On August 1 Gallop International English School will host the final round of the 2nd Annual Shaanxi Province Spoken English Network Contest. To take place at a hotel located in the eastern part of the city the whole day event will be packed with the finalists who have successfully advanced through the other several rounds of competition.
Round one began in May as kindergarten students across the province were video recorded giving speeches, singing songs or doing chats. These videos were judged and a hundred plus of the best were offered entry to the next round. As the kindergarten students were having their online competition primary and middle school students were busy preparing themselves for their first encounter with judges that took place that same month.
Huanghe Experiment Primary School was the location of the first round for these older kids. For two days Chinese teachers and judges viewed thousands of children’s prepared introductions and monologues, all varying in degrees of difficulty. Depending on the education level the students would then be asked to describe a picture or tell a story using four given words. Subsequently the best students where given certificates and either excused from the competition or offered advancement to the semi-final round.
Many of the students attend English training institutions such as Gallop International. These students work with foreign, native English speaking teachers and their abilities in the competition are noticeably higher and more proficient. Before the semi-finals on July 17 and 18 many of the students attended trainings offered by Gallop to prepare them for the competition. They not only gave the students a better understanding of what the competition would demand of them but the preperation gave them more confidence.
The semi-finals were held for 2 days in the Gallop office in the Tian Cia building on Jin Hua Bei Lu. Hundreds of nervous students and their proud parents lined the hallways of the school. Chinese judges were accompanied by foreign representatives of the school. The 12 foreigners are a mixture of American, British and Irish nationalities and were there to lend their native tongues to the competition. They asked questions of the kindergarteners, had primary students describe pictures and asked the middle school students to creatively construct four words into a story.
Overall they will be asked to help critic the videos of the contestants after the results are tallied when the semi-final winners begin to prepare for the grand finale on August 1. there will be a whole host of winners on the day in August, no one child with walk away with the prize, but the top of the top will have a chance to go to Beijing for the China National Spoken English Competition as representatives of Shaanxi Province. An honor many of the children dream of for themselves, their families and schools.
To view the contestants from this year and see footage from last years contest please visit http://www.ccgjyyds.com/
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
What am I doing with my life?
Well I am 28 years-old and I have been in Xi’an, Shaanxi, China for a little over 9 months now! It is strange to think about that I am ¾ of the way finished with my contract, it is completely believable though because never in my life has time gone by so quickly. It was a blink ago that I was sitting in my living room being amazed by the barrage of fireworks from Spring Festival, or that November night that I looked out of my window and saw that in just a few short hours a blanket of white powdery snow had covered the ground below.
It has been a life altering 9 months. People ask me what it was like when I first arrived in China and I tell them all the same thing, I don’t know, I can’t remember. The first month is a complete blur, a sort of cultural and life withdrawal. I remember being confused and a bit scared, not scared in a safety kind of way but in a completely helpless way. Not being able to navigate the community around me was distressing. Separation from everything and everyone that I knew and loved, all I was accustomed to was gone. I didn’t leave the most stable and healthy life in Columbia so there was a bit of emotional recovery needed, an overall self-rehabilitation, and that first month was the thick of it.
I remember climbing Huashan in October, and after that everything comes into focus. I remember sitting at Oscar’s on a Thursday night and listening to Ryan sing familiar songs while young handsome Marcello strummed the acoustic guitar. Helping Pierre hang curtains in the bar so that when the temperature dropped the tiny space would retain some heat. On cold winter nights sipping and staining my teeth with the smooth red wine, laughing with new found friends and walking to the main street to hail a cab. I remember having to show the cab driver my address on my cell phone because I didn’t know enough Chinese to get myself home.
Now the weather has warmed, so much so that my friends from England are near their personal boiling points on a daily basis. For me it is much like home, except that Xi’an has a wonderful breeze that trolls through the city which I hope last through August.
