Follow the Leader (听从领队)

Commence overdue post about recent China adventures.

Three weeks ago, a whole buncha American teachers based in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Shaoxing descended upon Yinchuan. We hung out in my city for a day or two and then continued on to Shapotou, where some much anticipated camel-riding in the desert took place. This is an annual trip, and it always happens the first week of October, during the National Day Golden Week (aka holidaaay!). Yinchuan is the closest to the desert (well, it's sort of in the desert already), so everybody always makes their way here to group up, first, and then they all get on a bus and head into the desert together -- a 4 hour ride south west.

The trip was awesome before I even left for it. While I am the farthest away from any of my fellow teachers, I had the luxury of not having to take a 15+ hour train ride to get here. My fifteen compatriots arrived in Yinchuan at different times on different days, so those who had already arrived had time to kill. I am still far from an expert tour guide of this city, but it was pretty neat having visitors here and showing them the new stomping grounds. 

Seven girls ended up staying in my apartment. Only one ever slept on the floor. Much four star, very comfort. Wow.

We left on a Tuesday and most of the group arrived on Sunday, so we spent that Monday exploring. Honestly, our sans-plan meandering was one of the biggest highlights for me. We saw some of my favorite street vendors, I showed the gals where I work, and we ended up meeting the other half of the group at Zhongshan Park for frisbee in the afternoon. The frisbee was fun, but the real entertainment happened when all we were doing was sitting on benches and waiting for a few latecomers to arrive. As I've stated previously, many people see my dark hair and think that I am part Chinese -- or at least not completely foreign. Some stare at me, but seem not to give me much thought. Throw in 7 or so other foreigners with blonde or light brown hair into the mix, however, and there was definitely more attention.

MUCH more attention.

I knew this park had a zoo, but by golly, I never thought I’d ever be one of the exhibits. 

I actually think this picture is really cute.

So much shade.

Anyway. As mentioned above, we eventually played some frisbee, and then we found a stadium in which to play some football. It was a lot of fun and actually got pretty intense for touch football. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but my heart was happy after being surrounded by friends all day long. 

Thus brings us to Tuesday morning, when we left for our desert camping adventure. On our 4-hour bus ride we saw a couple touristy areas — lavender fields and sand hills and decorative arches, oh my! — as well as arguably the crudest toilets in Ningxia. We finally did get to the desert, though, and it was pretty cool. Some of the group played frisbee in the sand upon arrival, and others decided to take a walk across the dunes. I was part of the latter group. Please note that I felt no regrets in my decision to break from the frisbee tradition as it enabled me to sing and dance to songs from The Lion King while standing atop the highest sand dune in the area. It was a very special couple of moments, I assure you.

Tuesday night we had dinner, and then we went to Inner Mongolia’s version of Medieval Times. It was fun and weird and unforgettable.

Waiting for the black and white knight.

Following the show, a bunch of us drank beer and played Catchphrase at the local “saloon.” Soon after, half of us went to bed while the other half walked across a few dunes and found a spot on which to lie down and stare up at the stars. We were quiet for some time, each of us lost in thought and awe-struck wonder. It was an incredible moment. Before long we had a pπayer circle. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a more perfect moment in its simplicity. To be so exposed to G0d's creation, all at once humbled by the sheer size and depth of his masterpiece and desperate to soak up every ounce of its awe-inspiring grandeur. It was a beautiful, beautiful hour.

Thanks for capturing this awesome shot, Heidi!

Fun fact: that Tuesday was, in fact, my birthday. I neglected to tell anyone on my trip up until the pπayer circle because I didn't want to be that girl making a big deal out of her birthday. It made me feel a little off at times (especially when I kept forgetting it was my own birthday), but it was strangely peaceful and humbling, knowing this lovely thing was going on around me and I had good company and I could just enjoy it as is. My day had already been pretty spectacular.

Wednesday came and so did the camels. That morning we took a trolley, of sorts, to an area of the desert where we were to begin our camel excursion. Camels are HUGE. They are very tall and have very round bellies. It is a slightly nerve-wracking and hilarious moment, when your seated camel stands up with you on its back. Suddenly you are five feet taller, and at the mercy of a desert creature, no less! Luckily all these animals really do is follow each other and expel gas (among other things), so any nerves you feel are generally those of excitement and surprise.

We rode on the camels for four long hours. Any longer and I’m not sure our butts or thighs would have forgiven us. But it was most certainly an incredible experience. 

