Home Visit it up!

Saturday 5-11-13

What a day! I woke up pretty early and thought that I would dedicate the morning to journaling. I’m super behind after such a great vacation! I spent the morning typing away until it was time to go. Crista came in at the last minute and told me that she didn't want to pay that much for dinner... well, that’s a little short notice... I told her that she was going to have to call and talk to Candice about it because I had to go. It’s a good thing that Zoe is going to be there so it can count as a home visit or I would have had to bail on Candice and I HATE it when people bail . But, I got in my swim suit and packed my towel and headed off. I waited at the gate for about 15min and started to think that maybe the parent and students weren't going to come pick me up! I sort a sort of relief and disappointment all at once. I have a hard time with new things. If I know what I am getting into or what to expect, I can deal with things way better than the unknown. I guess I am a bit of a paradox in these situations, I am always looking for adventure and trying new things but getting me to take the first step is always the hardest!

5min later a car pulled up and honked, that’s my Que! Here goes nothing! I ran over and hopped into the car. I opened the back door and sat in the back next to Diego and Dora. Diego is in 5th grade and Amanda's student. Dora is in 3rd Grade and is taught by Sam (boy). They were both very cute and had good enough English for us to have a conversation on the way to the pool. Their mom was driving and it took me a second to realize that it was Bruce in the passenger seat! This is definitely the dynamics of a home visit, I’m totally fine with this! We drove for about 15min into town and then pulled up through gates into a hotel looking parking lot. To my left I saw a driving range and immediately thought of Russ and Morgan. They would love that place. Dora tugged onto my arm and pulled me towards a building in the back corner. I strained to see if I really could read the words on the front or if I was just making it up, but nope it definitely said swimming pool in English under the Chinese sign. Sweet! I can do this. Dora and I walked hand in hand to the front door. We walked into the front doors to a nice wood receptionist desk. Just like any other hotel pool's front desk, there were swim suits hanging on a rack. Dora held one up so I told her it’s a “swim suit” she repeated me in an accomplished manner and came back to hold my hand. By then, Diego, his mom and Bruce had come up to the front desk and paid for us. The man at the front desk heard me telling Dora the English words for things and thought he would play along! He started holding things up and asking me for the English words. He was a little disappointed when he held up a women’s swimsuit and then a man’s swimsuit and I told him there isn't a difference in the name. I told him he could say “swim trunks” but he was holding up a sorry mix between a jammer and speedo. I tried to make sure I kept the words for things as general as possible and not pull out too much swimmer lingo.

After we got our keys to our lockers was girls went into our locker room. I walked in to a room of stark naked Chinese women. Yes, I am a swimmer and I realize that in the locker rooms, some people are comfortable standing there naked but I still to this day take pride in my ability to deck change without showing my goods to the world. Long story short, I’m glad that I changed into my suit before we got there. I put everything in my locker and got my key. Dora told me to keep the key on my wrist by using the bungee string attached by a key ring. My confidence level grew extravagantly at that point. Anyone who can swim at a decently fast pace knows that if something is close to being loose on your wrists, ankles or fingers, it will come off when you swim. I kept my key on my wrist the way Dora insisted it be and walked up the stairs. I walked up into a room with a 5 lane, 25meter pool. The pool was really nice. In fact for china, this was a 5 star facility without a doubt. Dora kept telling me it was very cold... she wasn't kidding. It took us a few tries to get into the water and ended up being the last two to get all the way in. Bruce jumped in and started swimming and right off the bat, I knew I had nothing to worry about. In fact, from looking around the pool, caps put on sideways, goggles you get from the dollar store, swimsuits faded from chlorine but only from the waist down... I’m golden. I was the best one there because I had a solid background in my strokes and good form set aside the speed!