August. How strange that seems, August, two hard hot months away. It is the month where everything will change again. How it will change is still somewhat of an unknown. I have options, which is always nice, but which way to go which alley to walk down which door to choose? I have been offered a job in Shanghai. I would still be teaching the young enthusiastic children that have been such a monumentally wonderful part of the past 9 months. I would get paid a better salary that I am now and would be in a city that sounds fast-paced and fascinating. I would have mornings off to write and study, I could take the GRE and hopeful head back to school in fall 2011. A plan that sounds ideal, but a bit unnerving. Moving to another city after Xi’an has finally become familiar. Learning a different language, again, because each province has its own dialect and the mandarin is twisted and turned. My simple knowledge would become almost useless in the busy streets of Shanghai. However, it is a city more apt and accustomed to foreigners. It would be easier than Xi’an, less staring and there spitting is not allowed. One Chinese habit I will be glad to part from.
That is what I would do if I stayed in China. It is a path that I can visualize. I know the job and I would have a track, a goal and a purpose. But if I choose that path I might not be able to come home to visit in August, I would have to stay here to make the visa process easier. That would push my trip to the states back to October or maybe even Christmas or February. Something that I could ultimately be OK with but not necessarily an idea I am happy about. I miss the faces and the streets of my home town.
There is a part of me that wants to say no to the job offer in Shanghai. I could get on a plane in August and fly home, welcomed by those whom I have missed. That is all that I can see of that choice though, the visual ends there. I don’t have the opportunities in the states that I do in China. I am inherently employable here because I was born in America and English is my native language. It would take much more than that to land a job back home. I don’t have a home to go back to, and the process of seeking a job and an apartment seems daunting and expensive. Oddly enough staying in this foreign land is the easy thing to do.
So here I am. Changed is the girl who got on a plane and flew to China. Ready to make the next leap, but wanting to be fully prepared and aware of the ground that I will land on. The next couple of months will be sweaty and hard but I will welcome the cool breeze of autumn wherever I may be when it blows past!
It has been a life altering 9 months. People ask me what it was like when I first arrived in China and I tell them all the same thing, I don’t know, I can’t remember. The first month is a complete blur, a sort of cultural and life withdrawal. I remember being confused and a bit scared, not scared in a safety kind of way but in a completely helpless way. Not being able to navigate the community around me was distressing. Separation from everything and everyone that I knew and loved, all I was accustomed to was gone. I didn’t leave the most stable and healthy life in Columbia so there was a bit of emotional recovery needed, an overall self-rehabilitation, and that first month was the thick of it.
I remember climbing Huashan in October, and after that everything comes into focus. I remember sitting at Oscar’s on a Thursday night and listening to Ryan sing familiar songs while young handsome Marcello strummed the acoustic guitar. Helping Pierre hang curtains in the bar so that when the temperature dropped the tiny space would retain some heat. On cold winter nights sipping and staining my teeth with the smooth red wine, laughing with new found friends and walking to the main street to hail a cab. I remember having to show the cab driver my address on my cell phone because I didn’t know enough Chinese to get myself home.
Now the weather has warmed, so much so that my friends from England are near their personal boiling points on a daily basis. For me it is much like home, except that Xi’an has a wonderful breeze that trolls through the city which I hope last through August.
August. How strange that seems, August, two hard hot months away. It is the month where everything will change again. How it will change is still somewhat of an unknown. I have options, which is always nice, but which way to go which alley to walk down which door to choose? I have been offered a job in Shanghai. I would still be teaching the young enthusiastic children that have been such a monumentally wonderful part of the past 9 months. I would get paid a better salary that I am now and would be in a city that sounds fast-paced and fascinating. I would have mornings off to write and study, I could take the GRE and hopeful head back to school in fall 2011. A plan that sounds ideal, but a bit unnerving. Moving to another city after Xi’an has finally become familiar. Learning a different language, again, because each province has its own dialect and the mandarin is twisted and turned. My simple knowledge would become almost useless in the busy streets of Shanghai. However, it is a city more apt and accustomed to foreigners. It would be easier than Xi’an, less staring and there spitting is not allowed. One Chinese habit I will be glad to part from.
That is what I would do if I stayed in China. It is a path that I can visualize. I know the job and I would have a track, a goal and a purpose. But if I choose that path I might not be able to come home to visit in August, I would have to stay here to make the visa process easier. That would push my trip to the states back to October or maybe even Christmas or February. Something that I could ultimately be OK with but not necessarily an idea I am happy about. I miss the faces and the streets of my home town.
