Sea Perl

Thursday
so last night before we were about to go to bed Rachelle and I found out that we have a new school we are teaching at tomorrow! Haha what now?? so we get our first lesson scrambled together and luckily I still had my left over name tags while I was doing that I realized I hadn't signed up for a home visit. So I put on the paper I wanted to go with Leslie and if I can't then ill just skip this one out, crossed my fingers said a little prayer and I really hope that I get to go on a home visit with her. We got up this morning at met at the gate at 8:00 because that’s when we usually meet... well we waited. And waited. I blew my nose and waited and blew my nose again and kept waiting... this went on for about 45 min and then Kelly came it and said “you are early!” apparently Alicia was supposed to tell us meet at 8:50... huh. That’s funny. So we hopped into the car and headed over to Sea Perl.

We went in and started teaching our 6 classes. They started late so times were messed up and I was a little confused about what’s going on and I’m still sick so my only goal was to get through the day. The classes went well and the kids all listened it is just me who is struggling with the good attitude.

We finished our classes and went in to eat with our kids. They loved that. We on the other hand... got a plate full of dried rice and fish that tasted worse than back home with some weird stuff I didn’t dare to touch... I have eaten a chicken foot.. I fished out the bones no pun intended) and gaged down the fish with my dried rice and we realized that it was only

11:00 and back at our school, lunch starts at 11:30... so we took some pictures and headed out the door to arrive at our school just in time for lunch! Phew... so we go in and eat our lunch and on the way over to wash my tray up, Juliana catches me and rushes over asking why I am eating here and if the other school didn’t feed us... UHHHH... so I told her they didn’t give us much but we don’t mind because we can eat here and we like eating with our friends... PHEW! She said okay and sat back down. Yikes that was a close one. I headed back up to my room and Ben and I continued our trip planning and we found a bus that goes from the train station to the Warriors in 1 hour and its only 7un thats like $1.15 so we were excited about that! It took us awhile but we got it. Sam came in the room and told me that they were going to the city and I am tired of being in my room trying to get better so I changed and me Sam and Crista went into town so that Crista could get some of those dried sweet potato thingy’s and we could eat at the noodle place that we just found out is a Chinese Muslin noodle place and I point that out because everyone said that Chinese Muslim food was the best but I didn’t know how to find it... come to find out I found it the first week I was here! We walked to the potato place and I guess he took the day off because it was closed so on the way back we decided to take a different way and we found a movie store! The movies are $1 and I wanted to get the Bourne series but we didn’t know which were Chinese with subtitles or visa versa so we are planning to go back with Rochelle so she can use her little bits of Chinese to help us out.

Sweating?!

Wednesday 3- 27- 13

Today we got to show our head teachers my Favorite school, Grimm. I don’t know why its my favorite school but it is. I think it might be because it has been so consistent but either way, I love it. The kids were great! I sound like a man today. My voice is shot and so quiet and they were still so respectful and attentive. They LOVED this lesson. I taught Goldilocks and The Three Bears and used the BMC that required the use of “that tastes... that feels... that sounds like....” so when she goes in to eat the porridge I pulled out my spoon after brushing my hair with it, trying to throw it and getting yelled at by my kids “no teacher!!! no!!!!” I was soon getting told with their cute body language that I scoop things and eat with the spoon. So I had all the kids cup their hands and I tried the porridge out of their bowls. I put a spoon full of their imaginary porridge in my mouth and depending on what I wanted them to say my face would twist and my tonge would fall out of my mouth with a “BLEH!!!” as I folded over like I had just eaten the most repulsive thing known to mankind... oh boy did they love that one! Then we would repeat “that tastes YUCKY!!!” if it was time to enjoy my spoon full of imaginary porridge, I would scoop it up munch on it, swallow and rub my belly with a big ol “MMM... MMM... MMM...” “that tastes yummy!” then each student got a turn to “eat” some porridge and tell me if it was yuck or yummy verbally as well as non verbally. I got evaluated during one of my lessons and I hope I got a another good score! :)

we headed off to lunch and found that we got a tray full of corn, rice and meat with a roll... oh man Grimm you are amazing! I don't know if I wrote this down but last week we were talking to miss fu fu or fo fo (we found out her English name is sunny) and she asked us what our favorite vegetable is, we told her corn and had to play charades of eating corn of the cob for her to understand but clearly after today we know, she understood perfectly!

We headed back to the school and couldn’t help but take in the warm weather!! oh man it was so nice! I hurried up the stairs though because I told Morgan we could Skype but I forgot about my in-service so I told him about that and then headed down to the track because Sam heard that that's where it was supposed to be. Well, no one was there so we walked back up and around the apartments and found the group sitting over there... oh hello fellas! We sat down and listened to in-service. That was all fine and dandy until I was referenced and praised by my animation while eating porridge... apparently not all teacher cripple over when they eat gross imaginary porridge... imagine that haha * Blush *

After that everyone hit the track to practice for jump roping tomorrow. I have a man voice, a stuffy head and nose and feel like crap so I went back up to my room and Skype Morgan for a little bit instead.

I organized all the name tags from today and tried to get more organized. Its a constant battle as you can probably tell to juggle 5 schools and over 300 students.

Well Ben came in and was talking to me about the Next Vacation we are going on to Xi'an, we had to try to figure out where to stay and how to get there etc because we have to all figure that stuff out. Me, Maddie, Josh and Ben and lots of others in the group are going to xi'an to see the Warriors. but they are in my group for planning where we are staying etc. Sam came in and said the girls were going to the Jiajiauye which Is next to the ATM. I am feeling better today, not as stuffy and okay to get out of bed. so I was ready to head to the market. We took the bus over and I got money out. I got myself some ice cream and we walked back to the school. While we were walking we had to take our jackets off!!! not only did we not have jackets on but we were sweating! Two days ago I was frozen walking from my room to the cafeteria and now we are sweating! … oh the forever changing china.

At dinner Leslie found me and made sure I would bring my book. And bring my book I did! We took funny pictures as usual and read our book and I left with the same goofy smile I usually do!

I spent the rest of the night collaborating with Ben, our most recent hang up is how far out in the boonies the warriors are so we are trying to research busses or tours that would get us there because public transit takes 6 hours... no thank you.

But its getting late so I am signing out. Goodnight! 

Happy 1 Month anniversary

Tuesday 3-26 -13

Well I don’t know if anyone back home has noticed, but its been a month since I boarded that flight and said goodbye to my homeland! I cannot believe it. Time has FLOWN by in every sense of the word! Every one of us has felt like this month has been stolen from us and we are not quite sure how to get it back! Its weird that we now have to say “in the next 3 months I want to” instead of the next 4 but I really hope we can make it even better than the 1st!

This last month has been influential in so many ways have learned to:

Love the Gross slimy Chinese food that gave me the poops the first weekend here

Not expect to hear any of my native tongue while traveling about the city

time my bathroom shower and laundry schedule so that I can accomplish all three tasks in a day without flooding the bathroom and having hot water but also have dry clothes in the morning.

