• I always feel fortunate to be here in Tulsa. Everyone is so kind to me! I am very well taken care of here. I've already made several friends. They treat me as a family member. I think when I go back to China, I'll bring back not only knowledge but also a heart filled with love. I like my students, and appreciate their efforts and progress in learning Chinese. The principal is also learning Chinese from me. I am enjoying my time here very much and will try my best to repay everyone for their kindness and friendship.”
  --Wang Youhua, Bishop Kelley High School, OK
• “The highlights seem to be unending. New places and experiences have become the norm. What a year! At our last English Corner meeting, the students decided they wanted to give me a real Chinese name. We came up with Wang Mingzhen. Mingzhen means dreams come true – that’s largely what teaching in China has been to me.”
  -- Christine Walderhaug, Suzhou No. 10 Middle School, Jiangsu
• “Thank you for your program. The exchange teacher we received, Mr. Fu was a wonderful teacher… Not only did he teach, he brought with him a lot of materials and programs which we will benefit from for years in the future. The students and all the teachers really liked him and have enjoyed being with him for the past year. Mr. Fu is truly a wonderful teacher and deserves recognition. I am very happy to have worked with him, and I have learned a lot from him too. I will be very pleased if we can work with other exchange teachers from this program next year.”
  -- Tianya Zhao, Chinese Teacher, Milwaukee School of Languages, WI
• "...[T]his was definitely one of the most educational, rewarding, and fulfilling experiences of my life so far. I wish more people would take the opportunity and the benefits from such an experience."
  -- Adrienne Fazzolara, Beijing Foreign Services Vocational Senior High School, Beijing
• "...I have taught a different type of student and worked with a different type of faculty...All these helped me to get a better understanding of America, its history, its culture, its school system, and its people."
  -- Dong Shuhua, Kearsarge Regional High School, NH
• “I had a wonderful year working here, and did learn a lot from the teachers. Their culture and their spirit is a great treasure for me to take back.”
  -- Xu Miaomiao, John Stark Regional High School, NH
• “My teaching experience is excellent. Working together with the Chinese teachers on curriculum based instruction is working well for everyone involved, especially the students (the ones who count the most). I wish I could do this for several more years.”
  -- Frank Colletti, Beijing No. 14 Middle School, Beijing
• “My American colleagues have come back from China invigorated. For a year at least they have been loved, admired, and respected. They have not only brought back more information and understanding of China into the classroom, but they more critically examine what they teach, how they teach, what should change, and appreciate more the very best things in American education. After all, learning and teaching are not one way streets. The better teachers are better because they are always learning, they take risks, and they constantly question themselves as well as their students.”
  -- Bill Bronski, Dalian No. 23 Middle School, Liaoning and Yangzhou Middle School, Jiangsu
• “I think the most wonderful part of our exchange program is that people build their friendship and a mature understanding on different cultures and begin to appreciate some of the differences. I do hope…more teachers will be able to have this great opportunity to explore new culture, new world and…friendship.”
  --Yang Haiyan, Belmont Public Schools, MA

The U.S.-China Teachers Exchange Program is now in its twelfth year. Established in 1996 with funding from the Freeman Foundation, the Teachers Exchange Program sends American K-12 teachers to China and brings Chinese secondary school teachers to the United States.

During the current school year, 24 Chinese teachers are teaching Chinese language and culture in the United States and 8 American teachers are teaching oral English.

Since the program began, over 100 American teachers have taught in Chinese secondary schools, and approximately 250 Chinese teachers have taught in American elementary, middle, and high schools. The Chinese teachers typically spend a school year teaching Chinese language and culture or English as a second language in American schools across the country. The American teachers teach oral English in secondary schools in Chinese cities including Anqing, Beijing, Changzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Hefei, Hohhot, Jiangdu, Luoyang, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou. The exchange program provides the teachers a unique opportunity to improve their own language and teaching skills; deepen their understanding of another culture; and share new curriculum, pedagogy, and experiences in their home classrooms upon their return.

Exchange program director Margot E. Landman works with the Chinese Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), the program’s counterpart organization in China, to make the program possible. In addition to the teacher exchanges themselves, we organize conferences and workshops for current participants and program “alumni” in both countries to help them form networks and enable them to share curriculum and other information for their own classrooms and with their colleagues at their home schools and districts.

