NatureWize 自然之道- a nature conservation and education organization in Guizhou

NatureWize 自然之道– a nature conservation and education organization in China’s southwest province Guizhou

Welcome to NatureWize! Come join us as we experience the joy, the health, the wisdom of nature and work to ensure nature becomes part of our everyday lives. We want to grow the future leaders who understand the value of nature and will preserve the blessings of nature for our children’s children, and the children for generations to come.

website: www.en.naturewize.org
contacts: Katie Scott, 159 8515 4322, katiescott@naturewize.org ;
中文:Sunny, sunny@naturewize.org, 189 8410 0841; or join our active QQ group: 144 644 034

Our Programs
NatureWize’s mission is to help connect youth and families to nature by providing activities that encourage more frequent and intimate nature encounters, as well as activities that inspire and promote its conservation. Our current programs include the following activities:

Family Nature Workshops: A group of families gather in a pre-selected park to participate in a series of activities designed to help them gradually grow more intimate with the nature surroundings. Activities include games, crafts, walks and picnics.

Eco-Camps: These are overnight excursions in a variety of locations in Guizhou, arranged in partnership with other local organizations. Participants have the chance to completely engage with a natural environment and its community. They’ll have the ability to come away with a deeper connection with that community and its ecosystem, by both strengthening their understanding through educational activities as well as being able to invest in it through their own efforts.

Summer Camp: Youth from 6 to 12 can spend several consecutive days in a natural environment, enabling them to more deeply connect to the natural landscape and its ecosystem. Activities are both educational and fun. In fact, kids usually are having fun without realizing how much they are learning!
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Earth Day Trash Pick-Up at Hongfeng Lake!
Way to go families! We sure had a very full event for Earth Day, one that was educational, meaningful, and fun. Upon arriving at Xiang Zhai Village to see the wetland water filtration demonstration project created by Guizhou Province Guiyang Ecological Civilization Foundation. From the village we proceeded to walk down to the edge of the lake to pick up trash. We soon found ourselves on the dried up bed of the lake (its dry season) where there was plenty of trash to fill our bags with. After our walk and a short rest children divided into 4 groups to participate in water testing of 4 parameters: water and air temperatuire, turbidity, PH, and dissolved oxygen. We then settled down for a little picnic near the steps of the Yi Hotel. It was a bit cold, so soon afer we jumped on the bus to return home, a bit tired but with satisfaction that we understood our water source better and did something to protect it.
Easter Amongst Blossoms 2013
Our Easter Event began after an evening of spring thunderstorms. The park was cool and moist, and speckled with pink blossoms on the grass and in the trees overhead. As families arrived we whisked them away to our traditional activities of dyeing and decorating Easter eggs and baskets, which was followed by a stroll into the forest to touch and smell the delights of nature. Our festivities continued with an egg relay and picnicking, closing up with the finale egg hunt and treasure basket hunt.
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NatureWize Assistant Internships (Paid and Unpaid)
March-June 2013, Guiyang, Guizhou
Position Overview:
NatureWize, a nature conservation and education organization in China’s southwest province Guizhou is looking for positive and energetic interns interested in understanding the work of and contributing to the success of a blossoming nature education and conservation organization. We would like the intern to assist in 1) a variety of administrative tasks, and/or 2) nature education classes and events, including NatureWize’s first Water Festival. The intern’s specific tasks will depend on the intern’s experience and interest.

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate for this position is outgoing and enthusiastic about working with people, has excellent communication (English and Chinese preferred but not a pre-requisite) and problem solving skills, and most importantly, a passion for protecting natural resources and high quality of life for future generations. Specific background requirements requested include:
Enrolled in undergraduate school training or already graduated
Ability to prioritize and follow through effectively
Ability to multi-task and manage short- and long-term deadlines

Capable of using computers and databases (Microsoft Word and Excel)
Good communication skills (Chinese or English, or bilingual a plus), both on the phone, e-communications and in person
Desire to work in a team-oriented atmosphere
Special Job Requirements and Physical Demands:
Chinese Language; Flexible work hours; some evening and weekend hours may occur.
Compensation:
Possibilities for compensation dependent on availability and time commitment.
To Apply:
Email the following (with the subject line “Urban Farmer Project Manager”)
to katiescott@naturewize.org , Katie Scott, Director and sunny@naturewize.org, 张沥亢.
Resume
Two references
Cover letter, which should include the following:
Your personal understanding of the importance of the project;
How your background prepares you to successfully achieve all goals of the project.

