Here are some pictures of the portion of the Youth Rally we attended at the Church in Dangtu
These first three pictures are of the Sunday morning, the day before the Rally began
Front of sanctuary
Sunday morning: Making costumes for the Youth Event
Sunday morning, children's choir practicing for their part at the Rally
The next couple of pictures gives you a flavour of the song and dance at this amazing event. The church was packed.
There was a lot of excitement as each of the groups lined up for their part in the program. And the torrential downpour and thunder claps added to the drama.
Liturgical Dance, Jesus is Lord of all
Dance of the Prodigal Child
A Dance that included hand dance. So meaningful, so elegant
Singing Songs of Faith
Youth and children of all ages took part. The music and movement combined were emotionally moving. God’s presence was celebrated. We were privileged to be able to be witnesses at least for a portion of the day.
The final days in Dangtu went by quickly, far too quickly. There were final evaluations, certificates to award, classes to plan and final celebrations to put together.
We were joined for the last days by a group of four teachers from Hong Kong, who were there to work with primary and secondary school English teachers for a couple of days. They had been brought in through a teachers organization in co-ordination with a branch of the government to do with foreign relationships. These women were able to join us for meals. We had lively conversations with them about the area and enjoyed sharing our experiences. We also introduced them to the coffee shop in Dangtu.
It was hard to say good bye to the teachers who had been our students. They had become friends and although some will be in touch by email, it is unrealistic to expect that we will ever meet again. The good byes continued with our host and interpreter and then the hotel staff who had been such a large part of our lives in Dangtu. They appreciated the maple sugar candies and Canada flag pins from half a world away. They also gave us reminders of China, mostly preserved food from the region, that is unavailable other places. Such kind and generous gifts! The gifts made packing difficult, but with some rearranging we were ready when the van came to take us to the Nanjing train station. Travelling at speeds of up to 328 km/hr we were in Shanghai in just over an hour.
Our 48 fellow Amity team members trickled in from the 12 placement sites throughout the day. We had the evening to spend in Shanghai, so a group of us headed off to the Expo site, to share the evening with over half a million other people. It was hot and crowded. The grounds were quite amazing but line ups were too long to get into most pavilions and those we entered were crowded. Just being on the grounds was exciting, the different light displays as it grew dark kept us enthralled. But it was good to get back on the Metro and head to the hotel.
Wall in the African Pavilion
Walkway and Communications Pavilion
Pavilion at Expo
Nepal pavilion on left and China Pavilion on Right
Sunday the group gathered for breakfast at 7 and then headed to church at Grace Church Shanghai. There we spent 2 hours in worship that included communion. We were provided with English translation during the service and enjoyed it very much.
Back at the hotel we spent the rest of the day sharing our stories, the good, the amazing and the challenging. Together we shared our ideas for this program in future years and provided the Amity staff with feedback that will allow them to enhance the program. After a full day, we headed to bed, many of us preparing to head back home the next day.
As I write this I am in Ontario, spending a couple of days on the shores of Lake Huron before heading back to Calgary on the weekend.
I hope to update this blog over the next couple of weeks with reflections on my trip and some ideas of how to be involved in similar opportunities. Thanks for joining with me on this journey.
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.
A housing development in Dangtu
This is a city in transition. There is a push for progress and many are moving from rural areas into the city, so the city is encroaching on land that until recently was the home of farmers growing rice and vegetables. It is not far
Rice growing on the outskirts of Dangtu
to the edge of town where crops are still grown using traditional methods and goats nimbly play on the hillsides. There new building developments and traditional farm houses sit side by side for now.
There is construction everywhere we look. Posters on walls along streets show pictures of what developments will look like. We have watched as in the days since we arrived the skeletons of buildings have sprung up almost literally overnight.
People still watch us as we make our way to school, but most now smile, wave and greet us in one language or another. It is only a couple of blocks, but it is a wonderful beginning to each day.
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
On this bridge the writing urges the students to make the most of their days.
This is the church we are attending in Dangtu
We are teaching on the second floor of this building
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.
