HORIZONS IN TONGCHENG

By Maureen Armstrong

College students from Tongcheng Teachers College in Anhui Province of China share in foreign teacher’s daily life. Various topics from classrooms, of college apartments, trying city shopping or walking outdoors and invitations to indoor activities are after becoming resident in small remote city of subtropics in Tongcheng.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9781665576956

Maureen Armstrong

Irish, born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Maureen found abilities after high school to bicycle across Edmonton, Alberta’s High Level Bridge to begin career in post-secondary education and was awarded degree in Social Work in five years in Calgary, Alberta at University of Calgary. After moving to British Columbia, Maureen studied mediation at Justice Institute of British Columbia, completed Certificate in Family Mediation to continue work in criminal justice and public schools. Writing is affinity while daily walking often in nature and lead Maureen to teaching conversational English at Tongcheng Teachers College. With luck and good fortune to depart to China in 2016, Maureen searched and discovered living-well in smaller city. Two years of coming and going to Tongcheng developed with generosity and patience into long-term relationships. Simply said on being Irish, Maureen is always Irish enjoying travel across Western Canada.

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ISBN: 978-1-6655-7694-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7695-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022922332

Published by AuthorHouse 12/22/2023

OTHER BOOKS BY AUTHOR

ESSENCES OF TONGCHENG

JULY'S DREAM BOOK 1

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Puzzle Our Turtle with Seven Free-Verses (2013)

Chapter 1Abstract-Art in Collages in English as Foreign Language Student Name-Tags

Chapter 2Journal From China (2016)

Chapter 3Photographs Past to Present Tongcheng Teachers College

Chapter 4Journal of Poetry Tongcheng, Anhui (2017)

Chapter 5Reader Alphabet Index of Free Verse Poetry

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing poetry becomes our friendship link with encouragement from Hong Wei Wu, a poet.

Maggie Ni calls advising of progress, and meets with President Shen of Tongcheng Teachers College approving each of the nineteen photographs.

Most of all thanks to the students of Tongcheng Teachers College.

PROLOGUE

One coil notebook recording dates and notes of our meetings with English as second language student in summer of 2013, into winter of 2014, pack into tight space of stuffed suitcase. Traveling overseas to China in August 2016, plan for paper in which to record notes into this journal as if writing poetry again.

For past two years day-to-day while out for lengthy walk record bird-sightings, flowers blossoming or sun setting in new-to-me writing form of free-verse poetry. Three years pass since listening to Mom’s true beliefs to encourage ability in writing fantasy novels.

For instance, Our meetings are in Christmas card with our written words in poetry sent to your grandchildren, my children.

Creating words into lines to blend threads into verses of cloth-like, nod or speak and listen to tell of and write together simple stories. For weeks in affable-style visits, we move about inside Mom’s place and then sit side-by-side in hallway outside community room for Christian services. Large fireplace sits on our right inside this large room. Others are sitting outside but nearby so Mom agrees to listen to services and music. In December 2013, we move from our spot into this same large community room with many residents sitting around edges in one large semicircle to hear the season’s music with piano, fiddle, and guitars playing familiar hymns and Christmas carols from the stage in front of the large room.

In quiet break an old friend leaving her piano and stage with musicians to walk across the floor to take Mom’s hand said, Hello Myrtle, I am so grateful and happy to see you today.

Mom reached up to shake the hand reaching out to her and said, I did not make it.

Moreover in unique newness together risk to research to discover porcelain-like bits and pieces with hairline images of our past that blend into brief memories. My grandparents bring themselves and child to emigrate from families in Northern Ireland to barren land of promises to homestead with multiple mixed emotions and angles of dreams for hopeful new lifestyle of chance measures. Their location for family life is drawn or built from backgrounds and life skills of growing flower and vegetable gardens, keeping pheasant coops and growing grain crops to harvest in rural area.

As we visit with homemade tea at other times Mom said, Hold your mug in both hands for warmth, and shows her mug with both hands for guidance.

PUZZLE OUR TURTLE WITH

SEVEN FREE-VERSES (2013)

Aprons

Ten Past to Quarter After One O’clock in Afternoon

Keeping the orange plaid

Although I lost the light brown

The forest green binding stood

Tearing the napkins

Touching fingers to fingers.

-29 September 2013

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Fox Could and the Yellow Dress

One-thirty O’clock in Afternoon

The braid was like silver

Two times around

The yellow dress with zig-zag

Helps Fox Could down the slope.

We don’t have a zag if we do not have a zig.

-06 October 2013

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Zag’s Zig

One-fifty O’Clock in Afternoon

Our thoughts are the same

A measure is mine

Being able to be

The wind is not seeing.

-10 October 2013

Big Green Toad

Something along the way. Came to me to be

Sleeping in the place of a sidewalk; And I ask you too

With a little flattened box, a cigarette box,

Stretching hind legs for anew.

-03 November 2013

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Green Grass

Six Minutes Past One O’Clock in Afternoon

I never believe it could happen

The windowpane reminds me so

How wonderful the thought is

To love the colour of green.

-22 November 2013

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Asphalt Paths

Outside our window sits

An asphalt path welcoming us

Our notification is clearly spoken

For all of us.

-01 December 2013

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Cookie Cutters

Sittin’ in a bag on our shelf

We bring out our cutters

And if we are lucky

A copper cookie cutter we see.

Rollin’ our dough, our sugar dough.

With sweetness and belief

We cut our shapes.

With gratitude, I join

Decorating the shapes.

-08 December 2013

ONE

Abstract-Art in Collages in

English as Foreign Language

Student Name-Tags

Name tags of student original name choices are classroom management decision.

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Diana

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Joanna

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Joy

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Bella

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Emily

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Holly

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Amanda

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June

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Nicole

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Sophie

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Jessica

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Snowe

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Carry

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Alina

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Crystal

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Lena

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Wendy

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Vix

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Lydia

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Dorothy

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Chris-Gina

TWO

Journal From China (2016)

Walking Under the Moon

The track is very best there is

But to look up and see

The shimmery slice of a moon

Frustrated by clouds that detract;

The first quarter shines

After the clouds pass

For a blue sky that extends extending far.

Ten-thirty in Evening

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Moment Was Waiting

Uphill is not simple

But then the lines formed

A tall colour is shown

And I stand in awe at first

As my differences show myself.            16 September

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Staircase from Playground

First Bamboo

Square polished granite blocks describe four separate wall murals engraved and to the left