In the week leading up to the G20 summit, security in Hangzhou has heightened immensely and we are beginning to see checkpoints spring up around the city. I have not been stopped by police for paperwork, but several of my colleagues have had armed guards on street corners, buses, and the subway requesting their visa and passport paperwork. At this point, everyone in the city, not just expats, are being questioned and must show proof of residency. On Monday, I had several students who were 3+ hours late to school because they got stuck in security checkpoints. One of our school buses was also late; they were stopped and had to show papers for every child on board, while armed officers searched below the bus in the undercarriage for explosives. While the checkpoints seem daunting and for some, annoying, they serve a purpose in keeping the city safe and will be a normal part of life until the summit is over. We have come to accept them and even find humor in the G20 stories that have been told as we approach closer to the dates of the summit. We will be on holiday from September 1-9, as the government is encouraging all residents to either leave Hangzhou or stay at home during the summit. Friends who are Chinese locals in Shanghai have said they were told that families in Hangzhou were being paid for either option, with one even stating that families who chose to stay were being paid 500 RMB (approximately $75 US dollars) per person per day to remain indoors and not leave their home dwellings. Wendy told me that others are being paid to leave the city if they turn their house keys in with the local police. I don’t know the validity of either statement, however I can’t say that I would be surprised by either one. One of our Grade 10 classes studied the purpose of the G20 summit the first few weeks of school. Below is a display of their findings. My colleagues and I found humor in the poster demonstrating how China has prepared for the summit. It is true, and amusing, in so many ways. Drink it to prove it's not a bomb! :) So accurate.
0 Comments
These two little words may not mean much to you, but in our corner of the world, we hear them frequently in regard to...just about everything.
For those who are unaware, Hangzhou is hosting the annual G20 Summit. The Summit is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies. The presidents, prime ministers, and leaders from those 20 countries will be arriving in Hangzhou on September 1st, and for their safety, and the safety of the city, officials are cracking down on everything. It has become laughable in some ways, as we have been met with the "After G20" response to most questions these days. (One day I counted and was told to wait until after G20 seven times). It has been an exciting point in history to move to Hangzhou, but is also amusing in so many ways. I thought I'd combine a legitimate list of things that myself or others have been told would need to wait...until after G20:
Click here for a link to an article for more information on how China is preparing for the G20 Summit: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/30/asia/china-hangzhou-g20-2016/ The first week of school has come and gone, and with it, a collective sigh of relief that, ah yes- we have survived. :) Firsts of everything are exciting, nerve-wrecking, and sometimes anxiety ridden as the "what-ifs" tumble in and take over the collective bank of thoughts in your mind. Starting a new school year seems to be full of twice the excitement, nerves, and anxiety, especially when you are starting over at a new school in a new country.
I spent most of last weekend in my classroom, unpacking boxes, pulling through the previous teacher's belongings, and trying to make sense of what items I would need for future units and for my own personal teaching preferences. It was a long process, but it always is. I hit a wall at one point last weekend when it felt like we had been on campus FOREVER without students and it just felt like they would never arrive. Living on a school campus and having it be absent of students and families is a strange feeling. I looked at a friend earlier this week and said, "Please remind me that this preparation season has an end." When you're surrounded by the same group of people, both professionally and socially, and are working towards a common goal, but haven't seen the fruits of your labor yet, it can feel arduous at times. But they were just around the corner! Tuesday we had Open House with our new families, who we met in the school cafeteria for breakfast. I have 3 families that are new to HIS this year. I followed them to our Lower School orientation, where our principal welcomed families to HIS and introduced the school faculty and mission to the new families. When the presentation was over, we walked to our classroom buildings and were able to spend more time speaking with them one on one. The new families left shortly thereafter and just after lunch, returning families had the opportunity to pop into classrooms and meet their teachers throughout the afternoon. It was very informal, laid back, and inviting. In all, I was able to meet 13 of my 17 students the day before school started! Seeing them refreshed my spirit and helped me to keep the big picture, and my purpose here, within sight. :) The first few days of school were a wonderful blur. I think it was perhaps my best first day with students ever in terms of ease of transitions. Our school provides all students with the supplies and resources they need for school, so the constant chaotic rush of school supplies tumbling in the first hour of the day was gone. I was able instead to spend time with each student and their families as they entered my room and ensured them that we would have a great day. My students are very much as I expected them to be: polite, eager, and....little. :) I forget how much growth takes place between second and third grade, and being greeted with tiny former kindergartners every morning is still something that I am getting used to. I have a tendency to overplan the first few days (Okay- let's be honest- I overplan on a regular basis) and this was the first day in the history of first days where I actually had down time to FILL because