Day 38: Happy Easter

Since Easter isn't really celebrated here, Jenna and I decided that we would take it upon ourselves to give everyone a little Easter lovin. We started with making little Easter gift baskets for everyone; I know I have always gotten one from my parents growing up and it became kind of an expectation to wake up to a sweet surprise from the Easter bunny, so we wanted to continue tradition.

Last night, we made sixteen different friendship bracelets, one for each member of our group. They were fun little woven bracelets made out of different colored string, and we made a poem explaining their significance to everyone. I wrote it, so it was profound, obviously;). We also went to the convenience store and bought little ice cream flavored cookies for everyone. They were individually wrapped cookies, so we tied the bracelets around the package to make a cute little display.

We were trying to think of different ways to deliver these goodies, and the ideas ranged from dropping them on their doorsteps to actually dressing as the Easter bunny and hand delivering them. We chose the latter.

Jenna and I made a bunny costume and a chick costume, knocked on everyone's door this morning, put on a funny Easter song we found on YouTube, popped out of an egg, and danced for each of our fellow teachers. Some couldn't get enough of it, and others were quite bothered we woke them up from their Sunday sleep in. However, the Easter bunny always comes in the morning, so, sorry we were upholding the tradition.

It was a fun day and the messages in church were wonderful. Easter is always a great time of year and a wonderful reminder of our savior. Also, I bought my train ticket to Guilin this weekend! Vacation number two crept up quite quickly. I can't wait though, everyone I've talked to always raves about Guilin, so I'll finally get to see what the hype is all about!

Day 37: Rainy day

Today was a long and rainy day, but it was nice to have some downtime. For the most part, I just registered for my classes next semester, read a book, and hung out with Jenna and Lexi in my apartment. The streets were being flooded and the tile was slick, so staying inside was a much safer option. I do, however, love the sound of rain; it's incredibly soothing and just reminds me of such happy days from my childhood for some reason.

This evening was full of story telling and playing magic piano, and I am now retiring to bed, anxious for the day tomorrow. The girls and I have quite the treat planned for our groupies for Easter, so it should be quite exciting, I can't wait.

Day 36: The BIG 5

I think there are five solid points that can basically sum up my day:

1. I had a fun filled morning full of sniffing scented markers and playing "pin the basketball on the hoop" game with the kids. It's amazing how entertained you can keep a group of five year olds with a scented marker, that might come in handy again someday.

2. I sat in Gina's pizza for about, oh, two hours and just used their ultra fast wifi. I was planning my fall 2013 semester, and mostly just and waiting to register for the classes. My available date opened March 29th at midnight Utah time, making it March 29th at 2 pm my time. I thought the process would be much easier here, since it wasn't the middle of the night. However, right after I clicked "add class", a little pop up came up on the screen saying I was ineligible to register for classes. I guess that my ecclesiastical endorsement wasn't quite complete, so I just left Gina's and thought to myself that this was a test of my patience.

3. Mango coated yogurt popsicle, with sweetened condensed milk inside the top half of it. These babies are something else, and so cheap; I just can't help myself. Enough said.

4. Lexi and I had a punching/slapping war this evening. She would punch me somewhere (stomach, arm, thigh, etc.) and then I would get to return the favor equally, if not harder. We don't really know how it all started, but it was hilarious. After we took about all that we could, we put our fists down and decided fight nights here, tournament style, gloves and all, would be such a blast.

5. The booty slap war continued this evening. Lexi, Chloe, and myself are on a team against Courtney (aka Corn), Amanda, and Jenna. Basically, we see who can give the best five star on someone's behind from the opposite team. Tonight, Lexi got Amanda with a clean slap across her left cheek, and then I followed right behind her and got Amanda for a second time, this time on the right cheek. Then, after that moment, things were a little bit blurry. All I remember is that Amanda began walking towards me and then jokingly pushed me backwards to intimidate me. Yet, she began to really push me, and I being the klutz that I am, lost my balance, fell off the sidewalk, and fell right on my back, into the bushes. My favorite part was that no one asked if I was ok, Preston just said, "wait don't move, I need to take a picture". It was a good time, and a good laugh; today was just filled with those.

Pictures:
1: pin the basketball on the hoop
2: Edwards cute little rain boots, so stinkin precious.

Day 35: He went to Jared

I think most that know me can agree that I am sometimes an anxious and nervous person; at times, I might blow little things out of proportion and make them a bigger deal in my head than they are in reality. This being said, when I was told that Jared, one of the three head directors from IlP, would be visiting and evaluating us this week, I got a bit nervous.

