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Golf in China
Photographer Ye Jianping's view of a "landscape golf club" in South China, near Guilin The American Postal Office has a service called "the M-Bag". A strong and frosted plastic sack provides the opportunity to send books to China cheaper, in larger and heavier quantities. The use of this service helps to keep the weight of my travel-luggage to clothing, personal items, and gifts. I am carrying a 4 cup coffee-maker with me, along with a few pounds of coffee as well as the lap-top. Men have become very loyal to their personal toiletries, and I will be packing a several month supply.
Visiting a number of stores around the College on the last visit to Taizhou, I noticed few empty shelves and ample wares around the city. The consumer-selections do have limitations, and if one might look for "fresher" markets, plan on not being dissappointed. For a Western first-time visitor, the amount of movement and crawling in containers, bins, pots, and cages of these "fresher" markets can be disturbing. Caring greatly for animals, it proved difficult to observe, what might end up on a dinner-table. But I watched, and learned to calmly tolerate and understand new ways and customs. This simpler life brings back positive memories of growing up in earliest post-war Germany, and
Alpine slide
Captured by photographer Ye Jianping, slides similar to one I remember from the German Alps offers greater appreciation for the daily struggle of life, no matter the name of the country.
Light summer clothing and shoes and gifts will make up the rest of the baggage-content. Textiles are less expensive to purchase or have tailored in China. My clothing can be duplicated, and winter clothing will become available as well. The suitcases only need zipping.
I am told, not to expect the Postal "M-Bags" to arrive in China for some 6 to 8 weeks. Well, all good things come at a price, and I want to assume, that the materials will be available at the beginning of the College's fall-semester. Foreign teachers at Taizhou College are encouraged to develop their own classroom- curriculum for their English classes, and I'm hoping that some of the printed matter from the US will be of additional interest for the college students. Once I understand the needs of my classes better, current magazines or current literature of interest will of course be appreciated :-) and
"Care Packages" with such items as Ciggarettes, Coffee, or other surprises will become pleasant diversions :-)), though your greetings will always be the MOST welcome!!
My address at the College is:
my student aides
Much of a teacher's time is spent on secretarial work. My buddies here helped me every day, and made life easier. Mr. Hans J. Schneider
c/o Arthur Lee
Taizhou Normal College
#1 Chunhui Rd.
TAIZHOU, Jiangsu Province
225300 P. R. China
Once I have arrived at the College, my new email will be: hansschneider102@msn.com
It has been difficult saying good-bye to family, friends, and my students at Coral Gables Sr. High School. We are now in the middle of our final examinations, final grading, and end of the school-year chores, and these pre-occupy everyone's time, and provide additional stress to the travel preparations for my, at least one-year, stay in China. But a frequent "reality-check" throughout the day makes it clear, that the time to leave is around the corner, and there is no more room for hesitation. The Internet will privide a satisfying opportunity to condense the distances for family and friends, and instant communication makes it possible to share adventures and seek their advice, even while others may find this "blogging" entertaining. Distances now cause fewer complications, and offer great challenges and opportunities to interact with the world, even at age 62.
Only 25 years ago, few Westeners could have entertained the satisfying opportunity of living among the Chinese people; to teach their eager young
two of the best
faces of the future, they will make the world a better place the English language, to witness enthusiam and interest for each other's culture by sharing each other's values openly, and to be overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of very proud world-citizens - just like us.
In 1944, a year before the end of WW II, as an infant in "little" Muehlhausen near Heidelberg, Germany, I had no awareness of powerful countries struggling on both sides of the Globe, where tens of millions suffered and lost their lifes. Wounds between our Western countries are still healing, and the agony and suffering of their children can still be heard; while the scars caused among warring Eastern countries are also still the cause for open and vocal demonstrations in China, reminding the world of costly struggles with Japan. The tragedies experienced on both hemispheres then, and their status as modern and co-operating nations today, are powerful proof as to the endurance of the human kind, and the motions and waves of history.
On both sides of the world, the effort and sacrifice of the United States was instrumental in supporting the conquest of great evil during the time of my childhood. I was proud to be adopted by such a generous
they make my day
two caring and wonderful faces of period 2 country as a teenager at the age of 17. In school I heard and learned about China in geography- and history lessons. As a youngster we were instructed on the separation of China as two countries as matter of curriculum; negative focus was given to the mainland, while the island-nation was held up as a model, much like East and West Germany. There was limited current information available, and news about the China of the 50's and 60's and 70's was fascinating for an eager, young, political junky like me. "The Great Leap Forward" under Mao Zedong in China, became a topic of current-event-lessons along with the rise of John F. Kennedy's political fortunes in America.
America then was the "darling" of the world, with the hopes of many countries under its protective umbrella. American pride was appreciated by friends around the world, while China was only a very large spot on the other side of our classroom-globe, usually colored in red, with a quarter of the world's population to support. We read about this mysterious country and heard from a handfull of eye-witnesses. Few pictures and rare film-reports added to the mystery during the turmoil of the Cultural
period 2, advanced German
Many of the students have been with me for 3 and 4 years. I have been blessed to know them. revolution, never to be forgotten by my generation in the symbol of thousands of young men and women, waving Mao's small red book, and the rest of us, as "hippies", wondering how it would all end.
The "ping pong tournaments" between the two countries under Nixon eased our concerns, and became one of those historical-moments, much like the fall of the Berlin wall and "Glasnost". Communication and the opening of borders under Deng Xiaoping encouraged greater understanding between East and West, while I was teaching my students German at the High School. Great winds of change began to diffuse more of the world's volitility.
Early steps in China's internal economic reform were complicated and at times tense, but how does one feed, house, educate, and provide health-care for 1.4 billion people, and provide the tools to bring about the change witnessed in only 25 years? Twenty years ago, who among our generations could have imagined, the world being invited to the Olympics in Beijing, and again to a World Expo in Shanghai 4 years from now?
I'm looking forward to the exitement ;-))
Some of my classes at Coral Gables were concerned about not previously seeing
Period 3
These are some of my students, who are studying and reading hard to pass their FCAT reading examination. It has been a difficult journey for quite a few of them. their photos, and asked me to make sure to include them. So here are more of my wonderful kids.
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Sandra
non-member comment
hey
hey schneider, I just got back from the hospital yesterday. I missed you sooo much... and the whole time I was scared that if you left before school ended, I might miss you. Anyway, see? Back from the hospital and I already read your latest journal. :) much love to you