NEWSLETTER

Self Improvement: Language and the English Teacher
By Kim Petersen

One of the perks of being an English teacher is that, because of the large number of students eager to learn the major language of global communication, you can readily be employed in many far-flung countries. Thus you can satiate your thirst for travel, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures, and other desires.

Teaching English away from home enabled me to fulfill my desire to learn some foreign languages. It was a pseudo-immersion program. Since the job was in my native language, of course I was only partially immersed in the local language but I believe that this was more facilitative to learning a language than being a full-time student of the language in my native country.

When not teaching English I could take classes, listen to the radio, and watch television in the local language (or with subtitles). I enjoyed watching English-language movies and paying attention to the subtitles. I found this to be most helpful in learning a new language and wished that back home they would stop dubbing foreign films. I know this is not for everybody but singing karaoke in the local language was a great way to improve my proficiency in the new language.

Invariably you hope to make friendships with the locals. This helps you to acquire proficiency in the new language quicker and consequently making more friends will be easier when you can get by in their language.

When you have locals as friends then you will be introduced to the natural language that they don't really teach you in schools. You will be introduced to the local culture and the immersion will deepen.

In my opinion, a language teacher who makes the effort required to learn another language becomes a better teacher. Supposedly this teacher would be more sympathetic to the teaching needs of his students. With knowledge of the students? language the teacher might understand a tendency to formulate their speech in an unnatural manner because it conforms to the patterns of speech in their mother tongue. Not only does the teacher elucidate a sound grammatical English but also it is hoped that a good teacher would help the students to understand the nuances of the language so that they are able to identify otherwise grammatically-correct speech as being unnatural.

Another benefit of my learning other languages has been an increased flexibility to find other jobs and to thereby increase my potential to mix travel, vocation, and pleasure.

Mr. Petersen is currently teaching in Aqaba. He has been to about 40 countries; he's lived and worked in Canada, Japan, Thailand, Hawaii, Hungary, Jordan, Palau, Philippines, and the Maldives. He has taught English in schools in Japan and Hungary and quite a bit privately in Jordan.

A New Era of even Greater Co-operation!

November 8th, 2001 saw the largest gathering of Victoria-area homestay-related organizations that we have ever organized: twenty-one representatives from homestay companies and international language schools came together to discuss standards and risk-management in the homestay industry.

We had a wonderful English Tea that was provided by the staff at the Princess Mary Restaurant. There were goodies enough for everyone and the service and treats were excellent.

Susan Lawrence (Victoria International School Program) organized a skit to stimulate the discussion. JulieAnne LeRose (VISP) played an international student who had had a serious incident occur during her homestay. Susan, while portraying a crown prosecutor, extracted the details from her and Michael Ramsay (Vancouver Island Homestay Association), who played the Homestay Coordinator. Lyle (Judge Gallows) Garraway oversaw the proceedings.

After having enjoyed our treats while watching this performance, Michael Ramsay facilitated a useful discussion about how to avoid homestay problems and what to do when they occur.

It was great to receive insights from some of the city's largest and most experienced homestay companies and international language schools. It was also encouraging to hear some fresh input from some of the ?new kids on the block?. Many interesting points were made and the discussion was actually quite enlightening

A number of strides towards an even more effective, co-operative homestay industry were made. Those in attendance shared their contact information and each person present expressed an interest in future meetings to discuss important issues that face us all.

We also agreed to help each other as much as possible by sharing useful forms and procedures that we have collected over the years.

It was an enjoyable, productive afternoon. We look forward to a new era of even greater co-operation!

If you were not in attendance at this meeting and would like to find out more or if you would like to ensure that you don't miss the next one, please contact us at conference@havelock-viha.com

BC Transit Welcomes International Students.

BC Transit is the public transit system in Greater Victoria. While international students are not eligible for the discount fare, the adult monthly bus pass is a good deal for someone who wants to get around and see the sights. BC Transits fleet of buses is clean, safe and reliable.

