Greetings from China! March has come and gone and its been a while since my last update, so let's get caught up.
We basically had all of February off as it was Chinese New Year and China basically shuts down for most of the month during Chinese New Year. It was a lot of rest and relaxation and catching up on my TV shows online. Thank God for these Chinese video websites with American TV shows or else I would be bored out of my mind! Towards the end of February, I was really bored and couldn't wait until the March session to begin. The March session turned out to be an amazing session. Ed and I were co-facilitators again and we had Class E which had 41 awesome students. Class E was the second highest level class and they really impressed me and Ed. They all did very well in their speeches. Some of their speeches were very humorous and full of personality, while other speeches were very personal and deep. This group proved to be the most diverse group of speeches I've heard so far. They were also the most daring class as they sang Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" for the talent show. Many of the other facilitators were very impressed with our Class E's performance. Needless to say, Ed and I are very proud of our class. We also made up our Class E cheer and it goes like this:
Class E is Extraordinary
Class E is Exquisite
Class E is Exceptional
Class E is Extreme
Class E is Excellent
Class E, Class E, Class E E E!
CAN YOU DIG IT!!!
Yeah that's right, our class cheer rocks and the other facilitators love the "Can You Dig It" at the end of the cheer. Don't worry, my students are NOT speaking with a Brooklyn/Jersey accent...yet. By the way, here is our class photo: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2644
Last Friday night was our closing ceremony and afterwards, our class had our celebration party. Before I tell you about that, there is a new rule that went into effect this session. The people in charge decided that the students were not allowed to give gifts to the facilitators because it caused too many problems and the students got sidetracked trying to figure out what gifts to get for the facilitators. So during our celebration party, our class did give us a gift, but this gift did not cost any money. They made a video for me and Ed and each one of our students recorded a personal message for us. This gift has sentimental value and is priceless. This is easily the best gift I have received in China. Following the video, they put on a show with a bunch of traditional Chinese songs and dances. Our celebration party was indeed very special and something I will never forget! After the session was over on Saturday, the students are allowed to stay on campus for three days so they can visit the tourist spots of Beijing before going home. About half of the class stuck around and they took me and Ed out to lunch and dinner for the next three days. I spent all of yesterday (Tuesday) hanging out with the last of my students in their dorms and then walking them to the front gate one by one as they left throughout the day. This morning, I walked my last student Helen to the front gate as she was the final student to leave. While I'm still riding this high from this amazing session, I am very sad to see this class leave.
So now we have this week off to relax and catch up on some much needed rest before we begin our April session which begins on Monday, April 5th. Ed and I will be co-facilitating again in the April session so we are very happy and excited about that as we work really well together.
I'm still trying to figure out what I'm gonna do after China. Perhaps I'm still riding this high from this past session, but at this moment, I'm actually considering staying in China and volunteering for another year as I really enjoy what I'm doing here. I don't want to make any big decisions right now, but its something that I'm seriously considering. Even if I decide to volunteer for another year, I'll return to the U.S. in July for a few months before heading back to China. I need to do some more thinking in the coming weeks and pray about this. We shall see what God's plan is for me, so keep me in your prayers.
At the end of the April session, I will take a trip to Qinghai to visit my students. I've had so many students from Qinghai, but in this last class, there are about 10 of them from Qinghai and it was them who convinced me to take a trip to visit Qinghai. Qinghai is a beautiful place known for Qinghai lake and its mountains. I've heard so much about Qinghai from many of my past students, so I figure its time to take a trip to Qinghai and check it out. My students are already making arrangements for my arrival and I will also go and visit their schools and perhaps teach a short lesson in English. May 1-3 is China's Labor Day so my students will be off from work for about 4-5 days, which is perfect timing. I'm excited about this trip to Qinghai and am looking foward to visiting my students.
Well that's about it for this update. Time to get my rest and relaxation on and catch up on my TV shows online. Hope all is well with everyone. Take care, God Bless!
Timothy Wong
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Important update from China!
Happy New Year from China! The year of the tiger is upon us, which I’m very proud of as I was born under the tiger year back in 19??...well the year isn’t important. Let’s keep this update moving.
I have some news I want to share with you, but first let me tell you about the English camp we taught in Shanxi. Shanxi turned out to be a great experience. The campus we used is a facility where the government goes for meetings and retreats. The building we stayed in use to be a hotel, so we basically stayed at a hotel. There wasn't much to complain about with the exception of the shower pressure being a little weak. But most important, the rooms were clean and we had western toilets…thank God!!! Ed was my roommate and we were joking that the only thing we were missing in our room was a microwave and fridge. The campus itself is pretty nice. There’s a beautiful courtyard, which we walked past everyday to our classrooms. The classrooms and large group room are basically like the ones at Beijing University, but somewhat smaller. The hosts were very gracious and took us out for several good meals before and after the camp, but when we had to eat in the cafeteria during the week, the food was absolutely horrendous! I’m thinking I probably lost a few more pounds while I was in Shanxi. The camp had 50 students total...mostly Junior High school and High school kids. We had two college students join the program as well. We split the group up into three classes. I had the highest-level class with Ed assisting, so I was able to use my regular lesson plans for this high level class. My class only had 14 students, but it was a quality class. During the week, we had diction, fairy tales and class in the morning. In the afternoon, we had music club, sports club and games. In Sports club, we tried to teach the students about American sports like Baseball, Football and Basketball…but its obvious they only really understood basketball, as that is already a very popular sport in China. (For you basketball fans, Yao Ming is China’s son and a hero…with Kobe Bryant and Lebron James trailing a close second and third.) On the last night, we had a talent show. Each class did a great job! My class sang three songs: "As Long As You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly and "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson. I just like to preface that my class had mostly teenage girls, so you knew there was gonna be a Backstreet Boys song in there. Hey, its China…its where pop music goes to die. They sang really well especially Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”. I'm really proud of this class! Our 10 days in Shanxi turned out to be a really great experience and I'm really glad I decided to go to Shanxi.
