Tag Archives: xinbei

Another First Day at C.I.T.

Posted on 7 September 2010 by gypsy

Well, today Maureen got to attend her first class. Of course we took the obligatory photos of the first day heading off to school. And yes, mine was taken yesterday. Today we both taught at the same time in the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged C.I.T., Changzhou, China, Chinese, communication, ESL blog, foreign teacher, Jiangsu, students, teaching esl, TEFL, xinbei | 2 Comments

First Day of a New School Year

Posted on 6 September 2010 by gypsy

It’s my first class and as usual the idea of standing in front of a group of students still gives me that special feeling that comes with the first day of school for all teachers and students alike. Maureen has … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged C.I.T., Changzhou, China, communication, ESL blog, foreign teacher, Jiangsu, teaching esl, TEFL, xinbei | 2 Comments

Moving Back To Campus Dorms

Posted on 5 September 2010 by gypsy

Sunday and with classes set to begin in not many hours, the last of the students are still arriving. This scene has been taking place for the past three days as students move back to their dorms at the Xin … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged C.I.T., Changzhou, China, ESL blog, foreign teacher, Jiangsu, teaching esl, TEFL, xinbei | 2 Comments

The First Day of School

Posted on 2 September 2010 by gypsy

Yesterday’s walk to the main campus gave me a lot of opportunities for photographs including this one. This is the scene at a high school about six blocks from the apartment. Since school starts on September 1st, these students are … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged C.I.T., Changzhou, China, Chinese, communicate, ESL blog, first day of school, foreign teacher, Jiangsu, school, teaching esl, xinbei | Leave a comment

Air Plane Tickets Ready

Posted on 3 August 2010 by gypsy

The airplane tickets have been purchased. In less than four weeks we will be back in Changzhou. We will first fly to Toronto for a visit with Dustin and his family before flying to Shanghai on August 29th. Strange how … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Changzhou, China, communication, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, Jiangsu, teaching esl, xinbei, YángGuāng HuāYuán, 常州, 阳光花园 | Leave a 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

People Watching in Changzhou

Posted on 8 June 2010 by gypsy

After being in China for three weeks, in 2006, Maureen and I were feeling quite comfortable with wandering down streets we had not yet seen. Rather than on focusing so much on the things we saw on our walks, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged authentic, Changzhou, China, communication, ESL blog, foreign teacher, FT, Jiangsu, people, portraits, teaching esl, xinbei, 常州 | Leave a comment

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