Zài Jiàn!
We say goodbye as we offer you this video about ourselves, our inspirations, and our time teaching in America.
We will miss you all!
Author:
Laura Ross
Friday, October 12, 2012
The Beginning of Summer
May 29, 2012.
The weather outside was really comfortable for us today: yesterday's thunderstorm cooled the high heat. You know, Chinese girls like sunny days but don't like the sunshine, because they don't want to get tan. This is the very first culture difference you can notice between Chinese and American girls, because you frequently see Chinese girls walking outside in the sun with umbrellas.
We just spent summer's beginning - Memorial Day - at Bill's house. It was the third time we were invited over, and it is always a fun and happy time. Bill even prepared badminton net for us. (See, there's a girl with umbrella, I told you!) 
I was also using this baseball glove that was "bigger than my face" to play catch. I believe I did pretty good!
May 30, 2012.
Yesterday I gave the final test to the students at Lancaster Country Day School. I didn't cry because I didn't want to believe that it was already the end of the year, the end with them. If I cried, it would mean that it really was the end. We jumped and smiled instead of crying tears, which was great!
It is almost the end of all the classes, the end of the long year that I was far away from home, parents, friends and everything I was familiar with. But when I look back at the day I arrived in the US, the day I first moved into my apartment, and the first class I taught, it is like it all happened yesterday. This year I struggled because of the food differences, I cried because of trying to understand and work through how students behaved, and I was upset because of the noisy classrooms. Yet, most of the time I laughed when the kids tried so hard to learn, and I was so grateful that every one of my workmates and Chinese friends waited to offer me help any time I needed it. Many people, both Chinese and American, asked me this question: what's your favorite part of the United States? I always answered: the people I met. Indeed, I made it through because of you! Thank you so much! Xiexie (in Chinese)!
Up until now, I have already visited some places: Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Florida and Disney World.
I still have two month here. We will visit the spectacular Niagara Falls June 12-15, and from July 3 -13 , we will crazily travel the west coast: Yellow Stone, Yosemite, Grand Teton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon, etc. I am so looking forward to it!
Author:
Sixie LiuWednesday, May 30, 2012
My happy spring break
Spring Break
This spring break we went to Washington DC.
We also went to Harvard University. The campus is really beautiful.
We also went to Martin Luther Memorial Hall.
The Japanese Cherry Trees in Boston are gorgeous!
This is the Natural History Museum in DC.
DC's streets are so grand and magnificent.
We went to M.I.T.
Fun with my Students
This was the last class in Reiffton. We will miss you!
I go onsite with my Alsace student to prepare for conference day.
The chicken dance.
For Valentine's Day he only got a flower.
My senior students at Unionville High School.
We did papercutting and made paper hearts.
During the Chinese Spring Festival we also made little presents for the little ones.
These are red bags! In China, the older people will give this to young people during Spring Festival.
It's the year of the dragon, so we have dragon bookmarks.
Author:
Yuhong ZhangTuesday, May 01, 2012
The First Day of Spring
Last Tuesday, March 20, was a very special day- the first day of spring.
We could see a lot of beautiful daffodils. We loved the weather and the warm
breeze and we really wanted to have a picnic.
In fact, in China we also have our "special day", the first day of spring, but we decide
the date according to the Chinese lunar calendar. So every year we have a different
date for the"春分"( "chun fen," - an important day of spring). It is really amazing that
this year, 2012，we have "春分" right on March 20- the same day as America!
On "春分"we have some interesting traditions. The first one we call
"咬春"( "yao chun," - bite spring). We will eat spring roll for "春分",
or we also can bite carrot instead."咬春" means we will say goodbye to bad
luck and begin our new days in spring.
Another interesting thing for spring is "立蛋"("li dan," - make an egg stand).
If you can do it, it means you will have good fortune in the year.
I hope you all can have a good year!
-Ke Qin
Author:
Laura RossTuesday, March 27, 2012
Germantown Academy and Chinese Weekends
I'm so glad to see you again after such a long time. In recent days we have been experiencing a lot of interesting things.
First we went to Germantown Academy to attend a Chinese teachers' conference. At the conference, we shared teaching skills and experiences as well as the materials we could use in class. It's a very good thing to be together with so many teachers from the different school districts. The principle then showed us around the school yard. Germantown is a school that enjoys almost 200 years history and it is very beautiful.
Last Saturday, we invited some local Chinese friends to our apartment to have dinner. We played the Chinese Majiang Game together and enjoyed Chinese dishes. On Sunday, I went to a local church with one of our friends to see what real religion life is like in the USA. I can tell that the band of the church was amazing and the songs were really beautiful. Later, we enjoyed another lunch with the other local Chinese, which was really funny. I met one old gentleman who came from my hometown long time ago. He was so happy to have someone who could speak the dialect with him. I also became the babysitter to take care of a little boy. He is so cute and adorable. He loves cake.
Author:
Xuejuan PengWednesday, February 29, 2012
Chinese New Year!
This week, we were invited to Moyi's school,Wilson, to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival- the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar.
There was a legend that explained the origin of the festival. According to the old legends, the Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again.
Moyi was holding a big Chinese New Year party with all her Chinese students.
These were the decorations in the classroom.
During the festival, windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity".
The students gave us a show based on what they learned from the Chinese class. You would be so surprised to see how much they knew for just a half year's learning.
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| This was the kindergarten kids singing of "If you're happy and you know it." |
This was Chinese Kongfu,太极（Taichi). |
This was the fashion show. Kids were dressed in the Chinese traditional clothes called "旗袍".
There were also some Chinese snacks. It seems that they didn't get the chance to take pictures. Bad luck!
All of the teachers, parents and the students seemed had fun. It aroused us to think of planning another party with our own students. We'll see.
Author:
Sixie LiuFriday, February 10, 2012
Our Fantastic Walt Disney World Trip
The castle is so beautiful- like a real fairytale.
The big parade. Toys are coming! They are waving to us!
Waiting in the long line for a roller coaster. We took a trip in a small world. France is the most beautiful.
We saw the little mermaid and prince show~~
The beautiful Epcot.
Finally we met Mickey ,we are all very excited
Goofy and I have the same hairstyle.
With Donald's girlfriend.
The beast is so cute~~
Walking in Canada.
My Mickey ears.
The last day is in Hollywood studio,we all are a little tired but still happy.
The sun is really good .
The Christmas tree sea is so nice and neat.
The lights are on! The music starts ,party begins~~
Waiting for the smart whale~~~
They are so cute!
Florida's most famous food-----turkey leg, very big but delicious.
Author:
Yuhong ZhangTuesday, January 31, 2012
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This is your friend, Ke Qin.
Last week, we all had a great time. Zhang Yuhong, Liu Sixie, and Peng Xuejun went to Disney Land in Orlando to enjoy the sunshine in the south. Li Moyi and I went to New York to see the modern American life during Christmas vacation.
Our first stop on Dec.24th was a trip to the famous Wall Street.
Standing before the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street.
Then we went shopping and found our hotel. On Christmas Eve we went to Rockefeller Center to see the big Christmas tree with a big Swarovski crystal on top. This Christmas tree is incredibly beautiful. We really envied the lucky people who booked tickets for ice skating under the tree.
Moyi standing under the tree at Rockefeller Center.