I’ve uploaded some photos from Shanxi as well as a few additional photos from my visit to The Great Wall of China with my family. The new photos are #100 and on. http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
Moving along, I have some news I’d like to share with you. I’ll spare you the details and get right to it. My position as Missioner for Youth & Young Families at St. Paul’s has been cut due to financial reasons. Yes it’s a pity, but this is the reality that we live in today with this slumping economy. Oddly enough, when I read Rev. Elizabeth's e-mail, I wasn't shocked at all to receive this news. For some strange reason, I had a feeling something like this would happen while I was in China. And what's even more surprising is that I'm at peace with this news and not worried about what I'm gonna do when I return from China. I know I have a few months before I return to the U.S., so I do have some time to figure out what I want to do next. I think my parents are doing all the worrying for me. Perhaps after living in China for 6 months, it’s made me see things differently. I'm sure if I was in Chatham and this news came down, I wouldn't have taken it so calmly. Of course it goes without saying that it will be very difficult to say farewell to the youth of St. Paul’s that I have built a relationship with and watched grow up through the years. Upon my return, I will schedule a Sunday in September to meet with the youth one last time so I can share with them photos and stories from China and have the opportunity to say farewell to them in person. I believe this will help everyone involved find some much needed closure.
So what’s next? Well ideally, I’d love to be able to find a job and settle down in Jersey again, but with this economy, who knows what will happen. If worse comes to worse, I do have a backup option already in place. The people in charge here have asked us if we would like to return for another year? If the economy doesn’t pick up upon my return to the U.S. and I have trouble finding a job, then I can always volunteer another year teaching English in China and continue to make a difference here. Sure, the stipend isn’t much and the food is lousy here, but if millions and millions of people in China can survive on less than my monthly stipend and eat food even worse than what I’ve been eating, than why can’t I?
So for now, please keep me in your prayers. Everything will be alright, so no worries. We shall see what God has planned for me in the next chapter of my life, but I know he will provide and watch over me when I make the transition from China back to the U.S.
Oh I almost forgot to tell you that I went snowboarding in China. A few weeks ago, two of my former students invited Dorothy and I to go skiing. I didn’t think this would be something I’d get to do in China. Sure the slopes wasn’t anything close to what we ski or snowboard on in the U.S., but it was a fun day of snowboarding!!! Our former students were so generous and didn’t let us pay for anything. We are so lucky to have such kind and caring students.
So if you didn’t know, Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important holiday in China, so basically most of China is on vacation for the month of February...which means we don't have a session in February. Yes, that means we're off until our next session, which doesn’t begin until March 8th. So the next few weeks will be filled with lots of rest, relaxation and catching up on my TV shows online. They'll be no traveling for me during Chinese New Year as it is very expensive and everyone in China travels during this time so I'm not trying to get caught up in these crazy crowds pushing and shoving...and that's the elderly people!
OK, that's it for this update. I hope all is well with everyone. Take care, God Bless!
Timothy Wong
I have some news I want to share with you, but first let me tell you about the English camp we taught in Shanxi. Shanxi turned out to be a great experience. The campus we used is a facility where the government goes for meetings and retreats. The building we stayed in use to be a hotel, so we basically stayed at a hotel. There wasn't much to complain about with the exception of the shower pressure being a little weak. But most important, the rooms were clean and we had western toilets…thank God!!! Ed was my roommate and we were joking that the only thing we were missing in our room was a microwave and fridge. The campus itself is pretty nice. There’s a beautiful courtyard, which we walked past everyday to our classrooms. The classrooms and large group room are basically like the ones at Beijing University, but somewhat smaller. The hosts were very gracious and took us out for several good meals before and after the camp, but when we had to eat in the cafeteria during the week, the food was absolutely horrendous! I’m thinking I probably lost a few more pounds while I was in Shanxi. The camp had 50 students total...mostly Junior High school and High school kids. We had two college students join the program as well. We split the group up into three classes. I had the highest-level class with Ed assisting, so I was able to use my regular lesson plans for this high level class. My class only had 14 students, but it was a quality class. During the week, we had diction, fairy tales and class in the morning. In the afternoon, we had music club, sports club and games. In Sports club, we tried to teach the students about American sports like Baseball, Football and Basketball…but its obvious they only really understood basketball, as that is already a very popular sport in China. (For you basketball fans, Yao Ming is China’s son and a hero…with Kobe Bryant and Lebron James trailing a close second and third.) On the last night, we had a talent show. Each class did a great job! My class sang three songs: "As Long As You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly and "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson. I just like to preface that my class had mostly teenage girls, so you knew there was gonna be a Backstreet Boys song in there. Hey, its China…its where pop music goes to die. They sang really well especially Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”. I'm really proud of this class! Our 10 days in Shanxi turned out to be a really great experience and I'm really glad I decided to go to Shanxi.
