Last Day In Jiang Yin

Today is the last day in Jiang Yin and we all are very sad to leave. Time really has flown for us for it felt like we just arrived and got to know the area. Today we had to say good-bye to the grateful students of the ABC summer camp. The end-of-camp presentation went very well and it was a wonderful way to end the trip. Once everyone said their good-byes we headed for a fulfilling lunch at the International Trade Mansion. The lunch was fancy and we were able to thank everyone for helping us teach. As we said our final good-byes to the principles we made out a plan of what to do next. We needed to pack and get ready for tomorrow. So all the boys went straight to their rooms and started to get ready. Once we were all done the boys decided to watch a movie because it was our last day in Jiang Yin. We finished our last night here with a lovely dinner at the hotel with lovely desserts from our local bakery. We are looking forward to coming home but we are sad to leave our second home here in Jiang Yin. We will see you all on Saturday.

James and Patrick

Wednesday, July 28th

Today was the third to last day of school and things are starting to wind down. The kids are all preparing for their closing ceremony performances on Friday. The performances all look very good. This afternoon we went to ping pong. It was our last ping pong class and we have improved very much in this sport. We also had another Chinese lesson, which was very educational.

Megan's class treated us to dinner at the Jiangyin International Hotel. They have a giant revolving buffet restaurant at the top and it was delicious. The restaurant had sashimi, steak (yum!), cheesecake, and chocolate fondue. We stayed from 5:45 to 9:00 talking and drinking tea and coffee. We also had a chance to talk with former principal Hu, and Leo, a high school student who speaks fluent English. It was a very good evening.

Ned and Mark

The Begining of the End

I realize how unoriginal the name of today's post is. Although unauthentic, the title seemes to appropriately describe today's feeling. Most of us feel the full impact of the final stretch; as some of us were kept up by an unknown group of people. At midnight, Alex and I specifically were woken up by banging on the walls and shouting from the neighbor room (608.) This continued on for 2 hours, also waking up Patrick Wong in the other neighboring room. (612.) Now we know how the rest of the hotel feels for one month every year.
On a lighter note, today we started practicing for the final performance. Our class (Molly and I's) began to memorize lines of an adaptation of Dr. Seus' "Are You my Mother?" They prepared construction paper costumes, to assist their adoption of animal roles.
To end our day, we visited the Museum/Memorial of Xuxiake; the man responsible for modern knowledge of China's geography. When he was young, Xuxiake traveled China using his father's money. His community viewed him as selfish. However, Xuxiake's travels eventually provided China with a rough map, which was later refined to form what we now recognize as China's geography.
Our day ended with dinner ordered by Ms. Hayden, the other Ms. Hayden, Ned, Mark, and Patrick.

~Max Fong

Our last weekend - Huaxi, Shopping and Hot Pot

We had a very active last weekend here in Jiangyin and the weather was hot and sunny! On Saturday, we traveled less than an hour from Jiangyin to tour the "small" village of Huaxi. The village was founded in 1961 and at that time was only one kilometer in size and contained small thatch hut dwellings, but over the last 50 years has thrived and grown to 60,000 people and now covers 35 kilometers. The "village" is also in the process of building the second largest building in the world which will have a five star hotel and a revolving restaurant on the top. Things are good for the village of Huaxi!

Some other interesting aspects about the village were it contained small scale replicas of the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square complete with a cable car as well as the Sydney Opera house, Statue of Liberty, Arc de Triomphe and several other famous monuments. The homes in this village, fully furnished, are given out to the residents with one small catch- they can't lock the doors and anyone can come in and have a look, which we did.

We had a lovely tour guide who we called Lin. She explained, in very good English, that the people of Huaxi all love the Secretary (Hu Ren Bao) and she toured us through hall after hall with his photos, writings, family photos, etc.... Then, she took us to an auditorium where we had third row seats to hear Hu Ren Bao, the Secretary, give a speech. Karen found his speech very funny, he said he met with the Chairman and the Chairman thanked him not just once which is a formality, but twice which means he was really thankful for his work on the village. He also said people from this village don't need to travel since they have replicas from around the world, but no one has a replica of Huaxi!

On Sunday we had the option of taking a local bus to a temple area in the city that has many small shops with nice traditional gifts. Karen and Anita found the area and were kind enough to work out the bus route and take us all back there. It was very fun bargaining for treasures and some people explored a great Chinese bookstore on the way back.

