I'm back...Runnin' The Great Wall's Final Post

Nimen hao!

It's been a tough and enlightening final two months...but I've safely and successfully concluded my Peace Corps service in China and write you from my parents' home in Canada (yes, technically I haven't officially returned to the USA, but I am almost there, and when I do, the adventure will continue).

I know many readers are anxious to hear about my final two months of service, as well as my travels to Inner Mongolia following my PC "Close of Service" date. Well, I have both good news and bad news, or if you are a "the glass is half-full kinda-person" like me, only good news. I am not going to detail the lessons learned and sadly, the many misfortunes experienced during my final two months of service at Southwest University within this final post, but I promise to (slowly but surely) document my time for you, as well as "color" this blog with stories and experiences that filled my personal journals during the last 25 months, in a more complex piece of writing within the next few months. I have found a short but significant window of opportunity to write and research over the next few months, thanks mostly to friends, my amazingly supportive family, and of course, my (very small) Peace Corps "readjustment salary." I hope to have something significant before 2010.

In the coming days, I will be posting more glimpses of my final experiences in China on Youtube.com (www.youtube.com/philiprazeminchina) and look forward to any e-mails you feel compelled to send to me regarding anything. I was approached by several Peace Corps China "15" trainees this summer and they said they missed the blog when it was blocked and it inspired many of them to accept their invitation to China, regardless of how frustrating some of my venting diatribes seemed. I hope future PCVs - not only heading to China, but all countries - can reference this blog before they take the leap into serving the world's people, and of course compare their experiences with mine. Peace Corps service, like any kind of education, is about the collision of ideas and cultures and challenging everything you previously thought was right and just, but when it's all over, one lesson remains bright and true: We are all in this together. We are more similar than different.

I love you and am very happy to be home,

Phil
lan2mai4fei1

Blogspot.com blocked in China by the Chinese Communist Government

Hi, everyone!

This is C--, Phil's sister from Canada. Phil asked me to post this message on his blog because, as of three days ago, the Great Chinese Firewell has blocked www.blogger.com, the site hosting Phil's "Runnin' the Great Wall" blog.

My friends (and digital enemies):

Phil here. The reason for the block is not known (and may never be known*), and I am not the only blogger in China who is sad (and angry) that the Chinese government feel the need to protect their citizens from diverse opinions and cultural-exchange in the name of "political stability." I have had several Chinese university students who follow my blog express the same disgust towards the Chinese government for preventing me from logging in and posting my experiences, opinions, and overall journey through the Middle Kingdom as a Peace Corps Volunteer. As depressing as the situation is, this shared disgust presents a glimmer of optimism, as these same students are the future of China and will hopefully lead their country out of its propaganda wars and promote free press, speech, and individual expression in the future.

It pains me to do write this, but this post could be the last post you see until August of this year; Youtube.com has been blocked for a few months now and if the CCP treats Blooger.com in a similar fashion, then the future of blogs like mine looks grim, especially since the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre (a taboo subject in China) arrives on June 4th of this year. This does not mean that I will stop blogging! I will blog just as much - if not more! - as before, and post all of my experiences whenever the block is lifted, or when I finally reach a country that allows me to think aloud! I will still create enlightening cheese-y videos, snap pictures, and record the lessons I learn from the REAL Chinese in China: my students. No oppressive government can stop Phil Razem from speaking his mind!

If you believe in me, I hope you will read this blog post from one of the leading Chinese bloggers who believes in the power of free speech online:

http://sun-zoo.com/chinageeks/2009/05/16/ai-weiwei-your-silence-and-ignorance-have-already-become-the-price-for-your-safety/

Let's pray - for you and for my own sanity - that this block is temporary!

I love and miss you all,

Phil

The end is near...