There is a part of me that wants to say no to the job offer in Shanghai. I could get on a plane in August and fly home, welcomed by those whom I have missed. That is all that I can see of that choice though, the visual ends there. I don’t have the opportunities in the states that I do in China. I am inherently employable here because I was born in America and English is my native language. It would take much more than that to land a job back home. I don’t have a home to go back to, and the process of seeking a job and an apartment seems daunting and expensive. Oddly enough staying in this foreign land is the easy thing to do.
So here I am. Changed is the girl who got on a plane and flew to China. Ready to make the next leap, but wanting to be fully prepared and aware of the ground that I will land on. The next couple of months will be sweaty and hard but I will welcome the cool breeze of autumn wherever I may be when it blows past!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Eye on China: Terrorism in the School Yard
“I have no hatred for the students I stabbed. I chose them only because they were weak and vulnerable. I wanted to have a big influence on the public.” This statement was taken from the confession of Zheng Minsheng, 42, a former community clinic doctor who on March 23 stabbed to death 8 primary school children in Nanping, Fujian province. Zheng was executed a month later and, although not the first, his brutal attack has tragically become a bloody catalyst, sparking a string of copycat crimes across the country.
Zheng’s statement seems to pinpoint the two main contributing factors to these crimes, power and societal revenge. Although the maniacal intentions of men who murder children can never be fully realized by a public, some underlining consistencies can and should be used as a method of prevention. Professor Zhu Li of Nanjing University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences commented that “Some adults will target weak children instead of people more powerful than themselves as a way to vent frustration.”
In a recent study conducted by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center 17.5 percent of people in China suffer from some sort of mental illness; that percentage significantly increases when you look at individuals over the age of 40. All of the school attacks have been perpetrated by men in their mid to late 40s. A deficiency of treatment facilities as well as a general lack of knowledge surrounding these disorders can lead to community devastation, like attacks against defenseless children.
No matter in what country, the death of a child is felt in the heart of a community. It is a striking blow that could cripple any family, especially in China where most families are only legally allowed to have one child. The increased protection of children across the nation will be no minor task for the Chinese Government. The extra security measures will also have to be put in place by schools, and parents. Information should be available for those parents and teachers who, on a daily basis, place their trust inside the walls of a school. What measures are being taken to protect the schools? What is the procedure if something should happen? These are just 2 of the many questions that should be demanded an answer of. One question that should be in the mind of everyone is what is the likelihood of future attacks?
In the past several decades China has seen an incomparable amount of change; a once isolated society has been catapulted into the forefront of a global community. A rift between the classes grows bigger each year, the wealth of a nation lining the pockets of a small percentage, while the poor become more and more marginalized. At a stoplight on a busy street a sleek black Mercedes Benz waits for the light to change as a man peddling a 3 wheeler box car hollers out for your spare, unwanted goods. The division of a society, thrust together. China is rising with the tides of change, but the streets are lined with the many treading water just to stay afloat.
This is a situation that has become a fatal one. The stresses and failures of this society have led to a string of unimaginable brutality, acts of terrorism against a nation. These men preyed on innocent children in school, a place that should be, in some manner of speaking, a sanctuary. Education is a right these children deserve and to make learning institutions places of fear will have a negative and regressionary effect on society.
Too many precious lives have been lost; too many parents will no longer hold the hand, see the smile or hear the laugh of their child, but there is hope. Hope that this tragic string of attacks will stop, hope that more can be done in the form of prevention and protection, hope that a nation can recognize a growing dissention and address the need for more support on every level. To look into the eyes of children as they learn is to see the hope of a nation, everything that can be done to protect them, and that hope, is not enough if even one more life is lost in this cycle of cruelty.
Zheng’s statement seems to pinpoint the two main contributing factors to these crimes, power and societal revenge. Although the maniacal intentions of men who murder children can never be fully realized by a public, some underlining consistencies can and should be used as a method of prevention. Professor Zhu Li of Nanjing University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences commented that “Some adults will target weak children instead of people more powerful than themselves as a way to vent frustration.”
In a recent study conducted by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center 17.5 percent of people in China suffer from some sort of mental illness; that percentage significantly increases when you look at individuals over the age of 40. All of the school attacks have been perpetrated by men in their mid to late 40s. A deficiency of treatment facilities as well as a general lack of knowledge surrounding these disorders can lead to community devastation, like attacks against defenseless children.
