Today is the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. It's really not that big of a deal in Zhanjiang. Basically the only way people celebrate is by eating zongze. It's this flavored sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. There are many different kinds. My students gave me some as a gift, so I got to try it for the first time. It's pretty good, and really gooey. They said that every one must eat at least one zongze on this day. The reason they celebrate this day is actually really sad. They celebrate to honor some guy who committed suicide. In some dynasty hundreds of years ago, this famous poet tried to stop a war by pleading with the emperor, but the emperor wouldn't listen to his ideas of peace. So the poet got really upset and drown himself in some river, which is now super famous. The people didn't want the fish to eat his body, so they threw zongze into the river so the fish would eat that instead. The reason it's called Dragon Boat festival, apparently is because some guys in boats searched and searched for his body which was never found. So now, they have boat races on this famous river.
This weeks lessons are just preparation for the students Final project. Next week they will do their English performances. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. I've already started to get good-bye gifts from the students. They are super sweet.
Tonight I went and bought this really cute skirt that I found in a shop. It's so far the most expensive thing I've bought. But I figured it was worth it, because it will always remind me of China.
Tomorrow is international Children's day. Has anyone heard of it? I never have. But they like to make it a big deal here. I was asked to have dinner by a couple different people. But first come first serve. I will have dinner with a Chinese woman that I met a while back and a few of her students. They are so cute, only about 8 years old. It's nice to hang out with the little ones now and then.
Friday I am in charge of an English Corner. We were supposed to have English corners every Friday, but it never happened. So now it's like they are trying to squeeze them in before the term ends. It will be fun, though, I think. It's going to be only 50 of the top students in the grade. So it should be a breeze. I'm looking forward to it.
Can any one help me out with song lyrics. I've had this stuck in my head, but can't remember the rest:
My lips will praise you, for you are lovely.
My heart will ever bow before your throne....
I had an interesting conversation with some students. They were looking at an English magazine (the kind written for English learners) and the title of a story was "Things I have Learnt." Is learnt a word? I have never seen it before. So I told them I didn't think it was a word, and they disagreed with me. They even looked it up in their electronic dictionary and it was there! I was shocked!
Well, the spider has gone. But this does not comfort me at all, because it just means that it's on the move. Ewe. Anna asked me how much money it would take for me to sit in a small room with a thousand of those spiders. Then we got to talking about the TV show "Fear Factor." And how they eat disgusting things on that show. But then we realized it was basically Chinese cuisine. They seriously eat everything.
Tomorrow will be June! Unbelievable.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Eight Looooong hairy legs
Wow. Another great thing to keep me from sleeping at night... Coming home this evening we were stomping on the floor before going up the stairs, as we usually do to scare away any rats that might pop out to frighten us. First we saw a little cockroach, which Arthur flicked in my direction, then stomped on. So my nerves were already strung from that little experience. Then we saw it... the biggest ewe spider ewe that ewe I've ewe ever ewe seen... ewe. I'm getting the willies just thinking about it. Oh my goodness. It was so huge. And it's on the second floor. I hope it doesn't decide to make its way up to the sixth floor. But just the knowledge of its existence makes me believe there are others just like it roaming around. Oh, it's so gross.
Here are some going-ons:
I booked my flight home, I depart June 26. But I don't know when I'll arrive yet, cuz the travel agent here was not able to help me with any US domestic flights. So he got me as far as LA. So I have to figure out how to get from LA home with the tickets that I've already purchased. I'm not too worried about it. I'll make it somehow.
Friday night we were invited to a piano concert at a local university. Arthur and Anna's good friends are the teachers. They come from Russia. They teach piano through an interpreter. The concert was piano duets from the students, the teacher couple and their kids. They were amazing. It was so wonderful to hear them play. And the kids were also amazing. Alex is 13 or 14 and Marsha is 7. They did a piano duet together, and totally surpass any thing that I was ever able to do on the piano. Alex did a solo, and I swear he must be a child prodigy. It helps that both his parents are enormously talented. How do I describe the perfection? I'm so jealous! It was great. There were many other foreigners there from other schools to watch the concert. I was not talkative at all, and kept to myself. I could give you all kinds of excuses like I was tired, and Brenda had gone off on me earlier so I was miffed... which those are true... but most of all, I just felt absolutely nothing in common with these people, and didn't feel comfortable with them at all. When foreigners (caucasian English speakers that is) get together, it's usually this big China bashing session to complain about all the things that annoy them. It's so exhasting. I'm sure you're wondering why they are even here at all. When it all comes down to it, they like being here, they like talking bad about China, they like teaching these kids.
This weeks lessons was an introduction to the Final Project. I will be grading the students on an English performance. The grade won't count for peanuts, but hopefully the thought of getting a grade will give them some motivation. This is the first time that I have told the students that I will not be coming back next term. They are pretty sad. Some even named their teams "We love you Leah" or the topic of their performance, "We will miss you." They are so cute.
This morning I hung out with one of my students. She bought me breakfast. Real wontons. They are not at all like the wontons in the States. They are steemed and have meet inside, and in a peanut sauce. They were pretty good. We watched a korean movie together. It was a super cute movie. I had a nice time with her. She is one of the closest students I have.
This evening was really nice. We foreign teachers organized a dinner at a restaraunt and invited several of the Chinese teachers who have helped us throughout the year. It was a really nice time. We rented a private room, and ordered a ton of food. I tried to take a picture, but my batteries died. I think all my rechargeable batteries have lost their juice.
It's almost midnight now, and I have to teach bright and early. Only four more weeks to go. It seems like this last couple months is going so slow. But I'm sure it will all be over before I know it, and I will miss it like crazy. I can't imagine never coming back here. I really want to visit again some time. You can't just live somewhere and not have some attatchment to the people and the place. I won't miss the mold or the cockroaches or that spider... that's for sure. But this is a life that has become a part of me. It's kinda going to stink not being able to share that with any one at home. See, that's why next time one of ya'll are going to have to come with me, so we could reminice together like, "remember that one time in China..."
Good night.
Here are some going-ons:
I booked my flight home, I depart June 26. But I don't know when I'll arrive yet, cuz the travel agent here was not able to help me with any US domestic flights. So he got me as far as LA. So I have to figure out how to get from LA home with the tickets that I've already purchased. I'm not too worried about it. I'll make it somehow.
Friday night we were invited to a piano concert at a local university. Arthur and Anna's good friends are the teachers. They come from Russia. They teach piano through an interpreter. The concert was piano duets from the students, the teacher couple and their kids. They were amazing. It was so wonderful to hear them play. And the kids were also amazing. Alex is 13 or 14 and Marsha is 7. They did a piano duet together, and totally surpass any thing that I was ever able to do on the piano. Alex did a solo, and I swear he must be a child prodigy. It helps that both his parents are enormously talented. How do I describe the perfection? I'm so jealous! It was great. There were many other foreigners there from other schools to watch the concert. I was not talkative at all, and kept to myself. I could give you all kinds of excuses like I was tired, and Brenda had gone off on me earlier so I was miffed... which those are true... but most of all, I just felt absolutely nothing in common with these people, and didn't feel comfortable with them at all. When foreigners (caucasian English speakers that is) get together, it's usually this big China bashing session to complain about all the things that annoy them. It's so exhasting. I'm sure you're wondering why they are even here at all. When it all comes down to it, they like being here, they like talking bad about China, they like teaching these kids.
This weeks lessons was an introduction to the Final Project. I will be grading the students on an English performance. The grade won't count for peanuts, but hopefully the thought of getting a grade will give them some motivation. This is the first time that I have told the students that I will not be coming back next term. They are pretty sad. Some even named their teams "We love you Leah" or the topic of their performance, "We will miss you." They are so cute.
This morning I hung out with one of my students. She bought me breakfast. Real wontons. They are not at all like the wontons in the States. They are steemed and have meet inside, and in a peanut sauce. They were pretty good. We watched a korean movie together. It was a super cute movie. I had a nice time with her. She is one of the closest students I have.
This evening was really nice. We foreign teachers organized a dinner at a restaraunt and invited several of the Chinese teachers who have helped us throughout the year. It was a really nice time. We rented a private room, and ordered a ton of food. I tried to take a picture, but my batteries died. I think all my rechargeable batteries have lost their juice.
It's almost midnight now, and I have to teach bright and early. Only four more weeks to go. It seems like this last couple months is going so slow. But I'm sure it will all be over before I know it, and I will miss it like crazy. I can't imagine never coming back here. I really want to visit again some time. You can't just live somewhere and not have some attatchment to the people and the place. I won't miss the mold or the cockroaches or that spider... that's for sure. But this is a life that has become a part of me. It's kinda going to stink not being able to share that with any one at home. See, that's why next time one of ya'll are going to have to come with me, so we could reminice together like, "remember that one time in China..."
Good night.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Light at the end of the Tunnel
It's official! Our last day of teaching is June 23rd. So I've only got five weeks left. So I will probably be home before July.
Brenda had this awesome idea for the last few weeks of school. We both agreed that we'd like to assess them in some way, and give them some kind of final exam. So we have it all planned out for the rest of our time here! This week we are going to get them into teams, and they have to come up with an idea for a team presentation. Every one is required to participate. So the next 2 weeks they will be creating a performance to be done in English, and we'll grade them as a team. Two weeks after that will be spent in performances. Hopefully they won't find out that this doesn't count in their final grades, otherwise they won't take it seriously. I really want them to work at this and do their best. I wish our English class counted for something in that regard.
The last week will be spent in saying goodbyes, taking pictures, maybe playing a game. I am still trying to think of something that I can do for them. It's not easy when there's 1,000 students to consider.