Whenever I am nervous or anticipating something, I typically wake up numerous times in the night from either bad dreams or just restlessness. Last night, I tossed and turned, repeating my lesson over and over in my head. I don't doubt my teaching capabilities, I was more so just worried for someone who had done this for years, would be focusing in on me alone and evaluating me.

When class time came around, I had recited my lesson about twenty times in my head, about fifteen more than I usually do. I looked into the doorway, mid lesson, and saw this tall man walk through the doorway. It was Jared. I was already nervous, but him being around 6' 8'' made the situation a little bit more daunting.

As Jared approached my table, I continued on with my lesson and for some reason, my kiddos began to participate more and be on better behavior than they ever had been. It all went perfectly: my lesson flowed, the kids were actively engaged, there was a lot of English being used, etc. Also, Jared stayed at my table for about ten minutes, that's all. I have no idea what I was stressing over.

A little while later, I was talking to dear Marine, our native coordinator, and I commented on how well behaved the little ones were today. She then said back to me that they were so good, because she told them that if they were naughty, Jared would take them back to America with him and they wouldn't ever see their mommies or daddies again. I was dying, I couldn't even believe it. It was horrible that she said that, but so hilarious. I now understood why the kids went to the bathroom and had to walk past Jared, they would sneak behind him ever so silently and run inside. I don't know why we were all so scared of him, he is a great guy.

Anyways, we spent the evening with Jared and his daughter Emma, and took them to one if our favorite Muslim noodle shops. I believe we frequent this one much more than anything else here; I just don't know what I am going to do without it back home. I hate the thought of leaving it behind.

Later on in the evening, I decided to whip out my hair cutting scissors (I bought prior to the trip) and give Ms. Lexi a good ole haircut. I tried doing the fancy tricks I always see my hairstylists do when I get my hair cut, but mostly I just wanted to look like I knew what I was doing. I probably cut about an inch and a half off, gave her some layers, razored the ends a little bit to thin them out, and then round brushed and straightened it for her. Although this whole process was quite lengthy, I must admit that I did a pretty good job. She is satisfied and her hair looks marvelous. It's just been a good day.

Day 34: Sweet little Angel

Today was a great day. Why, you ask? Well, I caught my student Angel's infamous snarl on camera. When Angel gets angry or frustrated in class, she typically furrows her thick brow, focuses her dark, beady eyes on you, and then finally makes a funny squealing noise in her throat, to amplify her frustrations vocally. This whole scene is generally quite fast, and I've found it to be rather difficult to snag a picture or video of her doing it. I mean, I have to open my backpack, find my camera, pull it out, turn it on, then take the picture; it's a lot of work! However, Angel was angry for the majority of my class today, so I had plenty of opportunities to get my picture.

Day 33: The tale of Lisa and the play dough

One thing I've never understood is why kids eat play dough. The smell alone is reason enough to keep it away from your face, let alone your mouth. I guess when I was little, I was curious as to what it tasted like, so I took a lick, and from that moment, I promised myself I'd never do it again. The salty and bitter taste stayed in my mouth for what seemed like forever, I just hated it.

Today, I used play dough in my lesson, and the kids just love when you bring either that or bubbles during a lesson. They are both rather exciting objects and stray from the typical objects used in class, such as the pom poms, pipe cleaners, paper, scissors, rubber bands, foam cutouts, etc. Anyways, back to my story. I used this really potent, purple play dough in class and the kids loved it. As soon as I whipped it out of my bag, they all jumped from their seats and sprawled onto the table, in hopes they could each snag themselves a piece from my hand. However, since I am more familiar with their tricks, I knew their hands would soon be coming my way so I quickly raised the play dough, high in the air.

After I got them calmed down, I began to roll the dough onto the table, into the shape of a snake. I kept rolling the ball back and forth, spreading my fingers across it, so it would grow in length and look more snake-like. Through this process, some of the play dough stuck onto the table, but I hadn't realized that. I picked the snake up off the table to show my class only to find that I had one lose interest. I found that little Lisa, the only Korean in the class, was transfixed on the leftover play dough on the table, rolling it into a ball, then placing it directly into her mouth. I was disgusted. First, because she was eating play dough. Second, she was rolling it up off of the dirty table that all the kids climb all over and rub their dirty paws on.

I told Lisa to stop eating the play dough, but every time I slightly turned away from her,I caught her sneaking a little nibble in. After a while, I gave up and let her eat all the left over play dough she wanted. I mean, if she was that desperate for a snack, then so be it! I did get quite a kick out of it though, Lisa (or li-tha, she has a cute little lisp) is such a good one, I really do love her.

