11/17/10 CAPA UPDATE and CHINA TOUR REPORT

IPA MEETING: 10 CAPA members presented papers there Including one paper presented for a CAPA teacher (who could not attend) by a CAPA student in both Chinese and English. He also answered questions from the audience.

GRADUATION:  More than 35 students completed the Two-year program and received certificates. 29 of them were present at the ceremony in Beijing as were another 45 CAPA members and friends.  As several people said  “This is an historic event” and indeed it was. All of us, students, teachers, supervisors and therapists have reason to be very proud of our accomplishments.  I think this experiment; this adventure did not really seem possible to any of us. I know it didn’t to me. There was applause, laughter and tears and then an amazing banquet arranged by one of the graduating students. In a few days there will be pictures of the graduation and tour on the website.

TOUR: a huge success. Twenty six people. Meetings in each city (Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai) were like family reunions with hugs and kisses and more tears as students met their teachers and supervisors. Here is what one of the “tourists” had to say,

It was an amazing opportunity to learn, in some significant depth, about this vast and very important country, to meet the people, whether at the academic events, or hospital tours, or in conversations with the guides, or in exchanges in shops or art galleries,  to taste (far too much for our own good) the endlessly varied and delicious foods, to see the most important cities and sights, and  to be with interesting and companionable peers. Every day offered new experiences and insights.  And, perhaps, no pleasure was greater than to get to meet and spend time with my students and supervisee, who could not have been more gracious and welcoming.  Not only were they enthusiastic and appreciative of CAPA, but they conveyed how much they have learned and grown from their participation in the program. Our heads are still swimming from the many, many provocative experiences we had.

Of course there was sight seeing.  A visit to China is a visit both to the past and the future at the same time. Even our very sophisticated and knowledgeable tourists were startled by what they saw. The students in each city had arranged large conferences where the Tour members lectured, discussed cases, presented their own case material.  After each academic meeting, the students arranged a banquet or took their own supervisors or teachers to dinner.  It is difficult to imagine the joy of the students when they met their teachers and supervisors. We will have another tour next year.

PUBLICITY:  Following the article in the Washington Post (which was picked up by the NY Times, papers in Pittsburgh and Australia), I have been bombarded by requests for interviews: Voice of America, BBC, China international Radio, Various Chinese newspapers. Please check our Website for details: http://www.capachina.org./CAPA/Reports.html

Elise Snyder