Yesterday Arthur, Anna, Brenda and I went to the beach. It's about an hour away by bus. The day before was so nice, but this day was really windy and a little rainy. So it wasn't great for swimming. But it was nice to just relax at the beach and hear the waves roll in. Since the weather wasn't great the beach wasn't crowded, nice and quiet. I bought a cool shell from a shopkeeper. I put it in my fish tank, and my fish really like it. It's big enough for them to hide under.
I've been weighing my choices of things I could do when I come home. And I've made a decision. I have decided to move to North Carolina. I feel the Lord calling me to once again get out of my comfort zone and look to him for securities. If I stayed home I could pretty much picture exactly how my life would be. I think a little unknown-ness is good for the spirit. Going to NCarolina I don't know what I'd do for work. I don't know anyone but Joe and Eva. I don't know how I'm going to get around (no car). There's always a bit of anxiety going into the unknow. But that's just a sign to trust Him more. I don't want to forget to trust Him. And when I'm too comfortable, I tend to do that. I love you all so much. At least in NCarolina I'll be on the same side of the planet!
Brenda had this awesome idea for the last few weeks of school. We both agreed that we'd like to assess them in some way, and give them some kind of final exam. So we have it all planned out for the rest of our time here! This week we are going to get them into teams, and they have to come up with an idea for a team presentation. Every one is required to participate. So the next 2 weeks they will be creating a performance to be done in English, and we'll grade them as a team. Two weeks after that will be spent in performances. Hopefully they won't find out that this doesn't count in their final grades, otherwise they won't take it seriously. I really want them to work at this and do their best. I wish our English class counted for something in that regard.
The last week will be spent in saying goodbyes, taking pictures, maybe playing a game. I am still trying to think of something that I can do for them. It's not easy when there's 1,000 students to consider.
Yesterday Arthur, Anna, Brenda and I went to the beach. It's about an hour away by bus. The day before was so nice, but this day was really windy and a little rainy. So it wasn't great for swimming. But it was nice to just relax at the beach and hear the waves roll in. Since the weather wasn't great the beach wasn't crowded, nice and quiet. I bought a cool shell from a shopkeeper. I put it in my fish tank, and my fish really like it. It's big enough for them to hide under.
I've been weighing my choices of things I could do when I come home. And I've made a decision. I have decided to move to North Carolina. I feel the Lord calling me to once again get out of my comfort zone and look to him for securities. If I stayed home I could pretty much picture exactly how my life would be. I think a little unknown-ness is good for the spirit. Going to NCarolina I don't know what I'd do for work. I don't know anyone but Joe and Eva. I don't know how I'm going to get around (no car). There's always a bit of anxiety going into the unknow. But that's just a sign to trust Him more. I don't want to forget to trust Him. And when I'm too comfortable, I tend to do that. I love you all so much. At least in NCarolina I'll be on the same side of the planet!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
I Noticed
My mind has been on home a lot as you know. And as I come closer and closer to the day that I will actually leave here, I feel my eyes opening up a little more. I grew accustomed to my surrounding and nothing stuck out to me, but now I think--" I might never see these things again!"
So here's a bit of China that struck me the past few days:
On my way home from school one day, the bus had to stop for a cattle crossing. It was a seemingly most-unlikely place for a cattle crossing. We are near the sea almost smack dab in the middle of the city... and out of no where all these cows appear on the highway as their herder dude smacks them allong with a bamboo rod. I can only assume they were headed for the little river that ran through the city. Maybe it's their only source for fresh water for the cows.
On the bus today there was this old woman, mayber in her 70's. But you could just tell that she must have been such a beauty in her day. Her eyes still sparkled, she had a beautiful smile and the cutest smile wrinkles around her eyes, high cheek bones, full lips, defined facial features. I couldn't stop looking at her! She had such a beautiful face! I hope I preserve that well. he he.
When I got off the bus I still have a ways to walk before I reach my appartment, and it's always a chance to see interesting little "crazinesses" that I'm positive I'll never see in the States. Like a little boy going potty on the sidewalk. This is actually so common here, accepted, expected. But this particular little guy was making/ guiding a little river just for fun. Maybe it's a guy thing that I just never got. He was totally just playing. It weirded me out. Later on I saw more of the White Truck police confiscated somemore livelihoods. You better not get caught trying to sell your stuff on the sidewalk or they'll take it all away. And just a bit ago I saw a guy killing a chicken.
Last night I didn't get much sleep. I'm kinda running on empty lately. But there were these weird bugs in my room. They were something like mayflies. I killed as many as I could because I wasn't too thrilled about the 500 of them that were in my room. Hopefully they won't be around every night.
Today was the first time I observed a Chinese teacher's English class. Each new teacher is required to have an open lesson in order to be evaluated. She did very well. I was especially impressed with the way she spoke English 95% of the time. I know some English teachers whose English is really poor. It wasn't as rigid as I imagined a Chinese ran lesson to be. But I'm sure the English classes are more influenced by Western style teaching than other classes might be. They really dig the lecture style most of the time. I took it also as an oportunity to observe pronunciation troubles more closely. If the teacher is making certain pronunciation mistakes, it's gauranteed that the student will learn the same mistakes.
Tomorrow is Dream's Birthday. So I made a print of a photo of her and I, and bought a cute frame to put it in. I'm sure she'll love it.
PEAcE!!
So here's a bit of China that struck me the past few days:
On my way home from school one day, the bus had to stop for a cattle crossing. It was a seemingly most-unlikely place for a cattle crossing. We are near the sea almost smack dab in the middle of the city... and out of no where all these cows appear on the highway as their herder dude smacks them allong with a bamboo rod. I can only assume they were headed for the little river that ran through the city. Maybe it's their only source for fresh water for the cows.
On the bus today there was this old woman, mayber in her 70's. But you could just tell that she must have been such a beauty in her day. Her eyes still sparkled, she had a beautiful smile and the cutest smile wrinkles around her eyes, high cheek bones, full lips, defined facial features. I couldn't stop looking at her! She had such a beautiful face! I hope I preserve that well. he he.
When I got off the bus I still have a ways to walk before I reach my appartment, and it's always a chance to see interesting little "crazinesses" that I'm positive I'll never see in the States. Like a little boy going potty on the sidewalk. This is actually so common here, accepted, expected. But this particular little guy was making/ guiding a little river just for fun. Maybe it's a guy thing that I just never got. He was totally just playing. It weirded me out. Later on I saw more of the White Truck police confiscated somemore livelihoods. You better not get caught trying to sell your stuff on the sidewalk or they'll take it all away. And just a bit ago I saw a guy killing a chicken.
Last night I didn't get much sleep. I'm kinda running on empty lately. But there were these weird bugs in my room. They were something like mayflies. I killed as many as I could because I wasn't too thrilled about the 500 of them that were in my room. Hopefully they won't be around every night.
Today was the first time I observed a Chinese teacher's English class. Each new teacher is required to have an open lesson in order to be evaluated. She did very well. I was especially impressed with the way she spoke English 95% of the time. I know some English teachers whose English is really poor. It wasn't as rigid as I imagined a Chinese ran lesson to be. But I'm sure the English classes are more influenced by Western style teaching than other classes might be. They really dig the lecture style most of the time. I took it also as an oportunity to observe pronunciation troubles more closely. If the teacher is making certain pronunciation mistakes, it's gauranteed that the student will learn the same mistakes.
Tomorrow is Dream's Birthday. So I made a print of a photo of her and I, and bought a cute frame to put it in. I'm sure she'll love it.
PEAcE!!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Watermelon Tacos?
Friday night Brenda took me to a new part of town. She knows of a wholesale place where you can find rare foods like olives, whipped cream, tuna... I wanted to buy some cheese. This other part of town is not at all far from where we live. I can't believe I'd never been there before. But it was like a whole other world. The streets were very narrow and it was definitely an older part of town. There were even some old buildings left from when the French occupied in the 1800's. When we finally found the wholesale store, they showed us their English inventory list and I asked for the Mozzarella. Wowzers. They brought out this huge block of frozen cheese. It had to have been like 20 lbs. There is no way I'd ever eat all that, so I just skipped it. It probably wouldn't do my tummy much good anyhow.
The main reason I wanted the cheese was for tacos! Saturday I planned to have a couple of my students over for lunch and I was making tacos. One girl, Lucy, wants to learn to speak Spanish, so I thought it would be fun for her to try some Mexican food. I spent all morning shopping and preparing beans, meat, vegies, rice, and homemade tortillas. I let Lucy and Lilly fry the tortillas. It was a lot of fun. They don't really know anything about cooking. They didn't even know how to make rice! So it was fun to show them some things. They really enjoyed the food. Lilly said she wanted to make the meal for her mother on mother's day. So I gave her an extra package of taco seasoning that ya'll so graciously sent me. It was a nice time. Lilly was really enjoying the beans. So I taught them the "beans, beans the magical fruit" song. he he he. It was so funny to watch them try to eat tacos. They couldn't figure out how to eat with out making a huge mess, and they eventually started using chopsticks! I had set a bowl of watermellon out to eat as a side dish with the tacos. But Lucy and Lilly must have assumed that they were to go inside the taco allong with all the other bowls of fillings. So they were putting watermellon in their tacos, too!
After lunch the girls washed dishes, so sweet. Then Lucy dowloaded a couple Chinese songs that I like onto my computer. We spent the afternoon just listening to music and chatting. They are such a delight to be with.
Later that evening I went out with Brenda and Anna to a Sushi restaraunt! I had caviar for the first time. It's weird stuff. It's getting really harder to be around Brenda. I love the lady a lot. But I'm soooo tired of her foul mouth and constant slander. May the Lord increase my love and patience!
Today is Mother's day! Mommy! I love you so much and can't wait to see you. Have a wonderful Mother's day.