No matter in what country, the death of a child is felt in the heart of a community. It is a striking blow that could cripple any family, especially in China where most families are only legally allowed to have one child. The increased protection of children across the nation will be no minor task for the Chinese Government. The extra security measures will also have to be put in place by schools, and parents. Information should be available for those parents and teachers who, on a daily basis, place their trust inside the walls of a school. What measures are being taken to protect the schools? What is the procedure if something should happen? These are just 2 of the many questions that should be demanded an answer of. One question that should be in the mind of everyone is what is the likelihood of future attacks?
In the past several decades China has seen an incomparable amount of change; a once isolated society has been catapulted into the forefront of a global community. A rift between the classes grows bigger each year, the wealth of a nation lining the pockets of a small percentage, while the poor become more and more marginalized. At a stoplight on a busy street a sleek black Mercedes Benz waits for the light to change as a man peddling a 3 wheeler box car hollers out for your spare, unwanted goods. The division of a society, thrust together. China is rising with the tides of change, but the streets are lined with the many treading water just to stay afloat.
This is a situation that has become a fatal one. The stresses and failures of this society have led to a string of unimaginable brutality, acts of terrorism against a nation. These men preyed on innocent children in school, a place that should be, in some manner of speaking, a sanctuary. Education is a right these children deserve and to make learning institutions places of fear will have a negative and regressionary effect on society.
Too many precious lives have been lost; too many parents will no longer hold the hand, see the smile or hear the laugh of their child, but there is hope. Hope that this tragic string of attacks will stop, hope that more can be done in the form of prevention and protection, hope that a nation can recognize a growing dissention and address the need for more support on every level. To look into the eyes of children as they learn is to see the hope of a nation, everything that can be done to protect them, and that hope, is not enough if even one more life is lost in this cycle of cruelty.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Run this Town
(This is what I do. Work out and write stuff)
I have been a gym enthusiast since my sophomore year in college when a night of drinking and dancing couldn’t abate the pressures of collegiate course load. That was 5 years ago. I still find the aerobic workout to be one of the best ways to deal with the accumulating stress of the real world. So after I moved to China in August it wasn’t long before I hunted down a gym nearby. I looked into a couple of places and settled on one that I believe offered the best price for their services. Surmount Fitness Club, 10th floor of the Parkson Plaza on Jin Hua Nan Lu, -AKA the East Side Wal-Mart shopping Center.
The space encompasses 2 levels of classrooms and fitness machines. On the top floor is the standard weight room with a variety of equipment from free weights to muscle isolation machines and two pool tables for your entertainment. The lower level cardio floor has a plethora of ellipticals and treadmills as well as a half-court indoor basketball cage and a ping pong table. Also your choice of exercise classes are varied, as they offer the basics like yoga, step and cycling but for the adventurous sportier they also have ballet, belly dancing and hip hop. I imagine there may be a bit of trouble with the language barrier but joining in could be an hour of great fun!
For the first time in my life I have taken the next step in fitness and hired a personal trainer. The services are pretty pricy, a 100 yuan a lesson, but the one on one work out routines have become a source of fun and my primary hobby. Plus it has given me a chance to expand my knowledge of the language and a great method to practice my listening and speaking skills. I urge you to remember that like any other business these are sales people as well as trainers so don’t let them talk you into buying services you don’t need.
The main difference I noticed about working out in Xian as compared to somewhere in the US is modesty in the locker room, or lack there of. When you walk into the locker rooms you will notice that there are naked people everywhere, the showers have no doors and towels are used as a method to dry and not a method to conceal nakedness. It was a bit off-putting at first but I have adjusted to it and have perfected the downward gaze so as to keep my eyes from taking in more than I think my year-long contract paid for.
Overall when I work out at Surmount I am able to zone out and let my mind wander to the beat of my ipod, a nice escape from the day. So if you are looking for a way to get your sweat on I would suggest Surmount Fitness Club, either on Jin Hua Lu or out in Gao Xin. They offer a range of contracts, but at less than 900 yuan the 12 month contract seems the most reasonable and realistic. Feel free to stop by and have a tour, they have English speaking representatives to help you out.