你们好:
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The end is near. I am reminded of this by Dustin's last few posts.
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Sarah, a PCV from Gansu Province, is putting together a PCC"13" e-yearbook and sent out a list of questions for us to answer (in as few words as possible) in regards to our experience. Here are a few highlights from my contribution:

• 1. Favorite moment with your students: Tuesday mornings, 9:30am, Shakespeare class
• 3. Most useful/interesting Chinese word/phrase you learned: ren 忍
• 6. Something you still don't understand about China after two years: The popularity and advocacy of the saying: 稳定压倒一切 "THE OVERRIDING NEED IS FOR STABILITY"
• 7. The thing you'll miss most about China: My students, without a doubt.



• 8. The thing you'll miss least about China: Open-air sneezes on the bus, without a doubt. And the everyday blind faith in the Chinese Communist Party.
• 9. Best place you traveled to in China: Beibei, Chongqing, my site.
• 10. Best Teaching Moment: “I've never thought about that before,” said the student.
• 11. The thing you're most thankful you brought to China with you: My individualism (个性自由gèxìngzìyóu)
• 14. Your Greatest Moment At Site: anytime I was hanging out with my two amazing sitemates
  
• 15. Your Most Embarrassing Moment At Site: anytime I was hanging out with my two amazing sitemates
  
• 18. The thing you missed the most from home: Family, friends, the Buffalo Bills, and the infinitely beautiful game of baseball.
  
  
• 20. Most Disappointing Moment In China: Hearing about my students' indescribable daily hardships during the day and then running alongside BMWs at night.
• 22. Funniest Moment: Not having any toilet paper in the school's public bathroom, but having a bag full of my students' poems. 哈哈-非常抱歉！
• 24. Something you'll miss about the Peace Corps: Being in a room full of Americans just as idealistic, confused, and crazy as me.
  
• 25. Favorite dish: Pete's Texas Whopper
• 28. Favorite[/funny] quote you've heard in China: 建立和谐社会 "To build a harmonious society"
  
  
• 29. Number Of Illnesses/Medications Taken: 0 (seriously!)
• 30. Chinese cultural practices I plan to make cool back in the States: Ping Pong, Hot Pot, Pirated DVDs (shhh!), and open-air sneezes on my neighbor's face.

The end is near...

I love and miss you all,

Phil

蓝麦飞

Hi Mom!

你好妈妈!

I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!

母亲节快乐!

Your "good son,"

.

Phil

蓝麦飞

For Teachers, PCVs, and Students in China (past, present, and future)

你们好!

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When I am not teaching or "China exploring," I find myself doing quite a bit of research on the Internet concerning "China" and "Education." As a Western-educated teacher living and teaching in China, there aren't subjects more relevant to me than those of "China" and "Education," but surprisingly, as intense the Internet and Blogosphere is, not as many articles are written about "Chinese Education" in the English language as one might expect.

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So, when I come across an article that moves me, I feel I must share it with those who read this blog, many whom were, are, or will be teachers/PCVs in China. Here is the article from the LATimes:

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Click!

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My favorite excerpt:

Ultimately for China, becoming a major world innovator -- and by extension, a robust economic power -- is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities or roping off elites and telling them to think creatively. It's about establishing an intellectually rich learning environment for young minds. It's about harnessing the same inventive energy of the street markets and small-time entrepreneurs and putting it in the schools.

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The Chinese don't need expensive free-agent scientists. They need a new farm system -- and about 10 million liberal arts professors. (Source)

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I guess as my China days diminish, I will begin retrospecting the lessons I've learned from my two years abroad. One of those lessons - one that I know I would have not understood unless I lived in a country like China, and taught within an education system such as that of China - is how important a liberal arts education is, and how happy I am that I received this type of education at SUNY Fredonia. My Chinese university students are bombarded with English-language grammar and translation, but get very little philosophy, real, complete literature, science, and most importantly, the arts. So much emphasis is placed on passing the test, acquiring that little sheet of paper, and getting a job to make money teaching or doing business/research with the same trite methodologies that something is lost, or forgotten in the shuffle. Defendants of this system can't drop the "Well, China is a developing country with thick traditional roots" or "We have a large population and need to maintain stability" bomb for very much longer. If China should happen to stop growing someday, I think I can take a guess [right now!] as to why it happens. China can pirate the West's Hollywood movies all they want, but they can't pirate the a liberal-arts-educated person's original thoughts. Let the Chinese education system evolve! Listen to Liu DaoYu!

