Information+re+Shilou+and+Zigen+Program+for+Volunteers

__ Living and Working Conditions in Shilou City, Shanxi Province __ __ Summer 2010 __

By Judy Manton

__The Hotel__

We will stay in the same government hotel as last year. Ms. Zhang, the operations manager, is very welcoming and cooperative, as is their staff of young women. The general manager we didn’t meet until the day before we left when she presented each of us with huge, framed photos of the Yellow River…which we couldn’t take with us on the plane. So, we removed the framed and rolled up the great photos!

The rooms are double with AC, TV, a desk, and a small table. The beds are comfortable, but the pillows are very hard. (In the countryside, pillows are stuffed with wheat husks!). There is hot water 24/7 and boiled water for tea is delivered each morning in a thermos. The hotel also provides soap. The floor is not carpeted. Although there is no internet access for us in the hotel, **after hours, we can use the computers in the education bureau near the hotel.** The hotel personnel will do your laundry. Clothes have to be hung on pegs as there is no place for hangers. (I wash my own clothes and hang them on plastic hangers in the bathroom. I keep an iron there and you are welcome to use it.)

__The Hotel Restaurant__

A daily menu will be given LL at the beginning of each meal in our private dining room. The food is very tasty, but by the end of the month, we will have had our fill of yams and eggplant, local products. Tea, tofu milk and some juices are available. We can buy envelopes of milk or other drinks and ask them to refrigerate them for us.

__Other Restaurants__

There are many good restaurants in Shilou. They serve a much greater variety of dishes than the hotel restaurant and we often eat out. Sometimes we are the guests of the education office personnel. But, much of the time is spent in excessive, formulaic toasting us with the local alcohol. And we need to respond with toasts also. If you don’t drink, you can ‘fudge’ your way through, but they expect everyone to down the bit of //baijiu.// However, as soon as your little glass has been emptied, it will be filled up again…and again…and again! Warm beer and warm Sprint are available at the restaurants.

__Other Sources of Food__

There is food prepared and sold on the streets at night, but I have never eaten it. There is a small store near the hotel where we can buy ice cream, cold drinks and yoghurt (I think). We must buy fruit when we arrive in Taiyuan as there is little available in Shilou. I remember only bananas and grapes. Last year several friends invited us to their homes for a socializing and a meal. __Shilou__ __City__

Shilou is a small, very manageable city. Most of the business district is spread along the street in front of our hotel. All the stores are specialized and small. A ravine divides the city and a bridge crosses it. As there is no garbage collection or dump, residents toss their discards here and there, especially down the ravine. Zigen was going to institute a garbage program, but I don’t know if it happened. __Environs__

Shilou is set in unusual, spectacular loess mountain terrain. The sandy dirt is yellowish and gives the Yellow River its name. Last year the education bureau provided us with a van and a great driver who drove us on excursions over often gutted, unpaved roads and around hairpin curves….and never once did we tumble down the mountain sides. As extensive road work was going on at that tie, the roads should be better this year.

The land is dry with occasional spots of green fields of corn, sunflowers or potatoes, extensive reforestation projects to combat erosion, or groves of red date trees.

__Our Teaching Site__

This year we will be teaching in a middle school which I haven’t seen. LL said it’s fine. There is a computer lab, so we can use those computers to prepare lessons and to send e-mail. We can expect a playground on which we can do break-the-ice activities, and games and songs with actions which the participants can teach their students. Let’s hope there’s some shade! As we’ll have the key and no other program will be using the school, we’ll be able to use it as we wish.

Last year the elementary school principal kindly gave us the use of her office. In addition to classrooms, we need an office in which to meet and where to organize our teaching materials.

__Teaching Materials__

As we’ve never had a budget for teaching materials, you will see files of photocopies of lessons and reference materials from my 32 years of teaching English to adult immigrants in NYC plus materials I’ve developed or adapted for use in China.

We don’t have any sets of books, but bits of this and that. We **had** more materials and even a small lending library of simplified classics, but because of the quantity of materials, these were never lugged on the train to Shilou from Guizhou where we taught 3 summers.

This year, however, we have a materials budget and Cynthia and I are bringing a variety of books, among which are 4 copies __Teach English: A Trainer’s__ Manual for the staff to use and 9 copies of the trainees’ workbook…which will have to be shared.

__Weather and Attire__

Mornings on cloudy days are cool enough for a cardigan sweater, but it often gets quite warm by midday, especially on sunny days. There should be fans in our classrooms.

Judy wears cotton dresses and pants outfits. The volunteers usually wear skirts and pants with T -shirts or blouses. Bring shorts for our outings. Please pay attention to exposed bra straps. They can be pinned to shirt shoulder seams or strapless bras can be worn. There are also those bras with transparent plastic straps. Take comfortable shoes for the countryside and sandals for the city. And don’t forget your **swimming suit** as there is an outdoor pool.