Later that same evening we all walked to a local Hot Pot restaurant and enjoyed cooking our own meat, fish and vegetables in a delicious broth.

It was a wonderful last weekend here in Jiangyin!

Michelle and Connor Stauffer

Last Week in China

Yesterday, (Thursday) was picture day! We had the experience of wearing our new ABC T-shirts for the first time. We got to take pictures with the kids at the camp. Kung Fu class was sadly canceled because of the teacher's absence. Mrs. Chu made the special arrangement for us to make dumplings instead of Kung Fu. The dumpling making process was interesting to learn and an interesting skill to master. Today （being Friday), started out with the usual school day process in the morning. We were specially treated to an all you can eat buffet near the hotel. We the boys were happy to learn that we could buy ourselves dinner and were given money to do so. With this money, the we chose to buy three whole watermelons and split them among 6 people. It was a healthy and fulfilling end to the day. We are sad to realize the trip is 3/4th finished, but we are still happy for the weekend.

Patrick and James

Dinner with Qiao Qi Teachers

Today was a very eventful day. We had a great day of school, followed by ping
pong and intensive Chinese. Ping pong is becoming one of our favorite
activities, and we are learning many Mandarin phrases. Then, we went to a
shopping center. Most of the items were clothing, and we decided not to buy
anything, but we had the chance to explore a different area of Jiangyin. There
were many electronics stores on the way back and we saw lots of computers
running Windows XP in the "Apple" store. After that, we had a very pleasant
surprise. One of the English teachers at the school decided to take us out to
dinner. The food was delicious. The store manager visited with us a bit and
cooked a delicious beef dish in front of us. He was very friendly and spoke both
Mandarin and Cantonese. Among the other dishes there was beef jelly, fish balls
and liver soup, and, of course, watermelon. It is hard to believe the trip is
over half finished. Next week are performances and we expect they will be great.

Mark and Ned

Second Half of Summer Camp!

Today marked the beginning of the second half of the 2010 America Bridges china summer camp. We went through the normal morning routine, and headed off to Qiao Qi. To our surprise, several classes had new students, who had not been present for the previous two weeks. As far as I could tell, the teachers made the necessary changes and helped make the new kids feel welcome. Upon approaching the final week, each group started to think about the final project. Every year, each class puts on a song, skit, or other type of performance to demonstrate the progress they have made learning English. As it usually takes at least a week to rehearse this, we are starting to think about what kind of show we want to put on.

After school, we went to a local farm and ate lunch. Some of us went fishing while others rested. Nobody caught any fish. We returned to the hotel, and some of us went shopping at a new bakery we found several blocks from the hotel. At 6 PM, we ate a filling dinner, ordered by Max, Megan and Molly. We then returned to our respective rooms, where we will soon head off to sleep and rest up for another day of teaching.

-Alex Hillan

2nd Weekend!

Our second weekend began with a very full Saturday! We were able to sleep in a little, and boarded our tour bus at 8AM to drive approximately one hour away to Wuxi to visit the "Universal Studios" of China. On site, they had many sets where films have been made, and there were many beautiful photo opportunities. We also watched two shows complete with staged battles and stunts. Afterward, we left and had lunch at a local hotel in Wuxi and continued on to a pearl factory, where we learned a little about freshwater pearl harvesting in the area. We stopped shortly on our way home at a shopping area before heading back to our hotel in Jiang Yin for a quick break.

At 5:30PM, the Qiaoqi principals picked us up for dinner with them and some of Alice Woo’s relatives. After dinner, they took us to see a large-scale fountain show at a nearby park. The show was beautiful, enhanced by music and many colored lights. On our way home we stopped at the Jiang Yin Civic Plaza where there were many children playing and other locals dancing.

Sunday was a day of complete rest, which many of us spent running errands (laundry, buying snacks for the week, etc.), and prepping for our third week of teaching. We can’t believe we’re already halfway through the trip!

- Brenda, Molly & Megan

End of the Second Week!

Hi everyone!

