Tuesday, July 21"TIP = Total Immersion Program"There are two groups, Blue Group and Green Group that are on parallel tracks but divided for size. There are about 170 students in each group. They have a very full day with a mix of large group activities and smaller classes (classes are ~ 30 students) and clubs (clubs are about 20-60 students).Students are soooo sweet! Very affectionate too which is a bit of a surprise at first - they hold your hand while you talk and such. It's very endearing! And most are English teachers themselves, here to improve their oral English. So because they are teachers they listen well -- they understand what it is like!

Typical day for me:
6 am - Shower time - we are each signed up for a time slot
6:30-7:30 - Devotional time - this year I am reading through the One year Bible and praying each morning
7:30 - arrive at classroom
8 am - Announcements and Diction lesson for Blue Group. I teach the Diction lesson with Lisabeth.
9 am - Break. Sometimes I sit in on a class
10 am - Announcements and Diction lesson for Green Group. Same lesson but different group.
11 am - Break
12 noon - Lunch. We eat with the students at the cafeteria and chat it up in English.
1 pm - 2:30 pm - Rest time. Best custom ever. We seriously should consider it in the States!
2:30 - 4:30 pm - Afternoons are different every day. Some days I will meet with another teacher to plan for activities on the weekends like Scavenger Hunt or Talent Show. Sometimes I will take a break and go to a nearby town or to the park next to the campus (Yuan Ming Yuan, Old Summer Palace).
4:30 - 5:30 pm - Club time. Clubs such as "Holiday Club" or "Music Club" or "Sports Club" is a time for students to learn about American culture. I worked with Meghan on Holiday club for three days and we talked about Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter.
6 pm - 7 pm - Dinner with Club
7 pm - 8pm - Games & Activities with class groups. I teach Diction in the morning so I don't have a class but am a class "buddy" with Doc and Silas's class. It's been great fun to get to know the students in that class and we play some board games and card games, also some name games and some fun group activities.evening.8 pm - ?? - Sometimes we visit the dorms to see the students and encourage them in their English only environment. It is an intense program, to speak only English for three solid weeks. Some nights we work on lesson plans for the next day. Some nights we go to town or just outside the campus gate to shop or eat.