The application deadline for participation in the 2008-2009 program has passed. Please check back in October 2008 for aplication material for the 2009-2010 program.

• Dave Krueger's (1999-2000 and 2001-2002) wife, Anna, gave birth to a healthy boy, David Chun Krueger, on December 13, 2007 at 12:17 p.m., weighing 7lbs 10oz. Mother and baby are doing fine.
• Congratulations to Chris Fray (1998-1999) for being selected as the 2007-2008 Teacher of the Year in Westport, CT! Follow this link for more information: http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18860227&BRD=1654&PAG=461&dep...
• Xia Haibo (2003-2004) is now vice principal of Hefei No. 2 Middle School.
• In 2004-2005, Joan Burress (1996-1999) participated in the year-long Yale program, "China in Transition: Tradition in Change", which focused on ethnic minorities and transition in China. Last summer, she traveled to Southwest and Northwest China on a field study with 7 other educators led by Dr. Eileen Walsh (Luce Assistant Professor of Asian Studies, Skidmore University) and Jeffrey Levick (Programs in International Educational Resources [PIER] Director of External Affairs, Council on East Asian Studies at the Yale Center for International and Area Studies [YCIAS]). Learn more about the trip and program at http://research.yale.edu/eastasianstudies/pier_china/.

Coming Soon!

I recently returned from a trip to Canada. I enjoyed my stay in Vancouver immensely, although I was not very excited, as this was not my first time abroad. I was appointed the head of a group of 32 teachers, most of who were traveling internationally for the first time. We visit several locations within Canada and included a 4-day trip to the Rockies. It was very beautiful. We liked the Columbia Glacier and Lake Louise best.

We have now started school here in Anqing. The smallest class I teach so far has 65 students. My other classes range between 68 and 72 students. My days at Broken Arrow High School with classes of 30 students certainly seem pretty cushy from here!

At the moment, I teach 13 classes but I understand through the grapevine (the way official word travels) that I may end up with 21 classes.

The kids have been great so far. They seem anxious and interested in learning. As a teacher, isn’t that what we all want? A few of the students have been exposed to foreign teachers before, but most have never met or spoken to a foreigner. The main drawback to their eagerness is that I can’t get work done in my classroom! Because so many students come visit in order to learn and practice their English, my time to grade papers or prepare lessons is short. That’s fine, of course. That’s a big reason why I am here. Also, I want to learn about China and Chinese culture and students are much more open about their ideas. All the extra time, however, can leave me quite drained as my students are willing to chat for as long as I let them.

On Tuesday evenings (like tonight) all the teachers meet with their respective departments for planning meetings. I took advantage of the time to hand out some small gifts I brought for my department: Tulsa calendar books and Oklahoma postcards.

The other day we held a culture fair at my school. A teacher from my school invited me to set up a booth. I decided to showcase Chinese paper cutting. I think I prepared very well.

On the day of the fair a lot of teachers and students showed interest in my booth! I taught them how to make “double-happiness” using red paper. They tried cutting and had a great time. I am very happy and honored that so many people found my display interesting.

While at the fair I also had a chance to enjoy different cultures and foods. I tasted many different delicious things.

Here at the Garden School I teach a Chinese cooking class. On of my second grade students, Fiona, is especially helpful because she lived in Taiwan with her family for two years. She loves Chinese dumplings! This is a perfect Chinese dish to make with kids. After gathering together all of the ingredients, 12 students and I made over 100 dumplings! First, they chopped the vegetables and mixed the filling. Next, we filled and shaped the dumplings. Because the dumplings were all different shapes and sizes, it was very difficult to cook them perfectly. But even that was a good lesson, because I taught the students how to boil the dumplings properly.

Once the dumplings were finished, the students ate all 100 in less than 15 minutes!! Their parents and I didn’t even get a chance to taste them! I guess they were pretty delicious.

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

Setting the goals and structures needed to develop a new Chinese curriculum can be a very difficult task. In order to aid those who are currently undertaking such a challenge, we have provided a sample framework, recently developed by Quincy Upper School in Boston, MA.

Follow the links below for curriculum structures for Mandarin levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.

