It is Tuesday morning here and I am sitting in my cubicle in the Foreign Language Teachers’ Office at Hangzhou High School! They gave me my own little space with a computer, cappuccino mix, tea and a file cabinet. It’s perfect!
Let me start out by saying how fantastic the staff and administration here have been since we arrived! There was a welcoming committee of about 6 teachers at the train station waiting for us. With big smiles and an excited look on their faces, they gave each of us a bouquet of flowers as we got off the train on Sunday morning. They helped us get through the mob that was departing the train station and then threw us into some vans to bring us to the school ...
When we got to the school, we were greeted by even more teachers, the assistant principal and the kids’ host families. There were so many people around making a fuss over us. I said “Ni hao” about 75 times and before I knew it, Colin, Lizzy and Ryan were thrown into their host families’ cars and I had to say good-bye to my travel buddies.
I was escorted to my apartment by Mr. Lu Naichuan (the head of the Foreign Language Department) and Ms. Tang Pei. Tang Pei is an English teacher at the school and she has been appointed to be my guide and translator. She has been absolutely wonderful!
My apartment is awesome! It’s a 2 bed/1 bath with a kitchenette, fantastic views, a washer and dryer, HEAT, a comfortable bed and a sun room. It’s much more than I expected. The bathroom is similar to the ones in some of the hotels - the shower rains over the toilet bowl. One of my first purchases yesterday was some sandals. After a shower, the bathroom turns into a pond.
Yesterday (Monday) was a busy day. I met Tang Pei at 7:15 outside of my apartment building. She showed me where the cafeteria is and we had breakfast together. Chinese breakfast is very different than what we’re used to in America. It’s usually an assortment of noodles, rice, a hard-boiled egg and some other dishes. Coffee isn’t as popular here either. It’s usually just a cup of hot water. My list of things I need to have the day I return to Boston is growing - just added: an extra-large French Vanilla coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.
After breakfast, a student from the school gave Colin, Lizzy, Ryan and me a tour of the school. It’s a huge campus with some great facilities. We were taken to a building that has a very nice 3-story museum devoted to the history of this school. They really take pride in their history and in their alumni’s accomplishments. There was a very fascinating display that showed how the teachers and students had to flee the campus in the late 30’s and early 40’s due to the Japanese occupation of Hangzhou. They used the campus as a ‘base’, if you will, and the people from the school scattered to surrounding towns to continue their studies.
After the tour, we had a very nice lunch prepared just for us by the school’s chef. We were seated in a private room with our tour guide and were treated like VIP guests. We really are getting an over-the-top welcome here - it’s overwhelming how special they’re making us feel.
From there, we had a short Chinese lesson on the basics. I’m sure Ryan was bored being that he’s had 4 years of Chinese. But, I definitely benefited from the review. Grammatically, I get it. However, it’s very hard for me to hear the difference in the 4 tones. We did some listening comprehension activities to assess our understanding of the Chinese tones - I got a 70%. I’m so ashamed.
Then, I followed Lizzy and her host sister, Apple, to a Chinese class so I could observe how classes are conducted here. The class was very big - about 50 kids. At the beginning of class, all the students stood up and bowed to greet their teacher. Then, an announcement came on over the PA system with some soothing music and a woman rattling off a bunch of numbers in Chinese. All the students closed their eyes, put their heads down and were rubbing their foreheads, massaging their heads and just really taking some time to focus and perhaps meditate a little bit. This lasted about 5 minutes and then class began.
Then, at around 5:00, Colin, Lizzy, Ryan and I were invited to a fabulous dinner with about 12 teachers and administrators and the kids’ host siblings. In total, there were about 2 dozen of us that went to this huge restaurant about 2 blocks away from the school. I had a blast!!! The food was never-ending. Every 5 minutes, another plate was brought to the table. I’m proud of myself - I tried everything except the jellyfish. I’m not known for being the most adventurous eater, so this was a big deal for me.
The teachers and administrators cheered one another throughout the entire meal. ‘Gambei’ is Chinese for ‘Cheers!’. It literally means “Bottoms up” and traditionally you’re supposed to down your entire glass of juice or wine. The principal was very pleasant and had Tang Pei tell me that, although Gambei means bottoms up, I shouldn’t feel pressured to drink all of my drink at once. I was Gambei-d at least 30 times throughout the meal. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the welcome we’ve received. The teachers and administrators here are a very special group of people. I’ve only been here 2 days and already I feel like part of the crew.
There’s one last thing I’d like to share before I end this post and that is my new Chinese name. Most of the teachers and students here have English names. Some are rather traditional, such as Rose, Derek, Tony, William and Helen. Others, however, have interesting names like Apple, Vapor and Cherry. Ryan, Lizzy and Colin all have a Chinese name already, so the teacher analyzed their names and showed the characters used to represent them. He asked me if I had one and I couldn’t for the life of me remember the one Louise Zhu gave me (Sorry, Louise!). I wanted something fun, so I asked if my name could be Lightning. The teacher thought about it and said that the Chinese word for that just wouldn’t sound right, so he gave me the name ai lei (there are accents, but I don’t know how to do them on this computer.) This translates to “Love Thunder”. I love it! Today, during our paper cutting class, I introduced myself as Ai Lei and the teacher thought I was nuts. I think I might have to think of something else.