The female participants wear dresses, blouses and skirts, or pants and shirts. The men wear T-shirts and pants. __Financial Arrangements__

Those of us coming from the U.S. can change money at the international airport at the same exchange rate as at the **Bank of China**, but we have to be alert to when the bank is open. Otherwise, we can change at Taiyuan and **we must be sure to get there before it closes on the 13th.**

It is my understanding that the Bureau of Education and the Zigen Fund are cooperating to cover all expenses of the volunteers once we are picked up in Taiyuan and then dropped off at the end of the program. Of course, any food or supplies we choose to buy in Shilou will be at our own expense.

__Excursions__

Last year the Education Bureau provided us with a van and a wonderful driver. (This year as the staff has increased in number, we won’t all fit in last year’s van). We visited several villages and Zigen-supported elementary schools, as well as Yen’an and another revolutionary site. We ate in village **cave homes**.

To get an idea of the landscape and the area’s attractions, search on the internet: Shanxi Province, Yellow River, Yen’an, Taiyuan and even Pengyao, the charming, preserved old walled city now frequented by many tourists which you may want to visit before or after our program.)

__Recreation__

Not only is there a swimming pool, but also a small place to paddle boat. It’s a good place to race, splash and just have some silly fun. There are also karaoke ‘bars’ and smoky internet cafes. The only other exercise that comes to mind is just walking around the small city.

__Ice Breakers, Games, Performances__

Last year the high school asked us to give two programs to their summer school students. The segments which I remember were on: anti-smoking, how to study English, care of the environment, growing up Chinese in the U.S., etc. Colin and I performed a funny ‘cross-talk’ Chinese-style, based on minimal pair confusion, i.e. “What! You ate //soap// for dinner! You mean your //ankle// met you at the airport!” So, please take an act, some songs, a musical instrument, etc. in case we are asked to perform in some way.

In order to ‘loosen up’ the participants so they won’t be so nervous when we interview and test them, we plan to accept LL’s suggestion that we spend the first two days playing circle games, table games, singing, reciting from __Jazz Chants for Children__, etc. Although we have a folder of games and some reference books, please think of some activities using English which we can use with our adult participants and especially those which they can teach to their students.

__Local Residents__

Because LL has lived part of his life for several years working for Zigen in Shilou, he has friends and connections and uses them with grace. Last year we were invited to several homes, a dance studio for sweet little girls and a restaurant with karaoke.