I have been a gym enthusiast since my sophomore year in college when a night of drinking and dancing couldn’t abate the pressures of collegiate course load. That was 5 years ago. I still find the aerobic workout to be one of the best ways to deal with the accumulating stress of the real world. So after I moved to China in August it wasn’t long before I hunted down a gym nearby. I looked into a couple of places and settled on one that I believe offered the best price for their services. Surmount Fitness Club, 10th floor of the Parkson Plaza on Jin Hua Nan Lu, -AKA the East Side Wal-Mart shopping Center.
The space encompasses 2 levels of classrooms and fitness machines. On the top floor is the standard weight room with a variety of equipment from free weights to muscle isolation machines and two pool tables for your entertainment. The lower level cardio floor has a plethora of ellipticals and treadmills as well as a half-court indoor basketball cage and a ping pong table. Also your choice of exercise classes are varied, as they offer the basics like yoga, step and cycling but for the adventurous sportier they also have ballet, belly dancing and hip hop. I imagine there may be a bit of trouble with the language barrier but joining in could be an hour of great fun!
For the first time in my life I have taken the next step in fitness and hired a personal trainer. The services are pretty pricy, a 100 yuan a lesson, but the one on one work out routines have become a source of fun and my primary hobby. Plus it has given me a chance to expand my knowledge of the language and a great method to practice my listening and speaking skills. I urge you to remember that like any other business these are sales people as well as trainers so don’t let them talk you into buying services you don’t need.
The main difference I noticed about working out in Xian as compared to somewhere in the US is modesty in the locker room, or lack there of. When you walk into the locker rooms you will notice that there are naked people everywhere, the showers have no doors and towels are used as a method to dry and not a method to conceal nakedness. It was a bit off-putting at first but I have adjusted to it and have perfected the downward gaze so as to keep my eyes from taking in more than I think my year-long contract paid for.
Overall when I work out at Surmount I am able to zone out and let my mind wander to the beat of my ipod, a nice escape from the day. So if you are looking for a way to get your sweat on I would suggest Surmount Fitness Club, either on Jin Hua Lu or out in Gao Xin. They offer a range of contracts, but at less than 900 yuan the 12 month contract seems the most reasonable and realistic. Feel free to stop by and have a tour, they have English speaking representatives to help you out.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Eye on China
(Written for the May issue of China Grooves)
As the sun rose on Wednesday April 14 the people in China started their day as if any other day, but tragically it was a day that would not end as simply as it began. An earthquake, rating a brutal 7.1 on the rector scale, tore its way through China’s largest areal province, Qinghai. Tales of death and destruction quickly spread throughout the nation and across the world. In the second major earthquake in as many years China’s rescue services were mobilized within hours and more than 10,000 uniformed troops had deployed. Their primary objective in the delicate hours that followed was to use every measure to locate and liberate quake survivors.
Even as workers plowed through rubble and debris, many using their bare hands, the death toll climbed higher, reaching over 2000 lives lost. Since that first day an upwards of 15,000 workers were on scene and more than 17,000 victims had been pulled from the wreckage. By the following Monday attention was turned from rescue to restore. In a speech designed to console and uplift, President Hu Jintao vowed to rebuild and reconstruct the devastated area; making the need to rebuild schools a primary focus. In a freshly constructed tent classroom for orphaned primary and middle school students President Hu stood at a chalk board and wrote his defining message “There will be new schools, there will be new homes!”
The lives of those who survived have been changed forever, and they must now begin the painstaking process of moving forward. But as these villagers look toward what their lives will be like in the aftermath of destruction, medical workers are grounded in the moment keeping a close eye a potentially fatal situation. The area surrounding the quake has become a breading ground for the pneumonic plague. The plague is passed to humans from marmots, a type of ground squirrel common in the area. Once the infection reaches humans it can become devastatingly viral as it is an airborne disease. With the widespread destruction it would be easy to come in contact with the animal, so rescue workers have been urgently warned and the condition is under the careful watch by the assembled health professionals.
Even with the supplies, rescue workers and volunteers the regions climate is working against all efforts. With temperatures near or below freezing the victims must battle frostbite as well as fight off potential infections. Millions of yuan has been donated to help relief efforts and the teams of uniformed support as well as civilian volunteers will add the defining touches that keep the devastation from spiraling even further out of control.
