Heading home.

The entire team (Yung Wing and Doumen) arrived back in Hong Kong late Friday evening. We are sleeping in a bit on Saturday, then meeting to debrief with one another an share about good conversations we had.

Later this afternoon, we begin to disperse - Joanne and Luke B to Beijing, Rob and Ken in the morning to Tokyo, Bridger to Macau. Most of the team flies back to America on Sunday. We appreciate your thoughts about our safe travel.

Jeff

Doumen Camp Annual

This posting contains the third edition of the English Camp’s newspaper. This issue of the “Doumen Camp Annual” is by far the best and contains the most content of any paper written for the camp. Jeff Sherlock led the activity this year.

The first two years saw two papers published during the camp, one for each week. These papers focused on informative articles about the staff in the camp. This year’s edition of the camp paper is a bit different. Because the structure of the camp changed a bit this year, Jeff decided to publish one large paper and challenge the students to do more than in past years. I think you will see that the students met the challenge with a couple of very interesting essays. Please remember these are middle school students writing in a second language.

NOTE: As you may have noticed, I have provided support to the team by posting content to this blog. Because of the demands on time combined with the challenges of blogging from China (it is easier to email than blog), I volunteered to be the funnel for the team for posting to our blog. Also for this year I was able to help with the camp paper. Jeff emailed me the student’s writings and photos. I assembled the material and emailed the completed paper back to Jeff.

For viewing - click on the paper - then click again to zoom in.

The trip is starting to wind down. . .

Maryellen and Terry pose with Jumbo (left), his wife and Adam and his family.

We had a good meeting with Doumen government and education officials this evening. Things look positive for a five-year contract for teacher training in Doumen. Thanks for your keeping us in mind.

At the same time, the Doumen team had a closing dinner with their hosts. It was "hot and lively" - a rough translation of something that sounds very nice in Cantonese!

Plans have changed at Yung Wing again. We'll be accompanying kids to a movie in the morning and having lunch with the head of English education for the school at noon. We'll say good-bye to the kiddos at 3:00ish.

Jumbo will bring the Doumen team to Zhuhai tomorrow evening and swing by to pick us up at Yung Wing on their way to supper and the boat to Hong Kong. We really are winding it down.
Luke

Fun at Wal-Mart and RAIN!

It's been an interesting Wednesday. This afternoon we divided 180 kids into three groups and took them to three different supermarkets. We had 60 first graders at our supermarket. We divided them into ten groups of six kids. Each group had a shopping cart and 100 yuan (about $15) - but no direct supervision for an hour and ten minutes. Imagine 30 groups of six six-year olds let loose with carts and cash in Wal-Mart. They were told to choose snacks for their upcoming field trip. What a blast!












It really rained this afternoon and evening - causing tomorrow's outing to be cancelled. So things are getting switched around a bit. Basically, the North American teachers at Yung Wing will teach the next two afternoons. I came up to Jumbo's this evening in the pouring rain. We sat in a traffic jam for a long time. When I got out of the car at the restaurant where folks were waiting for me, I waded through water above my knees to cross the street. We enjoyed a Mongolian dinner with Jumbo's family. Life's good!
Luke

Middle school students are amazing!

Above, middle school students work on the Doumen Camp Annual.

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT!
I gave some of the middle school students a special assignment yesterday. Each of the three groups had to imagine that they were starting a new society on a deserted island, and they had to develop ten laws to govern the island. I want you to hear some of their ideas for governing. (I’ve edited their ideas slightly, just for readability. The items in parentheses are my comments.)

“Harmonious” Island
1. The more you work, the more you get.
2. Men should live outside; women live inside (if there is not enough room inside for everyone)
3. When somebody is in danger, try your best to save them.
4. Keep yourself safe.
5. Never steal and rob.
6. When it’s very hot, take the trap out and pour some sea water on it to make salt (self sufficiency)
7. Try to make a wooden house or find a cave to live in everyday.
8. Don’t go swimming alone. At least two persons should go – or the other is at least working near the lake.
9. After using the boat, you must push the boat up on shore. If it is going to rain, move the boat to a safe place.
10. Everyone must get on well with others. Just get along as with relatives. Don’t fight or quarrel.