In an effort to provide support for teachers of Chinese in the United States, the National Committee will post lesson plans created by Teachers Exchange Program participants. Lesson plans are divided between Chinese Language classes and Chinese Language and Culture classes. The first catergory focuses specifically on Mandarin Chinese, while the latter includes lesson plans that do not concentrate on language instruction. Follow the links below to find the lesson plan that best fits your curriculum.

The following books have been used by Teachers Exchange Program participants:

• Fangyuan Yuan, Advanced Business Chinese, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. (Bilingual Edition, ISBN 0300100507)
• Weiling Wu, Far East Chinese for Youth: Level 1, New York: U.S. International Publishing Inc., 2004. (Workbook Edition, ISBN 9576124964)
• Weiling Wu, Hailan Tsai, and Qing Yang, Far East Chinese for Youth: Level 2, New York: U.S. International Publishing Inc., 2002. (Student Edition, ISBN 9576124921)
• Yamin Ma & Xinying Li, Chinese Made Easy Textbook 1, Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 2002. (Book & CD edition, ISBN 9620420268)
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Program Minisite: U.S.-China Teachers Exchange Program

I will never feel lonely in America. My life here is colorful. I must admit, everything here is much better than I expected. Yesterday afternoon Laura (my hostess) and I went to the county playhouse to enjoy a performance of "A Christmas Carol." It was wonderful.

Last night I saw the movie, “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" for the first time. Although it is a Chinese movie, I had never seen it in China. I guess I will just have to catch up on all my Chinese movies here instead!

Wang Peihua (Westport, 2007-08) and I also enjoy going to the YMCA. While there we use the exercise equipment and go swimming. I think I will be in excellent shape by the time I return home!

I really enjoy everything here. I love Staples High School, where I teach. I also love everyone I have met over the past five months. I enjoy the beautiful weather here and especially love the beautiful trees.

I have had so many wonderful opportunities to go and do things ever since my arrival in New York City last summer! Last Friday, I went on a field trip with students from the upper division of the Garden School. We went to Fortuna Gallery at 77th Street in Manhattan and also to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I learned a lot about mosaics and works of renaissance art in Italy. Two parents were kind enough to arrange the trip for us. I had a wonderful time!

I am also spending a lot of time helping our music teacher with the rehearsals for the school’s winter performance. It’s a lot of work, but very fun!

I had an unforgettable experience watching The Cirque Du Soleil, Wintuk performance in Madison Square Garden on November 29th. Tomorrow, there's another show in Lincoln Centre that I’ve also been invited to! Isn't this great?!

My host family, the Browns, is a great family. They are very nice and helpful to me. Charles is a geologist and we are both history buffs, which makes for great conversation. We have plenty to talk about when it comes to history, religion, politics, sports, and so on. He is always adding to my vocabulary. He has already taken me to two football games. He has also made a great effort to explain the rules of football to me. While I don’t understand all of the details yet, I understood which side won! I try to help out as much as I can with work around the house. I frequently help Charles trim the hedges and mow the lawn.

His wife, Linfei, is a Chinese American from Shanghai. Just like Wu Laoshi, she works hard in her garden every morning. She also often treats me to a home-cooked Chinese dinner.

Their son, Roland, is brilliant and talented. He is in eleventh grade at Cascia Hall but is already taking advanced classes at Tulsa University.

This is a great family. I think they are as happy with me as I am with them.

Today was “Teacher Day” in China…..or at least it was celebrated today in Anqing. Maybe in other cities it has a different celebration day.

The schools in Anqing had a singing competition at a local theater in celebration of the day. My school, Anqing No. 1 Middle School, took first place. I didn’t watch all the other schools sing but it did seem that Anqing No. 1 quite good!

I was not asked to sing until I showed up at the theater to watch the presentation. At that point I was politely pressured but I opted for being the school’s unofficial photographer instead. Here are just a few of my pictures:

In contrast to most schools I have experienced, the Anqing No. 1 staff is comprised mainly of male teachers. I have been told this is because Anqing No. 1 puts a heavy emphasis on science and math. Don’t throw rocks at me for saying that! That’s what is said here, and that seems to be what sociologists generally agree is true. No, males aren’t more intelligent. As Mark Twain put it, “Everyone is ignorant; just on different subjects.” Females, as we know, are much more “language intelligent” than males. (A note on cross-culture education comparisons: From the teachers I have talked to here in China, female students outscore male students in all but some math and science. The same is true in America.)

