so many nationals. China has changed a lot of the last 60 years. I could only imagine what some of the older generation has seen with their own eyes and live through to tell the story. Please remember China this week as she continues to grow into the country she will become.

Tuesday Morning Image

We have been able to get out and about our neighborhood during the last days of decent weather. The weather will be nice for about another month before all the coats and long johns come out in full force. The market street near our house is our source of fresh fruits and veggies. These guys are outside working everyday through all sorts of weather. This year we have continued relationships with many of our normal market street vendors including the vegetable ladies, potato roll makers, and many others both inside and out. Please remember these relationships that through the limited language we have we would be able to communicate love to each of these and that the Father would reach down and grab each of these hearts.

Volume 3, Issue 9

What a ride it has been the last month! We finished our visit to America, return to training in Beijing, and have two weeks under our belt teaching in Harbin, China. We are definitely excited to be back in our Chinese home surrounded by familiar foods, people, customs (although these are sometimes a bit unfamiliar), and university life.

Let’s Go加油

Upon arrival in Beijing, we had a quick turnaround to get over the jet lag and attend a welcoming conference for all the teachers in China. We saw many of our friends again and even reunited with our teammates from last year and the new ones for this year. Our team has changed some this year. While we are the same number, we have 6 new faces (that’s exactly half the team being different from last year)!

It was great to finally be home in Harbin to settle back into our apartment, order our favorite food, and begin the teaching semester. As is routine in China, we didn’t learn the teaching schedule until the days before classes, and still had one change the first week of classes. This year I am again teaching Selected Readings of American Literature to senior level students. It is amazing how much more confident I am in front of the classroom being able to use the same material as last year.

We have been the local “experts” showing the new teammates around the city offering suggestions on bus routes, taxi directions, and import shopping secrets. We felt quite comfortable returning to Harbin for the second year already knowing the ins and outs of the town. I’m sure we’ll find out even more about the city this year too.

Being so comfortable in China, Harbin, and the university has allowed us to begin this semester more focused on the students. We were able to host students to our home the first weekend of school as a welcome back to school party and plan to continue hosting students throughout the semester for fun and finger food. Please remember these gatherings for relationship to be built on solid footings.

Let’s go! 加油 (Chinese phrase “add oil”) The semester is new and we are excited to share the new and old tasks with you this coming year.

教师节 (International Teacher's Day)

To all the teachers, I hope you are having a great day since it is your day! In China, we celebrate Teacher's Day today (Sept 10). Usually there are some activities for the students to show their appreciation to the teachers, such as presenting gifts including cards and flowers. Younger students, mostly those in elementary, junior high, or high school don't have class today to honor their teachers. On the university campus, we still had class all day.

It is great to wake up and receive all kinds of text messages from my students: "Today is Teachers' day in China. I wish my teacher and your family's have a happy live everyday! Happy Teachers Day!" or "Happy Teachers' day! We, 061211 class, made you a card." The card was even stuffed with a carnation flower. (I used the flower again and gave it to M'Lynn!) These students are so sweet and I love teaching all of them. If you see a teacher today, offer them a flower or at least wish them a Happy Teachers' Day!

High Tech Week

Houston, we have wireless internet.

After waiting over a year to get the whole system up and running, we are indeed that. This afternoon, a worker came to our door to release the web and allow a wireless router to be used in our apartment. It's amazing! Now we are roaming around the house with a little netbook checking out the world around us. But we must not roam too far as we have concrete walls the signal doesn't really appreciate.

It's been a great week for technology around the house. The longer we stay in China, the more our apartment begins to feel like home. This week also brought us a house phone (which happens to be connected to Skype). So just give us a call and we'll probably be there to pick it up since we are no longer tied down to being in front of the computer to answer the calls.

Tuesday Time

With the semester fully underway now, we are hosting students to our home in the effort to get to know them better (as well as help to improve their English and increase class participation). This week, we hosted a group of class monitors and their friends to a finger food feast, including pigs-in-a-blanket, ham & cheese sandwiches, watermelon, and Mississippi mud pies. Monitors are elected students among their classmates who serve as a liaison better the staff of professors and the students. They serve as a key contact in the class. Please remember the relationships with the class monitors throughout the semester that it may be fruitful in business and personal issues.