Jenny's Guide to Teaching

or 'What to Do When a Kindergartner Hugs You in the Middle of Class and Won't Let Go'

I have finished (and survived) my first week of teaching! I have a pretty varied group of classes - three groups of 3rd graders at various levels of English comprehension, two groups of 6 year olds and one group of 5 year olds who know almost no English, and two classes of advanced adults. Next week I will also begin teaching at a public elementary school here in the morning, and I may also have an opportunity to do some 1:1 tutoring, so overall, they are keeping me plenty busy! This first week was a series of ups and downs as I've been trying to plan lessons for my new classes. It's been difficult to judge what level the students will be at before meeting them and to prepare accordingly.

For my very first class, a group of 3rd graders, I had taken hours to carefully plan every detail of the lesson, only to find that they understood surprisingly less than I had been lead to believe, or so I gathered from their blank stares as I tried to speak to them in English. I did what I could to simplify the lesson on the spot, but by the end of it, I was flustered and convinced I had just confused the kids more. It wasn't until one of my students, a little blonde girl, came up to me as she was leaving, gave me a hug, and said, "That was great, thank you Mister Jenny!" that I felt a little better.

The five and six-year-olds are the cutest little peanuts you have ever seen, but keeping them amused for 90 minutes at a time, in another language, is particularly challenging. My strategy has mostly been to be about ten times more animated and expressive in front of them than I am normally (which requires a lot of coffee). By only using a minimal amount of words ('stand up,' 'look,' 'what's this?' etc.) I've found that they can understand me and start to pick up some new vocabulary in English. I've already gathered a few fans, which is encouraging, but also a little troublesome when a little kid latches onto you while you're trying to teach and refuses to let go!

The school itself is very nice, and has a homey feel to it. It's relatively small, so all the teachers know each other and both the director and the owner of the school are always around to talk to and help with any problems. My third day of teaching, the owner found me in the teacher's lounge and brought me downstairs to the cafe where she helped me to order lunch (delicious homemade pierogis)! "You have to eat well when you are teaching so many kids!" she said. So now I apparently get a homemade, two-course meal for lunch every day. Works for me considering my own cooking skills have generally never risen above the instant mac and cheese and microwavable Lean Cuisine level.

Next week I start teaching more classes in the public school, so we'll see how that goes!

The school

I get to use a fancy Smartboard!

The teacher's lounge

A Bus to Stegna

Saturday and Sunday were my two days to get settled in before classes started on Monday.
On Saturday one of the other English teachers suggested we go to the Stegna, which is a smallish town on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It gave me an opportunity to learn how the buses work and just to enjoy the beautiful weather (which I am constantly being told will not last much longer)! The beach was super nice and not crowded at all, making for a relaxing day. We also ate some delicious fresh fish (reccommended to us by a native) and what apparently was 'the best gofry in all of Poland!' (Gofrey is waffles with dessert toppings on it).

The Baltic Sea

 

Gofry!

Welcome to Elbląg

I am teaching English for the year in a small city in Poland called Elbląg (pronounced El-blong by the locals). Elbląg is located in the very north of Poland, right near the Baltic Sea, and it's about an hour drive from Gdansk, which is a much bigger city and a really popular tourist spot.

Old Town Elblag

The city has an interesting history. Prior to 1945, it was a German territory, known as Elbing. During World War II, the entire city was completely destroyed. It became a part of Poland after the end of the war, and most of the Poles who came to settle in the newly renamed Elbląg came from parts of Poland that had been annexed by the Soviet Union.

The locals' favorite thing to tell me when I ask them about the city is that the Old Town is not actually old. After the city was destroyed in the war, the Communist authorities made a few attempts to build cheap apartments in the city space, though this never became a reality. Finally, in 1989 a massive restoration effort began to rebuild the Old Town. Thus while most of the buildings are built in the style of the originals, everything is actually quite new. Some people here refer to it as the 'New' Old Town.

It's quite a small town, but there are a few interesting local sites.