Day 32: Mustache Monday

In my lesson today, I used this mustache duct tape as one of my teaching objects and all the kids went crazy for it. They wouldn't stay focused on the lesson and just kept asking if they could have a piece. So, I got creative with it and decided to cut the little mustaches out and put them on their upper lips. They were ecstatic; they just thought that was the best treat ever. If only I had known this beforehand, I could've drawn their attention to the lesson much more easily. I found it appropriate to snap a few pictures of their precious faces, because they were especially cute as they posed with their new beloved mustaches.

Also, today was special day because it was Chloe's birthday. Jenna and I made her a bunch of birthday signs and stuck them to her door before she woke up, so she could see then as she left for class. We also taught our kids how to sing happy birthday, and apparently they busted out in song all throughout class today, oopsie. Jenna and I teaching in the same room might not have been the best idea, we have too much fun together.

We went out to our favorite Muslim noodles, by the fruit market, tonight and I got my all time favorite dish. I have no idea what it is or what's in it really, but it is so good. Almost, if not equally, as good as the fresh stir fry noodles I had this weekend in Zhangjiajie.

The coolest thing about this restaurant, however, is that there is a noodle man at the front of the restaurant who forms the noodles by hand. He starts out with a lump of dough, spreads it through his fingers a bit, whips it and snaps it a time a two, and poof, he has a full dish of noodles. He then directly tosses them into a pot of boiling water, decorates the noodles with whatever sauces and seasonings, and then serves it to us; It really doesn't get much better or fresher than that.

After dinner, Jenna and I went to a little clothes store (which we think might have been a big and tall store, because everything fit us) and we found such wonders in there. Jenna found, and purchased, a full size, tank-top jumper, a baggy sweatshirt that says, "let's share this", what "this" is, we do not know, and finally some flowy gray genie pants. I then found some little genie pants for myself, but mine have funny little people all over them and funky different designs. I am very satisfied with my purchase; it's one I most definitely won't regret.

When we arrived back at our apartments, our group surprised Chloe with a fancy little birthday cake, that was beautiful by the way. China does it right with treats here, they are such delicate and intricate works of art; I don't ever want to eat things because they're so pretty (some of the cafeteria food and chicken feet/duck head/mystery meat are some of the exceptions). It turned out to be such a wonderful day, which naturally means it'll be a good week. I love happy Mondays, they make life much better.

Pictures:
1: Baby Ella, she is just a gem
2: Jackie and Oliver
3: Jelemy, always a little confused
4: We made her a cupcake too, just one
5: The noodle man doin work
6: Jenna's suit from the front
7: And now from the back
8: Chloe's beautiful cake, "Dear Chloe, Happy Birthday" I love the translation

Day 31: Recoup

Today basically consisted of unpacking my things from the trip, showering, and then napping. I was so sleep deprived from traveling, and the little sleep that I did get wasn't great. I mean, who enjoys sleeping upright in a hard seat? Anyways, I took a long nap as soon as we got back, went out to eat dinner with Jenna, and then came home and FaceTimed my lovely parents. I haven't had as good of an internet connection with them as I did tonight, so it was nice. I love catching up with my family and friends, it makes me feel like I'm not nearly as far away as I am. For now, that is all. I am headed to bed to catch up on sleep yet again. Goodnight.

Day 30: 30 descriptors about today

Cold
Three girls cuddling, in a twin bed
Traveling Englishman
Oatmeal
Packed up and checked out
Walked to another park
Rejected, no student ID's
Steamed rice rolls
Almost hit by a car
Chips ahoy, wha?
Sick, too many sweets
Forty five minute bus to train station
McDonald's, I ate bananas instead
Supermarket to get some goods
Had to check our backpacks at the front?
Paparazzi, got my picture taken
Mangy little, white rat dog
Another noodle vendor, beyond thrilled
Ninja tag, we had a good crowd going
Train station round two
Boy with a box of beer from Michigan. He's building an elevator
Boarded the train, and sat next to Lexi, Courtney, and Jenna
Sat by the nasty smoker's room
Second hand smoke for days
Bachelor, I am the only one who doesn't follow it
Dried pineapple
Mini bananas and peanut butter :)
Catch phrase
Naps on naps on naps
Another two hour bus ride from Guangzhou to Kaiyin

We are home at last. It was a wonderful getaway, but it's good to be home.


Pictures:
1: we were rejected, but the entrance was nice
2: we also accept tips

Day 29: Heights

I've never slept as deeply as I did last night. I'm really beginning to look forward to climbing into a hard bed and wrapping up in a moist blanket, and I'm not being sarcastic, it's true. Also, I didn't sleep much the night before on the train, so falling asleep mid conversation with my roommates was pretty expected.