I’ve uploaded some photos from Shanxi as well as a few additional photos from my visit to The Great Wall of China with my family. The new photos are #100 and on. http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
Moving along, I have some news I’d like to share with you. I’ll spare you the details and get right to it. My position as Missioner for Youth & Young Families at St. Paul’s has been cut due to financial reasons. Yes it’s a pity, but this is the reality that we live in today with this slumping economy. Oddly enough, when I read Rev. Elizabeth's e-mail, I wasn't shocked at all to receive this news. For some strange reason, I had a feeling something like this would happen while I was in China. And what's even more surprising is that I'm at peace with this news and not worried about what I'm gonna do when I return from China. I know I have a few months before I return to the U.S., so I do have some time to figure out what I want to do next. I think my parents are doing all the worrying for me. Perhaps after living in China for 6 months, it’s made me see things differently. I'm sure if I was in Chatham and this news came down, I wouldn't have taken it so calmly. Of course it goes without saying that it will be very difficult to say farewell to the youth of St. Paul’s that I have built a relationship with and watched grow up through the years. Upon my return, I will schedule a Sunday in September to meet with the youth one last time so I can share with them photos and stories from China and have the opportunity to say farewell to them in person. I believe this will help everyone involved find some much needed closure.
So what’s next? Well ideally, I’d love to be able to find a job and settle down in Jersey again, but with this economy, who knows what will happen. If worse comes to worse, I do have a backup option already in place. The people in charge here have asked us if we would like to return for another year? If the economy doesn’t pick up upon my return to the U.S. and I have trouble finding a job, then I can always volunteer another year teaching English in China and continue to make a difference here. Sure, the stipend isn’t much and the food is lousy here, but if millions and millions of people in China can survive on less than my monthly stipend and eat food even worse than what I’ve been eating, than why can’t I?
So for now, please keep me in your prayers. Everything will be alright, so no worries. We shall see what God has planned for me in the next chapter of my life, but I know he will provide and watch over me when I make the transition from China back to the U.S.
Oh I almost forgot to tell you that I went snowboarding in China. A few weeks ago, two of my former students invited Dorothy and I to go skiing. I didn’t think this would be something I’d get to do in China. Sure the slopes wasn’t anything close to what we ski or snowboard on in the U.S., but it was a fun day of snowboarding!!! Our former students were so generous and didn’t let us pay for anything. We are so lucky to have such kind and caring students.
So if you didn’t know, Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important holiday in China, so basically most of China is on vacation for the month of February...which means we don't have a session in February. Yes, that means we're off until our next session, which doesn’t begin until March 8th. So the next few weeks will be filled with lots of rest, relaxation and catching up on my TV shows online. They'll be no traveling for me during Chinese New Year as it is very expensive and everyone in China travels during this time so I'm not trying to get caught up in these crazy crowds pushing and shoving...and that's the elderly people!
OK, that's it for this update. I hope all is well with everyone. Take care, God Bless!
Timothy Wong
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
January update from China!
Greetings from China!
Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year. I know its been a while since my last update, but its been a busy month. After an absolutely wonderful December session, we had a two week break for Christmas & New Year. So on December 29th, I flew down to Hong Kong to meet up with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend. It was great to see them! We spent the New Year in Hong Kong and it was a great time! Also, having lived in Beijing for 5 month, I had a new appreciation for Hong Kong like I never did before. Wow, everything was so much cleaner in Hong Kong, the people spoke Cantonese, it wasn't as crowded, and of course the Chinese food there is what I'm use to. We had a weigh in when we got to Hong Kong. I've obviously lost a lot of weight living in Beijing due to the food as I've dropped to 132 lbs (I normally weigh 140 lbs). So as you guessed it, all I did was eat when I was in Hong Kong and wow, it was some good eating!!! Moving along, on January 2nd, we flew back to China, specifically to Qingdao. We spent three days in Qingdao and saw the seaside, LaoShan Mountain and got a tour of the Tsingtao Beer factory. Then we took a 20 hour train to Xian. Not to worry, we got the soft sleeper train, so the 20 hour trip was quite easy. We spent two days in Xian and saw the Terra Cotta Warriors and rode bikes on the Xian City Wall. And yes the Xian part sounds really familiar because I was just in Xian at the end of November, but my parents and my brother had never been to Xian, so it was part of our trip. It didn't matter as Xian was a place I didn't mind seeing again. Another highlight of our travels to Qingdao and Xian was getting to see a few of my students from last session. They were very generous and took us out to eat and gave me many gifts. My suitcase was getting quite full by the end of the trip! So after Xian, we took another soft sleeper train back to Beijing. This train ride was only 10 hours, so it was a breeze as we slept most of the way. Once we got to Beijing, we hit some tourist spots like The Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Tiananmen Square, the Beijing Zoo (gotta see the Panda bears when you come to China), but the one that easily takes the cake is The Great Wall! My brother, his girlfriend and I climbed up three towers and it was quite a hike, but the view from up there is absolutely amazing! I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to see the Great Wall in person while I am in China. It truly is one of the great wonders of the world and I would highly recommend the Great Wall to everyone's must see list if you ever come to China! It is an experience that photos just can't justify. Speaking of photos, I've uploaded a bunch of new photos from our travels in Hong Kong and around China: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
So here's some news. This session I am not teaching in a class room because I am one of four facilitators that will be going to Shanxi at the end of the month to teach English. Here's the twist...we will be teaching English to young children in Shanxi. We are using this month to prepare and plan a curriculum since teaching English to adult teachers is quite different than teaching English to young children. We'll be teaching in Shanxi for one week and a lot of stuff is still up in the air as decisions are always made at the last minute by the people in charge (its how things work in China), so please keep us in your prayers as we try our best to prepare for the unknown and this venture to Shanxi. Most of all, please pray for a clean living environment and no squatty toilets...seriously!!!
