Coming Soon!

I got some interesting gifts for Christmas, but I just got my camera back from a friend. So I'll try to take pictures and put them up here soon. Ha!

Favorite Quotes 2

Back for Round 2 of my Favorite Quotes! I'll offer some explanations on some of these to help you understand the context. I think it will add a bit. Nonetheless, a good mix of funny and sappy quotes again :)

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If A is 1, B is 2, C is 3...Z is 26, then L+O+V+E = 54 and F+R+I+E+N+D+S+H+I+P = 108. Friendship is twice as strong as love. Thanks for your friendship!
-Thanksgiving wishes from a student

I open my wallet, find no money. I open my pocket, find no coin. I open my life, find you, then I know how rich I am. Forever my friend. Thank you!
-More Thanksgiving wishes (and no, my students aren't so clever as to come up with all these things...they are basically text message forwards, but they are nice, nonetheless)

In this world we are always losing something. When we lose these things we feel very sad. But we had better not lose these two things - the last bus going home and the woman you love deepest.
-A note from a girl student. Ha! If you asked her, though, she would have no idea of the possible implications of such a message.

What's wrong with you?
-A student said this to me to basically ask what had happened to me on a bad day. What he meant to convey was simply, "What's wrong?" But what was implied was, "Hey Crazy, are you mentally ill?" Ha. A simple misuse of a basic phrase, but it was funny.

Mr. Ross, it will be much cold tomorrow, so wear more cloths:-)
-From a boy student. God love 'em. I have more mothers in China than I ever dreamed possible in America. Even the boys tell me to watch out for "weather." That one's just for you , Mom.

Once there was a hero, his sword was cold, his heart was cold, and his hands were cold, too. Therefore, he died because he was so cold. That informs you that it is cold now. Wear more clothes!
-From a girl student. Sometimes it's pretty funny.

I'd like you to meet my friend. His English name is Condom.
-Sure enough, the boy's nickname in Chinese translates literally to condom. So he thought it was cool and picked it to be his English name. Yikes!

I was worried that you would feel disappointed with me because I am not really brave enough to pursue a big goal. And I think that it isn't really a rational affection. However, I just be turned into such a traditional girl and cannot get rid of this belief. I appreciate you very much for understanding. You are really generous to respect the idea that is opposite yours.
-A little difficult to read, but a very kind note from a student after we talked about goals in life. This student might like to be an artist of some sort, but it is not a stable career and cannot often pay for family needs. When we discussed the importance of doing work that is important to you, she really wanted to change her mind about her goals in life, but she could not. I told her I really respected her strong affection for her family, and I think doing so made a much bigger difference than trying to convince her otherwise. I think some good things were at work in this conversation, though many of the subtleties are not included here.

I am going to bed now, and I hope in my dream there is also a magical world. Of course, the handsome boy is most important, haha! Good dream!
-Ha. A girl wrote this after watching Spirited Away. Very funny.

Oh, Mr. Ross, my dear friend, I want to thank you! Thank you for giving me a chance to tell you a beautiful story in English! Before that I never thought I can do that, but you...yes, you...let me finish it. I am so happy. I want to tell you that I had a teacher I never forgot because she encouraged me to sing a song in public, and from then on I am not afraid to sing in public and I love singing. I miss her very much. Today you encouraged me to speak English and I tried to do it, and I know it is very bad, but I think I am not afraid to speak English from now on. I will keep working on my English, so I too am also a dangerous man!
-One of the students who now comes to Office Hours. The dangerous man part is in reference to a T.E. Lawrence quote that we shared with them all. Thanks, Jason.

Sincerely thank you. I will never refuse my friend's sincere words. Please trust me that my most value is friendship. We will talk more later.
-A note from a student after a disagreement of ideas. The student told me about some decisions he wanted to make, and I told him that I thought they were not good decisions. He didn't know how to handle the situation, so I told him that it was not my desire to tell him how to live his life - just to try to save him from some bad situations in the future. He really appreciated my sincerity, and I think he will make some wise decisions in the future now. So, I'm happy.

Haha, yesterday is so exciting that I dreamed Bruce Lee taught me how to fly. It sounds fun!
-So, I've started taking Kung Fu lessons, and my teacher (a student) is really excited about getting to teach a foreigner. It's a little scary at times, but it's really funny too.

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Okay, I thought I would just save these as a draft and wait for more quotes, but it's a good time for a post, and with my comments this is pretty long. So enjoy!

