feedback sought

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
We had a woulda, shoulda, coulda session during the follow-up weekend in September, but Anna wrote recently to ask if a more formal evaluation was possible. She had several comments that I have encouraged her to copy and paste into the forum.

In the meantime, we welcome any feedback you might want to offer. We have a thread already going on specific destinations (thanks, Dennis, for your comments). Here, please take a moment to tell us:

What aspects of the trip preparation, trip, and trip follow-up were strong? Which should be improved? (Please don't hesitate to suggest how they might be improved.)

Given that the weather, need to meet collective needs, and itinerary all pose significant challenges, what more should be done to prepare individuals for the challenge and to help them through them? (Where did we succeed in this? Where did we fail? What should we change before our next trip in 2010?)

[Anonymous]

All kidding aside from the back the bus, I really believe SOME time to catch our breath during the trip is needed. I know, I know...one more temple, one more experience, the plane leaves in an hour. However, Time to reflect is important. Time to look at the surroundings and think about where we are could have helped me to appreciate some of the cultural elements. For example, I remember mentioning how unhappy I was on one particular day in Japan (Kyoto, I believe) when I could go to rest at the hotel before meeting up for dinner. Dinner time did relax me with the colorful arrangements and look (and taste) of the food, but before that I was in such a huff I didn't really stop to look at the dancers at the plaza. That would have been a good moment to sit and make connections. Perhaps (to put it crudely) a "get out of jail" card for one day to relax isn't too much to ask? I know one pair went to that baseball game on their own, and in a sense that was a liberty pass from the group. Could that be done? To be fair, you guys did give us time to wander on our own (when I went with Clay to the Mosque, when I hopped on the Beijing subway, and others), but there came a point in the trip when I just wanted to rest that the temptation to go out and explore was just not there. One day. Just one day.

I think the speakers from a previous trip did a great job in explaining the challenges of the trip, but they really need to emphasize the pace, the expenses, and the need to PACK LESS. That Orientation weekend was great, but more time with the seasoned veterans about their experiences would have been useful.

[Anonymous]

Hi Clay,

I agree with Dennis. I think the trip was so packed with activities that those couple of hours off were really needed. I still remember the afternoon in Shanghai that we got off; it was nice to be able to just relax and "debrief" if you will. We all appreciated the fact that you wanted us to experience as much as possible, but sometimes I think we just wanted to sit and observe.

I think there should definitely be a mandatory karaoke experience on the next study tour--in fact, I think it should be a requirement for the trip. Applicants should send in a video of their best karaoke performance in order to be put under consideration. All kidding aside, I do think a karaoke experience is in order for your next tour.

As for preparing for the trip, I once again agree with Dennis--the importance of packing light! Also, I would say to the people, don't be afraid to spend some money. My biggest regret is that I didn't spend more. I think the people should also know that they should go easy on the food. The Lazy Susan made people want to stuff themselves, and I think that quite a few people got sick that way. Would there be any way for there to be less food served at restaurants? I always felt guilty that there was so much food left over.

Judi

[Anonymous]

I agree with Judi, I think Kareoke should be mandatory on the trip. I think some highlights of the trip were the dinner on the boat in Toyko on our last night. That should be a must do for the next trip.

The factory visits to Lenovo and Toyota were pretty interesting but I would of like to get to see the housing units provided to workers in China. I think that would be a neat opportunity to look at housing and interact with locals.

I think visting Sony or Nintendo in Japan would also be a great resource to teach about cultural diffusion because just about every one of my students have a Sony or Nintendo product with the popularity of video games and electronics.

Some things that I enjoyed on the trip was getting the opportunity to interact with the locals. I remember talking to a Japanese lady while we were waiting in front of a temple in Gion and she shared with me the Chinese she was learning in her language classes.
I thank Clay for encouraging us to mingle and talk to the locals and advising us about safety in certain cities. I think that fact should be highlighted and really encourage the next group to mingle with locals because those are memories really stayed with me.