Anyways that's about it for this update. I wish you all a prosperous new year and may 2010 be filled with much joy and happiness!
Timothy Wong
Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year. I know its been a while since my last update, but its been a busy month. After an absolutely wonderful December session, we had a two week break for Christmas & New Year. So on December 29th, I flew down to Hong Kong to meet up with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend. It was great to see them! We spent the New Year in Hong Kong and it was a great time! Also, having lived in Beijing for 5 month, I had a new appreciation for Hong Kong like I never did before. Wow, everything was so much cleaner in Hong Kong, the people spoke Cantonese, it wasn't as crowded, and of course the Chinese food there is what I'm use to. We had a weigh in when we got to Hong Kong. I've obviously lost a lot of weight living in Beijing due to the food as I've dropped to 132 lbs (I normally weigh 140 lbs). So as you guessed it, all I did was eat when I was in Hong Kong and wow, it was some good eating!!! Moving along, on January 2nd, we flew back to China, specifically to Qingdao. We spent three days in Qingdao and saw the seaside, LaoShan Mountain and got a tour of the Tsingtao Beer factory. Then we took a 20 hour train to Xian. Not to worry, we got the soft sleeper train, so the 20 hour trip was quite easy. We spent two days in Xian and saw the Terra Cotta Warriors and rode bikes on the Xian City Wall. And yes the Xian part sounds really familiar because I was just in Xian at the end of November, but my parents and my brother had never been to Xian, so it was part of our trip. It didn't matter as Xian was a place I didn't mind seeing again. Another highlight of our travels to Qingdao and Xian was getting to see a few of my students from last session. They were very generous and took us out to eat and gave me many gifts. My suitcase was getting quite full by the end of the trip! So after Xian, we took another soft sleeper train back to Beijing. This train ride was only 10 hours, so it was a breeze as we slept most of the way. Once we got to Beijing, we hit some tourist spots like The Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Tiananmen Square, the Beijing Zoo (gotta see the Panda bears when you come to China), but the one that easily takes the cake is The Great Wall! My brother, his girlfriend and I climbed up three towers and it was quite a hike, but the view from up there is absolutely amazing! I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to see the Great Wall in person while I am in China. It truly is one of the great wonders of the world and I would highly recommend the Great Wall to everyone's must see list if you ever come to China! It is an experience that photos just can't justify. Speaking of photos, I've uploaded a bunch of new photos from our travels in Hong Kong and around China: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
So here's some news. This session I am not teaching in a class room because I am one of four facilitators that will be going to Shanxi at the end of the month to teach English. Here's the twist...we will be teaching English to young children in Shanxi. We are using this month to prepare and plan a curriculum since teaching English to adult teachers is quite different than teaching English to young children. We'll be teaching in Shanxi for one week and a lot of stuff is still up in the air as decisions are always made at the last minute by the people in charge (its how things work in China), so please keep us in your prayers as we try our best to prepare for the unknown and this venture to Shanxi. Most of all, please pray for a clean living environment and no squatty toilets...seriously!!!
Anyways that's about it for this update. I wish you all a prosperous new year and may 2010 be filled with much joy and happiness!
Timothy Wong
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
December update from China!
Greetings from China!
Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? Can you believe I've been in China for over 4 months now? Wow, its crazy how fast time goes by.
So since my last update in November, a lot has happened. Let's start with Thanksgiving. After the third session was over, the staff had a Thanksgiving potluck dinner the Sunday night after Thanksgiving. It wasn't quite the traditional Thanksgiving dinner I look foward to every year, but I guess it was better than nothing. We had roasted chicken in place of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and it was pretty good, but nothing replaces a good o turkey at Thanksgiving. Let's just say potluck isn't my idea of a Thanksgiving dinner. Regardless, we all had a good time and we are all very thankful for the things that we have been blessed with.