No longer get short of breath coming and going to the gate at the bottom of the campus or getting back to my room

Genuinely love kids that I have spent maybe an hour with int the last month with my whole heart and wish the very best for... most .. of them ;) no really, all of them.

Walk into a bathroom no longer expecting a toilet and without thinking, walk cautiously so I don't slip and fall into the pee on the floor.

Never expect plans to follow through.. they WILL change.

You are safe... just don't be surprised if the construction crew behind your building blows up the joint.

Chicken feet are Chewy

Just do it.. You’re in china, so why not!?

Today I taught at Dani Kindergarten My nose is so stuffy and I am so sick. My head hurts and I still can't breathe but I got up and went anyways. Its a good thing that today I only had to teach two classes. I have fun teaching at this school. After we were done teaching, Rachelle and I were going to ask to just go home after and not stay for lunch but then they told us that because it is so nice outside, we were going to go out and play with the kids! Dang Gina I wish I felt better but we went for it. I went outside and blew bubbles and it was fun I just really had to rely on the wind to blow the bubbles for me because I was working on breathing let alone blowing bubbles. We headed back inside and sat down and I have to mention. I have been downing water like its a hobby. Anything I can think of to get better. So my bladder is.. FULL. And I don’t know why but something inside of my still tries to fight the whole squatter thing... so I didn’t say anything until we got taken to lunch to our very full plates and then I knew I couldn't hold it and eat. There was no way I could fit everything inside my body. So I gave in and got taken to the restroom.

I went inside and found my stall with the hole in the ground and thought it was funny that a paper was taped so low on the door I locked the door... squatted and found my self at eye level with the paper that looked like a notice but in Chinese of course so I couldn't be sure... duh. Haha just one of those things you don’t think about until it happens!

I relieved my waters, opened the door, grabbed a bowl full of water and went back to my stall so I could pour the water and “flush” my hole. I replaced the bowl in its spot and “washed” my hands. You have to open a nozzle that releases frozen water onto your hands or into the drain on the floor directly below it. My personal routine continues with a squirt of hand sanitizer from my back pack and a quick little prayer that my hands really are clean.

Lunch is always fantastic at this school. And It especially was today because we didn’t have a shadow! Cute Zoe went to help put the kids to bed for nap time so Rachelle and I were able to devour and talk freely! After lunch we headed home and headed back to our rooms.

I still have been feeling crummy but I really needed to organize my name tags and things for the rest of the week. I did that and then tried to lay down in hopes that I might be able to get some sleep.. naw dinner time came.

While we were at dinner Rachelle and I were approached by our Chinese teacher... yikes. Remember how I hoped we weren't offensive and clear? I thought we were! But she came up and asked us why we didn’t come to our Chinese class today... WHAT?? its Tuesday! We planned M W F and cancelled em. Well turns out Rachelle told her Tuesdays and Thursdays after we got back teaching. Um no. I can't do that I need time to wind down sister so you are on your own. Well I told her I can’t do that early so she said how about Tuesday nights at 6:00... guh. Okay. So we decide we will start next week. I go back up to my room a little annoyed I almost got attacked for something I didn’t even know was going on. I sat down and started on my lesson plans and Rachelle came in saying she told our teacher when she was leaving that we will come tonight... Girl? You are killing me. We got there and I struggled through my first lesson. I actually got another Chinese name. Do I remember it? Um not exactly, and lets be honest, its sitting in the notebook across the room but I just don't want to go get it. But it means something like beautiful intuition. She says I have the ability to sense how people are without actually speaking and use it to help and not hurt others. We got out of class and headed up to our apartments but then I realized that it was almost “Tuck in time” so I sat and watched the teachers in my group jump rope because they have a jump rope competition at the school on Thursday while I am teaching at the Kindergarten. I was sort of bummed about it but my head is so clogged and my sinuses are less than agreeing with me … still. So I am okay to pass this one up.

I headed over to tuck Leslie in and I was a little early so I stood outside and waited and got greeted by all of Leslie’s roommates but no Leslie! I was a little worried wondering what could have happened. Why was she the only one not there?! I kept asking and the girls kept laughing and pointing at the ground and picking up rocks.. so I thought maybe she is like Brindy and picks up little random things of stuff and has some weird collection but that didn’t seem right so I kept walking up to their room so my jacket didn’t get pulled off and waited for Leslie. While I was sitting on her bed waiting. One of the Chinese teachers who can speak some English, came in and said hello and I asked her if she knew where Leslie was and after she conversed with the girls in Chinese she told me Leslie stayed after to help her teacher sweep the floors of the classroom... I should have known. She is the very definition of a sweetheart! I am trying to teach her “will you come tuck me in?” because every day at either lunch or dinner she comes up to me and points to me and holds up 8 cute fingers then two zeros to show me 8:00 you come to my room and then puts her hands like a pillow and a thumbs up ;) so I say you want me to tuck you in? And she says yes! Yes! And I come every night :) she asked me tonight where my book was... oops so I need to remember that for tomorrow!

Well I had to cut the Tuck in a little short because I scheduled a Skype date with Morgan so I sprinted back to my room to talk to moe and then realized that I was thinking it was an hour later at home.. dang it. But that’s okay Ben came in and told me they made Mac and Cheese as an experiment and wanted to know if I wanted some so I took advantage of my mac and cheese genius and did my lesson plan for tomorrow.

Dirt anyone?

Dirt anyone?

3-25-13 Monday

Well today was Npie Kid Dear kindergarten, this is the Kindergarten that we have to meet out in the front at 6:30am so that we can get on the bus and head to the school with the kids. I set my alarm so I could get up bright and early and I, as usual, was wide eyed and awake the second it went off. I woke up with a pressure in my head like my sinuses were geetting ready to strike and my throat was on fire... ah man dirt shoveled onto my back... whatever shake it off and drink some water... I got ready for school and then checked my phone because I had a few extra min and regret that choice every time I think about it. Long story short I got an email that had the equivalence effect of a punch straight to your solar plexes. (<--- however that is spelled) I obviously didn't reply to the message because I at least know that words are impossible to take back and for that reason you should never say things when you are upset... so I headed to the gate with my drained enthusiasm, clouded thoughts and broken heart. I got on the bus that didn't come till 6:55 and spent the next hour ride trying to force the overwhelmingly pressing hopeless feeling to the back of my mind.

Our head teachers Susan and Alicia came with us to the school so that they could do evaluations for us four. But first, they let us go eat breakfast. The food is alright here its just FREEZING. My toes were numb and I was trying to move so I could eat but I had lost all appetite after this morning. Whatever... shake off the dirt and one foot forward … So I just headed up to my room to go teach. Everything went pretty well, I got my little 2 year olds to point to parts of the pictures in my books and say “Pig”,“Wolf” and growl but that’s better than last week! I really do spend that 40min talking to my self but it is alright because I wasn't worried about life or home. When I teach I am able to just let everything go and focus on my kids and I am thankful for the chance to let my brain not worry about what is going on back home and just enjoy myself.

