Nathan Bland is just six foot tall – but he still stands
out to those he meets in Karamay, China.
Part of it is a natural reaction. While Chinese residents are
used to having Americans visit their city to teach at Karamay Arts and Science
College, they are not so accustomed to African-Americans.
Nathan Bland is just six foot tall – but he still stands
out to those he meets in Karamay, China.
Part of it is a natural reaction. While Chinese residents are
used to having Americans visit their city to teach at Karamay Arts and Science
College, they are not so accustomed to African-Americans.
“Theyre getting used to me now,” says Bland,
one of three Louisiana College graduates currently in the Karamay area.
“Most thought that I was an African when they first saw
me.”
However, that is not the only reason Bland stands out, observers
note. He also has become known for his impact on the Northwest China city. “Theres
a new star in Karamay, and it is Nathan Bland,” notes Zhan Wu Sheng, deputy
president of Karamay Arts and Science College.
Indeed, even after Bland got a vehicle to drive, he did not
qualify for a Chinese license, Sheng relates. However, no police officer would
stop him as he drove.
“Everyone in Karamay City knows Nathan,” Sheng emphasizes.
Such is the impact of the Louisiana College China-related programs
and those who participate in them, officials of the Pineville school say.
This year, while Bland is teaching at the Karamay college,
fellow Louisiana College alumnus Maryita Ducote is teaching at Number 4 Middle
School in the city. Another alumnus, Kate Murphy, is teaching at Xinjiang Petroleum
College in Duchanzi, about three hours from Karamay.
Bland came to Karamay in 2000 after having spent a semester
in London with the Louisiana College overseas program. The Leesville native
says he wanted to see another aspect of international living to complement his
college degree in business, with an interest in international affairs.
While in China, he participated in the Louisiana College program
at Hong Kong Baptist University, then returned to Karamay last spring to teach
there.
Ducote participated in the China Challenge program in 1997.
The Franklinton native says the program was a reason she decided to attend Louisiana
College.
“When I was seven years old, I told my mother that I wanted
to go to China but never thought I would,” Ducote says. “But when
I was considering my options, the China Challenge, along with the Louisiana
College atmosphere, made my decision.”
Since receiving her elementary education degree from the Louisiana
Baptist school, Ducote has carved a niche at the Karamay middle school. Not
only does she teach regular classes, but she also offers lessons to private
students away from school.
“English is important to the parents of these children,”
Ducote explains. “They see this as a way of progressing, and they want
their children to take advantage of this opportunity.”
For her part, Murphy teaches hotel management at the college
in Dushanzi.
The Texas native first came to the area as a part of the 1999
China Challenge program. After graduating from Louisiana College with an art
education degree, she decided to return to Karamay for awhile.
In addition to having an impact on the Chinese they encounter,
the three Louisiana College graduates serve as examples of options students
have in China.
There are three options – the summer China Challenge program,
attending Hong Kong Baptist University and teaching in Karamay, said Daphne
Robinson, director of the LC China Challenge program.
The alliance between Louisiana College and Karamay Arts and
Science College began in 1993. Prior to that, the Louisiana Baptist school had
partnered with another Chinese college.
A pair of college professors have participated in the teaching
effort this year – Business Division Chair Roger Best during the fall semester
and Department of Communication Arts Coordinator Bennett Strange this spring.
Meanwhile, the three Louisiana College graduates work toward
completion of their China tours, while setting plans for the next school year.
Bland says he plans to enter Seton Hall University in the fall
to pursue a masters degree. Ducote says she hopes to teach in Louisiana. Murphy
says she is not sure what her fall holds but is sure it will not involve teaching
hotel management.
(Written by LBM Associate Editor C. Lacy Thompson, based on a report from Louisiana
College professor Bennett Strange)