“Second China” Island
1. If you don’t obey the rules, you will be punished.
2. Don’t hurt each other.
3. Don’t steal and rob.
4. Be honest and friendly.
5. Respect and help each other.
6. Work hard.
7. Listen to the leader.
8. Stick together.
9. Take care of yourself and the environment.
10. Children must be educated.

Third Island (I don’t remember the name they chose for their island)
1. All people should obey the rules.
2. All the people have the right to talk freely.
3. Give prizes to the people who plant more. (incentive)
4. No stealing and robbing.
5. No hitting others.
6. Protect the rights of women and children.
7. Help each other.
8. Don’t cut too much. (Avoid hurting the environment.)
9. If you don’t obey the rules you will be punished.
10. All people are the same.

This is a pretty impressive group of students!
Jeff

Have no fear, the HU girls are here!

We've traveled many places around Zhuhai in this van....affectionately known as the "jalopy". On this particular night, the jalopy refused to start when we went to leave a restaurant. Although the girls' efforts failed to solve the problem, a restaurant worker gave us some oil and we were soon on our way!
Joanne Brenneman

A short photo gallery . . .

Middle School students work on the camp newspaper, the “Doumen Camp Annual.












Ada (Jeff’s Teaching Assistant) and Bruce Lee (a primary camper) hamming it up for the camera.














Buddhist monks worshiping in a temple near Doumen.



















Luke Brenneman and Ada Chiu imitating the Zhuhai Fisher Girl statue.

One of Greg's primary groups.

This is one of the primary groups we teach. There are four primary groups in the camp. We teach each group once in the morning and once in the afternoon for a total of 10 classes. The students are full of energy and eager to learn.
Greg.

Dinner for Yung Wing Teaching Assistants!

Things are starting to wind down at Yung Wing. We had a dinner with our Teaching Assistants last evening at a Hunan Restaurant near the school. It was a nice time. My TA, Ryan, shared with me that he heard yesterday afternoon that his 48-year-old aunt died in her sleep overnight on Monday. Please think about Ryan and his family.

We teach half a day today and then tomorrow is a field trip. So, if the weather holds out, we'll only be teaching this morning and Friday afternoon.

Piers and Bridger will spend Wednesday and Thursday in Doumen. The kids there are excited to see them. Bridger and Piers will have a blast.

I am going to Doumen on Thursday to have dinner with folks to discuss the possibility of a multi-year contract. This would be a wonderful open door and would help with planning from year to year. That meeting will begin at something like 6:00 AM your time Thursday morning.
Luke

A note from Doumen.

The second and final week of camp started in Doumen this morning. The day went well - as it has Every day so far. Our team is in good spirits with only minor health issues, but the long days and intense heat are wearing on some. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts.

As mentioned before, each of us has a Chinese university student teaching assistant. They are a great help in the classroom. We also find that they are open to new ideas, so we appreciate the opportunity to get to know them better.

Free talk is really going great. About 15 there each day and some are bringing their friends. This week, two participants are sharing their own essays. One has asked if we can give him a book. Great.

Hard to believe we have less than a week left.
Jeff

Cultural excursion . . .

These are from the combined team's trip to the replica of the empiral summer palace that was burned during the war in Beijing. This was one of Adam and Jumbo's adventures in culture. They are always such wonderful hosts.
Susie

Hello from Yung Wing School!

Jenaya Bonner, Donna Hollopeter, Susie Burson, Luke Fetters, and Piers Fetters (with an occasional visit from Bridger Fetters) have been working alongside of Jana Hoobler at Yung Wing School this summer. Jana and the other foreign English teacher at the school planned an exciting World Expo for the children attending the camp. Kids from about age six through thirteen travel from class to class and learn about a different country each day. Although they are learning about a variety of countries and cultures, the instruction is in English, so they have the opportunity to hear native speakers and use their English to communicate with the teachers and each other. We have seen the children improve in their confidence and skills as the camp has progressed.