This morning, our group headed back to the park and rode several buses to get to the tallest free standing elevator in the world. We waited outside the elevator doors and when it was at its peak, the number showed it was on floor 326. I have never seen such a high number on an elevator, nor such an incredible sight from one, either. The glass elevator took us to such a height that I literally felt as if we were on the top of the world. It was really foggy and rainy today, so it looked as if the mountain peaks were just poking through the tops of the clouds.

We got off the elevator and walked around and saw different sights, when all of a sudden it began to pour. The raindrops were massive; each one splashed onto my skin and it truly felt as if I was standing in a shower, but fully clothed. I've been in big rain storms, but nothing like this. Our group bought ponchos there and held our umbrellas, double duty baby. They really saved us. Also, four of us got purple, green, yellow, and red ponchos, so we naturally took pictures posed as the telletubies! Our hunchback backpacks added to the effect of looking more telletubbie-like.

It began raining so hard at one point that it was obvious we needed to head down the mountain and back into town. The mountains were now invisible, due to the increase of fog, and it was freezing. The sky was a sheet of white and you could hardly see twenty feet in front of you. Even with my down coat and water gear, I was quite chilly. This weather makes me really grateful for the heat we have back at home in Kaiyin.

We got back to the hostile and Lexi and I had a good cuddle session/nap; It's the only way we could warm up. Some of us then went and cruised around town for a little bit to look at the shops and find some dinner. As we walked through town, I couldn't help but think how similar this town was to my beloved Colorado mountain towns, like in Ouray or Durango. All the shops look similar and sell just about the same thing, there's a "main street" with all of the shops and people on it, people biking everywhere or trying to find a place to park, etc. With both the weather and mountain town feel to this place, I really felt at home.

We decided to try some street food here because that was about all they had to offer. Usually I'm pretty skeptical about it, because there is meat and other things out and aren't refrigerated. Also, I was a little frightened when I saw caged rabbits and chickens next to the vendors' food stands; I decided against meat for this meal.

The little man at his cart began throwing different things, like sprouts, green onions, spices, carrots, noodles, etc., into a big pan over a burner. He also threw in a bunch of sauces I was unfamiliar with, but it came out and it was terrific. A hot dish of noodles, especially on a rainy day, had never tasted so good. The day was incredible, even with the rain. I can't get enough of this place, it's so beautiful and contains never ending places to explore.

Pictures:
1: Avatar
2: The Elevator
3: Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La, Po
4: Sooo incredible here
5: Our street vendor
6: The best grub of the trip
7: Street skewers...yikes. Betta not

Day 28: Avatar Mountains

It's cold here, China, is cold! I was so surprised when I got off the train because I was getting so used to my new sweaty and balmy lifestyle. However, I felt that it was rather refreshing to step off the train and breathe in cold, crisp air; something I've missed dearly from home.

This place is incredible, from our hostile to the park itself. It's my first experience in a hostile, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We all herded in, and the little Chinese lady at the front desk was so eager to help us. She quickly got us situated in rooms, told us how to get to the park, and how to work the buses, she is wonderful. Also, the hostile itself is pretty great too. We are on the fifth floor, and all up the stairwell are different drawings from the many people who have stayed here. It was incredible to see how diverse the group was; we saw posts from Singapore, all over the US, the UK, Italy, Australia, etc. It blew me away and just really enjoyed seeing some of the history.

We got to the park and bought our three day passes, after the clerks looked over our passports and fingerprinted all of us, of course. Our little group that had broken off from the wolf pack had decided to ride the gondola up the mountain and hike down. I can't even explain how perfect of a choice that was. The view from the gondola was breathtaking, I seriously felt as if I was floating on top of the world, looking down on these floating mountains. The fog around the mountains really helped with the erie effect as well.

We got to the top of the mountain, after our ten minute gondola ride, and hiked all around the grounds. Each point of interest had a little sign and look out to explain what the mountains were named and why. All That was going through my mind at the time was how much my parents would enjoy this place. It is beautiful, and the pictures don't give it any kind of justice.

There are also wild monkeys here, which we were instructed not to feed, so naturally some from our group did. They just grabbed the food from our hands and were so friendly, kind of wild right?

The avatar mountains are definitely a must see in china. It's such a beautiful and massive park with endless things to see. The air is cool and silent. I could sit up there for days and just read a book or stare off into the many wonders right in front if me. Words don't explain the beauty I've found here, but I love it so much and wouldn't mind frequently visiting.


Pictures:
1: covered Buddhas
2: locks of love
3: shorrrry
4: Avatar mountains
5: gondola
6: I made our mark on the hostile

Day 27: Off to Zhangjiajie

This afternoon, we left Zhongshan for our first vacation, to the Avatar mountains! I feel like it's still too early for us to have a vacation, but we've already been here for a month now! Just kind of crazy how fast time flies.

