Blogs from Wuxi, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 3

Photos: …..apologies to anyone who has subscribed to the Travelblog site & received multiple Emails about the last YYW, or who received an email but couldn't find the newsletter. They have had server problems & the last YYW (The Large Torturing Machine), is there but doesn't appear on the link I sent. I think the problem has now been resolved..... …..Wenyi is back in Yangzhou, to visit her boyfriend, Farhat, a young contractor from the United Arab Emirates working with Jay, a Canadian, at a solar panel plant to the north of the city. I suggest we catch up before I head off for the holiday. She calls her new “big sister” Shen Yue , who suggests a new restaurant near her apartment. It's very new, beautifully appointed but, we are assured, reasonably priced. We all ... read more

I'm writing this July 25th, Chinese time, because I was too tired last night to write it, but its from yesterday: We had an awesome touring day yesterday. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep so I went down to find the hotel's gym. No one really spoke English but I could say enough for them to figure out what I wanted. I'm understanding more and more and more Chinese. We eat in the hotel restaurants a lot, because they're usually big, nice, and have enough room for all the guests. I met Jie's dad and he's really nice. So anyways, we always eat with about 5-8 people. Last night we ate in a hotel restaurant with friends of Jie's dad and I could understand a lot of the conversation, and sometimes when ... read more

Wuxi, an old and modern city in Jiangsu province. ... read more

Let me start off by apolgizing for not blogging yesterday. To make a long story short..it was out last night in Wuxi and our hosts took it as a personal and cultural insult if you did not get completly hammered with them. I would not call myself hammered, but I did not have to take Advil PM to sleep if you know what I mean. A few of the group members were favorites of Dr. Hua and had to be helped to the bus and to bed :). Therefore, I was not up for blogging last night. I know that you were all on pins and needles to hear about my lesson so here is the play by play: So, the day started like the last couple of days, with me getting up around 6am, Skyping ... read more

While waiting for the bus at the hotel, Jon learned from the vice principal that Dangkou MS has transformed its teaching philosophy as a result of Purdue’s visit last year. The teachers are now beginning to value the ability of students to think individually and explore on their own. Such thinking represents an incredible departure from traditional Chinese education (and also from American education, in same cases). Although this new way of teaching will take several years to integrate fully, the vice principal is encouraged at the changes already evident. We started the day with our first lesson: Sue and Shelly’s Genetics with a Smile. This lesson examined various dominant and recessive traits: hitchhiker’s thumb, ear lobes, tongue rolling, etc. The classroom was set-up with the students sitting in five groupings of desk at the front ... read more