On Christmas Day we went to Fifth Avenue to see the beautiful window displays. We also went into the Apple shop to see their new stuff.
Then we went to the zoo in Central Park to see the animals. They are so cute!
A sleeping polar bear. A colorful bird.
The day after Christmas we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are so many art works and historical exhibits! We spent a whole day there, but we still could not see all of the fabulous things. We didn't even have time to read all the information on all of the exhibits.
On the last day of our trip we went to Radio City to watch the Radio City Rockettes show.
They are fabulous! They even danced on a bus in the middle of the stage. We really enjoyed the 3D background. We were all shocked when we saw real camels walking around on the stage.
We took the one-hour dancing class. Then I realized that I am not good at dancing at all.
Just wait until you read our next blog! It is about another fairy tale.
Author:
Laura RossMonday, January 16, 2012
Classes Ending and Holidays Approaching!
It's me, Xiao Xue, again! Long time no see!
I have been having a good time. How about you?
Early this month I finished my adult class which brought me a lot of fun and made me learn a lot in teaching experience. The happiest thing is that my students had fun in my class. That's the only thing I want them to have, of course, besides learning some Chinese language.
Here are some pictures: the students are playing a chopsticks game :
The surprise is that I got gifts from my students. That's so sweet~~ thank you ladies~~~
Since Christmas is around the corner, we teachers prepared a lot of things for the students, such as the songs. Last Friday, I went to GVMS to be on site which surprised my students~~haha that's really what I wanted. I really like to see their excited faces!
In that class we sang the Chinese version of Jingle Bells. They were so great and their pronunciation gets better and better.
On this Sunday we were invited to Sue's house and we finally saw her champion cats, who were so adorable that we didn't want to leave. Next time we will take any chance to stay with those lovely and beautiful cats! Haha !!!
This holiday season we will go to Disneyland in Orlando. Wait for our pictures~~
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Author:
Xuejuan PengMonday, December 19, 2011
My happy life in BCIU
Reiffton- after school we did Chinese traditional hair decoration.
The boys played Jianzi (shuttlecock)
The girls were very happy to have the hair decoration
Ke qin with all students
Zhang Yuhong with all students
I had my 23rd birthday in America. It was a very delicious cake. Thanks, Sue.
Mr. Miller invited us to have thanksgiving dinner in his home. It was a very nice dinner.
Maggie, a cute doggy.
Mr. Miller cutting the turkey
It was a very nice and happy dinner, and we all enjoyed it
Yesterday I made dumplings with my Unionville High School students
They were all excited about dumplings!
Ready to go!
Author:
Yuhong ZhangFriday, December 16, 2011
Best Quarter
This morning I talked to my classmates:"we have been to American for 4 months!" They replied me with surprise:"Wow, I didn't notice that at all!"
It is a quarter of one school year, 1/3 days in American and very special memory in our entire life.
We met the unusual hospitable snow on Oct.30. It was so beautiful!
We moved into the new main-building. Everything was wonderful!
my new working spot the big scary screen
A candid snapshot of Yuhong
We met Halloween.
We made our own Pumpkin lamp at Summer's house.
We are waiting for the little monsters.
And we also celebrate the Halloween using our own way.
We made dumplings and sushi.
I really enjoyed every day and I am also looking forward more surprises in the later life.
Author:
Sixie LiuTuesday, November 01, 2011
A Trip to China
Last Saturday was the National Day of People's Republic of China so we should say "国庆节快乐" (guo qing jie kuai le),which means "Happy National Day" to every one.This National Day was special to all of us.Last Saturday we participated in the China Cultural Immersion Day.We four in BCIU and another four Chinese teacher who teach Chinese in other districts all had a very good time. And we all appreciate that BCIU gave us a change to get closer to Chinese culture growing in America. When we arrived at the embassy of People's Republic of China,we just couldn't believe that we are inChina.We were at home! That was a kind of feeling that I can't describe in words.We saw so many Chinese things there which we are so familiar which but so far away from,such as Chinese painting,poetry,calligraphy. What made us most impressive was a painting which is made of traditional embroidery,in which there were green bamboos and colourful birds. We also saw some decoration for the National Day of People's Republic of China which said "Happy Birthday to Our Country."
After the trip to embassy,we went to Merdian Center to see Chinese Ceramic Painting Exhibit. We are amazed by those ceramic art works on the wall.We know that the shapes and colors which are painted in the ceramic are easy to change after burning,some of them will get bigger than before and some others will get small.So it is very difficulty to control the colors and shapes. But the artists did a excellent job to use ceramic to create paintings. We went to museum to have a look at Chinese cultural relic which dated back to Shang Dynasty.It gave us a different feeling seeing these old things in America.We also saw Chinese traditional painting drawn by Qi Baishi who was a very famous artist in China.We enjoyed ourselves a lot in the museum.
We had an amazing Chinese dinner in a very famous Chinese restaurant—Chalin's.What made us movedwas that we finally had 饺子 jiaozi（dumpling）and 包子 baozi(steam bread) there.That was a flavor of hometown.We were almost gonna cry after eating so many kinds of real Chinese food.And if we have chance we will teach our students to make some jiaozi. After dinner we went to see a show called Top Restaurant which tells the story of the top restaurant selling Peking duck in Ming dynasty.It showed us the culture of Chinese food,Chinese society and even Peking Opera.We liked it so much not only because of the story but also because of the interesting language used in the show.It is a kind of voice of hometown.So for us this is a interesting trip to go back home.We will never forget this trip.And we hope that more and more foreign people know about China and Chinese language.
Author:
Qin KeThursday, October 13, 2011
Hi, everyone! Another good week time, isn't it? I am Xiao Xue, I had a wonderful time. How about you?
The biggest news for this week is that our leader teacher Dr. Guo Tingting came to visit us. We Berks County team got together in the Big House and had a nice chat with Dr. Guo, Mr. Miller, Sue and summer. We talked about our teaching, daily life and shared our experience and happiness. It was obvious that everyone enjoyed the teaching time and liked our kids. Yes, our kids. This is one thing I appreciate most here that teachers here call their students kids in which way teachers show their love and care. In the meeting, we shared our teaching experience as well and talked about how to manage the class in an effective way. Everyone contributed her ideas to make all of us better.
In the evening, we prepared a big meal for Dr. Guo and enjoyed it. That was another girls' chat.^v^
On Sunday, Sue, Summer, Sixie and I went to my student's house to meet his families and all students who learning Chinese now. Also we met the students' parents as well. We talked a lot about the different lifestyle and culture between China and America. The parents are so nice that we had a very good chat. I found that the real America life was quite different from what I have learned from TV and American movies. And Americans also had some mistakes about China and Chinese life. So I'd like to say we must experience life and culture by ourselves to find out what is real! And I also like to say that TV and movies lie!
At that day Sixie and I ate our Mexican food and S'mores for the first time. Mexican food was delicious and so did the S'mores. It was very interesting to bake marshmallows on fire with our students. Thanks for the invitation again!
So as I have told you at the beginning , it is a good time, isn't it?
Author:
Xuejuan PengThursday, October 13, 2011
This was the third week of class. I felt more and more comfortable and confident, so did my students, I thought. Everyone showed their own personality which was a little bit different from my first impression. I really like that!