After we got done teaching Alicia and Susan let us know that we were skipping lunch at this school and going to to our school to eat instead so we will be back for in-service on time... okay whatever just let me get back home to my room. Hannah and Maddie were upset because they really like that schools food. How they can taste it I dunno, my taste buds are frozen like the rest of my body so I am more focused on moving rather than tasting or enjoying the food.

We got home and I just went to my room and skipped lunch. Wasn't feeling it. I laid in my bed from lunch time till dinner time trying to sleep but so worked up that I couldn't shut off my mind. If only I could install an on/off switch in my mind. I went to dinner and made myself eat a roll because I haven;t eaten all day and then went back up stairs, took some medicine and then laid back down. I am still here in bed and thank goodness for Ben and Josh because they just came to tell me that every one who wants to go to xi'an for our next vacation to see the Terracotta Warriors ( something I really want to see) has to pay for the plane ticket right now... I don't have the money now so I would have to go to an ATM so I was just going to miss it but Josh said he would spot me til I felt well enough to go get the money and pay him back. Thankfully. I am headed to bed. My head hurts my nose is clogged I cant breathe and my throat hurts. Goodnight.

Im a Donkey in a Well

3-24-13

Today was fantastic, I headed to church and heard a really good story in sacrament meeting.

Once there was a farmer who had many animals on his farm, one of which was a very old donkey.  Now the donkey had more than passed his prime and in his old age was often sick and achy, unable to any longer carry heavy loads of grain on his back.  Stumbling along one day, the clumsy, old donkey fell into a well which, lucky for him, was without water.  The farmer had been thinking for some time that he really needed to fill up that dry well with dirt, so despite the donkey’s desperate cries for help and knowing there was no way he could possibly retrieve the donkey from the well, the farmer knew there was only one solution.

He picked up his shovel and started throwing dirt in the well as the poor, old donkey cried for help.  With the level of dirt rising, the donkey realized he was being buried alive - death was near.  Suddenly out of pure desperation, the donkey suddenly stood up, shook the dirt from his body and took one step up on the pile of dirt.  The farmer watched with amazement as the donkey continued to shake off each shovelful of dirt, as he continued to climb upward.

As the well filled with dirt, the donkey climbed higher and higher until he finally walked right out of the well.

I took advantage of my alone time because Sam was out on a home visit with one of her students and I wrote in my journal.

Sam and Crista came back right before dinner so we spent dinner learning about their home visits and then went back up and talked on the bed all night long.

It has been a pretty relaxing but satisfying sunday. I am so excited for this week and I am ready to make it a great one! Fingers crossed tomorrow wont be as freezing cold as last week at “Npie Kid Dear”

nighty night!

Home visit

3-23-13 Saturday

Today was my first home visit! I got up early hoping to face time morgan , but he is very loved so it was hard to get a word in as a virtual being on a screen. But he is okay so that’s good. So I face timed my Mom because I was also super excited to tell someone about the paper that was slipped under my door after I fell asleep yesterday. When I woke up I found my very first evaluation form on the floor by my door. I got a 100% with comments “absolutely fantastic job! I couldn't do a better job myself. You kept them engaged and listening. You also modeled really well” :D well, I just had to pat myself on the back for that one ;) to make time go by faster so I could go on my home visit and forget about stuff at home. I talked to my momma and Brindy until it was time to go and enjoy my Saturday in China.

 

I went down with Mckelle, (the girl I roomed with in Korea) because we were home Visit Buddies. We met a cute family and a 1st grader named Vickie at the gate. We hopped in the car and learned that the parents thankfully  had English names! Sally and Johnny are Vicky's parents and Sally actually spoke pretty good English.

We were told the plans for the day which were to make and eat dumplings. Doesn't sound all that exciting but this is no small project and I loved it! We headed to the market to get ingredients that we needed for the rest of the day. On the way to the house, we stopped by the beach and took some pictures. I really wish it wasn't so cold. Sally and Johnny said they had other plans but because its so cold they decided on making dumplings instead but I can’t complain I loved it. We walked into the house/apartment and it was a really cute place!

Johnny pulled out flour and water and made the dough for the outside of the dumplings while Sally cut the cucumbers etc. and I was in their faces snapping pictures and trying to see what everything was and how to do this because I am going to miss real Chinese food I can promise you that! Sally got a pine apple at the market which they peel for you which is so cool, and she cut that and a mango up for us. She also got some weird fruit for us to try but that tasted like dirt so I am going to pretend that never happened ;)

well after the cucumber, onion, ginger and egg with some other spices that resulted in a delicious concoction was done, we all got together

in a circle, Sally cut and rolled out the dough circles while Johnny taught us to fill and properly close the dumplings! :) Vickie was in charge of making sure the surface of the board that the dough was on stayed covered in flour :) we made quite the army  of jiaozi, it took quiet awhile but I think I

 

got the hang of it! Johnny took the dumplings over and boiled them and then we dug it!! OH MY GOSH!! Best dumplings I have had yet! I wrote down my email for Sally so she can email the recipe so I really really hope she sends it to me! Johnny said he had been making them since he was 6 years old so really he is a master at these things and I will never dispute it!

 We ate so much food but it was so good! We talked about how I have 4 siblings since they can't do that in China they were so amazed. So I showed her a picture on my phone of me and my siblings (the one we took in December) and she looked at it, frowned and said “is that you?? you fat here...” hahah well then! Thanks I think?? haha I just had to laugh though.

I do need to confess though.. I told a little fib. It was around 2:00 when we got done and we were sitting there talking but McKelle and I were struggling. I don’t know what it was but we were so tired. Well, I did get up pretty early today and McKelle said she didn't sleep very well, so we told them we were meeting our group at 2:30 at the school so we got our stuff together and headed home. They lived 20min away and I was trying to force my eyelids open... man it was rough but we made it and Sally told us that if we ever want to come back that we are more than welcome.

We went back to our rooms and I tried to take a nap but my head was going 100 thousand miles an hour and I couldn't sleep... dang it. So I invaded Crista and Rachelle's room and we had a little vent session and it helped I think we all needed to just let things out. I have been typing my little heart out ever since. I didn't go to dinner because I wasn't hungry after the dumplings. And I’m still good even after dinner. Sam did come up after dinner though and we headed to the mini Jiajiauye market and got some ice cream and then came back and I started right where I left off. And now I am finally caught up with my journal writing! Yes! Im feeling a little down lately. I don't know if I just need my space and I am getting sick of being around people all the time. Or wait a min, maybe I just had a crazy emotional week and I am on the downward swing right now. Either way, I am ready to call it a night. I’m excited to have church tomorrow church always seems to help!  