St. Mikołaja (Nicholas) Cathedral, the local church

 

The main street

Elblag Canal

The clock tower

Interestingly, some of the buildings were rebuilt with the original bricks from the old city, although this is only true for a few buildings in the Old Town. Apparently most of the bricks from the old Elbing were sent to Warsaw to rebuild the city there, which happened sooner.

The dark bricks are the originals

Outside of Old Town, the rest of the city is pretty usual. There are many small parks and green areas, which is nice, though sadly it seems they won't stay green for long once winter comes. Buses and trams run all around the city, so it is easy to get around, though my primary transportation here so far has mostly just been walking! There are many families here, and the people seem very kind and helpful. The nice thing about living in a more remote city such as Elbląg is that you really get to live like the locals. It's very different than what I experienced living in an American dorm in Rome, for example. The downside is that it's much quieter and there's less to do than in a big city, which I'm used to after Rome, Beijing, and Chicago! But I'm very close to Gdansk if I'm ever in the mood for city-life! Overall, I think I am going to enjoy living here for a year!

Elblag is a tram city

Adventures Part 3!

I have officially been in Poland for one week, so my days are starting to take on a routine, and first impressions are starting to solidify into opinions as I get more familiar with everything here. Overall, I've been very happy here so far!

The flight to Poland was pretty good, save for a few minor complications. Just like when I was trying to leave Beijing, our plane was held up due to electrical problems, so now I am convinced I have some kind of a curse when it comes to planes. Either that or planes these days just have a lot of electrical problems. Or 'electrical problems' is code for the pilots are taking an extra long coffee break.

Anyway the technical difficulties lasted just long enough that by the time I got to the airport in Warsaw, the plane that I was supposed to transfer to was boarding just as I was getting off the first one. I ran through the airport and ended up in line for security as the words 'Final Call' flashed in red next to my flight number. I showed my ticket to the airline employee overseeing the line for security. He escorted my to the front of the line where I hastily threw my stuff on the conveyor belt. My escort, however, stopped my when he saw that I had a half-filled reusable water bottle in my backpack. "You must empty it," he said in a thickly accented voice, gesturing to two trash cans next to us. I grabbed the water bottle, "Just empty it?" I asked, standing over the trash cans. I wasn't sure it was the best idea, but he nodded, so I unscrewed the cap and began to dump the water into the trash. "Ahh no!" he immediately exclaimed and snatched the bottle from me. He then proceeded to grab a plastic Dasani water bottle out of the trash and begin to pour the water ever so carefully from one bottle to the other. And by carefully I mean basically one drop at a time. The rest of my stuff was already on the other side of security, the loudspeakers were blaring last call for my flight, and I stood watching this guy pour water as carefully as if it were explosive chemicals wishing I had been able to pour more of it in the trash before he had stopped me. He finally handed the bottle back to me, and I flew through the metal detectors. A Polish woman who had witnessed my mad dash through security helped me gather my things on the other side. "Shoes, here. Jacket, here. Don't forget passport!" she said, in a display of kindness that I have begun to notice is characteristic of many Poles. I thanked her and sprinted full out through the airport hoping I could still get to my gate in time, but the woman at the gate shook her head at me once I reached the it and informed me that it was too late. It was right about this time that I was starting to rethink the whole international travel thing.

It turned out not to be so bad though. Luckily the airline very efficiently put me on the next flight out and I was on my way just two hours later. I tried to contact the school before I left to let them know I was delayed since someone was supposed to be picking me up. By the time I arrived at the very small airport in Gdansk, however, no one was there. I was contemplating getting a taxi when suddenly my phone seemed to remember how to function and I received messages from about five different people at the school telling me not to worry and reassuring me that someone was already on their way back to the airport to pick me up! Sure enough one of the teachers was there in about ten minutes.

Now would be a good time to talk about how incredibly kind and welcoming the other teachers and school staff have been. My first night, two of the teachers helped me to go shopping for some groceries and dishes/cooking supplies which the owner of the school then offered to pay for. The next day they walked me to the school where everyone was incredibly friendly. Another teacher offered to show me around Elbląg later in the week. Considering that I knew no one personally before coming here, the amount of support I feel that I have here now after just one week makes me feel like I really chose a good place to be! The accommodations are also great. According to one of the American teachers, the rooms we are living in were just renovated, and as a result, they are really clean and nice and new. I have my own bathroom with a towel warmer and an amazing shower, a mudroom with a mini fridge, a bedroom area, and even my own balcony complete with resident pigeons. The room is located in a student housing building for a local college here and there's a security guard at the front desk 24/7, so it's also very safe.

