Letter from Lucretia Meece in China
September 7, 2007
Greetings Friends,
Blessedly cool weather has arrived in Nanchang. It was a brutally hot summer, as it was in many parts of the world, but this week we have had rain and temperatures in the 70s for three days.
I finished my spring semester at Jiangxi Normal University in June. I decided not to travel home this summer and instead volunteered to teach in the Amity Summer English Program during July. There were 13 teams this summer, consisting of over 50 volunteers who pay their own support to come to China. They come from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. A three-day orientation in Nanjing got us acquainted and up to speed.
I was assigned to the four-person PC(USA) team to serve in WuYiShan, Fujian Province. We flew to Fuzhou and on to WuYiShan to meet our liaison and four teaching assistants. I hoped that the word shan (mountain) might mean cooler temps in WuYiShan, but was disappointed. I knew the heat was over the edge when sweat would drip on my lesson plans, blurring my notes and stinging my eyes. We were supplied with fans, but no air conditioning was available. Iced water and a facecloth were my daily companions.
Seventy-eight students were signed up for our three-week program of five classes a day and were eager to get started. It was a joy to teach them, and I probably got as much from the program as they did. Course content included “Talking about My Country and Yours,” “Talking about People and Relationships,” “Talking about Learning and Teaching,” and “American Culture.” To this, we added movies and music (singing with guitar). It was a packed schedule, but effective, I think.
Middle school teachers in rural China receive low wages, have low prestige, teach 60-80 students in each class, and have few, if any, amenities in their classrooms. The teachers need to work not only on their oral English skills, but they also need encouragement and motivation for the return to their classes. Some students came ready to talk while others took a while to get the courage to speak. The focus for English teachers in Chinese middle schools is to prepare students for the national entrance exam for college and post-secondary studies. Since the exam doesn’t include oral testing, very little time is spent on oral skills in the classroom. Many of the students could write well enough, but getting them to answer verbally or initiate a statement or state opinion was not always easy. At any rate, we got started, sharing our stories, experiences, and cultures.
One weekend we were taken to a ancient village where people live and where paying tourists can wander around, observing daily life as the women and girls sort tea, grannies tend babies, men repair and construct, children play, goats chew, chickens peck, and dogs watch from the shade. I watched the village blacksmith hammering at a forge, and was surprised when his wife jumped up from her nearby tea sorting to swing a hammer. Then she resumed her tea sorting until the next call for assistance at the anvil.
On a bamboo raft on "Nine Bend Stream" this summer near WuYiShan.
Another road trip destination was “Nine Bend Stream,” where we took an hour-and-a-half bamboo-raft ride. I’m telling you this was postcard stuff. I don’t think I stopped grinning the whole time. Each bend brought a new vista of streaked karst mountains, stories of ancient lovers, forbidden love, unrequited love, etc. all in stone. Though the lines to the rafts were long and reservations were required days before, there was a sense of being alone on many parts of the river as it turned, banked, and meandered quietly. I was thrilled to get a glimpse of the cave boat coffins from ancient days, high up in the cliffs. We passed tourists on land, climbing this mountain or that, on steep steps to pavilions and tea houses. It was magical, indeed. I forgot the heat and the sweat on my brow as we were poled down river by two skilled river folk.
Another road trip was to the natural reserve and museum in WuYiShan, a world heritage site. The monkeys run, sit, beg freely, coming out of the mountains as it suits them to eat watermelon, crackers, snacks, and to drink tea from dropped bottles. I could only think in my Western way about where this habit will lead. Similarly, I hurried past the bear pacing in his cage and spent time watching the mountain creek babble by it all. A ride to a spectacular 150-meter waterfall capped off that afternoon. Despite warning signs, painted lines, etc. the tourists step over onto the wet rocks for that “perfect” picture. After one man slid, dropped his camera in a puddle and was visibly shaken, folks stepped back for about a minute. Then life in the danger zone returned and people began stepping over ropes where common sense said, “no further.” I left my perch on the safe rocks and walked away.
We attended the Chinese church in WuYiShan twice with an interpreter. It was spiritually bridging to sing some familiar songs. About 500 seemed to be in attendance with a choir of more than 20. We were seated in good seats—by the fans—and were heartily welcomed. We could share smiles and handshakes, but not much else.
This is a small resort town that sees thousands of tourists every weekend, has over 200 hotels, and more restaurants than I could count. It seemed like every fourth or fifth store was selling teas and tea-related products. This is, indeed a “tea capital.”
We were treated like kings and queens, sought after, gifted and well-fed. In addition, I think we accomplished some good things. It was a worthwhile effort.
Our flight out left just before dawn as the glow of the rising sun painted mountains and rivers yellow and pink. A two-day debriefing was held in Shanghai. Hearing the stories of the various groups, including those who went to Inner Mongolia, was an education for me. Another teacher and I extended our stay in Shanghai; it proved to be a time to wind down, rest a bit, and explore Shanghai and Suzhou before returning to Nanchang.
Not a bad way to spend a summer.
God’s Blessings to you from Nanchang,
Lucretia
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 244
