What. A. Week. And it is only week ONE of many (but still too few…) in ZHUHAI! Here is a snapshot of this week’s happenings: hot seat, celebrity status entrance to No. 9, first week of classes, a plethora of WeChat conversations, basketball with students during PE and after rest, sickness (random and short lasting flu like symptoms made Wednesday night and Thursday morning undesirable) milk tea (sooo goooood), amazing vegetarian food (I found a vegetarian buffet less than a five minute walk from school… YES!), and host family introduction. What. A. Week. And it was one to remember. ;)
Last Saturday, May 18, we departed from Guangzhou for Zhuhai, our home for the next several weeks! The group spent the bus ride getting to know each other better by playing “hot seat”, an interview style game in which people take turns answering questions from the group in a rapid-fire format. Through our honesty and vulnerability, our group grew much closer and strengthened our friendships that had already formed during DukeEngage Academy and our first few days in Guangzhou. This made it that much more difficult to say “goodbye” to our first chapter in Zhuhai (staying in a hotel together) when we met our host families on Saturday, May 25. First impressions, Chinese dating show watch parties, and massage trains also helped the group to form a home away from home in Zhuhai. Wo ai ni men! :)
On Sunday, May 19, we visited the home of a No. 9 student, Candy, who hosted a Duke student last year. This experience allowed me to get a glimpse of home life in China, and my interactions with Candy helped me to feel more prepared to meet the No. 9 students on Monday. And WOW, were we in for a treat on Monday!
On Monday, May 20, we arrived at No. 9 middle school at 7:30 in the morning to a BEAUTIFUL, and I mean BEAUITFUL, welcome ceremony! The school LITERALLY laid out the read carpet for us. The No. 9 students were so happy to greet us, and they met us around the red carpet with noise makers in hand. Some students participated in a beautiful dragon dance to welcome us. The principal also spoke highly of No. 9’s relationship with Duke University. Not going to lie, I was overwhelmed by everyone’s excitement, generosity, and acceptance to have us at the school. In this moment, I knew that “there’s no place I’d rather be”. :)
Monday also marked our first day of CLASS! AHHHHHHH! On Monday morning, I was slightly nervous, but mainly excited to meet the students that I will be working with for the next few weeks! Each week, we will work with the same group of students. From Monday to Wednesday morning, we work with Grade 7 students, and from Wednesday afternoon to Friday, we work with Grade 8 students. This week, we were greeted with applause, smiles, and excitement in every class! It warmed my heart so much!! I kept thinking to myself, “I do not deserve to be treated this well.” But I put these thoughts aside and let my own enthusiasm and energy grow off the students’.
“Interesting”. Challenging. Rewarding. Fun. These are four great words that describe how classes went this week. As it was only week 1, I utilized the 40 minute class period to introduce myself (majors, relationships, homelife, hobbies, sports, etc.), get to know the students (two truths and a lie and introductions), and show them a little bit of magic… or “móshù” in Chinese! The students were eager to learn and listened intently to myself and their peers speak. It was extremely helpful when at least one of the students understood English fairly well so that they could help translate game instructions or difficult words to their classmates. If a particular class did not have an outstandingly strong English speaker, Pleco (an effective Chinese to English translator) was my best “péngyǒu” (friend)! I tried my best to rephrase the questions or use a translator whenever multiple students had puzzled looks on their faces. I used the word “interesting” to describe this week’s classes because that was the students’ favorite response when I asked why a specific school subject was their favorite. This was a safe response until I began to ask the students’ “so, why is X class interesting?”. That question was a game-changer! Looking forward, I hope to anticipate troubling vocabulary or confusing instructions and translate them before class in order to minimize confusion and keep students engaged throughout class. I am so excited to teach our first real English lesson this week, which will be about daily routines at school and home, as well as weekend activities! I will post new challenges and report on any new success during next week’s blog!
My dad joked with me last week that I came to China just to play basketball! Basketball is so popular here among the students, and I have met many students by joining them for basketball during PE class and during the 10-15 min rest breaks between classes. In addition to class and basketball, I met more students by walking around during rest breaks and by following the motto of the penguins from the Madgascar movies: “Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave…” I so desperately wanted to connect with students, but I knew that my inability to speak or understand Chinese would hold me back. So, I embodied the penguins’ motto throughout the whole week as I spoke broken, and sometimes clear, Chinese and English to No. 9 students, remembering to smile and wave ALL THE TIME. Another challenge this week is trying to manage the relationships that I am forming with the students. It is difficult to remember everyone’s name and keep up with the flood of WeChat messages every night after students finish their homework. I feel bad when students ask me in person, “do you remember my name?”, and their hame has somehow slipped my mind, or when students ask me why I do not respond more quickly on WeChat. I want to know as many students as possible and many students want to know me too, so I am still working to try to find a balance where I can develop meaningful relationships with the students. :)
I am writing this blog on Saturday afternoon, May 25! This morning, we met our HOST FAMILY! AHHHHHHHH part 2! I have only spent a few hours with them, but I am sooooo excited to spend the next several weeks for them. I have TWO host siblings (YAY!): one brother (Ted) and one sister (Telly). They are twins in grade 8, but they are in different classes. I spent the late morning and early afternoon with Ted and his two good friends while Telly was finishing an activity with the 8th grade class. They both speak English very well and we infrequently use a translator to communicate. The parents, on the other hand, are GREAT, but they speak little English. They are so welcoming, warm, and generous, and I know that we will get along well. I hope to learn more Chinese so that I will be able to communicate with them without relying on a translator or Telly and Ted!
I am looking forward to the challenges, surprises, relationships, and perspectives that Week 2 will provide! Thank you for reading! See you all next week. :)