For our trip, we have had to catch a variety of different buses and trains to get where we needed to go. First, we caught the Kaiyin bus and rode it for forty five minutes to walking street. We then rode a two hour bus to Guangzhou, and then from Guangzhou, we boarded the train that would take us 14 hours northwest, to Zhangjiejia. Although that sounds like it should painless process, we managed to cause a scene, as we always do, while trying to get to each checkpoint on time.

We hardly had any trouble with the first bus, the Kaiyin bus, because we ride this nearly everyday. I met a really cute German family with a little four year old girl. Communication was slim, but I've gotten used to that here. Bus number two, not quite the same story. Our whole group bought bus tickets, but the bus couldn't fit us all. Only about half of us made it on the first bus, and Preston, Amanda, Brent, Tyler, Chloe, and I stayed back. However, I felt ok about this because Amanda is a smarty and she can also call Gloria if we're really struggling, so life would be ok.

We arrived in Guangzhou with just enough time to locate the train station and find our platform. The Shiqui girls, that met up with us on walking street, packed like two suitcases each, for a two day vacation. I guess they need a suitcase a day; they told us they packed lightly. This really caused a problem for getting places quickly, they had a heavy load.

Anyways, when we were in the station, we had a hard time finding our platform, so a cute little Asian man tried helping us. He followed us to this far away platform, and it ended up being the wrong one. Then, he sent us on our way with some lady that was going to the same train as we were. She, too, was struggling. We only realized this when she took us to wrong platform number two. When we got there, we were really limited on time an had just about ten minutes to find the right platform and board the train.

Since I chose to get seater seats, instead of sleeper, I was to find the train by myself now because everyone had chosen sleepers. The only other person in the group who bought seater seats was Konner, and he was in the group that left before we did. So, I was frantically running around the Guangzhou train station by myself, without a clue where I was going. Fortunately, enough Chinese people mumbling random things to me got me where I needed to be, and I found Konner. I have never been so happy to see someone in my life than I was when I saw him.

Since the plan was to sit on the train for the next 14 hours, with three people snuggly sat next to each other, facing another three people, we figured sleeping might help pass the time. I started out in the middle seat and Konner in the aisle. The man sitting across from us conked out quickly, along with just about everyone around us. Konner and I were casually chatting, when the sleepy man took a tumble from his seat, and was rudely awakened by the floor. He happened to nail his head on his own seat on his way down, as well. Poor guy had no idea what his his, and all the Chinese people, along with Konner and I, busted out laughing. We just couldn't help it.

After that funny encounter, Konner and I talked for about three hours straight. We got some serious life stories out; It was so fun getting to know him better, I rather enjoyed it just being us on the train without the mass posse.

The man sitting in front of us kept looking at us as we spoke, almost looking as if he understood what we were saying, with his occasional smile that crept on his face when we would say something funny. However, we introduced ourselves to him, in Chinese of course, and he responded in Chinese, no English. We were sadly disappointed, but we then decided we really liked him and we named him Pepe. He will be a true life long friend, I'm sure.

A few hours into the ride, Konner was nice enough to trade me spots, and he took the middle seat. I passed out as soon as I laid my head against his arm, I was exhausted. He is such a selfless one, I just love this kid.

Anyways, I was taking a beautiful nap when all of a sudden, I too was rudely awakened by the floor. I somehow fell out of my seat and crashed right into the same floor our neighbor had become so familiar with. I had no idea what was going on, I just woke up to all these Chinese people laughing at me. However, they did help me to my feet, but not before they got a good laugh in of course. I was so embarrassed, but also couldn't help but laugh. At least I wasn't the only one, right?

A few minutes after my tumble, I saw a few men hock their precious loogies onto the same floor that I had found myself getting so comfortable on. Then, Konner and I watched as everyone grabbed the trash from their table and threw it on the floor, and a man came and swept it up. I'm so glad I chose a great and clean place to sprawl my body out onto. Needless to say, my first train ride was a fun one.

Day 26: Busy

Tuesdays are always my busiest days: I teach from eight thirty to eleven thirty, lunch until twelve thirty, inservice meetings and training from twelve thirty until whenever we finish (and sometimes it takes forever because people ask really great questions that no one has answers to), ELE teaching, for Chinese students who aren't involved in the ILP program, from three to four, and then finally Kung fu at seven to eight thirty. Needless to say, I am pretty worn out by the end of the day.

We didn't have Kung foo today, because it was pouring rain and our coordinator was worried our Kung fu skills weren't quite up to par for the slippery ground. I mean, we can't even do it on the dry ground, let alone adding some water into the mix.

