Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Kickoff for China: Hong Kong and Zhaoqing



Hello, and welcome to this new blogspot. My name is Frank Redmond, and in about three weeks I will be headed for the city of Hong Kong in China as well as Zhaoqing. I will be in China from Oct. 3rd. to the 29th.

The purpose of this trip is to present a workshop at the Zhaoqing school for the deaf staff about curriculum and teaching methodologies for teachers of the deaf. I am glad you are able to join me in this trip and I look forward to your postings. If I can figure out the technology part when in China, I hope to post pictures here to give folks a better idea visually.

I am grateful to John Wotherspoon, Ying Jang Guo, Jeff Kircik, Helen Litterst, Charlie Flaherty and a number of other helpful individuals for all the help and support. I am so excited to be doing this work and hope and pray it will all go well. I am especially grateful to my wife, Maryal for all her encouragement, support and prayers. Also, our two daughters who are both expecting their first babies in the not too distant future. They know my thoughts are always with them as they go down their own roads of new and exciting experiences!

Please do check in from time to time and please post your thoughts and ideas here. Thank you . Frank Redmond


































































20 comments:

Christine said...

Hi Dad! Best wishes! I know you will have a wonderful time and all sorts of exciting experiences to share with us on your return! Love you much!

Frank Redmond said...

Hi, Christine, thanks very much. I hope you will all be healthy and well while I am gone. I look forward to lots of fun and good communication. Love, Dad

work log said...

Best wishes to you and enjoy your travels in china. I will visit the blog and keep updated on your trip. Hopefully, one day I will travel there myself. Such an adventure! Best of Luck
Robin (lewis) Henderson :0)

Chris said...

Frank, I will be praying for you and if there is a way I can help or go sometime in the future let me know.
This sounds so very exciting. I would love to give a workshop on ASL.
I gave a talk on China in PA last week-end, a 2 day conference. It was great.
Hope you get to experience a wonderful time! Blessings and prayers for you, Chris

Mrs. D. Crosier said...

Frank,
We wanted to wish you well on this new China experience. We are thinking of you and wishing you well. The class and I will be checking up on you as you travel. Thank you once again for your wonderful presentation last semester. Your blog site is stunning.
Take good care,
Danielle and the Quantum Leap Classroom

Unknown said...

Hi Frank! It was good to see you last week, if only for a few minutes. Have a marvelous adventure and enjoy this new opportunity to share and enhance understanding between cultures.
We'll keep in touch and keep you in our prayers. Bon voyage and vaya con Dios, etc.
love, Janet & Craig

Mary Cummings said...

Hi Frank, love your blog! Will meet with the Middle School students on Thursday. First lesson: a little geography. That is, after I show them all those great pictures of you from the old yearbooks! Wishing you safe passage. As Ernie would say, "Fair winds." Mary Cummings

Berta said...

Frank -
Mazel tov on the mitzvah of creating this blog. How wonderful that you have this motivation, energy and desire to pursue this exciting adventure and to share your expertise. You are such an inspiring role model. I look forward to following you in your travels. I'll pass the blog address on to Justin. Take care, safe travels for you.
Love, Berta

Frank Redmond said...

Hello, all, and thanks for all the good wishes. I am off tomorrow morning to Hong Kong via Chicago. Probably won't sleep too well tonight, but have thirty hours to sleep on the plane to make up for it. Have brought lots to read, especially a Garrison Keillor book of funny stories. Hope the plane can get off the ground with all the neat stuff I am bringing to the staff and students at the Zhaoqing (Zshowching) school for the deaf. Thanks for all the prayers, too. Bye for now, or, as they say in China Zie Jien (zeye gee-en). Frank Redmond

Mary Cummings said...

Hi Frank! Five students are looking at your blog right now.Their names are: Francis, M., Jordan, Austin, and Ricky. They want to know if you can read or speak Chinese. Will you have live video communication? And how about the food? Is the Deaf school using sign language or oral communication? That's enough questions for now. Hope you are well. Mary Cummings from the R.I. School for the Deaf.

Mary Cummings said...

Hi again, Frank! Three more students are looking at the blog. Their names are Dominique, Sara, and Alyssa. Alyssa wants to know: "Are you nervous about being away from home?" Sara asks,"How big is the school (physically) and how many students are there?" Dominique's question: "Do the students wear uniforms, or can they wear anything they want?" My question: "Do the students live in dorms or do they go home at night?"
cya, Mary.

Mary Cummings said...

Hello Frank. Joshua, Ashleigh, and Manju are looking at your blog now. they have some questions. Manju: "Do you know any Chinese sign language?" Joshua: "What is your favorite Chinese food?" Ashleigh: "What kind of money does China have? Are you using forks or chopsticks when you eat? Have you seen any libraries in China?" (I like that question!) Joshua: "Do the Chinese people keep pets in their homes?" Okay, that's all for now. Lots of questions! Have fun! Mary at RISDeaf

Frank Redmond said...