The transit system operates double-decker buses. For a fabulous afternoon exploring the area, climb up to the top of the 61 Sooke double-decker bus and head for the Sooke hills! Sit in the front seat of the top deck for a truly rewarding bird's eye view. To find out where and when to catch your bus, call the busline transit information line at 382-6161. Calling transit information is a good way to use your English and ensure that you get the information you need so that your adventure on the by-ways of the southern island is enjoyable and worry free. Or use the website: www.bctransit.com

- A BC Transit Safe House
Every transit bus is designated as McGruff Safe House, a safe place to go if you need help. The program began in 1986 when Victoria City Police and BC Transit staff joined forces to offer a safe place for children. Since then, transit drivers have helped lost children and people who are ill or frightened. The McGruff Safe House applies to international visitors too!

If you need help just ask your transit driver. Each bus is radio equipped with direct contact to local police, ambulance and other emergency services. Transit drivers are well trained to assist a person in difficulty. Victoria's clean, comfortable and safe buses are a great way to get around.

While international students are not eligible for the discount fare, many international students rely on the transit system and are pleased with the safe service and clean buses. The McGruff Safe House program is one more good reason to feel safe and comfortable traveling around Greater Victoria.

Busline offers automated schedule information or if you need to talk to a operator, just listen for the instructions on the phone, 382-6161 or check out the BC Transit website at www.busonline.ca

- Monthly Bus Pass
Discount transit fares are only available to people aged 15 to 21 who are enrolled in a program where they will be receiving the British Columbia Grade 12 High School Diploma.. To be eligible for the discount fare on the bus, a passenger must show a High School GoCard when boarding the bus.

While most international students are not eligible for the discount fare, the adult monthly bus pass offers unlimited rides all month long. To make a pass purchase equal to the same cash fare, you need to ride the bus 31 times in the month. For a scenic ride to Sooke or Sidney, or for a short trip between Eaton Centre and Mayfair Mall, having a BC Transit adult monthly bus pass in your pocket is a great way to get to know your ?home away from home.?

You can also use your pass for a free swim at many pools around Victoria. Just present your expired previous month?s expired pass at recreation centres.

Things to do this season . . .

SPECIAL EVENTS:

December: It?s a Wonderful Life is playing until the 30th at the Chemainus Theatre. (1 800 656 7738)

December : Christmas at Craigdarroch. Don?t miss the special musical events and good cheer.

December 01: Santa Light Parade and Boat Sail Past will start at 5 PM in downtown Sidney.

December 01: The McPherson Trio is playing at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall (907 Pandora).

December 02: David Tanenbaum is playing at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall (907 Pandora).

December 02: The last day of The Secret Garden at the McPherson Playhouse (3 Centennial Square).

December 04 - 23: The Complete works of William Shakespeare (abridged) is showing at the Belfry Theatre.

December 07: Curator?s Dinner and Tour of Craigdarroch. 6:00 start at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.

December 07 -08: Stuart McLean Kive is on stage at 8:00 at the Royal theatre (805 Broughton Street).

December 07 - 09, 14 -16: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is at the MacPherson Playhouse.

December 08: A Christmas Concert is playing at Christ Church Cathedral (912 Vancouver Street).

December 08 & 15: Breakfast with Santa at the Eaton?s Centre. Call 382 7141 for more information.

December 09: A Christmas Carol is playing at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall (907 Pandora).

December 09 - 10: Victoria Symphony?s Signature Series 2 is at the Royal Theatre (805 Broughton).

December 14 - 16: Victoria Symphony?s Pop Series 3 is at the Royal Theatre (805 Broughton).

December 16: The last day to see the Christmas Show at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel (1175 Beach Drive).

December 16: Messiah Sing-Along with the Civic Orchestra at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall.

December 16: Hey Bully Bully is performed throughout the Craigdarroch Castle from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.