While the medical teams and government officials work to help restore health and safety to the region, another type of uniformed support has made its way into the reconnaissance mission. Throngs of Tibetan monks have migrated from the surrounding areas not only to pray and present salvage to those living but to help shoulder the burden that has befallen the area. 1200 monks from a nearby Sichuan school have no income but paid 500 yuan each out of their pockets to volunteer. They are performing traditional burial rites twice a day in order to help the families of the victims find solace in their suffering. In a striking scene the maroon robed monks sat on the remnants of a playground, singing sutra prayers for earthquake victims. Their mournful voices mixed with the sounds of the children reciting their first lessons in their makeshift classrooms are a chorus that echoes the struggle of a region. It is the soundtrack of sadness and initial destruction but the ultimate hope of renaissance and rebirth as this prosperous country once again must mend a bruised and broken community.
As the sun rose on Wednesday April 14 the people in China started their day as if any other day, but tragically it was a day that would not end as simply as it began. An earthquake, rating a brutal 7.1 on the rector scale, tore its way through China’s largest areal province, Qinghai. Tales of death and destruction quickly spread throughout the nation and across the world. In the second major earthquake in as many years China’s rescue services were mobilized within hours and more than 10,000 uniformed troops had deployed. Their primary objective in the delicate hours that followed was to use every measure to locate and liberate quake survivors.
Even as workers plowed through rubble and debris, many using their bare hands, the death toll climbed higher, reaching over 2000 lives lost. Since that first day an upwards of 15,000 workers were on scene and more than 17,000 victims had been pulled from the wreckage. By the following Monday attention was turned from rescue to restore. In a speech designed to console and uplift, President Hu Jintao vowed to rebuild and reconstruct the devastated area; making the need to rebuild schools a primary focus. In a freshly constructed tent classroom for orphaned primary and middle school students President Hu stood at a chalk board and wrote his defining message “There will be new schools, there will be new homes!”
The lives of those who survived have been changed forever, and they must now begin the painstaking process of moving forward. But as these villagers look toward what their lives will be like in the aftermath of destruction, medical workers are grounded in the moment keeping a close eye a potentially fatal situation. The area surrounding the quake has become a breading ground for the pneumonic plague. The plague is passed to humans from marmots, a type of ground squirrel common in the area. Once the infection reaches humans it can become devastatingly viral as it is an airborne disease. With the widespread destruction it would be easy to come in contact with the animal, so rescue workers have been urgently warned and the condition is under the careful watch by the assembled health professionals.
Even with the supplies, rescue workers and volunteers the regions climate is working against all efforts. With temperatures near or below freezing the victims must battle frostbite as well as fight off potential infections. Millions of yuan has been donated to help relief efforts and the teams of uniformed support as well as civilian volunteers will add the defining touches that keep the devastation from spiraling even further out of control.
While the medical teams and government officials work to help restore health and safety to the region, another type of uniformed support has made its way into the reconnaissance mission. Throngs of Tibetan monks have migrated from the surrounding areas not only to pray and present salvage to those living but to help shoulder the burden that has befallen the area. 1200 monks from a nearby Sichuan school have no income but paid 500 yuan each out of their pockets to volunteer. They are performing traditional burial rites twice a day in order to help the families of the victims find solace in their suffering. In a striking scene the maroon robed monks sat on the remnants of a playground, singing sutra prayers for earthquake victims. Their mournful voices mixed with the sounds of the children reciting their first lessons in their makeshift classrooms are a chorus that echoes the struggle of a region. It is the soundtrack of sadness and initial destruction but the ultimate hope of renaissance and rebirth as this prosperous country once again must mend a bruised and broken community.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Road House
(Written for China Grooves Expat Magazine)
In China the economy is on a steady incline, and so are the number of cars and drivers on the road. Recently my good friend Jackie Gong began taking her driver’s training courses here in Xi’an. I sat down with Jackie to find out what it was like for a Chinese person to get their license. I also wanted to know what the process would be for a foreigner living in the city.
Sumner: How old do you have to be to get a driver's license in China?
Jackie: We can get a driver’s license between 18 and 70 years-old.
S: Where do you go to take the test?
J: Department of Motor Vehicles
S: Sounds familiar!
