* All eyes are on H1N1. Click here to read about measures the Alliance is taking and recommendations for our India and China fall students.
Summer 09 students recently participated in the Alliance Photo Contest. The winners of the China photo contest were awarded prizes selected by the Resident Directors. The winner of the India photo contest received a gift card to Amazon.com.
The Alliance is proud to introduce the Engineering and Society Summer Term, offered as part of the Contemporary Chinese Society and Language program at Fudan University. Students enrolled in the engineering term, launching summer 2010, will take 5 credits of Chinese language and a 3 credit engineering course titled Engineering and Society: Wireless and Computer Technologies.
Resident Director Omar Ali has authored the Xi'an Journal, a series of regular updates about the city and the development of the Alliance Xi’an Program. In the latest installment, Omar chronicles the 11-day Silk Road Field Study Trip.
Alliance News
Adventures with the Alliance: Student Blogs
Sara Winn
Rachel Vaughn
Alex Cain
Spring 2009, Shanghai (SUFE)
-Chris Chock
Beijing Language and Culture University
Sara Winn
Rachel Vaughn
Alex Cain
Spring 2009, Shanghai (SUFE)
Cassandra Chao
Fall 2008, Beijing (BLCU)
Spring 2009, Shanghai (Fudan)
Rachel Teter
Fall 2008, Shanghai (SUFE)
Dana Fink
Fall 2008, Beijing (BLCU)
Fall 2008, Beijing (BLCU)
A Unique Experience
On March 28th, Shanghai Resident Director Brian Hammer and Evan Green-Lowe (SUFE, Spring '09; Brandeis University) traveled to the small city of Shangqiu in eastern Henan Province. The goal was to help Evan gain a better understanding of poverty, HIV, and rural life in general, all of which are related to his internship in Shanghai as well as to his capstone project interests. Please read on for an account of Evan's experience, in his own words...
Teaching in “AIDS villages”
One of my best friends paid me a big compliment and said that he thinks that “I can, do and always will find a way to be happy and enthused about wherever I am and whatever I’m doing”. I hope its true, but I also don’t know how it could be any other way. The experiences I have been afforded are the best I could possibly imagine.
With that said, I want to document my travels across China in the past week.
I bucked the trend of Spring Break. Before the time actually came, I was a little afraid that I was just talking big. In the end, I followed through, I did what I wanted to, and it was incredibly rewarding.
I spent the first part of my break traveling out to “AIDS villages” in the Northwest Henan province of China. As a brief background - the Chinese government started a program in the early 1990s where they paid extremely poor villagers to donate blood. These villagers were encouraged to donate multiple times by using a process that recycled their red-blood cells. Within a few short months, unsanitary blood transfusions and shared needles spread the infection and a few years later dozens of villages discovered that as much as 30% of their population had been afflicted with AIDS.
The spread of HIV/AIDS wiped out nearly an entire generation, entrenched poverty even more, and left thousands of children orphaned. In the aftermath, a number of human rights and relief organizations popped up to help alleviate the problem and the Chinese government shut them all down. The government didn’t want it to be a big publicity issue, and didn’t want to have the blame for “spreading the disease”.
My internship now is at an NGO called the Chi Heng Foundation that works in a manner they call being “politically sensitve”. They never blame the government for the problem, and emphasize looking for the solution. My work at Chi Heng helped me to an interest in the issue and after talking with the Program Director here in Shanghai, I was offered to accompany him to visit an old friend that lives near the AIDS villages. Our plan was to go for a few days, to meet some of the kids and teach English at the local school.
I jumped on the opportunity and stuck with it even as the other people I was supposed to go with dropped out in favor of touring some of China’s more exotic and beautiful scenery.
Before leaving, I tried brainstorming ways that I could raise awareness without causing disruption. I personally have been particularly moved by the medium of children’s art, and so I went to a supply store to buy oil pastels, paints, markers, and paper.
After an 11 hour train ride to a small city and a 2 hour car ride to a smaller village, Brian (the program director) and I arrived at the school. We started teaching a class of 5th graders together and within 5 minutes, they principal of the school asked me if I would be willing to take on a class of my own. After a short moment of nervous hesitation, I gladly agreed.
I love kids. They are so open, so eager, so genuine in their appreciation, and I can’t help but be moved by it. We circled through a few different categories of English words, Animals, Fruits, Holidays, Places… For each group I’d write the Chinese character and its English pronunciation on the board and review it with them. After reviewing the animals, I smiled sheepishly and asked “How would you all like to draw your favorite animals?”. They cheered, and then as I passed out the materials – they gasped.