When I got back from lunch, I just stared out the window and stared at the small river forming in the road. I haven't seen such a heavy rain storm in years, it was incredible. I reminded me of the summer days when I would just go out for a run because it was dumping outside. It was always such a calming feeling and everything buzzing through my mind was put to rest. Those were some of my favorite times.

I responded to the emails that were taking over my inbox, wrote a few birthday cards, worked on my lesson plans for next week, got supplies for our trip to the avatar mountains (we leave tomorrow at four pm!), and much more. It was a good afternoon, and I feel very productive yet again. It must be the weather here, or maybe the water, I just feel like I get so much more done here. It's a good feeling.

Pictures:
1: Ritik and Ben, the littles
2: Muddy road, it rained hard
3: Rain on Zhongshan

Day 25: We've Got Ourselves a Hood Chick

Last night, Lexi asked me to play with her hair, so I decided to put it in loose corn rows to keep myself entertained. I must admit, they were quite classy and a crowd favorite. As we were cleaning our teaching supply room this evening, I found baby sized rubber bands and a wonderful idea came into my head. I wanted to braid Lexi's whole head into small and tight braids, like most get when they go on vacation to Mexico. For some reason, she agreed, so I spent my evening braiding away. They turned out beautifully; the kids will have a hay day with them tomorrow! Good luck teacher yummy!

Day 23&24: Tomatoes and Corn Bread

I was able to go on my first run here on Saturday! My sickness had dwindled enough and my swollen ankle was down, so I ceased the opportunity to explore the city a bit on my own. The warm and thick air felt great in my lungs; the altitude here provides for much better running conditions than at home. It's good to be mostly back on my feet again.

Our group decided to split into two yesterday, and our half of the group chose to go to this beautiful park, which had amusement rides, little street markets, an animal water show, a bird atrium, and our favorite, another pagoda. This pagoda, however, was much taller than the one we had hiked to on walking street and you could climb up inside of this one!

We climbed up what seemed to be hundreds of stairs to the top of the pagoda. I was real sweaty by the time we reached the top, but that's common here. It's quite warm and always humid, so my face being shiny with sweat is pretty typical. I also had been talking to sir Carmelo all week, via email, and I invited him to come along with us. He is only in Zhongshan on weekends, because he goes to school in Macao the rest of the week, so it was nice to have him around again.

The view the top of the pagoda rendered was phenomenal. I had an entire 360 degree view of the city and all the buildings, apartments, gardens, etc. It was like I was seeing a whole new side of China. Seeing things from this angle reminded me of when I was looking over the top of the Empire State Building in New York City years ago.

Our little group went on with walking around the park for hours, actually to the point where the pain in our feet grew deep into our shins. We had gotten lost in conversation with Carmelo and the others that we didn't realize how long we had been walking. We left the park and Carmelo took us to his old high school, which he claimed to be the largest and most beautiful in all of Asia.

As soon as we pulled up to the school, we immediately knew his statement was true. The grounds were beautiful, and they contained numerous large, red brick buildings, several ponds and statues, three basketball courts (each containing about ten full sized courts), a pool, a tennis court, living quarters for all of the students, as well as for the teachers, etc. And on top of this all, the school is like a gated community, with high fences surrounding it and guards at all of the entrances at all hours of the day. I then asked Carmelo if schools were strict in China, and all he did to respond was look directly at me, raise his brows, and shake his head rapidly up and down. I feel silly for ever thinking I was under harsh or strict rule while growing up, I had it pretty easy. Sorry Mom and Dad.

After we had our tour, Carmelo took us back to Kaiyin and Lexi, Jenna, and I went to our favorite little hole in the wall restaurant and ordered peanut butter noodles and dumplings. They were only four yuan, which is about sixty cents in USD, and they're pretty good sized portions. It's ridiculously cheap here, I'm going to have a hard time adjusting back to prices when I get home.

We went to bed pretty early that night, because we were to catch the bus at seven am to Guangzhou for the Church's district conference. The branch president had invited all of the foreigners from our program, member or non-member, to attend the meeting with other American's living in China, and then they would treat us to lunch afterwards. So, a group of about fifty of us took a charter bus, for about an hour and a half, to Guangzhou and attended their Stake conference today.

The meeting was held in a Ramada hotel and there were Americans, everywhere. It was honestly a really weird experience, there were white babies crawling around and crying through the meeting, many people from different countries (Philippines, Malaysia, Ecuador, etc.), people from all over the states who looked like the typical LDS family you see at church every week, etc. It was such a diverse group of individuals, yet there was the most familiar feeling in that meeting. The spirit was still there, the words spoken were true, and it just felt like home.