Today is Friday the 16th. James and I can't believe that the trip is half way over. It just felt like yesterday we were arriving on the long and tiring plane flight, but truly it is the end of the second week. Anyway, today was a normal teaching day but it ended with a unique attribute. We had our usual breakfast in the morning and our usual wake up time. It sounds like a regular start to any other day in China. But the wonderful leaders of the group that we are so grateful for, decided to let us go free for the rest of the day. We each got 100 yuan for three meals for today's lunch and dinner as well as Sunday's dinner. When we got back to the hotel, we got settled in and a few of us decided to eat the ramen they bought from the market. Max and I (aka Patrick) went to the Ajisan Ramen noodle restaurant. After that, we all gathered in James and my room to socialize and play Chinese Chess. We did that for a few hours and then we all decided to go eat dinner at around 6 o'clock. We were wandering around downtown Jiang Yin and stumbled upon a quiet and serene "restaurant town." This place was filled with tempting food to eat. We found a good looking western style place to eat. Little did we know, the service there was slightly slow and unimpressive but still an acceptable way to end our day. Tomorrow we are going to a T.V. station to learn about how they function. We will also go to the Pearl factory so we can buy gifts for our delightful families.

-Patrick (and some help from James).

After School Fun!

We are starting to get a handle on teaching now that it is the middle of the second week. We are improving in Mandarin and the kids are improving in English. They also seem to be having fun with the program.

After classes, the school took us out for lunch at a restaurant in Qiaoqi. We then went back to the school for our second week of ping pong lessons. We all enjoy the class and are getting better at ping pong. Our next class was Intensive Chinese. We have been learning a lot of characters, which will help us in high school. Tonight, we ordered our own dishes at dinner. Four people ordered Tie Ban Niu Rou (steel-cooked beef). The rest ordered wontons or soup dumplings. This week has been great so far and we hope the rest of the trip goes as smoothly.

Mark & Ned

It's raining, It's pouring....Where are my Students?

July 12th, 2010,

Today began normally. At 6:30 AM we arose to the nostalgic wake up call, quickly showering and eating breakfast. Noticing the downpour outside, we quickly anticipated a dreary day. The rain had attempted to deter all of our plans. Upon arrival to Qiao Qi we frantically hurried into the school; in order to escape the rain. Unlike the first week, our class desperately lacked students. Despite our surprise, we naturally continued teaching. Also, Ms. Chu had already arranged for us to observe a sample of the Qiao Qi's agriculture industry. However, the rain had ruined this field trip. After teaching, Ms. Chu purposed a new idea. Ms. Chu asked us if we would like to see a "Flower and Bird" market. Unfortunately this new proposition struck most of us (the boys) as uninteresting. Also, many of us opposed paying the 50 RMB entrance fee. For the next 7 hours, we remained confined by the relentless rain; meeting once of course to have dinner.

-Max Fong

Our First Weekend!

Our first weekend in China was spent in Su Zhou shopping, touring one of the World Cultural Heritage Gardens, touring the No. 1 Silk Factory and eating lunch. We left the hotel at 7:30am, in order to keep us on the same schedule and rode by bus accompanied by two of the Qiaoqi teachers (Tina and Lily), and a tour guide. The weather in Jiangyin was unfortunately very rainy, but as we arrived in Su Zhou the sunshine reappeared, which made the garden tour very pleasant. We took many photos as we walked around the beautiful gardens, and having an early start allowed us to avoid the uncomfortably hot weather and crowds of people. On our way out of the garden, we did some literal bargain shopping – the boys had some great practice bargaining with the street vendors in Chinese, with a little help from Anita, to ensure they were given the best prices, and they picked up some nice souvenirs. At the silk factory we saw live silk worms and learned about how their silk is used to make quilts, fabric, clothing and more. The boys were good sports while we (the teachers) shopped for silk at the factory, too!

Today, Sunday, is a much-needed day of rest! Despite heavy amounts of rain, we (Karen, Anita, Michelle, Molly, Brenda and Megan) ventured out in Jiangyin to check out a bakery we had seen the day before, in order to satisfy the bread and coffee cravings we’ve been having! The bakery had many different kinds of breads, doughnuts, and of course, coffee. We picked up some cookies for the boys and will definitely be back for more. The boys had lunch together at a ramen noodle restaurant nearby, and also visited the bakery. A new Sunday ritual, perhaps?

After dinner at the hotel this evening, we completed the weekly room checks for the boys to make sure they are keeping things tidy and clean. All of them passed with flying colors, as expected! We are definitely in the swing of things as week #2 of teaching begins bright and early tomorrow morning – we are very much looking forward to it.

