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.