Deadline for submission: Open until filled, needed immediately
(from www.en.naturewize.org/volunteerintern.html )
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欢迎来到“自然之道”。
我们崇尚源于自然的乐趣、健康和智慧。
我们致力于将自然融入到每天的生活中。
我们希望让更多的孩子了解自然环境的重要价值,培养他们成为环保领域的领导者,这样便能够将自然的恩赐好好保留,让子孙受益并且代代相传。

项 目
“自然之道”的任务是为儿童和家庭提供更多亲近自然的机会。通过组织有趣的活动,鼓励参与者更多地了解自然,唤醒大家保护自然的意识。目前,我们的项目包括以下活动:
家庭自然工作坊:组织几个家庭到公园,让家庭成员参与一系列活动,由此帮助大家逐步亲近周围的自然环境。活动内容包括:游戏、手工制作、漫步和野餐。
生态营:和地方机构合作,在贵州不同的地点开展持续约一周的探索和活动。参与者将有机会全身心地投入自然的怀抱,体会与自然共存的乐趣。大家可以将教育活动中学习到的知识运用到亲身参加的劳作中,通过自己的努力进一步地了解活动社区的情况和当地的生态系统。
夏令营:6-13岁的少年儿童能够在连续的几天时间里,充分地享受美好的自然环境,进一步了解身边的生态系统。夏令营的活动内容包括教育类和娱乐类。事实上,孩子们往往能够在娱乐中不知不觉地学习很多知识。
(from www.cn.naturewize.org/ )

Guizhou Forerunner College (in Huishui, Guizhou) 贵州盛华职业学院

Guizhou Forerunner College 贵州盛华职业学院

As the first non-profit funded college in China, Guizhou Forerunner College aims to support the underserved low income, blind, and minority communities in the Guizhou Province of China by providing a world class education through innovative teaching.

from : www.forerunnercollege.com/en/,  uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9558268843/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Chinese website: http://www.forerunnercollege.com/menus.aspx?id=34

Guizhou Forerunner College, Huishui, Guizhou, China
TEL:0854—6230002(FAX)

FAQ
Q: When was the School Founded?
A: The school was officially opened on September 15, 2011 and admitted its first class of 200 students from various counties in Guizhou Province to its School of Hotel Management, School of Computer Appplication, Duocai Guizhou School of Tea, and the Bright Angel College for the blind.

Q: Who founded the school?
A: Ms. Cher Wang, co-founder and Chairman of leading smartphone developer, HTC Corp., and Mr. WenChi Chen, President and CEO of VIA Technologies, Inc., a complete platform provider, established VIA Faith-Hope-Love Public Welfare Foundation in 2008 to improve the conditions of the disadvantaged, especially in rural areas, through education, medical care, and science and technology.

Q: What is the motto of the college?
A: Integrity, Love and Nobility.

Q: What are the discplines offered by the college?
A: GFC School of Computer Application, GFC School of Hotel Management, Duocai Guizhou School of Tea, Bright Angel College for the blind, GFC Minority Culture and Heritage Center and GFC School of Education.

Q: Who are the target student groups of GFC?
A: The college aims to admit those students who excel in their field of studies but has financial difficulties in Guizhou province. At least 1/3 of the students will receive financial aid for full tuition; another 1/3 will receive financial aid to cover half of the tuition while those students with extreme difficulties will also receive living allowances.

Q: How long do the students study at the College?
A: The College offer a 3-year program and degrees to the students in various disciplines.

Q: What kind of degrees do they get when they graduate from this college?
A: Only GFC Minority Culture and Heritage Center offers both a 3-year Technical Secondary School Education degree and a 3-year Vocational (College) School degree. All the other disciplines only offer 3-year Vocational (College) degrees.

Q: What happens after the students graduate?
A: The College will attempt to place all the graduates in internship or full time positions in its many business partners. For example, the students of Hotel Management will be referred to Marriott International, an American-based worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities.

Q: Are there clubs on Campus?
A: Yes, everyday students have designated club activity schedules as well as extracurricular clubs outside school hours.

Q: Who are the staff?
A: The school staff includes local teaching and administrative staff, various representatives from business partners, many volunteers from the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other parts of China.

Q: What are the sports facilities on campus?
A: The school has a standard soccer field, indoor basketball courts, tennis courts, table tennis tables, and badminton courts.

Peace Corps 和平队 & VSO in Guizhou

 Peace Corps Volunteers in China – Stories

from china.drupalgardens.com/content/background  , uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9556483068/

Address:
Peace Corps China
C/O Sichuan Unversity
Mailbox 278
No. 29 Wangjiang Road
Chengdu, Sichuan 610064 PRC.
Email:  PcInfoChina@cn.peacecorps.gov ; Phone: Tel:86-28-8608-1871 ; Fax:86-28-8541-7152

The longer I am in China the more I realize I am not some “other” person, now a PCV in China, but very much myself. At home my family is the most important thing to me and in China my greatest challenge is to be away from them. I am lucky, however, that I have been accepted into a wonderful family that I now consider to be very much my own.

