medical exam!

So today was the infamous medical exam. I had heard really bad things and some not-so-bad things. I am happy to report that it wasn't quite as bad as I had anticipated. First, we got there and took some pictures, then after a 3 minute wait, we were brought upstairs to give blood samples. They usher you right in and waste no time. Praise the Lord they got it on the first try for me, so that was relatively easy. Still gross to watch the blood flow out of you Then we had to give a urine sample, just typical medical stuff. Side note: for bathrooms, it is the typical whole in the ground, bathroom. It is tiled so that is nice, but no toilet bowl. Next, we had to go up a floor and get our eyes checked. My vision is not as good as it used to be. Oh well. After that, I went into a room where the woman did not speak english. She motioned for me to lay down and rubber her hands all over my stomach. It tickled so much! She was laughing at me. I like to think we bonded in that moment. Next, I went to another room entitled surgery. This was the most bizarre moment, they put metal things around one foot and both arms, then proceeded to rub some type of goo on my stomach, and just waited. I just laid there on the table, waiting, while she was just looking at me, also waiting for the test to be done. I was happy to get out of that one. Next, I had an ultra sound, a first for me. I didn't realize they looked more at your rib cage then your stomach. Based on the movies I have seen, I was anticipating the goo to be a little colder than it was, so that was a pleasant surprise. With that, I went to get my x-rays done and now all I have to do is wait for it to come back to I can apply for my work visa in Hong Kong! I am excited that I get to go to Hong Kong and the school is paying. Not too shabby.

Exploration and getting lost!

This weekend was a super fun weekend!
It started Thursday night when Brady and I went to dinner. We sat by our central manager, John, who told us he was going to take us to the lake. So we get in John's car and go to the lake. After walking around for a little bit, he then told us he was going to take us to a movie.  So we go to the mall. He picks out the movie and does everything, and I had no idea if the movie was going to be in English or Chinese. The movie wasn't going to start for a little bit, so we walked around the mall. He showed us where he gets his haircut, and told us that he prefers girl 509. haha interesting. We get to the movie and find out that we are going to see the movie Sanctum. It was about getting trapped in a cave. It was a very poorly made movie, but entertaining nonetheless, except when I girl was very graphically dying. I did not enjoy that portion. Before the movie started, a man turned around, pointed to a camera, asking if he could take a picture of Brady and I. haha that was funny to me.

The next day, we teach classes for a half day, and then John takes us and Gregory and Olga to Hangzhou to do some sightseeing. We get dropped off at the West lake, which is famous for its beauty (and it is very beautiful.) When we get there, we see other white people, so that is kind of fun. Aaand there is a starbucks, even more fun! So we get starbucks and sit in there for awhile. I really enjoyed that. Then we start walking around the lake, deciding how we want to get to the island. We first see a private boat, and since none of us speak Chinese, Gregory calls Tina, a Chinese teacher, who translates for him. It is pretty funny because he will call Tina, explain the situation, and then just hand his phone over to whoever he needs something from. I laughed pretty hard at this. We didn't end up going on the private boat, but the public one. The island was nice to walk around, very commercialized, but still fun.
We then get off and go to Carrefour, which has an international foods isle, where I bought coffee. So fun. They don't drink real coffee here, only nescafe. Very bizarre. Anyway, then tried to find the train station, which proved to be hard when you don't speak the language. We made our way there though, using the public bus system, where I stood across from a lady who was breast feeding and attempting to have a conversation with me. We got to the train station, where we were going to meet John, and decided to get some food. The food was disgusting. It was funny because we payed a lot for it (relatively speaking), and some of the meat just tasted like dog food. We laughed the whole meal though, so that was good. Then, John kept pushing back the time, so we walked around for awhile and laughed a ton. It was a good night.

