Officially Peace Corps Volunteers - China 14s

Beijing, PRC, Tuesday, September 09, 2008 – Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter traveled to the People’s Republic of China last week to swear in 36 new Peace Corps Volunteers, the 13th group of Volunteers to be sworn in since the program’s inception in 1993. Director Tschetter was joined by American Consul General Jim Boughner, and Madam Yang Meng of the China Education Association for International Exchange.



Of the 36 new Volunteers, 13 have previously served in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria, Georgia, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana and Kazakhstan, and have now come to provide additional service to the people of China.



Speaking of this dynamic group and how they will contribute to America’s continued warm friendship with China, Director Tschetter stated: “We are pleased to be able to swear in this outstanding group of Volunteers, and know that their service will serve to strengthen the strong ties we have with the country and the people of China.”



Each of the 36 Volunteers will be using their backgrounds in education to teach English at a collegiate level to university students in the central provinces of China. Director Tschetter had the opportunity to travel to the city of Leshan, where he visited universities hosting Volunteers. The Director spoke with currently-serving Volunteers about their experiences, and was warmly welcomed by university administrators.



One administrator described the impact Volunteers have on the students: “Many of our students come from rural areas and are not wealthy. The opportunity for them to learn English from a native speaking English teacher is very special and gives them a unique opportunity. The Volunteers are like a prize that every university wants.”



Currently, there are 115 Volunteers serving in the People’s Republic of China, with 516 Volunteers having served since the program’s inception. The first group of Volunteers arrived in China in 1993 as part of a pilot education project in Sichuan province. Volunteers currently teach English at over 60 universities, including five medical colleges and three vocational colleges.



The Peace Corps is celebrating a 47-year legacy of service at home and abroad, and a 30-year high for Volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 190,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where Volunteers have served, including the People’s Republic of China. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

Jin Li Street

The Jin Li Alley is situated right next to the Wu Hou Shrine. Funded by the Wu Hou Shrine Museum, its constructions took 3 years to complete and was opened to the public on 1 November 2004. Jin Li is a folk street exhibiting the customs and cultures of ancient Ba and Shu states, and also the ancient Shu, Han civilisations of the Three States Era (around 220AD to 265AD). See the movie "Red Cliff" by John Woo.......awesome movie!

Being the first archaistic street (or alley, in fact) to adopt the Western Sichuan architecture style, Jin Li Folk and Relaxation Street is 350m long with tea houses, inns, pubs, restaurants, opera stages, snacks, souvenirs, etc., combining the Sichuan Tea Culture, the Sichuan Cuisine Culture, the Sichuan Wine Culture, the Sichuan Embroidery Culture, the Sichuan Opera Culture, shopping and tourism as a whole.

A little history lesson for y'all!

Xiong Mao - Pandas

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

At first, you see them in cages. It is a sad sight, but later you find out that the pandas are not comfortable in the hot and humid weather. So they put them in these cages and keep them nice and cool. The research center is beautiful. It includes a lake, areas where the red pandas play, and bamboo growing all around. After visiting the pandas, the group and I went to the downtown area and our Laoshi (teacher) recommended that we go to a bookstore/coffee/tea bar where we all hung out and played the piano. Later on we ended up eating some yummy dim sum and walking around the city. As always, we all ended with our weekend ritual: pi jio.

Chinese Calligraphy

(Bottom Picture) My mei mei (little sister) and I working on calligraphy.
- My name (Ma Tian) in Chinese characters
- Working on calligraphy
- My own version of a panda
- Some PC volunteers and their host families after the activity.
- "Ai" Love - Chinese character

Finally!

ok ok ok, I know. I've finally come around to starting a blog and I know its been too long........wait a minute.....its only been two weeks! So this was my realization today, "Its only been two weeks!?!"

In two weeks, I have:

- made 37 new friends
- been accepted into a Chinese family
- learned and practiced a good amount of Chinese
- can distinguish the difference between the putonghua phonemes q,s,t,x,zh, and c
- learned that zhou has many different meanings in Chinese
- eaten so much jiao zi (dumplings) that they're coming out of my ears
- visited the biggest sitting Buddha in the world in Leshan - Da Fo
- danced at discos (clubs) and drank a lot of pi ju
- flown over the North Pole, Mongolia, and China
- seen a drag show in Arlington, VA
- been stared at, everytime I go out
- been startled by the traffic and driving abilities of Chinese drivers
- lost about 8lbs and one dress size
- taken some amazing pictures of this wonderful city
- been on a plane for more than 13 hours
- participated in many group discussions and wasted a lot of poster paper
- shook hands with a monkey
- been amazed that you can get your ears cleaned while drinking beer at a bar
- missed my family and friends........and Kitty
- sang two Chinese children's songs
- watched the olympics (volleyball and ping pong) and laughed with my Chinese grandma (who reminds me of my own grandma, Meche)
- practiced Yoga with my Chinese mom
- accepted that I am a "big jie jie" (sister)
- learned that babies are potty trained very early and don't use diapers.... ever.
- taught a six year old Chinese boy how to count in English
- been called "butiful" by Chinese men (thats just to boost my own self - esteem)
- accepted my new Chinese name, wo jiao Ma Tian (My name is Ma Tian)
- slept on the hardest beds ever but the chronic back pains are gone!
- still haven't learned how to properly use a squat toilet

And Finally.................. LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS IN CHINA!

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.