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| Our apartment is on the third floor, with a balcony view of the mountains! |
Every morning when we look out the window, we are met with breathtaking views of His creation. Whether the sky is foggy, hiding the mountains with clouds, if the rain is drizzling on the apartment's aluminum roof, or if the Himalayas are shouting in the distance with smoky clouds dripping off the tips, we can't hep but rejoice in all that He has made. We get to live here!?!
The Sichuan province is unique. This area is filled with spicy food, friendly people, and a relaxed atmosphere. The dialect of Chinese is different from the language we heard in Beijing. Some locals here say they can't understand people when they visit other provinces. It may be similar to the different accents we hear in America, but just more extreme in China because many provinces use completely different words for certain things.
Another reason why we love this area is for Dujiangyan and its "small-town" feel. This city has a population of around 600,000, and we can easily ride our bikes around the entire town. The roads are bike-friendly IF you're watching out for other drivers. The cars and motorbikes are generally looking out for one another, honking to let people know they're coming [not out of anger], and moving out of the way to let bikers share the road. Along with the other international teachers at Guangya School, we are the only foreigners in Dujiangyan, so we often hear "Hello!" or "Wei Guo Ren!" shouted at us on the street. We don't mind because it makes us feel noticed and welcomed into this beautiful place we call home. Our city is a little piece of paradise, with clean air, the famous Li Bing irrigation system, and heavenly mountain views. While it rains a lot, and most days are cloudy, the sunny days force us outside and give us even more of a reason to praise Him for His faithfulness. He created the rain, and He gives us those special sunny days to turn our eyes upon His glory. Sometimes we ride bikes, go on a run by the river, or just play outside on our school's campus.
Our school is also a special place. Some teachers call Guangya K-12 International School the "Chingdom." Guangya was the first private K-12 school in China, it is beautifully landscaped, and the students live on campus during the week like a boarding school. They go home on the weekends, but some students stay year-round because their home is too far away to go back for two days. Mr. Ching is the Head Master, and his son is the Principal of the International high school. The high school is unique because all of the subject courses are taught by foreigner teachers entirely in English. The middle and primary schools are in Chinese, with foreigner English-speakers teaching the English courses. The high school follows its own holiday schedule, which aligns with the Chinese national holidays plus 2 weeks off for Christmas, similar to a western high school. Middle School and Primary School both follow Chinese curriculum and holidays, which means only Christmas Day is excused for the foreign teachers, and holidays are normally "made up" on weekends. All students participate in flag-raising ceremonies daily, and they are in classes and study hall periods all day long, even after dinner. It reminds us of Kanakuk Kamps!
Mr. Ching's father and now Mr. Ching have been honored by the government for being respectful to everyone. Because of his bravery long ago, he was given the land where Guangya resides as a gift from the Chinese government. This is very uncommon in China, as almost nobody is allowed to own land [even apartments are "owned" for a 70-year lease, or so we've been told, and they could be torn down at any time].
After his father's death, Mr. Ching decided to honor his wish in creating a school on the land. His father's dream was to provide a place where students could have a good education and learn about the other opportunities the world has to offer, outside of China. This is why Guangya is an international school-- Mr. Ching wants the students to have a chance to attend college abroad after graduating from high school. While the students are here, they are prepared to go abroad and are exposed to other cultures' beliefs, giving them a broader view of life.
Getting to teach at Guangya has been a blessing. We are getting to know the other foreign teachers who speak English, while also growing closer to our Chinese co-teachers who help translate behavior issues in our classrooms. The students are not pressured to succeed quite as much as public school students, but we are still realizing how different the Chinese culture of honor is. Students never want to "lose face," and they rarely receive grace from other teachers. We get to show our students what it means to succeed honestly and for a True Purpose. Teaching them to think creatively, outside of the box has been a joy so far, and we are looking forward to many good conversations with our students and other teachers at Guangya.
We feel blessed to be able to live and be lights in Dujiangyan, China.
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| Biking around with some teammates. |
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| The view from some other teammates' apartment building... the walls are left over from either some factories or from after the 2008 Sichuan province earthquake where they had temporary housing. Now, they divide up garden areas :) |
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| Such a beautiful area outside of Dujiangyan; we hiked up Lingyan Mountain and found this little community halfway up. So of course, we had to stop for some lunch and tea. |
~Jesse & Sara