For the most part these children were lucky if they had a pen and a pencil, some had neither. That day, they had all the colors they could ask for, their imaginations sprang to life and the pictures flew from their hands. In a way that I almost can’t understand as soon as they were done drawing – every single crayon, marker, and oil pastel was returned to its place, not a thing broken or missing.
I asked the students to tell me what they drew in English and offered help when they struggled. Afterwards, I let them ask me questions about what they wanted to know about America – I tried to make the material enjoyable to learn. They asked how old America was and I told them it started in 1776. Just for fun, every once in a while I would ask loudly “And when did America start?” … they would chant in unison “SEVENTEEN-SEVENTY SIX!”.
We played Simon Says, the Human Knot, and a few other games. At the end we went outside and played on the playground with them. The boys and girls wouldn’t hold hands, and the few kids who seemed sick tried to censor themselves from touching anyone, but the instant that I joined in, priorities changed. When I offered to play with them, the kids were more eager than afraid and everyone played together.
That first night I sat reflecting on how it didn’t seem that the children lived in such abject poverty as I had expected. I started reforming my image of poverty and decided that the “impoverished” might not be not so different from anyone else.
Before going to sleep, Brian and I went to the largest store in town and bought 60 sets of crayons – one for each student in each of our classes. These children had made an impression on us, they had loved us, we had loved them, and for me at least –bringing color to the world was one of the best feelings I could imagine.
On the second day, we went even further down the road to a place where buildings are few and far between. We turned down a dirt path and drove through fields of wheat before coming to what looked like a run-down prison. Here, I learned, was a school whose students were considerably worse off, that received even less attention, and that had significantly more difficulty in their lives.
Our arrival was something of a scene, the kids and teachers didn’t know what to do with us, and the result left several classes crammed into one small classroom. There was cause for excitement about the opportunity to see foreigners who - for once in their lives - had come to see them. We started with the very very basics of “Hello my name is” and “I am __ years old”. They slowly warmed up to us, and I’d like to think that I helped. When it seemed like Brian or I was being too imposing, or asking too much of them, I knew to take a step back. I remember learning Chinese and feeling overwhelmed as the teachers spoke LOUDER AND SLLOOOWWERR and demanded an answer of me, and I didn’t want to be that figure for them.
When we were reviewing animals, I decide to sacrifice a little humility for a little piece of friendship. I pointed at each animal and asked what noise it made. At first they were shy about it, but as I Oinked, Bleated, Barked, and Meowed, they couldn’t help but giggle at the funny foreigner who was so willing to be a kid. They barked and yowled with me, and we made a breakthrough.
When we opened up ourselves to questions on whatever it was they wanted to know, my heart almost split in two. Nearly every single child asked the same question “Will you come back again please?” “When can we do this next?” “Will you please come tomorrow”?.
We left their school offering each classroom a set of coloring materials, and a big happy picture with all the kids. We returned to our first school and when I walked into “my” classroom everyone started cheering. It feels good to be liked, but if felt even better to be bringing just the smallest piece of happiness. I passed out their personal sets of notebooks and crayons and told them all I would never forget them, and that since I thought they liked to color I got them a gift.
I finished passing them out and told them I had to go and that I hoped they would enjoy their present. Before I could leave, the (real) teacher jumped in and asked them a few questions.
Are you glad that he came?
“YEEEESSSS!!!!”
Do you like the crayons?
“YEEEESSSS!!!!!”
You haven’t forgotten his name have you?
“NOOOOOOOO”
What is his name?
“EEEEEEEVVVVVVVAAAAANNNNNNNNNN……”
I left beaming and I think I left them beaming. The rest of the trip had some incredible experience as well, I dined with some relatively high up government officials and spoke with a few representatives of another small NGO that is working to help the children out in rural Henan. I experienced Chinese culture in way I never would have seen, I dined at the house of the village head and carefully obeyed all the respect due to persons of prestige. I took in everything around me, and had a truly amazing experience.
I’m so glad I went.
With that said, I want to document my travels across China in the past week.
I bucked the trend of Spring Break. Before the time actually came, I was a little afraid that I was just talking big. In the end, I followed through, I did what I wanted to, and it was incredibly rewarding.
I spent the first part of my break traveling out to “AIDS villages” in the Northwest Henan province of China. As a brief background - the Chinese government started a program in the early 1990s where they paid extremely poor villagers to donate blood. These villagers were encouraged to donate multiple times by using a process that recycled their red-blood cells. Within a few short months, unsanitary blood transfusions and shared needles spread the infection and a few years later dozens of villages discovered that as much as 30% of their population had been afflicted with AIDS.
