夏日暖洋洋

北京这些天很热，我们家还没装空调，天天晚上用电风扇，早上起来还是一身汗。已经过了这么久，是买空调呢，还是继续熬过去？

在新航道呢，我们大家都在忙着为暑期学生的到来做准备。加班加点，还是觉得很兴奋，我们期待着给所有的选择来新航道的学生一次难忘的暑假。

Steve Jobs on Connecting the Dots, Love and Loss, and Death

Some of you might know that I’m a big Apple fan. I’ve been a Mac user since I can remember, and I’m a bit of a dork when it comes to all things Apple.

So I was excited when I read that Steve Jobs, the Founder and CEO of Apple, had given a commencement address at Stanford University, and I was pleased to find the text of his address here.

He has a lot of worthwhile things to say about life, but one message comes through the strongest: do what you love.

that’s Beijing is looking for an intern!

I got an email from a friend of mine who works at that’s Beijing. Turns out they’re looking for an intern (native Chinese-speaker preferred). Here are the details:

that’s Beijing Intern Position Available
Don’t waste your summer – get hands-on experience for your career. Want some English writing or magazine experience? Enjoy Beijing’s entertainment scene? Know a thing or two about the nightlife and dining culture in Beijing? Want to learn? Need some extra cash? Intern with the best – that’s Beijing is searching for motivated, fun-loving, English speaking interns. For more information call Nina at 6554 7902, send CV to ninawen at thatsbj dot com.

The intern will need to help us with:
Directory audits: Bars & Clubs, Restaurants
Listings stock photos: Live Music, Sports, Community
Visit New Bars and Clubs/Restaurants and write about them
Expand the current directories, augment our contacts
Make listing comparison charts
Newsletter, HTML, Blogging,

If you apply, let Nina you you heard about the job here. 🙂

Back in Town

We got back from our trip home to the US a few days ago, and I’ve just about gotten over jet lag. I actually enjoy in some way the effects of jet lag, which cause me to wake up early each morning. I often go out for walks and see a world that I would otherwise miss.

It was wonderful to have some time at home with family and friends. I went up to Connecticut for my brother’s graduation from Wesleyan University, and got to see some university friends. We also took a one day trip to the beach, which was wonderful even though I did get sunburn on my ankle. Don’t ask.

Time off to reflect and relax is always important. I’m excited to be back in Beijing and at New Channel as we gear up for our summer classes.

Spring Outing 春游

Last week all of us at New Channel had an outing to the Botanical Gardens (植物园) here in Beijing. There were so many of us that we had to split the trip up into two days. Click here for photos of our outing and a soccer game that was held on Wednesday afternoon.

Unfortunately, I had class in the afternoon so my trip to the gardens was cut short, and I was unable to make it to the soccer game. I enjoyed my hour and a half at the gardens, though, and I loved looking at the pictures!!

p.s. What do you think of our new shirts?

Sculpting in Time

I’m sitting in Sculpting in Time (雕刻时光) enjoying the wireless Internet and getting ready for the Cultural Communication Class I’ll be teaching over the May holiday. The more I think about this class the more I am excited by its potential. My wish is that the class can provide an open forum to discuss cultural issues and cultural differences.

My experience is that many students in China vastly overestimate the difference between “being Chinese” and “being American”. In fact, we’ve got more in common than you may think.

The focal point of the class will be the following five statements:

  • we live in a multicultural world
  • understanding cultural communication can help you succeed
  • many students feel that culture, not language, is the primary barrier to communication
  • it is possible to communicate effectively in multicultural environments
  • the key is to learn about other cultures and how cross-cultural communication works

Continue reading “Sculpting in Time”