Lance In China!
If you haven’t heard already, I have some exciting news about next year. I will be serving as a WorldTeach volunteer in China! WorldTeach, which is organized by the Harvard Center for International Development, works with governments around the world to bring teachers to developing regions. It’s kind of like the Peace Corps, except it focuses on teaching, isn’t sponsored by the U.S. Government, and only requires a one year commitment.
This WorldTeach program, which was my first choice, will place me in the Hunan Province, a relatively rural area of south-central China. I will leave in early August for a month of in-country training, after which I’ll be assigned to work in a specific public school for an entire year. While there, I will be teaching conversational English to secondary school students (ages 11-18) in an English-only classroom. I’ll have an apartment on or near the school campus, will most likely have several other Worldteach volunteers placed in nearby schools, and will have weekends and national holidays to travel and soak in the culture. If you’re interested, you can read more about the program, country, and culture on the program website.
As you can probably imagine, this whole thing is going to present some tremendous challenges for me. No, I do not know one word of the language. I have barely ever traveled overseas, and I am heading into this program from a vastly different direction than most of the other volunteers. And, most importantly, there is no guarantee that I will be able to return to my teaching position at CHCA in a year.
All I have to say is … bring it.
The benefits, you see, far outweigh the challenges, and I fully understand that through these difficulties I will probably learn and grow the most. I can talk more about my reasons for pursuing this later, but for now my work is cut out for me.
For the next two months I’ll be coaching track, making the 8th grade DVD, transitioning out of my work at church, minimizing my stuff and storing it, finding someone that needs my car, transferring my teaching materials for my classroom successor, moving out of my apartment, taking another grad class online, getting my Visa and other paperwork, wringing every drop out of my dentist and doctor while I still have insurance, maximizing my time with students, and generally getting closure on all things Cincinnati.
Once the summer starts, I’ll be moving out to PVM to help with summercamp, begin to learn the Mandarin Chinese language, volunteer with a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) organization, assemble a mailing list, spend some quality time with some cherished people, and prepare myself emotionally and spiritually to transition to a very different way-of-life. I’m especially excited about this process of simplification, as it will pave the way for the Sabbath-time that I hope to experience next year!
In the meantime, don’t take it personally if I don’t communicate much in the next few months. As you can see, I need to focus on some things … and if you know me at all then you know how much of a problem that is for me in the first place! Thanks in advance for your well-wishes and prayers, and I can’t wait to figure out the best ways to bring all of you on this adventure with me. Here we go!
June 8th, 2006 at 6:21 pm EST
To update y’all on the progress …
I now have all of my paperwork and fees turned in for WorldTeach … so the next step is getting my Visa from the Chinese government. I’ll be volunteering at an ESL place this summer and am planning to learn a little Mandarin (the language) … but for the most part I’m going to just wing it next year. It should be more exciting that way.
Though we still haven’t been given a specific itinerary, I’ve been told that the WorldTeach group will probably be leaving from Los Angeles on August 1st or 2nd. If you have a connection that could help me get a cheap airfare to L.A., please let me know … one way tickets are running about $300 right now, but I’d like to cut that in half if possible.
June 9th, 2006 at 11:02 am EST
akron canton to LAX is $199 on airtran one way with a stop in atlanta… if you can fly out on july 26, you can get it on southwest for only $127, but thats an internet only special and who knows how long it will be there for that price… check on orbitz.com too and adjust your dates around to see what you can find.
June 9th, 2006 at 11:03 am EST
forgot to say, the $127 deal is cleveland to LAX
June 27th, 2006 at 9:09 am EST
Hey Lance you have a pretty cool website!
June 27th, 2006 at 9:33 am EST
Thanks, Devin … I’m glad that you stopped by. Have a great summer, and keep me up-to-date on how things are going at Four Corners!
July 7th, 2006 at 7:51 pm EST
Lance, I will miss you just knowing you are gone, I hope you come back at teach when i come back to in the 8 grade…you can even be my coach in cross country. GOD BLESS YOU and good luck on your trip and have a great summer. I miss you and camp already…tell everyone I said hi!
-Anne
July 9th, 2006 at 9:39 am EST
Thanks, Anne. It was great seeing you at camp this summer, and I do look forward to having you in 8th grade. Thanks for your well-wishings, and I’ve already told your counselors that you said hi!
October 23rd, 2006 at 5:30 pm EST
[…]
Why China? Well, there’s this version. And then there are the heart reasons … a desire to break free from suburbia and really challenge […]
November 16th, 2006 at 6:44 pm EST
Welcome Lance!
The students here all love you!
November 16th, 2006 at 10:45 pm EST
Thanks, Vivian. I love it here too!
November 27th, 2006 at 6:16 pm EST
Lance, I am one of the moms on the loudi group who has adopted from Loudi. We adopted to the UK, althugh we are S Africans and we have just recently come to live in Singapore!
Your photographs are exquisite! I have ordered a calendar!
Would love some re Loudi and my daughter’s finding place… Hhow can we go abgout it? Is it possible?
lilian
November 27th, 2006 at 6:44 pm EST
Lilian, thanks for your kind words and generosity for the children of Loudi. I’ve sent you an email to find out more about what you need … hopefully I can help!
April 7th, 2007 at 12:37 am EST
Lance, are you from Cincinnati? That is where we live! Best wishes to you,
Carol Youngs
April 7th, 2007 at 12:57 am EST
Yes I am, Carol … it’s a small world!
April 10th, 2007 at 3:55 pm EST
Hello, Lance.Nice to meet you.DO you remember us? And do you have Free time on wednesday afternoon at 17:15:?:we want to practice English with you:razz:Thanks:smile:
April 10th, 2007 at 7:39 pm EST
Hi girls … I will be coming back from my last class at about that time tomorrow (Wednesday). Just stop by my office and we can chat for a few minutes, ok? See you then!
April 11th, 2007 at 9:12 pm EST
Hi!Guy!We are happy to see you here.And what’s your favorite English song? Could you tell me? And my favorite song is >from Kelly Clarkson.And Ithink you should spend some time on movie callled >.It’s really fun.Isn’t it?see you then.Ian from class 16 .I hope that you have a good time all the day.:lol::lol::lol:
April 11th, 2007 at 9:15 pm EST
Add:What’s happened? I am sorry ,my favorite song is >:evil:
April 11th, 2007 at 9:17 pm EST
Add: I have a question .Why the song’s name cat’t show up???:???::???:
April 11th, 2007 at 11:38 pm EST
I don’t know why the song or movie names are not showing up … are you trying to post Chinese characters? Maybe you should type pinyin or English instead!
I’m glad that you visited website, Ian (or is your name Frank?). I’ll see you in class on Friday!
April 12th, 2007 at 1:16 pm EST
OH! No! I wrote the name in English .But I don’t know why the name can’t show up.Maybe you can have a try.OK?:lol: you said you would see me in class on Friday,I will be shy.But I am happy to know that what you said.:lol:See you next time in your website.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:57 pm EST
Hi,:smile:Lance.Do you know what’s the opening hours of English corner?Dose it open on Tuesday and Thursday night:?:
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:41 pm EST
Hi!Lance
September 20th, 2008 at 6:28 pm EST
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