Ms. Hayden (Brenda), Molly & Megan

End of First Week

Today was another typical teaching day in China. The day started out with the usual supporting breakfast in the morning. Then came the time consuming bus ride to the school. However, something interesting happened for two members of the group. Patrick and Ned switched places. Normally Patrick teaches reading and Ned teaches the fourth grade. Due to communication issues, they had to switch to complete the mission of ABC. They are both happy to be able to experience something different than they did last year. Other than that, it was a normal teaching day. Mrs. Chu, seeing that we were slightly tired of the adults ordering the food, decided to give us the opportunity to order our own delicious Taiwanese food. Towards the end of the day we had time to relax, and we ended the day with food that we did not order. We are very exited for the up coming weekend in which we have a time to rest from teaching with an enjoyable trip to Su Zhou.

James & Patrick

Wednesday, July 7

Today was another great day at the school. We taught the kids how to say
different animals in English. They are learning very quickly and it has been fun
teaching them. For some reason, a few kids asked us for our autograph and
others wanted to take pictures with us. Apparently we’ve become celebrities.
After the lessons were over, we had a ping pong lesson and our first day of
Intensive Chinese. Even though only three of us needed to take the lessons, the
entire group showed up and we had the lesson together.

Tonight was also the first night we were allowed to go out and pick our dinner.
Everyone went to Pizza Hut. While we were in the restaurant every single Chinese
person who passed us looked into the window, surprised. People kept doing double takes and looking in disbelief. Several people approached us on the street and
asked us where we were from. It was very entertaining. All in all today was a
fun but very tiring day.

Ned and Mark

First Day of Teaching

Today was a long and hard day, as it was our first day teaching at Qiaoqi. Still jet lagged, we woke up at 6 AM, thirty minutes before our wake up call. After putting on our matching San Francisco T-shirts, we went downstairs to eat breakfast and rehearse our introduction for the opening ceremony of the summer camp. At 7:30 we climbed on the bus and rode to the school, about forty minutes from the hotel. Upon arrival, we were greeted by students waving flowers and chanting "Welcome welcome, warmly welcome!" We then made our way to the auditorium for the opening ceremony, where the school principal formally welcomed us and thanked us for our service. Ms. Chu and Ms. Sung then said some words and passed the mic on to the rest of the English teachers, who introduced themselves. The principal then concluded the ceremony, allowing us to proceed to our designated classrooms.

While Alex and Patrick retrieved English books from the school's library and ate ice cream in the office, the rest of the teachers and I held our first classes. In class, the children surprised me with their ability to quickly adopt new English phrases. Whenever we exposed them to a new idea, concept, or word, the kids would quickly adapt and surpass our expectations. What didn't surprise me was the yearly re-occurring desire to begin P.E. class. At every break the boys would dash out of the classroom to the soccer field where they played soccer, or rather "football" for the entire ten minute break. One boy asked me, "Can we stay here for class?" I replied, "I don't think so, we should probably head back to class." Crestfallen, the boys returned to the classroom for the rest of the morning.

Class ended at 11:00, we left at 11:30 to eat lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we returned to Qiaoqi where we spent a couple of hours decorating the classrooms and playing soccer. We returned to the hotel at around 2:30 and immediately went to the bank to exchange money so we could shop for laundry detergent and snacks. At 5:30 we had a filling dinner, and then returned to our rooms, where we are now. We are both satisfied by this first day of teaching, and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

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Max Fong and Alex Hillan

First Full Day in China!

Today is Sunday, July 4th. Well, here we are! We are finally in China! After more than 24 hours of traveling, we made it to our air conditioned hotel and are happy to be out of the humid weather. The day was quite enjoyable and some what relaxing. It started in the morning with the buffet breakfast. After that, we all went to the lobby to wait for the bus to take us to a park. There we took pictures and hiked for a good hour. After that, we were exhausted and got ready for lunch. The lunch meal was delicious, containing some past favorite foods as well as new favorites. We were all satisfied and were ready to make a trip to the local super market. We were walking out of the hotel and felt some droplets of rain. We all thought they would stop, but of course they didn't. We arrived at the market and bought some snacks as well as laundry detergent. When we came out after about thirty minutes, it was pouring rain! We reluctantly decided to tough it out and walk back to the hotel in the rain. By the time we reached the hotel it had stopped raining, but we were all soaking. We settled in and decided to watch a movie in Max and Alex's room. After that, it was time to get to work. We split into groups to meet about the following week's teaching plans, discussing how we are going to teach effectively and meet our goals. We ended the day by having a stuffing and fulfilling meal. I am very excited that it is just the beginning of the teaching experience and the trip. But I know it will fly by very fast. Have a good 4th of July!

-Patrick Wong