A Lament

Time. How is there never enough time here? I really don't understand it. But for me to keep my sanity about me, there is just never enough time to take care of all my school responsibilities, student responsibilities, rest, and still find time to email, blog, upload pictures, etc.

Oh, it's sad. Maybe you will not think so, but I certainly do. You see, there are really some great stories I would love to share on here. Some of them I'd share just to let you know what's going on with me. But some I'd like to share because they might offer some insights into life and people that you might not get in America. Poignant and pertinant, I think, especially among the church.

But, time. Time is not enough. I truly pray this will change next semester, as I will be basically repeating the work of this semester at that time. But I will have new students. We will see what life has in store.

Until then, know that things are going well. So well, in fact, that I lament the fact that I don't have time to tell you all the stories I have to share. Don't let that discourage you from telling me what's new with you, though. Even if I can't respond to you immediately, I still want to know, and I'll do my best to respond eventually :)

Favorite Quotes 1

I'm calling this Favorite Quotes "1" because I'm hoping that there will be other posts like this in the future. These quotes all came from my students. Some are funny; others very kind, and maybe a little sappy. I've only made some very minor changes to them so they can be read a little better. But some of the Chinglish I left behind for realism. I hope you enjoy. I know I have.

"Mr. Ross, you are a good teacher. You are doing a great job, and I'm very glad to be your student."

"Thank you for the way you treat us. You give me confidence many times, and I have learned a lot from you. You are a good teacher and friend, and you mean a lot to us. Keep on, Mr. Ross, we love you!"

"The radio station manager came by tonight and said you have a very sexy voice."

"Through this week's study and communication, we've seen that you are a good teacher and friend of us. You are enthusiastic, patient and friendly, sometimes like a cordial, big boy!"

"If you found yourself in a dark room, the walls around you are red and blood comes from everywhere, don't be scared - you are in my heart."

"Sometimes I feel you are not a foreigner but a Chinese friend. I am very happy to be your student."

"Mr. Ross, I think it is amazing. I can understand you so well. When you speak English, it's like you do not have an accent. When you speak Chinese, I almost think you are Chinese."

"Thank your teaching! It is very wonderful. In your class, I'm not afraid to make mistakes. So I dare to answer questions and speak English loudly."

"You have dreams and enthusiasm, unlike most professors in our college. You are a good teacher. I just want you to know that you are doing well and encourage you. I appreciate this kind of person such as you and wish you to be happy. It's true, not flattery."

"Mr. Ross, your Chinese is so standard - it is amazing! I think you have a great endowment for learning languages!"

Hahaha. I loved that last one. Really funny. And it's not too hard to see why this could build up a person's ego pretty quickly. Fortunately, I am aware that there are a lot of "kindnesses" shared in Chinese culture. So, not every compliment I receive is genuine, but even if only half of them are true, it's still pretty great.

But, it's great that, in being here, even though I have a chance to think, "Oh man, I must be the greatest thing since sliced bread," I know why I'm here. I know who brought me here and what purpose I'm here to achieve. And I know the glory is all His. So, thanks, Lord, for being who you are. I'm glad to be one of your students, too :)

A Newsletter's A Coming!

Well, hello, folks!

This will be brief, as I am still pressed for time, but I wanted to finally write something here again. It has been a busy stretch of time, as most of my stretches of time here have been. That's not a bad thing because it keeps me from being bored, but it also doesn't seem like a real reflection of life and goodness. So, I am hoping that after our retreat to Xi'an in a little over a week, I can try to be a little ahead of schedule and not have to go so day-to-day to make things work for me.

Coming to you soon will be my first newsletter. It is brief, as it's hard to say a lot in only one sheet of paper, but it gives a nice update of some things. I hope you'll enjoy it. In the meantime, I thought I'd write to say how my new teaching method is going.

This last week, I decided to change my teaching method a bit. Previously, I lectured directly on the textbook material, but I incorporated many games and challenging activities to get the students to think of the material in new ways. I wanted to see how well they could work with foreign ideas (many Chinese students do not spend much time working on problem solving skills). So, with this new approach, I have placed a lot of the learning responsibility back on the students.

Now, for each new concept we come across in our text, I decide if the concept adds value to their knowledge of understanding business, and potentially life as well. If I deem it worthy of discussion, then I have the students discuss the topic in one of several ways. Sometimes it involves acting out different situations. Sometimes they have to be the "teacher" for a little while and prepare a small discussion for the other students. Sometimes I have them take opposing sides of an argument and make them defend their side. Sometimes I have one team present an idea, and other teams can agree or disagree with their ideas. All-in-all, it really provides for some very intriguing discussions. You can truly see how their thought processes are different from our own, as they do not often go about problem solving in the way we do. It's very intriguing. And I'll be interested to see how this continues to go after more weeks of this approach.

