Month: July 2010

It has been a while since my last entry.  Things are fine here, but we have had some extra activities and the internet has been very unreliable.

On the weekend our host took us to a scenic area about 30 minutes from Dangtu.  There we climbed a high hill to see a pagoda, were able to overlook the Yangtze River.  Although the mist and perhaps smog were heavy, the high water level was obvious, as water lapped on the sides of buildings and trunks of trees. 

On Sunday we attended the church service.  The text for the day came from Philippians chapter 3.  The large sanctuary was packed.  Afterwards we were again treated like guests of honour.  We have posed for many pictures, and were toured around to rooms that were closed in previous times there.  We came upon women busy making vibrant coloured costume with the aid of treadle sewing machines.  We were told that they had a youth event on Monday and Tuesday.  We also heard children’s choirs practicing for the big event. 

On Monday a representative for the Amity foundation made a site visit.  We spent time with her, talking of our experiences after she visited with students and our classrooms.  We were disappointed that the computer crashed when she was there, so our last class was not what we had hoped.  She helped us to get many of the technology problems resolved, so perhaps it was for the best.  Her comments were insightful and positive 

On Tuesday we made arrangements to attend the youth event at the church during our lunch break.  We were ushered to the choir loft in the front for front row seats.  The music, singing, dance and costumes were amazing.  We found the time uplifting! 

I won’t test the internet connection further right now.  So I will post this before I lose it.  Blessings from Dangtu, Jan Hazlett

We begin our morning walk to school around eight each morning.  By then the streets are bustling.  Fresh fish being delivered to the eateries along the street, the duck egg  man with two baskets of eggs balanced on a pole over his shoulders, the knife grinder with his bench and tools similarly perched all merge with workers and students making their way with purpose and with children enjoying summer vacation, playing under the watchful eyes of care givers.  Although traffic is safer here than in Nanjing, it is by no means safe.  The bicycles with their drivers, often with a passenger or two, the electic bikes and scooters and  taxis all weave in and out amid other traffic in an chaotic dance.  Pedestrians must watch and time their steps carefully!

Dangtu is a small city by Chinese standards, having a population we understand of 600,000 people.  The urban part covers a relatively small area,  but the  Dangtu region extends to include smaller towns and country side.  Many people live in flats in housing developments like the one below.

Today was the first sunny day we have experienced in Dangtu.  The sun was filtered through the haze in the sky, but it was still very hot.  Today we also were able to use the air-conditioners in our classrooms.  This made everything easier! 

 Although many of the teachers live here in the city of Dangtu, there are many from nearby towns and from  rural areas.  Since most do not own cars, getting home during the week is impossible.  So today it was fun to talk about what the students did during their weekend.  

We have approximately 90 students in total and we have divided them into three classes according to their ability. However, we often have visitors in the classes also, sometimes children or relatives of the teachers, sometimes their best students, sometimes friends, so we never know how many will be in the classrooms.  If you look in the picture of the classrooms you will see that they look similar to classrooms at home, but in the same space they can put up to 75 students in traditional rows.  This size of class is not unusual here.  Since we only have 30 or so students in our classes, I have moved desks around the outside of the room to form a circle, giving us room in the middle to play some games but also allowing me to look right at each of the students. I hope this helps with comprehension. During our teaching day  we each teach 3 classes in the morning. The material is similar between the classes, but must be adjusted for the level of comprehension.  Sometimes we hit the nail on the head, sometimes we accept what is and resolve to do better the next day.  In the afternoon we are working on an information exchange about our respective countries. Each of us takes on basic lesson and teaches it at different levels for three days.  The last period of the day is “English corner”.  We conduct it in a large room with a power point projector.  This is to be a more informal conversation time that we share in leading. 

Today in English corner, Debbie had one class share a poem they had written in their morning class time. It was about a beautiful mountain about 4 hours from here called Yellow Mountain.  Afterward we talked about the mountain or where we would like to travel. 

I have finally figured out how to post pictures, so hope to post more pictures this week. 

Blessings from Dangtu,  Jan Hazlett

Today we went to class in a torrential downpour.  It was hard to hear sometimes in class because of the noise from the rain, but this afternoon the sun tried to shine through the cloud, the rain stopped and we were able to enjoy some time outside.

We have finished our first week of classes.  It has been a time of learning for all of us.  Although at first our students were reticent to use their English, they are increasing in confidence.  We are enjoying the students’ humour and they are beginning to understand us better each day. We are still struggling with the technology, but with John’s suggestions from home, we are enjoying a measure of success. (Thanks John!)