This weekend, the Yung Wing team traveled to Doumen to spend time with the doumen tean and friends made in earlier camps. I (Susie) spent the weekend with YangYi and her family. They were my hosts for three years and have become good friends. I feel as if I am part of their extended family. It was good to spend time with them, share memories and discuss important things, like hope. My father is very ill, so we discussed fear of dying and losing people we love. It was a good conversation, especially since YangYi has fought cancer this year. She seems to be getting stronger each day, and I think has more hope for her future.

We will be finishing up camp on Friday and saying goodbye to new friends and old ones. Hopefully, we can continue building friendships and sharing our lives with one another. Keep us on your heart as we finish camp and travel back to the states.
Susie

Sunday - a busy day.

Although we had no classes today, we stayed very busy. We left at 8:30 this morning and drove down near the Macau border. We went through an art gallery depicting 20th century woodcuts and paintings by Chinese artists. Many of the woodcuts depicted lifescapes from the 1930s through the 1960s. Another set of paintings were of scenes from beautiful, mountainous Sichuan Province.

We then had lunch with a government official. During the meal, a question was raised about the possibility of a multi-year agreement to do English Teacher training. After supper this evening, Luke and others gathered to work out a proposal. Discussions will take place over the upcoming week to see whether an agreement can be reached. We appreciate your keeping these strategic discussions in your thoughts.

In the afternoon, we went to a park that is a recreation of the famous Beijing Renming palace. In the late 1840s, during the infamous Opium Wars, British and French forces burned the palace. A re-creation has been built here in Zhuhai – and the Chinese people still haven’t forgotten what happened way back then.

Tomorrow – the second week of camp begins. Thanks for your continuing concern and thoughts.
Jeff

"It's a team effort!"

Chinese middle school students enjoy writing and illustrating their own poems and will have a personal poetry book to take home at the end of English camp.













A friend of mine in America helped prepare materials for lessons by punching out hundreds of shapes for students to use in decorating their personal poetry books.

Thanks a bunch!
Joanne Brenneman

Photos from Yung Wing

Luke teaching primary students. (Click on the photo to see a better view.)













Susie teaching. Students are the same worldwide, some are engaged and others - not so much.













Jenaya listens to a student (far left) during class.













Donna teaches - but with a camera in the room it can be a challenge!












Jana and Nancy visit with the Yung Wing team.

Top ten things to report from China:

10) The Doumen team was invited to a birthday party in a nearby village on Wednesday night. Each year the entire village celebrates the birthday of a "barefoot doctor" that was relocated to their village during the Cultural Revolution. An amazing experience for the team that money can't buy.

9) Kids at Yung Wing keep patting my belly and saying "you have a baby" or "what a big fat tummy". Grrr!

8) Jenaya will go to karaoke with some of the Yung Wing teachers on Saturday afternoon.

7) The Doumen team will go to the hot springs resort on Saturday evening for a bit of pampering!

6) Susie is spending time with Yang Yi this weekend, her host from 2007, 2008 and 2009. Yang Yi has been dealing with breast cancer this past year.

5) I'm in Macau with my boys this weekend - eating nostalgic food and celebrating Bridger's birthday a couple of weeks early. We had dinner last evening with John Mayhugh - a childhood friend of Bridger and Piers.

4) I was able to have a focus group session with Doumen English teachers to shed light on my research project. I'll be presenting a paper about Chinese values at HU this October based on my research.

3) Some folks on the Doumen team are being asked about their habit of reading each morning. Some meaningful conversations about reading have occurred.

2) Mr. Reagan Li, deputy magistrate of Doumen with responsibility for education and foreign industry, has invited our whole team to visit two parks in Zhuhai on Sunday. It will be nice to have most of the team together and to continue building our friendship with Reagan and his son, Bruce Li.