Balling

3-22-13 Friday

Today started out a very good day! We headed off in K-C 7768 to our ELE school and got a head teacher to tag along with us! Alicia came to do evaluations and she observed my first class. That kind of blows because after every class I feel like I get better and better and sort of feel bad for the first class because my last ones are bomb! I taught my first class and then headed outside to watch our kids do their little exercise routines. Its really cool to see them all in sync doing the same thing at the same time. In fact its pretty amazing, I can't imagine in America, my school ever pulling that off. While we were standing there, Rachelle found herself being pulled over to play basketball with the gym teachers and I was being drug into it! At first I was ready to refuse but.. What the heck, I’m in China! So I ran over there. After splitting into teams we started our 3 on 3 matches. Yeah just so you know, my team PWNED! Yeah boy! In the middle of the game we asked what their English names were.. HOLD UP! They didn’t have English names! 3 of them were playing Basketball with 2 American English teachers without English names? We had to fix that, not going to lie, it wasn't that hard... we just played b ball with Colby, James and Jordan ;) long story short, they were more than happy to accept our English names:)

 we headed back to class and I taught my last two classes and Rachelle and I headed to lunch. I was starving so we just headed over their without an escort (we are usually waited on hands and knees if you haven't noticed) and got our trays... I wish I would have taken a picture because its my first meal that I have honestly had to gag down. This lunch set so many records in my book. I have never had so much tofu on my plate... Gag. The sea weed tasted just like it was pulled from the ocean and the fish probably had more bones in it than I’ve ever had before but the most confusing part of it all was the taco flavoring... get me outta here!

I headed home and got into my room and realized that the meal wasn't so bad compared to the news I was walking into.

I am really bummed about my sweet Grandma Olsen's passing and not being able to be there to say goodbye to her. I am really going to miss my Grandma. I guess I can only be grateful that it was so fast for her and that I was able to get an email to her before it was too late. I do a pretty good job masking what I am feeling inside over here. I find that even though I feel like I am breaking down inside, if I put a mask on and push it to the back of my mind as much as possible, pretty soon the mask becomes the face and I am able to enjoy myself for the moment and as long as I don't think too hard about it then I am alright. Its so hard to accept the concept that I can't say “you should totally meet my grandma” “or my grandma is” but now she is a memory. The “is” becomes a “was” and “you should” is now “i wish you could have” I suppose it’s all about growing up, but man it sucks... even though my heart was heavy and my head was hurting from the tears and emotional roller coaster this week, I put on the mask and moved on to the next part of the day. Face Timing Morgan!  While I was face timing Sam came in to tell me that our travel plans fell through. Everyone in the group except me and Crista wanted to go to a mountain and hike it for their vacation. To be honest, any other day I probably would have been totally down with that but with all the emotions and stress from today that was the furthest thing I wanted to do so Crista just jumped groups and now we are headed to this place where there are caves with a ton of Buddha’s carved into them and some other stuff but I am not really sure. Right now I also don’t really care. We decided it right as they were leaving to buy tickets for the train. We ran and gave them the money and passports. Fingers crossed that it all works out and it is fun! Haha

With all this stuff going on, I have felt pretty bummed. So I laid down for a little bit as Sam and Rachelle went to the store. It was good to get some alone time to just cry things out. But then I got an invitation to go to the city and get some noodles from the noodle house and then they all wanted to go to the KTV which is a karaoke place. I was game for the noodles and getting out. So I put the mask on and headed out to the city. I actually ended up wearing the exact same scarf as Sam (the boy) so they were joking around saying we were a cute couple and then we look like we are getting engagement pictures and then all of a sudden we were going to have cute little scarf children... man this group of teachers move fast haha we were all laughing about it and it was a good distraction while were  waiting for the bus freezing in the cold! I actually had a lot of fun we went to the noodle place and we actually ended up running into Sam and Rachelle, they were tired and wanted to head back and I didn't feel like going KTVing and neither did Ben so we ditched that group, ate my favorite noodles. We hit up KFC's bathroom and I wanted to get one of those bread doughnuts but I just didn't want to walk around in the cold. So we caught a Taxi and headed home. I had this idea though, the noodle place is so random and in a little alley I never would have known it was there and I am not sure how we found it, but I thought how cool would it be if ILP gave us stickers and we could have “ILP approved” places and we left a log of the places we go and like and stuck a sticker in the window of a place so if other ILP teachers walk past they can see it and know its good! But every time you leave a sticker you have to add it to the log so the teachers can look it up and find it too. Anyways, I am going to try to sleep. Goodnight!

Day “Off”

3-21-13 Thursday

Today was nice, I actually got a day off! It is Casey's last day here and he is evaluating all the teachers except for the kindergarten teachers (me) so all my friends were a little stressed last night trying to get everything ready, while I was picking at my belly button lint cuz I found out that I got the day off today. (just FYI I wasn't really picking at belly button lint... I’m not THAT dirty) the kindergarten we are supposed to go to is ocean pearl. But only 8 students have signed up so far. With that being said, there is no point in having 4 teachers come to a kindergarten to teach 8 kids. So, I got a day off today with Rachelle while Maddie and Hannah went this morning to teach 2 20min classes and then headed home. Next week Rachelle and I will take ocean pearl and trade off back and forth.

With that being said, 7:00am rolled around and my eyes were wide open... so much for sleeping in! I got ready and headed to the school supply room to get ready for tomorrows ELE lesson (cut papers into 4s so I have enough for 75 students) I am teaching the same lesson that I taught last week only this time I shave more than 30 seconds to be prepared for it! I also got all my stuff for next weeks lesson AKA topic 2 which is “school” my spin off of that is “things I see at school” I am starting out my lesson by presenting a picture of a school. And a picture of home and then I can teach the kids the concept of a school verses their home and then start by pulling out a stack of papers that have “things I see at school” and numbers 1 – 10 down the side then pull out the 30+ pencils that I spent a majority of my morning manually sharpening and developing carpel tunnel so that they can write on their papers things such as “we use paper at school” “we learn from our teachers” “i eat in the cafeteria” “we don’t wear hats at school” etc. I have 10+ Items we can discuss in class so I hope they are engaged and enjoy the lesson. After I had frozen over from working on my stuff, I collected my things and headed downstairs and met Sam (my roomie) and I helped her with her last 3 classes. She is a really good teacher so I had fun being a part of her class and helping out.

Lunch was same old same old except for the part where Crista and I smuggled our group’s apples up into our rooms and divvied them out evenly. P.S. Ben never saw those oranges again.. Yumm. I have always loved fruit, in fact, it’s been my favorite for as long as I can remember! But now as I fill my stomach with starch and empty calories I become a barbarian/con artist when detect a fruit in the vicinity... oh China how you have changed me!

