Cultural Connections

By VINCE LUECKE
Editor

Pair of Chinese university students spend summer weeks with their Perry County teacher

MILLSTONE - Like college students everywhere, Zhang Wei and Jiang Wen are preparing to hit the books after a summer-long vacation. But unlike most students, who crave a break from anything related to school chores, this pair of Chinese students from Beijing University of Technology are spending the last weeks of their summer respite in Perry County with a former teacher, Marie Riffle.

Retired from Perry Central, Marie will depart next month for her fifth semester of teaching English in China. Her husband, John, will accompany her. Teaching in the Asian nation, she said, has been an enriching experience, one that has shed light on the Asian giant's ancient culture and made her a witness to China's emergence as a world power. At the same time, it's put her in contact with the country's next generation of leaders, among them 21-year-old Zhang Wei and Jiang Wen, 20. The two were students in Riffle's classroom.

"They were two of my students and they wanted to come to the United States and visit us," Marie said during a conversation around the kitchen table of the family's Millstone home.

Zhang Wei, who has adopted - at least in the United States - the English name Michael, is in his last undergraduate year studying computer science and technology. Jiang Wen, who has chosen Ginger as her Western name during her English studies, is a student in the university's master's program.

While her Chinese name has lingual ties to the plant Americans know as ginger, and thus the name Ginger, Zhang Wei's adopted name of Michael comes from his love of singer Michael Bolton and the basketball prowess of former NBA star Michael Jordan.

Typical of Chinese students, both Beijing natives began studying English years ago. "Sometime around the age of 9, Chinese students begin learning English," Zhang Wei explains in easy-to-understand words. Formal English classes continue as students progress through the Chinese school system. To help them, Chinese educators have long sought English teachers to help college students master English.

Marie said native English speakers like her help with pronunciation and grammar skills. Chinese, she said, is a much more phonetically based language, where just slight changes in pitch or tone can change the meaning of a word. While most Midwest Americans are seldom exposed to non-English programs, Chinese young people's familiarity with American films and TV help them learn the new tongue. "Zhang Wei and I are both fans of "Friends," Jiang Wen said of the popular television show.

Since their arrival in the U.S. early this month, the two visitors have taken in most of Perry County's popular sites. Other stops have been at Lincoln State Park and National Boyhood Memorial in Spencer County and Kentucky's Mammoth Cave.

Marie said she and John had planned visits to larger cities, but she said the couple's house guests were happy to spend the bulk of their time in the county. "We planned to take them to Nashville and St. Louis, but they say they just enjoy it here," Marie said.

Both visitors have been impressed by the county's natural beauty and the geographic diversity of the nearby river, open fields and rolling forests. "There's wildlife and your advanced technology," Zhang Wei said, impressed with Americans' history of ingenuity and the open expanse rare in his home country. With a population exceeding 15 million, Zhang Wei said Beijing's parks and other open spaces are usually teeming with people. During a recent visit to German Ridge, the two visitors and the Riffles had the entire area to themselves. They also have enjoyed hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. Bonfires are banned in Beijing, Zhang Wei said.

Jiang Wen admits the outgoing nature of the people she has met has been a bit of a surprise. "Americans are more friendly that I used to think," she said. "Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming."

Marie and John, who visited China in 2001 and hosted their daughter, Debbie Sapp and son-in-law Mike, for a China visit, said the demand for English teachers remains strong. Along with teaching welcoming students, teachers benefit from university-furnished apartments on campus and an affordable cost-of-living.

Marie said she and John work together, alternating the time they spend with groups of Chinese students. "I do my best to help her out in her classroom," he said. Zhang Wei and Jiang Wen will say their goodbyes to Perry County Sept. 4. Marie and John leave for their fifth semester of teaching later in the month.

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