__Being Outsiders__

Those of you who are ethnically Chinese will be welcomed as outsiders, but you will soon blend in. Cynthia and I, however, may attract crowds as we are “lao wai” and “da bizi”. Last year, Kristina (Russian studying in the U.S.) and I were gawked and curiosity seekers gathered around us, especially children. This is not an area frequented by foreigners. I think someone said we were the first foreigners to go there in 14 years!   Teaching in Mountains – Thirty Years and Counting Editor’s note: This report resulted from the research work done three years ago by Zigen’s field force for the Teachers Training Forum. Unfortunately, the credit for it has become blurred over time. What follows is a compilation of the original report, with new additions and some edits.  A School Inside His Own Home Halfway up the Leigong, the peak of the Miao Mountains, lies a small village, Jiaola village, nearly 4,500 feet above sea level, and some 16 miles from the county seat and nearest town. Surrounded by unfathomable valleys and sharp cliffs, it is clothed in the fog and rarely bathed in sunlight. With no roads joining it to the outside world and the closest villages over 6 treacherous miles away, it is the most secluded Miao village in the entire county. Prior to July,1969, the village children would have to attend a school some 15 miles away and board there. Few kids from the village made the trip, and no girls among them. The villagers longed for their own school. In July 1969, a 16-year-old young man from the village and a recent graduate of junior high, Yang Guangting, went to the market in the county seat where he saw a young fellow from his village fighting with a customer. It turned out the young man was selling his chicken to a customer, but without even the rudimentary math skills, he resorted to counting pebbles in determining the price. His numbers did not add up, and it led to a fight. Yang was saddened and frustrated. The high illiteracy rate and poverty in the village became too much for him and thus the idea of founding a village school was born. Giving up his aspiration of high school and then college and opportunities to work in the county government, he embarked on the journey to start his own school.  Setting up a village school where there never was one was no easy feat. But, he was tenacious and thus after repeated requests for a school, it was finally granted by the local government. There was no teacher, so he signed up for the job. There was no classroom, so he talked his family into setting aside a room in the house for schooling the kids. With one board supported by two large stools as a desk and another sitting on two small stools as a bench, pupils began their lessons, and their classroom chanting enchanted the entire village: At long last, a school of their own!!! Having been using his own home for classroom and volunteering to teach, Yang’s dedication touched a soft spot in some government officials. In 1971, the government provided a RMB 1,500 grant. Yang called in the villagers for help and worked day and night on the construction site. A two-story, 6-classroom wooden school building was erected and has housed the school to this day.  Dedication and Commitment The school building looked nice, but it needed to be filled with pupils. Many parents’ own lack of education became a stumbling block for their children’s advancement. After a full day teaching classes, Yang would go from house to house, calling on these parents to sign their children up at school. His dedication and years of effort brought over 90% of the children to school! Since 1990, to provide financial aid to needy students, Yang has taken his staff and school children into the hills to pick nuts and bamboo shoots. The RMB 500 ~ 1,000 income each year has paid for books for some kids experiencing extraordinary financial hardship. Early fall, 2002, Yang woke up to a storm one night. The downpour would cause flooding at any moment, which could almost certainly wash away the recent donation from the village -- over 200 pieces of timber sitting by the river. Yang and his wife ran in the heavy rain for over 20 minutes to the site, and moved all timber to higher grounds. Both came down with bad colds after that, though both were relieved that the school did not suffer the loss. Yang also saved the school nearly RMB 10,000 by employing his carpentry skills in fixing the desks and benches himself over the decades. When the school was closed for vacations, he would keep watch day and night, for this was by all means his real home.   The Harvest Soon after the start of China’s economic reform, Yang was elected the Village Head in 1986. Because of his new responsibilities, his teaching career was suspended for three years, and thus he lost the opportunity to become a regular, government-sponsored teacher. The school, growing in size, was desperately in need of more teachers. So, he stepped back in the classroom, teaching during school hours and addressing the village’s other needs after school. As the village head, he oversaw the construction of the village’s first stone bridge, making the river more manageable for children going to and from school. Under his watch, the village was wired to the state power grid, ending the era of oil lamps for villagers, young and old. When school was closed for vacation, he set up literacy classes for villagers, of whom almost 90% could not read and write. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-align: left;">In July 1974, Yang turned out the first graduating class from the village elementary school and was recognized for his outstanding service by the county government. Later, a variety of factors combined to jeopardize the school’s vitality and it was reduced to only the lowest three or four grades. The harsh living and working conditions brought a high turnover ratio among government-sponsored teachers. Yang, despite a monthly pay as little as RMB 100, persisted. In 1992, with the county education bureau’s support and Zigen Fund’s help, the number of classes was reduced, class sizes were increased and school admissions were cut to every two years. Thus the school became a complete first-through-sixth-grade elementary school In 1995. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"> Zigen’s Support for Mr. Yang <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Since 1988, Zigen has consistently provided financial support for school girls in Jiaola. And, to sustain the school with one teacher, Zigen provided monetary assistance to Mr. Yang. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">All the local Zigen-sponsored pupils had Mr. Yang to thank for their schooling, including a girl, Yang Yanying, who started her first grade at age 13 with Zigen’s help. All her hard work paid off when she graduated from college at the age of 30. A Zigen-sponsored boy graduated from Guizhou University. Now an architect, he has designed many buildings, including the Zigen-funded Maoping Women’s Center. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"> Thirty Years Teaching in the Mountain – and Counting <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%;">With Yang Guangting’s unrelenting efforts, Jiaola’s enrollment of school-age children has remained at nearly 100% for eight years, with 95% of the girls in school, the highest ratio in the entire county. He also inspired many young and middle-aged people in the village to take agricultural and animal farming correspondence courses, from which 27 have graduated. Jiaola is now anything but the illiterate village it used to be! For over 30 years, Yang has sent one group of students after another up the ladder of educational institutions. Some have attended college, some have become teachers, and some have assumed leadership positions. Meanwhile, Yang Guangting has quietly and resiliently carried on his work as a substitute teacher. Since 1996, his dedication and achievement have earned him numerous awards and recognition as an “Outstanding Teacher” and “Accomplished Counselor to the Young”. The Guizhou Provincial United Front Department and Education Bureau named him a “Model Teacher in Remote Mountain Areas” in 2003 and his inspiring lifetime story was extensively reported in the Guizhou Daily (Guizhou Province’s leading paper), Guizhou Minority Groups’ Paper and Southeast Guizhou Newspaper. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Over 30 years after his start on the journey of a teacher and after all the ups and downs in his teaching career, Yang has few regrets. To this day he is carrying on as a substitute teacher, at one-tenth the pay of a regular teacher with the same seniority. In his own words, “The day I decided to be a teacher, I set my eyes on becoming the best teacher I could be. That’s my lifetime goal, and teaching and helping kids to grow up right is a heavenly responsibility for me. For that I will give the rest of my life to bettering the education of my hometown.”