After lunch, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed about how dis organized I as feeling and how much I was trying to get done at once. Ben was a gem and offered to take my “Things I see at school” paper to the copy room while I got things organized. I was doing my thing trying to get pictures off the internet. (we all know how much I love doing that... not.) when Ben came into the room saying he had a surprise for me... what is it?! He couldn't tell me but he did have urgency about him. I was trying so hard to figure out what this could possibly be and finally curiosity got the best of me and I found myself following him down the stairs to my “surprise” I thought since the packages get sent to the copy room for us teachers and ben had just come from the copy room that it could be the package from home I am waiting for, but then why not just bring it up?? I really was hoping that this so called surprise was worth going out in the cold for... we walked out of our building and headed towards the track under the gym, a trail I have taken countless times to and from the track, when Ben stopped and started messing with a door... Ben where does this lead?? I was beyond confused and slightly disappointed I wasn’t getting my package up until he got the door opened and I saw mats, bags, sparring gear and a Chinese black belt going crazy with the nunchaku I turned to see the Chinese and Korean flag on the wall with “taekwondo” displayed underneath it... * Jaw drop * what the heck?! So I did none other than stand there and watch this guy go to town with each weapon. Throwing crazy kicks with such ease... oh man this is too good to be true! Ben headed back to the rooms while I stood there watching like a creeper until Bruce Lee offered me a chair. I sat and watched for a while and then he came over to talk to me. He doesn't know much English and I know next to nothing as far as Chinese goes so I yes I am stretching it when I say he came to “talk” to me but I wasn't about to let this chance go! I asked him what his name was and I told him my Chinese name. I gave him an American name Lee you can guess how I got that one ;) and I found out that he is the teacher here at the school! I told him I would love to learn from him and I could teach him English he said okay and his class is in 121 at 3:00 perfect. I am so in! So I ran back upstairs, gave Ben a hug and emailed Kelly making sure that everything is okay with the school and that she and I are on the same page. Oh man I am so stoked. I really hope that I can do this! Too bad I didn’t pack my uniform...

After that, we watched a movie in Rachelle and Crista's room and then headed to dinner. After dinner we had an in-service because we were out to dinner yesterday with Casey instead and that was just basically “make sure you keep them talking and Casey was impressed with you guys”. After in-service, we had a travel meeting because we have our second vacation coming up April 4th I think? Anyways, Me, Rachelle, Crista, Sam, Ben and Josh are planning a trip to go to Shanghai and “the Venice of china” which is just 30min away. But then we find out that if we are taking a train we have to let them know to and from where and when etc by tomorrow... shoot boy, I have no clue.. we have no clue!! we tired to figure it out for a while but I had to take a break and go tuck in my cute Leslie.

Tonight I brought a book for us to read before we said goodnight. I headed upstairs and waited for my oh so loved familiar squeal/scream. There it is!! “AHHH!!! TEACHER!!!” she ushered me in and pointed to my spot on her bed and then ran out. It didn't take long before I realized that tonight was shower night. As I saw squealing little girls run up and down the halls some totally naked and others wrapped like a cocoon in their towels going in dirty and coming out washed and clean. Dropping dirty underwear in one pile and socks in another. While I was waiting I saw Carrie a student of Ben and Josh. I remembered her from when I team taught with Josh she came over and took my book out of my hands and started pointing at pictures and we had a fun time “reading” the book. I can't help but laugh at the dynamic of China compared to America. In America, Bathrooms are sectioned off for girls, privacy is a must. Doors and toilet paper have become an expectation while these girls are going to grow up living in dorms where communal restrooms, showers and bedrooms are everyday life. Squatters are normal, toilet paper comes in packets if you use it and who cares who is looking while you are changing or peeing.

Leslie and her little roomies all got back and changed into pajamas in time for us to read our book. They really loved it and I actually had to rush through it to make sure I was done by 8:30 (lights out)



Story time !



When I see Leslie I can expect 3 things no mater what.

Squeal/scream

A hug so big it belongs in the record books

Me walking away with the biggest smile on my face.

I learned something today. While I was talking to Leslie, I told her I have been to Beijing. She very excitedly told me that her mom lives there. When I asked her if her Dad lives in Weihai, she gave me a prompt nod of the head impressed that I knew that already. I knew that because that is who she was with when I saw her at the market. But can Chinese couples get divorced? I ask that because in order for them to have a baby and to get a certificate that says their child can go to school etc. they have to be married. So I need to figure out how that works.

When I got back we worked on our trip again and ended up emailing Kelly and asking her what the heck we should do because lets face it, we don't speak Chinese let alone read it! So hopefully we can figure everything out in time tomorrow.

Crista stayed in our room for a little bit talking and then all of a sudden Sam gets up and says I think I’m going to throw up and gets into the bathroom and we hear it, Crista and I just looked at each other mortified and had no clue what to do... in fact I think she said “ we are gonna be terrible moms I have no clue what to do!” me- “crap, you are right.” turns out Sam felt just fine after dispelling her food all over our bathroom floor and we did find that in some circumstances our drain in the middle of the floor and sorry excuse for a shower can become real handy...

A Light that Can't be Hid.

3-20-13

Today was too many Calories... like way too many. It all started out with me heading to Grimm Kindergarten. With a name like that I should have known something was gonna happen ;) I got to the gate and the guard pointed to the little orange car I remember from last time so I got in and I was the first teacher there... in the front with a sweet lady who knew no English... hmmm. So we just sat there trying to imagine what I would be saying right now if I had a Rosetta stone and checking the mirrors to see if anyone was coming when I noticed myself singing along to a song... wait a min! That is English! And this is one Direction! I know this song! I might or might not have looked at the driver and pointed to the radio and said English!!! yes!! good! … you dummy, she knows its English and if she didn’t like the song she would have changed it... haha hence the awkward laugh and nod of the head... hmmm... I’m a psycho.
The rest of the teachers finally came and we headed off to the school. On the way took a trip to the 90's and listened to Brittany Spears but it was when the one and only “Call me Maybe” was when we couldn't hold it in anymore... yes all 4 of us Americans crammed into this little orange Chinese car swerving in and out of lanes and cutting off busses were singing “Call me Maybe” at the top of their lungs. Id tell you what the driver was doing but I was so caught up in the moment I didn’t even care to make a mental note... long story short it did just the trick to energizing us for the day! We got to the school and walked up to find our sweet miss. Um.. fu fu. Fo fo, loo loo. Or whatever her name is waving a warm welcome. We went to walk into the school until she pointed to the bulletin board to show us that our pictures have been proudly displayed along with a description of ILP. So pretty much, we are famous... not to brag or anything ;)

 

This was my first second time teaching. Does that make sense? Hopefully it does. Anyways, I took pictures of all my kids last week with their name tags so I could make sure that they all got the right names etc. because these kids are in kindergarten there is no way that after 40min a week later they would remember their English names... wrong. Talk about baby genus! I had the name tags separated by classes and as I put them on the table each kid got their name tags and proudly put them on... dumfounded after double checking my phone to make sure they were right, I pulled out the story of the 3 little pigs. They loved the story especially when I pulled out a wolf and 3 pig masks.