But for now I must go play tennis with some students. But keep me accountable. I have 24 tests to finish grading before tomorrow, on top of my usual Sunday activities. Ah! Always so busy. But having a great time, too. How are you?

Tired, But Encouraged

Well, week 2 of teach is now well underway. Here are some things I've learned:

1) Teaching is TIRING
2) Lesson planning in TIRING
3) Coffee is GOOD :D
4) Watching students' eyes open brightly with understanding is REWARDING
5) It really pays off to be a CREATIVE teacher (thanks, Mom, for all your good ideas and inspiration)
6) All work and no play really is a BAD IDEA
7) Prayer is PIVOTAL to every aspect of our lives
8) It is not fun having a cough that will not GO AWAY
9) No matter how slowly you speak, some things just do not translate across CULTURES
10) YELLING is not a good motivator, but honest, sober DISCIPLINE accomplishes a lot

Class A, also known as "Full House" (after a Korean show, not poker or the American show), has been a great class for me. I have posted some pictures on my picture site if you'd like to see them. They are very animated, friendly, and they also seem to be very intelligent. I'm almost a little sad that at the end of this week, I will go to teach Class B, aka "Fantastic 24." But I'm excited about their class, too, as Rick (my teammate) tells me that they are a good and well behaved bunch.

Teaching is an interesting sort of occupation. It really does require you to pour yourself quite a bit in order to be effective and capable of gaining trust, respect, and favor in your students' eyes. But making that effort really seems worth it. It is a pretty great feeling to share a complex concept with the students and see them be able to grasp it and then perfectly complete an exercise that utilizes the skills just taught. I just hope they retain this stuff as well as they learn it initially!

But, all the many great things aside, I am still very tired. There is still so much preparation involved in each day's activities. I think this will get easier as I go, but I know that this entire first semester will just be tough. And I have had a nagging cough through it all. I don't know why it isn't going away either. Very annoying, for sure.

Anyway, I have passed on my afternoon nap today (they are almost a requirement for sanity) to write this because I realize I haven't given many updates lately. So, even though it isn't the best of my writings or stories, I hope you'll know it means a lot for this to be here. And perhaps when there is another block of free time, I can write about some of the fun things I've done here!

Everybody take care of themselves, let me know how you're doing, and continue praying diligently for all things and all the saints!

Prayer and Some Arrival Details

For those interested in the prayer article, click on the "Detour" sign above, or just click here! I can't guarantee its complete validity, but I can say that Rick and I have at least seen some of the sermon's principles at work here, so we are encouraged to continue praying daily. Here is the original blog post below.

Whew! A lot has happened since our arrival. I wish I could explain to you everything that has been going on, but for time and other considerations I will not. But suffice it to say, it has been an amazing time, full of many good things and anticipation for many more.

Some news items: We did arrive safely. I suffered from what I think was bronchitis combined with the flu for about 5 days. I'm still not completely over it, but for all practical purposes, I'd say I'm well again. I have been getting to know the lay of the land, some of the students from previous years, some friends of our program, and the other foreign teachers here. I may not get to mention them in great detail, but Peter and Glenn are the two other foreign teachers who live in our building. Peter is from Sweden, but he has spent many years in America as well (and even New Zealand, so we had some fun stories to share). Glenn is from England, and his love for soccer runs deep and true. Both of these guys are great fun, and I am thankful to have them here in addition to my teammate Rick.

Rick and I begin our teaching tomorrow morning. Wow. That really blows my mind. Day 1 should be pretty easy, I think, but it has a lot of formalities involved as well. Let's all hope that I am truly prepared to meet the challenges ahead of me (and the same for Rick!). I know this year will not be a cakewalk. I know some wrenches are going to be thrown our way. But I cannot deny that our time here has been met with so much blessing already that it's hard to believe that there are not big things in store for the year ahead.