I am so excited to be in America for the first time! I arrived yesterday afternoon and had dinner with my host family, the Masts. Linda and Bob Mast are wonderful, as are their two sons, Robert and Will. They are very hospitable and I really feel at home.

After only a day, I feel that I have already settled in nicely here. I live within walking distance of the school. It is about a 15 minute walk, or I can just take the train two stops which is also very convenient. I am SO lucky!

Both Robert and Will like listening to my Chinese stories. We had story time last night after dinner! I hope they keep enjoying my stories for at least 10 months! I think my situation is perfect because my host family is happy when I’m around, and I’m less lonely when I’m around them!

Tomorrow I plan to walk to my school and around my neighborhood in order to get familiar with my surroundings. I bought my first Charlie Card this morning for the subway, and I think I might sign up for a library card tomorrow.

Seeing, thinking, asking, and doing will be the keys to my new life here in the United States.

I began to celebrate the Chinese New Year in my classes last week. I made a PowerPoint presentation to introduce the Chinese New Year to my students. They made their own red envelopes and New Year's cards with Chinese characters on them. We decorated the classroom and the hallway for our New Year’s party on February 7. The kids had fun decorating.

Yolande—my hostess—and I celebrated it last Sunday. We went to a Chinese New Year's party in another town. After that we had dinner in a Chinese restaurant. Yolande said, "Let's eat Chinese food all day." When we ordered our food, the waiter recognized me and asked, “Are you the lady who had tea party with the kids in the newspaper?" Yolande teased me, “See, you are a star now!" That was so funny.

This afternoon I learned a Chinese ribbon dance with the girls in Henniker. I loved it, though I have a hard time remembering all of the steps. Tomorrow I'll have Chinese dinner with another family and on Friday we will have the Chinese New Year's celebration at school. I may perform the ribbon dance with the girls on the stage. It really seems a good start to the year of rat.

Yesterday was February 7th. In China this day was celebrated as the Chinese New Year. Even though I’m in America, my students and I celebrated this holiday as well. The kids decorated our classroom with New Year cards they made, spring couplets, red lanterns and some Chinese New Year paintings. Some students even wrote their own couplets! It felt just like home. Most kids were wearing red or yellow shirts, since those are the colors of the Chinese New Year. Some girls wore Chinese traditional Chinese dresses. Because it was harder for the boys to dress up, they put Chinese characters like “Fu, xin nian hao” on their shirts. Of course the “fu” was up-side-down, since this is good luck in China.

Also we gave each other New Year greetings in Chinese such as: ’'xin nian hao and gong xi fa cai.” When I told them that this was the first time in over thirty years that I wasn’t able to spend the New Year with my family, one student said: “Li laoshi, you are still with your family today, because we are your family, we love you, wo men ai ni." I was deeply touched by what they said, and all the homesickness and loneliness suddenly went away. Watching my students, I realized that all of the tough things I have endured over the past year have been worth it.

My students and I give our best wishes to all of you for a happy Chinese New Year. “Gong xi gong xi, may each day of yours be lit up with good luck and good fortune!”

Today was a big day for me! I served as an interpreter for the mayor and superintendent of schools in Broken Arrow, OK.

Several Chinese principals have been visiting schools in Oklahoma recently. One of the schools in my area held a reception for the visiting principal. The mayor and superintendent of Broken Arrow were also invited to be there. It was a big event for that school. Because it was so important, they invited me to act as an interpreter for the principal. It was challenging, but a good opportunity for me, and I think I did a good job.

Well, Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat! At the risk of sounding cliché, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” even here in Anqing.