During our one week break, a few of us took a trip to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. We took a train to Xian and not to worry, unlike our trip to Inner Mongolia, this time we went early and didn't get lost trying to find the Beijing train station. We got tickets for a soft sleeper train and wow it was nice! There are 4 beds in each room and its basically riding in first class and it was the easiest 11 hours of traveling ever. We went to bed about an hour into the ride and then the conductor woke us up around 6:30am to let us know we will be arriving soon. If you are ever in China and planning on traveling by train, I highly recommend you spend the extra $30 U.S. dollars and upgrade to the soft sleeper train...it was so worth it!!! We stayed at a very nice hostel which was in the heart of Xian and literally right next to the Xian City Wall. Not to worry, the hostel was very nice and it was basically like staying at a hotel. Anyways we got on a bus and took a 45 minute bus ride to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. It was really cool to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and learn about the history behind it. Later that evening, we got back and decided to walk the local streets of Xian and get some local food for dinner. The next day, we rode bicycles around the Xian City Wall. This was quite amazing as we rode all the way around the Xian City Wall in 90 minutes and got to see a great view of the city from all angles. If you ever go to Xian, you need to do this! Later that evening, we hopped back on our soft sleeper train and went back to Beijing. Again, money well spent for that soft sleeper train as it was the easiest 11 hours of traveling. When we woke up in the morning, we were back in Beijing. Why can't all long distance trips be this easy?!? Anyways Xian was a great trip and I highly recommend it if you are in China!
So we started our fourth session on Monday, December 7th. This session I am co-facilitating with Ed. Ed is a Baptist Minister from Georgia and he's 79 years old. But don't let his age fool ya, Ed is full of energy and passion and he's an all around great guy! You have to admire a guy like Ed who is 79 years old, has cancer, but is spending the final years of his life traveling to places like China and teaching English. I am honored and very happy to be working with Ed this session. Ed and I have 33 wonderful students in our middle level class, who are so enthusiastic and ready to learn English. It makes us very excited to teach students who have such positive attitudes!
By the way, do you remember the very slow internet we had for two months in the dorm when we first arrived in China? Well its back because our 3G internet that was faster, is down and has been down for a couple weeks now. So we are back to using the very slow 1G internet in our dorm. I am at an internet cafe right now because I wanted to upload some new photos (my class from session 3, the staff Thanksgiving dinner, photos from our trip to Xian and also some late photos from our trip to Inner Mongolia) to send along with this update. Click on the link to see my new pics: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
We have a two week break after this session is over on December 26th, so my parents, my brother and his girlfriend are flying to Hong Kong on December 29th and I will fly to Hong Kong that day as well to meet up with them. We'll spend New Year's Eve together in Hong Kong and then fly back to China and do some traveling and the tourist thing.
I hope you all enjoy your holidays. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Wishing everyone all the best in 2010. Take care, miss ya lots!
Timothy Wong
Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? Can you believe I've been in China for over 4 months now? Wow, its crazy how fast time goes by.
So since my last update in November, a lot has happened. Let's start with Thanksgiving. After the third session was over, the staff had a Thanksgiving potluck dinner the Sunday night after Thanksgiving. It wasn't quite the traditional Thanksgiving dinner I look foward to every year, but I guess it was better than nothing. We had roasted chicken in place of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and it was pretty good, but nothing replaces a good o turkey at Thanksgiving. Let's just say potluck isn't my idea of a Thanksgiving dinner. Regardless, we all had a good time and we are all very thankful for the things that we have been blessed with.
During our one week break, a few of us took a trip to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. We took a train to Xian and not to worry, unlike our trip to Inner Mongolia, this time we went early and didn't get lost trying to find the Beijing train station. We got tickets for a soft sleeper train and wow it was nice! There are 4 beds in each room and its basically riding in first class and it was the easiest 11 hours of traveling ever. We went to bed about an hour into the ride and then the conductor woke us up around 6:30am to let us know we will be arriving soon. If you are ever in China and planning on traveling by train, I highly recommend you spend the extra $30 U.S. dollars and upgrade to the soft sleeper train...it was so worth it!!! We stayed at a very nice hostel which was in the heart of Xian and literally right next to the Xian City Wall. Not to worry, the hostel was very nice and it was basically like staying at a hotel. Anyways we got on a bus and took a 45 minute bus ride to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. It was really cool to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and learn about the history behind it. Later that evening, we got back and decided to walk the local streets of Xian and get some local food for dinner. The next day, we rode bicycles around the Xian City Wall. This was quite amazing as we rode all the way around the Xian City Wall in 90 minutes and got to see a great view of the city from all angles. If you ever go to Xian, you need to do this! Later that evening, we hopped back on our soft sleeper train and went back to Beijing. Again, money well spent for that soft sleeper train as it was the easiest 11 hours of traveling. When we woke up in the morning, we were back in Beijing. Why can't all long distance trips be this easy?!? Anyways Xian was a great trip and I highly recommend it if you are in China!
So we started our fourth session on Monday, December 7th. This session I am co-facilitating with Ed. Ed is a Baptist Minister from Georgia and he's 79 years old. But don't let his age fool ya, Ed is full of energy and passion and he's an all around great guy! You have to admire a guy like Ed who is 79 years old, has cancer, but is spending the final years of his life traveling to places like China and teaching English. I am honored and very happy to be working with Ed this session. Ed and I have 33 wonderful students in our middle level class, who are so enthusiastic and ready to learn English. It makes us very excited to teach students who have such positive attitudes!
