News from Shanghai

Thanks for all the news from Shanghai! Keep it up. We love reading about your activities. We miss you too...

One moment that stands out in my mind right now is when Jiao, Casper and I went shopping with Mike and John yesterday. We went to a big department store and headed to a section where they sold traditional Chinese stuff. I was amazed at how John and Mike were interested in Chinese traditions. They both got Tang gowns for pajamas and looked really good in them. John kept looking at vases, fans, chopsticks and many other cool Chinese stuff. We helped him get them for good prices and he was amazed at how good we were at bargaining.

I value this experience of hanging out with them to traditional Chinese shops because it actually let me look at my culture in a different angle. I used to browsed in these shops but never looked at the displays with so much heart. When I got to appreciate the historical side of my culture with people from another culture, I actually got a lot out of the experience of explaining to them what everything stands for in my culture. I also got to know something that I didn't know before. I recall a old Chinese saying "Teaching others teaches yourself." I think it's so true because it applies to what I am experiencing through this exchange program.

When I was in Darien and was experiencing the American culture, I got to compare the unique characteristics of both Chinese and American cultures. It's so true that we look at our life from a different angle from being away. I thought it was the time for the Darien kids to experience the Chinese culture and hopefully learn something from it. Now I feel I am also learning more about my own culture with the Darien kids. There're some things most of us take for granted in daily life, but when people from a different culture point that out to us, we sometimes need to think for a while and then give the answer. I think it's because we're living WITHIN the culture and don't really need to think why we behave this way or that. The experience of this exchange program let us learn about another culture and at the same time pick up a deeper love for our own. That's why I am so involved in it and hope still to get more out of it.

110th Anniversary Celebration, by Mary, Nov. 14

      Saturday morning came after much anticipation, with high hopes and great expectations. All week long there were many last minute preparations and rigorous rehearsals. The students and teachers had been preparing for two months to present a wonderful performance to honor their school, Shanghai Number Three Girl’s School. The girls, the graduates, and the administrators all show immense pride in their school. The values of the school: independence, ability, care, and elegance, shape the focal point of each student’s aspiration: to become an IACE girl.

      The independence the girls aspire to was reflected in the responsibility the girls took in each one of their performances. They realized the importance and excitement of the celebration and took it upon themselves to ensure it to be a success. The girls put in extra time at home to perfect their costumes and practice their routines or go over their notes. Every day of the week leading up to the celebration one could always find a group of girls rehearsing for the big celebration. They took the initiative in the opportunity to show off their pride in their school to the many that attended.

      The girls’ abilities added greatly to the wonderful performance that resulted from their great effort. Many of the girls started playing instruments at an age of four, sometimes even three! The dancers had begun to develop their skills at a similar age and all this time and effort certainly shone during the performance. All the girls had great abilities from their many years of experience.

      But it’s not easy to put so much time into one thing as a student when so much of one’s time is taken up by studies that one rarely has time for sleep so the girls had to be very passionate about their school in order to be so motivated. And they were extremely passionate about their school and cared so much for it. This becomes quite apparent in the amount of time they put in for the celebration as well as the way their faces glow with pride when they discuss the excellent traits of their school and their love for it.

      The qualities of independence, ability, and care all came together to form elegance when the girls presented the celebration. It started off with many speeches from past students. Then the girls began to perform. First the schools orchestra played and I believe they sounded so incredibly elegant and wonderful that one might mistake them for professionals in Carnegie Hall! Next there was a group of older girls who danced a traditional Chinese dance in long rainbow skirts that flowed with their graceful movements. Then there were a number of excellent dances performed by ten year old girls who danced more like they were in their twenties! Next everyone made their way out of the auditorium to the roofs and upper levels of the school to look upon the grass because the whole senior two class had designed a dance which incorporated the flower, an important part of the Chinese culture, and spelling out Chinese characters with their bodies which meant “110th Celebration”. I was absolutely marveled by all the girls’ skills and elegance.

      The American students even got to add to the celebration! We sang our own version of “This Land is Your Land” in English and Chinese with a group of Chinese girls and although we might not have been quite as skilled as the other performers, we were all glad that we were able to express our
appreciation of the school in some way. The eleven students and three teachers from Darien have all fallen in love with the school, its beautiful campus, peaceful atmosphere, and were so excited to share the whole experience with the girls.

There are many interesting aspects that have been experienced by students while attending class with our Chinese hosts. These aspects can be placed in several categories including: relationship with the teacher, different teaching styles, and the ways that the students relate while in the class. These categories highlight some fundamental differences that are developed in the Chinese and American schools. These differences also show the idea that differences is not a bad thing, but merely an aspect that makes our two cultures unique and interesting.

One of the fundamental differences is the relationship with the teacher. In the US, teachers are respected, but this is done in a slightly different way than it is done in China. Students respect the teacher, merely, by not talking in class, by using polite language and by doing as one is told. In China, though, there is much more tangible respect for the teachers. According to the Chinese tradition, when a teacher walks into the room, the students are obliged to stand and say “lao shi hao! [Hello Teacher!]” Discipline and respect towards the teacher are very prominent in China.