Kyle the Camel

After riding the camels, we wandered over to an area of the “entertainment zone” of the desert that offered a scenic view of the Yellow River with mountains in the background. There was plenty to do in that area: one could zip line, bungie jump, sled down a giant sand dune, or duck into a few of the shops for some souvenirs. Some of the gang and I decided to zip line across the river while two of the guys bungie jumped. When in China… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

For dinner that night we ate an entire smoked lamb (WHOA), a traditional delicacy of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. It was quite delicious. I also tried lamb brain that night. Definitely not bad. (Alex, I think you would like it — it reminds me of pâté!) Once we were full and satisfied with dinner, we retreated back to our tent area. For the rest of the night we lit Chinese Paper Lanterns, drank terrible Chinese liquor, and played Mafia. Having not slept very well the previous week, I was definitely hoping it was me every time the narrator of our game announced a new murder victim. ...Pretty sure this is the only time I've ever been able to say that. (Not to mention the only time I've ever publicly wondered, "But why did the medic have to save me?")

Yellow River lookout point. Genghis Khan chilling on the right.

The next morning we got up, organized our belongings, took one last walk to the scenic outlook, then bounded back onto the buses for our four hour ride "home." Upon arriving back in Yinchuan, we showered up, did some laundry, and went out for one last group dinner. Everyone had left by the next day. I was sad to see my friends go, but felt spiritually and mentally rejuvenated by their visit. The good feels during and following our time together just means I need to take some time to travel to other F0C cities, I think...!

It was a great trip. The first of many great trips during my time in China, I'm sure. I'm so thankful for the experiences I enjoyed with my friends, though, and for the important reminders they provided me.

One thing that stood out to me in particular during the trip was how the camels moved; or, rather, how they followed each other. I couldn’t help noticing that, even when the terrain changed, the camels never looked at their feet. I’m sure there’s some physiological explanation for it (not to mention the fact that they were all connected by reins tied to their faces), but our camels didn’t seem to watch where they stepped. They never looked down, opting only to look ahead and follow their leader without fear. The imagery of this really resonated with me. How admirable is it that these creatures continue onward, placing their trust and faith in the one leading them (even when their riders are afraid)? Sure, there was the occasional steep sand dune that challenged the elegance of their steps, but the camels never hesitated and never stopped. If their footing was ill-placed, they simply corrected themselves based both on how the leader was walking and on how the leader was leading them. Because they trusted in the one that had gone before them, their own steps were sure and confident. 

Is this not unlike the way we should follow our Sav¡or? He has walked this earth, he has sacrificed his life for ours, and he has gone ahead to prepare a home for us in Heaven. The B¡ble tells us so. We need only have faith and trust in his love and the journey he has taken before us, for us -- then and only then will our steps be sure and confident, because we know our path will lead us to Him.

"For we live by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7)

Like I said, man. It was an awesome trip.

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Mandarin Word of the Day: follow (me)
Chinese characters: 跟我来 (跟 = with, to follow; 我 = me; 来 = to come)
Pinyin pronunciation: gēn wǒ lái

Life in the Classroom (生命课堂)

About time I showed up around here again, right? It's pretty amazing how quickly my weeks get filled up over here in Yinchuan. It's a catch-22: I have more to write about, but less time to do the writing! C'est la vie. I have a pretty good excuse for this last week, though -- I traveled to Shapotou, about three hours southwest of Yinchuan, to camp out in the desert and ride camels with other American teacher friends! I'll write all about that in my next post, but for now I would love to tell you all about how my teaching is going.

As many of you know, I earned my Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification last year, but I have never formally taught before. Sure, over the years I've tutored, led the occasional Sunday School lesson, trained employees, babysat -- but I've never had a formal teaching gig. This is, of course, because I've never really wanted to be a teacher, despite being told on many occasions that I would be a great teacher. *Shrugs* Maybe I'll fall in love with it, maybe I won't. Who knows what will happen; I haven't been here that long yet! What I do know, though, is that I will continue to take this job very seriously -- whether or not I reach Professor Dumbledore or Miss Honey or Mr. Fee(hee-hee-hee)ny status! I must remember that, just as my transition to Chinese life and culture will take time, so too will my transition to teacher-dom take time and patience. Not just with the kids, but with myself. Above all, I am thankful that I have this position in the first place, for it is this teaching of children in the classroom which allows me to instruct others in Chrstian d0ctrine outside of the classroom. 

My classroom.

My first (Satur)day of teaching by myself was three weeks ago. My first class was in teaching English to some five to seven 2nd and 3rd-graders. The class was not terrible...but it was far from great. I was nervous because I've never taught children before, and doubly nervous because the parents of some of the "trial kids" were sitting in on the class to check me out and see just how worthwhile it would be to enroll their kids in my class. No pressure, right? Oy!