 At first I felt pretty frustrated because the kids would come in so hyper and crazy but then when I rotated I noticed the kids in Rachelle's group going crazy while playing badminton with balloons... ah gotcha. That can be fixed so I just had them stand in a line and make them all calm down before going to their seats and it was perfect after that. I can't blame them, I remember having those days in school.
After our lessons were over and I didn't spill my water all over me, we went to lunch and got waaay more food than necessary.. my tray was over flowing but I am not supposed to waste it so yes, I ate it... fat. But that wasn't the end of it. We were walking out when Miss, la la , fu fu or tu tu ( I really need to figure out what her name is) stopped us and told us that it was a little girls birthday so we had her come over and we sang happy birthday to her and she was SO excited! Haha then Another girl came to us and turns out it was her birthday too soo we hit replay and sung her a song too.
 

Happy Birthday !

 Both decided to thank us with a piece of cake... each... gosh dang it why did it have to be so delicious?! So yes I devoured that as well... Fatter
Today Casey, one of the directors came to visit our school and have interviews with us so he can make sure that the communists aren't brainwashing us and conducting permanently damaging tests on our psychological state... or just to see if we are doing okay and if we have any questions etc.. I had an interview at 1:50 so when I got to my room and got an important text with news from home I was able to get myself together and head down to meet with Casey. The interview really was just fine. Do you feel safe? Is your room okay? How is the food? Are your head teachers good? Stuff like that.
I got back to my room and rested for a little bit and then got a blessing from Mark, Sam and Josh. Just one for comfort. I am very thankful for guys who keep themselves worthy to perform blessings like today. It really did help to get a blessing. But it was time for our dinner so I got all fixed up and tried to cover my blotchy face and headed down to the gate to head to dinner ( Casey took us out to eat )

Dinner was... monumental.. I sat next to Kelly, our coordinator and she is so freaking hilarious!! the only time I have been able to spend with her I have only been able to see her in her business persona but tonight we laughed so hard about so many things. But the best part of dinner had to be the chicken foot. You heard me right. One of our dishes was bones with meat. We had no Idea what it was until we started stirring it around and we saw a chicken claw sticking up and the bowl got passed to one person then the next till it got to me... 6 years ago I went to Korea and I have regretted leaving there without eating one of these... im in China... what have I got to lose?? you know how you go up to bear your testimony and you think okay im going to do it and then you are all of a sudden standing up in church in front of everyone thinking “how did I get here?! What was I thinking?!” well the next little bit happened just like that... I picked up my chop sticks and dug in fishing out my victims foot, put it on my plate and then picked it up pinching its finger with my pointer and thumb, trying to not let any more of my hands touch this little claw than I have too, as if it even mattered .. for heavens sake , I was about to devour the thing!
  But just like you do when you find yourself at the pulpit, I followed through and dug in... I Dellany Olsen have eaten a chicken foot! I ATE A CHICKEN FOOT! How did it taste? Like chicken! It was very chewy chicken but it was chicken.. and a foot. And its in my stomach... I am so proud of myself!

On our way home, I was talking to Josh and Sam about tucking in the kids for the night. I REALLY wanted to see Leslie. Her smile is so contagious. I can't help but be happy when I am around that girl. She is the kind of person I hope to be when I am around people. She radiates positivity and optimism. It doesn't matter how hard or awesome my day has been she makes it that much better. I don't have any guilt saying she is my favorite or only going to tuck her in because I don’t teach any students on our campus. As you can imagine, I was so pumped to be back by 8:00 so we could head over to tuck in our sweet angels. Josh lead the way because he had gone before but then realized he wasn't sure which one of the identical buildings he went in last time so we asked a boy named Sam (there are so many of them here!) where they sleep. In amazing English he proceeded to tell us which building and which floor for specific grades and the genders of each grade.. I was amazed. ILP must really work because that kid can speak English for sure!
We got to the right building and I headed straight for the 4th floor where Leslie should be. I started walking down the hall when I heard the sweet sound of the familiar squeal/scream “Teacher Dell!!!” and I found my sweet Leslie’s arms around my neck!

 Oh my gosh I love that girl. For the next 30min I had the biggest grin on my face as she showed my her comb, slippers, hair tie, outfit for the next day etc. I brought her a sticker, one that say's “im Special” with a giant smiley face on it. I felt like that sticker fit her perfectly and all my students love their stickers. Leslie was no exception! she finally got ready and sat in her bed and asked me to sit next to her followed by the request that I sleep there as well! I told her there is not enough room because I am too big but that was easy, she slid over jamming herself into the wall to make as much room as she possibly could to increase her chances of me surrendering to her request. After a million hugs, laughs and blowing kisses, I forced myself to say goodnight and head back to my room. I can't think of a better way to end my days. I walked back to my room grinning

ear to ear like a fat kid with two pieces of cake after singing happy birthday and eating a huge tray of food for lunch... oh wait. Anyways. We heard that we can only tuck our kids in on Wednesdays, but Sam said that the teacher on her floor asked if she was coming tomorrow so I am going to try to tuck Leslie in tomorrow as well. Fingers crossed because that was easily the highlight of my day. That little girl is A light that cannot be hid. I hope that the pictures from tonight help show how sweet this girl is. I hope that no one ever tried to take that darling smile off of her face. Her's is one that can move mountains and melt my heart.. instantly.

China Doll

3-19-13

Today was my first day at Dani Kindergarten. Remember Darling? Well she is from the same school but different location. Hannah and Maddie stay at that school while Me and Rochelle are at the location we went to today. :) we got picked up by the most beautiful woman. She is so pretty. When I hear the words “China Doll” she is the kind of person that pops into my head. She is the director of this location and oh man she is so beautiful! She hasn't ever gotten an English name so I gave her the English name Chloe. I think it fits her so well and she loved it so it worked perfectly! We met Julianna at the school with a nice “welcome to our school” in English just for us!

 We figured out where we were going to teach. But not before we got a tour of the school! All of these kindergartens are so cute and decorated so fun! One room in particular caught me eye... I looked in and saw mats on the floor, smiling slightly thinking of TKD at home then I saw what looked like chest protectors... no... it couldn’t be! By now my pulse is rising and I keep scanning to see pictures of martial artists on the wall and kicking targets! All in little cubbies! What the heck?! Is this real life?! I was so excited!! I pointed in the room asking “taekwondo? Taekwondo? Teacher??” as they smiled and pointed down the hall and wanted to show me more rooms I thought about stomping my foot and flailing my arms wildly until I got my questions answered but I thought twice about that and just kept going. We got our classrooms and then got told that this school only has about 22 students so we will just teach two 40 min classes and then just wait till lunch and then head home. Rachelle and I weren't going to complain and I was still off in my own world thinking about how I could possibly get them to understand Taekwondo.... gosh dang it!