Brady and I decided to check out shaoxing the next day, a city that is also near us. We left around 1, and right away I mixed up the bus we should get on. Thankfully it ended two stops later, but it was a funny way to start the trip. We figured out the right bus, and after we were on the bus for about 40 minutes, there was a really nice couple who showed us how to get to the train station. We got there and walked around. There were a lot of nice places in Shaoxing, so it was fun to walk around and explore. Around 5 we decided to try and head back. We thought we could figure out how to get back, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than we anticipated! We kept walking, but didn't really know where we were going. We would ask people, but most didn't speak english, and a police officer even pointed us in the wrong direction. We were really far away. Two hours later, we finally got in a taxi to try and get to the train station. It was successful in getting us there, but we missed the bus we wanted to get on. So we stood and waited hoping that there was another bus, but 20 minutes later there still wasn't one. I went and asked a high school couple if they spoke english to enquire about a taxi, and randomly enough, the girl next to them was going to our city too, but didn't speak any english! So we followed her to the next bus stop, even though we couldn't communicate, and we got on a different bus, which she payed for (so nice) and then we switched buses on our way home, to the bus that we originally wanted, that she also payed for! So sweet! She helped us get back and it was just so nice. I think people are brought up here to just be that kind and it is more expected. Either way, I am super thankful for her. We got back at like 8:45 and went for a nice meal. It was a packed day. Sunday was very restful, preparing for the week! So that was wonderful!
Starting friday it is a national holiday, so we have off until Saturday, which is when classes resume! So great!

Settling in.

So, now that I have been here over a week and a half, I feel like I have more of a routine. It is really interesting to me that it feels so normal to be here. Yesterday I went outside to play frisbee with Brady, and the kids had never really seen a frisbee before, so it was a really funny experience. If you threw the disc towards them, they would yell and all try and catch it at the same time. I was very humorous. Some students were super good though, so I think Brady is pretty pumped about that. While we were throwing the disc around, I noticed some students were playing soccer. They were part of the international portion of the school, so I knew that they spoke at least a little english. I asked if I could play and they let me! It was super fun/funny. The kids are so cute it is ridiculous. If you kick the ball, every single person will go running toward it, and all of the girls stop before they are going to kick the ball. It was a blast to be a part of! The boys got a little more into it, well, at least as into it as you can be while wearing jeans and blazers. Students here don't change when they are going to work out. They play in their clothes that they wore to school and then complain about being hot. Very funny to me.

Just as I was getting used to my schedule, it has been changed. It has been nice because we have had about half of the hours that we were supposed to, so I have enjoyed that. Starting next week though, we will be full time. We had a department meeting today about Brady and I switching around our schedule. I am now responsible for the speaking and writing portion of their studies in relation to the IELTS. In China, in order to go to University anywhere else, you have to pass a huge test, IELTS, so I am preparing them for that. Brady is going to finish up what we have been doing, SuperGoal, and after that he is going to teach them math and science, which would be super difficult to do when it is not their first language. I really can't imagine.
I am excited that we each have our own thing to do now, it will be so much easier for lesson plans and prepping our stuff. Aaanddd I get to still teach my favorite class. Three of the cutest girls you will ever meet. We all sit at a table together and go through work books. They are so bright and fun that we have a blast together. I will take a pic soon and show you them!

This weekend we have off, so who knows what we will do? Maybe go to Hangzhou or Shaoxing.

fireworks and bike shopping

This weekend was a semi-uneventful weekend due to the fact that we teach two weekends a month, and this weekend was one of those weekends. I only had two classes though, so it wasn't bad. 

We did have time to go and look for bicycles though! While shopping, I like to make decisions quickly, I know what I like, so I can just get in and get out instead of lingering over things. This is not always a good thing, but its the way I generally make decisions. Brady on the other hand takes his time making decisions. Which is a good thing, just hard for me when I am used to making them quicker. So now we  have looked at bikes for about 3-4 hours combined. Still no bike. I probably could have bought 5 different bikes by now, but Brady was unsure of which one to get, not that he ever stopped me from getting one, I just didn't want to end up with a horrible bike for more money and have him find a sweet bike for really cheap.  I appreciate this because I know I will end up with a better bike, but last night while we were shopping, i hit my point of being done and just needed to head back.