By the way, do you remember the very slow internet we had for two months in the dorm when we first arrived in China? Well its back because our 3G internet that was faster, is down and has been down for a couple weeks now. So we are back to using the very slow 1G internet in our dorm. I am at an internet cafe right now because I wanted to upload some new photos (my class from session 3, the staff Thanksgiving dinner, photos from our trip to Xian and also some late photos from our trip to Inner Mongolia) to send along with this update. Click on the link to see my new pics: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
We have a two week break after this session is over on December 26th, so my parents, my brother and his girlfriend are flying to Hong Kong on December 29th and I will fly to Hong Kong that day as well to meet up with them. We'll spend New Year's Eve together in Hong Kong and then fly back to China and do some traveling and the tourist thing.
I hope you all enjoy your holidays. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Wishing everyone all the best in 2010. Take care, miss ya lots!
Timothy Wong
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
November update from China!
Greetings from China!
Winter has definitely fallen on Beijing. Snow has fallen several times in the past two weeks and factor in the wind chill, its like I'm back in New Jersey, but instead of driving, I'm taking public transportation. Good thing I finally got me a warm winter jacket. That knock off North Face fleece wasn't quite doing the job.
So we are currently in the middle of the third session. Dorothy and I are co-teaching the highest level class and we have 38 students. At first, this class overall wasn't as astute as students from past sessions, but they are slowly, but surely coming out of their shells and we are getting to know better.
Before the third session began on November 9th, we had a week off. At the conclusion of the second session, we had a staff Halloween party (I was Superman). During the break, we stayed local in Beijing and went to the Beijing Zoo (you can't come to China and not see Panda bears). We also went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch (Dorothy is a big fan of the Hard Rock Cafe). However, in China you don't have to leave gratuity, but at the Hard Rock Cafe, they charged a 15% gratuity just like in the U.S. Its been over 3 months since I paid gratuity at a restaurant in the U.S., so this was not a good feeling! I tell ya, its gonna be a huge adjustment when I come home in July.
We also got to see the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium. One of my students from the second session invited me and Dorothy to go tour the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium because her brother is a police officer and was able to get us in. It was quite a sight to see the inside of the Bird's Nest. This place is huge as it holds over 100,000 people. I can only imagine what a spectacle it was with all those people there during the Olympics last summer.
I've added some new photos to my photo webpage which includes my class from the second session, the staff Halloween party, the interior of the Bird's Nest, the Beijing Zoo and the Hard Rock Cafe. Just click on the link to see the photos: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499?size=All&startIndex=0
Anyways I know its been a while since I sent my last update. During the session, classes have been keeping me busy, but I'll try to send updates and photos more often if my schedule allows.
As we approach Thanksgiving, please remember to eat a little extra turkey for me. Wow, I'm so gonna miss a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on November 26th. Hope you're all doing well back home. Take care, miss ya lots!
Timothy Wong
Winter has definitely fallen on Beijing. Snow has fallen several times in the past two weeks and factor in the wind chill, its like I'm back in New Jersey, but instead of driving, I'm taking public transportation. Good thing I finally got me a warm winter jacket. That knock off North Face fleece wasn't quite doing the job.
So we are currently in the middle of the third session. Dorothy and I are co-teaching the highest level class and we have 38 students. At first, this class overall wasn't as astute as students from past sessions, but they are slowly, but surely coming out of their shells and we are getting to know better.
Before the third session began on November 9th, we had a week off. At the conclusion of the second session, we had a staff Halloween party (I was Superman). During the break, we stayed local in Beijing and went to the Beijing Zoo (you can't come to China and not see Panda bears). We also went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch (Dorothy is a big fan of the Hard Rock Cafe). However, in China you don't have to leave gratuity, but at the Hard Rock Cafe, they charged a 15% gratuity just like in the U.S. Its been over 3 months since I paid gratuity at a restaurant in the U.S., so this was not a good feeling! I tell ya, its gonna be a huge adjustment when I come home in July.
We also got to see the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium. One of my students from the second session invited me and Dorothy to go tour the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium because her brother is a police officer and was able to get us in. It was quite a sight to see the inside of the Bird's Nest. This place is huge as it holds over 100,000 people. I can only imagine what a spectacle it was with all those people there during the Olympics last summer.
I've added some new photos to my photo webpage which includes my class from the second session, the staff Halloween party, the interior of the Bird's Nest, the Beijing Zoo and the Hard Rock Cafe. Just click on the link to see the photos: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499?size=All&startIndex=0
Anyways I know its been a while since I sent my last update. During the session, classes have been keeping me busy, but I'll try to send updates and photos more often if my schedule allows.
As we approach Thanksgiving, please remember to eat a little extra turkey for me. Wow, I'm so gonna miss a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on November 26th. Hope you're all doing well back home. Take care, miss ya lots!
Timothy Wong
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Update before the second session!
Just wanted to send a quick update before we begin our second session tomorrow, as things will get extremely busy once the session begins. We are expecting approximately 470 students for this next session and 200 of them have already arrived this afternoon. Once again, I have been assigned a middle level class. This is a good thing as I can use the notes and lesson plans I prepared and used for my middle level class from the first session. Placement interviews start tomorrow so we can assign the students to the proper level classes. On Tuesday, we get to meet our finalized class followed by the opening ceremony. Wednesday is the first official day of class for session 2. I'm looking foward to getting back in the class room and teaching again as we've been off for two weeks.
