Tag Archives: chinese language

Two Weeks Left at Home

Posted on 12 August 2010 by gypsy

Well, as the subject line says, we only have two weeks left in our house here in Saskatchewan. We have been busy getting in as many visits with our family as possible, storing up photos and memories to last until … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Changzhou, China, chinese language, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, Jiangsu, lesson planning, teaching esl | Leave a comment

Eating Well

Posted on 10 June 2010 by gypsy

I don’t remember where this photo was taken, likely at the entrance to small shop, what caught my eye here was the offerings in front of the statue, especially the offerings of food. Like so many other places we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Changzhou, chī guò le - 吃过了, China, Chinese, chinese language, communication, ESL, ESL blog, food, foreign teacher, FT, have you eaten today, Jiangsu, Mandarin, mid-autumn festival, moon cakes, nǐ chī le ma - 你吃了吗, yuèbǐng - 月饼, Zhōng qiū jié - 中秋节 | 1 Comment

A Bit About Changzhou

Posted on 9 June 2010 by gypsy

Changzhou (常州) is more than a city (市 – shì) in Canadian terms. It is a union of five administrative districts consisting of towns, villages and rural settings contains of about three and a half million people (rén – 人). Changzhou city (Chángzhōushì – … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communicate, communication, ESL, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, Jiangsu, Mandarin, teaching esl, xinbei, YángGuāng HuāYuán, 阳光花园 | 1 Comment

A Home is Where the Heart Is

Posted on 7 June 2010 by gypsy

This older couple is one of many I found as I walked throughout Changzhou who seemed to be comfortable together. The scene reaffirmed within me that it takes more than money to bring happiness into one’s life. At home in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blog, bókè, Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communicate, communication, ESL, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, home is where the heart is, Jiangsu, Mandarin, 博客 | 2 Comments

Contrasts – Behind the Walls

Posted on 6 June 2010 by gypsy

This is one of the homes that are found within the gated community called Sunshine Gardens (yáng guāng huā yuán – 阳光花园) where we lived during our first two years in China (Zhōng guó – 中国) and where we will again live when return to Changzhou … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged běi, Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communicate, communication, dōng, ESL, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, hōng chǎn, Jiangsu, Mandarin, nán, pín kùn, Sunshine Garden, Sunshine Gardens, teaching esl, xī, xinbei, yǒu qián rén, Zhōng guó rén, 常州, 阳光花园 | Leave a comment

You Are Never Too Old to Work

Posted on 4 June 2010 by gypsy

The first September in Changzhou, we got to see how a group of women would take their small scythe-like tools in order to cut grass. This group of women were cutting the grass on the grounds of the Changzhou Software … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged begging, C.I.T., Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communicate, communication, ESL, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, gardening, grounds keeping, Jiangsu, jiao, Mandarin, qǐ tǎo, teaching esl, work ethic, xinbei, yuán, zì zūn, 乞讨, 元, 自尊, 角 | Leave a comment

Discovering Confidence in a Strange Land

Posted on 2 June 2010 by gypsy

With the passage of a few weeks in Changzhou and classes beginning to settle into some sort of routine, we found that we had a bit more time for wandering around the city. Remembering our first journey to the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communicate, communication, ESL, ESL blog, fàn diàn, FAO, foreign teacher, FT, Jiangsu, Mandarin, nán dà jiē, shì zhōng xīn, Sunshine Garden, teaching esl, xinbei, yáng guāng huā yuán, 南大街, 市中心, 阳光花园, 饭店 | 2 Comments

Things Aren’t Always As They Appear – Misperceptions

Posted on 23 May 2010 by gypsy

Here is a scene that we came upon during our second week in Changzhou, parents and grandparents at a set of school gates waiting to pick up their children at the end of a school day. When we came upon … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communication, ESL, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, imagination, Jiangsu, Mandarin, misperceptions, school, teaching esl, xinbei, 学校 | Leave a comment

An Introduction to Teaching ESL

Posted on 21 May 2010 by gypsy

This was Maureen’s first class, the first day of a new term in September, 2006. Luckily, I didn’t have a course to teach at that time, so I was able to take a few photos of this special event. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged C.I.T., Changzhou, China, Chinese, chinese language, communicate, content classes, conversation classes, ESL, ESL blog, first day of class, foreign teacher, FT, interactive lessons, Jiangsu, Mandarin, stereotypes, students, teachers, teaching esl, xinbei | Leave a comment

Preparations For Teaching ESL

Posted on 14 May 2010 by gypsy

After about a week of getting ourselves acclimatized to Changzhou, it was finally time to begin the work for which we came to China, that of being ESL teachers at C.I.T. The process began with a meeting with the department … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged C.I.T., Changzhou, China, chinese language, communicate, communication, context, Dà xué sheng, ESL, ESL blog, FAO, foreign teacher, FT, Jiangsu, Lǎo shī, Mandarin, policies and procedures, student, teacher, teaching esl, team-building, xinbei, 大学生, 老师 | Leave a comment