{"product_id":"essences-of-tongcheng-maureen-armstrong-9781665562959","title":"Essences of Tongcheng","description":"\u003cp\u003eCollege 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom 30 April 2025 Interview with Kate Delaney and America Tonight\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary: \u003c\/strong\u003eWhat began as a simple walk turned into a journey across the world-and across cultures. In this episode of \u003cem\u003eNewsgram\u003c\/em\u003e, we follow Maureen Armstrong, whose recovery routine led her to teaching English in rural China, writing poetry, and discovering unexpected connections. Her book \u003cem\u003eEssences of Tongcheng\u003c\/em\u003e is more than a travel story-it's a moving portrait of shared humanity and the power of embracing our differences.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWelcome to this edition of Newsgram! \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes, a great story begins with a simple walk-just a few steps to get your body moving and your mind wandering. And sometimes, that walk can take you farther than you ever imagined-across cultures, even across continents. For Maureen Armstrong, what began as part of an injury recovery routine turned into free verse poetry, pages of personal reflection, and ultimately a book. Her walks led to a life-changing decision: to travel to China and teach English, a journey that took her nearly halfway around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSo in this edition of \u003cem\u003eNewsgram\u003c\/em\u003e, let's take a journey-spiritually, emotionally, and quite literally-to the Anhui [On-Way] Province of China. That's where Maureen went to teach English, and where she found something far greater than she expected: a deep cross-cultural connection, unexpected moments of trust, and the kind of transformation that only comes from stepping far outside your comfort zone.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThankfully, her colleague Maggie helped her through it. Her students became her friends. She had a private apartment that gave her some space to reflect. And she says the food was very good.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnd she says when she returned for a second year, everything felt different-it was much warmer, more familiar. Her students were confident. the school had grown and the street vendor even remembered her hat.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThanks for listening to this edition of \u003cem\u003eNewsgram from Webtalkradio.com\u003c\/em\u003e, I'm Sam Youmans.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Maureen Armstrong\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1665562951\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781665562959\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Authorhouse\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/26\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 204\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.62lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.43d","brand":"Maureen Armstrong","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48217511624959,"sku":"9781665562959","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_76815987-bdb1-4693-95d9-5b8e14509bde.jpg?v=1771997687","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/essences-of-tongcheng-maureen-armstrong-9781665562959","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}