Registration -- Meeting and Interviewing Teachers

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Zigen English Teachers Training Program, Shilou City, Shanxi
Today we held registration in the offices of the Education Bureau for our English Teachers Training Program. Tomorrow we begin the classes. We'll start at 8:30 tomorrow morning with a welcoming ceremony hosted by the Education Bureau and Zigen and other officials. After the welcome and introductions we will teach and sing some songs and in the afternoon we'll do some games. The object is to make English fun and help teachers learn some games that they can teach their students to make it fun for the students.

Tonight we were invited to dinner with some of the officials from the Bureau and the County Education Dept -- Mr. Wang who we had dinner with the first night; Mr. Song, County governmnet lead (zhru ren; and Mr. Tian, Director,of Education County Office. A woman who is from the Women's Federation in SHilou County, an agency that works on projects for women entrepreneurs also attended....Ms. Gao, ling dao or director. The dinner was an elaborate spread -- very tasty dishes including a shrimp dish, pig's feet (which I didn't eat), chicken with almonds, a couple of different dishes of fungus -- didn't want to ask exactly where it came from -- dumplings, shredded pickled radish, fish in a sweet and sour sauce, dried tofu in a red oily sauce that was incredible, and a celery dish, ... it was quite a dinner and we all ate and ate and ate.

It is a tradition to toast the guests and each other several times throughout the dinner. I wish that I had some Chinese at this point so that I could at least perform these basic tasks but so far I'm not doing very well in that category. I am rather exhausted with the tasks of planning registration, conducting the registration process, trying to comply -- there is definitelyl pressure to follow the schedule...to be on time when the driver is ready, etc. etc.

We have to leave here at 8 am so I need to be up and out of my room at 7:20...got to see if I can get a cup of coffee and manage to get out of the room and out to the school on time....

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Photos

Zigen English Teacher Training Program Meets with China Computer Federation and Tsinghua University Professors
DU, Zide, Secretary General of Chiina Computer Federation, Liu Yu, Deputy Secretary-General, yunquan Zhang, ISCAS Zhang Xiaoping, Tsinghua Univeristy w/ Zigen English Teacher Training progarm Director Judy Manton and Assiistant Director, Cynthia Wiseman

Opening Ceremony of Zigen English Teacher Training Program
Summer 2010, Education Bureau, Shilou City, Shilou