It was an incredible experience to meet these people, and to hear their stories on how they ended up in China. A lady actually told me that she did ILP in Russia about seven years ago, then served her mission in Russia, met her husband there, got married after her mission, and is now living in China because of ILP. She said that her choice to teach English in a foreign country changed her thinking, dreams, and completely changed her life for the better. It makes me really grateful to be part of such a program, I mean, who knows where it will take me.

After the meeting, we went to lunch at one of the members of the Bishopric's home and were served the most delicious, American meal. I hadn't realized that I missed food from home, until I had partaken of so much of it today. They had cornbread, hot chili, homemade wheat bread with homemade strawberry jam, fresh RAW vegetables without oil (everything here is steamed or cooked in oil, always), chocolate cake, etc. I was so excited and ate so much, but left feeling a bit ill. I think my body has adjusted to Chinese life and I hit it hard with American unexpectedly, I was just so excited.

The members of the ward are incredible and so generous here. I felt as if I was in my own home with people I had known forever; I have never felt so welcome in a house of complete strangers. It was just a beautiful Sunday, and I am so grateful for those that are in, or have been in, my life and have influenced me somehow to being the person I am today. It's these people I can thank for leading me to choose the things I am involved in today, and providing me with the necessary knowledge and values I live by. I've definitely had my ups and downs, but the love and support from the people in my life has changed my attitude and perspective of my life as I know it.

Pictures:
1: We dance, everywhere we go.
2: Stairs to the Pagoda
3: Failed attempt at jumping, but you get the idea
4: Park with Carmelo
5: Crazy architecture here, I look so tiny compared to that building.
6: Cute little kids singing, with sign language, in their St. Patty's Day gear at Church
7: The view from the apartment we at lunch at, on the 35th floor of the building, no big deal

Day 22: Hey, Sessssy Lady

Today was a special day for both us teachers, and the kiddos. They had a dance competition scheduled, where they were to compete against the others classes their age. They were to dance to the five songs they dance and warm up to when they arrive at school. Because our apartments are right next to the school, I have become very familiar with these songs for I wake up to them blasting over the Kaiyin intercom every morning. I must admit, though, they are quite happy and lighthearted songs. They make me feel like I'm on "It's a small world" at Disneyland, all day. Also, these songs drown out the sound of the loogies, so it's definitely a win-win situation.

The kids competition was an hour this morning, so they missed their first three of six English classes. Although I wanted to teach all six lessons, I was much more excited that I too could miss class and go watch the competition. All of the kids were dressed in their matching coral sweatsuits and ready to go first thing in the morning. The younger of the two kindy classes went first, which has the students like Jelemy (funniest/slowest speaking child ever), Angel (the little one who always furrows her brow and snarls at you), Jackie (the cutest little one, but always just wants to play and cause havoc), Marcus (the naughty one I mentioned in another entry) etc. Even though these kids are only four or five, they are loaded with a variety of different personalities and a surprising amount of attitude.

As we began watching, I noticed one of the sassiest of the sassies, Ms. Sami, just shaking her booty, making kissy faces to the crowd, etc. Her excitement and enthusiasm alone could have won the competition for her group, she is just the cutest thing. Then, I turned focus to Jackie and Angel, who were standing next to each other, first mistake. I caught Jackie sneaking over to Angel and smacking her head with his workout rings, him chuckling and then running back to his spot, Angel furrowed her brow, and began crying. Even funnier note, I caught it all on video. It was so sad, but also incredibly funny. There's something about little kids beating up on each other that is so funny sometimes, I don't know what it is though. Anyways, Jackie then got the evil eye from one of his Chinese teachers, and all was back in order and moving smoothly.

Another one of my favorite moments is when the song, "If you're happy and you know it" came on. I decided to film Jelemy and Marcus who were standing next to each other, mistake number two. When it said, "clap your hands", Marcus ever so naturally clapped his hands, but with Jelemy's face in between. Jelemy didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on, but Marcus continued until the Chinese teachers came over and set him straight. Then, when the song said "If you're happy and you know it, shout hooray", all of the kids jumped high into the air on "hooray". However, poor little Jelemy was about three or four counts off, every time, and just couldn't quite make it to be in sync with the other kids. I have this on video as well, and I've watched it about thirty times already; it still gets me every time. These kids are so goofy, and so sweet; their funny little quirks can always put a smile on my face.

The little kindy class did great and provided quite the entertainment, but the older of the two (the ones that are in my home group) definitely had better coordination and weren't afraid to bust a move. A few days ago in class, all the kids randomly began dancing to Gangham Style, and we weren't really sure where it came from. It was perfectly coordinated, though, and all of the kids were on the same page with the dance moves. I then put together that this belonged in their warm up routine every morning, but we seemed to miss seeing it most days.

