Resources for Learning Chinese

Unfortunately, I have not progressed nearly as much as I had hoped in learning some basic Chinese before I leave for China. However, I have been able to get a basic orientation to the language and to secure several resources to take with me. I am hoping that I will be able to secure language lessons or a tutor once in Chengdu. The resources I'm taking with me include: (1) Living Language's Ultimate Mandarin Chinese Basic-Intermediate with a text book and forty lessons on CDs, (2) Pimsleur's Mandarin Chinese with sixteen lessons on eight CDs, (3) Instant Immersion's Chinese Mandarin on eight CDs, (4) Chinese Character Flashcards from On-line Chinese Tools, (5) Transparent Language's Chinese Before You Know It Deluxe, (6) Wendy Tung's Easy Chinese Phrasebook & Dictionary (Passport Books), (7) Oxford Starter Chinese Dictionary edited by Boping Yuan and Sally K. Church, (8) Tuttle Language Library's Reading & Writing Chinese - Simplified Character Edition by William McNaughton, and (9) Tutle Language Library's Chinese Character Fast Finder - Simplified Characters by Laurence Matthews.

Dr. Aaron Feng Lan's web site at Florida State University provides a detailed tutorial for downloading and installing the Microsoft Global IME for Chinese plus several other interesting links related to Chinese newspapers, libraries and sites of special interest.

Theron Standford's PinyinTextfield at provides a method to type Pinyin and then copy and paste it into a word processing or other computer program.

These should all be helpful resources as I work to learn basic Chinese during my six-months in Chengdu.

Packing: Computer, Camera & Walkman

Givens: This is my first experience at being away from home for six or more months living on my own with specific community service responsibilities. The Chengdu YMCA will provide me with an apartment with two bedrooms, a shower-bath room, a sitting room and a kitchen, with furniture, kitchen and household utensils, heating and air conditioners and other electric appliances. Electricity, gas, water and housekeeping expenses will be provided by the YMCA. Larry & Carole told me that the apartment had sheets, blankets and towels. The Y will also provide me with a bicycle for in-city use; plus a Y driver and car will take me to the rural Gangqing Primary School where I will teach two days/week. The Y will also provide a lunch from Monday to Friday at the Y-staff canteen or at the Gangqing Primary School. A stipend is provided monthly toward the costs of the other meals and telephone service. With these givens, I've tried to figure out what I need to take with me to Chengdu. This is the first of several "packing posts" to share what I've decided - thinking it might be helpful to future volunteers in this program. As time progresses I'll write about what else I should have taken and what I could have left at home.

Computer: I've always used a desk top computer at home. After deciding to go to Chengdu in June, I purchased a Toshiba Satellite laptop with the Microsoft XP Media Center operating system, MicroTrend Anti-Virus, SpySweeper, a CD/DVD player/burner and wireless capability. Accessories for the laptop include a universal power cord/cable and AC adapter, a plug adapter to make it compatible with the Chinese electrical outlets, a wireless mouse, a headset with earphones and microphone, a multi-type card reader primarily for my CompactFlash camera cards, a telephone cable if I start out with dial up Internet service, a 25' networking cable to connect the computer to a DSL/cable modem, a SanDisk 1.0 GB thumb drive (to transfer data between computers and to provide the ability to make Skype calls on computers without the Skype software) and several blank CDs and DVDs if I need to burn some material for use at the YMCA or school. The primary software I've put on the laptop includes Microsoft Office Professional (Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, Access and FrontPage), Microsoft Viso Standard, Adobe Acrobat Professional 7.0, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0, Roxio Easy Media Creator 9 Suite, and Avery DesignPro Media Edition. It also has some Toshiba provided software, plus Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, RealPlayer, and Windows Life Messenger. I've also installed the Skype software for making Internet telephone calls to family and friends around the world and Google Earth to view locations around the world. I'll also take the printed guides that came with the laptop as there are some features I have not yet used.

Camera: WIll take my Kodak digital camera with plenty of CompactFlash cards, two sets of rechargeable batteries, a battery recharger, an appropriate voltage converter and plug adapter for the recharger. Also, have some extra regular batteries if needed. Plus, I will take my Kodak Camera Users Guide and Scott Kelby's The Photoshop Elements 4 Book for Digital Photograhers, published by New Riders, 2005.