This week, the most successful game was "you act, I guess". Students had just learned how to say "what is your name" and "my name is…" We prepared two pictures including the famous people, some animals etc. to each student, they must act the pictures and ask "what is my name" in Chinese, other students should reply the complete sentences like "your name is…". Students' imagination and creativity really amazed me and moved me. One picture was Angelina Jolie, to my surprise, the girl named Yang bingyu played several rolls on the ground! All of us had fun!
And this Friday, I finally could on-site at Lancaster Country Day School. I prepared several games, moon cakes and taught them how to use chopsticks. When they act the pictures, I even laughed out tears. Time flied, every people were so happy!
And I also joined LCDS's picnic, it was so funny! I saw a lot of different aspects of my students.
My students are so lovely, smart and always very willing to cooperate which makes me very happy! I love them!
Author:
Sixie LiuMonday, September 19, 2011
Teaching & Daily Life
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 Hi! It is Xiao Xue again. This picture was taken in NYC. I love the music box of The Phantom of the Opera and love the musical more than I can tell. This time I will introduce something about our teaching and daily life.
Time flies! We have been teaching for two weeks. It seems a long time but it's really short and funny.
My students in Great Valley are so amazing that I don't know how to express my feeling. They are smart, learn Chinese much faster than I expected; they are active, whenever I ask a question, they all response quickly; the most important is that they are confident in themselves and they have faith to learn Chinese well. Actually they did. Now, they can greet and introduce their names in Chinese and understand some class language that I use in class as well. What's more, When I taught them how to say overcast day in Chinese for the first time, they used it to answer my question in the next second. How smart they are! |
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| I taught them to sing "Two Tigers" last week, a Chinese song which has the same melody with "Brother John" in English. They like the song and the tigers I draw. What moved me most is that they applauded for me after I showing them the song with act. I was really touched! |
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| The only pity I had last week is that I missed the Back to School night due to the heavy rain. I prepared for a long time. I still want to share with you my favorite part of my presentation. That's how I want to be a good teacher.
 These days we four teachers had a busy but meaningful time. We really enjoy our life!
Thank you for your attention. See you next time |
Author:
Xuejuan PengMonday, September 12, 2011
Wonderful Week!
Hello, every one! I am Ke Qin. This is my turn to write this blog. Nice to meet you.
We were all very tired but happy this week.Especially for me, because I started to teach preschool children Chinese this week.I will never forget the first day when I met them. These children are so cute and clever.After playing with them for several days they could recognize me and call me"Miss CoCo" or "Ke laoshi" even though I had changed my hair style and dressing.They are so smart.And the best way to teach them Chinese is to play with them.And two little girls in preschool are fond of doing my hair. I really had a very good time with them.
On Saturday Zhang Yuhong, Liu Sixie, Peng Xuejun, Guo Yucheng and me went to New York city .The weather there was so nice and there were so many people there.We all enjoyed "The Phantom of the Opera" on the Broadway.It was fantastic and out of this world!We just couldn't help crying when the Phantom disappeared at the end of the opera.After that we also went to see the Empire State Building and had a walk from the Times Square to the 5th avenue.We all had a very good time.
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On Sunday, we went to see the Statue of Liberty. We all considered her as a charming lady because she has attracted so many people to meet her all over the world. We also loved the experience of taking a ship to the island. In a word everything was so wonderful and We really had a good rest after these trip. |
Author:
Qin KeTuesday, September 06, 2011
My First School Visits
Author:
Yuhong ZhangFriday, September 02, 2011
Week 3 at BCIU
It is the third week we went to BCIU. Everything went to the right track even poor Moyi.
Tuesday, Mr. Miller drove me to Lancaster Country Day School which was my first school I visited. So I was really very nervous. There was a huge beautiful rainbow followed us all the way! Mr. Miller told me it was a lucky omen which reduced the tension of me and at the same time I even more looking forward to my visit of the school.
When I arrived at the beautiful school, Eric, my facility teacher really tried his best to pronounce my name Sixie correctly and introduced me to other faculties, I rest assured. The people there were very nice. They were all my strong backing！
This two-floor building was Lancaster Country Day School.
Thursday and Friday were training! 8 Berks County girls got together again！
Distance learning was different from face to face class. So class management was very important！Pam and Summer told us how to assess, write curriculum, play games in class to engage students and gave us so many teaching resources which were really helpful and useful!
Thursday evening we introduced ourselves to SMC. Because the conference was a very formal occasions，we wore cheongsam.
We had been told that it could not play power point when we arrived. Fortunately, we prepared plan B. It taught us plan B was always necessary!
What a busy and substantial week！I love the place and so excited for my first class next Friday！
Author:
Sixie LiuThursday, August 25, 2011
First Days in Berks County
Hello, everyone!
I am Peng Xuejun, one of the four new Chinese teachers of BCIU. It is a great honor to join this big family.
Berks County is a very beautiful place with fresh air and lovely flowers. But what impressed us most are the friendly people here during these days. When the first day that Sue show us around in the building, everyone we met here offered us great warm welcome. That's very touching.
We had our training classes this week, from which we learnt how to use the equipments and what should be focused on. Those are really helpful! Moreover, we also had our teaching demonstration of distance learning, which help us to know some of what a real class is. All these training and practice make us more confidence of our teaching work.
As to our daily life, I must say that it's very funny. We four young ladies and Li Moyi, who will go to Wilson for the new school year, live together in the lovely apartment. We cook Chinese food everyday and we sincerely welcome any of you to our apartment for the delicious Chinese dishes.
Mapo Tofu 
Braised beef with carror
Last weekend, some of us went to Philadelphia to see the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It's very impressive!
China Town
Advertisement of Kung Fu Club
Zhang Yuhong, in front of a lovely house
Liu Sixie, with a lion
Peng Xuejun, at the Old City Hall
P.S. Ke Qin didn't c ome with us because she wanted to have a rest at home.
This is the first blog we have, and we will talk about more about our teaching and life in future days. Thanks for your attention.
At last, on behalf of four new Chinese teachers, I'd like to express our sincerely thanks to all people have helped us!
Author:
Qin KeSunday, August 14, 2011
Guest Scholars 2010/2011 School Year
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This weekend our guest scholars left for Pittsburgh.
After a week helping to train the newly arrived guest scholars for the 2011/2012 school year they will be leaving for China.
The guest scholars did a wonderful job this year teaching language and culture to students. We wish them luck as they return home to their school, jobs, and families.
Zai Jian!!!! Wu Xiaoxue, Song Ying, Yang ZeQing |
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Wang Sheng, Wang Liangyan, Yang Xuan, Yu Qingchu, and Gao Ya |
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Author:
Sue CalvinSunday, July 24, 2011
Li Moyi
Hello everybody, my name is LI Moyi.
I started teaching Chinese to English speakers as a part-time job when I was a college student.
After graduation I joint some of the international conferences such as the Asia-Europe Meeting, and made a lot of foreign friends. I really enjoy the experience of sharing the beautiful Chinese culture and characters with my friends,and I want to do better. So now I'm working on my master's degree on Chinese-teaching in Wuhan University.
My family is small but warm, and kind of traditional.
Both of my parents work in the cloth-designing area. When I was young I was surrounded by traditional Chinese paintings and silk pattern books.