My host family and I have dinner together almost twice a week, every week. I have a Didi (little brother) and a Meimei (little sister), two relationships I never had in the U.S. as the baby of my family. When I first arrived I could see they were interested in getting to know me, but were very quiet and reluctant to talk with me. They were both also incredibly insecure. The more I got to know them, however, the more I saw how excellent their English was (or could be) and how wonderful they were at so many things. When I arrived my Meimei was preparing to enter her freshman year of college and my Didi, his last year of middle school. Though they both have families that love them deeply, they were living unhealthy lifestyles that left them constantly exhausted, and were so focused on school that they didn’t have time to enjoy it. My Didi felt the growing pressure of studying for the Zhong Kao (the high school entrance exam) and my Meimei was extraordinarily stressed about her physical image before entering her first year of college.

Before our classes began we climbed the mountain in town several times and practiced our English almost nightly. After Meimei went to school and we lacked her translation abilities my Didi and I grew close while attempting to converse in broken English and Chinese. I helped him with his English homework, talked to him about American culture as we watched American movies, and taught him ‘cool’ English songs to sing at KTV (karaoke). Over the winter months my Meimei returned from school and I could see she was exhausted and not giving her body the nutrients it needed. I encouraged our Mama to teach us how to cook more vegetable dishes so that we could reduce some of the fatty meats and excessive oil. We played badminton and ping pong together and talked about being healthy at school and how much happier we were when we were active. Every night we would have time that was “only English” (per their request) and “only Chinese” to improve both of our language abilities. Every night we also made time for my Meimei and I to study the erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle).

Since our time together I know that my Chinese has improved (as well as my erhu) and am sure their English has as well. My Didi is now at an excellent high school in another province, I hope still practicing his oral English, and my Meimei is following me in my English classes as a semester internship from school. They are the closest relationships I have made in China and as we learn from one another I feel very much a part of their family, both adored and loved.

Natalie Thomure, Guizhou, 2011-2013
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My students, colleagues, and host family have all been so kind and welcoming to me. Additionally, through the community-based English-Corner, my site-mate and I have made other friends in the community. One of my closest friends now is my friend Leo, who invited me to join he and his friends on a 5 day camping trip over the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Holiday. These gentlemen, though they hardly knew me, welcomed me to join their epic journey. On it, I was able to experience the warmth of the Chinese countryside.

Everywhere we went, there were people who were eager to help us, simply out of the kindness of their hearts. I was deeply affected by this unassuming generosity, and moved by the journey I was able to experience with the help of my new friends. On the last leg of the trip, we planned to camp at the bottom of a pit in a small village. The route down was steep, and the rainfall was persistent. Our guide informed us that it would not cease, so we turned back. His family was very poor. We gave them all of our food, so they cooked a meal that we shared together. That night, the family put us up in their home and kept us warm in the cool autumn evening. The following day, they slaughtered an old hen and made us a delicious soup from their farm and their livestock. They accepted nothing but our words to express our gratitude, and let us depart with a promise that we would return. I was changed by this experience, as the kindness I experienced my whole life paled in comparison to the way this family treated us.

Amanda LeClere, Guizhou, 2012-present

(both from china.drupalgardens.com/content/pcvs-stories# )
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Background

From its inception in 1993, Peace Corps China, known as the US-China Friendship Volunteers, has concentrated on teaching English. China has set as a major goal, nine years of free primary and middle school education for children in rural areas by 2010, and in the entire country by 2015. To meet economic development goals, China requires primary and middle school students to study English beginning in fourth grade in urban areas, and seventh grade in rural areas. Currently, there is a country-wide shortage of over 500,000 English teachers.

The major challenges that China faces are associated with a large population: education, housing, and medical care. In the field of education, China set goals in the Chinese Education Development and Reform Program. The success of education in China rests on the success in the rural areas where the majority of the population resides. This part of China has made a great deal of progress in institutionalizing 6-year compulsory elementary education. However, it has a long way to go in institutionalizing 9-year compulsory education. This task is chiefly the responsibility of the teachers colleges and universities. According to the China Education Association for International Exchange (Peace Corps’ host agency), these tertiary education programs are seen as efficient in providing the education needed to address the social and economic needs of China. Accordingly, the colleges have been directed to increase their enrollment and improve their programs, with the result that almost every such institution now has, or is building, a new campus to supplement the old one.

With increased school enrollments to meet the nine-year compulsory education goal, comes the problem of shortages of qualified English teachers. In addition, English teachers in rural areas have been very isolated and have had little opportunity to speak English with native speakers. Because they have studied English in school for six years, their reading and translation skills are good, but they may be self-conscious about their speaking skills. Many textbooks are also outdated. While some new texts are being introduced, there is little opportunity for current secondary English teachers in rural schools to be trained in their use. The need for English language listening and speaking skills has only recently been addressed by China.

