lindy.

Meet Lindy, a student and volunteer at the Haitan church. Lindy’s family wanted her to go into finance, so she attended school at the local university and engaged in the rigorous schedule common for most University students who want to get ahead and distinguish themselves from the pack. All students I talked with who are currently enrolled in Universities have no concept of free time during the week. Hours not spent in school are spent in the library. Lindy’s dream right now is to go to Bible school. Against her parent’s wishes, she pulled out of the finance program to pursue what she feels called to do. The lack of employment opportunities, however, is a reality, and many who graduate with degrees have difficulty securing a job.

Lindy describes the competition here- and its pretty hard for me to grasp. The students experience a lot of pressure to perform well and at the top of their class, because you have to stand out if you want to get anywhere. Part of the enthusiasm toward westerners is the hope that these connections will open doors and I think it’s a good representation of China’s interest in networking and strengthening its global presence. The fixation on academic performance partly accounts for China's high suicide rate in young adults. Lindy, however, has a strong support system in her church, and although she is challenged in finding a job right now, she's secure in what she is doing.

Beijing will forever have a place in my heart . . .and lungs.

I came with no preconceived image of what such a populated country would look like. So the amount of people here is a shock. Imagine rush hour at 5, like in the states. Now imagine rush hour that drags until 11 o’clock at night. This is Beijing. The subways were packed at 7:30 on our way to Silk street, and crammed on our way back at 11:30 PM. Shopping? Imagine Costco on a Sunday. On crack. Every day.  Welcome to China.

The Male Midriff: a trend coming soon to the US.

English at T.I.P

Visit to Great Wall our first Saturday. On arrival, Richard Nixon said, "I think you would have

to conclude that this is a great wall." Brilliant Marketing.

"China has at length come to the hour of her destiny. . .The contempt for foreigners is a thing of the past. . .Even in remote places we have ound the new spirit- its evidence, strangely enough, the almost universal desire to learn English. . .as knowledge of English is held to be the way to advancement, the key to a knowledge of science and art, the philosophy and policy, of the West."

- W.Y Fullerton

We will be working on Beijing University campus, with T.I.P, or "Total Immersion Program." I pasted below a quick summary of the program and what it does:

The Program
The Total Immersion Program (TIP) is an innovative, dynamic immersion program that first began in 2005. TIP. empowers Chinese students and shatters the traditional barriers that hinder their ability to learn English. The focus of the program is to improve oral English, with minimal to no emphasis on grammar. Students are put into classes of about 20-30, separated by levels. The students are very dedicated, and are diligent throughout their 15 hour days. The students stay in dorms, up to four in a room and eat at the cafeteria. The program is 2.5 weeks long, and there is a strict English-only policy. While TIP is in session, students must stay on campus 24-7, so as not to break their English-only environment.

The Students
Students come from all over the country for various reasons, ranging in age from 11-77 years old. Our student population is made up mainly of Chinese English teachers. But we have in the past prepared many graduating students to go abroad and vocational students in impoverished regions seeking a better future. Our training program now also includes populations of Chinese pastors, seminarians, engineers and disabled people. Some students we train for a fee, and some for free, but all revenue, if any, are finally steered towards training teachers from Western and impoverished areas. Applicants do not need to worry about the teaching assignment for we always prepare them adequately to do the task. But if any individual has strong reservations about teaching a particular category of students, let us know in advance and it is most likely that we can make some re-arrangement.