Terry [Strombeck, Anqing 2007-08] and I traveled to Nanjing, a major city about five hours by bus away from here two weeks ago. When we returned to Anqing, we were a bit bummed at first because there were no signs of Christmas yet. Nanjing had been covered with trees, English messages, and Santa Clauses galore. Living abroad isn’t quite what it used to be where you couldn’t get any taste of home. Now you can run downtown and eat a McDonald’s or KFC if you have a hankering for “western food” even here in Anqing. Christmas, however is still a western tradition although it has begun to be commercialized here in China. Now, a week from Christmas, Santa, Christmas trees, lights, and messages for everyone to have a Merry Christmas in English seem to be shining on every street corner and shop in Anqing!

For the next two weeks in class we will be discussing the Christmas Father as my students call him and other traditions of Christmas. Most really don’t know much about Christmas other than this, so it’s been fun opening their eyes to all the fun parts of Christmas. They get into wearing the hats and I’ve had them decorating a Christmas tree for their classroom, so they’ll have a definite piece of memorabilia. Next week since I’m teaching on Christmas Day, I’ve given them a CD containing Christmas music and the lyrics to the songs in advance. We’ll try to do a KTV (Karaoke) sing-along of Christmas songs. I don’t know what to expect, but it might be funny!

The principal and several teachers invited me out to dinner on Monday night and we got into the spirit of Christmas too!

Perhaps the thing that made it seem most like Christmas though, were the care packages that my family sent me! I got a few things to eat (chocolate!), some funny things to share with the kids (a holiday doorbell), and some reading to keep me up to date on all that’s going on in the U.S.

Thanks to all who have helped to make this year a good one!

We had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner in Yangzhou! Jack Regan (Yangzhou, 2001-02, 2003-04) was the host. He did a wonderful job! He discovered recently renovated grain mills along one of the city canals, and of course rented an amazing room in which to hold our sumptuous feast! 14 people attended and in order to feed the group, two turkeys were flown in from Shanghai! I made the stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry relish. We also had peas, bok choi, cheeses (a real treat) and crackers, wine and even apple pie with ice cream for dessert!

Flowers, candles, and linens covered the table. It really was a feast of tradition, sharing, and friendship—Jack's specialty. Loanne (Harmeling, Jiangdu, 2007-08) and I got to meet the friends Jack calls his "Yangzhou sisters" and "Yangzhou cousins.” I had lots to talk with them about their experiences. What a neat bunch of gals!

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thanksgiving in China isn’t quite the same as Thanksgiving in Tulsa, but it has its beauties as well. Although I was far away from home this year, I still had an opportunity to enjoy the finer points of Thanksgiving Day. I have been teaching the Thanksgiving lesson this week, which covers all the bases like the history, the importance of family, the etiquette, the food, the Macy’s Day Parade, the football watching, the couch potatoes, and most importantly about eating until you are positively stuffed! However, I did manage to touch on the concept that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have, for those around you, and for life itself. I am certainly thankful that I’m in Anqing this holiday to share the concept of thankfulness with my students.

My lesson this week asked the kids to write down what they were thankful for and why. I got some pretty interesting responses. I did, however, have to go back and correct the grammar later in the week once I looked at a few of the answers!

Even though turkey is hard to come by here in China, I tried to make it a great day. I invited several students over for “Thanksgiving dinner” during our two hour lunch break. I taught my two early morning classes, then made some mashed potatoes and bruchetta. After that, I ran to the store to get some Coca-cola and orange juice while the rice and carrots were cooking. In the absence of turkey, I figured KFC would fill the gap, so I went to the only KFC in Anqing and purchased two buckets of chicken. (A bucket in China consists of 8 pieces of chicken, two breadsticks, a piece of corn on the cob, and a liter of Pepsi! You see why I needed two with 8 hungry kids!) When I placed my order, I was told that they were all out of chicken and that it would take 15 minutes to cook some more! In any event, I got back just as the bell rang to let the students out of class, so I invited them up to my humble abode.

They helped me put the finishing touches on our feast…I cooked the ubiquitous “green vegetable” or bok choy greens, then cooked a bag of sautéed chicken and peas that turned out surprisingly well. Next, I boiled some corn for corn on the cob. In the meantime, we settled down to eat. The students didn’t particularly care for the mashed potatoes or the bruchetta, but that’s ok because that’s what I like best so I get to eat them as leftovers for lunch!