In response to this need, China asked the Peace Corps to assist in training English teachers and other professionals. Of the approximately 100 to 120 Peace Corps Volunteers, 80% teach conversational English, written English, English literature, and Western Civilization at the Teacher Training College and University level. The remaining 20% teach English in technical schools to help prepare students to work in areas like tourism, medicine, and joint ventures with international companies. Most Volunteers teach 14 to 16 classroom hours per week. As requested by the Chinese government, Peace Corps concentrates its efforts in the provinces that come under the Western China Development Project, which includes Sichuan, Gansu, Guizhou and Chongqing Municipality.

Peace Corps addresses the needs of future and current teachers in rural areas, as well as other professionals by offering them opportunities to improve their oral and written English skills. The Chinese have traditionally followed the grammar-translation approach to English in which students master the grammatical system of the language. Peace Corps Volunteers focus, for the most part, on the communicative skills to help Chinese use English in social, academic, and business settings. Through a summer outreach strategy, this opportunity is extended to middle school teachers in schools where Volunteers are not assigned. With content-based teaching, Peace Corps volunteers have also integrated environmental, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, and diversity awareness, as well as critical thinking and problem solving skills, into their teaching and extra-curricular activities.

NOT ONLY DO I COMMUNICATE WITH FRIENDS IN MANDARIN, BUT I ALSO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS THROUGH UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES.

Former Volunteer in Gansu, China

(from china.drupalgardens.com/content/background )

VSA (Voluntary Service Overseas, UK) & Peace Corps (US) cooperation with Guizhou University 贵州大学

In 1989, Guizhou Agricultural College, then a separate university, began hosting VSO teachers in the Foreign Language Department. The following year, Guizhou University began hosting foreign teachers from the AISH programme in Australia and visiting teacher programmes in both New Zealand and the University of Alabama. Simultaneously, VSO teachers from both the UK and the Netherlands were recruited to work in other Guiyang institutes of higher education including the school of fashion and the catering college, both experiencing booms concurrent with Guiyang’s emergence from relative obscurity. These teachers taught in both the undergraduate and post-graduate programmes at each institution. In 2005, eight years after GuiNong (Guizhou Agricultural College) was merged with GuiDa (Guizhou University), Guizhou University began hosting United States Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s). The PCVs teach at both the undergraduate and graduate level in the School of Foreign Languages.

(from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guizhou_University#VSO_and_Peace_Co…

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VSO purpose is to bring people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action, and change lives to make the world a fairer place for all.
VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers living and working as equals alongside local partners. VSO has offices in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Kenya, the Philippines, India and China. VSO was founded in 1958 and since then over 50,000 volunteers have worked in over 140 developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
(from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voluntary_Service_Overseas )

VSO website: www.vso.org.uk/about/what-we-do
Email: info@vso.ie

What we do:
Climate change
Education
Participation and governance
Health, HIV and AIDS
Secure livelihoods

VSO’s work revolves around four development areas, linked to the priorities of our partners, international development targets and our areas of expertise. These are health, participation and governance, secure livelihoods and education. We’re committed to gender equality in all our work so that men and women have equal opportunities to realise their potential.

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The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government. The stated mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance; helping people outside the United States to understand American culture; and helping Americans to understand the cultures of other countries. The work is generally related to social and economic development. Each program participant, a Peace Corps Volunteer, is an American citizen, typically with a college degree, who works abroad for a period of 24 months after three months of training. Volunteers work with governments, schools, non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, and entrepreneurs in education, hunger, business, information technology, agriculture, and the environment. After 24 months of service, volunteers can request an extension of service.[2]
The program was established by Executive Order 10924, issued by President John F. Kennedy on March 1, 1961, announced by televised broadcast March 2, 1961, and authorized by Congress on September 22, 1961, with passage of the Peace Corps Act (Public Law 87-293). The act declares the program’s purpose as follows:
To promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps, which shall make available to interested countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower.
Between 1961 and 2013, over 210,000 Americans joined the Peace Corps and served in 139 countries.[1]
(from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Corps )

More than 830 Peace Corps volunteers have served in China since the program was established in 1993. Currently, 146 volunteers serve in China. Volunteers work in the area of education. Volunteers are trained and work in Mandarin Chinese.
(from www.peacecorps.gov/learn/wherepc/asia/china/ )

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The value of the Peace Corps’ China program

By Peter Hessler
POSTED: 09/17/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT WWW.DENVERPOST.COM/CI_1891223318