[clay dube]

Below is part of Anna's note and my response.

From: Sarnoff, Anna
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 12:09 PM
To: Clayton Dube
Subject: lesson plan

Hi Clay,

......

On another note, will we get to do any evaluations of the trip? I do have one suggestion that I really think will benefit the next group of NCTA travelers.

Clay, everyone got so sick on our trip, and I think it was because of the break-neck pace that didn't allow us to recover our strength. I remember older John was REALLY sick, and he wasn't allowed to go back to the hotel and rest - I think we were in Kyoto. There were some things on the itinerary like the Maritime Museum (where everything was in Japanese) and the cave home visit that could have been eliminated in order to give us some much needed down-time. I am a very healthy person, and that trip literally brought me to my knees. To this day I am still very ill, have been to the doctor half a dozen times and have to take prescription drugs to relieve me of the symptoms caused by the tour.

So much of traveling is discovering things on your own - unexpected shops, places, etc that are off the beaten path. I definitely understand that you want to give us the most on our trip, but people need a bit of free time now and then, especially in that oppressive summer heat, to relax and wander at their own convenience. Some of my best memories are the things I did on my own time, like when Mimi and I at 10PM found an Internet cafe in X'ian that had like 300 computers and seemed to be the social scene for the city's youth. Perhaps it was the repetiveness of the things we did see which made me forget the name of the temple in my powerpoint - we saw so many shrines and temples that after awhile they all tend to blend together and lose their power and distinctiveness.

I am so appreciative of all that you, Venus and Miranda did to plan the amazing trip that I was lucky enough to experience. I just hope that next time you will take into consideration that maybe a bit more free time would be beneficial to the mental and physical well-being of your group. We're teachers - most of the time that means we're pretty responsible and are trustworthy enough to be given some free time with the understanding that we WILL make the most of it and won't take it for granted. I know you alluded to the fact that past groups were only concerned with shopping - well, our group was not like that. Everyone was in earnest about learning and experiencing China and Japan, and I know that if given the opportunity, they wouldn't have wasted any extra free time given to them.

.......

**************
From: Clayton Dube
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 2:44 PM
To: Sarnoff, Anna
Cc: Miranda Ko; Venus Saensradi
Subject: RE: lesson plan

Hi Anna,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I am sorry that you continue to be ill. I do look forward to reading your revised lesson plan.

As for the evaluation, please go ahead and post these observations to the forum. (You could just copy and paste from your email.) You've thought a lot about this and we value the feedback. I hope that your comments will cause others to offer suggestions as well.

It's hard to balance the needs of the group. For some who teach middle school and for whom the transmission of Buddhism is important, we didn't spend enough time in temples. For others, any time not spent looking at contemporary issues was wasted.

Anna, your observations are quite welcome. Please do post them and see if we can keep the discussion going.

Smiling,
clay

[Edit by="Clay Dube on Apr 7, 3:58:28 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I agree with others that we were traveling at a fast pace, but I understand the itenerary had to cover many destinations to give us the rich experience we were able to enjoy. My advice to future travelers is to sleep whenever you can. I slept on the trains, on buses, on airplanes. A neck pillow is a good investment. Whenever you have a moment to sleep during the day--take advantage of that time by sleeping or writing in a journal. The naps helped tremendously with giving me the energy to keep up with the demands of the itinerary. Use this downtime wisely.

I also advise to pack lightly. I took one carry-on bag for the trip. I took some liquid laundry detergent with me and washed some items in the sink to dry overnight. There was one opportunity to do some laundry, but it is better to wash your clothes as you go along. Take clothes that wash and dry well. Most hotels offer an iron if you need one. It is best to take as little as possible because the group needs to follow a specific itinerary and it decreases the chances of leaving items behind, or slowing down the group.