We began by saying one thing for which we were all thankful. Everyone said they felt very glad to be part of this experience! After that, the main event began and everyone chowed down. By the time the “dinner” was done, the table was littered with chicken bones and corn cobs. All the students helped me clean up though, so we finished in record time and they headed back to their classes happy that they had been able to take part in a sort of Thanksgiving dinner.

Earlier in the morning, I was invited to a “Thanksgiving Dinner” at a local Chinese restaurant with several teachers that night. Although this meal also failed to include turkey, we had a feast nonetheless. Vegetables, soup, rice and vegetable cakes, etc. all caught my eye. The pinnacle of the feast came at the end, however. The teachers were able to persuade the leader of the grade to treat us to some Chang Jiang River crabs. They arrived freshly steamed on a plate and I watched the other teachers carefully to understand how to eat them. Unfortunately, I never quite got the hang of it. In the end, I used my fingers to eat the “yellow stuff” which I was told was the eggs of the female crab! It was an interesting taste, but I have to say that sucking on the crab legs to get out a miniscule portion of meat is a bit difficult! I prefer the fish where you just pick the bones out of your mouth and put them on the table!

In any event, it was a great Thanksgiving. I hope you get a glimpse of the fun we shared here. Of course, Thanksgiving in China wouldn’t be official without several rounds of toasts…luckily I got to drink beer instead of Baijiu, so I wasn’t too bad by the end.

Hope your Thanksgiving was as great!

Happy Thanksgiving! Yu Yuping (Jackson Heights, NY 2007-08), Gong Aiping (Stamford, CT 2007-08), Yu Ping (Weare, NH 2007-08) and Yu Simei (North Sutton, NH 2007-08) have come to visit Wang Peihui (Westport, CT 2007-08) and me in Westport for Thanksgiving. They stayed with me at my hostess, Laura Schwartz’s house.

A few days ago, Laura, her husband Josh, Wang Peihua and I began to prepare for their visit. Laura is so kind and made cookies and cheesecake for everyone. Laura and Josh also set aside four electric blankets for our guests.

On Thanksgiving Day we had a big dinner. After we finished eating all of the teachers talked and talked! We ended up talking past midnight!

The next day, Wang Peihua and I showed our guests around Westport. We took lots of pictures and went shopping. We also took everyone to visit the YMCA. I saved seven guest passes to ensure that everyone could come! We had a great time there, and everyone got a free YMCA bag!

We had such a great time! In order to show our appreciation to Laura and Josh, we made a home-cooked Chinese dinner. There were six main dishes as well as jiaozi and soup. Afterwards, Laura and Josh rented some movies for us. My host family has a wonderful basement where we can go to enjoy movies.

Although I’m sad this weekend is over, I had a wonderful time, and I think all the other teachers did too.

School has now started and I am amazed at the number of warm and kind teachers at the Garden School. We are working very well together! Kristen, my mentor at the Garden School, is particularly nice to me. The other day she helped me get my social security card by driving me to The Queens Social Security Office. It was very helpful!

I celebrated Labor Day with past program participants, Janet Schoor and Richard Sanford. We had a wonderful day!

Over winter break I decided to take a five- day Caribbean cruise. I had such a wonderful time! It was my first time to witness sunrise and sunset at sea! The ship made several stops along the way including Grand Cayman Island and Calica, a small city in Mexico.

After the cruise, I stayed in Tampa, Florida for a few days and also visited a few other cities including, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Orlando. In Orlando I got to visit Epcot in Walt Disney World. It was very impressive!

On the first three days of the trip, Shang Yuanyuan (Royal Oak, MI 2007-08), Yu Yuping (Jackson Heights, NY 2007-08), Wang Youhua (Tulsa, OK 2007-08), Gong Aiping (Stamford, CT 2007-08), Zhang Qunfang (Tulsa, OK 2007-08), Li Xuede (Tulsa, OK 2007-08) and I visited Disneyland, Universal Studios and Sea World. Because all of us have children of our own, we wished they could have been here with us. They would have loved it! We spent the next three days of the trip visiting the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon left the greatest impression on me. It is such a magnificent area, but because we were only able to spend 50 minutes there, I feel that we only got to see the tip of the iceberg. I didn't gamble while in Las Vegas, but I was impressed with the beautiful and prosperous hotels there. While in Las Vegas, the seven of us met up with another Teachers Exchange Program participant, Chang Chun (Milwaukee, WI 2007-08).