The main reason I wanted the cheese was for tacos! Saturday I planned to have a couple of my students over for lunch and I was making tacos. One girl, Lucy, wants to learn to speak Spanish, so I thought it would be fun for her to try some Mexican food. I spent all morning shopping and preparing beans, meat, vegies, rice, and homemade tortillas. I let Lucy and Lilly fry the tortillas. It was a lot of fun. They don't really know anything about cooking. They didn't even know how to make rice! So it was fun to show them some things. They really enjoyed the food. Lilly said she wanted to make the meal for her mother on mother's day. So I gave her an extra package of taco seasoning that ya'll so graciously sent me. It was a nice time. Lilly was really enjoying the beans. So I taught them the "beans, beans the magical fruit" song. he he he. It was so funny to watch them try to eat tacos. They couldn't figure out how to eat with out making a huge mess, and they eventually started using chopsticks! I had set a bowl of watermellon out to eat as a side dish with the tacos. But Lucy and Lilly must have assumed that they were to go inside the taco allong with all the other bowls of fillings. So they were putting watermellon in their tacos, too!
After lunch the girls washed dishes, so sweet. Then Lucy dowloaded a couple Chinese songs that I like onto my computer. We spent the afternoon just listening to music and chatting. They are such a delight to be with.
Later that evening I went out with Brenda and Anna to a Sushi restaraunt! I had caviar for the first time. It's weird stuff. It's getting really harder to be around Brenda. I love the lady a lot. But I'm soooo tired of her foul mouth and constant slander. May the Lord increase my love and patience!
Today is Mother's day! Mommy! I love you so much and can't wait to see you. Have a wonderful Mother's day.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Just Some Chatter
So you want to hear the latest drama. Well, a couple weeks ago around the time when the school was really pressing hard on me to commit to teaching next school year, they were also asking Brenda. I told them I was not going to return, but Brenda said that she would like to if they would increase her pay. She would have signed the contract then and there, but they told her to wait til May. Well, they just gave her all this time to seek out other oportunities and that is exactly what she did. She has some friends at one of the Universities in Zhanjiang, and the benefits are much nicer there. They would pay more, she'd be doing actual teaching with homework, textbooks, tests, and less "entertaining", better living conditions, and a lot more freedom (our school now has to know where we are all the time and we have to get permission to blow our noses... slight exageration). So she had been talking to this University. One morning Mark asked me if Brenda was going to sign the contract with our school, because the University called to ask for refferences. This may not seem like a big deal at all to you, but it is a huge deal here. It's all about loyalty. They don't see it as Brenda having a choice to work where she wants. They see it as Brenda stabbing them in the back and being a traitor to the school. Grace called Brenda right after she found out that Brenda had been looking other places; she tried to set Brenda up with an appointment to sign the contract ASAP. But Brenda decided just yesterday to sign a contract with the University, which she did most happily. It's going to be better for here there I think. The classes are smaller, the higher-ups are less invasive, and the University is nice and big right near a big park.
As for my future, I'm still thinking a lot about that. What to do, what to do?
The second day of the dance competition was really fun. I was prepared to see more Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty versions, but yay they were all more creative then that. I want to brag, cuz the day before were mostly Brenda's classes, and this time they were all mine! There were actually 2 groups of guys that played like a real band. I had no idea they could play drums and guitars and sing... not super great mind you... but it was really cute to see them try to be all rock star. Some of the dancing was really great. So proud of them.
As for my future, I'm still thinking a lot about that. What to do, what to do?
The second day of the dance competition was really fun. I was prepared to see more Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty versions, but yay they were all more creative then that. I want to brag, cuz the day before were mostly Brenda's classes, and this time they were all mine! There were actually 2 groups of guys that played like a real band. I had no idea they could play drums and guitars and sing... not super great mind you... but it was really cute to see them try to be all rock star. Some of the dancing was really great. So proud of them.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
*Click*
The Rat Trap Dude and the Rats
He's holding a bundle of his new fangled invention, as several unlucky live rats are coming to terms with the fact that they may never get those hooks out of their mouths.
Dancers from today's competition at the new school
Eves Dropping
This afternoon the students had another dance competition. It's always kinda fun and entertaining to see the students perform infront of their peers. They seem to really love Snow White and Cinderella. Last term they did like 4 renditions of it, and today I saw at least 5 or 6 versions. It's already old now... in my head anyway. I wonder how many times they will redo it tomorrow. Today there were some guys who did a cool choreagraphed thing with numchucks.
It's so hot these days. It's no wonder the poor students are so exhasted all of the time. There's 60 bodies crammed into a small room with large windows for the sun to dehydrate for 10 hours a day. Yikes, it got hot fast. And they say this is nothin'. Kinda like in Minnesota when we say, "cold 'nuf for ya? You ain't seen nothin' yet." But I still prefer the warm weather to the cold.
I finally got so sick of my refriderator today. It's been randomly shutting off when it feels like it, and I've lost a lot of good food already. The only way to get it back running was to kick it. So I got fed up, so Brenda and I went into her old apartment today (one floor just below mine) to fetch her old fridge. (We all have mini fridges, so we can handle the move). But holy growing green stuff, Batman. It was so sick. As soon as we opened the door we got a thick shower of mold spores. It was everywhere. The walls were black, and the green plastic chair was yeah... greeeeener and fuzzier. The fridge had been shut, and we opened it to find lots of lovely blackness. Wow. No wonder I get so lethargic and stuffy in my apartment right above this giant petry dish. If I didn't have the AC going all the time, my place wouldn't look or smell much different. We still made the switch, though. I cleaned out all the crap and now I'm happy to have a consistently running fridge.
This weeks lesson isn't all that exciting. They don't seem to appreciate my efforts to try to make lessons interesting, exciting, and yes entertaining. So I'm kind of giving them some grammar, reading, and comprehension excersizes out of spite. I'm so bad!! But I figure it's good for them. They read a short story about the real life of Hetty Green, the richest woman in the world in 1900, but who lived as if she were impovershed simply because she couldn't bare to spend her money. At the end of class we are playing a game, though. And it works so well. Boys vs. Girls. I go around asking questions, but they are not allowed to say Yes, No, or I don't know. If a girl says one of those, the boys get a point... and visa versa. It's really funny when I trick them like "Do you have any pets?"... "uh, I do not have any pets".... "really?" "Yes"... ha ha, every one likes it a lot.
It's so hot these days. It's no wonder the poor students are so exhasted all of the time. There's 60 bodies crammed into a small room with large windows for the sun to dehydrate for 10 hours a day. Yikes, it got hot fast. And they say this is nothin'. Kinda like in Minnesota when we say, "cold 'nuf for ya? You ain't seen nothin' yet." But I still prefer the warm weather to the cold.
I finally got so sick of my refriderator today. It's been randomly shutting off when it feels like it, and I've lost a lot of good food already. The only way to get it back running was to kick it. So I got fed up, so Brenda and I went into her old apartment today (one floor just below mine) to fetch her old fridge. (We all have mini fridges, so we can handle the move). But holy growing green stuff, Batman. It was so sick. As soon as we opened the door we got a thick shower of mold spores. It was everywhere. The walls were black, and the green plastic chair was yeah... greeeeener and fuzzier. The fridge had been shut, and we opened it to find lots of lovely blackness. Wow. No wonder I get so lethargic and stuffy in my apartment right above this giant petry dish. If I didn't have the AC going all the time, my place wouldn't look or smell much different. We still made the switch, though. I cleaned out all the crap and now I'm happy to have a consistently running fridge.
This weeks lesson isn't all that exciting. They don't seem to appreciate my efforts to try to make lessons interesting, exciting, and yes entertaining. So I'm kind of giving them some grammar, reading, and comprehension excersizes out of spite. I'm so bad!! But I figure it's good for them. They read a short story about the real life of Hetty Green, the richest woman in the world in 1900, but who lived as if she were impovershed simply because she couldn't bare to spend her money. At the end of class we are playing a game, though. And it works so well. Boys vs. Girls. I go around asking questions, but they are not allowed to say Yes, No, or I don't know. If a girl says one of those, the boys get a point... and visa versa. It's really funny when I trick them like "Do you have any pets?"... "uh, I do not have any pets".... "really?" "Yes"... ha ha, every one likes it a lot.
It's kinda fun to be able to understand just enough Chinese... more than they realize. Today I road back with the headmaster in his brand new Honda wagon nicely purchased by the school for his personal use (wonder who's idea that was). Anyway, road back with him and like six other Chinese teachers. They were all chatting away, and then they started talking about me. This is what I heard,
"Can she understand what we're saying?"
"No, she can't speak Chinese."
"Does any one here speak English?"
"I don't.........I don't..........I don't.........ha ha ha ha ha"
"Isn't she pretty?"
"Where is she from?"
"She's from America."
"America, oohh."
"She is so pretty."
"She's so young"
etc etc etc
Yadda Yadda yadda! I just sat back and listened. It's kinda like the feeling you might get if you overheard people talking behind your back. But I was cool that I could understand so much, and the fact that they think I'm absolutely clueless makes it really fun.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
A Wednesday Saturday
Today is Saturday in truth, but for me today is Wednesday. They have such a weird system here. In order to give us back-to-back free days, we have to start school on the weekend. Weekends do not have the same value here as they do in the States. So tomorrow is a Friday Sunday, then on Monday we will begin the week as usual. I'm still not sure when school ends exactly. No one knows. Isn't that so hard to imagine!? In the States we get out syllabi and our schedules way in advance and we always know what to expect, we always know key dates for what-not. But here, they just make up the schedule as they go. Believe me, it's really hard to get used to! Just another one of those interesting cultural differences that I experience every day. If you don't have a sense of humor and a good amount of flexibility, you would never be able to live overseas.