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And while we're at it, let's let that political system evolve too! They are linked!

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I love and miss you all,

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Phil

蓝麦飞

Snack Street at Southwest University 西南大学的小吃街

你们好!
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Snack Street (小吃街xiǎochījie) at Southwest University is one of my favorite places to grab a cheap snack, buy fruit, or simply people watch under the glowing string of florescent light bulbs. It's made up of dozens of independent food sellers; the majority pack up their supplies, stoves, and tables at the end of the night and go home. Imagine a flea market, but replace the antiques with fried breads, stacked fruits, stray dogs, accumulating litter, and my favorite: 烧烤shāokǎo, or Chinese BBQ.
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Sitemate Kristen and I dine on Shāokǎo once a week or so; its cheap and delicious. Before I say too much, see for yourself:

As you can see, Kristen and I have a good time mingling with the locals, who appreciate our curiosity and friendliness (and let's not forget, our business). Permanent Snack Streets just don't exist very often in America (health codes, property rights, etc.) but in the Middle Kingdom, they are a way of life - and I am grateful for mine at Southwest University.

I love and miss you all,

Phil

蓝麦飞

P.s. Excuse the "Kristen and I's favorite..." sentence from the video. Haha! I never knew so many Grammarians read my blog! What an honor! Sadly, after two years in China I to forget how to spoke English language. 哈哈!

Patriots Not Welcome!...in China?

你们好!
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For the last two years, I have dedicated a large portion of this blog to showing how Western Culture appears, both subtly and overtly, in China, but rarely discuss when I notice parts of China appearing in the West. The obvious reason for this is "I live in China" and witness the spread and acceptance/denial of Western customs and ideologies first-hand. In a few short months, I hope to flip my observations of these cultural invasions ("invasion" is a strong word), noticing how parts of China are slowly leaking to the West.
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This is all in regards to a recent blog by one of my favorite sports journalists, Tim Graham, of ESPN. I have missed two complete Buffalo Bills seasons while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China. Tim Graham blogs about the NFL's AFC East Division, and being from Buffalo, he seems to give the Bills a little more of the spotlight, and more importantly, understands the hatred Bills fans feel towards (but not exclusively - there are plenty of people and teams for the Bills to hate throughout the team's troubled history) the New England Patriots, their division rival. What Tim Graham may not understand is how one his recent blog entries might influence those Chinese who have yet to decide whether to embrace American football or reject it for a less violent and confrontational sport like, let's say, fly fishing (FYI: American football can be translated two different ways in Chinese: the literal "American football"美国足球 Měiguó zúqiú, or the much more creative,橄榄球gǎnlǎnqiu, or "Olive Ball"). This entry doesn't even need to be read to be understood. A picture is worth a thousand words:

This is not a product of Photoshop either. That's "His Holiness," or how the Chinese media/education system portrays him, "His Terrorist," the Dalai Lama...wearing a New England Patriots hat!

If this isn't a photo-op, and the D.L. is, in fact, a Pats fan, then I might have to admit that the CCP and I have found some common ground to denounce the D.L. This picture just doesn't make sense to me. If anything, the His Holiness should be a Bills fan. We are the underdog, have a loyal tribe of die-hard followers, and if someone tried to sell our turf (Say No to Toronto!), we would fight to the death...forever. C'mon dude, use that righteous mind of yours! Make the connection!

The NFL has been trying to plug American football into the one of the largest markets in the world, but have been less than successful. I don't think this picture will help sell any Tom Brady jerseys! Good!

Let's Go Buffalo! I'm getting my popcorn ready...

I love and miss you all,

Phil

蓝麦飞