The good news is that while bike shopping, I made some Chinese friends. They did not speak any english whatsoever, but I pulled out my handy-dandy Mandrin book, given to me by the lovely Leslie Ballantine, and i was saying phrases with them. We were laughing quite a bit because my Chinese is so poor, but I had fun nonetheless. There were two Chinese women that kept talking to me even after I said "wo bu mingbai" which is "I do not understand." I laughed a lot and they just kept taaaalking and talking. I like the people at Wanda (the huge shopping mall across the street.)

You may be wondering why fireworks is in the title of this post. Something to note if you ever come to China. There are fireworks that are shot off at the oddest times. One Tuesday morning, I was woken up to fireworks at 5:30 am. It was not a holiday, it was just a tuesday. I am convinced that Chinese people just sit there and when they decide they don't know what to do, they think "maybe I should light off fireworks." And that is a totally socially acceptable thing to do that early in the morning. And at night, and mid-day. It is just a regular part of life.

This weekend I also went on a cleaning-spree. The chinese standards of cleanliness are nothing like the American standard. When I got here I was trying to take everything in, so I did not notice the nastiness of my apartment, but man did I ever see it this weekend. I am quite confident that this place hasn't been cleaned in about 10 years, so me and my roommate are trying to bleach the whole apartment. We got quite a bit done, but it takes time! I got some floor cleaner last night and some window cleaner, so hopefully this place will be a lot cleaner in the next few days!

I also tried playing Badminton. This is a funny sport. I was playing with the only other white lady here, Olga, who doesn't speak English. There was tons of wind, so no matter where we hit it, the ball-type thing would go flying. We were laughing SO hard. All the asian students were standing around watching us and I have no idea what they were saying, but I was enjoying myself. Then I went to play basketball with some students and Brady. Everyone was really into it. When people get competitive in sports now, I just can't get as into it. So I was not a valuable part of my team. I did have fun though! I accidently scored a point for the wrong team. Oh well haha. There was another girl playing, and she was funny so we would just laugh together.

Here it is, update from the airplane until now....

View from my room

This is the "inside of the school" even though there isn't any roof

Same place, better view. This is from my apartment looking out.

My bed, provided by the school. This city is known for their textiles, so I think all of this was made locally- meaning the sheets and bed spread.

View from my desk

Summing up the past week: 
     
     The flight over was long, but thankfully uneventful. We had tv screens right in front of us, so we could pick whatever movie we wanted to watch, which was a huge blessing on a 15 hour flight to Shanghai. I sat in the middle seat next to Brady, who is also from UW-EC, and then I also sat next to a really nice girl named Marta. She had already taught English in China for two years, and is now going to grad school in China. Her program is all in Chinese and she taught herself. Wow.

     The past week has been nuts. Once we got to Shanghai we met Jack, who Brady and I have been communicating with all along, and went to dinner. I STINK at using chopsticks. the people around me were laughing with me. Just kidding, they were probably laughing at me.  I was laughing too. That night, Jack told Brady and I that we were no longer going to Xiamen, but now we were going to go to Hangzhou, a high school. So that was a shocker. I am in a small city for China, so like a few million haha. It is a boarding school of 3,000 so that is interesting. We live on campus on the 6th floor, which I like to refer to as the penthouse suite. I have my own room, which I love! Since being here there have been a lot of new experiences. The people here are really nice. There is one Russian couple here, otherwise, everyone else is Asian. Because this is a smaller city, the english here isn't too good, so I am very thankful that Brady is here so I can have a normal conversation without trying to describe what different words mean. 

     Since there are literally no young white people here, Brady and I get inquisitive looks wherever we go. They aren't very subtle either. It is kind of funny, but sometimes you just want to go places without everyone knowing that you have no idea what is going on.