So the last of my holidays is over. It's all down hill from here, and soon I will be coming home! The six day holiday was nice. I didn't do much at all. At first I was a little bored, but then I began to really enjoy just relaxing. I slept a lot, watched a lot of tv and movies, went shopping, ate out, and walked around in the hot hot sun. One of the chemestry teacher's from our school has been asking me for weeks to get together with his daughter so she can practice her English. So Thursday I agreed to go out with their family. The He (pronounced Huh) family. They took me to eat at KFC, and we ate lots of chicken. At first it was a little awekward because none of their Enlglish is really great, and I didn't know what to say. But eventually the ten year old girl warmed up to me and became quite the chatter box. She found it more enjoyable trying to teach me Chinese. After dinner we went to a bookstore and looked at the English learning books. She has a very simple and limited vocabulary, but we were able to communicate well enough. She was a cutie. They want to invite me to their home next time. I was a little bummed cuz none of my students called to get together with me over the holiday. So I'm glad I got to spend time with the He's.
Yesterday there was a man on the corner of our street selling his new fangled rat traps. It was really interesting to see. His invention was like fishing for rats. If you can imagine, it's this string, and on the end of it is something like a springed bobby pin. When a rat takes food from the tip, it springs into a V and hooks into the rat's mouth. He had five or six LIVE rats who fell prey to his traps. They were all hooked by the mouth to these strings trying to get away. That guy was selling his traps like hot cakes. He had a loud speaker and was advertising real loudly. I took some pics that I'll try to post for you to see.
Allergies haven't been bothering me much lately. So thank you all for your prayers. I know it's because you lift me up. I appreciate it more than you know.
So the last of my holidays is over. It's all down hill from here, and soon I will be coming home! The six day holiday was nice. I didn't do much at all. At first I was a little bored, but then I began to really enjoy just relaxing. I slept a lot, watched a lot of tv and movies, went shopping, ate out, and walked around in the hot hot sun. One of the chemestry teacher's from our school has been asking me for weeks to get together with his daughter so she can practice her English. So Thursday I agreed to go out with their family. The He (pronounced Huh) family. They took me to eat at KFC, and we ate lots of chicken. At first it was a little awekward because none of their Enlglish is really great, and I didn't know what to say. But eventually the ten year old girl warmed up to me and became quite the chatter box. She found it more enjoyable trying to teach me Chinese. After dinner we went to a bookstore and looked at the English learning books. She has a very simple and limited vocabulary, but we were able to communicate well enough. She was a cutie. They want to invite me to their home next time. I was a little bummed cuz none of my students called to get together with me over the holiday. So I'm glad I got to spend time with the He's.
Yesterday there was a man on the corner of our street selling his new fangled rat traps. It was really interesting to see. His invention was like fishing for rats. If you can imagine, it's this string, and on the end of it is something like a springed bobby pin. When a rat takes food from the tip, it springs into a V and hooks into the rat's mouth. He had five or six LIVE rats who fell prey to his traps. They were all hooked by the mouth to these strings trying to get away. That guy was selling his traps like hot cakes. He had a loud speaker and was advertising real loudly. I took some pics that I'll try to post for you to see.
Allergies haven't been bothering me much lately. So thank you all for your prayers. I know it's because you lift me up. I appreciate it more than you know.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Worker's Day
Today is International Worker's day. Does the US do anything with this? This is the second international holiday that I've heard of for the first time. The first was Women's day. China observes them both. We get a 6 day holiday! So I've been sleeping in till super late and being as lazy as I want. Sadly, that can lead to a bit of boredom. I can only go out for just a little while by myself. It's just not safe!
The other day, Brenda, Arthur, Anna and I went out to eat and then bowling. We found this new place that serves pizza! It's nothing like you and I imagine pizza to be, but it was close enough. Bowling was just the girls. Arthur has had a back pain for months, and just recently learned that he had a slipped disc! So he's been going to the doc regularly to get physical therapy, including somekind of electromagnetic shock accupuncture. I did the best ever in bowling. I got more strikes and spares then I ever have! And the last time we were bowling was like two months ago! So they were all messing around saying that I had been practicing on my own time behind their backs.
We had an interesting conversation about idioms. Arthur and Anna's first language is Russian, yet they are very fluent in English. They were saying how translating English idioms literally into Russian, they sound so crazy! Then they translated some of their idioms into English and it was very interesting to hear, because some didn't make any sense at all! They told one that they thought we would find very strange that translates into English: why do you point out the speck in someones eye when you have a log in yours. I smiled, and said that it comes from the Bible!! They were very surprised to hear that! It has been a Russian "idiom" for ages!
The other day, Brenda, Arthur, Anna and I went out to eat and then bowling. We found this new place that serves pizza! It's nothing like you and I imagine pizza to be, but it was close enough. Bowling was just the girls. Arthur has had a back pain for months, and just recently learned that he had a slipped disc! So he's been going to the doc regularly to get physical therapy, including somekind of electromagnetic shock accupuncture. I did the best ever in bowling. I got more strikes and spares then I ever have! And the last time we were bowling was like two months ago! So they were all messing around saying that I had been practicing on my own time behind their backs.
We had an interesting conversation about idioms. Arthur and Anna's first language is Russian, yet they are very fluent in English. They were saying how translating English idioms literally into Russian, they sound so crazy! Then they translated some of their idioms into English and it was very interesting to hear, because some didn't make any sense at all! They told one that they thought we would find very strange that translates into English: why do you point out the speck in someones eye when you have a log in yours. I smiled, and said that it comes from the Bible!! They were very surprised to hear that! It has been a Russian "idiom" for ages!
I just want you all to know that my girl Kelly Hope Miller will be officially graduating from college soon! Congratulations, Kelly. I love you a ton, and wish I could be there to see you walk.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
What's Nuts
You know what's nuts?
The day before we left for Hainan, I had a severe allergy attack that lasted all day. I wanted to die!! Trust me, it's the most miserable time when I'm drugged up on antihistamines that don't even work, and I'm still sneezing and blowing my nose raw. (Pardon the graphic details!)
We left for Hainan and I progressively felt better. It was the most wonderful thing to be able to breath and smell. And not only that, but I've noticed something else. My energy level shot up and I felt happier and more awake.
And now I am back in my apartment. Gradually I begin to sniffle. And already this annoying lethargy had set in. I found online how there is such a thing as allergic fatigue. I know my apartment here is like a 6th floor basement--damp and musty and probably infested with mold up the wAzoo.
All this to say... Please pray for me! I have to live here for another two months and this fatigue is making each day long and miserable. I want to finish my time here with excellence. But it's really hard to care about anything when I feel this way.
You should've seen my students yesterday. It was pretty funny. I wore a sleevless shirt because my sunburned arms were still in pain. When I walked into the classroom all the students gasped and pointed and stared, and said things like, you are so black! They kinda freeked out. I guess it's hard to really relate to you what their reactions are like because you'd have to know to what extent they obsess about their skin here. Like in the States many want to be tan or don't mind a little color... but here they spend lots of money on skin WHITENERS! They make fun of someone if their skin is a little darker shade then anothers. So to see me, pale as ever girl, come in dark like that, they were so shocked.
Today it's faded away, lucky me (sarcasm) I can't keep a tan for the life of me.
The day before we left for Hainan, I had a severe allergy attack that lasted all day. I wanted to die!! Trust me, it's the most miserable time when I'm drugged up on antihistamines that don't even work, and I'm still sneezing and blowing my nose raw. (Pardon the graphic details!)
We left for Hainan and I progressively felt better. It was the most wonderful thing to be able to breath and smell. And not only that, but I've noticed something else. My energy level shot up and I felt happier and more awake.
And now I am back in my apartment. Gradually I begin to sniffle. And already this annoying lethargy had set in. I found online how there is such a thing as allergic fatigue. I know my apartment here is like a 6th floor basement--damp and musty and probably infested with mold up the wAzoo.
All this to say... Please pray for me! I have to live here for another two months and this fatigue is making each day long and miserable. I want to finish my time here with excellence. But it's really hard to care about anything when I feel this way.
You should've seen my students yesterday. It was pretty funny. I wore a sleevless shirt because my sunburned arms were still in pain. When I walked into the classroom all the students gasped and pointed and stared, and said things like, you are so black! They kinda freeked out. I guess it's hard to really relate to you what their reactions are like because you'd have to know to what extent they obsess about their skin here. Like in the States many want to be tan or don't mind a little color... but here they spend lots of money on skin WHITENERS! They make fun of someone if their skin is a little darker shade then anothers. So to see me, pale as ever girl, come in dark like that, they were so shocked.
Today it's faded away, lucky me (sarcasm) I can't keep a tan for the life of me.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Sanya Pictures
Here's some nerdy lookin girl on the ferry to Sanya
Here's the nice beach in Sanya
Here's some girl parasailing in Sanya... wish I did that!
Here's Me holding an aligator!... and some girls milkin us for lots of bucks
Sanya Pictures
Here's the dragon dudes in the parade we saw on the way to Sanya.
Here's Me and Bambi at a park in Sanya
Here's Sanya at night from the little boat ride we took
Here's Miss Leah eating crab... can you see the burn setting in!
Sunny Sanya
Was it really Sunny? Ooooh, yes. I have proof. I am beat red from head to toe and can't lift my arms, carry my backpack, sleep with blankets, or take a normal shower for the pain of the sunburn. Yikes!! But the trip as a whole was great.
