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What a day! It feels great to be back in Chongqing, our "home away from home." But this morning I had a wonderful time working with the preschoolers and their charming teacher. They were a delight to be around and behaved like most children of that age would! I taught them songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and "Open, Shut Them." The latter of the two is one I hadn't heard before but the teacher chose it out of my book of rhymes and songs because it was simple to follow along. I made up movements for them to do so it was very interactive and of course "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" went great! I just had to slow the song down at first and teach one part at a time but they were quick learners. I also did a simplified version of the "Hokey Pokey" and she had me teach some new words. Luckily the words had to do with sports! It was definitely interesting trying to come up with a technique to teach when I don't speak their native language and have little way to communicate. They had a break for exercises which is like dancing and I was able to join in and follow along! :) I decided to leave them with my book which contains a lot of rhymes and songs I grew up with, including some of the ones I taught today, and the teacher was very happy. 

I learned a lot this weekend about ways to show respect in China and about some of the cultural practices. During the meals we were shown how to give a proper toast, we have seen how important gift giving is, and heard how "no" doesn't also mean "no." We were given very nice gifts upon leaving the school and in turn we gave them a letter of thanks. There are so many things about the Chinese culture that fascinate me! One of the things that I didn't realize before is that people from this area have a hard time handling cold food. Most items are served either hot or warm because cold items can make them feel ill. One thing I really miss from home is a nice cold bowl of cereal! It is all definitely interesting! 

Everything I have learned in language class this past week has been put to use out in the real  world and it has so much more meaning now. I can easily recall the words and phrases we have gone over thanks to the practice and real world situations were I was able to apply what I had learned. It is helpful to be immersed in the language you are trying to learn. 

After a long weekend of lots of food we decided to stick with a simple peanut butter sandwich for dinner, and then we attended a dubbing competition on campus. Dubbing is when you take out the words in a movie and replace them with your voice. Students took movies in English and used their English skills to be the voices of the characters. It was awesome to see the students having fun and putting their skills to the test! They study very hard and this was a chance to relax and have a good time with what they have worked so hard on. It was a privilege to be invited to attend and see the students showcase their talents. They did a wonderful job and I was thoroughly entertained! I think this would be a fun activity to do back home! 

Tomorrow we are back to the classroom with a seminar in the morning and then we hit the streets with a visit to a traditional Chinese hospital in the afternoon. It should be a good day full of information. 

5/28/2013 05:17:51 am

I hope you all are getting video of what you all are doing. That would be great content for the college's web site. :)

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