Speaking of our two week break, we got to spend some quality time just relaxing and resting after session one. We won't normally get two weeks off between sessions, so the extended break was real nice. Part of the reason for the extended break is because China just celebrated their national day which is equivalent to the 4th of July in the U.S. It wasn't all just sleeping in during our two week break. We went out and had some fun as well. We went and saw the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Let me tell ya, seeing both of them on TV last summer during the Olympics doesn't do it justice. Both the Bird's Nest and Water Cube is enormous and it has become China's newest tourist attraction. If you're ever in China, please make sure you put this on your to see list. We also got tickets to see the China Open. It was held at the Olympic tennis stadium which is right down the road from the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. We got pretty good tickets and saw 4 matches that day. We also got to do some shopping at the Silk Market. The Silk Market is a 6 story building that is set up like a flea market with vendors that sell any brand or designer knock off and yes the art of bartering is alive and well. We'll leave it at I got some great deals! The third floor of the silk market is devoted to custom tailored dresses and suits. I thought I got a good deal when I had a suit made in Hong Kong two years ago...well its even cheaper in China. So me and one of the other teachers Ed decided to have a suit made because it was such a good deal and the best part, the fabric is cashmere. I've never had a cashmere anything, so I was really excited about this suit! So after a few days, we came back for the fitting and then a few days later we picked up our suit. The suit fits perfectly, the cashmere fabric is just lovely and the tailor did some fine detailing in her work. Here's something funny. The tailor showed us a photo scrapbook of all the celebrities she's made suits for. One of the celebrities I recognized was Charles Barkley. She said he's a very nice guy, but she had to charge him somewhat more for his suits because he's a big guy, but being that Charles is a retired NBA player, I'm sure he can afford it. So the next time you see Charles Barkley on TV, he just might be wearing a suit that was tailored by this lady in China. I just love being able to say I have the same tailor as Charles Barkley.
Saturday night, we were all invited to an engagement party for Jessie (one of the Chinese staff). We all enjoyed a delicious dinner which included Peking Duck. I need to have a more steady diet of Peking Duck while I'm in China as its only my second Peking Duck dinner so far, but this dinner in my opinion was probably the best meal I've had in China so far!
I've updated my photo webpage with new photos from the China Open, church, and Jessie's engagement party: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
Anyways wish me luck as I prepare to begin the second session. I hope you're all doing well back home. Take care, I'll try to send an update soon if things don't get too crazy during the session.
Timothy Wong
Speaking of our two week break, we got to spend some quality time just relaxing and resting after session one. We won't normally get two weeks off between sessions, so the extended break was real nice. Part of the reason for the extended break is because China just celebrated their national day which is equivalent to the 4th of July in the U.S. It wasn't all just sleeping in during our two week break. We went out and had some fun as well. We went and saw the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Let me tell ya, seeing both of them on TV last summer during the Olympics doesn't do it justice. Both the Bird's Nest and Water Cube is enormous and it has become China's newest tourist attraction. If you're ever in China, please make sure you put this on your to see list. We also got tickets to see the China Open. It was held at the Olympic tennis stadium which is right down the road from the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. We got pretty good tickets and saw 4 matches that day. We also got to do some shopping at the Silk Market. The Silk Market is a 6 story building that is set up like a flea market with vendors that sell any brand or designer knock off and yes the art of bartering is alive and well. We'll leave it at I got some great deals! The third floor of the silk market is devoted to custom tailored dresses and suits. I thought I got a good deal when I had a suit made in Hong Kong two years ago...well its even cheaper in China. So me and one of the other teachers Ed decided to have a suit made because it was such a good deal and the best part, the fabric is cashmere. I've never had a cashmere anything, so I was really excited about this suit! So after a few days, we came back for the fitting and then a few days later we picked up our suit. The suit fits perfectly, the cashmere fabric is just lovely and the tailor did some fine detailing in her work. Here's something funny. The tailor showed us a photo scrapbook of all the celebrities she's made suits for. One of the celebrities I recognized was Charles Barkley. She said he's a very nice guy, but she had to charge him somewhat more for his suits because he's a big guy, but being that Charles is a retired NBA player, I'm sure he can afford it. So the next time you see Charles Barkley on TV, he just might be wearing a suit that was tailored by this lady in China. I just love being able to say I have the same tailor as Charles Barkley.
Saturday night, we were all invited to an engagement party for Jessie (one of the Chinese staff). We all enjoyed a delicious dinner which included Peking Duck. I need to have a more steady diet of Peking Duck while I'm in China as its only my second Peking Duck dinner so far, but this dinner in my opinion was probably the best meal I've had in China so far!
I've updated my photo webpage with new photos from the China Open, church, and Jessie's engagement party: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499
Anyways wish me luck as I prepare to begin the second session. I hope you're all doing well back home. Take care, I'll try to send an update soon if things don't get too crazy during the session.
Timothy Wong
Monday, September 28, 2009
September in China!
Sun 9/27/2009
Greetings from China after a very busy first session!
I know its been a few weeks since I sent an update, but its been a busy month. We just finished our first session on Saturday, so we're on break for two weeks until our next session begins on October 12th. We're planning on doing some sightseeing locally (Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, Bird's Nest, Water Cube and etc.) and just relaxing because our next session, we're expecting about 450 students. It'll be even busier and more hectic than this first session which had only 197 students.