We left Wednesday morning on the bus. It turned out to be a really long ride to the coast because we were stopped a few times by traffic or whatnot. The coolest part was when there was this really cool parade that was taking up the whole street so we were stopped for almost an hour. It is probably the most authentic cultural Chinese experience that I've witnessed. Meaning that it wasn't a parade for show for tourism, it was a real live cultural event. I'm not sure what the parade was for, but it was really interesting. The people were dressed in very bright, traditional clothing. There were groups of people carrying these platforms with incense, gods, some had children dressed beautifully with their faces painted like the Chinese opera people (u know what I mean?), there were musicians playing traditional flutes and gongs. There were several dragons... u know how several people carry this long dragon and make it dance? It was so interesting. All of this we watched while sitting in the bus waiting for it to pass.
Once we got to the coast we hopped on board the ferry. Hainan Island is a little over an hour away by fairy. It was a really cool experience. The weather was awesome.
We arrived on Hainan Island in the capital city Haikou, where we got back on our bus and continued the treck to Sanya which would be another few hours away. Sanya is one of the furthest southern places in China. Total travel time was about 8+ hours. The ride to Sanya was really nice even though we were getting sick of being on the road by that time. The scenery was fantastic. It is deffinitely more tropical there than even Zhanjiang. Zhanjiang is considered sub-tropical, and now I can see the difference. Hainan has some beautiful mountains, a bazillion palm trees, acres of rice fields, and it seems more green and fresh.
When we arrived in Sanya, we got a taxi to take us to a hotel that Arthur suggested. But unfortunately it had closed down since he was here last year. So we just checked into the hotel very near the bus station. Sanya is definitely a tourist town; it's hopping with shopping places, cute restaraunts, tons of people with "hawaiian" shirts on, and many foreigners.
Brenda and I had dinner at a cute place very close to the beach. We ate there til the sun went down, and decided to get some rest so we could boogie the rest of the next day.
Thursday morning was not so great. Brenda didn't get a wink of sleep the night before because the walls of our hotel room were paper thin and we could hear every little thing that went on throughout the floor. It wasn't all that bad, but she just couldn't handle it. I would've gotten more sleep myself if she wasn't cussing and throwing a hissy fit all night. I guess she thought that if she wasn't able to sleep, nobody should. She went really overboard. It was pretty disturbing. But God is so good. He gave me so much grace and patience to just let it go and not get furious with her. So I just let her cool off, which took a few hours, and we went about our day.
We had dumplings at a place near the beach. The waitress there spoke English so it made it so much easier then most other places. And the food was really good. We did a lot of shopping and running around this day. We found how to get to a nearby park, and how to take the city bus which saved us lots of money. Then we took a little three wheeler motor bike. The driver lady was so sweet. She took us to the park and waited for us so she could take us back. The park was kind of a rip off. There's this expensive entrance fee, but then inside you have to pay for every other little thing. Like a guy kinda gave us a tour, which we never asked him to do... we had to pay for that. If you want to walk accross this one bridge you have to pay. If you want to bang on these drums you have to pay. Surprisingly it was free to pet the deer. And that was the best part! They were so cool. I pet Bambi! I got to hold an aligator and and python!! But then found out we had to pay for that, AND for each girl who posed in the picture. Such cheats. It's amazing. We got rid of our tour guide and just sat on a bench enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze.
Then our driver lady came and got us, and took us for more of a ride around the island. It was really awesome to be there. We went through a little fishing villiage, and fields of coconut trees.
We got on the bus again and let it take us around the city just to look around. We ended up at the most resort-type place on the island. The beach was so nice. And we saw so many foreigners. (When I say foreingers I usually mean White people!!) But I think they were mostly Russians or some European flavors. We ate Rambutan (a tropical fruit), watched a guy make fresh mango ice cream, and enjoyed the awesome weather.
We walked all around the city just looking around at stuff. We had dinner at our "usual" place... the one where the girl spoke English. I had shrimp, and they made it really good.
Then we went to the river and hoped to find a place where we could go on a boat ride. We found this cool little place where we could rent a little boat for an hour. It was so cool, and it would never happen in the U.S. They just put us in this little boat and sent us off without life jackets or a clue about where we were going or if we even knew how to work this thing. It had a little trolling motor so it's not like we could go very far. But it was so cool. It was dark by this time and the city lights reflecting on the water were so beautiful. There were tiny little fish that would swim and jump right next to the boat. One time one of the fish actually jumped right up and hit Brenda in the face!!! and then landed in the boat!!! It was SOOO funny. We knew we had only an hour, so I turned the boat around after a half hour down the river. When it was turned it felt like we weren't even moving!! We were going against the current now! It was really funny, cuz we were basically stuck there! We were moving SOO slow. We knew we'd never make it back in time so we just enjoyed the time we had on the boat regardless. Then after about a half hour after we were supposed to be back, a guy came to rescue us and motored us back to the dock. It was great fun.
Then we went to a cute little shop near the ocean and had some iced tea, then took a walk on the beach. This beach was not as nice as the one near the resorts. It was full of pebbles and shells and didn't make for good bare-foot walking. But we saw the coolest thing. There were little specks in the water that would glow this bright blue, then disappear. It's a similar light to that of fireflies. The blue light was really tiny, but really bright. And it would disolve into the water. Yeah... disolving light. So interesting. I scooped up a handful of sand where a light was, and learned real quick that it was a tiny little crab!! Then I looked closer at the ground near my feet. These little crabs were EVERYWHERE!!! So I put my shoes back on. he he. I've never seen anything like that before, though. The light was so cool. Does any one out there know what I'm talking about?
We didn't get home until pretty late so we decided to stay in that hotel once more.
Friday morning was worse then Thursday morning. Brenda was even more spastic this time. And her bickering and going on kept ME awake almost the whole time too. The only time something from the outside woke me was when a prostitute rang our door bell by accident instead of the door accross the hall at 2am. Wow. Brenda get's so angry she can't keep quiet and she bangs all around and swears every swear word you can think of and cries, and hollars, yeah... she's not very considerate when she's ticked off. It makes for a really unpleasant time. I'm surprised I got as much sleep as I did. And the Lord once again gave me the grace to let it go and not be mad at her. She left the room a few times, and the door has this alarm on it when the key card is not in the right spot. So one time when she left I was all looking foward to getting some peace and quiet, but the alarm went off and would not stop no matter what!!! So I had to get the housekeeper, then she got the matainance guy and he had to drill a hole in the door to get it to stop!! I couldn't sleep at all after that. So I just got ready for the day.
After Brenda came back and was a little more cooled off, we went and had breakfast at a different place. Then we went to the resort beach and spent the day relaxing. This is where I got the burn!!! The water was just too beautiful and nice to not enjoy it. So I went swimming a lot. The scenery is similar to Hawaii! The blue green ocean, the beautiful beaches, the tropical mountains on the distant shorline. There were people parasailing. I wanted to do it too!! It looked really cool. Now that I think back, I should've just done it. But yeah, a great day of just relaxing and hanging out at the beach. Afterwards we had dinner at the "usual" place, and I decided to splurge since I can. So I got fresh crab and mussles! I've never had these before. I got to pick them out of the tank while they were still alive, so I know that it's as fresh as could be. And it was really good. The crab was a lot of work to eat, but tastey.
Afterwards we went to the bus station and left for Haikou. Brenda did not want to spend another night at that hotel, and I wasn't about to suggest otherwise!! We arrived there pretty late and the taxi driver helped us find a place to stay for a good price. Finally, a full nights rest... except for the fact that I was so burned that I couldn't stand to have the covers on me. The pain of the burn was so intense! I dreamed that night I was trying to kill a rattlesnake... I wonder if there was a connection. I felt so cold, and my tummy hurt. Way to go, Leah!! I know I'm smarter then to get burnt to a crisp. I guess not this time.
We got some help from a friend of Maggie's to get our bus tickets back to Zhanjiang on Saturday morning. So we took the bus, then the fairy again (always an interesting experience!), and bussed it all the way home. It's good to be back in my place, but Sanya was so nice. I could've stayed longer.
We tried to find something to put on my burn, so we went to the pharmacy. They gave me somekind of lotion, but it's all in Chinese so I'm not sure exactly what it is. I hope it's not the whitening lotion that they like to use.
We have another week of teaching, then after that is a holiday! So we have more days off next week!! I don't think I will be going anywhere this time, though. After that, it's like nine weeks straight of teaching. And then home sweet home. It will go by super fast, I'm sure.
I'm gonna go fix me something to eat. If you ever get a chance, you should go to Sanya. It's really nice, and you will get a good taste of China, too. I'll post some pics so you can check it out.
We left Wednesday morning on the bus. It turned out to be a really long ride to the coast because we were stopped a few times by traffic or whatnot. The coolest part was when there was this really cool parade that was taking up the whole street so we were stopped for almost an hour. It is probably the most authentic cultural Chinese experience that I've witnessed. Meaning that it wasn't a parade for show for tourism, it was a real live cultural event. I'm not sure what the parade was for, but it was really interesting. The people were dressed in very bright, traditional clothing. There were groups of people carrying these platforms with incense, gods, some had children dressed beautifully with their faces painted like the Chinese opera people (u know what I mean?), there were musicians playing traditional flutes and gongs. There were several dragons... u know how several people carry this long dragon and make it dance? It was so interesting. All of this we watched while sitting in the bus waiting for it to pass.
Once we got to the coast we hopped on board the ferry. Hainan Island is a little over an hour away by fairy. It was a really cool experience. The weather was awesome.
We arrived on Hainan Island in the capital city Haikou, where we got back on our bus and continued the treck to Sanya which would be another few hours away. Sanya is one of the furthest southern places in China. Total travel time was about 8+ hours. The ride to Sanya was really nice even though we were getting sick of being on the road by that time. The scenery was fantastic. It is deffinitely more tropical there than even Zhanjiang. Zhanjiang is considered sub-tropical, and now I can see the difference. Hainan has some beautiful mountains, a bazillion palm trees, acres of rice fields, and it seems more green and fresh.
