Shanghai

This will be last blog posting as I am flying home today. I will miss China, but am very eager to return home.

We arrived in Shanghai very late on Monday evening. The bulk of Monday was spent in Kunming, in meetings with two different organizations who were at our presentations on the weekend. Both groups are very interested in sending students to our school and both thought that 20 students would be possible.  Realistically five students would be more accurate. I have a sense of peace that the Lord will direct the right students to HDCH.

After the following up meetings, Alice and I arrived at the airport on time only to find our flight was delayed again.  I had my second western meal of the trip at the airport. 

Our first day in Shanghai was spent with Nino’s parents.  Actually we only spent half the day in Shanghai.  The other part of the day, we took the train to Nanjing (250 km away from Shanghai) to the hometown of Nino.  The train ride through country side was a study of contrasts.  At one point from my window, I could see modern tall buildings, fields of canola, a pig pen, and bamboo lean-to shelters.  These bamboo lean-to homes had a sheet metal roof complete with a satellite dish for what I assume was television. Fascinating.  (Sorry the pictures did not turn out.)  After a tour the city and another great meal, Nino’s father drove us back to Shanghai.  It was a very good day.

Yesterday, Alice and I met with the group who is interested in organizing the cultural exchange program for our school. They did not like the idea of the exchange to happen in the fall as we had proposed but preferred the idea of a summer cultural exchange program.  We both need to do more research to see if this can become a reality.  The best part of the meeting was the meeting after the meeting.  Walking to the elevator, one member of the group approach me and said that he had become a Christian two years ago.  His message to me was that it is very important for China to send students to Christian organization such as ours.  We have made another friend.

After this encouraging meeting, I met with a mother and daughter who are considering HDCH for next year.  This family moved to Shanghai from Mississauga seven years ago.  While in Shanghai they became Christians.  Harry Meester has been corresponding with them for several months after they discovered our school from our website.  After a two hour meeting of sharing our faith and Christian education, we decided to pray about this decision and seek the Lord’s leading for this family.

My last night in Shanghai was spent being awed by the lights of the old stately building and the new modern towers.  Again I am struck by contrasts. Yet even in these contrast there are similarities.  To me, this is symbolic of the western and Chinese culture.  In many ways opposite our cultures are opposites.  Yet at the core, we are all created in the image of our God with a desire to be in loving relationships.

I am very much looking forward to returning home this afternoon.  I wish you God’s blessing as you remember Christ death and celebrate his victorious resurrection this weekend. 

Kunming

The sights, sounds, and cities are all beginning to blur. Much like the cities in Canada, each place is unique and has its own feel, but they have similar characteristics too – good food, many people, and no rules on the road.

Being the only white guy around, I continue to get strange looks in the many places we visit. This is especially true when I am walking with Alice, Sunny, Nancy, and Alan. Sunny is Alice’s associate and operates East Sun Overseas Consulting CO. Nancy and Alan work for Sunny. We celebrated Sunny’s birthday with cake in his office.

The pace of my trip has increased greatly. Here is a brief summary.
On my first day in ChongQing I met with several parents and one very bright student over dinner. This young man, a student in grade 11 and I had a conversation in English for over an hour. Next year I hope to see him in Hamilton. I also managed to take a cable car ride and watch some kite flying at the opera house.

Yesterday, we left ChongQing at 6:00 am for Guiyang. In Guiyang we made an afternoon presentation in a local hotel to a group of 40 potential students and parents. After the two hour presentation, I met a young person who shared with me his story of being introduced to Christianity through a foreign teacher at the University of Nanning. We had a long conversation and his final words to me were that he really believes that the Lord has a heart for the people of China. I’m still thinking about those powerful words.

Besides the presentations, we also enjoyed two extravagant meals with parents of Alice’s students. The father of the student is a controller of a major media company and the mother is a top official in a nearby city.

Later in the evening, we caught a flight to the city of Kunming. Due to poor weather, it took two attempts to fly to Kunming. I finally got to my hotel at 2:00 am.

Today, I was up by 7:30 for my first HDCH presentation which took place at the Communist Party Department of Education Headquarters of Yunnan province. Outside the headquarters there were two engravings on stone sculptures which said “Education should be driven by the heart” and “True education happens by genuine love.” These sayings proved to be useful when I spoke about what we do at HDCH and why we believe in Christian education. After the presentation, three people approached me and wanted to know more about the place of Christianity in our school. More people to pray for.

After a three hour presentation this afternoon and another big meal, I finally made it back to my room. Although the presentation did not raise any immediate questions about Christianity, later at dinner, we discussed and shared stories about the similarities and difference between Chinese and Canadian cultures. In many of the connections I make, I sense an openness and desire to learn more about the meaning of life.