During the final three days of our trip, the eight of us toured Yosemite National Park and then traveled on to San Francisco. San Francisco is now my favorite American city. The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Hearst Castle, and Demark village were all so wonderful! In my eyes, San Francisco is modern and historic at the same time, charming, open-minded, and warm. I can't even think of the best word to describe it.

The trip was very fun, but because most of us took bus tours at many different places through out the trip, it was very tiring as well. Even though it seemed we had to rush to everywhere, it was still an unforgettable trip for us.

I was very happy to travel to Boston for the Thanksgiving holiday. While there, Yan Ruiyu (Boston, 2007-08), Cao Fengqin (Boston, 2007-08) and I went to a traditional football game on Thanksgiving Day. Afterwards, we all traveled to a friend’s house where we were treated to a big Thanksgiving turkey as well as many other dishes.

While in Boston, I also visited some historical places such as the Freedom Trail. It was a very long walk but certainly worth visiting. The Boston Museum of Fine Art impressed me most.

Hello, from warm Phnon Penh, Cambodia!

Upon arriving last night, we (Jessie Koenig, Anqing 2007-08 and I) found that our reservations at a cheap hotel had not been honored. Sometimes rejection works for the better. The hotel had sounded good in the guide book but it in reality it was a dump. So we found a nicer place for $5/night each. This hotel even had A/C and cable TV with shows in English (BBC, ESPN, etc.). That’s great for me because I haven’t seen this much English TV since leaving Tulsa in August.

So far, it has been terrific being in Cambodia. The weather is warm without being Bangkok-hot! Some of you may have been to Bangkok and know that the temperature is either hot in the cool months or hot hot hot in the summer. I expected the same situation in Cambodia but so far it is warm but bearable. Certainly the temperature is a nice break from the below-freezing-and-snow weather of Anqing.

Today we roamed around Phnon Penh--a rather funky city. I think of Phnon Penh as a smaller version of Bangkok (minus excessive heat!): There are plenty of Buddhist temples and monks, very friendly people, slight chaos, and great food. Did I mention the friendly people?

Interesting things about Cambodia: There are essentially two currencies here: The Cambodian Riel (4000 R to 1 U.S. $) and the U.S. dollar. Yes, ATMs spit out American money! Dollars are commonly used by everyone!

The highlight of today for me, historically speaking, was the Toul Sleng Museum. This is the high school that Pol Pot converted in to a torture facility during the communist Khmer Rouge control of Cambodia during the 1970s. I have visited Dachau, the former German concentration camp outside of Munich and this Phnon Penh facility can rightfully take a place among the worlds' monuments dedicated to the senseless cruelty of which we humans are capable. Tomorrow we go to the "Killing Fields" for more proof that mankind has the capacity of truly ridiculous and heinous behavior when we lose our way in life and follow lies and darkness. (Watch the movie "Killing Fields" for more Hollywood info). As a history teacher, standing in the torture cells made me think of the strong connections that the atrocities around the world have had: that people can and have and still do blindly follow the commands and wishes of people who are so misguided.

After visiting the museum, we roamed to various parts of Phnon Penh taking in sights, tastes, and sounds of an interesting country.

The plan right now is to bus to Angkor Wat on Thursday for a three-day adventure at the largest religious site in world history. We hope to then take a boat down the Stung Sanker River to Battambang. There, we could spend the night, look around, and then return to Phnon Penh. Finally, I think we will take the $12 bus to Ho Chi Minh City on January 30.

This part of my “China Trip” with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations gets me excited to once again teach history in class. Although the NCUSCR is China oriented, I am grateful and thankful for the opportunity to visit this part of the world as well. I know this experience will make me a better teacher. Thomas Aquinas is to have said, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." As small as my mind can sometimes be, in my mind I am reading a few more chapters of the world, and those chapters can only be read by being here. No movies or textbooks or lectures can give me better insight into the history and culture of Cambodia (and Vietnam).

The Teachers Exchange Program published The Exchange three times annually from the program's inception during the 1996-97 school year through December 2003. We have since shifted to an electronic format. See below for several back issues.

Coming Soon!