Rep. Mike Coffman recently called for the Obama administration to end the Peace Corps program in China, describing it as “an insult to the taxpayers of the United States.”
As a former China volunteer who now lives in Colorado, I have several criticisms of Coffman’s stance. The first is basic: Coffman did not meet with any Peace Corps staff or volunteers during his spring trip to China, despite the fact that he visited Sichuan University, where the program is headquartered. Other American lawmakers have made the effort to learn firsthand about what their constituents do as volunteers. On April 24, no fewer than ten senators, including Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, attended a briefing by Peace Corps staff and volunteers in Chengdu.
Legislators are busy; I appreciate that. But a little time makes a big difference – ask anybody who has spent two years of his or her life teaching in a remote part of China. Like many of the five hundred Americans who have served in Peace Corps China, I arrived in 1996 with no background in Chinese language, history, or culture.
Two years later, I left as a fluent speaker of Mandarin, an achievement that is common in the Peace Corps, where volunteers enjoy remarkably close contact with local communities. Most importantly, I taught English in a college that had no other foreign teachers besides the Peace Corps volunteers. My students came from the countryside, and many were the first members of their families to go beyond middle school. Often their fathers were illiterate; their grandmothers had bound feet. And yet these young people were studying English, part of China’s effort to engage with the outside world after decades of Maoist isolation.
Fifteen years later, I’m still in touch with nearly one hundred former students. Most of them teach English in rural middle schools – teacher-training has always been the main priority of the Peace Corps in China. And one of the primary goals of the Peace Corps worldwide is to promote a better understanding of Americans.
I taught my students about American culture, literature, and politics, and now they pass these lessons on to their own students. They regularly send emails with classroom questions: What’s the Tea Party? How do Americans respond to the economic downturn? How does the electoral college work? (Some questions are easier to answer than others.) And while anti-U.S. propaganda can be a problem in China, I guarantee you that things are different in classrooms that have been touched by the Peace Corps. The Chinese have a deep respect for teachers, and they appreciate what it means for a foreigner to dedicate two years to working far from home.
Another primary goal of the Peace Corps is to help Americans understand the outside world. Since the China program began in 1993, former volunteers have gone on to work for the State Department, and they’ve become foreign service officers in China and other countries.
Many work for American businesses, where their language skills are invaluable in negotiating the Chinese market. Large numbers are teachers who give their American classrooms an unusually accurate picture of China. The impact of the Peace Corps in my field, journalism, has been remarkable.
Former volunteers have become China correspondents for The New York Times, National Public Radio, Newsweek, and the New Yorker. Alumni from the program have already published six books about China, with three more coming soon. (To put this in perspective, during the same period the combined bureaus of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times produced three books.) The last time a Pulitzer Prize was awarded for China coverage, the recipient was Jake Hooker, a former Peace Corps volunteer whose exposé of counterfeit Chinese drugs resulted in significant changes in the pharmaceutical industry – changes that help protect American consumers.
So where’s the insult to the taxpayer? I’d say it comes from a legislator who wants to cut a remarkably successful program without doing even the most basic research into its value.
Peter Hessler was a Peace Corps China volunteer from 1996 to 1998. He lives in Ridgway.

 