The student housing where I live

The weather has been gorgeous here so far; warm and sunny with a little bit of a fall edge, but definitely still enjoyable. The Poles tell me it's a bit unusual for this time of year. Dorota, the school owner told me, "I think it is a good sign. It is sunny when you came, so it means it will be a bright year for you." I told her that I liked that prediction.

Now I just have to learn a little Polish and start planning for my English classes!

One Year, Many Adventures Later

 

 

 

 

This One Time When my Flight was Delayed...

The last week in Beijing crept up on us after the May Day holiday (which I spent alternately doing school visits for my research project and watching movies with friends in the lounge) and then hit us with full force as we realized that all of our final papers and exams were due in a span of five short days. My finals week in China was hands-down the most stressful finals week I have ever had, mostly due to the massive amount of papers I was assigned to write, but I managed to survive with no permanent damage (excepting a little sleep deprivation) and with just enough energy to enjoy my last few days abroad.

The Beijing Center hosted a Closing Ceremony to commemorate our experience in China towards the end of finals week, and so I took a break from paper writing to dress up a little and basically stuff my face with free food. It was actually a really nice opportunity to gather collectively with everyone from the Beijing Center before everyone started leaving on various flights over the next few days.

(Why am I so tall?)

All the Chinese roommates!

 Finals week came to a close, and after a night of camping on the Great Wall, our group of American students and our Chinese friends and roommates all went out together to dually celebrate a friend's birthday and our last time together in Beijing. We went to an archery place, and tried our skills shooting arrows at targets, and once that got old, we went out to get drinks at this rooftop restaurant/bar nearby.

 

Anyone know how to say "cheese!" in Chinese?

 Our flight was the next afternoon. My roommate made us pancakes for breakfast and we sat on my overstuffed suitcase chatting and marveling at how fast the semester had flown by. The Chinese roommates loaded us onto the bus after many hugs and goodbyes, and we were on our way to the airport and back to America. Or so we thought.

My roommate's pancakes!

We had plenty of time at the airport to get through security, eat lunch, and find our flight, and after spending a few hours at the airport, we finally boarded our plane and prepared for what we knew would be a long flight. I was with eight other friends who were on the same flight as me, and we all had seats near each other. We settled into our seats and waited...and waited...and waited. At least an hour passed with our plane just sitting in the runway going nowhere. It was about at this point that we began to suspect that something was wrong. Finally, a flight attendant informed us what was going on via the intercom. "I'm very happy to announce-" the heavily accented voice paused for a moment before amending his statement: "I'm very sorry to announce that we will not be taking off today" (cue the exclamations of surprise and complaint). Our flight was going to be delayed for a whole day due to electrical problems on the plane.

I had just spent the last five months in China and I was really looking forward to going home. Add that to the fact that I was still pretty sleep deprived from a crazy last week, I was tired of dragging my luggage all over creation, and I really had no idea where I was going to end up for the next 24 hours, and this should have been a really distressing situation for me. But, perhaps because five months in China really had taught me a lot about learning to take things as they come (and to be prepared for the random, weird situations that will inevitably occur), I wasn't really that upset. I was also incredibly grateful to be traveling with friends and not on my own. The one last (unexpected) night in China was just a continuation of the crazy, unusual, spontaneous situations that I had been experiencing over the past semester. In a way, it was just the kind of plot twist that I should have expected.

The airline took care of us and set us up at a five-star hotel near the airport. They shuttled us there on a bus, and we were checked in and fed a late dinner. I was actually a little excited to have a fancy hotel room all to myself. I of course acted extremely sophisticated (okay, okay I may have jumped on the bed...) but mostly I just ended up passing out after a long day of cavorting around the airport.