I guess that's the first reason why I fall in love with the Chinese culture.
And my uncle who works in the traditional Chinese tea business should be my reason two.
PS: Meet the forth member of my family, little bear (she's in my arms), my lovely white and black cat. She looks like a panda when she's really, really fat…: )
I myself am a member of Chinese Wu Shu Association, and joined the UIR Wushu team in my college. I have taught Taiji to my foreign students for about one year. Now almost all of them can practice the fundamental moves. Taiji sward and Taiji fan are my mainly areas, and I'm focusing on the old style Wudang Taiji recent years. This is a really gentle and healthy sport which is perfect for women and aged people. I'm looking forward to introducing more American friends who are interested in Chinese Wushu into Taiji sport in the future.
Thank you.
Author:
Sue CalvinMonday, July 04, 2011
Guo Yuchen
Hello friends~~! My name is Guo Yuchen,
and my English name is Catherine.
I come from Xi'an, the capital of 13 dynasties of ancient China.
When I was a child, I am very proud of my living environment
surrounding by the atmosphere of Chinese culture.
Now, I am happy for having the chance to go abroad to spread our culture.
I think it is my great honor to be the volunteer in the U.S.A next year!!
All the friends of mine consider that I am an easygoing girl.
I like making friends and communicate with them
by chatting or other interesting methods.
And I have a lot of hobbies, in my spare time,
I like singing, reading, travelling and taking photos.
Except preparing for my job, I will spend a lot of time to know something
about the American culture and travelling before going to America.
I am looking forward to working in the U.S.A next year.
I think it will be one of the most precious experiences of my life!!
Author:
Sue CalvinSunday, July 03, 2011
Peng Xuejun
I am Peng Xuejun and called Xiao Xue as a nickname.
You can call me Crystal as well.
I was born 23 years ago in a common but happy family in Wuhan, Hubei
and raised by my dear parents. I am going on my postgraduate study in Wuhan University,
the most beautiful university in China.
As to myself, I like reading and watching movies most.
Also I prefer to do some handicrafts when I have leisure time. I adore drawing,
especially Chinese ink painting and cute cartoon images.
My favorite sports are walking and swimming as well as yoga.
Besides, I am officially an easy-going and active person
though I prefer to stay quiet sometimes.
Like many other young ladies, I love all the beautiful and cute things,
such as lovely pictures, little flowers and pets.
I always dream to have a big dog as my pet and I think a husky will be a good choice.
In the end, I'd like to say that I am looking forward to seeing you this summer,
and hope we would become good friends!
Author:
Sue CalvinWednesday, June 29, 2011
Ren Ying
Hello, I am Ren Ying, my English name is Jessica.
Now I am a post graduate student in Wuhan University.
I study as a Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages.
In 2009, I began to teach two foreign students Chinese,
this year, one of my students passed the HSK, this encourage me greatly,
I believe I can be a good Chinese teacher!
In my spare time, I like music, travel and photography.
I have traveled 32 provinces and municipalities in China, as well as India and Japan.
I take a lot of beautiful pictures and I am very proud of them.
I love my country and I have the confidence that I know Chinese culture very well.
I hope I can promote mutual understanding between China and
other countries via the instruction of Chinese language!
Author:
Sue CalvinWednesday, June 29, 2011
Ke Qin
My name is Ke Qin and my friends always call me Keke as a nick name.
My hometown is Wuhan and I grow up right beside the Yangtze River.
I am now a postgraduate majoring in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Wuhan University,
which is regarded as one of the most beautiful universities in China.
My hobbies are drawing、listening music and reading books.
I have many books in my room.
If I have leisure time I always read on my bed with a book in my hand.
My favourite writer is Chen Danyan ,a Chinese woman who have traveled a great number of places around world.
In fact I like staying home more than going outside but I like stories happen in foreign lands.
When I am reading her book I do feel I am traveling with her.
I love dogs, cats and plants.
My dog'name is Anan, who is a ten year old Pekingese.
He loves following me and my families and we all love him very much.
All in all,I am a normal Chinese who loves life、books and all the beautiful things.
So I came to you to find more new things may attract me and show you the beauty of Chinese and china.
Author:
Sue CalvinFriday, June 24, 2011
Guo Leiyin Introduction
My name is Guo Leiyin. I'm the only child in my family. I got married in October last year. Although I will leave home for one year to be a guest teacher in Southern Lehigh School district, my husband always supports me a lot.
In China, I'm working at a University in Wuhan as a full time administrative stuff for over three years, and a part-time teacher to teach modern Chinese literature and contemporary Chinese literature for one year.
In spare time I like swimming, playing accordion, walking outside, traveling, cooking, reading and watching movies. |
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I'm an active girl in most of time, but when I desire to learn something I can be gentle and quiet.
I have many friends in my hometown and I wish I can also make good friends in Berks county and take Berks as my second hometown as well.
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Author:
Sue CalvinThursday, June 23, 2011
Liu Sixie blog
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I am the only child in my family，I love my dear dad and mom so much！
Generally speaking, I'm a girl who is outgoing and active. In my spare time, I have broad interests.
I like singing, dancing, and playing badminton.
I have once joined several badminton competitions and have won prizes in them.
I am a very cheerful girl who would like to make friends with those who share the same ambitions and purposes with me, because I can find my limitations and improve them through heart-to-heart talks.
That is me. |
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Author:
Sue CalvinWednesday, June 22, 2011
My Learning Chinese Experience
Bangtam Nguyen
Exeter Township Senior High School
My interest in Chinese has its roots early in childhood; it grew from a love of Chinese food and music. This semester, I decided to take the Chinese class. In the first couple weeks of the class, I was totally overwhelmed. I started picking up Chinese slowly at the beginning since it's my third language. There are so many new things to learn such as Pinyin, tones, characters, diction, and the syntax which are totally different from English. When I learned how to write the characters, I always would mix them up because there is a rule: one goes from the left to the right and the top to the bottom. Otherwise, my teacher taught me how to set up the Chinese language bar in the computer, so it helps me practice typing the characters and remembering their pinyin easily. However, I think using the grammar point in the sentences and pronouncing the characters are most important in Chinese. In Chinese, one character can have multiple pronunciations and meanings. There was a lot of pleasure when I tried to pronounce the characters in different tones. It's common that the characters have the same pronunciations but different meanings. Chinese is so complicated. I had certain challenges in the class. Fortunately, my teacher was the one who helped me overcome and master the language. I used the flash cards to study the vocabulary everyday and tried to write the characters in order to memorize them. My teacher always said, "You never see the pinyin on the streets or anywhere in China. The ones you see are the characters." That is why I have to keep practicing the characters. They are very important. After several months of taking Chinese class, I'm gradually gaining my interest in learning the language. It is fun and exciting. I used the Chinese language bar to type all of what I learned in the class and used them to study for the tests. It was convenient and efficient because I can remember the characters and pinyin while I was typing. My teacher also taught me typing skills and recognized the characters. Now, I am confident in speaking Chinese with my teacher and classmates. I can't believe that I speak Chinese after only three months studying. Would you believe that I won the second place in Chinese Speech Competition? Now, I think Chinese is not difficult if I keep practicing it frequently.