Last Sunday we went to a large church and theological centre in Dangtu.  The first hymn was “This is my Father’s world” so we felt right at home!  This was the first time that our translator had been to church and he was very interested. Don and I had purchased English/Chinese bibles in Nanjing and they were helpful as we were in the service.  A young woman preached on Zaccheus, and in the middle of a downpour she said, we may not be able to control the weather, but we can control our hearts and our minds. She went on to exhort all those present to follow Jesus ways in all of life, even when it is difficult.  Afterward we met with the minister and a representative from the religioun bureau of Dangtu.  The minister sends greetings to Canada and the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and appreciates our prayers and support. He also offered the prayers of his people for our church in Canada. We look forward to going to church again this weekend.

This week in my classes I have been sharing about what I do as a minister.  The students were interested as they had no idea what a “minister” might do.  Through the miracle of internet, John sent some pictures of St. Andrew’s Calgary and my office. I brought a picture of me at a baptism in my robes with a baby in my arms.  This allowed me to explain about baptism.  When I explained about the words we use in Baptism, many of the students found them familiar.  They were interested in the pictures I had of the youth group!  Again the Bible in two languages has been helpful.  As I share about my life, the students have shared about theirs and I am learning a lot! I also snuck in a couple of pictures of John’s office building and his office (cubicle).  They all agree that I have the nicer office.

I am appreciating the comments and emails.  This week there have been a couple of days when internet service was not available, so if I have not gotten back to you, please understand. 

Debbie and I were taken to a real coffee shop today.  The coffee was amazing!  Recharged, smiles on our faces, we look forward to the weekend. 

Jan Hazlett

This afternoon Debbie, Don and I had a special lesson for the English teachers.  We talked about the maple trees, the leaf on our flag and then explained how to tap trees and make maple syrup.  We had the teachers taste maple syrup by dipping bread into it.  Most thought it was far too sweet.  Many were surprised that we could get that sweet taste from trees.  Some were worried that it was not really edible.  It made for interesting conversation for the rest of the time in class!

Although we are experiencing some difficulty with computer compatibility, we are finding different ways to do what we had planned.  Don had a wonderful lesson today to help the teachers with the problematic “th” sound.  To say “th” the students were to achieve the sound by touching a sucker with their tongue. It made a difficult drill fun for all.  Debbie has the classes working on poems and stories.  I am leading discussions about teaching and learning English.  It is fun thinking of new games and activities to begin the classes, so that we begin on a positive note. 

There has been little rain yesterday or today, but the clouds remain, so although it is hot, it is not unbearably hot–yet. The streets are drying and our shoes are drying too.  Mosquitoes are beginning to be a nuisance, regardless of the precautions we take.  We really appreciate that we have air conditioners in the hotel, that work when we are in our rooms. But we go with fans and open windows in the classrooms. 

It is nice to begin to be able to call students by name. We have observed that most are more confident with their English after just a couple of days,which speaks to their dedication and willingness to take risks.  We are encouraged and continue to work hard to plan lessons that will continue the progress. 

Jan Hazlett,  July 14, 2010

Hello from Dangtu. As I write this there are horns sounding in the street. They use their horns to warn drivers of as a vehicle approaches from behind, so horns sound most of the time.  Also as background noise this weekend, fireworks seemed to be going off most of the time.  We have been told that it is customary to set off fireworks to celebrate…. celebrate anything, like a store opening, a wedding, a funeral etc.  We found this morning as we taught that it is hard to speak over the fire works.

Our hosts have been very attentive and helpful.  They eat meals with us and our interpreter is with us all of the time.  The food here is wonderful.  We have enjoyed many different fish and vegetable dishes. They use a lot of different kinds of hot peppers, so the food makes your mouth hum.   We have rice every meal and a lot of watermelon.  The portions are generous and we are filled to the brim each meal!

In this area there have been few foreigners, so we cause a stir wherever we go.  People stop to look at us, and many have impressed us as they have come up to us to practice their English.  One little boy looked up and us and said something that made everybody laugh.  Our interpreter told us he said we were very tall!

The classes are large.  We have found today that it will be a challenge to provide opportunities for everyone to speak in English every day, but that is our goal! After 3 hours in the morning we break for lunch and time out of the heat.  We reconvene for two more classes before the end of the day.  This afternoon we will begin with sessions to share our country and theirs.  I will be talking about the beaver as a symbol of the country.  Later this week we will talk about maple leaves and I will share the maple syrup I brought. 

Although we all have lingering coughs, the colds have come and  gone and we are in good health and eager to teach well.  It has rained here almost since we got here, so the heat is not  a big issue for us yet.

Jan Hazlett July 13, 2010