Wednesday, May 16, 2007

A day of Xiaolan

A DAY OF XIAOLAN

Shilan Kang, girl, 12 year old, address, Sichuan prov. Mabian county, Minzhu, country, Jinbu(progress)village, Hongcun(red village) group, school Minzhu village primary school five grade class 2.

Family members:

Xiao lan’s parents have worked in city for many years, and they haven't returned home in for two years. Last year they sent home 2000RMB (approx.250 USD) home as the living cost for their children and Xiaolan’s grandparents.

Now at home, is Xiaolan’s grandfather, 65, is in good health, so he does all the field work. Now, he comes to feel his age and he is not strong as before.

Their land is 3 and half basic unit. (Each unit has a field and hillside land). The layout of their land can meet the family’s need. But no, the grandfather is not strong enough as before to work the land, so they have to buy most of their rice. They keep a pig and sell in the end of year.

They seldom eat pork, mostly green vegetable, some times pepper with rice.

Xiaolan’s grandmother, 61, hurt herself once working in the field several years ago, and not has still not recovered. She is sick and often coughing.

Older brother, 13, Guanyu Fan, is in the 6 grade in same school, he is not tall as Xiaolan because he has been weak since he was very small, so by the local culture’s tradition, he has his mother’s name along with his surname

Xiaolan’s younger brother Shishuang Kang is Xiaolan twin, and in the same school, 5grade.

Xiaolan’s father’s sister and her husband also work in city all year round, and leave their two young girls to live together with Xiaolan’s grandparents. One is six and another four.

Xiaolan is a diligent student; she is silent in school and gets along well with classmates. In the home she is a very helpful hand.

Xiaolan gets financial support from an organization, 125yuan (16 USD) each semester. In her home in on the wall she has many awards for study and sport. But recently she is lagging behind in study.

Her family is very popular in local area.

Her family is among the average class. Poverty is widespread in her hometown.

We told her one day ahead that we will take pictures of her day.

April 25, 6am when we arrived, she is already making breakfast. Grandfather and her older brother are not home, the day before he was hurt when play with friends and so Grandfather took him to the doctor in county hospital.

Xiaolan’s morning is very busy. Making breakfast, feeding pig, making sure her brother and cousins get up, have breakfast, wash and dress, and clean up. (most pictures taken in morning) Xiaolan does all this work in good order one by one.

Finishing morning work, she brings cousin to school, now still has one hour before class begin, so she cleans the classroom with the students and then begins to preview lessons.

In class, she raises questions and asks teacher’s help.

At noon, she, her brother and her cousin go back home for lunch. The older brother has arrived home earlier so he warmed rice; lunch food is pepper with rice. Xiaolan’s cousin is tired so she has to carry her back home. Grandfather and the older brother are home now, and he is ok. Grandfather has brought home a piece of port fat, which is the only oil for the family this year.

At , 3:30 back from school, Xiaolan does her homework first for about one hour. Then she brings her cousins to a hill to cut grass for pig…

Dark coming, grandmother is already waiting them home ……

It rained, so we didn’t photograph more, we didn’t want to disturb more of their quite life.

We can imagine, Xiaolan needs to prepare her family’s supper, feed the pig, and she might watch TV with her family for a while, (a small white and black TV) but not for long, because they can’t afford to use money on electricity. She might phone her parents, (they have telephone, but once again they can’t afford much for telephone costs; to them it’s expensive wasteful).

When with Xiaolan came back home, we asked her, “What you will do in future?” She said, “I never thought of that. We said,“ Set yourself a goal and work hard for that”. She said, “I see…”

Sometimes, Xiaolan will pick tea in the hills and sell it for stationery and family cost.

(Article and pictures approved by Xiaolan, copyright by SJA. )

Photo links in below:

http://photo.163.com/photos/gsjczzm/ 农村女孩小兰的一天

http://photo.163.com/photos/gsjczzm/121889573/
















Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Looking for Volunteer Summer ESL teachers in China!

SJA SUMMER CAMP

Looking for Volunteer Summer ESL Teachers in China!!!

1. TIME:

2007 summer, 2 week program, 4 week program, 6 week program.

2. PLACE:

Hangzhou City, or suburb town.

3. CLASS

Each class 25 students, with one foreign teacher and one Chinese teaching assistant, possibly some student volunteers.

Class will be divided by students’ age, and lessons and events will be arranged correspondingly

4. CONTENT

1. Day-Camp: gathering for young children (below 9) fun games and English instruction.

Safety is the most important.

Lunch supplied.

2. English language and culture learning in lessons and games and events. (to Chinese students)

Improving skills as speaking, reading, listening and creativity.

l Use original English storybooks as lesson materials to learn new vocabulary words, understand stories and act through short plays. Especially geared for younger children (possible to collect enough English books donation)

l Program lessons teaching.

l Translate English stories excellent American students writing collection

l English songs and stages. performance

l Topic discussion. Chinese culture priority.

l Students prepare Chinese culture topics to present to foreigners.

l Guide provided to show foreigners around Hangzhou. Each group as a unit, well prepared and organized.

Program will adjust per student levels.

Below 9 Day-Camp, English games and cultural crafts.

Age 10-15, homework instruction, raising interest to English and creative learning

Above 15, speaking, communication, group work translation, and creative learning

More brain storm to be expected.

5. BENEFITS AND DUTIES OF FOREIGN TEACHERS IN HANGZHOU:

l Free home stay, including food and family treatment. Experience real China and Chinese life.

l 8 hours a day (3-4 hours teaching and other hours with students. including 2 professional Chinese lessons,)

l Chinese culture lessons, organized in topic events such as, Chinese knot tying, hand-made flower, Chinese paper cuttings, Chinese boxing, China opera, etc. Lessons in games learning together with Chinese students.

l Weekend city trip and exhibition and out of city trip two day trip every two weeks or four day trip every four weeks.

Teachers must pay for roundtrip air ticket (see www.flychina.com) from America to Hangzhou, daily needs (apart from that supplied by the home stay), shopping and extra food cost and other unexpected cost. Free home stay food and accommodations.

Two night free hotel ( first day after arrive and last day before leave Hangzhou)

6. PROFIT DISTRIBUTION

· We plan to start a new NGO field in Young Adult Development Service, aimed at inner-city teenager virtue, morality, healthy development, anti-social behavior correction and mentality guide.

· SJA summer camp will be an important event to incubate fund.

· Over 50% of the program profit will be as fund to support teenager growing service

7. NEEDED

l Foreign teacher volunteers with teaching experience preferred.

l Original English materials, new or second hand English books for children. Plans to collect enough to set up an English reading room in local community library.

l Sharing with us in English Summer camp program designs and experiences will be greatly appreciated.

Please contact Sissy at: sissyzheng@gmail.com for further information.