When we arrived in Sanya, we got a taxi to take us to a hotel that Arthur suggested. But unfortunately it had closed down since he was here last year. So we just checked into the hotel very near the bus station. Sanya is definitely a tourist town; it's hopping with shopping places, cute restaraunts, tons of people with "hawaiian" shirts on, and many foreigners.
Brenda and I had dinner at a cute place very close to the beach. We ate there til the sun went down, and decided to get some rest so we could boogie the rest of the next day.
Thursday morning was not so great. Brenda didn't get a wink of sleep the night before because the walls of our hotel room were paper thin and we could hear every little thing that went on throughout the floor. It wasn't all that bad, but she just couldn't handle it. I would've gotten more sleep myself if she wasn't cussing and throwing a hissy fit all night. I guess she thought that if she wasn't able to sleep, nobody should. She went really overboard. It was pretty disturbing. But God is so good. He gave me so much grace and patience to just let it go and not get furious with her. So I just let her cool off, which took a few hours, and we went about our day.
We had dumplings at a place near the beach. The waitress there spoke English so it made it so much easier then most other places. And the food was really good. We did a lot of shopping and running around this day. We found how to get to a nearby park, and how to take the city bus which saved us lots of money. Then we took a little three wheeler motor bike. The driver lady was so sweet. She took us to the park and waited for us so she could take us back. The park was kind of a rip off. There's this expensive entrance fee, but then inside you have to pay for every other little thing. Like a guy kinda gave us a tour, which we never asked him to do... we had to pay for that. If you want to walk accross this one bridge you have to pay. If you want to bang on these drums you have to pay. Surprisingly it was free to pet the deer. And that was the best part! They were so cool. I pet Bambi! I got to hold an aligator and and python!! But then found out we had to pay for that, AND for each girl who posed in the picture. Such cheats. It's amazing. We got rid of our tour guide and just sat on a bench enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze.
Then our driver lady came and got us, and took us for more of a ride around the island. It was really awesome to be there. We went through a little fishing villiage, and fields of coconut trees.
We got on the bus again and let it take us around the city just to look around. We ended up at the most resort-type place on the island. The beach was so nice. And we saw so many foreigners. (When I say foreingers I usually mean White people!!) But I think they were mostly Russians or some European flavors. We ate Rambutan (a tropical fruit), watched a guy make fresh mango ice cream, and enjoyed the awesome weather.
We walked all around the city just looking around at stuff. We had dinner at our "usual" place... the one where the girl spoke English. I had shrimp, and they made it really good.
Then we went to the river and hoped to find a place where we could go on a boat ride. We found this cool little place where we could rent a little boat for an hour. It was so cool, and it would never happen in the U.S. They just put us in this little boat and sent us off without life jackets or a clue about where we were going or if we even knew how to work this thing. It had a little trolling motor so it's not like we could go very far. But it was so cool. It was dark by this time and the city lights reflecting on the water were so beautiful. There were tiny little fish that would swim and jump right next to the boat. One time one of the fish actually jumped right up and hit Brenda in the face!!! and then landed in the boat!!! It was SOOO funny. We knew we had only an hour, so I turned the boat around after a half hour down the river. When it was turned it felt like we weren't even moving!! We were going against the current now! It was really funny, cuz we were basically stuck there! We were moving SOO slow. We knew we'd never make it back in time so we just enjoyed the time we had on the boat regardless. Then after about a half hour after we were supposed to be back, a guy came to rescue us and motored us back to the dock. It was great fun.
Then we went to a cute little shop near the ocean and had some iced tea, then took a walk on the beach. This beach was not as nice as the one near the resorts. It was full of pebbles and shells and didn't make for good bare-foot walking. But we saw the coolest thing. There were little specks in the water that would glow this bright blue, then disappear. It's a similar light to that of fireflies. The blue light was really tiny, but really bright. And it would disolve into the water. Yeah... disolving light. So interesting. I scooped up a handful of sand where a light was, and learned real quick that it was a tiny little crab!! Then I looked closer at the ground near my feet. These little crabs were EVERYWHERE!!! So I put my shoes back on. he he. I've never seen anything like that before, though. The light was so cool. Does any one out there know what I'm talking about?
We didn't get home until pretty late so we decided to stay in that hotel once more.
Friday morning was worse then Thursday morning. Brenda was even more spastic this time. And her bickering and going on kept ME awake almost the whole time too. The only time something from the outside woke me was when a prostitute rang our door bell by accident instead of the door accross the hall at 2am. Wow. Brenda get's so angry she can't keep quiet and she bangs all around and swears every swear word you can think of and cries, and hollars, yeah... she's not very considerate when she's ticked off. It makes for a really unpleasant time. I'm surprised I got as much sleep as I did. And the Lord once again gave me the grace to let it go and not be mad at her. She left the room a few times, and the door has this alarm on it when the key card is not in the right spot. So one time when she left I was all looking foward to getting some peace and quiet, but the alarm went off and would not stop no matter what!!! So I had to get the housekeeper, then she got the matainance guy and he had to drill a hole in the door to get it to stop!! I couldn't sleep at all after that. So I just got ready for the day.
After Brenda came back and was a little more cooled off, we went and had breakfast at a different place. Then we went to the resort beach and spent the day relaxing. This is where I got the burn!!! The water was just too beautiful and nice to not enjoy it. So I went swimming a lot. The scenery is similar to Hawaii! The blue green ocean, the beautiful beaches, the tropical mountains on the distant shorline. There were people parasailing. I wanted to do it too!! It looked really cool. Now that I think back, I should've just done it. But yeah, a great day of just relaxing and hanging out at the beach. Afterwards we had dinner at the "usual" place, and I decided to splurge since I can. So I got fresh crab and mussles! I've never had these before. I got to pick them out of the tank while they were still alive, so I know that it's as fresh as could be. And it was really good. The crab was a lot of work to eat, but tastey.
Afterwards we went to the bus station and left for Haikou. Brenda did not want to spend another night at that hotel, and I wasn't about to suggest otherwise!! We arrived there pretty late and the taxi driver helped us find a place to stay for a good price. Finally, a full nights rest... except for the fact that I was so burned that I couldn't stand to have the covers on me. The pain of the burn was so intense! I dreamed that night I was trying to kill a rattlesnake... I wonder if there was a connection. I felt so cold, and my tummy hurt. Way to go, Leah!! I know I'm smarter then to get burnt to a crisp. I guess not this time.
We got some help from a friend of Maggie's to get our bus tickets back to Zhanjiang on Saturday morning. So we took the bus, then the fairy again (always an interesting experience!), and bussed it all the way home. It's good to be back in my place, but Sanya was so nice. I could've stayed longer.
We tried to find something to put on my burn, so we went to the pharmacy. They gave me somekind of lotion, but it's all in Chinese so I'm not sure exactly what it is. I hope it's not the whitening lotion that they like to use.
We have another week of teaching, then after that is a holiday! So we have more days off next week!! I don't think I will be going anywhere this time, though. After that, it's like nine weeks straight of teaching. And then home sweet home. It will go by super fast, I'm sure.
I'm gonna go fix me something to eat. If you ever get a chance, you should go to Sanya. It's really nice, and you will get a good taste of China, too. I'll post some pics so you can check it out.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
C U LAter!
Hey!
I'm off to sunny Sanya in just a few minutes!! It's going to be really nice to have a break. I will take as many pics as I can and post a few here for you to see.
Blessings to you all!
I'm off to sunny Sanya in just a few minutes!! It's going to be really nice to have a break. I will take as many pics as I can and post a few here for you to see.
Blessings to you all!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Praise Him with Me!
Today is Resurrection Suday. I haven't left my room all day! I just spent it in here talking to my loved ones on the phone and reading some awesome stuff. I read the rest of Jack Deere's "Surprised By the Power of the Spirit." I found myself in tears at the end of the book as he shared testimonies of some amazing things that the Lord did for his people.
I went on a TV fast... which was harder then you might think for me. I spend way too much time in mind numbing hours watching movies and tv. There are like 4 or 5 English TV chanels aired from Hong Kong.
Brenda and I are still
Right now I'm listening to Shane & Shane. I'll share some of the lyrics with you in celebration of our risen Lord! Just Praisin' him...
I went on a TV fast... which was harder then you might think for me. I spend way too much time in mind numbing hours watching movies and tv. There are like 4 or 5 English TV chanels aired from Hong Kong.
Brenda and I are still
Right now I'm listening to Shane & Shane. I'll share some of the lyrics with you in celebration of our risen Lord! Just Praisin' him...
WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE LORD
When I think about the Lord
How He saved me, how He raised me
How He filled me up with the Holy Ghost
How He healed me to the uttermost
When I think about the Lord
How He picked me up and turned me around
And set my feet on solid ground
It makes me wanna shout hallelujah
Thank you Jesus
Lord, You're worthy of all the glory
All the honor and
All the praise
HEARTS OF SERVANTS
Jesus you are
Jesus you were
Jesus you will always be
A perfect servant to us
A perfect servant to death
Even death on a cross
Give us the picture of your face
Show us the measure of your grace
Reveal the love of the Father
Put within us tenderness
Release from us all selfishness
We'll consider them better
We are yours, give us hearts of servants
I WANT IT ALL
Use me, Break me, Waste me on you Lord
Ruin me, take me, waste me on You
For to die is to live...