December 21: Sweet Night Music is playing at the Craigdarroch Castle from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.

December 21 - 22: Victoria Symphony is playing Handel Messiah at Christ Church Cathedral (912 Vancouver Street). Performance time is 8:00.

December 22: The Nutcracker - A Musical tale is at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall (907 Pandora).

December 23: A Medieval Christmas with Ensemble Laude?s playing at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall.

December 31: Hogmany, A Scottish New Year?s Eve Celebration at Craigdarroch. Call 592 5323 for info.

HOSTING ADVICE: ROOM BY ROOM
By Bill and Tracey

Are you Hosting your first student? Are you hosting again after a little break? Maybe you have hosted one long-term student for so long that you have forgotten all of the procedures and house rules that you usually go over with your new guests. We hosted again recently after a short break and noticed that there were a few things that we had either forgotten or almost forgotten. The following are some of things you will probably wish to discuss with your student about the various rooms of the house.

THE BATHROOM:
You will want to clarify bathroom schedules; what time does everyone get up and need to use the bathroom? Even one new person can really crowd the bathroom if you aren?t organised.

You may need to explain the bathing procedures. I heard one story of a student who would fill up the bath, take a bath, then empty the bath only to fill it up again in order to rinse off.

If a female student is staying with you, you will also want to explain the proper procedures around ?ladies? day? - disposal of material and that sort of thing.

THE BEDROOM:
You will want to clarify whether or not your family has a standard bedtime or not. You will also need to discuss whether or not you have a standard time to ?rise and shine? for breakfast or what have you. As tactfully as possible, you will probably want to explain as well that the student is to sleep alone. We have heard a story or two of students wanting their boyfriends to visit overnight.

Would you like to do your students? laundry? Some friends of ours do this and they haven?t had any problems. We prefer to let our students do their own laundry. Because of this we explain to them how to use our machines as well as when to use them - NOT at midnight and NO WASHING when someone is having a shower!

BACK DOOR / FRONT DOOR:
What are your family?s coming and going procedures? Can everyone come and go as they like? Are you going to give your student a house key? Do they have a specific entrance that you would like them to use?

Would you like to be notified where your student is? WE DO! Does your student have a curfew? We like ours to be home by 10:00 PM on weekdays.

Can they bring home guests after school, for dinner or for the evening? If they do, would you like to be notified in advance? Will you allow them to have sleepovers (same-sex, of course)? How much notice would you require? Would you permit it on a school night?

Shoes: must your student take off her shoes before entering the main part of the house or must she just make sure to wipe her feet well? Is their a specific place for her to hang her coat?

Some of these questions may be answered by the school or company on whose behalf you are hosting your student of course. So even before you clarify these things with you rstudent, you will probably want to mention them to your homestay co-ordinator.

Subject: FW: China Chat
From: Ruth & Ian McAllister

The MacAllisters are an experienced homestay family who spent some time in China. Now that they have returned to Victoria they are looking forward to hosting students again.

Here is the first in a series of the exerpts from their e-mails home that we hope you will enjoy reading throughout the next year.

Date: Thurs, 09 Sept 2001 09:49
Subject: China Chat #1

Ian here: We brought a new Mac PowerBook based on the theory that since there are Apple dealers in China it must be possible to connect with them.

After several days of trying to get our local server to answer the call (of our modem) I gave up, installed Virtual PC, then installed Windoze '98 and now have two computers in one box. Anyway after several more attempts, with the aid of a pamphlet entirely in Chinese-here we are.

Beer here is 2.8 or 3 RMB for a 640ml bottle so that helped while I sat and scratched my head.

Back to Ruth: We have our email address printed on Ian's bilingual business cards. The Program manager for the Foreign Affairs Office, Li Geng, got them for Ian this week. They are even scented...bleah! But it is a necessary thing to have here. People are always exchanging cards! When we were in the airport on the way here we got one from a French Canadian immigration lawyer and an American couple who run a language school.