Well I instead got put in the dance room to teach my lessons but they went really well! Ellen, the one who knows English at the school sat in on my lesson and she was participating as much as the students and I just loved it haha it was so funny to see these little kids and then a teacher sitting on the tiny chairs attentive and ready to repeat on my command. It definitely made time fly by! Haha in fact when I finished my second class and Rachelle came into my room “well that was easy” I was a bit confused and then realized I was also done! ...But really, isn't the name Taekwondo universal?

After we were done, we had Ellen take us back to Chloe's office. After talking for a while I learned that Ellen learned her English at her university and she is a psychology major and 21 years old but loves kids and that is why she is here! She told us so many times how excited she was to have us here so she can practice her English. I thought I would try this Taekwondo thing one more time and asked her “the room with the *punches in the air* when is that class??” Finally! She got it! Haha she told me the classes are on Saturdays and if I want to come watch I can! Hahaha … watch class.. I’m going to try to figure out a time to get myself there... I have asked Kelly about a million times about Tai Chi but I still haven't gotten told anything yet but I am going to keep asking! Well, after I got my Taekwondo answer I was a little more focused on what was going on ;) and Chloe asked us if we like shopping and we told her oh yes we do! And then she outlined like paper money so we figured out that she was asking if we had American money! So I pulled out my $1 bill and showed it to her and she was so excited she pulled out her phone and took pictures of it so I got out a penny and a quarter cuz that’s all I had and I told her she could keep it and I am pretty sure I made her week. Have you ever seen someone hug a dollar bill? Cuz I have! Haha I love giving out gifts like that. Who would have thought that a simple dollar bill would have the ability to make someone so happy? The teachers here thought I should have traded 6UN for it and traded her but I think the reason why I was so happy about it was because I was able to give someone something who is helping give this opportunity to me. I feel so blessed right now. I am so thankful for the position that I am in right now so much so that I want to give back, and the only way I know how to do that is to teach these little ones to the fullest or to find ways to help or uplift someone here and for heaven's sake if its giving Chloe $1.30 I would do it again in a heartbeat! We were talking to Ellen after Chloe had to get back to her director duties and she told me that she saw that I named one of the Student's Zoe and that she loved that name... I’m a girl, I can take a hint so I asked her if she liked the name Ellen after she shook her head, I asked her how she would like to be named Zoe. She lit up! Haha she loved the name and accepted it whole heartedly! Man, what a good day it’s been! After Chloe was done, she told us that the teachers in the school wanted to meet us and show us their classes! So we went on a tour and it was so fun! We went into one classroom with music blasting American songs that I knew and she was so excited that I could sing along because she put it on just for us teachers! Haha then they turned on gangam style and watched the kids dance along. On my gosh it was so funny! We went from room to room dancing to one song then another following Chloe's lead and laughing while watching these little angles follow along as much as their cute little arms and legs would let them! We did the same thing in every room and it never got old! We got done dancing from room to room and took pictures and then we got told that lunch was ready! Sweet yo! Zoe took us into the room and they brought me and Rachelle a full plate of chicken and a full plate of pork slices along with a big ol bowl of tomatoes and egg soup stuff and then a giant pan of rice! Then they told us eat it all! Uhhh.... so Rachelle and I rolled up our sleeves and dug in! Haha the chicken was really a mini chicken leg with bone and all. We took the whole  divide and concur approach, Rachelle decided to take over the chicken and I would try to take the Pork and dig in... well, we started to try to eat the stuff and then realized that Zoe was not going to be leaving haha she scooted up the chair and sat down. We tried to get her to eat but she told us she is going to eat with the teachers after us. Hmmm well then, we did our best haha the food wasn't all that bad. Rachelle had to concur the tomato soup and I did pretty well on the pork, but then I thought to hard about what I was eating and started to notice the strange texture and that got my head going off and imagining a million different things about the pork I was eating... time to switch. Then the chicken was mine. We tried our very best but there was no possible way that we could finish that stuff. We threw in the towel and then told Zoe we surrender. She said okay and then ran out and went to go tell Chloe that we were ready to go... meanwhile Rachelle and I are smashing rice down to make it look smaller and put some pork and chicken strategically into the trash... yikes..

We pretty much rolled out of the kindergarten and then headed home.

We were headed up the stairs when we met Mark and Geoff (Jeff only spelled weird.. I like to call him G – Off sometimes for fun) and they reminded us of Chinese classes so we turned right around and headed off to our classes. We thought we would get in a class and be taught but we got split up and got one teacher for every few of us. Rachelle and I were paired together but then I have about .01 Chinese wishing I would have hit up a Rosetta stone before I left and Rachelle took Mandarin 1100 at school so she has a semester under her belt so we are already miss matched but we got the basics of some words still and tried to set up times for our classes. The main problem I think was that we didn’t even have time to lay down or even un load our backpacks after teaching. It is so fun don’t get me wrong I love it. But it is tiring once you stop or sit down you realize how much energy you just used and you need to wind down... or at least that’s how I feel. So Rachelle and I just wanted to go. I feel bad for saying that, but its the truth. We were trying to set up classes with our teacher but she has all classes in the afternoon and our classes are all in the morning so the only time would be 12:30 – 1:15 and that would mean that we would have to repeat what we just did every M W F … we just said okay yeah and then left. Not my proudest moment but we got it figured out later..

when I got back to the room Crista and Rachelle were out sleeping and Sam was watching movies on her lap top having her alone time so after I finally gave in and threw my first load of laundry in, said a little prayer “please don't ruin my clothes!”... I raided Ben and Joshes room. I brought Ben my rap to see if he approved and lets face it, I’m not much of a rapper haha basically all I have been doing is thinking of things that rhyme and put them together with no real fluency at all... so I decided we should try something new. Me Ben and Josh started writing a Rap that didn’t rhyme.. for example it starts. We thought we would write a rap that doesn't rhyme but then we found we didn’t have the …. skill. Just wait. Its genus it really is. But half way through I got bored and remembered my laundry was done and wanted to get it all hung up before dinner so I ran and pulled my laundry and threw it in the dryer.... HA! No way it there a dryer here! If you have to throw your soiled TP in the trash can you definitely better plan on hanging your clothes to dry! Haha I almost broke my neck trying to jump and stretch to get my clothes up on the clothes line WHILE standing on a chair... short people problems...

whatever, its all good. Dinner was just the same, good ol cafeteria food!

Its really really cold here. Its so windy and I am being a baby but we are all sitting inside and just waiting for it to get warmer. Every time we think about leaving our apartment we seriously have to debate on whether or not it’s worth the cold! I really don’t get it because I was getting so excited about it getting warm and then it takes a turn for the worst and is a freaking windy ice freeze storm every day it feels like! Well, I am being a baby right now. Probably because I am practically frozen while typing this but its bed time now! Goood night!