To starve is to feast
And less of me is more of Jesus
Lord, I want it all
Lord, I want it all
If i lose my lifeI gain everything
And at the cross
Away with all death's sting
Lord, I want it allLord, I want it all
There is power in the blood
There is victory in Jesus
Come in power, wash me clean
Overwhelm me with Your presence
There is power in the blood
There is victory in Jesus
Help me glory in the cross
Help me find my gain in loss
(philippians 1:21-23; 3:7-11)
SWEET ILLUMINATION
One thing, one thing
This is what I desire, this is what I desire
Sweet illumination, sweet illumination
That I may gaze upon His face
Oh, to know this man
Sweet illumination, sweet illumination
To glory in the presence of the King
Behold the sweet essence of this one thing
That I may know the Spring within me
As it rises the Spring, so sweet
You are "The Greatest Taste" Lord! You are Better! "Waste" me on you, Lord!" Give us Sweet illumination to know you more and more and more and more and more and more.......
Saturday, April 15, 2006
UNCheck it out...
I found out today that there was a miscommunication. I DO have to teach next week. But only Monday and Tuesday. It's all good. Brenda and I are talking about going to Sanya, Hainan for a couple days. So I guess I will be spending Easter trying to come up with a lesson plan for Monday and Tuesday.
Today was nice and relaxing. Did some cleaning, a little shopping, watched a little TV. Had dinner with Brenda and Dream. It's always interesting with Dream. Lately she has paid less attention to me. Ever since I shared some Truths with her. Instead she's more interested in talking with Brenda and Arthur, because they are a little more crazy and exciting I guess. But later tonight she called me from a book store and asked if I could meet her there so she could borrow some money. I kind of reluctantly aggreed. It was already late and I didn't want to go out, especially by myself. But I knew she needed this book. So I got Brenda to come with me. When we got there, we found Dream with Arthur. I was a little annoyed that she had us come all the way out there when she ended borrowing money from Arthur and didn't bother to call and tell me I didn't need to come. Drama drama drama. And Dream felt really bad. I got over it, but she couldn't get over feeling bad about it. She left in a huff. Later she called apologizing almost in tears. She was relieved when I told her she's forgiven and not to worry about the silly misunderstanding. I guess all this to say, I hope some more doors will open in her heart. She's just a kid and does some crazy stuff. And I really want to reach out to her. She's really attracted to naughty things right now. She likes to tell every one she's a rebel and brags about the ways she sneaks around behind her gaurdians' backs. She needs JC.
I hope you all have a wonderful Ressurection Day. PTL, He is risen!!!
Today was nice and relaxing. Did some cleaning, a little shopping, watched a little TV. Had dinner with Brenda and Dream. It's always interesting with Dream. Lately she has paid less attention to me. Ever since I shared some Truths with her. Instead she's more interested in talking with Brenda and Arthur, because they are a little more crazy and exciting I guess. But later tonight she called me from a book store and asked if I could meet her there so she could borrow some money. I kind of reluctantly aggreed. It was already late and I didn't want to go out, especially by myself. But I knew she needed this book. So I got Brenda to come with me. When we got there, we found Dream with Arthur. I was a little annoyed that she had us come all the way out there when she ended borrowing money from Arthur and didn't bother to call and tell me I didn't need to come. Drama drama drama. And Dream felt really bad. I got over it, but she couldn't get over feeling bad about it. She left in a huff. Later she called apologizing almost in tears. She was relieved when I told her she's forgiven and not to worry about the silly misunderstanding. I guess all this to say, I hope some more doors will open in her heart. She's just a kid and does some crazy stuff. And I really want to reach out to her. She's really attracted to naughty things right now. She likes to tell every one she's a rebel and brags about the ways she sneaks around behind her gaurdians' backs. She needs JC.
I hope you all have a wonderful Ressurection Day. PTL, He is risen!!!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Check it Out!
I just found out that I don't have to teach at all next week!!! How easy do I have it? The students have mid terms starting Wednesday, and want Monday and Tuesday to study. I could go somewhere! But I should hang on to the little cash I have. I know that once I get back home it won't last me as long as it will here.
I just finished watching the Bruce Lee story. I've seen it like 3 times already, but it always intrigues me.
Last night Mark told me that some people from Australia would be here and they would sit in on my class. He told me to be prepared. I feel uncomfortable with people other than Chinese observing me, but made up my mind to just do my thing and not worry about it. But I guess I was more anxious than I realized cuz I had a dream about it! I dreamed that this Australian guy came to visit my class, and when my students would ask questions he would answer, and he eventually ended up taking over the class pushing me aside. Crazy! So I woke up all feeling all this crazy anxiety. When the time finally came, no one from Australia showed up! They visited someone else's class. Instead, there was a Chinese girl that visited my class. She's a college student soon to graduate. She was a cutie. She might be an English teacher in the future. She thought my class was very interesting. I usually get a positive and enthusiastic response from Chinese who sit in on my class because my teaching style is so completely different from the Chinese teachers. Theirs is teacher focused whereas I strive to keep mine as student focused as possible.
My Friday afternoon class got a little out of hand today. The boys in that class are these big tall basketball crazy guys. They are a lot of fun, but they just can't keep still or quiet for two seconds. And it doesn't at all help that it's Friday afternoon. And I'm feeling so close to the end that I really don't care how unruly they are at this point! It's probably so bad for me to give up, but you should see these boys. They are like 6 feet tall. I'm not even joking. I can tell they do things to get my reaction. At least they treat me like I'm there. There's one class that goes on as if I wasn't even in the room. There are other classes that I truly a delight to be in though. They soak up everything I say and participate so well. They make it all worth it. I love them all, the good ones, the crazy ones, the naughty ones, the sweet ones, the ones who just sleep in class, the ones who hang on my every word. They are all so great. They are each so unique. Man, I am really going to miss them.
It's only just started to get out that I will not be returning. I haven't told anyone but the higher-ups, but tonight I got a message from a girl ("watermelon") who found out I was leaving. She's really disappointed, and she's not even my student!! She was Nigel's student. I see her on the bus now and then. She's a teacher's daughter and her English is amazing. It's so proper and her vocabulary is huge. But it's so text book that it's hard to have a real laid back conversation with her. But I know she is sincere and sweet.
The weather has all of the sudden turned cold again! It's so weird. Just a couple days ago we were drenched in sweat, and now we're back in our jackets. Strange!!!!!!!
Wow. I just realized that as far as teaching goes, Apri is already over! I can't get over how incredibly fast the time is going. Brenda says that when you get older it just gets faster and faster. I can't imagine it going any faster then it is now.
I got another note from Amy. She said that no one has ever treated her so kindly before. You should see her smile. She's got an incredibly sweet smile. In her eyes you can see she has been hurt badly somehow, but there is still so much hope and dreams in there. Such an adorable girl.
It's such a great thing to be here.
I just finished watching the Bruce Lee story. I've seen it like 3 times already, but it always intrigues me.
Last night Mark told me that some people from Australia would be here and they would sit in on my class. He told me to be prepared. I feel uncomfortable with people other than Chinese observing me, but made up my mind to just do my thing and not worry about it. But I guess I was more anxious than I realized cuz I had a dream about it! I dreamed that this Australian guy came to visit my class, and when my students would ask questions he would answer, and he eventually ended up taking over the class pushing me aside. Crazy! So I woke up all feeling all this crazy anxiety. When the time finally came, no one from Australia showed up! They visited someone else's class. Instead, there was a Chinese girl that visited my class. She's a college student soon to graduate. She was a cutie. She might be an English teacher in the future. She thought my class was very interesting. I usually get a positive and enthusiastic response from Chinese who sit in on my class because my teaching style is so completely different from the Chinese teachers. Theirs is teacher focused whereas I strive to keep mine as student focused as possible.
My Friday afternoon class got a little out of hand today. The boys in that class are these big tall basketball crazy guys. They are a lot of fun, but they just can't keep still or quiet for two seconds. And it doesn't at all help that it's Friday afternoon. And I'm feeling so close to the end that I really don't care how unruly they are at this point! It's probably so bad for me to give up, but you should see these boys. They are like 6 feet tall. I'm not even joking. I can tell they do things to get my reaction. At least they treat me like I'm there. There's one class that goes on as if I wasn't even in the room. There are other classes that I truly a delight to be in though. They soak up everything I say and participate so well. They make it all worth it. I love them all, the good ones, the crazy ones, the naughty ones, the sweet ones, the ones who just sleep in class, the ones who hang on my every word. They are all so great. They are each so unique. Man, I am really going to miss them.
It's only just started to get out that I will not be returning. I haven't told anyone but the higher-ups, but tonight I got a message from a girl ("watermelon") who found out I was leaving. She's really disappointed, and she's not even my student!! She was Nigel's student. I see her on the bus now and then. She's a teacher's daughter and her English is amazing. It's so proper and her vocabulary is huge. But it's so text book that it's hard to have a real laid back conversation with her. But I know she is sincere and sweet.
The weather has all of the sudden turned cold again! It's so weird. Just a couple days ago we were drenched in sweat, and now we're back in our jackets. Strange!!!!!!!
Wow. I just realized that as far as teaching goes, Apri is already over! I can't get over how incredibly fast the time is going. Brenda says that when you get older it just gets faster and faster. I can't imagine it going any faster then it is now.
I got another note from Amy. She said that no one has ever treated her so kindly before. You should see her smile. She's got an incredibly sweet smile. In her eyes you can see she has been hurt badly somehow, but there is still so much hope and dreams in there. Such an adorable girl.
It's such a great thing to be here.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Zao Sheng Hao
Greetings from China, once again.
Sunday I went to the dentist! I went for a cleaning, but I also wanted to see what they could do about these suspicious teeth that hurt when I brush. The facilities were pretty decent actually. But having to work with a translator who doesn't know what a cavity is can be frustrating! My translator was Mark... that married guy who's been hitting on me ya know. yikes. He thought it might be cute to try to comfort me every time I flinched when the dentist poked some sensitive teeth. what a creep!!! The dentist didn't seem too concerned about these teeth that were giving me problems. I am pretty sure i have a cavity but he just said i had a sensitive nerve. i will get a second opinion when i come home. as for now, he patched them up with some amalgum and that will save me from some pains for a while any way. The whole trip cost me about 30 USD. So I can't complain.
