Planning the program

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This morning we went to the middle school to our office and planned the first morning of our training program…what we the staff/trainers are going to say when we introduce ourselves, who will speak. The younger volunteers talked about the skit (the bilingual cat) that they will perform. We then reviewed the registration/placement interview process and scoring criteria for the oral interview that we will use in placement. We reviewed the previous rubric and revised it and then we reviewed the registration sheet and the information that we want from the teachers. We then practiced the interviewing process to do placement. We also made name tags and I’m sticking with the XinXiYa Chinese name. I will say 3-4 sentences in Chinese after LiuLei introduces me.
The visualizers (duo meiti) - really an overhead, a computer w/ DVD and CD player - is in each classroom which makes it easier in terms of visuals - we don’t have to make so many copies this way.

The weather now is sunny but this morning it was overcast and it had apparently rained a bit during the night. It was a lot cooler this morning but it’s beginning to heat up with the sun shining …although the sky is a little gray … don’t know if that is a cloud cover or if it’s a bit of pollution. Birds are singing in the trees outside - I’ve got my window open so I can hear them…even though we’re on the 3rd floor and the trees are on the ground floor below.

We are eating a good three meals each day…too much for me. I have had to buy my own coffee…Nescafe instant … and I’ve asked for hot milk in the morning. This morning I was late in getting up and to the breakfast room and the milk was already lukewarm. Each day we have aboiled egg…which is good, but there are a lot of pickled vegetables in the mrongin and a lot of Chinese dishes that are salty…

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Photos

84-year-old widower
This elderly man lost his wife last year. She was then 84 years old herself. He spoke of Chairman Mao coming to the village many years ago to spend the night.

Front of Cave House
This is a typical cave house. the windows are covered with a paper soaked in tungsten oil to keep out the cold in winter but to keep it cool in summer. The small hole at the bottom of the door is for the cat to come in and out. The door itself is made of several slats of wood.

Chairman Mao Museum
Judy Manton, Director, Zigen Teacher Training Program, signs the guest book at the Chairman Mao Museum

LiuLei at the Chairman Mao Museum
Liulei takes an important call on the rotary phone in the Mao Museum.

Wall of Cave House
The wall of one of the cave houses in the village where Chairman Mao spent one night. this particular cave house is over a hundred years old and has been home to several generations.