Most of the classes in China have a size between 35 and 45 students. Since teachers teach more than one class, it is impossible for a teacher to know the names of all the students that he or she teaches. As a result, the teacher will often call students by their assigned numbers rather than by their names. It is very difficult for teachers to have personal knowledge of every student they teach, but, the students have the option of seeing their teachers in their office.

This leads into the difference in teaching styles. In China, teachers lecture to the students, due to the large class size. Many Americans are intrigued by the ability of students to comprehend such extensive material! Students work hard, especially those in Senior 3 (Senior year), who are studying for a critical college entrance exam at the end of the year. Even at this key school, which is one of the best in China, only one out of three students have the privilege of going to college. This competition adds much stress on students and makes them determined to continue their studies. The success of these students can be largely credited to the students’ ability to work together.

Students relate very well in class! They refer to each other as classmates, possibly because their relationship is often to help each other with school. Students seem to depend on each other to succeed and work together in the classroom and in between class to help each other understand the covered material. This, of course, is not to say that there are no friendships. There is also a strong social bond that is developed between students because they do not switch classes.

While we have been in China, Shanghai #3 Girls' School has been nice enough to try and share some of their culture with us. They have arranged several classes in which we get some insight on traditional Chinese culture. Some of the activities include martial arts, traditional Chinese folk songs,
calligraphy, seal carving, and Chinese art. Among the most fun and interesting were seal carving and Chinese folk songs, in which we had very interesting experiences.

In our music class the American students were able to try several different instruments including the Chinese violin and flute, all of which were very different from the musical instruments we are accustomed to. The sounds they created were foreign to our ears, and most likely sounds most people in America have never heard. But most amazing was the skill of the girls who played for us. These instruments are very difficult, as we would soon realize when we tried to play them; it is not uncommon for Chinese girls to begin playing at the age of three or four. When, for example, one of the American students tried to play the Chinese violin the only sound that came out of it was what the teacher described as "cutting wood"; others tried to play them with similar results. After trying out the instruments, we also sang a traditional Chinese song called, "Mo li hua" or "Jasmine",

One would think that carving designs on soapstone would be easy, but this was not the case. Our first seal carving was of a giant panda, a very precious animal in China. After a few minutes everyone realized that seal carving was not an easy thing. This form of art takes patience, physical
strength, and most of all skill. Though some end results were good, most experienced tragedies such as accidentally carving off the ears or eyes, and ended with a very interesting looking panda. Through our various activities, including Chinese folk music and seal carving, I think the main thing we have gained is not the actual skill required to perform the activities, but an appreciation of their difficulty and the skill required to master these forms of art.

One thing that is so different here is that we don't have school-bus. The yellow school buses left a deep impression in my mind. Cause it really does lots of convenience. Now I cycle to school everyday. On raining days, however, it is really inconvenient. First, it is very uncomfortable to wear the rain coat, especially when we have too many stuff and the backpack becomes huge! Secondly, I have to leave home much earlier. On the streets, People are all riding very slowly to keep safe. So it usually takes 5 or 10 more minutes to get to school. And I believe things will be better if we have school bus.

On the other hand, situation here is really different since we have far more students. If all the students take school bus, then the streets will be incredibly crowded! However I have to say that the transports here is much better nowadays than before. The high-ways are really helping a lot. And all of us are delighted to see the development.

This past weekend was very busy, starting Friday evening at the spectacular Grand Theater in Shanghai. We three teachers and our hosts joined the delegation (which included the Fiftals) to the International Conference on Women's Education at a concert given by a German symphony.

Saturday morning we were at school at 8 am for the celebration of the 110th anniversary of SG#3 and quite a spectacle it was. The gorgeous, sunny 70 degree weather contributed to the already beautiful campus which was decorated with flowers everywhere, large murals and welcome signs painted in beautiful calligraphy, an exhibition of gifts to the school, and groups of alumnae dating back to 1926! The day's events included speeches, folk dancing, and a variety of musical performances by orchestra, band and musical groups using traditional Chinese instruments and even a version of "This Land is Your Land..." sung in English and Chinese by our students, teachers, Assistant Superintendent and Darien Club members.
On Sunday, Josephine, Leaf and Casper planned a full day of sightseeing events for us. These young women could easily be the best tour guides you could get in Shanghai. They organized our day so efficiently, took us to a variety of attractions including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai History Museum. They sent us around Century Park on bicycles built for three, through a futuristic tunnel and then on a nighttime cruise down the Huangpu River. These events will be further described in upcoming e-mails from students and pictures.

Today we saw Mr. Fiftal and his wife on campus. The International Forum on Education for Girls Today began this morning with two big beautiful hot air balloons rising in the sky. Mr. Fiftal will give a speech tomorrow. Today I am judging some speeches given by Chinese sutdents. In English, of course.