Walkman: The ESL programs used in the school and at the YMCA both include taped material; and the Chinese course offered to the volunteers last year included taped material. Thus, I am taking our battery powered Walkman in order to be able to play the tapes in my apartment.

Other: The only other battery powered equipment I'm taking is a beard trimmer which will need to be recharged (will use the voltage adapter above). I am also taking a couple of regular three prong to two prong plug adapters and a small surge protector.

China Consular Information Sheet

Received the updated (22 Sept 2006) China Consular Information Sheet from the U.S. State Department. Under Safety and Security, it reminded: "American citizens who rent apartments with gas applicances should be aware that, in some areas, natural gas is not scented to warn occupants of gas leaks or concentrations...Due to fatal accidents involving American citizens, travelers are advised to ensure all gas appliances are properly vented and to install gas and carbon monoxide detectors in their residences. These devices are not widely available in China and should be purchased prior to arrival." Purchased a battery powered, dual smoke and carbon monoxide Kidde The Talking Alarm and added it to my stack to pack.

Confirmed Flights; Ordered Limo

Called China Airlines and confirmed my flights: JFK>Anchorage> Taipei, Taipei>Hong Kong and Hong Kong>Chengdu. Got aisle seats on the first two flights. Confirmed my luggage limits -- the normal size and weight of two checked bags, plus one carry-on not over 15 pounds. Found out I could take, if necessary, an extra checked bag under 70 pounds for $117.00! They want you to check in 3 hours ahead of the 11:45 PM flight; the counter opens four hours ahead of the flight (7:45 PM). Ordered a limo to pick me up at our son's house in Tenafly NJ at 6:00 PM to go to JFK. Have scheduled to get a haircut and beard trim the morning of departure, before driving to NJ. Checked the time zones: Anchorage is four hours earlier than NYC; Taipei, Hong Kong and Chengdu are all 12 hours later than NYC (guess that makes China 16 hours later than Anchorage). Now I've just got to figure out the best eating and sleeping schedule for the trip to reduce the effects of jetlag with the 12 missed hours.

Absentee Ballot

Got my absentee ballot today so was able to cast my vote in the November election before leaving for China. I think this was the first time I've ever had to use the absentee method to vote.

Major Sites: Qingcheng Mountain

"This is a famous Taoist mountain and a world cultural heritage. It was named Qingcheng (azure city) because the green mountains join together to form an enclosure that looks very much like a city wall. The mountain, which is mainly conglomerate, has 36 peaks, the highest standing 1,600 meters above sea level. It is said that Zhang Ling, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, first built a thatched house there to preach Tao doctrines. Later his son Zhang Heng, and grandson Zhang Lu, continued to preach there. A number of famous Taoists had also stayed there practicing Taoism. Over the years, many Taoist temples had been built on the mountain and 38 still remain." West China Travel Guide, China National Tourism Administation. Also, see Wikipedia, ChinaCulture.org, ChinaTravel.com, WHTour.org, Frommer's, Sinoway Travel, Travel in China CD Series, Maps-of-China.net and Welcome to Chengdu.

Major Sites: Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area

One of the top scenic areas of Sichuan Province is the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area known for its undisturbed primitave beauty. It is a World Natural Heritage Site. It was named Jiuzhaigou because there are nine Tibetan villages in the area. Wang HL has posted his pictures of Jiuzhaigou on Flickr. A brief description with pictures is on the official Welcome to Chengdu site.

A Historical Perspective of Chengdu

The 1940 instructional documentary People of Western China provides a historical perspective of the Chengdu valley.

Major Sites: The Giant Pandas of Chengdu

Sichuan Province and Chengdu are famous as the home of the Giant Pandas. From several videos on YouTube you get an idea why folks love the Giant Panda: Panda Research Center - Chengdu, China; Hugging the Panda Cub in Chengdu; Playing Pandas 1; Red Pandas; and Hugging FuFu. The cover article in the July 2006 issue of National Geographic is about the Giant Pandas of Western China. To learn more see links to articles on the Giant Panda. I'm looking forward to visiting the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center and the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base and maybe I'll get to hug a Giant Panda! Also, see Frommer's.

