I cannot believe that I have already been here in Dalian for one week; we have been so incredibly busy since we arrived that I scarcely have any time to myself. This first week was especially crazy since we really did not know what to expect when we arrived. Fortunately, Carol Cornett is a seasoned pro at establishing new courses, so we began with what we’ve all learned in TESOL: a needs assessment. On Monday, our first day of class, we tested all of the students (about 40 total) with both a writing diagnostic and the Michigan Language Test (100 multiple choice questions), which Carol already uses to place incoming LEAP students. (Even though these Chinese students have already been admitted into the LEAP program as “advanced,” we still had to figure out which ones were ready for level 4, the highest level, and which ones were actually more suited to level 3 or lower.) The whole testing process took about 2 hours Monday morning, and then we spent the rest of that day reviewing and rating their tests. This was exhausting work, but it was a great experience for me; I now have even more respect for Dr. Crusan and her stories of assessing hundreds of ESL students in the past. I’m telling you now: it ain’t as easy as it looks!
Even though we had tests to return to them on Tuesday morning, the four of us (Carol, Dr. Hall, Stephanie Dickey, and I) still had no idea what we were going to start with for these students. I learned when in doubt, play language-building games—that’s what Carol suggested, and since we only had the students for the morning session on Tuesday, that worked out really well. Honestly, we really did not teach them a true lesson until Wednesday, and even then we still did not really know where we were heading.
Today, we did not teach at all because on Thursdays most of the students (many of whom are graduates) still have classes to take and projects to finish. However, that didn’t mean that we got any sort of break; ironically, we ended up working harder today than any other day we’ve been here so far! Between 10 a.m. and about 6 p.m., stopping only for lunch and dinner, we hashed out our syllabus (finally) and figured out exactly what we’re going to do for tomorrow and next week. It’s been crazy so far, but already I have learned a lot.
Since I have not written all week, I’ll give you some background information about our living situation and whatnot (for those of you who are curious):
The area where we are staying and teaching in Dalian is called the Lushun Economic Zone. When I heard this for the first time, I pictured something very different from what we actually have. This area is truly beautiful; we are surrounded by quiet streets, tall apartment complexes, and flora EVERYWHERE. Apparently fruits, vegetables, and flowers grow well here in Dalian because of the cool ocean breezes; all of our neighbors (who live in permanent apartments) have small gardens by their front entrances, and they grow a range of things: chives, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, roses, and much more. It is very peaceful here; compared to all the other places in China I have been, this is by far the nicest and most enjoyable. There’s a beach just a five minute walk away from our apartments, and we found out just last night that there’s a splendid night market every evening (also just a five minute walk away). We live right next to the campus we teach at, Dalian Jiao’tong University, so there are a lot of college students who frequent the streets and local shops. It’s pretty amazing, actually; a couple of days ago we watched as all of the street food vendors pulled up in their rigged motor bikes at exactly the same time, right around 5 p.m. (when all of the students get out of class). Carol had remarked that they know their audience well.
The weather has been great here (around 65 to 70 degrees everyday, always accompanied by cool ocean breezes), but perhaps the best thing about this trip is the way we are treated. We are definitely esteemed guests here; the students are extremely respectful to us (they gave us a standing ovation when we entered the Wright State Classroom for the first time), and our program coordinators/aides are extremely accommodating, perhaps too much so at times. Best of all, we have not had to pay for a single meal yet; since we arrived at the start of a weekend, we were wined and dined by the VP of the university, and we ate well (a local Dalian feast at a 5-star restaurant on Saturday, and then a massive dinner at a Japanese restaurant in downtown Dalian), AND we are fed 3 times every day, Monday through Friday, by an esteemed chef who works for the university. I have not touched a fork since I arrived, so I’ve gotten pretty good at using chopsticks with every meal. The food here is great, but you definitely have to be a somewhat adventurous eater. Here in China, they don’t bother with cutting off the heads of things before serving them, so I’ve eaten several fresh fish that were staring back at me (and just tonight for supper, we had big whole shrimp—heads, legs, and all—that we had to pick apart ourselves). Still, the effort (and occasional squeamishness) is definitely worth it; almost everything I’ve had here tastes and looks great, and I haven’t had the slightest bit of illness. I feel very healthy here, even on days like today when we don’t go outside at all because we’re so busy with lesson planning.
Well, I think I’ve shared enough for now, and my bedtime’s quickly approaching (I’ve been going to bed really early since breakfast is served promptly at 7:20 every morning and we teach at 8:30). I hope this first entry does not seem too rushed; I just wanted to make sure to share as much as possible to make up for not being more gradual with my updates. This should change in the near future.
Take care all,
J. Rowe
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