The weather is absolutely beautiful here. In the 70's! Liliana and I sat by a fountain to do some reading and writing today. We watched Andrew playing basketball with about 40 girls in a gym class. There are some quiet areas on campus for quiet contemplation. These areas, you might guess, are my favorite spots on campus. My mind feels calm here. Perhaps the serenity comes from the eye exercises we do each day in our classes. Twice a day instructions come over the intercom for all the students and staff to begin eye exercises when we massage the areas around our eyes.

I need to run off to the English speeches. I will try to write again tomorrow. I will try to write more about the streets of Shanghai which are very, very different from the school campus.

Today we got the slideshow working and it was broadcast to the entire school. Yes, with leaf's help and the teacher's we were able to get the slideshow up and running! We ran it straight from the laptop, actually. The school has a system set up where, if you go to the control room, yes, a
control room, you can project anything on any TV you want in the entire school. So we hooked up the computer, and the cassette machine, so that both played at the same time, at my command. It was just about the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. They have a control room and closed circuit TV. So they were played over every TV set on the entire campus!

We had a lovely welcoming dinner at a restaurant near the school. We all walked over to it. At the dinner we were greeted by the principal, the Party secretary. Ms. Wu translated for them. We presented the t-shirts to the host students, the nine girls who were with us last year, and school administrators. They seemed to love them. Everyone loved the photo albums that Scott put together.

We have been experiencing so many new things. At the dinner we all tried some traditional Shanghai foods: squid, pumpkin, sweet pea puree, river fish, crab and vegetable dish, pigeon, medley of mushrooms, lotus flower root, hot tofu, tapioca soup, pig's feet, and barbequed spare rib. We tried it all! Everyone has been very adventurous. We have appreciated such a generous hospitality!

We have been participating in the morning exercises -- an extraordinary event. Within a few minutes 2,600 students (high school and middle school) come out of the school buildings and line up silently by class. It is an astonishing sight. You should see our students lined up with them. Even little Liliana stands next to Kate and runs the quarter mile with her. We are so amazed by this early morning ritual.

We have one classroom that has been dedicated to the "Darien Club." We gather in that classroom when we are not attending classes with students. Yesterday we had a demonstration of seal carving. We tried this art, which demands precision and strength, to dig into a special stone and produce a design. Today we tried our hand at a traditional folk art using beads and silk to create small ornaments.

More later on eye exercises, the upcoming 110th anniversary celebration and other events.

I woke up at six in the morning and was on the road by 7:30 on my way to an ancient water village about two hours outside of town. I didn't get back home till about seven. It was a lot of fun though. I got to go inside a Chinese aircraft carrier. Anyway I really like it and am having a lot of fun. Talk to you guys later.

It's 8:30 Sunday morning and I am at my host family's using their computer. I adjusted immediately to their time as it was time to go to bed here when we arrived. 24 hours of travel makes you very ready for that! I am on the 18th floor of an apartment building near Shanghai Univ. staying with SG3 student Gao Shu and her parents. We will all just hang out with host families today and then have to be at school tomorrow at 7:30. Gao Shu goes by car--it's 50 min. away.

Flight was uneventful. Everyone was extremely tired. Most people, chaperones included, had about two hours sleep.

A wonderful reception at the Pudong airport. We could see the SG#3 kids as we were getting our baggage. Casper and Josephine had made a big Welcome sign saying Darien and friendship in Chinese characters. Ms Wu and Mr. Chen and another Mr. Chen and several kids were there. We went to the school for another rousing greeting by more kids and host families and Song Feng. Gorgeous school--as we knew it was. We'll see more in the day light.

We have arrived! This morning at 7:30 we were welcomed at an assembly on the front lawn. 2,000 students and 200 faculty members greeted us. It was a remarkable sight as the Chinese flag was raised and the sun streamed down to light up the lawn and all of the faces welcoming us. We gave short speeches in Chinese; the students and teachers seemed to appreciate our effort.

We have seen all of the students from The #3 Girls' School; we have exchanged lots of hugs. They prepared a room for us called the Darien Club. Other students have stopped by to say hello. On the wall of the Darien Club are two hearts -- one is the Chinese flag; the other is the American flag. They have also decorated the walls with photographs of their visit with us last year.

Liliana is having a wonderful time. We are staying with a family that has a little 5-year-old boy. His name is Hai. He is adorable; he follows Liliana everywhere. He even cried this morning when he could not come to school with us.

This morning, as we drove to school, we watched so many people on bicycles making their way to work, some with little children on the back who were going to school. I was amazed at all of the people who were cycling to work or school. I was filled with such a sense of humanity and the way life moves all of us forward at daybreak no matter where we live.

I will write again. In the meantime, know that I have you tucked away in my pocket; I feel you here with me as I walk past the beautiful waterfall on campus.