Tongren University: Love Has No Boundaries (about Zimmer Foundation for China, for Tongren, Guizhou), & interview with Sky Lantz-Wagner, Peace Corps teacher,  from Tongren University newspaper “T.R.U.E. – Tongren English News, vol 2, (2012),  issuu.com/tongrennews/docs/truenews2 uploaded at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9509507136/ (Preview)
Peace Corps volunteer Sky Lantz-Wagner, in Tongren, Guizhou province, uploaded at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/9497071423/in/photostream/ (Preview)
photo and text from Sky Lantz-Wagner’s blog: skylantzwagner.blog.com/
Peace Corps China
My Life as a Complex Adaptive System
Welcome to Peace Corps China
The journey NEARS ITS END!
At peace
2012 July 4, Posted by sky
I am sitting in the Peace Corps headquarters in Chengdu feeling a little different than I did a day ago. I find myself at a major crossroads looking back at the unforgettable experiences of the past two years and at the same time looking forward to all the exciting and unknown things that lie ahead.
Although my service has finished, I will consider this my last blog post as a Peace Corps volunteer. So many exciting things have happened the past week that it would require hours to get caught up, so I’ll tell the completion of service (COS) story and wrap up with my travel itinerary and then sign off!
I arrived in Chengdu in the evening of July 2nd and went straight to the hotel where I connected with the other volunteers who were COSing yesterday. Between birthday celebrations and farewell dinners and parties, I hadn’t slept much in the previous 3 nights so we chatted for a bit and were in bed my midnight. The next morning we ate breakfast and went to the office to begin the check out process. We had to bring back all of the Peace Corps property from our sites including the water purifies, smoke detector, unused antibiotics, books, etc. We then had to meet with our program manager, the clerk, and the country director. It was a lot of running around and collecting signatures for various forms, but went by quickly and was very exciting.
The interview with the country director was the highlight of the day. It was one-on-one and very casual, but also very thought provoking. She said that everyone is going to want to know about our experiences when we come hone and asked me to think about a 60-second public service announcement for our time in China. I said I would start my PSA with “It was worth it” and then started to summarize some of the insights into Chinese culture that I gained. She encouraged me to think of some more specific stories about students, colleagues, or community members that could represent my service. It was good advice and I plan to spend lots of my travel time reflecting. The goal will be a unique story for every person who asks 🙂
When all the Peace Corps work was finished I felt elated, not because Peace Corps was heavy, but because I felt satisfied. I hugged everyone I could and made promises to come back to visit when I return to China.
In the evening, the U.S. consulate hosted a 4th of July party that all of the COSing volunteers were invited to. The consulate general made a nice speech and then there was a reception with some of the best food and drinks I remember having in China. I ate asparagus wrapped in bacon, burger sliders, 4 different kinds of salad, lox, roasted potates, and meat pie. Holy lord it was good. With my meal I opted for a nice pinot noir, but after switched to a mild stout beer which went well with the mini pecan and lemon merengue pies which I had for dessert. What a way to spend my last day as a volunteer! We were some of the last few people at the party and met the consulate general and his family. We had a nice chat and strolled, strutted, maybe even floated a little, back to the hotel.
So that’s it. As of midnight last night I am a free man. Tomorrow I leave for Beijing and then Friday I’m off to Prague to start my Eastern European adventure that will include Budapes, Croatia and Slovenia. I’ll finish my vacation in Italy and fly home from Milan around the 25th.
Before leaving I just want to say thank you China. I have learned more about myself and the world than I ever thought I would. I hope that my work here has made a positive impact on you and that you will not forget me. Until we meet again… be at peace.
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KFC
2012 June 17, Posted by sky
Tongren has officially made it. We now have a Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food restaurant in our town. It opened about a week and each of the 3 or 4 times I have walked past it, it has been packed. Across the street from said KFC is another of China’s large fast-food chicken chains called Dico’s. Dico’s is not serving many customers these days. If I were them, I would have put together a great marketing campaign to draw crowds away from the new joint. I was thinking 2-for-1 sandwiches, free soft drinks, free ice cream for kids. I mentioned this to a friend of mine as we were walking past both stores. She said that Dico’s and KFC are owned by the same parent corporation in China. Oh.
I was craving a fried snack and so I ventured in to Kentucky. It was clean, cool, new ,and very efficient – all things that Chinese people love. I get the feeling that KFC is going to do well in our town. I doubt I’ll make it back there, but it was worth a quick visit, even though we couldn’t find seats and had to take our food to go.
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Pass the torch
2012 May 25, Posted by sky
It has been quite a while since my last post and I suppose it is because I am suffering from the pre-leaving China blues. I’m trying not to think about all the big transitions ahead and live in the now, but it has been raining constantly for 5 days and I have let the soggy weather affect my mood.
On a more positive note, I wrote a song called Pass the Torch which is about keeping the Peace Corps tradition alive in China. A friend of mine who happens to be from Marietta, Georgia where I grew up helped me arrange the song and backed me up with harmonies and a beat box. We recorded the song a few weeks ago and put it online. Check it out when you have a minute 🙂
Pass the Torch video
I have a couple of other stories to tell and I’ll try to spend a little time getting caught up this weekend.
Hugs
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Tongren orphanage update
2012 April 1, Posted by sky
The highlight of my week continues to be the visits to the orphanage. Over a year and a half has passed since my first visit to the old, drafty, run-down building. A lot has changed since then: a new facility, new faces, and growth spurts. The weather in Tongren has been great the past few days, which means that we study English a little less and play outside a little more when we go to visit the kids. It was while playing outside that I noticed how much the kids have grown since I first met them. It was quite a perspective check for me and made me think about all the growth–physical, mental, and emotional–for the kids and me that has gone on between and during visits to the orphanage. I will miss these kids the most when I leave.
This week, we got into some fun stuff at the orphanage including aquatic animal growth capsules, ocarina on the iPhone, and the play area in the infant ward. See photos below.
In other news, the high stakes test that I have been helping my students prepare for is coming up in 3 weeks! We just took a practice test this week to get the feel for the procedure. I have graded a few of the papers and it seems like my original goal of having 25% of the sophomores pass is a little high. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the test will cover things we have already discussed, making it a little easier, but for now we will just keep working until test time.