Let me start out by saying how fantastic the staff and administration here have been since we arrived! There was a welcoming committee of about 6 teachers at the train station waiting for us. With big smiles and an excited look on their faces, they gave each of us a bouquet of flowers as we got off the train on Sunday morning. They helped us get through the mob that was departing the train station and then threw us into some vans to bring us to the school ...
When we got to the school, we were greeted by even more teachers, the assistant principal and the kids’ host families. There were so many people around making a fuss over us. I said “Ni hao” about 75 times and before I knew it, Colin, Lizzy and Ryan were thrown into their host families’ cars and I had to say good-bye to my travel buddies.
I was escorted to my apartment by Mr. Lu Naichuan (the head of the Foreign Language Department) and Ms. Tang Pei. Tang Pei is an English teacher at the school and she has been appointed to be my guide and translator. She has been absolutely wonderful!
My apartment is awesome! It’s a 2 bed/1 bath with a kitchenette, fantastic views, a washer and dryer, HEAT, a comfortable bed and a sun room. It’s much more than I expected. The bathroom is similar to the ones in some of the hotels - the shower rains over the toilet bowl. One of my first purchases yesterday was some sandals. After a shower, the bathroom turns into a pond.
Yesterday (Monday) was a busy day. I met Tang Pei at 7:15 outside of my apartment building. She showed me where the cafeteria is and we had breakfast together. Chinese breakfast is very different than what we’re used to in America. It’s usually an assortment of noodles, rice, a hard-boiled egg and some other dishes. Coffee isn’t as popular here either. It’s usually just a cup of hot water. My list of things I need to have the day I return to Boston is growing - just added: an extra-large French Vanilla coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.
After breakfast, a student from the school gave Colin, Lizzy, Ryan and me a tour of the school. It’s a huge campus with some great facilities. We were taken to a building that has a very nice 3-story museum devoted to the history of this school. They really take pride in their history and in their alumni’s accomplishments. There was a very fascinating display that showed how the teachers and students had to flee the campus in the late 30’s and early 40’s due to the Japanese occupation of Hangzhou. They used the campus as a ‘base’, if you will, and the people from the school scattered to surrounding towns to continue their studies.
After the tour, we had a very nice lunch prepared just for us by the school’s chef. We were seated in a private room with our tour guide and were treated like VIP guests. We really are getting an over-the-top welcome here - it’s overwhelming how special they’re making us feel.
From there, we had a short Chinese lesson on the basics. I’m sure Ryan was bored being that he’s had 4 years of Chinese. But, I definitely benefited from the review. Grammatically, I get it. However, it’s very hard for me to hear the difference in the 4 tones. We did some listening comprehension activities to assess our understanding of the Chinese tones - I got a 70%. I’m so ashamed.
Then, I followed Lizzy and her host sister, Apple, to a Chinese class so I could observe how classes are conducted here. The class was very big - about 50 kids. At the beginning of class, all the students stood up and bowed to greet their teacher. Then, an announcement came on over the PA system with some soothing music and a woman rattling off a bunch of numbers in Chinese. All the students closed their eyes, put their heads down and were rubbing their foreheads, massaging their heads and just really taking some time to focus and perhaps meditate a little bit. This lasted about 5 minutes and then class began.
Then, at around 5:00, Colin, Lizzy, Ryan and I were invited to a fabulous dinner with about 12 teachers and administrators and the kids’ host siblings. In total, there were about 2 dozen of us that went to this huge restaurant about 2 blocks away from the school. I had a blast!!! The food was never-ending. Every 5 minutes, another plate was brought to the table. I’m proud of myself - I tried everything except the jellyfish. I’m not known for being the most adventurous eater, so this was a big deal for me.
The teachers and administrators cheered one another throughout the entire meal. ‘Gambei’ is Chinese for ‘Cheers!’. It literally means “Bottoms up” and traditionally you’re supposed to down your entire glass of juice or wine. The principal was very pleasant and had Tang Pei tell me that, although Gambei means bottoms up, I shouldn’t feel pressured to drink all of my drink at once. I was Gambei-d at least 30 times throughout the meal. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the welcome we’ve received. The teachers and administrators here are a very special group of people. I’ve only been here 2 days and already I feel like part of the crew.
There’s one last thing I’d like to share before I end this post and that is my new Chinese name. Most of the teachers and students here have English names. Some are rather traditional, such as Rose, Derek, Tony, William and Helen. Others, however, have interesting names like Apple, Vapor and Cherry. Ryan, Lizzy and Colin all have a Chinese name already, so the teacher analyzed their names and showed the characters used to represent them. He asked me if I had one and I couldn’t for the life of me remember the one Louise Zhu gave me (Sorry, Louise!). I wanted something fun, so I asked if my name could be Lightning. The teacher thought about it and said that the Chinese word for that just wouldn’t sound right, so he gave me the name ai lei (there are accents, but I don’t know how to do them on this computer.) This translates to “Love Thunder”. I love it! Today, during our paper cutting class, I introduced myself as Ai Lei and the teacher thought I was nuts. I think I might have to think of something else.
1 comment:
Thanks so much for the update Chris. I just adore these blogs. Have fun.
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