I pushed off the wall and immediately got annoyed with this bungee bracelet after the first 26 meters I hooked it onto the strap of my suit like us swimmers do when we go lap swimming and need an annoying wrist band to say we paid to get in. I got to the end and adjusted my cap and then there was no stopping me. It felt so good to swim. The weightlessness, my muscles able to freely move and not feel the impact of the ground. My lungs were burning and my heart was racing but I couldn't stop it felt so good! My previously knotted muscles were loosening up and I felt free. Like usual, my once crowded lane was now cleared and I had it all to myself. When I stopped at the wall I looked up to a good ¾ of the pool staring at me. Then little Dora’s voice “teacher!! so good!!!” accompanied with her toothy grim surfacing under the oversized cap and goggles crowding her cute face and a thumbs up. I gave her thumbs up and made my way over to the other end of the pool to say hello. Bruce taught Dora and then moved to helping Diego and then their mom. When Dora was being taught,   

Diego asked me to teach him Freestyle. I had him show me his big arms and then we added side breathing. He tried it a few times and then popped up breathing hard and sputtering “teacher, it’s no easy!” I giggled a little and helped him a little more. By the end of the day we swam 50meters together! Diego used a water ring on his “pillow arm” (the arm he breathes on) so he wouldn't choke on water but for it being his first day, he caught on fast! Dora was content with a piggy back and yelling “faster faster!” we played around for a while. In between games I took a few laps and enjoyed being queen of the pool allowing our group to have a lane to ourselves. Every time a new swimmer would come over and look like they wanted to get in, I would take a lap to defend our territory and they would walk away. There are some perks to the whole “save face” society here. No one wants to paddle next to the American who can actually swim!

Bruce challenged me to a race so we took off. I beat him by a body’s length and he told me it was because he started late. I told him we could do a rematch if we could swim up and back. He finally said okay and I let him count off. I pushed off the wall from my flip turn and didn't see a bubble from him after that. When I touched the wall Bruce was sitting at the bottom of the pool on the other side. He popped up laughing at me and I just rolled my eyes. He gave me a high five and said good job “you are the winner!” after our race Diego, Dora and I played and messed around until it was almost time to go. I grabbed my phone and had their mom take some pictures and then we headed back to get changed.

I walked into the locker room and suspected that I was probably going to be drug into the showers of naked Chinese ladies but I used my whole “I don’t understand” and “that’s okay” to get out of it. I pulled out my deck change and waited for Dora and her mom to get done changing. After a little bit of waiting we were out and ready to head back home. When we got into the car, I remembered that I had pennies in my back pack so I pulled them out and gave one to Diego and Dora. Diego asked if I had a dollar that I could show him and it turns out I did! So I showed it to him and he told me that Dora had a dollar but he didn't so I let him keep it. He was very excited about that! Dora asked me if I could come again next week which I totally would but I already have plans with Equal, Kelly and us 4 kindergarten teachers. So I told her that if I have a free day I will tell Bruce and I can come with them. She seemed pretty content with that idea.

Bruce and I got dropped off next to a bus stop. Candice called Bruce and told him that she was running late but Bruce had to go teach a table tennis class... yes Table tennis. He waited with me for about ten min and then had to go. I was fine waiting so I had no problem with it. Less than two minutes late Candice came up and apologized for being late. Then we were off. We walked over by the beach and that’s when I saw the Pizza hut sign. That’s funny, that’s where the other ILP teachers were going for Cherishes birthday! Pretty sure we are going to see them. O well. No big deal. I walked in and saw Zoe sitting at the table.

 She was pretty surprised to see me but we spent the night eating pizza and coloring a picture. I ate more that I know I should have but I was surprised at how good the pizza tasted! It tasted like it was from America! The best part was when the other Chinese teachers there were struggling with picking up noodles with their forks and I was the champ. Finally today I am the winner! I have spent the last two months majorly struggling so I spent today really soaking it up because I know it won’t happen again until I am back! I don’t even have to win at things I just don't want to hard core struggle with everything! Welp, I guess that’s just how I learn though. The food was so good and I had fun with Zoe. After we were done eating we went outside and walked along the side of the beach at happy park. I loved being next to the beach and watching the little old guys fishing off the dock. Zoe and Jimmy, (another student that was there but he isn't my student) had so much energy it was unreal.

 They were running up and back and all around. I ran around with them a little bit until I was ready to pass out I was so tired and just talked with Candice and the other teachers while the kids ran circles around us. We were going to take the bus back but luckily Jimmy's mom offered to give us a ride. I would have hard core fallen asleep if I would have taken the bus so I am very thankful she offered to drive us. We got home and I hopped into the shower and now I’m ready to hit the hay. I did somewhat of a miniature abs work out but I’m so sore I didn't get very far. Sam and Rachelle are still camping so I’m sleeping with the window open with a cool breeze and planning on getting a good night’s sleep!