Author:
ZeQing YangThursday, June 02, 2011
Happy Easter! 复活节快乐！
Spring is the best time for travelling! During the Easter break, we went to the famous cultural city Boston for a visit. It was really awesome----I finally went to the top universities in the world----Harvard and MIT. I couldn't imagine how excited I was when I saw my dream colleges. They are worth their reputation.
Besides more than 200 universities and colleges, Boston is also famous for its long history. Known for the Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre and the independence war's first gun, it is one of the most important ports in history and now. The scenery along the Charles River is very beautiful. We were lucky to take the Boston Duck Tour which is the vehicle for both on land and the river. We enjoyed it a lot.
| We ate a lot of sea food there! The lobster and oyster are really yummy and fresh! And we also did some window shopping on Newbury Street and saw the highest building there-the Prudential. We had a great time. I even didn't want to leave. Four days were really short for the city like Boston. |
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Author:
Ying SongWednesday, April 27, 2011
Charming city Baltimore
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When I was in high school I used to read a newspaper digest once a while, the digest quoted articles from Baltimore Sun quite often and that's how I had become been familiar with this American city- Baltimore. Later on, I learned American history and got more history about Baltimore: the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812, how Dr. William Beanes. Key's poem "The Star-Spangled Banner" became American National Anthem, how did the Great Baltimore Fire lead to the birth of NIST.
The past weekend, I finally had chance to experience the city I have heard a lot about. The worm and sunny spring weather was a very good company for me to walk in Fells Point and enjoy the retro atmosphere there. |
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| The National Aquarium is my favorite place in Baltimore; I was so impressed by seeing its collection of 16,500 specimens representing 660 species. the dolphins were so smart and vigorous, the central ray pool are full of those incredible creatures from the ocean, and it was such a wonderful experience when you are so close to those fierce sharks even though they seemed to enjoy a very relaxing life . |
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Baltimore is also a good place to test all kinds of cuisine, especially sea food. I had some wonderful seafood b reakfast in Miss Shirley's cafe and really enjoy the crabs in Phillips Harborplace Restaurant.
Standing on the top of Federal Hill When the breezing wind bring you the test of spring and the view of Inner Harbor jump in your eyes, you will intoxicated by Baltimore!
By Xiaoxue Wu | |
Author:
Xiaoxue WuWednesday, April 06, 2011
My New Lifestyle
Even before I left China, I know about that the history and culture is totally different in America. But I was still surprised when I came here. Everything looks so interesting and fresh to me: plants, streets, buildings, stores, walking people, language, food, weather and so on; especially the lifestyle here.
My hometown Shenzhen is one of the most economically developed cities in china. It is famous as its prosperous, convenient and efficient. It is a 24-hour city. People who live in Shenzhen are busy running for their work during the day. Then by night, all the streets are lit up as daytime and filled with karaoke joints, nightclubs and enormous roadside food stalls. If you are a habitually sleepless person, then Shenzhen definitely is your paradise; you never had to worry about finding food or entertainment at night. However, another point of view, the city is crowded and noisy all the time, sometimes you even can't find a quiet place to have a real break.
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But after I came here, I experienced another different lifestyle. Life here is simple, quiet and relaxed. People keep a healthy habit of early to bed and early to rise. Unlike the fast pace of city life, people here live in a positive and relaxed attitude: go to work after a cup of morning coffee; water plants in the garden after work. What's more, Americans love their families more than work. They express feelings honestly without caring what others think. But those people who live in city always care much about public images and they dedicate themselves to their companies to keep stable employment. It turns out that they don't have time with their children and they lost their health to make money.
As my age, I like efficiently. I used to enjoy the busy city life, but now I start to consider this American lifestyle is a better way to live.
Author:
ZeQing YangWednesday, March 23, 2011
Our cultural lessons
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| If you want to learn a language well, you should not only learn the language itself but also know something about its culture. Except the distance learning, I occasionally go to the classroom for some games and cultural lessons. That is very good for both the teacher and the students. We can talk face to face, we can have fun together and the students can have a better understanding of the culture. We did a lot of cultural things, like the chopsticks, tea ceremony, mid-autumn festival, calligraphy, paper cutting "春" and "囍", paper folding the pagoda, decoration for the Chinese New Year, Chinese birthday party, and Chinese cards. The students are really awesome. They always surprise me. We had a lot of fun. 我爱他们！(I love them!) |
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Author:
Ying SongMonday, March 14, 2011
Dumplings and Chinese New Year
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Chinese New Year is the most important and, at 15 days, the longest holiday in China. Chinese New Year's Eve kicks off the two-week long festivities. Chinese New Year begins on the first day of the lunar calendar, so it is also called Lunar New Year, and it is considered the beginning of spring, so it is also called Spring Festival. Chinese New Year is filled with many activities with revelers staying up as long as possible to usher in the New Year.
In china, people are particularly concerned with what foods to eat during festivals. At different festivals, people partake of different fare. On the eve of the spring festival, people in the north choose jiaozi 饺子, meat and vegetable dumplings, at family reunion- bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the New Year.
Dumplings with a variety of fillings, including meat, fish, and vegetables, are wrapped into the shape of ancient Chinese silver and gold ingots, which symbolize wealth. A gold coin is wrapped inside one dumpling. Similar to a Mardi Gras king cake in which a plastic baby is hidden in one slice, the person who gets the dumpling with the coin inside is said to have good luck for the coming year. The dumplings are traditionally eaten at midnight and throughout the two-week holiday.
In order to celebrate the Chinese New Year, I took my students in Chinese classes to make dumplings during the New Year celebration. Even though this was the very first try, they did a very good job and had a lot of fun making and eating dumplings. |
By Xiaoxue Wu
Author:
Xiaoxue WuMonday, March 07, 2011
Something about my grandmother
After one month's mandarin classes, my students now can give their self-introductions in Chinese fluently and properly. Although it's just a simple self-introduction about name, age and nationality, I still feel so proud of them. I called my grandmother to share my joy with her. Not surprisingly, I heard a boy's voice on the other side of the phone. My grandmother is 75 years old this year. She is a volunteer math teacher in her neighborhood after she retired. The boy who was reciting multiplication tables is one of her students.
A very big part of the reason I became a teacher is my grandmother, who takes teaching as her lifelong career. In my memory, my grandmother was seldom at home for either lunch or dinner. She was so busy with the school works that she didn't even have time for meal. I asked her why she sacrifices so much in her career. She smiled and said she never thought that was a sacrifice to her. She never felt tired while she was teaching.
Because of my grandmother, I highly respect teacher this occupation and I aspire to be a good teacher like her.
Author:
ZeQing YangWednesday, March 02, 2011
Field trip to Chinatown in Philly
Feb. 3rd is Chinese new year- the Spring Festival, so I organized a field trip to bring the students in SLSD to Chinatown in Philly to experience the New Year celebration and practice Chinese.
The purpose of this trip is to let students to practice
- Map reading skills - by reading a Chinatown map and looking for various community landmarks in Chinatown
- Ethnographic research - by interviewing community members and shop owners for information on Chinatown
- Language arts skills - by reading about Chinatowns in America; writing essays or making photo journals about their trip to Chinatown
- Teamwork - by working together in small groups in classroom activities and during the field trip to Chinatown
- Critical thinking - by reflecting upon their readings, discussions, and ethnographic findings
- 6. Speaking skills - order the menu and purchase in Chinatown.