That’s all for now. Be back soon with more news 🙂
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T.R.U.E. News vol. 2
2012 February 28, Posted by sky
Hi everyone. The latest edition of Tongren University English News (T.R.U.E. News) is online! Follow the link below to read all the excellent work that my students produced. We will get one more edition published this semester and then hopefully the next volunteers will take over where I left off.
Other Peace Corps:
Peace Corps in China: A conversation with Eric Doise & Saara Raappana
Aimee Groom, on 04-November-2011 04:15
travel in China_life in China_china blogs_china travel
Guizhou
Eric and Saara: There’s nothing “mamahuhu” about this pair of Peace Corp workers in Guizhou
Earlier this year, Eric Doise and Saara Raappana embarked on an adventure that would take them deep into the heart of Guizhou, one of China’s poorest provinces. Just a few months into their two year Peace Corp placement in Anshun and they’re already neck deep in cultural curiosity—and adjusting to becoming cultural curiosities themselves. While they are busy disseminating the English language and sharing some American culture, their blog “Horse Horse Tiger Tiger” shares what China is teaching them, with the folks back home. Here, they let us in on a little of what they’ve seen, heard and learned so far.>>>
ChinaTravel.net: First up, tell us a bit about yourselves and what brought you to China?
Eric & Saara: We came to China through the Peace Corps. Saara earned her MFA in Poetry at the University of Florida and had been a university-level teacher in the United States, as was Eric, who earned his PhD in the English Department at the University of Florida. We like traveling, teaching, and learning from and about other cultures, so the Peace Corps seemed like a perfect fit. While we didn’t pick China—where you serve is ultimately the Peace Corps’ decision, we’re excited to be in such a fast-growing, vibrant country as China.
CT.net: What was the inspiration for creating your blog?
Eric & Saara: One of the goals of the Peace Corps is to inform Americans about the culture, customs and people of the country where you serve, and our blog is just one of the ways that we’ll be able to fulfill that goal. The name came from a Chinese phrase that means “not too good, not too bad”: ma ma hoo hoo (mǎmǎhǔhǔ, 马马虎虎), which translates literally as “horse horse tiger tiger.”
CT.net: What were some of your first impressions on arriving in China? Tell us about your best experience so far.
Eric & Saara: Our first impression of China was how crowded it was, which is probably a fairly typical response. However, soon after our arrival, we moved in with a host family in Chengdu that we lived with for two months, and quickly came to appreciate Chinese hospitality. We also were, and continue to be, amazed at how rare foreigners are in most of China. Coming from America, we take for granted that seeing people of different ethnicities and races is common; but in China (especially in the smaller towns and cities), it’s rare to see a non-Chinese face. Stares from unsuspecting, well-meaning Chinese people have become the norm.
Huangguo shu waterfalls, Guizhou
Huangguoshu Falls, Anshun
CT.net: What was your best experience?
Eric & Saara: Our best experience outside of living with our host family was seeing Huangguoshuo Falls, the country’s largest waterfall. They are actually a series of falls, but due to time constraints, we were only able to see the major one. Once we entered the gate for the falls, we walked through a beautifully landscaped garden populated by stones, worn by the enormous pressure of the falls. The water at the bottom of the falls is a pristine blue. Perhaps our favorite feature of the site is that you can walk behind the fall, providing some amazing sights of the falls and lush surrounding areas
CT.net: You’re currently based in Anshun. Any tips for visitors to the city on what to see, where to go or what to eat?
Eric & Saara: Huangguoshu Falls and the Dragon Palace, which we have yet to visit, are nearby. Dog meat is not uncommon. Most restaurants that serve it have pictures of dogs on their storefront, but it’s probably a good idea to learn the Chinese characters or hànzì ( 汉字) for “dog” (gǒu, 狗) if you’re averse. If you’re looking for a nice meal, the Triumphal Hotel near the Beijing Hua Lian Square (Běijīng Huá Lián Guǎngchǎng, 北京华联广场; also home to some large dinosaur statues) has good food (the 11 and 14 buses go here). If you enjoy eating dumplings (jiǎozi, 饺子), try out Běijīng Jiǎozi Guǎn (北京饺子馆; the 11 also goes here, but I believe the sign is in hanzi only, which will make reading it difficult for most foreigners).
Anshun is also a great jumping off place for many minority towns. The surrounding area has Miao, Buyi, and Gelao minority villages that you can visit. Travel to and from Anshun is convenient as you can catch trains to Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang, and Kunming, among other large cities.
One note on the buses: unless there are police around, you don’t need to actually be at a bus stop to catch a bus. If you see one approaching that you wish to board, simply flag the bus down with your hand, and they will usually stop for you. However, be prepared to get on quickly as they will take off while you’re still boarding if you’re not fast enough. Taxis are also fairly inexpensive; RMB 5 will get you most places in the city, although you should make sure you’re not getting the foreigner price. If the driver uses the meter, you should get a fair price.
CT.net: What is the one thing you wish you’d known about China before arriving?
Eric & Saara: Just how different the various areas of China are from each other. This might seem obvious, but because it is still a developing country, the discrepancies between the major cities and the smaller cities can make it seem like you’re in two different countries. For instance, without a cell phone that makes international phone calls, it is all but impossible for travelers to call other countries from Anshun. In the major cities, however, international phone cards are fairly easy to come by. In other words, prepare to be flexible if you are planning on traveling across the country.
CT.net: What do you miss most from home?
Eric & Saara: Definitely the food. We like Chinese food, but I’m certain we’d pay way too much for pizza, American French fries, a hamburger, pie, etc. if we could locate it right now. Anshun has no Western food.
CT.net: What would you miss most if you were to leave tomorrow?
Eric & Saara: Our colleagues and students have been wonderful hosts, helping us get settled in and showing us around Anshun, and because we still keep in touch with our original host family in Chengdu, we’d certainly miss them. We’ve also enjoyed learning and speaking Mandarin. The Peace Corps provided us with some wonderful teachers during our training, and one of our colleagues has continued to fill that role admirably.
CT.net: What three words sum up your China experience?
Eric & Saara: Unpredictable, enjoyable, loud.
If you’ve enjoyed meeting Eric and Saara then drop by and say hi over at Horse Horse Tiger Tiger and see what’s going down in Anshun.
(from blog.chinatravel.net/living-working-studying-in-china/pea… )
See Horse Horse Tiger Tiger video about learning Chinese (?), and blog: horsehorsetigertiger.net/about/
from Peace Corps’ Flickr site—check for other good photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/93681231@N08/favorites/with/5426293828/#photo_5426293828</a>