Zhang Yimou's Chengdu

Get a feel for Chengdu, the beautiful capital of Sichuan Province, from Zhang Yimou's Chengdu - a five minute video by the acclaimed director of Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, To Live and Hero posted on YouTube. Read more about Zhang Yimou on Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia.

Religions Help Build Harmonious Society

One of the news stories currently on the web page of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in New York is entitled Religions Help Build Harmonious Society. The article is based on an exclusive interview by Xinhua with Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs. Ye is quoted as saying "Religions are one of the social forces that are worth much attention in the country's social and economic construction. It can play an active yet unique role in many aspects. He said the Chinese government will work to help the religions restrain their negative elements and promote their positive ones thro enhancing management according to the law and adhering to the established practice of running religious affairs in an independent self-support way. Take a moment and read the entire article at the above link.

Relearning an Old Skill

The Chengdu YMCA will be providing me with a bicycle to get around the city. Since I had not ridden a bike in over thirty years, I thought I should relearn this old skill. Our daughter loaned me her bike until I leave for Chengdu and our son's family gave me a helmet for Fathers' Day. I've regained my basic skill to ride a bike; now the challenge will be to make the transition from no bike traffic in rural Pennsylvania to heavy bike traffic in Chengdu.

50 Years of YMCA Involvement

My first connection with the YMCA was as a Hi-Y member while a student at Davenport High School in Iowa. The YMCA is now known as the Scott County Family YMCA. A major highlight of my Hi-Y years was serving as a state legislator in Iowa's Youth & Government Program. After my first year in college (1958), the YMCA Youth Director recruited me onto the staff of YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln. I was not real enthusiastic about the opportunity, but it was a fantastic experience that was to influence the rest of my life. The next year, my Y Director moved to the Frost Valley YMCA in NY and invited me to join the summer staff of YMCA Camp Wawayanda. Got married the following winter and Frost Valley did not have any appropriate positions open for married staff. But, the Program Director from Wawayanda had become the Director of YMCA Camp Bernie in NJ and invited my wife and I to join his staff. We worked at Bernie in the summers of 1960 and 1961. At the end of the summer, the Ridgewood YMCA offered me a position which I accepted and I served seven years on their staff in youth and camping services, including being the first resident director of YMCA Camp Bernie. In 1968 I joined the staff of the Westfield YMCA, later become the General Director and served in Westfield until 1975 when I joined the staff of the YMCA of the USA in the Middle Atlantic Regional Office. In 1978 I was named the John R. Mott Fellow of the National Board of YMCAs and spent a year in graduate school at New York University. Following my student year, I served as Interim General Director of the Passaic-Clifton-Garfield YMCA and of the Ocean County YMCA for several months. In 1981, I became President/CEO of the Madison Area YMCA and served until I retired in 1995. After my retirement to Pennsylvania, I spend a few months as the Interim General Director of the Bloomsburg Area YMCA in PA. In Lords Valley, our local YMCA is YMCA Camp Speers-Eljabar. As a YMCA volunteer I continue to serve as a member of the Region I Committee on Membership Standards of the YMCA of the USA. Links to the web sites of these YMCAs with which I have had the pleasure to serve are in the right sidebar.

Historical China

To get an overview of the history of China, I'm reading Stephen G. Haw's A Traveller's History of China [New York: Interlink Publishing Group Inc., 2003]. My son has shared with me, Jack Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World [New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004] which I think will be my reading material for the 30+ hour trip from my home in Pennsylvania to Chengdu in early October.

Getting an Overview of the Historical, Natural & Cultural Sites

Out of the many travel guides available on China, I've selected two from my favorite travel series: Lonely Planet's China [Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, 2005] and Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness Travel Guide China [New York: DK Publishing Inc., 2005]. I like Lonely Planet's detailed information on each location, their maps, their recommendations for budget accomondations and food, and their guidance on alternative ways to get to each place. And, I like DK's narratives combined with beautiful color pictures of the historical, natural and cultural wonders of China.

The China National Tourist Administration's guides and maps of provinces and cities provide lots of useful information. Among the guides I picked up in New York were: China Travel Guide, Guide to Museums of China, West China Travel Guide (covers Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces and Chongqing Municipality), Beijing Travel Guide, Xi'an Travel Guide, Guilin Travel Guide, The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, China Mountains Tour, and Chongqing China.