Hello, and Ni Hao! (nee how) from Hong Kong. I am excited so many students have such great questions. I will have to remember them for about another week because I do not go to the school for the deaf until next week. I will answer those questions when I go there. I do eat with chopsticks, it isn't that hard because I was in China for three weeks last year and had lots of practice!!! I do speak some Chinese language because I practiced last year to get ready for that trip and I took a class in Chinese this past summer with Anja Pfeffer, the teacher at my VT high school. She teaches French, German, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. I learned a few Chinese signs on the internet and it was a lot of fun to learn. I will learn a lot more next week. The school has hired an interpreter for me so that will help, but,...he will change my spoken English to spoken Chinese. Perhaps, if there are any Deaf teachers there they will have a sign language interpreter too! Wow! It is all so exciting. It took 26 hours to get here; arrived at 4 p.m. yesterday. We FLEW over the North Pole and then over SIBERIA (part of Russia), and then straight South over mainland China. A big thank you to Mrs. Cummings, you are the BEST librarian! (you, too, Berta, my librarian friend in VT of course!)
Well, I am at an internet restauran in Hong Kong and other people want to use the computer so I will be polite and get off, until the next time! Zie Jien (z-eye gee-en). Mr. Frank Redmond, a.k.a. Qin Fen (Chin Fen) in Chinese.

Mary Cummings said...

Hi Frank! We read your message and will look forward to your answers next week when you arrive at the school for the Deaf. more questions from some high school students: Electra (Do you remember Electra?)wants to know "Do you wish you lived in China all the time?" Jenna (Do you remember Jenna?) writes: "Are you a day ahead of us or a day behind?" And Lexi (We know you don't remember Lexi because she was in K or 1st grade when you were here) wants to know: "Where are you staying? Are you in a hotel or are you staying in a friend's house?" Michele McLoughlin says Hi! She thinks retirement must be good for you because you look younger all the time! Well, we will say good-bye for now. Have fun! Mary at RISDeaf.

Mary Cummings said...

Nee how, Frank!

High School questions, now: Tyler H. asks: Does the school for the Deaf have sports programs?" Adam asks:"Do the Chinese students sit on the floor to eat (like in Japan) and do they drink a lot of tea?" Joe asks:"What are the popular movies over there? And do they have Harry Potter movies? And what are the popular movie genres, like horror or comedy?" David asks:"How long is the school day?" Lots of questions, Frank. We will keep you busy!! cya, Mary at RISDeaf

Berta said...

Ni Hao! Qin Fen -
Those kids at RISDeaf are going to keep you hopping with their questions. I am watching Jeopardy right now and these 10-12 year olds are bright and polite, a treat to watch. I am glued to the tv. How has your first week gone? I guess the plane got off the ground despite the load that you were schlepping.
Be well and eat noodles.
Berta

Anonymous said...

Hi Frank,

Your cousin Donna here... I wish you the best on your trip to China. It sounds very exciting!! Thank you for the invitation to join you on your blog. I currently homeschool one of my children and have shared this blog with other homeschooling families to join in on your trip. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip and the work that you are doing. Best Wishes!! Donna

bill garrison said...

Hello Frank, I've been attempting to leave you a message. This is my third message. I hope you are doing well and having wonderful adventures. The Chinese are doing well to have you visiting their country and partaking of your knowledge. On the other hand, there is something to be said about spending time with folks from a civilization that is thousands of years old. Enjoy!
All the best, Bill

Chris said...

Hello Frank
It was good to hear from you and that your time is going good.
I look forward to a reunion when you get back so we can hear all about your time. Chris

Frank Redmond said...

Ni hao, all...it is Monday the 29th and I am in Hong Kong where it is easy to post on the blog. Thanks so much for all your neat comments and questions! Briefly, as I have to go to the bank and then catch the plane, the school for the deaf does not seem to have too many organized sports as they are in the middle of a large city, but I know they have p.e. The picture looking down on the students lined up was taken from a balcony above them as they were getting ready for p.e. class. They do jog around their huge astro-turf courtyard and play basketball informally. They were very friendly. The school has about 9 floors in one section and about 7in the other section. Space in China is difficult to find, so the school has been built UP instead of ACROSS, FLAT and on one floor like the school in RI. Other people need to use the computer, so I will get off now and hope to be able to answer lots more questions when I visit the school and Mrs. Cummings' library. I have some wild storie to tell, too long for here at the moment. Zie Jien oh, p.s. Bill G. yes it is a very old culture. USA seems so young, i.e. 400years compared to their five or six thousand. Bye for now. Frank Redmond