Now, for your homework assignment. I have placed a link on the picture at the top of this post. It is to a sermon that Rick and I have come across (actually, one of Rick's friend heard this pastor speaking and wanted to know more, so this is a taste of what was out there). I know many of you come from many different backgrounds and beliefs, but I want each of you to read this sermon and give it some deep consideration. I cannot vouch with full validity of the things discussed in this sermon. They challenge my mind and world views quite a bit, but I tell you with all honesty - Rick and I have been living like what is in there is true, while asking for correction if it is not, and thus far, we have not been disappointed in the results. So much so that I think you would be remiss to dismiss this information without first giving it a try yourself. Perhaps with a friend - it is easier to stay vitalized with someone sharing the burden. But I want you all to try this, and tell me if the flames are not felt in your life and in the lives of the people you meet.

Now I have to go to bed. Blessings to you all. Your lives have enriched mine, and I am thankful for that.

Some Good News

Well, there are still a lot of unanswered questions here as training begins to wind down, but I have had some good news come my way lately. We had to turn in all of our lesson plans yesterday. Thank goodness that is done! Well, at least for now. They will need to be tweaked in country, but I finished the full year's worth of classes. As an added bonus, my instructors told me they were very pleased with my lesson plans and thought they would serve me well.

My other piece of good news is that it seems God has already been faithful in transforming me into the teacher I need to be. Just recently we had another practice teaching session, and it seems I've come a long way since our first practice teaching session. My nerves calmed down a good bit, my examples were relevant, easy to understand, and were conducive to discussion among the students. I still need to slow down my speech pattern a bit, and I will need to be diligent about repeating information several times over to make sure the students know all the words I'm using and understand the concepts I'm talking about before I go onto the next idea. But, according to my instructors, I'm really quite ready to go teach abroad! Thank you, Lord, for being so swift in revealing your goodness in me!

We are beginning to wind things down here, and the thought of going abroad is just now starting to sink in. Wow! It's a little intimidating, honestly. Comfort zone, get ready to be blasted away. But, man, God's faithfulness to me has been so abundantly present to me during this time of training, there's no way I can be fearful about what's ahead. Obviously He has already had His hand on me, blessing my steps and me with constant outpourings of His goodness and glory. And for those of you who know me well, you know that I am not the most optimistic, happy-go-lucky person in my times of reflection - so for me to be this pleased with my circumstances is a true testament to the fact that God has gone over and above to meet me in this time.

Alas, training isn't over yet, and I have another class to attend RIGHT NOW. Ah! Hope you're all doing well. Write me when you can. I'll do my best to return the courtesy :)

Week 3 - Closed for Repairs

Are we there yet? No! In fact, I have 1 more entire week devoted to lesson planning before I get to rest. And by rest, I mean get on a 10+ hour plane ride, have a little more orientation, and then get on a 10 hour train ride. Woo hoo! Hahaha. Nah, it's not that bad, really.

In all honesty, I am pretty tired of making, refining, refining, and refining lesson plans. But, as always, I know there is a lot of value in getting these things mapped out before I depart. This week was also a little more difficult because I have actually gotten sick. I am definitely trying to get in rest where I can, but there isn't always a lot to be had. I am eating well and taking my vitamins, but I guess with allergy problems and sleep deprivation, I could only expect to go so long before I was hit with something. Let's hope it passes quickly.

The friendships that I've been building here have been great. God has truly brought together some great people with great visions to this place. The only disappointing thing about it is that, after we all get on our planes, I won't see any of them again (except for my teammate) until our first retreat, 90 days into our time abroad. But for now, they are here, and I am truly enjoying my time with them.

What else? I am reminded of how much I really, really love having a world filled with music. When you find yourself going from class to class all day long with few breaks in between, there isn't a lot of time to hear and sing along to some good melodies. I guess one of the good things about lesson planning time is that I can generally put on my headphones and enjoy some tunes for a while. It's great to see how much peace and enjoyment I get from these times. I hope God will always keep a good song in my heart or in my ears, as it is something that instantly reveals His goodness to me.

For those of you who can, I would love prayer for a strong finish. This upcoming week is our last one here, and things must be wrapped up before I go. So, as I continue to get well, I hope that God will bless me with increasing mental vigor to really come up with some great lesson plans to share with my students. I think I will enjoy the challenges of teaching, but I will definitely need some divine guidance to help me become the teacher I need to be.

How are things in your world? Let me hear from you if you have time!

Training, Week 2 - Preparations

Week 2 is down, and I'm already in the midst of the excitement of week 3. And while the weight of the world seems to be resting on my every lesson plan, the image that keeps coming to mind is a scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I believe Pippin is talking with Gandalf as they look over the Pelennor Fields. I can't remember the exact line, but Pippin basically says that it's almost harder being on the edge of an inevitable battle than being in the midst of it. This is about how I feel.

