Time is flying in China. I just used an idiom. We are learning that we use them all the time and it makes it difficult for foreigners to understand Americans.
Renee continues to have some physical issues - a cold, a lingering cough, and a foot which is recovering from a good twisting at LouDai. I remain well with energy to do most things to the wonderment of the Chinese who can't believe someone my age can even carry my bag.
The biggest event of the past weeks has been Model School. We have had to perform for the Peace Corps so that they can see that we can teach. For my classes I was bussed into center city to work at Sichuan Normal University. 
There I taught for 7 days students from 15 to 27 who wanted practice in oral English. My idea was to tell them about America and then have them tell me about China. They loved teaching me. The class started with 21 students and by the end had 30. The Peace Corps supervisors were impressed with the result and the idea.
There I taught for 7 days students from 15 to 27 who wanted practice in oral English. My idea was to tell them about America and then have them tell me about China. They loved teaching me. The class started with 21 students and by the end had 30. The Peace Corps supervisors were impressed with the result and the idea.Out of the class on American foods, came the offer to take me to dinner. Actually a couple of them had the idea of taking me to HotPot. I think the original idea was to watch me eat strange foods so spicy it would kill me. In the end the opportunity went to everyone. Thirteen of the students joined me for dinner. One of the students arranged the restaurant and led us there. We sat around the table and laughed and talked for three hours. All had a good time. Instead of killing me they were very careful of the spice I ate. They were thrilled I enjoyed the cows neck and the pigs stomach. It was a successful night.
My class (Renee) was much different than Rich's. First of all, they were not all able English speakers. Their ages ranged from 14 to 17, 
two years to five years of formal English study in school. Some of the older students were extremely capable, but some of thc younger had great difficulty conducting a conversation. I have so much to learn about teaching oral English! Despite the obstacles, I enjoyed my seven days of teaching. I had an idea that I wanted to have "Building a Bridge" as a theme. Of course, I wanted to do some singing, so on the first day, I taught them "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Somehow a college student was in the class that day, and she contributed the word "metaphor." That was pretty amazing, and it worked very well with the idea of language as a bridge, which I was going to bring up later. My favorite activity was role plays because the weaker students could write very basic dialogues, and the stronger students could show off. My partner, Rebecca, who is teaching now, is much better at devising many activities around a central theme. I am learning a lot from her. One fun thing was that I became wired for sound. Instead of telling me that I needed to shout to make myself heard, the Peace Corps supervisor provided me with a portable microphone pack. They said I could request on at our site:)
two years to five years of formal English study in school. Some of the older students were extremely capable, but some of thc younger had great difficulty conducting a conversation. I have so much to learn about teaching oral English! Despite the obstacles, I enjoyed my seven days of teaching. I had an idea that I wanted to have "Building a Bridge" as a theme. Of course, I wanted to do some singing, so on the first day, I taught them "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Somehow a college student was in the class that day, and she contributed the word "metaphor." That was pretty amazing, and it worked very well with the idea of language as a bridge, which I was going to bring up later. My favorite activity was role plays because the weaker students could write very basic dialogues, and the stronger students could show off. My partner, Rebecca, who is teaching now, is much better at devising many activities around a central theme. I am learning a lot from her. One fun thing was that I became wired for sound. Instead of telling me that I needed to shout to make myself heard, the Peace Corps supervisor provided me with a portable microphone pack. They said I could request on at our site:)While teaching, we continued to study Chinese. I (Rich) have ups and downs. I speak to our busdriver and learn about his family and I'm excited.
I speak to someone else and there is no communication. My teacher seems happy and I am mostly. Renee has been moved up to my class so we will be able to work together this week. On Saturday, August 2, we went to a wedding. Don't ask me why or how, but I was called on to give a speech in Chinese. The speech ended up being five lines but everyone was happy and I got across my main idea. I (Renee) was very proud of Rich.
I speak to someone else and there is no communication. My teacher seems happy and I am mostly. Renee has been moved up to my class so we will be able to work together this week. On Saturday, August 2, we went to a wedding. Don't ask me why or how, but I was called on to give a speech in Chinese. The speech ended up being five lines but everyone was happy and I got across my main idea. I (Renee) was very proud of Rich.On weekends we have also been busy. Everything seems to take the same amount of time - six hours. We visited LouDai,
an old city famous for commercial ventures, Wen Shu Yuan, a Buddhist temple where the ashes of our host father are stored, Jin Sha, an archaelogical site of what is thought to be the original Chengdu, San Sun Xiang, a garden where we ate under a canopy of vines and is always referred to as the countryside. During the week we take walks around campus and into town. I have been able to play tennis, usually twice a week. This week I played with the computer faculty on Monday and Chengdu government officials on Saturday, thanks to my host father.
an old city famous for commercial ventures, Wen Shu Yuan, a Buddhist temple where the ashes of our host father are stored, Jin Sha, an archaelogical site of what is thought to be the original Chengdu, San Sun Xiang, a garden where we ate under a canopy of vines and is always referred to as the countryside. During the week we take walks around campus and into town. I have been able to play tennis, usually twice a week. This week I played with the computer faculty on Monday and Chengdu government officials on Saturday, thanks to my host father.Renee continues to have some physical issues - a cold, a lingering cough, and a foot which is recovering from a good twisting at LouDai. I remain well with energy to do most things to the wonderment of the Chinese who can't believe someone my age can even carry my bag. Today we had two visitors. Both were students from Wuhan, but they didn't know each other. Ace is a Junior and lives in Chengdu area. Peng Hu is a graduate student who Renee has helped with his English. He came to thank us for our help. It was his first time to fly on an airplance. He and the other Chinese humble us with their kindness.
Jim and Carol Ernst wrote this week and sent postcards from Montana. Five cards did not raise the mailing costs. We have already used them. We could use cards from Philly and PA, but also from other places if you are of a mind. We love getting snail mail as much as your email thoughts. Keep them coming:)
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Erickson
Sichuan University
Mail Box 278
Wang Jiang Road #278
Chengdu,610064
Wang Jiang Road #278
Chengdu,610064
People's Republic of China
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