Chi Fan le ma?

It's hard to believe it's been a whole week since I wrote last. Time is going by so fast. This week seemed to barely even happen.

I was feeling kind of tired and whining that I needed a day off. And how good is God? He actually gave me one! I usually only have one class on Thursdays early in the morning, but a Chinese teacher needed to make up a class so they took mine. It was great to be able to sleep in and relax for a day. Brenda and I went shopping later and tried to find some sandals now that the weather is finally warming up. It's amazing cuz there are hundreds and hundreds of little shoe shops, but I can't find a single shoe that I like. They have such a funky style out here. Like a mix between 80's and fur. One of these days I'm just going to take a day and snap shot some of these girls to give you an idea of the styles I have to choose from. It's unreal some of these outfits they come up with. If I finally do find something that I'm kind of interested in, they won't have my size. I can't win.

Maggie showed us this great tailor shop nearby the school. It's a couple of guys who have this shop but they can sew up anything you want. So I'm having them make me some nice shirts. And I know they will fit me just right! Plus it's so cheap. I will have 2 shirts handmade for about 5$ each.

Today was such a great day. Brenda and I were invited to visit a school in a nearby villiage about 2 hour bus ride away. Most of the students there have never before seen foreigners! The students were expecting us and had been waiting for our arival for weeks. They were more excited then I've seen anyone before! We took a short walk around the campus first. And from the windows of the school building there were like 200 boys and girls chearing and shouting, saying hello nice to meet you, etc. What a sight. They took us to a room where hundreds of students were crammed in together. On our way there the leader asked us what we would talk about. That kinda surprised me because we were not told to prepare anything. So I got a little nervous. But we are among the most excitement they've had in their lives, so I'm sure we could do no wrong. I wasn't sure if they'd understand us anyway. As we entered the room they all cheered for us like we were the president or something. Brenda spoke first and introduced herself and had the students ask her questions. I was so impressed with their speaking and listening comprehension for living out in the villiage, never having met a foreigner or been in a real English speaking situation. It was obvious that they work really hard. I was nervous speaking in front of so many students, but it was fun. They even asked me to sing a song. So I got Brenda up there to help me out and we sang Jingle Bells.

After the Q&A time we went outside to have pictures taken. What a sight! It was like we were famous movie stars getting mobbed by fans! They were all over us and asking for autographs and email address, and wanting their picture with us. It was a lot of fun actually. They asked a million questions. It's amazing how much more appreciative of our presence they are then our current students in the city. Sometimes the rich No. 2 Middle School students act too cool for us. But these kids in the villiage were so amazed and excited to meet us and talk to us. It would be fun to go back again some day.

We were actually only at the school for a little over an hour. Then we went out to eat with the English teachers there and had a great time talking with them about the life in China and how it compares to the U.S.

The bus ride is always nice. I enjoy seeing the counrty side and the farms. I love the rice fields and sugarcane fields and banana tree fields, and even corn! Reminds me of home.

I'm learning more Chinese lately. The woman who works in the reading room at school wants to learn English so we're doing a language exchange. Sometimes it's hard though becuase she knows zero English. I might even know more Chinese then she knows English! But she can remember things fast, so I'm sure she will pass me up in no time. So in between classes I talk with her and learn a little each time. Then I practice on my students. "Chi Fan le ma?" means "Have you eaten yet?" It's a common greeting here that basically means how are you doing.

Mangos are in season, finally! They are so great. There are so many different kinds. Little bite size ones, small ones, medium ones, big ones, and Huge ones! Some that turn red, some that turn yellow, some that stay green. Many of them have a really small pit too, so most of it is flesh, and they are really yummy.

Guangdong province has changed some of their policies here concerning hiring foreign English teachers, and it's caused several problems making it harder for No. 2 to hire teachers. One thing that changed was the teacher must be a native English speaker. So Anna did not have her working visa yet, so now since this policy has come she will not be able to teach here any more. Arthur already had his visa so he can still teach. (They are from Uzbekistan, first language is Russian). Another policy change is that a hire must have the working visa before they come to China. When I came in August I had a tourist visa and school got me the working visa. But now things are so much more complicated, and more international paperwork needs to get done before you can get a visa and come over. Another change is that the hire must have 2 years of teaching experience! The school was having a hard enough time as it was finding teachers. So it's a big bummer. It's a good thing I came when I did, or I would not have been qualified either!

I'm running out of things to say. I really want to say more, so if there are things you want to know, have questions about, or have any ideas about what I can divulge further... please let me know!