The spread of HIV/AIDS wiped out nearly an entire generation, entrenched poverty even more, and left thousands of children orphaned. In the aftermath, a number of human rights and relief organizations popped up to help alleviate the problem and the Chinese government shut them all down. The government didn’t want it to be a big publicity issue, and didn’t want to have the blame for “spreading the disease”.
My internship now is at an NGO called the Chi Heng Foundation that works in a manner they call being “politically sensitve”. They never blame the government for the problem, and emphasize looking for the solution. My work at Chi Heng helped me to an interest in the issue and after talking with the Program Director here in Shanghai, I was offered to accompany him to visit an old friend that lives near the AIDS villages. Our plan was to go for a few days, to meet some of the kids and teach English at the local school.
I jumped on the opportunity and stuck with it even as the other people I was supposed to go with dropped out in favor of touring some of China’s more exotic and beautiful scenery.
Before leaving, I tried brainstorming ways that I could raise awareness without causing disruption. I personally have been particularly moved by the medium of children’s art, and so I went to a supply store to buy oil pastels, paints, markers, and paper.
After an 11 hour train ride to a small city and a 2 hour car ride to a smaller village, Brian (the program director) and I arrived at the school. We started teaching a class of 5th graders together and within 5 minutes, they principal of the school asked me if I would be willing to take on a class of my own. After a short moment of nervous hesitation, I gladly agreed.
I love kids. They are so open, so eager, so genuine in their appreciation, and I can’t help but be moved by it. We circled through a few different categories of English words, Animals, Fruits, Holidays, Places… For each group I’d write the Chinese character and its English pronunciation on the board and review it with them. After reviewing the animals, I smiled sheepishly and asked “How would you all like to draw your favorite animals?”. They cheered, and then as I passed out the materials – they gasped.
For the most part these children were lucky if they had a pen and a pencil, some had neither. That day, they had all the colors they could ask for, their imaginations sprang to life and the pictures flew from their hands. In a way that I almost can’t understand as soon as they were done drawing – every single crayon, marker, and oil pastel was returned to its place, not a thing broken or missing.
I asked the students to tell me what they drew in English and offered help when they struggled. Afterwards, I let them ask me questions about what they wanted to know about America – I tried to make the material enjoyable to learn. They asked how old America was and I told them it started in 1776. Just for fun, every once in a while I would ask loudly “And when did America start?” … they would chant in unison “SEVENTEEN-SEVENTY SIX!”.
We played Simon Says, the Human Knot, and a few other games. At the end we went outside and played on the playground with them. The boys and girls wouldn’t hold hands, and the few kids who seemed sick tried to censor themselves from touching anyone, but the instant that I joined in, priorities changed. When I offered to play with them, the kids were more eager than afraid and everyone played together.
That first night I sat reflecting on how it didn’t seem that the children lived in such abject poverty as I had expected. I started reforming my image of poverty and decided that the “impoverished” might not be not so different from anyone else.
Before going to sleep, Brian and I went to the largest store in town and bought 60 sets of crayons – one for each student in each of our classes. These children had made an impression on us, they had loved us, we had loved them, and for me at least –bringing color to the world was one of the best feelings I could imagine.
On the second day, we went even further down the road to a place where buildings are few and far between. We turned down a dirt path and drove through fields of wheat before coming to what looked like a run-down prison. Here, I learned, was a school whose students were considerably worse off, that received even less attention, and that had significantly more difficulty in their lives.
Our arrival was something of a scene, the kids and teachers didn’t know what to do with us, and the result left several classes crammed into one small classroom. There was cause for excitement about the opportunity to see foreigners who - for once in their lives - had come to see them. We started with the very very basics of “Hello my name is” and “I am __ years old”. They slowly warmed up to us, and I’d like to think that I helped. When it seemed like Brian or I was being too imposing, or asking too much of them, I knew to take a step back. I remember learning Chinese and feeling overwhelmed as the teachers spoke LOUDER AND SLLOOOWWERR and demanded an answer of me, and I didn’t want to be that figure for them.
When we were reviewing animals, I decide to sacrifice a little humility for a little piece of friendship. I pointed at each animal and asked what noise it made. At first they were shy about it, but as I Oinked, Bleated, Barked, and Meowed, they couldn’t help but giggle at the funny foreigner who was so willing to be a kid. They barked and yowled with me, and we made a breakthrough.
When we opened up ourselves to questions on whatever it was they wanted to know, my heart almost split in two. Nearly every single child asked the same question “Will you come back again please?” “When can we do this next?” “Will you please come tomorrow”?.