The schedule
- 10:00 Arrival in Chinatown
- 10:00-12:00 Sightseeing and Teamwork
- 12:00-13:00 Lunch and Practice oral Chinese
- Restaurant recommended: (recommended by Song Ying and Yang ZeQing.)
- http://www.phillychinatown.com/restuarant/Sang%20Kee/chef_special.htm
- 13:00-14:00 Visit the shops and practice Chinese
- 14:00-15:30 Arrival middle school（depending on the traffic)
There 5 chaperones and 40 students joined in this trip. Students are divided into 5 groups.
Each group has a Project Manager who is leading and organizing the team; a Secretary who is doing the recording job and assisting PM; 3-5 Interviewers: They need to create interview sheets and finish interview tasks by themselves; and then a Camera man works with a Map man to do the tour-guiding and find the landmarks and then to take the pictures for the photo journal or presentation. Most importantly, each team has a Supervisor who creates the supervision sheet to evaluate and supervise the team: He or She will check do the team members have teamwork, finish their own job on time and practice Chinese during the lunch and shopping? At last, a Presenter will collect all the information and materials to finish a slide show and presentation
We arrived Chinatown around 10:30, students walked around as a team on the street that they selected for 30 - 45 minutes and completed "Community Landmarks" worksheet as they go; students took pictures, draw anything they deem to be interesting, took notes, and recorded impressions, such as street noises, people talking, music, etc. and conducted several interviews with a community member for 30 - 45 minutes under supervision of chaperone .And practiced how to greet in Chinese.
At 12:00 we had a lunch in Chinatown and practice how to order Chinese food in Chinese.
After that students visited the shops and practice how to buy things in Chinese before we got the school bus back to school around 15:00.
The other day, every student handed in their homework: go through all the materials and information that they have gathered thus far and write a journal reflecting upon the field trip. At last, we enjoyed several wonderful presentations. All the students said they had a wonderful experience in China town and they wanted to go to China next time to experience the real China cities.
Yu Qingchu
Volunteer Chinese teacher in SLSD
Feb. 12, 2011
Author:
Ying SongMonday, February 14, 2011
Chinese New Year
February 3rd is the Spring Festival which is one of the most important and biggest festivals in China. Every year the date is changing because of the lunar calendar and it means the beginning of the new year. It is very similar to the Christmas here. Officially, the Spring Festival lasts from Jan 1st to 7th in the lunar calendar, almost a whole week. But Chinese people always regards the 15th, the lantern Festival, is the end of the holiday.
During that time, we have a lot of customs like cleaning our house, going back home, eating the New Year's Eve dinner for family reunion, watching the spring festival performance together, visiting relatives and friends, buying new clothes, hanging on the paper cutting, paintings, spring scrolls and so on. A lot of celebration! I still miss the fabulous fireworks and firecrackers. Fortunately, the teachers in Berks County, we had a reunion in Philadelphia. We looked around the China town, buying some good stuff for the new year and had great Chinese meals there. You can see from our pictures that how happy we were. Wish everybody will have a happy and successful rabbit year~~~ 新年快乐！恭喜发财！ (Happy New Year! May you be happy and prosperous!)
Author:
Ying SongMonday, February 07, 2011
Life besides teaching
This is my second year teaching Chinese in this county, besides teaching, I have explored some habits that make me really enjoy my life here.
Cook and eat
I like to eat. My home province of Yunnan in china is well-known for its diverse and delicious cuisines. I started to cook Chinese food last year, because I really missed the authentic Chinese food. So I spent most of my weekends looking for recipes online and testing them in the kitchen. Later on, I started to put my own creation in the recipes and most of them turned out very well. Now, I barely look at recipes when I am cooking, I just follow the feeling, and I have more fun to cook like that. Especially when I make something that I really like, I will feel that the whole world is so wonderful!
Browsing around
I love shopping, but I don't like spending money on things that won't amaze me. So I browse around and try to find neat stuff. I enjoy going to yard sales, Good Wills, the Green Dragon and Ten Thousand Villages in Ephrata. It always amazes me the amount of things you can find here from all over the world. I've bought things from Africa, Cuba, Thailand, Germany, Egypt and Turkey. So cool!
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By Xiaoxue Wu |
Author:
Xiaoxue WuSunday, January 23, 2011
Something About Snow
I am a snow excited person. Because my hometown Shenzhen never snows.
Shenzhen is situated in the subtropical part of China. It has a warm, humid subtropical climate. The average temperature of the year is around 73.6 (°F). Winters are mild and relatively dry, frost is very rare. That is why people always said that there are only two seasons in Shenzhen, one is summer, and the other one is autumn.
Here are two pictures about Shenzhen. And these pictures were taken in winter time.
Last Saturday morning when I looked out of the window and saw it was snowing, I got up from bed immediately. It was soooooooo awesome! All white everything! It looked like those cars , houses,gardens were all covered under white sugar.The whole picture in front of me was beautiful and sweet! I've seen many snow scenes before on TV,but it was the first time that I could touch the snow and step on the snow. So it is not hard to imagine how excited I was at that time .
Author:
ZeQing YangTuesday, January 11, 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
December 25th is the Christmas Day in US. It is the biggest holiday in western countries. So we got a 10-day holiday for Christmas and New Year. Actually in China, we do not celebrate Christmas and our new year comes with the lunar calendar, which is February 3rd this year. We planned a week-trip to Orlando, Disney World, in order to escape from the cold weather and experience the fantasy. Unfortunately, we had a bad luck- the temperature there was almost around 30 degrees and I was freezing! But we had a great time in Disney and Universal Studio.
It was the busiest time at that time. We should wait in long line everywhere: the theme parks, the restaurants, the restrooms and so on. Epcot was my favorite of all the Disney parks. It taught me a lot about the history and science. What's more, the 11 countries around the lake were amazing, especially China. The fake ones were much the same like the real ones in China, such as the Temple of the Heaven, and the Terra-Cotta Warriors. And the movie about China was also fantastic. You had the feeling of coming to China to enjoy the beautiful scenery and prosperity. But in my opinion, I still think some of the parts were too old. It could not tell us the real China nowadays. Anyway I enjoyed it very much. I also like the theme of Epcot: the world needs peace and every country are together. We should do something for our planet and for the whole world.
7 days was not that long. It passed very quickly. We went back to Philadelphia to spend our new year's eve there. There was a very spectacular firework in Penn's Landing to welcome the new year. It was really crowded and everyone seemed quite happy and excited. During the firework I thought a lot: almost half year had passed already. I have got used to everything here. It was part of my best time in my life, so special and so meaningful. I would not forget all these. New year was coming and new page began. I would do better this year than last year. I was ready for it. I took my dream and I was on the way.
Author:
Ying SongTuesday, January 04, 2011
Chinese Tea
Tea is a wonderful beverage originally produced in China about 4,000 years ago. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Japanese monks introduced tea seeds to Japan, and by combing tea with Zen Buddhism, created the world-famous Japanese tea ceremony. In the 17th century, the Dutch took 
to Europe the Chinese habit of tea drinking, which then became a tradition of the Europeans. In England in particular, people developed the custom of afternoon tea. Prior to the 19th century, all the tea in the world was grown in China, and even the English word "tea" was a transliteration of the pronunciation of "tea" in the Fujian dialect of China.