     There are a few people here my age, and they speak decent english, but not really enough to have a deep friendship. My apartment-mate is Janice. She is nice and from the Philippines. Her english is great! She teaches kindergarden. She is probably one of the funnier people I have met. Her brother is Brady's roommate. He teaches Math.

     I went to a karaoke birthday party for one of my students and it was really funny. I sang a bit so watch out, I am becoming a new woman. hahaha they only like love songs over here, so it is pretty funny. Karaoke parties seems pretty big over here, so maybe this will be a normal thing? They seem to enjoy the classics, like backstreet boys, and for some reason they love lady gaga.

     I found out I can't come home in January, and I was bummed about that, but what can you do. 

     So I am a teacher, which I didn't think would ever really happen. It is difficult trying to figure out what kind of teacher you want to be, how to have the students understand you, and make sure that you are getting through to them. They are really fun to work with though. Funny enough, I was sitting in my office and I was thinking to myself how this is the easiest job I have had in a while, relatively speaking. Youthworks was way more stressful, 18 credits and being an RA was way more stressful too. So it is nice to have a job that is not quite as hectic. It will still be challenging, but for some reason, it just doesn't seem as all around stressful, more just 9-5. It probably is because those other jobs permeated my whole life, where as this is over when it is done for the day. I like it.

      The food here is so different. We have been taken out to a few nice meals, and they love their salt! I tried the stinkiest food I have ever encountered in my life because Brady said that we would try anything, and I legitimately thought I was going to barf. Without a doubt the nastiest food I have ever eaten in my life. I love all the veggies though!  My boss made us some dumplings one day, and I loved them. Dumplings, rice, and veggies are the things that I like here. 


     Last night was probably my favorite night here. After teaching, Brady and I went to the fresh food market in town. They have so many different fruits and veggies. As well as lots of fish that are still alive. There was one fish that was cut in half but still flopping. That is what I call fresh. It was really stinky but fun to see. I bought an apple-pear type fruit and it was delicious. Side note: you can't eat  veggies raw or you will get really sick. Anyways, from there we went to Walmart, to check out bikes. I found one I loved, but decided not to get it and to check more stores out. We will see if I got back and get it. Then we decided to walk to the lake in town, it was warm so we were sweating, but it was so worth it when we got there. There were people everywhere. They were dancing, playing games, going on boat rides, everything. Next time we go we might do a boat ride, it looks so fun! The water is a little smelly, so that stinks. Everything in china is a little smelly though. After that, we tried to make our way back but we were starving so we decided to stop at a food vendor. Surprisingly delicious. We picked out some veggies that they grilled and put some spices on. It was fantastic. After that we came back, I showered, and went to bed.


Today I taught already, and now I am trying to do laundry with a machine all in Chinese. Pray for me haha. 

I made it!

Hello!

I am in China and enjoying life here. I couldn't access my blog because China puts a block on what people can see...so no facebook, youtube, or my blog. But, good news! With the aid of a few other people, it was figured out!

I will write a semi-long post updating life here probably later today, but I need to get ready to go teach a class. It is unfortunate that they have class two weekends a month here. I can't imagine being a student, in high school no less, and doing that. Ick.

leaving for China!

I leave for China on FRIDAY. How nuts.  I am just taking care of the little things now, finishing packing, saying goodbyes, and just relaxing. It is so fun to be leaving because I have seen God's provision throughout this whole process, so I have no doubt that this is what the Lord is wanting me to do right now. I feel so blessed to embark on another journey, and I am just so excited to do that! I looked up international churches online, and they are all over in china, and specifically in the city that i am going to. I feel so much comfort in that as well.
I know I will miss my family and friends, but I am so thankful for skype and the internet so I can remain in contact with people.

Well, I am going to go hang with my mom and make sure I have all my stuff together.

Next blog I will be in the far east, how crazy!