One of those days

3-18-13

Today we went to the K(pie symbol) Kid- Dear kindergarten... mouth full? You betcha! Haha this kindergarten is actually ran by a dude! Crazy huh? Last night we were told we needed to meet at the gate at 7:40 rather than 8:00 so we got there and met our driver or at least whom we thought because he walked up to us and said something like with Kelly? So we said yes and he motioned us into his van and holy crap as I am writing this we are stupid hahaha we totally could have gotten taken and sold to the highest bidder! … oops... we got in the van and it seemed like he was asking is this all of you? And we weren't sure if head teachers were coming or where Kelly was so we just said yes and he went on his way! Haha man we are pretty dumb. But as you can already guess, since there is a Dellany here to write this experience down you know I lived to tell the tale.

We ended up picking up Kelly and then driving to the “N-pie Kid- Dear Kindergarten” I kind of wish we would have left her home because she informed us that next week we will need to be at the gate at 6:40am so the buss can come get us... drat. However I guess its cool cuz then we are going to go and pick up the kids and then head to the school. I am still wavering back and forth with it though.... o well, we got to the school and it really does look like a castle it was really cool and it is built right across the beach! When it gets warmer I will love it. But it was SOOO cold today that with the wind, I swear I felt my blood coagulate. After we got a tour of the outside playground and their gardens (each class has their own garden) I really like this guy's ways, he teaches the kids more than just education, he teaches them about life. These kids get book smart and learn how to survive with the basics. Right before I froze over, We got inside and It was a very cute place! We walked around and in one room we entered to see a big picture of Jesus Christ on the wall.... hmmm. But I was told... this must be china. Kelly also noticed the picture and she asked Equal (that’s the directors English name) something pointing to the picture and he said Daoism something in Chinese and Buddhism and then Kelly asked Rachelle who that picture is of and so she told her Jesus Christ as she wrote down the name in her phone then said to Equal “these guys are too. That is why they are so good people. I need to be better.” and we just looked at each other and kept on walking haha the symbol/logo of the school is also one with a religious meaning. Equal saw me looking at it and he explained the line at the bottom of it is a symbol of the bible and westernization and the v part of it Is symbolizing of helping lift up like the teachers and the Circle is a drop of Dew showing life. And some other meanings but I can't remember them now.

We got assigned to our room and then our classes began! I taught my good ol Snow White lesson again and finished my first 4 classes when the teacher told me to follow her to my next class. I did as I was told and entered what seemed to be a nursery room.. What gave that away? The 2 – 4 year olds sitting around a table waiting for me... yes I taught 2- 4 year olds and you better believe I talked to myself for a full 20 min! We rotated and then I got a whole other group just like the first! Yeah, I can hold a pretty good conversation with myself now just so you all know ;)

Classes ended and all 4 of us met up and sat in the “Jesus room” obviously the one with him on the wall. We had to wait about 40min for lunch so we sat there and lost body heat haha in China, they could really use Air Design to take over. There are no heaters and as far as I can see, no A/C either. So its freezing outside, windy and we are right by the beach. I’m not sure if that really does anything but the girls said it did and I believed it cuz it was cold! Poor Maddie had to Pee and when she asked them, they told her no no wait for lunch... so we occupied our time trying to convince her to (with our ever so increasing squatting skills) to pee in one of the pots that their plants are in! When dogs pee it fertilizes why not human right? She would help a class get an A+ and it would be an amazing story! In fact I was laughing at the thought of it. Haha well, Maddie couldn't do it. She was too worried about someone coming in and the Jesus picture staring at her .40min passed and we got called to go eat! Thank goodness! Right? HAHA!! if we thought that room was cold we walked into a room that was cement walls and a kitchen and I was trying to make my way to the table without running into a wall because my breath was so thick! How in the world was it so freaking cold in there I will never know but it was like an ice box and I was definitely an ice cube! Lunch was pretty good but I couldn't have gotten done soon enough! With my teeth chattering and toes going numb I sat there listening to Equal's philosophy of life and teaching. He told us how he uses ancient Chinese culture to open up the students minds and help them develop life skills etc. I’m sure it would have been very interesting if I wasn't developing signs of hypothermia! At last we got the “i will drive you to your school” and we were on our way. But not before he gave us 2 boxes of 25 Banana milk juice boxes each. Haha thanks Confucius, please just let me in your car!

We got in the car and I was starting to regain feeling in my toes when I realized “hmm I actually feel pretty safe” instead of swerving all around the road and weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights. Equal took us through the scenic route back to the school. Stopping at the red lights and staying in the lane. But then my second thought was.. “shoot, we are going to miss in-service” my third thought? “whatevs”

We got home and started marching up the stairs. Routine efficient steps to make sure every movement was necessary and productive to get us INDOORS. Maddie was already at the top of the steps and I’m sure if she wasn't any quicker her tear ducts would start leaking fluids that aren't meant to be leaked from there.. on my way up Sam told me that they said packages should be in the copy room at 1:30. we have both been waiting for one and she had to go help teach a class so I told her I would check. It was 1:00 so I thought I would just wait in the copy room so that I didn’t have to go to my room then back to the copy room... that lasted 5 min and I was heading to my room. On my way there I saw the head teachers and told them sorry about in-service we just got back and they were pretty cool about it, we told them about the 6:40 am thing and they said they were going to check on that because ILP teachers can only teach a certain number of hours and that is including drive time so maybe we won’t be allowed to do that! Oh man, that would be great. They didn’t seem to care about the in-service thing but they were headed to the hospital with Mikelle one of the teachers (the one I roomed with in Korea) because she has an in grown toe nail and has to get it operated on. SCARY! I Got up to my room and put another pair of socks and pants with a shirt and jacket on then curled up in my bed... that helped. What the heck happened here? It was so warm! Well I checked my emails and then just didn't feel up to doing much of anything. Probably would have been smarter to wait for the copy room to get opened but I was inside and I didn’t want to go out. Then, the internet went dead. Ugh. China why do you have to electronically fail me?? I finally convinced myself about an hour later to go check and I Dellany Olsen got my package from my momma! Thank goodness. Love the American stuff. I opened my package and then set all my stuff up ( pictures and frames etc :) ) and that led me to cleaning and re organizing my whole half of my stuff and closet and desk etc. I love doing that and the feeling you get after everything is done and in place! Love it. I started getting a head ache though and just felt bleh like an emotional and physical over load and a good nap was definitely in order. And I did just that.

I woke up in time for dinner. Chowed down and then came back to the room to realize that no one had internet and every one was annoyed by it. It is just one of those days. We all are tired and cold and annoyed ha or at least I am so I guess through my eyes so is every one else! I didn’t feel up to FHE so I just made sure everything is ready for tomorrow, showered off my body and now its bed time! Goodnight. Maybe tomorrow will be better.