The Chinese people look to tea drinking as an art, which incorporates a wide range of knowledge; the taste of tea might be light, yet the meaning is rich and deep.
In my Chinese class, I explain the Chinese character tea "茶" to my students in this way. The top part of the character (艹) is the radical for grass; the middle part (人) is the radical for people; and the bottom part (木) is the radical for tree. So the character tea represents human being is surrounded by nature, tea comes from nature and drinking tea is guiding people back to nature.
Drinking tea is so satisfy the needs of the body as well as the mind. A cup of refreshing tea is able to naturally relieve a person of thirst while giving comfort and pleasure. According to traditional Chinese medicine, drinking tea can cure a variety of diseases, because the slightly bitter and astringent tea contains elements salutary for the body. This has been proven by modern medicine. Chinese people are fond of tea because it helps to satisfy their physical and, more, spiritual needs. The Chinese also use tea to express respect, to purify the mind, and 
to better perceive the meaning of life.
(The students just warmed their cups and be ready for the hot tea)
(Chinese tea and American fortune cookies.)
By Xiaoxue Wu
Author:
Xiaoxue WuTuesday, December 14, 2010
Happy Birthday
Dec 6th is Song Ying's birthday. Time in china is thirteen hours ahead of the current time in here. So we celebrated her 24th birthday twice.
Lucky her, she's got two awesome roommates!
As you can see from the two pictures above, I cooked a special type of long noodle for her. Noodle is the traditionally eaten food for a Chinese birthday. The goal of the birthday person is to eat the entire noodle without breaking it. You can bite it apart in your mouth but it must not break outside your mouth. The more, the longer you eat the better, it represents long life. I know it looks not that good, but it was very yummy!
Look at the picture on the left! Sue bought Song Ying a very pretty cake. It was the shape of rose.Xiaoxue is the famous chef in our apartment. She cooked a big dinner for us. We had beef, potato, soup, rice. We had a really wonderful time that night!
Author:
ZeQing YangFriday, December 10, 2010
Yang Xuan's Blog
Yang Xuan is a guest scholar from Wuhan University in China. Yang Xuan is teaching in the Unionville-Chadds Ford school district for the 2010-2011 school year.
Wonderful Disney Trip
From November 24th -29th for our four guest teachers we had a wonderful adventure in Disney world in Orlando Florida, this was our first trip by ourselves, what a wonderful trip!
Interesting Halloween in Hillendale Elementary School
For my first Halloween I joined the school parade and had a party with different classes and even carved a jack o pumpkin and trick or treat in my special costume, it was such an interesting Halloween!
Thanksgiving in Hillendale Elementary School
For my Thanksgiving I joined the school Thanksgiving dinner and made a turkey poster with kids and even played with this wild turkey who came to school right before Thanksgiving in school.
Hillendale Community Day & Farewell
I taught Chinese songs and Kungfu and calligraphy in Hillendale and the kids loved it. At the end of my staying in Hillendale we had a Hillendale Community Day and invited the whole community people to enjoy what the kids learned during the Chinese Immersion courses.
It received a warm welcome and highly respected feedback, and as I was leaving Hillendale Elemantary School to another school, we had a farewell party in each class, they hugged me goodbye…
Author:
Pam KeelerFriday, December 10, 2010
Our First Thanksgiving in USA 感恩节
Time flies. One of the biggest holidays in America ----Thanksgiving has already passed. We had a great time during the five short days. We travelled a lot, visited two famous big cities, did some shopping and experienced the real American festival culture as well.
We were learning how to cook the turkey on the grill.
Thanksgiving is for the family reunion. On that day, every family member get together to celebrate it. Usually they will have turkey and it is the tradition. Fortunately, we were invited to our colleague's house to have a real Thanksgiving dinner. It snowed a little on that day and We had a lot of fun. I liked the way Summer and Jack cooked the turkey. They bought two and one smoked and the other grilled. They both are very delicious. I prefer the smoked one and also the turkey's skin. They were wonderful.
I was eating the turkey leg!
The big dinner
We had a really big dinner. Except the two turkeys, there was potato filling, corn, mushroom soup, bread rolls, pumpkin pie, ice cream, wine, ice tea, grapes and so on. I admitted that Jack and Summer were really good cooks. I like them! When I was at their home with their friends, I felt I was at home and became one of their family.
Above all, I had an amazing Thanksgiving!
A "family" photo
Author:
Ying SongFriday, December 03, 2010
Wang Liangyan Blog Post
Author:
Sue CalvinTuesday, November 16, 2010
Beijing Opera: Artistry of Performers
Many foreign friends first learn about Chinese culture through the numerous Chinese restaurants found all over the world, and soon discern that China is a country with delicious cuisine. The second impression of Chinese culture is often Beijing Opera, whose masks are now almost emblematic of China. Many countries design posters using Beijing Opera masks to signal a "Year of Chinese Culture." To understand Chinese culture, therefore, some knowledge about Beijing Opera is indeed indispensable.
After a week of Beijing Opera appreciation experience, to coincide with the school's custom day, I prepared the face paint for the students and let them try to draw opera masks to each other. The video is my Chinese classes in Brandywine Heights High School. We had so much fun in this cultural experience class.
Click here to view the class video
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Red indicates devotion, courage bravery, uprightness and loyalty. A typical "red full face" is Guan Yu, general of the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280), famed for his faithfulness to his Emperor, Liu Bei. |
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Yellow signifies fierceness, ambition and cool-headedness |
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Blue represents staunchness, fierceness and astuteness. Shown is Xiahou Dun with a blue pointed three-tile face, Cao Cao's most trusted general in the opera Bowang Slope." |
Author:
Xiaoxue WuWednesday, November 10, 2010
A Long Journey to Pittsburgh and a Week’s Time with the CEI Principles
Last week Connie and I went to Pittsburgh to pick up the 6 CEI principles from China. It was an exchange program for the schools both in China and in America in order to make a better understanding of each other. This year the middle school and high school principles from Hebei Province in China came here to learn something about the American education, then next year's spring the superintendents and principles of the school districts in Berks County from USA will go to China to visit the schools. I was the interpreter and we should go there and come back in the same day. So we left BCIU at about 6:30 a.m.
It was a really long journey. It took us about 5 hours to get there. Although tired, I felt very happy talking with Connie, a graceful and smart lady with a lot of humor. She was so nice and I loved being with her. Time flied very quickly during the way. We didn't notice that then we arrived in Pitt. We had a wonderful lunch in a famous sandwich restaurant called Primanti Brothers. We had a cheese steak sandwich! It was so big that Connie and I shared one.
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| Connie and I (I am getting weight 囧) Cheese Steak Sandwich! Look at my big mouth |
We met the CEI principles after lunch. Then we were back to IU to have a reception dinner. Here is the picture of the superintendents, principles, guest scholars and Bonnie, Connie and Beth.
The following week we spent a lot of time with the CEI principles. Many superintendents invited us to their schools or their houses. We had an unforgettable time with them and found something interesting in American food culture and its educational system.