My fancy hotel room (prior to the bed-jumping)

I woke up in time for breakfast the next morning (because fancy hotel breakfast is one of the best things ever) and we were checked out and loaded onto the bus with all our luggage (and maybe some contraband peanuts from the mini-bar). Everyone cheered when our plane lifted off the ground that afternoon. With one last unexpected China adventure behind us, we were finally headed home.

Jenny's Guide to Touring the Great Wall

I am finally back home in good ol' Illinois. After a small adjustment period in which I

became reaquainted with the wonders of speedy internet, fast food drive-thrus, and forks, and had to remind myself that everyone around me did, in fact, speak the English language, I believe I am now back to normal life in America. But I haven't forgotten about my adventures, and I thought I'd finish up this record of my time abroad, just so it will finally be complete!

So going from where I left off...
I visited the Great Wall of China twice while I was abroad. The first time I went with the Chinese roommates via a campus run event, so transportation, tickets, and everything was already taken care of and basically our only concern was exploring. We visited Mu Tian Yu, a portion of the Wall that has been pretty extensively restored and is pretty touristy as a result.

How to describe the Great Wall? Well besides the eye-rolling remark that it was 'pretty great,' I have to say that walking the Great Wall and taking in the incredible views felt like one of the most characteristically "Chinese" moments I had while in China. This is probably because the Great Wall is basically the classic symbol of China, but it really is an exciting experience to go and see something so romanticized for the first time in person and see how your impressions of it compare. The Great Wall was a lot like I expected it to be, except for the fact that there are a lot more stairs than the pictures would make you believe! And not just like little steps, but odd, uneven steps that occasionally got so steep that we were all but climbing up them! We spent a few hours exploring the nooks and crannies of the Great Wall and appreciating the views, and then headed back down to catch the bus.

 

Stairs...so we meet again.

I'll be honest, I was feeling pretty cool at this point.

The second time I visited the Great Wall was a bit more eventful. The very last weekend before we were scheduled to leave China, four friends and I planned to go camping on the Great Wall. This last weekend came trailing in after an exhausting finals week, but we were adamant about making the most of our last few days, so literally an hour after I sent in my last final, we hurriedly stuffed our backpacks, made a quick run to 7-11 to stock up on snacks, and headed out of the city to the Great Wall.

Now, technically being on the wall after dark is illegal, but of all the thousands miles of wall, there are places which are relatively easy to gain access to at night. Our destination was an unrestored part of wall (what is known as the "wild wall"), which was basically completely open and unpatrolled. Getting there was a process; We took the subway, then a bus, then a taxi, which dropped us off at the base of the wall. Given our late start (thanks to finals) by the time we got there it was about nine o'clock at night.

In summary: We were in a remote part of China. It was the middle of the night. There wasn't a lot of civilization around. It was dark. We did not pack flashlights. None of us had any idea where we were really going.

And so, given the circumstances, we did what any intelligent group of college students would do: we decided to climb the Great Wall of China in the middle of the night. In case you're still not fully impressed by our judgement making skills, allow me to describe what climbing the Great Wall is like in the dark. Picture picking your way slowly up and along stony, uneven remnants of a pathway in the middle of the dark, with only the dim disply of your phone keeping you from tripping on numerous hidden tree roots and rocks. Add that to the fact that, in the dark, we really didn't know whether or not we were even headed to the right part of the wall, and it really seems like a miracle we're not still stumbling around lost in the wilderness of China.

But we made it. After what was probably two hours picking our way slowly up around crumbling ruins, scattered stones, thorny plants, and low-hanging tree branches (none of which we could really see, mind you), we came to a long stretch of the actual wall, where a few solid guard towers were still standing. We picked the best one, and it quickly became our home for the night.

And so we were successful. We hung out all night in the dying light of our cell phones, passing around the Chinese Oreos and Ritz crackers and marveling at the strange events that brought us not simply to the Great Wall, but to China itself. We were up around five am to witness a stunning sunrise. Afterwards, we explored a little more in the daylight and then, covered in ancient Great Wall dust, made our way back home. The downward trek was much easier in the daytime than it was at night!

In retrospect, our Great Wall trip may not have been the most well planned camping trip ever conceptualized, but it certainly made for a great adventure, and something I will always be glad I experienced.