If you are reading this blog, it is because my beautiful wife has edited and posted it for me.  (Petra do not edit the preceding sentence.) Thank you, Petra. Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon. Blessings from China.

ChongQing

I arrived last night in ChongQing, a city of 31 million people.  It is a city of hills and rivers and lots of lights.  Actually quite scenic in the evening, I am curious to see what it will look like in the daylight.

My last day in Nanning was supposed to be more relaxed as I did not have any appointments booked.  However, as I am learning on this trip, I need to expect the unexpected.  I had another lunch meeting with the father of a potential student where I received a gift of a badminton racket for our school.  It is a very nice racket.

In Nanning , I also had a chance to visit Number 3 Middle School and Senior High School.  The school was over 110 years old.  It was quite large – approximately 500 students/grade for grades 6 -12.  The highlight of the day was talking to the grade 12 students.  They were quite eager to practice their English, which they spoke very well.  They were telling me that they study from 7:30am – 10:30 pm every day.  There is tremendous pressure and competition for them to succeed.  When I asked them what they do for entertainment, they said that they study.  During the month of June,  the grade 12 students will take the year end exams which determine whether or not they will go to university.  These exams also determine which university they are eligible to attend - high test results go to the best universities.  One other fact I learned is that students in China can attend school until grade 9 for free.  After grade nine there is about a $5000 tuition fee for students in grade 10 -12.  This means that for some students education will stop after grade 9.

Some of the pictures that you see are of the school.  I was impressed with the gardens and sculptures.   One of the sculptures talked about real love.  She asked me about what I thought real love was.  I said it had to do relationships, my wife, my family, my relationship with God.  She told me that the school’s meaning this sculpture was to focus on respect and developing a sense of community among students and staff.  I could see evidence of this as I observed a senior class study a lesson.

On the visit to this school, I also met Elaine who is currently studying in Pennsylvania and is home on March Break.  I had dinner with her, her mother, and her younger sister.   The younger sister who is 10 spoke very good English and is also learning French.  It was a good meal as we spoke about the differences of cultures and the implications for education.  The picture of the two girls at the middle school are of Sarah, the international education agent, and Elaine, the student studying in Pennsylvania.

Yesterday, I was also able to give Sarah, the international agent, my copy of Eugene Peterson’s the message.  We had several good conversations about how our stories fit into the bigger story of the world.

Today I will meet with three families as they consider HDCH for the future education of their children.  Tonight, I will have dinner with the director of the international education agency and a US lawyer who helps with the student visa applications to Canada.

Nanning

It is more difficult to blog here in China. For some reason I’m unable to post or even read my blogs so I’ve been sending my postings through Skype to Petra.

I arrived in Nanning very early yesterday morning, around 1:30 am. After a good rest, I met several international agents who work for Sarah a young single mother. In her office were two HDCH posters. These posters were made from pictures Mr. Meester had sent on ahead of my trip. They look quite good.

Last evening, I met with a grade nine student and her parents along with Alice and Sarah. We enjoyed a very tasty meal where I ate snake, (second time in my life), cooked in a very spicy sauce. The food here is very interesting. (See picture of BBQ pigeon.) Although I was the first foreigner she had ever talked to, this grade nine student spoke excellent English. After seeing the video clips done by Jenn and Beth, and the photo story done by Heather, they decided HDCH is their first choice for a Canadian education. Before our presentation they were going to enroll in a school in BC.


The city of Nanning is much more relaxed and welcoming than Shenzhen. Although its population is huge — currently about 2 million, it is a comfortable city to walk around in. That is until you learn how to cross the street without getting hit by a bicycle, scooter, or car. The secret to safely crossing is not to make eye contact and just walk. This city has a wonderful rhythm.

I am beginning to understand what it means for our international student to come to study in Canada. Everything is new and different. Even simple things such as turning on lights and crossing streets can be a challenge. Sometimes I feel like a little child learning everything for the first time. Yet, there are also many similarities — some good and some not so good. As I see people who are created in God’s image, I see hope but also many lost people in need of Christ’s salvation. If moved, please pray for this country. Thanks.


Hi to everyone back at HDCH. I trust the staff and students had a good March Break. For those who are interested, here is my itinerary for the remainder of the trip. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Nanning March 22 - 24
Visiting Nanning No. 3 Middle School, training staff and meeting students and parents

ChongQing March 25 and 26
Training staff and meeting potential clients in ChonQing office
Evening flight to Kunming

Kunming Mach 27
Morning Presentation for office of International Co-operation &
Exchange Yunnan University from 14:00 - 17:00

GuiYang Mach 28 and 29
Morning Presentation for GuiZhou No. 1 Middle School from 14:00 – 16:00

Shanghai March 30 - April 1
Meet with Grade 9 nine students and parents to promote Cultural Exchange for fall of 2010

Old & New Friends

Signs

Students in Hong Kong