Teaching, Day One

Yesterday was my first teaching day at XISU. I'm always a little jittery on the first day of classes at home, and it was no different in China. I was able to take the faculty shuttle from the old campus where I live to the new campus where I teach, and that was a comfortable and relaxing way to travel. I met a couple from Utah who are here for the year teaching spoken English. They each teach seven classes! I felt a little pampered when I told them I was only teaching one class. The ride calmed my jitters some, and the American couple escorted me right to the English Studies office, so there was no getting lost.

I wish I could explain adequately just how considerate the people at XISU are. I was introduced to the associate dean, who said the most flattering things about my credentials and invited me to meet him, the dean, two other professors, and a government official for lunch on Wednesday. The graduate studies secretary made sure I was well situated in my office, showed me how to make the computer work in English (mostly), and helped me figure out how to adjust my schedule for some upcoming holidays. There was a knock on the door at about 11, and there was a young man there to deliver a giant water dispenser for my office; he came back later with a delicious lunch for me without my even having to ask for it.

Of course the big event of the day was meeting my students for the first time. I have twenty in the class, 18 women and two men. They are unbelievably sweet, respectful, and so eager to learn. I had them introduce themselves to me--their names, why they were taking the class, where they come from, etc.--and the answers they gave were the kind that would make any professor's heart swell. One of them told me that she hoped I could help her understand post-structuralist theory; another said that the opportunity to learn in an American style was what drew her to the class; one other said that she was excited to be in a class where she could interpret the literature and offer insights that would be discussed. And they have the most wonderful English names (another kindness: they knew I would stumble over their Chinese names): Shadow, Leafy, and Candy, for example.

Any fears I had about active participation were completely squashed yesterday. They were eager to speak. I'm happy to report that they laughed in all the right places, too. I was a little surprised by the fact that several of them took out cameras to photograph me, but it made me feel better about the fact that I want to photograph them soon. I think my favorite moment in class yesterday was during a discussion of their views of Americans and of the U.S. Certainly, they hold as many stereotypes about us as some of us do about them, but much of what they said was on the mark: our love of independence, our ability to be direct and speak our minds, our access to media that isn't reluctant to assess our government. One student raised her hand as we talked about the media. "I have a question," she said. "are American women really like the "Desperate Housewives?". I laughed out loud, of course, but it was a serious question, and it led to an interesting discussion of media and stereotypes. At the end of class, many of them stopped to thank me. It was fun, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the month with them.

One last success yesterday. I am thrilled to report that my first encounters with a non-western style toilet were successful. The Go-Girl is my new best friend.

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