1) The team is doing an outstanding job! It's really cool to see the quality program that we're able to deliver in both Doumen and Yung Wing. This team is more prepared than ever to deliver a quality program - everyone on the team either has significant experience working with kids and or has taken at least one TESOL course.

Luke

Terry and Mary Ellen talk with the "barefoot doctor."

Holly teaching primary students in Doumen.

Piers teaching in Yung Wing.

The Doumen team at the village dinner.

From the traveling team of Jana and Nancy . . .

We have enjoyed traveling from Zhuhai to Doumen to Macau and back. The bus system is easy to use and taxi rides are fairly inexpensive. The friends that we have been meeting with have been a huge blessing! We usually spend 2 to 3 hours together talking about many things and often important matters. We have studied the good book with several. We are mostly living out of our backpacks and stay in different places at night. Our favorite place is Jumbo’s house, also known as the He International House. He and his wife are very gracious hosts. We know that this opportunity to see so many friends in such a short time is precious! For those who know Betty, she is visiting her family in the north so we have not visited face to face, but we have talked on the phone more than once. She seems to be doing well and is enjoying getting together with her friends in her hometown. We appreciate your thoughts!
Nancy

Notes from Doumen

The first week of Doumen Summer Camp finished yesterday morning. Everyone we’ve talked to considers it a great success. Our North American team was tired, but worked enthusiastically and diligently all week long. There were no complaints, despite heat and rain.

We’ve had typhoons this week, not the palm-bending type of typhoons you see on the news, but just wind and rain. The typhoons forced a few activities indoors, but nothing major was impacted.

The afternoon free talk activities have been well-attended throughout. As I mentioned before, I had pretty low expectations since the teachers are not around during the camp as they have been the past three years. But some of them seem to consider it a priority and so they come at 4pm each day. We have probably five or six teachers each day, half a dozen university students who are helping at the camp, a few high school students who attended a few years ago, and a few people who come because their friends invite them. It is great. Rob, Greg and I have all led free talk groups.

Yesterday, Johanna was feeling a bit under the weather (she is feeling much better today), but Lauren was able to step and take her place, so camp did not miss a beat.

This weekend, is quite relaxing and a chance to catch our breath. Today, we will have dimsum, take a trip to the countryside, eat chicken baked in mud ovens, and relax at a hot springs resort. Tomorrow, an influential government leader has invited us to Zhuhai where we will visit a museum and perhaps watch a historic play. Monday, it is back to work…

Even though we cannot communicate directly with you on our blog, we know you are thinking about us. Thank you.
Jeff

Here are a few pictures from Doumen camp.

Visiting Adam’s home village. We attended the birthday party of a well-known “barefoot doctor.” The meal was catered by a company that brought everything (food, tables, chairs, etc.) into the village on a boat via the river.

A “planning worksheet” for the camp newspaper, dubbed the Doumen Camp Annual.

Greg and his teaching assistant, Celine.

Destiny and Wendy: two friends from previous years.

Meet Ada Chiu

In the English Camp at Doumen, each of the North American teachers is paired with one or more teaching assistants (TA’s). Most of the TA’s are university students or young teachers just a year or so out of university. They are delightful to work with and we have had some really good conversations with several of them. Quite of few of the TAs stay around for the free talk sessions at the end of each day. My TA is Ada Chiu. Ada is about 22 years old with a bright, sunny personality. She knows that I speak a little Cantonese, so when she can’t quite think of how to say something in English, she launches into rapid-fire Cantonese. Fortunately, I can usually follow the gist of what she is saying.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Ada’s grandparents and parents had a really difficult time. They were considered wealthy and faced severe criticism. Ada is thankful that things are better now. When Premier Deng announced his policy of “reform and opening” in 1979, the country began to move forward economically and the social climate began to improve. Ada states, “Deng Xiaoping is my hero.” If you could meet Ada, you would like her immediately. I hope you will keep her and our other TA’s in your thoughts.
Jeff