S: Do you have to take driver’s training before the real road test?
J: Yes, we do. Usually the driving lessons we take help us practice and get ready for the real test.
S: Do you have to pass a written exam before you can take the driving test?
J: Yes! We can only take the road test if we pass a computer exam.
S: How many questions on the computer exam?
J: There are 1500 questions in total, but 100 questions are randomly picked out, we must get 90+ questions correct to pass.
S: What is the process to sign up for lessons?
J: First, we need to go to the Department of Transportation Management to sign up and get fingerprinted. Second, according to the rules of the Traffic Control Department of the Public Security Organ, we need a health examination, with particular interest on out eyes. Third, if our eyesight qualifies, then we can go to the driving schools to apply for the tests, then school will help arrange all the tests. Finally, if we pass all the tests we’ll be given the qualified driver’s license.
S: If you pass one time, do you have to go back in a few years and take the test again?
J: Yes, the driver’s license is required to be rechecked every 6 years.
S: If you are a foreigner how would you get a Chinese driver's license?
J: If you have a driver’s license from your country, then to drive in China, you only need to take and pass the computer exam. Then you take your passport and a copy, your residency visa, your foreign driver’s license and a couple of one-inch photos to the Department of Motor Vehicles and apply for a Chinese driver’s license. (Translator suggested)
S: Is there a Web site that we can look up?
J: http://www.jxedt.com/ it is all in Chinese but in general, it is a very useful Web site.
S: Thanks Jackie, Good luck with your test!
So if you are brave enough to get behind the wheel on the busy Xi’an streets grab a translator and head down to one of the many DMV locations listed below. Make sure you have all your papers in order and a driver’s license from your home country, and sign up for the test. Remember that every city has their own traffic rules and regulations so make sure you are in the know! Buckle up and best of luck!
1、The East Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)83222318
Address: 西安市长路东路82号 ( No.82, Chang Le Dong Lu, Xi'an )
2、The West Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)82378301
Address: 西安市三桥西部车城院内 ( Xi Bu Che Cheng, San Qiao, Xi'an )
3、The South Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)88239551
Address: 西安市电子城东仪路19号 ( No.19, Dong Yi Lu, Dian Zi Cheng, Xi'an )
4、The North Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)86280195
Address: 西安市北二环伊势威车城院内 ( Yi Shi Wei Che Cheng, Bei Er Huan, Xi'an )
In China the economy is on a steady incline, and so are the number of cars and drivers on the road. Recently my good friend Jackie Gong began taking her driver’s training courses here in Xi’an. I sat down with Jackie to find out what it was like for a Chinese person to get their license. I also wanted to know what the process would be for a foreigner living in the city.
Sumner: How old do you have to be to get a driver's license in China?
Jackie: We can get a driver’s license between 18 and 70 years-old.
S: Where do you go to take the test?
J: Department of Motor Vehicles
S: Sounds familiar!
S: Do you have to take driver’s training before the real road test?
J: Yes, we do. Usually the driving lessons we take help us practice and get ready for the real test.
S: Do you have to pass a written exam before you can take the driving test?
J: Yes! We can only take the road test if we pass a computer exam.
S: How many questions on the computer exam?
J: There are 1500 questions in total, but 100 questions are randomly picked out, we must get 90+ questions correct to pass.
S: What is the process to sign up for lessons?
J: First, we need to go to the Department of Transportation Management to sign up and get fingerprinted. Second, according to the rules of the Traffic Control Department of the Public Security Organ, we need a health examination, with particular interest on out eyes. Third, if our eyesight qualifies, then we can go to the driving schools to apply for the tests, then school will help arrange all the tests. Finally, if we pass all the tests we’ll be given the qualified driver’s license.
S: If you pass one time, do you have to go back in a few years and take the test again?
J: Yes, the driver’s license is required to be rechecked every 6 years.
S: If you are a foreigner how would you get a Chinese driver's license?
J: If you have a driver’s license from your country, then to drive in China, you only need to take and pass the computer exam. Then you take your passport and a copy, your residency visa, your foreign driver’s license and a couple of one-inch photos to the Department of Motor Vehicles and apply for a Chinese driver’s license. (Translator suggested)
S: Is there a Web site that we can look up?
