Sunday, August 31, 2008

Back from the USA with a Masteral Degree

Early August our brother came back to China after completing his studies at St. Michael's College, Vermont, USA. He tells us about his experience and how his studies will be of service to the China Mission.

I arrived in Beijing on the eve of the opening of the Olympics, and I was really happily surprised that Beijing was extraordinarily clean and orderly. One could sense a feeling of festive anticipation, as if the whole city, and the entire nation, had prepared and waited for the coming of the Games. Taxi drivers say, “Welcome to Beijing,” even as countless young volunteers dressed in blue and white shirts make themselves available from the airport to numerous strategic places throughout the city. I can only wish that the city remain this clean and orderly, with very light traffic, even after the Games. With almost everyone coming to Beijing, tickets out of Beijing was at 80% discount, so I seized the opportunity to come to Macau via Zhuhai on the second day of the Olympics and watch the games in the comfort of our community living room with the brothers.

The days I spend in Zhuhai and Macau come as a respite after a full summer course at St. Michael’s College in Vermont (www.smcvt.edu). Having finished MATESOL, I see myself more prepared to be responsive to the actual needs of the students in China, specially the seminarians, sisters and priests. I see that English teaching should develop into content-based instruction (CBI) and English for specific purposes (ESP) as English develops into a truly global language.

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