Zimmer Foundation for China, for Tongren city, Guizhou prov.

 

from www.zimmerfoundation.org/about/index.php

The Zimmer Foundation for China was established to implement holistic programs to improve the economic and spiritual conditions in rural Guizhou. The Zimmer Foundation is a US 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization established in memory of Rev. & Mrs. Gerald R. Zimmer who served in China 1936-1948.
Rev. & Mrs. Gerald R. Zimmer were Educators who, in the middle 1930s decided they wanted to be missionaries and went to China to preach and teach. They went to a very remote area in the interior, to a small town of Tongren. There they lived with the people, learned their language and customs and worked to improve their situation.

They saw a need for teachers and help to found the Tongren Teachers College, which has since grown to be a full fledged university; Tongren University. The same desire Rev. & Mrs. Zimmer had to support needy students with scholarships is being carried on today with the generosity of people like you.

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The Zimmer Foundation initiated a scholarship program in 2004 that supports the major cost of education for students annually for the second, third and final years at Tongren University. Now, over twenty students have been provided scholarships. It was our vision that at least two students will be added each year over a ten year program. Many donors have allowed us to exceed our visions of the scholarship program. The selection of the students is based upon their academic achievements and financial needs. The student’s family is identified with an income at or less than the poverty level established by the Tongren prefecture officials.
In villages of rural China, many students are the first of their family to complete college. Zimmer Foundation has arranged to financially support specific students with financial needs. The eligibility for receipt of such scholarships is first year college students with academic excellence who come from very poor families. Often these are children of farmers whose annual income is less than $264 USD. The families earn below the declared poverty level defined by each county.

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Peace Corps China blog : My Life as a Complex Adaptive System

The Zimmer Foundation

2010 November 8, Posted by sky

This a short post tonight because it is so late, but I have a great story to tell. Since I arrived in Tongren, I have heard about a man affectionately called “uncle Stan.” His parents were missionaries in China and helped set up a hospital as well as the first church in Tongren. Several years ago, uncle Stan set up a foundation called the Zimmer Foundation. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in rural China, specifically by investing in education. The foundation sponsors a scholarship fund that relieves the financial burden that many of the students, who come from remote farming villages, face at Tongren University.

I had the pleasure of meeting uncle Stan today and I must say that he is quite an amazing man. I found out that he was born in Tongren and lived here for 5 years before moving to America. He had a long, illustrious career with IBM and since he retired has dedicated his life to helping people in his “hometown”.

His story and what he is doing is extremely inspirational and I wanted to include the link to his foundation’s website for you to have a look. Hooray for good people!  zimmerfoundation.org/index.php

(taken from Sky Lantz-Wagner’s blog, skylantzwagner.blog.com/2010/11/08/the-zimmer-foundation/ )

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Measurable holistic services provided to needy students
1. Over 30 University Scholarships in rural China
a. Goal of minimun two each year
b. Meet total tutition and board for three years
c. Regular visits; banquets, outtings
2. Encouragement to local church
a. Regular visits and updates
b. Provision of Bibles and study materials
c. Provision of furnishing and church needs
3. Outreach to Local orphange
a. Encourgment to orphans
b. Visitation by scholarship students
c. Medical support
d. Collaboration with other NGOs

(from Stan Zimmer’s LinkedIn page,http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=35057346&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=uZSq&locale=en_US&srchid=1285106101376488877548&srchindex=3&srchtotal=5&trk=vsrp_people_res_photo&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId:1285106101376488877548,VSRPtargetId:35057346,VSRPcmpt:primary )