we went through everything so quickly. By the end of the week, more reminders were needed for my kiddos, however, the heat this week has been unbearable on their little bodies (and our bigger bodies too!) and after being carted around the entire campus (our office, specialists, cafeteria, recess quarters, nurse, etc. are spread over a large campus, so we walk from place to place outside of our classroom building. I felt like half the first day was spent in transitions. HA!) in the blazing heat (it was 120 degrees with the heat index every day this week!) my poor kiddos were exhausted. Going from summer vacation to school schedules is tough, even for teachers. I had many who were exhausted by the end of the day, and one who fell asleep mid-day on Friday. :) All in all, it's been a wonderful week back! The pictures included in this post are of my not so finished classroom (avert your eyes from the stack of boxes in the corner and the unfinished bulletin board that would remain uncovered if not for the kindness of an assistant teacher who popped in to help on Friday. :)) I am learning to let some things go (ha!) and am trying to keep in mind that perfection, while strident, is not always a necessity. Wednesday marked my 33rd birthday and my first birthday in China. (It was also the first day of school.) Honestly, with the chaos of the first week and the transitions that have come with being in a new place, it would have been very easy to have forgotten. My birthday usually falls on the first day of school. It's sweet, in a weird way, as I was always the kid who never got to spend birthdays at school because my district started so late in the year. I was always jealous of other kids who got to go to school on their birthdays (maybe this made me a nerd at heart- even from a young age ;). It seems suiting then, that I would have the opportunity to spend the last few years of my adult birthdays celebrating in such a big way with a season of newness: a new class, new people, new schedules, new school supplies (what lower school teacher doesn't love them?) and this year, a new country and a new school. :) In past years, previous students always visit on the first day of school with small gifts, balloons, coffee mugs (they know me well), songs, and hugs. It is always a fun (even more chaotic) beginning to the first day of school. This year, surprisingly, it was much the same. However, it was my colleagues who really shined and made the day special. My friend and hallway neighbor, Heather brought a sweet first day of school gift and delivered iced coffee to me in the morning (day already made!). Both of my teammates popped in to regale me with birthday songs, one of our admins popped in with a birthday sign and posted it outside of my door, and random gifts from colleagues started piling on my desk (including tea from Prince Edward Island- it is embarrassing how happy it made me!). At the end of the day, two of our Mandarin teachers came by and brought me a cake shaped like a panda (we share a love of them!) which absolutely floored me. I have been continually amazed by how thoughtful and caring this community is, and was especially reminded of this on my birthday, which is such a trivial holiday and would be so very easy to forget with the busy-ness of the day. A group of us ended the day having dinner out together and discussing our first day back with students. All in all, it has been a great month in Hangzhou surrounded with fantastic people. I continue to be so grateful to be here. One of the things our school has been great at is encouraging community among both the new and returning staff members. Pulling a group of people from all over the world together and creating a community that is supportive, open, and involved in each other's lives doesn't always happen naturally (although, here it honestly seems to). The new staff had been together in training and social activities for about a week before returning staff joined us for orientation. This activity was a fantastic one to bring both groups together!
We were told in the afternoon that we would be participating in an activity that might push some of us past our comfort zones. We were broken into teams at random, with one administrator and a mix of returning and new staff in each group. We were given 300 rmb (approximately 45 US dollars), a bottle of wine, and 3 hours to cook a meal centered around the theme of "transitions" (since we are a school of so many people and families who are in a season of transitions). We were to create a main dish, an appetizer, and a drink and to meet back at the school cafeteria to share our meals together and to talk about our experiences. We had Jess, the upper school principal, in our group, and she was kind enough to open up her (amazing) home for us to cook in. Three of us went shopping for ingredients, while the others ran home for extra odd and ends. We had a great time creating some meals revolving around the "East vs. West" theme. I made my first pitcher of sangria (and it was delicious!), and we had a fantastic time. We met back up at the cafeteria in time to try other's meals and to hear about their group's experiences. It was such a great community building activity; bringing groups of people into homes and kitchens to create something together. I have so enjoyed this school's vision that schools are about people: both students and staff alike. I was reminded when walking back to my apartment later in the evening of how lucky I have been to find a place like Hangzhou that already feels like home. I am still learning the nooks and crannies, and am still eager to meet locals who can show me new sides to the city that I haven't yet seen. However, the layer of commitment, openness, and depth of conversation that I have already experienced from the HIS community will keep me going as I move forward on to the next part of this adventure. :) |
AuthorMichelle is an expat and globetrotter, currently residing in Augsburg, Germany. Originally from the US, she has called Guam, China, and Germany home. Her passions include collecting children's picture books, reading, writing, traveling, and trying to remove coffee stains from freshly cleaned shirts. Archives
February 2022
Categories |