At the end of my first class, my translator, Jack, instructed me not to smile so much. "It makes you seem unprofessional," he told me. I was dumbstruck. I had previously heard that smiling in the classroom is not a good idea for the beginning of the year, but that, I'm told, is because you want the kids to see that you are serious, and because you want to set an expectation for discipline in the classroom. Later on, you can smile -- you would just want to set the proper expectations for classroom behavior in the beginning of the year. In my case, however, Jack was trying to explain that my smiling made me seem nervous, inexperienced, and unprofessional, which would put off the parents from wanting to enroll their kids in the school. "I mean, I am nervous and inexperienced," I thought. "This is literally my first day! But sheesh, how can I not smile? This is the complete opposite of how I thought a new teacher should make a first impression!" It was perplexing at first, but when my second class (teaching the same material to more 2nd and 3rd graders) started twenty minutes after the first, I found that barely smiling led me to behave more seriously and confidently. Incidentally, the second class ended up going much better than the first. I have since allowed myself to smile a little more, but I am learning to balance my friendliness with solemness to keep the kids under control. 

My second day of teaching was a week later, on Friday. See, the timing of my arrival in Yinchuan was rather fortuitous. I basically arrived in the middle of a bunch of on-and-off holiday time. So, while my normal work schedule is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (yep, only three days!), I did not work a full "week" until a few weeks after I arrived. Anywho, on that Friday I had my first one-on-one class with a 12-year-old student named Zhu Kai. I decided to give him Jacob as an English name. He was extremely shy and quiet that first session, but I still got him to read through a children's book -- some book about a lazy turtle (pshh, lazy turtle). I quickly realized that his reading level is extremely low, and that he needs a lot of help with his speaking and hearing, too. This first class left me nervous for how difficult it would be to help his reading and speaking when we can hardly understand each other, but since then, he has become more comfortable and more eager to speak English with me, even if that means stumbling through his words. Patience and encouragement are key!

Zhu Kai, aka Jacob. He likes football, computer games, and exploring. He's a great kid!

Friday night I had another regular class of teaching 2nd and 3rd graders, but they are at a higher level. There are definitely a coupla troublemakers in this class! I think it's hilarious (and occasionally frustrating for me, as I am trying to maintain order in the classroom) that the most easily distracted, most frequently interrupting, and most mischievous kid in class is also the most advanced English speaker in the class. (Yes, I'm talking about you, Susu. Now put down that sandwich -- wait, where did you get that sandwich from in the middle of class?! -- and stop going so far ahead in the workbook!)

After Friday I had my second Saturday of teaching, which went even better than the first Saturday of teaching (and included a third class, Storytime with preschoolers!), and then I had my first Sunday of teaching. I started that day by going to wrship, then taught an English Literature class to high schoolers, and then taught another regular class to 2nd and 3rd graders. I really love my English Literature class. The students are older and have a better grasp of English, and they are old enough to have opinions and want to share them. Right now we are reading through Charlotte's Web. It's an old one and gets a little tedious sometimes, but I'm having fun with it. Occasionally I really have to poke and prod at my students to get them to comment on something, but all in all, it's a great class.

In summary: I have two classes on Friday (with a staff meeting inbetween), three classes on Saturday, and two classes on Sunday. Not too shabby! It doesn't seem like much, but it definitely keeps me busy as I must also take the time to plan my lessons before classes come around. And, since my first couple of weeks, I have started to fill in my schedule with B¡ble studies and English Corners. 

Huh. You know what I just realized? As of two days ago, I have been here a month. Go me! I know more Chinese than ever (not a hard feat to accomplish when you are starting from literally nothing) and can take the bus by myself. I'm a big kid now! And what's really great is that I think I am fiiiinally beginning to develop a routine here. It feels good. Real good. :)

Some final notes/observations:
- The power of assigning English names to children is both amusing and exhilarating. I named a kid Gordon the other day. Because he looks like a Gordon. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- I work in a training school, so kids come to me AFTER they've had an entire week of regular/primary school. Woof.
- All it takes is one Chinese student looking at you with confusion and astonishment after telling her in Chinese that you do not speak Chinese to make you feel like a complete moron. (Wait, which one of us is the teacher again?)
- It initially seemed really weird to me that I would have a translator who speaks Chinese to students in order to explain what I'm saying in English; it just seemed really counterproductive, especially after what I had learned from experience in my TEFL certification class. But I dunno, it works.
- I might be teaching these children English, but they are also teaching me bits and pieces of Chinese. Thanks to class time, I'm becoming more familiar with reaction words and basic questions/phrases in Chinese like "what's it mean?" and "I don't understand" and "I need to go to the bathroom." Ha.
- Chinese kids are really, really, reeeeeeeally cute. Combine that with their smug and proud looks of accomplishment after correctly answering a question, plus the knowledge that I am positively impacting their lives and helping to create more options for their future educations and careers? Yeah, this teaching thing ain't so bad.

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Mandarin Word of the Day: teacher
Chinese characters: 老师 (老 = old, experienced, wise; 师 = to teach, teacher, model)
Pinyin pronunciation: lăoshī