Last Day of Classes

Hi all

We had our last formal ESL classes today. Now I have to organize all of the material into working lesson plans!

Are those fog horns?

I spent a delightful evening with my sister, Mary Eileen on Friday. We ate a "hipster" restaurant on Mission Street called "Foreign Cinema". The food was outstanding and the restaurant shows films on the back wall of the outside eating area. I am totally impressed!

Saturday afternoon was spent - what else - shopping! The area is - what else - way cool - adjacent to the ball park. We had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant that specializes in various combinations of grilled cheese called The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen.

When I walked to Mass at Saint Ignatius, [located on the campus of USF] I heard fog horns. The sky above me was a brilliant blue - yet when I reached the top of "Lone Mountain" I saw fog streaming hurriedly through the Golden Gate enveloping the coastal areas in its embrace. The sonorous bellows of the horns was a reminder that we often can be lost in a personal fog while others move in sunlight. A good meditation prior to attending Mass. The church of Saint Ignatius resembles many of the churches in Europe - Romanesque architecture with small altars along the sides. The main altar sits below a dome high above the sacristy with a Rosetta atop it. ( I will attach some photos) The choir was incredible and the liturgy was quite "high church". The homily was brilliant.

I am off to celebrate Father's Day with my sister and her husband. My two Jesuit companions will join us... "Fathers on Father's Day"!

San Francisco: Open your pearly gates!

I took the above photo on my walk to my class this morning!

This is my second day at the University of San Francisco. I have learned my way around the campus - which is lovely! This is a photo of the dorm/suite in which I am residing!

My instructional classes in ESL are excellent and quite intense. My Jesuit colleagues - well, they rock! No surprise there!!! We received our Chinese names today. My name is Quian - which means Jane. I also have practiced writing my name in Chinese - not as easy as it might appear!

I'm off to dinner this evening with my really neat sister, Mary Eileen, who lives in the Bay area. This should be wonderful as our conversation is always interesting and lively.

Major question: Who would not want to attend university here?

University of San Francisco

Hi all!

I completed my first day of ESL classes. My professor is astounding - excellent! There is much to cover and right now - it is a bit overwhelming! However, I had not expected that technology i.e. Youtube, film, etc. would be so supportive and essential when teaching English to non native speakers. Actually, much of the information I have gained will enable me to teach freshmen English at SICP using additional interesting methods. Conversation and verbal language is essential.

The great aspect of teaching is that I am always aware of how much I have to learn.

The photo you see is taken from the USF campus... quite lovely.

San Francisco: I did leave my heart!

Well, my journey has begun. It was a bit of an interesting start! I arrived at O'Hare Airport at 9:00 a.m. for my 10:30 a.m. flight -- only to find out that the flight had been cancelled! I then waited in line at American for an hour. The ticket attendant was absolutely darling! I was booked on the next flight out - at 6:00 p.m.!

I waited around the airport - only to change gates five times! Of course, my flight was delayed and we eventually got under way at 7:30 p.m. Thankfully, it was a smooth flight and I completed reading Shanghai Girls. This is an excellent novel about China from 1920 to the 1960s.

I arrived, grabbed a cab, and found my way to the University of San Francisco. Goodness - what a gorgeous school sitting atop hills with the Golden Gate in visibility. The weather is breezy with ocean winds that dance down the street.

I met my Jesuit partners! Absolutely cool!

R U Ready???? I bought chop sticks - so let's go!

Hi all! It is six days until lift off! I am packing suitcases and a box to forward to Xiamen.

My first stop is San Francisco! I will be staying at the University of San Francisco. I will be training for my teaching duties in Xiamen. I hope to see my sister, Mary Eileen, who lives in the Oakland hills.

For those of you who wish to teach or visit China, there are excellent sites on the web.

Here is what I did to prepare:

1. You must obtain a visa in addition to a passport. You must obtain your visa at a nearby Chinese consulate. It is a busy place - so give yourself time. Be sure to download and fill out the application prior to your visit. You should also have a passport photo glued to the application.

2. It is suggested that you obtain shots: I had a Hepatitis A and B/Tetanus/Typhoid

3. If you travel in the summer, it will be quite warm - which is no different than Chicago! Thus bring light clothing. Do not wear all black!

I have placed some photos of Xiamen on the blog. I will place original photos on this blog when I arrive! As you can see, this is a large city - like Chicago! I checked and there is a Starbucks in the city - whew!

I will update this when I settle in San Francisco.

Getting Ready for China!

It is now six days until lift off! I will fly to San Francisco on Wednesday