[Anonymous]

I suppose we all have different views as for the pace of the trip, and I respect all. However, I, personally, liked the pace being, perhaps, a once in a life time experience I wanted to see and hear as much about China and Japan as our fearless leaders could throw at us. And this may seem odd to some, but experiencing this rigorous and well structured NCTA trip was actually more restful and useful for a guy like me (Okay, I got the flu..but it was in the bus...and once it's on the bus...). It can be refreshing to follow rather than to lead--at times. I appreciated the energy of our Teachers and tour guides. Yet, I understand some of my peers are much more savy about transportantion and sites than myself (Thank God for every plane, taxi and super fast train they helped me with!). Loved the trip, loved the pace...travel light.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking the other day about the visits we had to the schools (one, I wish I had had more video tape for the cute presentations from the elementary school!). Anyway, just the other day I took my 5th grade class to the local middle school to show them what life will be like for them this September (this isn't my idea, all 5th grade classes do this). There was of course a presentation by the clubs and extra curricular activities departments, as well as the orchestra and all, but what I remember most (even though they have it every year) was the "tour guides" conducted by the students themselves. My class of thirty was divided into three and each group had a middle school student showing us around campus, visiting classrooms, the gym, the cafeteria, computer lab, etc.

This got me to think about my visit to the (was it a middle school or high school) visit in Japan. Now fist of all you might be discouraged that I don't recall what level it was, but I can tell you the reason: my discomfort. When we finally had a chance to visit, all the male students were shy and hiding in the back, and the girls were all grouped for defense and difficult to get to. In the computer lab it was a bit easier but not much. And apart from that incident of "Barbie Girl" on Tokyo Harbor, I consider myself a shy guy, so perhaps in your next trip you could arrange some students to help us break the ice with students. Yeah, some people don't need it, but I know some of us would appreciate going into the classrooms, or gym, or hallway with at least one friend from that school to help us out; what do you think?

[Anonymous]

I think its hard to create the "perfect itinerary" for a trip simply because of the variety of interests that people have.
I know that a few of the teachers on the trip did not like the Maritime museum, but I actually liked it quite a bit.
I found out Nagoya is a sister city to San Pedro where I was raised, and have also taught.
I actually had fun comparing the two ports, looking for similarities and differences, especially because the vast majority of San Pedrans make their living in the ports.
Many of the students aspire to work in the port in one capacity or another.
That being said it would have been even better if we had some translation, even if it was just a 5 minute session on the highlights of the port.

I do agree that we could have used a little more down time.
Mainly because when you become worn down, it is hard to focus all your energy on what your learning and doing, and you are unable to fully immerse yourself into the experience, so you take less away with you.

Other highlights I loved would be the terra cotta soldiers, the Great wall, Pingyao, and the schools.... well everything!!
It would be great to have some kind of a session with the teachers to ask them more questions one on one discussing education in Asia and the US.
(The night in China with the teachers my group had a college professor so it was slightly less relevant. I'm not sure if the others met with primary and secondary teachers.)

Overall the trip was absolutely amazing, one of the greatest experience of my life.
Everyone on the trip was interesting, informative, and fun to be around.
I took a lot back to my classroom, and the students really enjoyed learning about China. [Edit by="kjelenic on Jul 6, 10:51:39 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone! I am still processing the trip, which in a word was "memorable". It is a full length movie that plays in my head almost daily filled with emotion and wonder. If you would like to meet at my home for a reunion this summer, give me a few weekend dates and I will buy the beer, ice, English tea, ice cream, provide karaoke and organize. Someone else can provide the sushi. I'll try to write more later.

Betse

[clay dube]

I'm certainly up for a reunion.

[Anonymous]

Betse,
thanks for the invitation. So many of us are posted on facebook--you could probably contact everyone on facebook.

Love to go,

Heather

[Anonymous]

I would love for a reunion as well.
Maybe we could even meet at one of the asian museums or gardens.

On a side note, after returning from our trip, and posting our pictures on facebook, 3 of my friends have gone to China to see it all for themselves.

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