I have never really been one who cared a lot for the necessary steps of preparation. Whenever I'd buy a new game, I'd want to start playing it immediately with no regard for reading the instructions. Same situation with things that require assembly or time to put in order. Maybe this is just part of being a guy, but I'd much rather head straight into the battle to see what I'm up against than to have to spend excessive amounts of time dealing with the "theory" of the battle, prior to engaging in it. But it seems I have much to learn from this time of being patient, being molded, and finally (hopefully) being transformed into a real, honest-to-goodness overseas business teacher.

I am thankful that, at this place, there is much encouragement and plenty of affirmation among all the critiques. They do not bloat our egos, but they do not crush our souls either - a fine balance, indeed. And I am thankful to see that, even though my teammate and I are very different people, it seems we actually do work pretty well together. I'm sure we'll face many hardships once we're abroad, but it's great to see true community here, and I hope I will remember it in the hard times ahead.

Thanks to all of you who have been sending me some really, truly wonderful notes of encouragement, in addition to keeping me up to date of what all is happening in your lives. I will do my best to respond to each of you personally as time is available.

But for now, I am still finding out just how important sleep is. Don't worry, Mom, I'm not sick - but I would greatly appreciate any of you who might offer prayers for continued health. Some days I feel a good bit sluggish, and it becomes hard to give 100% to all the tasks of the day. But the crazy thing is - I actually WANT to give 100% to them all - how often does that happen?!?!?! Okay, well, maybe a few exercises I'm not too thrilled about, but you get the picture.

Love you all. Get some rest for me, too :)

Teaching...Knowing really is only HALF the battle

Today I had my first trial run as a business teacher. My instructor encouraged me by telling me in confidence that he wished he had 20 of me to send to China. However, that kindness aside, the other comments from him and the rest of my reviewers were overwhelmingly that my teaching style is best suited to American students, not Chinese ones. I am realizing that I’m going to have to be retrained in my presentation skills. And, while I know that over time these things will gradually be worked out in me, I figured I would post some prayer requests on here that you might consider offering for me in the meantime. I would truly love if God’s heart was moved to see my instincts supernaturally changed. Here are the areas where it seems I need the most change/prayer:

Use shorter sentences
Use smaller, less complex words
Use more relevant examples from Chinese culture
Wait for more responses from students, despite their silence
Incorporate less complex logic into conveying ideas
Learn to use the chalkboard as often as possible

I realize that there may be many good things for the Lord to show me through this transformation process. So, I will certainly be patient as my instincts are changed. But, as quickly as I can progress through this process and not miss the critical lessons He has in store for me, I would ask Him to bless me with an expedited path to proficiency as a Chinese teacher. I hope, if you remember me before Him, you might ask for similar things, or feel free to offer your own insights.

Training, Week 1

Well the first full week of training has completed, and it has been a doozy! I've had all sorts of new ideas, policies, and classroom information thrown at me. But wait, it gets better next week! Hahaha, that's actually a bit sarcastic. Our schedule this week has gone from 6am (when I get up to run or read) until 9:30 or 10pm, with very few breaks in between. Next week we will keep the same schedule, but over the course of the next 2 weeks, I'm supposed to come up with lesson plans for EVERY CLASS I'LL BE TEACHING FOR THE NEXT YEAR! Yikes! Needless to say, that's a hefty task, especially since I've never taught before, and some of this business information will be unfamiliar to me.

But, all that acknowledged, I'm really excited about it all. I'll be teaching two classes - Marketing and Operations. My teammate will be teaching Management and Finance. I think that plays pretty well to our individual strengths, which is very helpful. Now let's just hope I can survive through this next phase so I can actually get to teach the courses abroad!

There are many things I could complaign about - many comforts that I have already had to leave behind to come just to LA - but, really, it all pales in comparison to the amazing things going on inside of me and in the folks at training. I'm not going to be making much money this year, and I may be losing valuable years of experience in the workforce, but I can't think of a place I'd rather be right now than here, in the midst of all this craziness. I'm very optimistic about this year - struggles, hardships and all! Now, y'all just be sure to remind me I said this when in 2-3 months I'm all upset at my circumstances :)

So, how are things for you? A lot of you great folks have taken a moment to say hello, and I sure have loved it. Since I don't have a lot of time, I may not write back the greatest responses to any emails, but I sure would love to hear from anyone who'd like to say hello.

Missing you all, but thankful to be a part of a great vision...