Saturday was the day that i finally told the school that I will not be returning next term. I was a little concerned how they would take it, but it went well. They weren't too surprised I guess as I have been hinting on this for some time. So far, no trouble from them. Except Mark. I thought maybe his advances would cease once he knew I made up my mind to not come back. But as you can see from Sunday's dentist apointment, he hadn't given up the idea. I was pretty standoffish since then and perhaps he's gotten the clue. If not, I know I will just have to say something. Me and my nonconfrontational personality issues!!
drama drama drama.
Classes are going fairly well this week. I am doing role play. I give them a situation and some students have to create dialogue and an ending. They mostly do really well. It's a good way to get some to talk. Unfortunately it's impossible to get them all to speak in a single class. There are just TOO many of them!! As the actors prepare I share with the rest of the class some interesting facts like it's impossible to lick your elbow, cats have 32 muscles in each ear, and it's impossible for pigs to look up. Weird factoids. Then towards the end of class we play a version of Boggle on the blackboard. It's fun to see the things they come up with. They end up making up words, and I tell them if they can find it in their dictionaries I will give it to them, so sometimes I end up learning a few words myself! They are to run up to the board and write the words they find, and in the end we see who has the most. They actually get pretty competitive. But these kinds of games are usually only good for one class. After that, it's old news.
Next week they have their mid term exams, so I get a few days off! Yippy skippy! I'd like to go to Sanya, Hainan Island. It's the Hawaii of China. But no one else wants to blow all their money traveling. This is my last chance to see somewhere else! We might just end up going to Bei Hai, where we went last semester during midterms when Nigel was with us. It's a beach. I guess it would be alright.
It's been SOOO hot lately! Amazing how just a couple weeks ago was really cold. Now it's in the near high 80's. It's gross how easily I sweat just standing and teaching! It's hard on my voice too, cuz they've got all these fans going and I have to try to speak louder, and my little voice just can't handle it for more than two classes a day! And the usual is 3, and one day I have 4. Thank goodness tomorrow I only have 1. My easy day! I'm going to send some more stuff home. It's nuts how much stuff I've accumulated since I've moved here. Already I've sent 2 boxes of stuff home to myself. And tomorrow I will send another. And it still looks like I haven't made a dent. It's cheaper for me to mail things home then it would be for me to pay the fees for overweight luggage on the plane.
I looked at the calendar my sister sent me today. She wrote all kinds of really cute and sweet things on special days so that I can remember. I was surprised to see that this Sunday is Easter!! My family has been telling me about saders and stuff like that, but I guess I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I've never missed an Easter Sunday as far as I can remember. But I am glad that I can celebrate and praise the Lord no matter where I am. To be very honest, it's been a dry time for me lately. Please remember me around this special time of remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross and how he gave us new life in Him through his victory over death. And remember where I am and the people that I see every day who need to know what Jesus did for them.
Happy Resurrection day to you!
Sunday I went to the dentist! I went for a cleaning, but I also wanted to see what they could do about these suspicious teeth that hurt when I brush. The facilities were pretty decent actually. But having to work with a translator who doesn't know what a cavity is can be frustrating! My translator was Mark... that married guy who's been hitting on me ya know. yikes. He thought it might be cute to try to comfort me every time I flinched when the dentist poked some sensitive teeth. what a creep!!! The dentist didn't seem too concerned about these teeth that were giving me problems. I am pretty sure i have a cavity but he just said i had a sensitive nerve. i will get a second opinion when i come home. as for now, he patched them up with some amalgum and that will save me from some pains for a while any way. The whole trip cost me about 30 USD. So I can't complain.
Saturday was the day that i finally told the school that I will not be returning next term. I was a little concerned how they would take it, but it went well. They weren't too surprised I guess as I have been hinting on this for some time. So far, no trouble from them. Except Mark. I thought maybe his advances would cease once he knew I made up my mind to not come back. But as you can see from Sunday's dentist apointment, he hadn't given up the idea. I was pretty standoffish since then and perhaps he's gotten the clue. If not, I know I will just have to say something. Me and my nonconfrontational personality issues!!
drama drama drama.
Classes are going fairly well this week. I am doing role play. I give them a situation and some students have to create dialogue and an ending. They mostly do really well. It's a good way to get some to talk. Unfortunately it's impossible to get them all to speak in a single class. There are just TOO many of them!! As the actors prepare I share with the rest of the class some interesting facts like it's impossible to lick your elbow, cats have 32 muscles in each ear, and it's impossible for pigs to look up. Weird factoids. Then towards the end of class we play a version of Boggle on the blackboard. It's fun to see the things they come up with. They end up making up words, and I tell them if they can find it in their dictionaries I will give it to them, so sometimes I end up learning a few words myself! They are to run up to the board and write the words they find, and in the end we see who has the most. They actually get pretty competitive. But these kinds of games are usually only good for one class. After that, it's old news.
Next week they have their mid term exams, so I get a few days off! Yippy skippy! I'd like to go to Sanya, Hainan Island. It's the Hawaii of China. But no one else wants to blow all their money traveling. This is my last chance to see somewhere else! We might just end up going to Bei Hai, where we went last semester during midterms when Nigel was with us. It's a beach. I guess it would be alright.
It's been SOOO hot lately! Amazing how just a couple weeks ago was really cold. Now it's in the near high 80's. It's gross how easily I sweat just standing and teaching! It's hard on my voice too, cuz they've got all these fans going and I have to try to speak louder, and my little voice just can't handle it for more than two classes a day! And the usual is 3, and one day I have 4. Thank goodness tomorrow I only have 1. My easy day! I'm going to send some more stuff home. It's nuts how much stuff I've accumulated since I've moved here. Already I've sent 2 boxes of stuff home to myself. And tomorrow I will send another. And it still looks like I haven't made a dent. It's cheaper for me to mail things home then it would be for me to pay the fees for overweight luggage on the plane.
I looked at the calendar my sister sent me today. She wrote all kinds of really cute and sweet things on special days so that I can remember. I was surprised to see that this Sunday is Easter!! My family has been telling me about saders and stuff like that, but I guess I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I've never missed an Easter Sunday as far as I can remember. But I am glad that I can celebrate and praise the Lord no matter where I am. To be very honest, it's been a dry time for me lately. Please remember me around this special time of remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross and how he gave us new life in Him through his victory over death. And remember where I am and the people that I see every day who need to know what Jesus did for them.
Happy Resurrection day to you!
Friday, April 07, 2006
wo xi huan ming tian
Did any one call me in the middle of the night last night? For you it wouldn't been in the middle of the day though. But someone called me and I was too tired to pick up, and now I am worried that it was something important, cuz you know usually people don't call in the middle of the night unless it's urgent. So I hope that every one and every thing is ok.
This week is FINALLY over. It wasn't terrible, it was just hard for me emotionally. I'm glad it's over. Classes today did not go very well. They did not listen to me, it was so out of control, and I felt completely powerless to do anything. I was this close to walking out and just going home. But I was thinking about it, and they could probably sense I was having an off day and just took advantage of it. Who knows.
On the way back from school I was thinking and realizing how long it's been since I've had a real hug. I just wanted someone to hold me so bad at that moment. And now it's all I can think about.
Today I was supposed to tell the school of my decision not to extend my contract into next year. I don't know why I'm worrying about it so much. I guess I don't trust them to take it well. Especially Mark. His special attentions are really starting to creep me out and one of these days I'm gonna have to tell him to back off. For one thing, he's married. Arg. So much drama, and I try so hard to avoid it.
I have only eleven more weeks to go. Doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme. Some days go slower then others. Today is one of those days.
On a brighter note, I discovered this awesome awesome chicken recipe when I was just playing around with my ingredients. It's incredible. I got some really cute clothes made for me at the tailors for apx. $5 per shirt. I painted my toe nails this morning. I learned some new words in Chinese. I'm enjoying my new little hobby of drying funky tropical fruit seeds for a friend. And it rained today. I love the rain. It seems dreary and sad at times, but it always makes things smell fresh and alive. Maybe there's an analogy in there for my life right now.
Any news from home would be more than welcome.
This week is FINALLY over. It wasn't terrible, it was just hard for me emotionally. I'm glad it's over. Classes today did not go very well. They did not listen to me, it was so out of control, and I felt completely powerless to do anything. I was this close to walking out and just going home. But I was thinking about it, and they could probably sense I was having an off day and just took advantage of it. Who knows.
On the way back from school I was thinking and realizing how long it's been since I've had a real hug. I just wanted someone to hold me so bad at that moment. And now it's all I can think about.
Today I was supposed to tell the school of my decision not to extend my contract into next year. I don't know why I'm worrying about it so much. I guess I don't trust them to take it well. Especially Mark. His special attentions are really starting to creep me out and one of these days I'm gonna have to tell him to back off. For one thing, he's married. Arg. So much drama, and I try so hard to avoid it.
I have only eleven more weeks to go. Doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme. Some days go slower then others. Today is one of those days.
On a brighter note, I discovered this awesome awesome chicken recipe when I was just playing around with my ingredients. It's incredible. I got some really cute clothes made for me at the tailors for apx. $5 per shirt. I painted my toe nails this morning. I learned some new words in Chinese. I'm enjoying my new little hobby of drying funky tropical fruit seeds for a friend. And it rained today. I love the rain. It seems dreary and sad at times, but it always makes things smell fresh and alive. Maybe there's an analogy in there for my life right now.
Any news from home would be more than welcome.