We left their school offering each classroom a set of coloring materials, and a big happy picture with all the kids. We returned to our first school and when I walked into “my” classroom everyone started cheering. It feels good to be liked, but if felt even better to be bringing just the smallest piece of happiness. I passed out their personal sets of notebooks and crayons and told them all I would never forget them, and that since I thought they liked to color I got them a gift.
I finished passing them out and told them I had to go and that I hoped they would enjoy their present. Before I could leave, the (real) teacher jumped in and asked them a few questions.
Are you glad that he came?
“YEEEESSSS!!!!”
Do you like the crayons?
“YEEEESSSS!!!!!”
You haven’t forgotten his name have you?
“NOOOOOOOO”
What is his name?
“EEEEEEEVVVVVVVAAAAANNNNNNNNNN……”
I left beaming and I think I left them beaming. The rest of the trip had some incredible experience as well, I dined with some relatively high up government officials and spoke with a few representatives of another small NGO that is working to help the children out in rural Henan. I experienced Chinese culture in way I never would have seen, I dined at the house of the village head and carefully obeyed all the respect due to persons of prestige. I took in everything around me, and had a truly amazing experience.
I’m so glad I went.
Straight from the Source: Alliance Students Speak Up
"Before going to China I just thought that T.V., magazines, books, etc. could give you an adequate view of what there is in the larger world. Now I know that this is not at all the case. Seeing things like the Great Wall or Terra Cotta Warriors for yourself is an experience that no book or movie could ever replicate. I have realized now that I can never again be content with just imagining the world and that I need to devote more of my life of seeing an experiencing what the world has to offer."
- Kyle Mathis
"Before going to China I just thought that T.V., magazines, books, etc. could give you an adequate view of what there is in the larger world. Now I know that this is not at all the case. Seeing things like the Great Wall or Terra Cotta Warriors for yourself is an experience that no book or movie could ever replicate. I have realized now that I can never again be content with just imagining the world and that I need to devote more of my life of seeing an experiencing what the world has to offer."
- Kyle Mathis
Fudan University
"Traveling to China was the first time I traveled outside the country. Living outside the United States really put things in perspective for me as far as political rights, quality of living, and cultural differences are concerned. My time in China inspired me to want to work in international relations and to live in as many countries as I can."
"Traveling to China was the first time I traveled outside the country. Living outside the United States really put things in perspective for me as far as political rights, quality of living, and cultural differences are concerned. My time in China inspired me to want to work in international relations and to live in as many countries as I can."
- Daniel Graubman
Fudan University
"The thing that surprised me most about China was their amazing willingness to learn about and adapt to Western ways even though the country historically and culturally is in no means lacking. I found it interesting how excited they were to meet people that spoke English - I had a conversation for several hours on my way to Shanghai with a bunch of other students in the Alliance program with a salesperson from Shanghai who was in Beijing on business. It was very interesting and informative about how interested in specifically American culture he was. The topics varied and lasted basically throughout the night until it was time to sleep (it was a 13 hour train ride to Shanghai from Beijing)."
Fudan University
"The thing that surprised me most about China was their amazing willingness to learn about and adapt to Western ways even though the country historically and culturally is in no means lacking. I found it interesting how excited they were to meet people that spoke English - I had a conversation for several hours on my way to Shanghai with a bunch of other students in the Alliance program with a salesperson from Shanghai who was in Beijing on business. It was very interesting and informative about how interested in specifically American culture he was. The topics varied and lasted basically throughout the night until it was time to sleep (it was a 13 hour train ride to Shanghai from Beijing)."
-Chris Chock
Beijing Language and Culture University
"I would DEFINITELY recommend the program. It’s a wonderful learning experience that anyone interested in business, China, or just curious about another culture should participate in. As the world becomes more globalized, studying abroad is essential to helping an individual build a different perception and understanding about the rest of the world. It’s a once in a lifetime learning experience!"
-Hanxu Fan
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
"I got much more comfortable speaking Chinese. I was always a bit timid, but being forced to speak it out on the street and particularly with my language partner helped me get used to it. I loved having a language partner, because the individual attention really helped my language skills."
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
"I got much more comfortable speaking Chinese. I was always a bit timid, but being forced to speak it out on the street and particularly with my language partner helped me get used to it. I loved having a language partner, because the individual attention really helped my language skills."
-Kaitlyn Ellison
Beijing Language and Culture University
Beijing Language and Culture University
"Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan place and because of that, it is a city that is constantly transforming. My favorite thing to do while living in Shanghai had to be reading about new or transformed places and then finding the time to explore them: I would walk down small side streets where people came to set up their stalls or eat at new restaurants by famous chefs or even try a suggested street vendor's food."
-Victoria Phung
Fudan University
Fudan University
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