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In Dr. Lausch's Chinese Room
Outside Beth Lambi's House (director of Conrad Weiser) |
Author:
Ying SongFriday, November 05, 2010
Food
Food is always a great temptation to me, especially chocolates and all kinds of desserts. And that is the reason I gained three kilos in three months. We enjoy various kinds of food, such as the traditional American food, Italian food, Thai food, Japanese food and so on… I think it is also a good way for us to explore different cultures.
But as Oscar Wilde said, "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." :-P
(^_^)
Author:
Ying SongMonday, November 01, 2010
Experience in Lehigh County on the train
The weather is getting colder and colder and leaves turn to different colors. So we decided to take a scenic train ride through Lehigh River Gorge to enjoy the sight of leaves last weekend.
The historic train station is located in Jim Thorpe downtown. Jim Thorpe is a very charming historic district. There are quaint shops, mansion tours, museums, and so much more.
We had a great time there!
Author:
ZeQing YangMonday, October 25, 2010
Students’ Art Troupe of Wuhan University Visiting the USA ——the Last Performance in Berks County
Students' Art Troupe of Wuhan University successfully finished the last performance in USA on Oct 17th, 2010. The wonderful performance brought the enthusiasm in learning Chinese to this area.
Beautiful Lobby with Chinese Decoration Group Photo of the guest teachers and the officials of Wuhan University
There were almost no empty seats at 2pm in the Schuylkill Valley High School's auditorium which could hold around 1000 people. Students, parents, teachers, art lovers and the 6 volunteer Chinese teachers were all coming to enjoy the grandiose Chinese event. 15 students of Students' Art Troupe, led by Prof. Lu Jiangbin, Director, International Office, Wuhan University, Dr. Zhang Shu, Party Secretary of University Youth League, Prof. Chen Guoen, Associate Dean of School of Chinese Language and Literature, Dr. Xie Ying, Deputy Party Secretary of University Youth League, Mr. Gui Ling, Program Manager of International Office were giving this splendid show to the people here.
The "Charm China" performance was focus on the theme of "Harmony". During their performance, we enjoyed the development of Chinese culture from the pursuit of "peace as beauty", through the process of "merging" based on mutual exchange and promotion, to a "harmonious" culture that upholds the unity of humanity and heaven and natural principles. This was just the purpose of the visit and also the core value of Chinese culture: all kinds of cultures mixed together, appreciating and understanding each other, in order to pursue the world's harmony.
The show was divided into many parts: Ensemble of traditional Chinese instruments: Beaming with Joy, Song: Zhigaside (Excellent), Peking Opera Performance: Picking up the Jade Bracelet, Chinese flute solo: Busy in Delivering Grain Hastily, Dance: Sun Drum, Songs: Jasmine Flowers, Traditional Chinese Percussion Music: Soaring Dragons and Leaping Tigers, Dance: Why the flowers are so red, Song: My Heart Will Go on, Erhu solo: Horse Race, Dunhuang Classic Dance: Playing Pipa on the Back·Flying Apsaras, Song: The ballad of the Dragon Boat, Martial Arts Performance: Saber Play, Chain Whip, Dance: Beauties, Ensemble of Traditional Chinese Instruments: Blooming Flowers and Full Moon. The traditional Chinese minority songs and dances, the traditional Chinese opera, the traditional Chinese instruments, especially the traditional Martial art, pushed the performance to the new high again and again.
Dr. Lausch, the superintendent of Schuylkill Valley School District, was satisfied with this performance. Now Schuylkill Valley School District has already promoting many Chinese programs in elementary and high school. Sue Calvin from Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) Asian Study Collaborative also said the show was really fabulous. BCIU Asian Study Collaborative spares no effort pushing forward Chinese programs to Berks County and the counties around. Chinese culture and Mandarin are booming and spreading widely here.
Dr. Lausch Six Guest Teachers
Author:
Ying SongWednesday, October 20, 2010
Dragon in Chinese culture
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At the very beginning of the school year, I asked my students to pick up a Chinese name that they like, a lot of them wanted their names have the meaning "dragon". Obviously, dragon is well known as the symbol of China or Chinese culture. But compare to the dragon image in western culture, the Chinese dragon is quite different.
The dragon is regarded as the number one animal of the Chinese totem, and it is the most important mascot. The people are quite familiar with the image of the dragon, but nobody has ever seen a real one. The dragon was born from the imagination of the people. It has a bull's head, a deer's horn, a lobster's eyes, an eagle's claw, a snake's body, a lion's tail and is covered with scutum. It is a combination of different kinds of animals. |
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In the imagination, dragon can walk on land, swim under water, and fly in the sky. It has incredible powers. Over thousands of years in China, the emperors treated it as the symbol of power and dignity, and in the mind of the common people, it also had virtue and power.
It is definitely a lucky totem. One could find the image of dragon everywhere in China. On the roof of the palaces and temples, on the devices of royalty, the dragon is painted and sculptured. During festivals, people will post the picture of the dragon, and play the dragon light and dragon boat. Even when they name their children, they like to use the word dragon. And the Chinese all over the world call themselves the Dragon's descendants. |
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By Xiaoxue Wu
Author:
Xiaoxue WuMonday, October 18, 2010
Philadelphia Zoo
Last Sunday was a beautiful day for going outside. We three took part in an activity called "2010 Walk to the Zoo---National Kidney Foundation" held by Madison. Every family donated 10 dollars for going to the Philadelphia Zoo. We were so excited because it was our first time to go to the foreign zoo and do something so special for the people who need the money.
Here are some pictures in the zoo.
The Lions The Snakes The Birds
The Polar Bear and I
The "Family" Photo
Song Ying 宋莹
Author:
Ying SongTuesday, October 12, 2010
The Renaissance fair
Last week we went to the Renaissance fair and we had a great time there.
We all knew that Renaissance fairs were known for their activities and for the festivities. In order to make the most out of our day, we got up early in the morning. But it was crowded at the gates already. Most of them dressed up with fancy costumes, some are "pirates", and some are "wizards" and so on. It was not hard to tell how American people like the Renaissance fairs.
As you can see from the photos, we had so much fun that day! The staged performances, streets, stores, aircrafts, and food… I mean, everything in the fair is wonderful! The major attraction for me is the crowds of actors - both professional and amateur - who play all sorts of historical figures and roam the fair. Some of them made costumes by their own.
By the way, enjoy the giant turkey leg is the most amazing experience for me ~J
Author:
ZeQing YangWednesday, October 06, 2010
Moon Festival
This Wednesday was mid-autumn day in China. It is in the 15th of August in Chinese lunar calendar and one of the most important big traditional festivals. Family members will get together to celebrate the special day. They will eat the moon cakes, sitting in their yard and enjoying the glorious full moon. It is a day for family reunion. If someone cannot get home, the others will miss them. They will make phone call to give each other best wishes.
We went to different school districts to hold some activities with the students. We ate the moon cakes together and made the cards for the festival, telling them the beautiful legend story about the moon festival. At last, everyone seemed quite involved in the Chinese festival and they all appreciated the different culture.
Song Ying
宋莹
Author:
Sue CalvinTuesday, September 28, 2010
My time-flying August
I went back to China to visit my family and friends on August, 4 weeks, it went so fast!
Eat out most of the days
All are my hometown special dishes
Trip to Beijing with My Mom
Author:
Sue CalvinMonday, September 27, 2010