Preparing to Live and Work in China

In order to get some idea of how it will be living and working in China, I've read two books which have provided some interesting insights from different perspectives.

Andrew Williamson's Living and Working in China [Oxford: How To Books Ltd, 2005] is based on his experience as a business person in China. His chapter titles give an idea of the breadth of material covered: The Living and Working Experience, Safekeeping, Epidemiology, Healthcare, Accommodation, Domestic Staff, Keeping Dogs, Climate and Clothing, Communications, Transport, Work Practices and Expat Life. He lived in Beijing while posted to China.

Peter Hessler in River Town: Two Years on the Yantze [New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001] writes of his two-year experience ten years ago in Fulong, a Yantze River town, as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching English literature in a university. During his teaching experience, he and a fellow Peace Corps volunteer were about the only westerners in Fulong. He details his experiences within the university setting and in his daily excursions into the community, providing insights into the social and political environment of modern China.

Invitation & Accomplishing the Basics

In early July I received my official invitation from the National Committee of YMCAs of China to come to China for six-months starting October 5 to work at the Chengdu YMCA. Along with the invitation was a "Suggested Plan for Hawkins' Volunteering at Chengdu YMCA" outlining the purpose of my visit: to help the Chengdu YMCA in its program development, rural community service, administration and staff capacity building; to help the staff with learning English; to strengthen the mutual understanding between the Chengdu YMCA and YMCAs of the USA; and to enhance the cultural exchange and friendship between the Chinese people and the American people. My specific assignments would include: teaching English eight hours/week to elementary students at the Gangquing Primary School in Jintang County, a poverty suburban county 40 kilometers from the city of Chengdu; conducting an oral English class six hours/week for the Chengdu YMCA staff; coaching and consulting with the YMCA General Secretary on YMCA administration, operations and program planning; and assisting with YMCA programs as appropriate for my skills and experience.

With the invitation, I went to the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in New York City and secured by six-month visa for China. I've been to a couple of other visa offices in NYC and the PRC office was the most efficient and pleasant that I've visited. After completing my visa application, I was able to walk across Manhattan to the Chinese National Tourist Office on the 64th floor of the Empire State Building to pick up a variety of maps and guides to China.

With my visa, NAFYR had me work through Avia Travel of Berkeley CA to secure my roundtrip airline ticket. In order to keep open the option of extending my visa to travel in China after my six-month volunteer commitment, Avia was able to secure an open return ticket good for more than six-months which would also permit me to stop-over in Hong Kong on my return trip. My flights will be with China Airlines and Air China.

Next, I contacted the International Travel Clinic at Moses Taylor Hospital in Sranton PA regarding my immunizations. While none were required and my Hepatitis B was current; the Clinic recommended that I get Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus & Diphtheria, and Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. Completed the shots and got my International Certificate of Vaccination card updated.

Since Medicare is the valid out of the USA and my supplement would cover me for a limited period, I looked for an insurance policy that would meet my medical and emergency needs. I had planned to join Hosteling International USA so I could stay in HI certified hostels and guesthouses in China. Through HI I was able to secure HostelCare by TravelGuard which provides adequite coverages for trip interruption, medical expense, emergency medical transportation, repatriation of remains and accidental death and dismemberment, plus some travel assist services. While I hope not to need these coverages, they provide the protection needed for international travel.

Becoming Aware & Volunteering

The Old Guard News of the North American Fellowship of YMCA Retirees [NAFYR] in June 2006 headlined the request of its International Senior Service Corps [ISSC] for YMCA retiree volunteers to spend six months in Chengdu or Beijing, China, "learning the culture of a foreign country while having a guaranteed experience of a lifetime." NAFYR volunteers teach English and provide program and management assistance to YMCAs they serve.

I read the article over breakfast, discussed it with my wife who encouraged me to consider this opportunity for international service, and contacted Peg, the ISSC Chair, regarding my interest. Learning that the Chengdu opportunity still existed and after talking with Carole and Larry who were the NAFYR volunteers in Chengdu last year, I submitted a brief resume and references. In a short time I was notified that I had been accepted as the NAFYR Volunteer for 2006-2007 with the Chengdu YMCA and would be spending October 2006 through March 2007 in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in southwestern China.