I had a great middle level class this first session. There were 29 students in this class and all but 2 of them were teachers, which made things much easier as all of then wanted to do well. As I got to know my class better, I noticed they were very precision like and wanted to know every little detail about everything. Also, when I introduced a new vocabulary word, they would all repeat it together until they got it perfect. Its weird to have 29 people hang onto your every word. Towards the end of the session, all the students have to give a 10 minute speech on a topic of their choice. This was a very stressful thing for them, but we prepared them from week one teaching them how to write a speech outline and the art of public speaking. I'm glad to report that all my students did fine and they all graduated on Friday night. My students are such a nice group because they surprised me on my birthday with a big poster they all made and signed. They also got me a gigantic cake and flowers. To top it all off, as part of the culture here, the students take their teachers out to lunch or dinner at the end of the session. Well we ate at this really fancy restaurant on Saturday...very good food! I am truly touched by how nice and generous they were to me especially because these students are all teachers and their salaries aren't much, but here they are pooling their money together to get me a cake and flowers for my birthday and also took me out to a fancy lunch at the end of a session. I'm truly humbled by their generosity and thoughtfulness. They made my birthday very special and it was difficult saying goodbye to all of them on Saturday. I wonder if saying goodbye to the students each session will get easier or will it be just as difficult as Saturday? Perhaps this class was special because they were my first class? I don't even want to think about how difficult its gonna be to say goodbye in July 2010...to the students, the staff and China.
So you all must be expecting some photos. Well I'm very sorry to report we are still using this very slow 3G internet and its really bad. I'm positive that dial-up is quicker than this!!! I promise as soon as they get us this faster internet, you'll get some photos.
Last weekend, one of the teachers made a home cooked meal...pasta!!! We all really enjoyed it as we've been getting Chinese food...well everyday. Oh and speaking of cooking, I've officially learned how to cook a grilled cheese sandwich. No not on a George Foreman grill or a sandwich iron.....on a pan like a real grilled cheese sandwich should be made! I know what you're thinking...has hell frozen over?!? Are pigs flying outside your windows??? Settle down, its just a grilled cheese sandwich. Baby steps people...baby steps!
Alright, that's about it for now. I'm having a great time here in China and looking foward to having some fun and enjoying this two week break before the next session begins.
Hope all is well...miss you all. I'll send another update soon...hopefully with photos.
Timothy Wong
Greetings from China after a very busy first session!
I know its been a few weeks since I sent an update, but its been a busy month. We just finished our first session on Saturday, so we're on break for two weeks until our next session begins on October 12th. We're planning on doing some sightseeing locally (Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, Bird's Nest, Water Cube and etc.) and just relaxing because our next session, we're expecting about 450 students. It'll be even busier and more hectic than this first session which had only 197 students.
I had a great middle level class this first session. There were 29 students in this class and all but 2 of them were teachers, which made things much easier as all of then wanted to do well. As I got to know my class better, I noticed they were very precision like and wanted to know every little detail about everything. Also, when I introduced a new vocabulary word, they would all repeat it together until they got it perfect. Its weird to have 29 people hang onto your every word. Towards the end of the session, all the students have to give a 10 minute speech on a topic of their choice. This was a very stressful thing for them, but we prepared them from week one teaching them how to write a speech outline and the art of public speaking. I'm glad to report that all my students did fine and they all graduated on Friday night. My students are such a nice group because they surprised me on my birthday with a big poster they all made and signed. They also got me a gigantic cake and flowers. To top it all off, as part of the culture here, the students take their teachers out to lunch or dinner at the end of the session. Well we ate at this really fancy restaurant on Saturday...very good food! I am truly touched by how nice and generous they were to me especially because these students are all teachers and their salaries aren't much, but here they are pooling their money together to get me a cake and flowers for my birthday and also took me out to a fancy lunch at the end of a session. I'm truly humbled by their generosity and thoughtfulness. They made my birthday very special and it was difficult saying goodbye to all of them on Saturday. I wonder if saying goodbye to the students each session will get easier or will it be just as difficult as Saturday? Perhaps this class was special because they were my first class? I don't even want to think about how difficult its gonna be to say goodbye in July 2010...to the students, the staff and China.
So you all must be expecting some photos. Well I'm very sorry to report we are still using this very slow 3G internet and its really bad. I'm positive that dial-up is quicker than this!!! I promise as soon as they get us this faster internet, you'll get some photos.
Last weekend, one of the teachers made a home cooked meal...pasta!!! We all really enjoyed it as we've been getting Chinese food...well everyday. Oh and speaking of cooking, I've officially learned how to cook a grilled cheese sandwich. No not on a George Foreman grill or a sandwich iron.....on a pan like a real grilled cheese sandwich should be made! I know what you're thinking...has hell frozen over?!? Are pigs flying outside your windows??? Settle down, its just a grilled cheese sandwich. Baby steps people...baby steps!
Alright, that's about it for now. I'm having a great time here in China and looking foward to having some fun and enjoying this two week break before the next session begins.
Hope all is well...miss you all. I'll send another update soon...hopefully with photos.
Timothy Wong
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