I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to see this dance front row today, and catch my little one's on video. One of the sweetest moments, actually, was when little Dolphin's mom was practicing with him before the competition and she too busted out doing the Gangham style. It was that moment when I realized why Dolphin had such a big heart.

The music started and all of the kids put on their straightest faces. I forgot how seriously the Chinese take their performances and how important they are to them. I absolutely love that aspect of their culture, though. We have seen some good shows and I hope for more to come in the future.

As the kids danced to the song, you could hear their little voices singing the chorus and it went, "Heyyyyyy Sessssssy Lady!" X's are really hard for them, so sesy is the new sexy. I was dying. I honestly was so happy and giddy about their little dances, I felt as if I was one (or all) of their parents watching their little performance. I remember my parents coming to watch my school plays, my many soccer games, my talent shows, etc. I feel as if this could be a similar feeling as my parents got when they came to watch me. I love these kids so much, and having the opportunity to spend so much time with them and teach them is such an honor. I have been so lucky to have had this opportunity come into my life. I have already learned so much about myself, my life, the culture here, etc. that I couldn't have otherwise. I love it here, so much and I can't wait for the next adventure.

Pictures:
1: Sami, the first one you see. You can feel her sass even through this picture.
2: Joe, Coco, and Melanie, warming up and hiding from the camera
3: Last move of Gangham Style for the older kids, such poise
4: Shout, "Hooray"
5. My sweet, cuddly, little Jason (He is so smart, it's ridiculous)

Day 21: Productivity

I woke up this morning with little to no voice, so teaching fifty little rug rats was next to impossible. Our native coordinator Marine had me rest today, and by rest, I mean patrol the classes and just help her in making sure nothing got out of hand. I mean, classes with the regular 8 are crazy enough, but now combining my class with the others, making to 14 per class, made it quite a day.

Marine also gave me some Chinese meds that about saved my life. No, I don't know what they were, yes, I took six of them, and yes, my voice is just about back to normal and i am feeling twenty times better. I felt as though I should ask what I was ingesting into my body, but i just swallowed the little yellow tablets when I was told to, and went on my merry way. I feel great, I only have a light sniffle, and didn't grow a third arm or anything, so life is good!

We began planning our first vacation today, which starts next Wednesday afternoon and goes through the next Sunday. We are going to Zhangjiajie, China, where there is a national park with beautiful mountains, nicknamed the "Avatar Mountains". They were, in fact, nicknamed this after the movie Avatar, because the film makers designed those cool floating mountains after the real ones in China, who knew right? There's your fun fact for the day.

The mountains are massive and so beautiful looking in pictures, I just can't wait to see them with my own eyes. There is also the world's tallest elevator there, gondola rides touring the park, waterfalls, tons of hikes, the world's most dangerous hiking path (we found out on YouTube, yikes) etc. That being said, we are in for a real treat. I will touch more on it all when the actual vacation comes around.

Day 20: Painting

Today was a good day, as always. It started pretty typically: teaching my classes, wrestling children, having lunch in the cafeteria, etc. and then it was switched it up from the norm. Our school provided us with another class to take, which happened to be painting!

We rode a few buses to get to this class, it was held at the Bond kindergarten, where the Shiqi group teaches. We learned quite a bit in this class. One, that Chinese people typically paint with pure ink, not paint, just ink. We diluted different amounts of ink to make different shades, and I really liked the style; they paint so perfectly, with such distinct lines and markings.

Two, our group cannot write Chinese characters to save our lives. The teacher had to write the titles of the paintings in Chinese characters step by step, adding one line at a time, for us to get anywhere near what she wrote. Even with the step-by-step instructions, our writing still resembled that of a kindergartener, I'm sure.

Lastly, ink stains. I spilled some of the pure ink on my little tennis shoes I teach in. I decided maybe they would look cooler if I splattered them with more ink, but it just diluted out and made a mess of my shoe. Thus, I am now on a hunt for a new pair of size 9 shoes in China, where the average size is a 5. It should be an adventure!

Overall, painting was great and super relaxing. We painted two paintings, a bundle of flowers and a panda. We have painting every week on Wednesdays, so I am really looking forward to what will come next.

Other than that, it was a pretty average day, minus the fact that I'm getting sicker. My voice is really raspy, I have a clogged nose hole, my smoker's cough is still loud and proud, and I'm just over exhausted. I spent most of my evening in my bed, taking a nap. Hopefully this clears quickly, Amanda wants me to go to the Chinese doctor, which could be an experience in itself. Cross your fingers!

Pictures:
1: Gym time anyone?
2: From left to right (top) Candy, Coco, Subie, Dora, and Dolphin (up close and personal) little Collin babe
3: I am obsessed with Coco, I just want to squeeze her everyday.
4: Chinese translations, yikes. Such a cute little number haha