J: http://www.jxedt.com/ it is all in Chinese but in general, it is a very useful Web site.
S: Thanks Jackie, Good luck with your test!
So if you are brave enough to get behind the wheel on the busy Xi’an streets grab a translator and head down to one of the many DMV locations listed below. Make sure you have all your papers in order and a driver’s license from your home country, and sign up for the test. Remember that every city has their own traffic rules and regulations so make sure you are in the know! Buckle up and best of luck!
1、The East Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)83222318
Address: 西安市长路东路82号 ( No.82, Chang Le Dong Lu, Xi'an )
2、The West Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)82378301
Address: 西安市三桥西部车城院内 ( Xi Bu Che Cheng, San Qiao, Xi'an )
3、The South Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)88239551
Address: 西安市电子城东仪路19号 ( No.19, Dong Yi Lu, Dian Zi Cheng, Xi'an )
4、The North Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)86280195
Address: 西安市北二环伊势威车城院内 ( Yi Shi Wei Che Cheng, Bei Er Huan, Xi'an )
Sunday, February 21, 2010
My Baggage and Me!
Sometimes at the end of the week, I like to lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling. I put one of my low-key music mixes on and just drift away in thought. I let my mind wander to all corners of my brain. I relax and let my body react naturally, sometimes I laugh and smile other times I cringe or grimace but I just relish in all the moments that happened, or the ones still to come.
Reflection is one of the processes I use to keep myself on track. It is the way I parent myself and I have been doing it for years now. I love to be alone with my thoughts, my emotions at ease. It is like a stretch after a long work out, you twist and turn and flex your body to keep the muscles from stiffening, and reflection to me is mentally stretching. I have witnessed and chosen and listened and tasted and absorbed so much each new hour of each new day, if I don’t take the time to sort it all out my mind would slow and tighten and forget.
I let down my boundaries and allow myself recognize the mistakes and missteps I have made and I try to use that as a guide for where I will go; a map for my journeys in the next week or the next year or for the rest of my life. It is through this retrospection that I am able to truly learn from all the experiences of my life. What have I done, where have I been, how did that effect or affect me? What does that point me towards, or is there anywhere I no longer want to go? These questions are about locations may they be physical, psychological or physiological in nature.
I like to question my emotional and mental response in differing situations or in similar situations where my reactions were varied. The whys and hows that help me understand the way in which my mind thinks and works. I realize that sometimes I have more control over my reactions than at other times. There are variables that make this so, and discovering them can help me recognize my body. I never want to have full control because I enjoy surprising myself, but as I grow older I am more aware of the need for self control. That my temperament needs to adjust with time and experience for it is a necessity to fully prepare myself for the next path I walk down I need to take everything I have gained and learned and use it as an advantage, not as a hindrance.
Baggage can be great, especially if it carries the tools you need to make the best of what’s to come!
Reflection is one of the processes I use to keep myself on track. It is the way I parent myself and I have been doing it for years now. I love to be alone with my thoughts, my emotions at ease. It is like a stretch after a long work out, you twist and turn and flex your body to keep the muscles from stiffening, and reflection to me is mentally stretching. I have witnessed and chosen and listened and tasted and absorbed so much each new hour of each new day, if I don’t take the time to sort it all out my mind would slow and tighten and forget.
I let down my boundaries and allow myself recognize the mistakes and missteps I have made and I try to use that as a guide for where I will go; a map for my journeys in the next week or the next year or for the rest of my life. It is through this retrospection that I am able to truly learn from all the experiences of my life. What have I done, where have I been, how did that effect or affect me? What does that point me towards, or is there anywhere I no longer want to go? These questions are about locations may they be physical, psychological or physiological in nature.
I like to question my emotional and mental response in differing situations or in similar situations where my reactions were varied. The whys and hows that help me understand the way in which my mind thinks and works. I realize that sometimes I have more control over my reactions than at other times. There are variables that make this so, and discovering them can help me recognize my body. I never want to have full control because I enjoy surprising myself, but as I grow older I am more aware of the need for self control. That my temperament needs to adjust with time and experience for it is a necessity to fully prepare myself for the next path I walk down I need to take everything I have gained and learned and use it as an advantage, not as a hindrance.
Baggage can be great, especially if it carries the tools you need to make the best of what’s to come!
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