Back to the beginning though. The flight from Vancouver to Beijing went well. We had tons of things for the girls to do, but actually neglected to bring a book for Ian to read. We had three seats together and then Ian was across the aisle. The girls enjoyed getting up to go to the bathroom about a zillion times. They didn't sleep a wink, and the movies were dubbed into Chinese. There was only a handful of foreigners on the plane; they were catering to the local market. The food was good!

We were really tired when we got to Beijing, but we had no hassles at all. We sorta stood there thinking someone was going to look through our bags, but when no one even looked at us, we just kept going. We had booked a hotel through the internet and the guy actually picked us up at the airport for US$12. We were so grateful. Really didn't think he was going to be able to stuff everything in his Citroen, but he managed it.

The hotel was basic with stinky bathrooms, but did have air-conditioning and was in a nice older neighbourhood with street markets. We quickly found our favourite breakfast food in China...thin crepes with egg smeared over it and a crunchy layer (fried tofu?) with green onions and sauce. They get folded up into a sandwich for less than 30 cents Canadian. Yum! Steamed dumplings with meat and cabbage were about 6 cents each. But a bottle of water could cost as much as a dollar!!

Kathryn got an attack of vomiting and diarrhoea which cut into our sightseeing rather drastically. She most likely picked it up on the plane as it seemed to have a two day incubation period. We did manage to see the Great Wall, but it was pouring with rain and so we didn't get many photos and we all felt a bit cranky and miserable. We also saw the Ming Tombs stone animals. We got to the airport in Beijing to fly to Changsha...the plane was late, Rosie started vomiting in the airport and had diarrhoea before the plane even took off. I am glad that those in-flight magazines are large...had to strip her off and wash things in the sink while she was hanging onto a vomit bag in her seat with toilet paper and one mag under her and another to make her look a bit decent. Oh, yes, one of those wonderful mothering moments. Or as Rosie said "This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me." And of course the flight was delayed several hours so we were REALLY at our best when we finally got to Changsha. YUK!

So, it is feeling like home here already. We live on the 4th floor of the Foreign Experts Residence. The bottom two floors are for visiting Army officers and there is a small dining hall. We have two bedrooms, an office living room, bathroom, kitchen and two balconies. The furniture is heavy and nice looking, but the mattresses SUCK! Hard and the sheets don't fit properly and our bed isn't the promised KING sized bed. Oh well. The bathtub is peeling and gross looking and the workmanship is pathetic in most of the place. We love our air-conditioners(all 3 of them!) and I enjoy cooking with gas even though I don't have an oven.

One floor below lives Olaf, a Swedish-American teacher who is a great help as he is on his second year at NUDT. He's given us lots of invaluable tips such as where the bakery is (raisin bread for about $1 cdn) and how to get to downtown. He has long hair and the university thought they were hiring a woman originally. They're pretty glad that they got him as he is very keen and volunteers to do extra stuff.

We are on the extreme edge of the campus on a busy road,but have a gatehouse of our very own and people have to be checked in and out. We live across the street from the zoo with a bus stop right outside so it is easy to get downtown and back again. When Kathryn and I got lost, we just got a taxi,I looked up the word Zoo in my phrase book and he took us right here. whew!!

Every driver uses his horn all the time and bicycles and pedestrians take enormous risks just to cross the street. Huge rings of firecrackers go off outside the gate several times a day... enormously loud and long bangs and crackles and pops! There are zillions of shops everywhere selling basically the same things... crackers, water, beer, candy, chilli sauce, toilet paper, snacks, and cigarettes. We are learning the prices and how to ask for things. It really pays to shop around...a lamp at one store might be 18yuan and 45 at another store.

Restaurants have overcharged us by nearly double, but we finally found a nice one down the road...today we had 3 servings of chow mien with pork, cabbage, chilli and wide noodles along with egg drop soup with tomatoes and chicken broth for 12 yuan. This of course comes with tea, and you don't tip. We'll be baaaack!

