TRIP TO CHINA
On October 7, 2008, my good friend, Attorney Lee Eilbacher, and I left on a trip to China that was to last for three weeks. Lee and I made the trip as volunteers for ‘Global Volunteers,’ an Organization which assembled individuals to travel to China to teach conversational English to Chinese college students. This organization has been in existence for quite some time, and it has the support of our government because it creates good will between the two countries. The experience in China was most unusual and very rewarding because it made us feel that we were participating in a very worthwhile endeavor. In China there was a team of sixteen individuals who participated in the Global Volunteer teaching program. Lee Eilbacher and I were the only two from Fort Wayne and Indiana. Most other individuals making up the team came from California, New York, Maryland, Arkansas and it was a very interesting representative for a group of well educated individuals who were willing to make the effort to teach conversational English and, likewise, create new friends for the United States. The students ranged from 20 to 22 years of age. Many of them were first and second year college students. They spoke decent English and had good comprehension of the language. Like any student who learns a foreign language, they were not exposed to individuals who actually speak the language day in and day out. It was our task to acquaint them and demonstrate to them how the ordinary person in the U.S. speaks the English language.
They were most curious to know everything possible about our Country and about us as individuals. They wanted to know what our schools are like and how to learn English in the easiest and fastest way. They all have hopes and aspirations to someday visit the United States and hopefully to find a job and become rich as quickly as possible. They learn most about the United States from the movies they saw and some of the glossy magazines that they were able to access from time to time. The students seemed free and were able to ask us any question that came to their mind and likewise invited us to ask any questions that we may have about life in China. Our stay was mainly in the City Xian. That is the city where the Terracotta Warriors were uncovered and where the museum displaying the Terracotta Warriors is located. We made the journey to that museum and spent an entire day viewing the restored warriors that were lined up in battle formation awaiting the return of the emperor when he comes back in his second life and leads all these warriors together with their horses, generals and ammunition and they will come to life and they will once again defend China. Quite a radical concept nevertheless that is what this display commemorates. We naturally took a lot of pictures of the students and some of the sights of the city. The city itself is quite large. It is close to 8 million people with horrendous traffic problems and serious pollution. The Chinese are building their infrastructure practically round the clock. Construction crews work under lights, and a lot of housing is being constructed. The jobs are plentiful but they realize that if the United States is unable to buy from them at the rate that we have been buying in 2006 and 2007 that they will be affected economically. Everyone talked to us about the economy, what the United States intends to do to maintain and support the world economy.
If anyone is interested in knowing more about Global Volunteers I will be glad to share the information. The website is KGibbs@Global Volunteers.org. If you request information about the volunteering opportunities in China or any other countries that they serve, you will receive all the necessary information. You may also contact me for additional information on how to become a teaching volunteer. The picture that I am enclosing is a picture of Carolyn Herman, Lee Eilbacher, and myself. The other people are students from Mi-Dau College in Xian China.
Editors Note: Attorney Marvin S. Crell has maintained a law office at 2712 Lower Huntington Road for the past 51 years. He may be reached by phone at 747-5353.
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