Kathryn, Rosie and Ian have all started school. Kathryn is in grade one with Li Geng's daughter Jane who is a real live wire and knows some English.

There are also 46 other students in the class...they seem to do a lot of sitting straight in their desks with both hands behind their backs. We had to pay 161 yuan for her tuition. She starts at 7:50 and goes until 11:30 then again from 2:45 till 4:40. Very few teachers at the elementary school speak any English. Rosie, on the other hand is enrolled in the best kindergarten in all of Hunan(according to Li Geng!) We tend to believe him!

Two teachers for less than 20 students, lots of nice equipment, and a number of the teachers know some English. They've asked me to come and teach sometimes...but I have to see my university schedule first. I will be doing a bit of teaching assistant work here at NUDT but don't know more than that at present. Rosie starts just before 8 and has breakfast at school and goes until 11:45 after she also has lunch there. We pay a whopping 557 yuan for this. She could probably go for the whole day if she wanted, but I don't think she is ready for it yet. It is a 20 minute walk to school then 20 minutes back plus 100 stairs each way as well. We?ll have to have buns of steel!

Ian likes the two classes he currently has and will get more next month when the students have finished their basic training. Remember, this is a military university! The students all wear uniforms with hats and are mostly male.

Ian here: If you like heat, humidity and air pollution do come visit! Actually it is really very nice here. We really like Olaf, Li Geng and Nick Liang who is the foreign teachers liaison with the English Dept. In general the people here are very friendly and welcoming, almost too much so sometimes especially when the girls are getting touched, followed and chattered to. Easy to understand tough, after all there aren't two more stunning heads of hair like theirs within the nearest billion or so people.

I teach Oral English to three groups: English Majors, whose spoken English is considerably weaker than their listening ability; a WSK class which is a group of teachers, grad and post-grad students (with weaker oral skills than the Majors) who will be writing something akin to a TOEFL test and hoping to attend university or do research overseas; and next month I pick up a few classes of grad students. This last group are some of China's top science and tech minds and I am told their technical English and grammar are at a fairly high level but they have had little opportunity or reason to develop any kind of conversational ability. I was hoping to be doing some work with writing for Academic Purposes (I certainly dragged and shipped enough books on those topics here) but these classes will be fun and there is always next semester

There are frogs for dinner in the markets and we're told that puppy season starts in October. You can pick them out alive and ready to be gutted or already cooked with their tails sticking up in the air. Seems we will just have to keep the girls off certain streets and hope for the best this winter. On that cheery note we'll sign off this long letter or our very slow server will have an attack of some kind and eat the whole thing. Can't complain I guess, I mean we didn't exactly have email in our air-conditioned living room in Botswana, did we?

The following is clipped from another message:

Prices are really weird and generally much higher than we thought. 5.4RMB=CAN$1(Yuan is the basic unit but RMB is "the People's Money" or Renimbi) One lemon is Y2, a kg. of raisins is Y36(!!!!!) Yesterday I was offered 4 apples for Y32, put them back and bought 4 of a different type for Y3.5.

Mail and phone calls cost more here but we can get our internet time for 4 per hour (still high but reasonable) and get all kinds of steamed and fried "baked goods" for .3-1 each.

Buses are extremely frequent, extremely crowed and reasonably priced. We take the air conditioned ones for Y2 as they are nicer than the Y1 bus and less sardine-like. They stop right outside our door and go directly to the part of downtown we need to shop in.

Some prices are good especially for some fresh produce and labour. All of us can eat in the dining hall for Y24 where we get way more food than we can eat but have no control over the menu and there is usually one thing too hot for the girls.

Stay tuned as we follow the MacAllisters adventures in China through the next few issues of the newsletter! I trust that you will find their experiences interesting and enlightening!

Did you Know? By Pete Unya