Well it's been over two weeks since I have given an update about my journey here in China. I have had people asking me how I am doing and what is going on with me here. I kind of feel bad that I have left so many people hanging. Well here it goes....
Two Mondays ago was a supposedly a normal start to a week. I left my apartment at 8am to catch the bus to SmartKids to teach. The day went well, the kids listened and really seemed to have fun. This was also the day My recruiter was going to talk to the school about my contract and pick up my salary for the past month.
Well the day ends and I head home. I was pretty happy with the day, the boss actually acknowledged my presence and talk to me and the day went really well with the kids in my class. Well at 5pm my recruiter calls me and says that he needs to meet up with me to talk about some things and it needed to be today. So I rearranged some of the plans I had made so that I could meet up with him.
My home tutoring family picked me up at 5:30 to take me to the Carrefour market to meet up with him. We sit down at a table in the Burger King. He hands me my salary for the last month! I wasn't expecting to get paid so that was a nice surprise! And then he hits me with the news! So he talked with the boss man at SmartKids today and the guy said he didn't want me to be a lead teacher at his school anymore. He said I wasn't entertaining enough and I didn't build enough relationship with the kids. (Bullshit!) My recruiter was confused because he had been talking to other teachers the past 4 weeks and they had all said I was doing a good job. But anyways the boss man didn't want me as a lead teacher, so now I am sitting in Burger King with my first paycheck and also my last one from SmartKids. I didn't know what to do. I had never lost a job over something that wasn't true. The kids loved me and they were always having fun during my class. But anyways, I was now jobless in this foreign country and city without any of my friends or family around. Also I still had to go do home teaching without breaking into tears.
So all night at home tutoring I just tried to forget about the conversation I had just had my recruiter where my dreams of China began to get crushed. Once home teaching was over and they drove me home the water works begin. I just had to be in the comfort of my own bed so that I could cry. My roommate kept saying that the school wasn't worth my tears but I wasn't crying because I lost the job. I truly hated that job. I was crying because I was let go from the job for no reason. I felt like I had failed and I was 7000 miles away from my friends and family. It was also too early in the morning to get ahold of someone back home to talk to. All I really wanted to do at that point was get on a plane and go home. I know God has called me to be in China, but losing my job for no reason was a big obstacle I didn't think I could get over. I stayed up all night talking to some of my friends and trying to comprehend that it wasn't my fault, maybe I wasn't supposed to be at that school. And I was miserable at the job so it was kind of a blessing. I just held tight to what Jesus told me, I am supposed to be here in China and He has amazing plans for me here.
The rest of the week I spent hanging out at the house waiting for my recruiter to tell me about interviews. I spent Tuesday wallowing around the apartment. I just didn't feel like going out. Then on Wednesday I got a call saying I had an interview Thursday morning at 10am at a Chinese Kindergarten down the street from my apartment. The interview was actually a demo class so I had to prepare a 15 minute lesson to do at the school. Oh yay! Teaching a random class of Chinese kids a quick English lesson, it's harder than it sounds. So I came up with something simple that I thought the kids would enjoy and it would be easy for me. So Thursday morning I met my recruiter and we went to the school for the interview/demo. I was super nervous because I have never done this before (although that seems to be the theme of my time in China, doing things I've never done). The demo went well, I was super nervous but the kids seemed to enjoy it. The school said I would know the next day if I got the job.
The next morning (Friday) my recruiter called me to tell me I didn't get the job at the Chinese kindergarten but I had another interview/demo at a Montessori school at 2pm. I wasn't really upset about the job at the Chinese kindergarten because after the interview I wasn't really impressed and I didn't think I would enjoy working there. So the interview was at a school that was a little far away. So I met my recruiter's wife to go to the interview. We got lost and couldn't find the school. So we had to wait til 3 for someone to come find us. We had actually walked right past the school twice but didn't know it was the right school. For the interview I had to teach a short demo class, so I used the same one I did for the previous interview/demo but I shortened it. I might have shortened it a little too much or I rushed through it because I was so nervous. I'm just not too keen on interviews I always get choked up and nervous. :/ So after the demo, all the people interviewing had to go and talk to the assistant to the headmaster about the school and ask questions. I really liked the school. The only problems were that the school day was super long and they couldn't tell me which location I would work at. I don't really want to work too far from my apartment because it's hard to get around Beijing in the morning!
My recruiter said I might hear back from that school the next Monday or Tuesday and until I heard back I could teach at this other kindergarten in Wangjing. He said it was super easy and super laid back. Also he negotiated a higher salary for me and said that they were desperate for teacher so there would be no way for me to get fired from this job. So on Monday I was going to start working at this kindergarten and I could still interview and look into other schools and see if I could find one I liked better. So I stopped worrying about the job situation because I had a job that I might love and if not I could continue looking for a new job.
On Saturday I went the my recruiter and his family to BeiHai park and walked around. It was so much fun to be out of the house and seeing some of the sights. I know a lot of the buildings in China are similar but it's so cool to see the different places that have been around for thousands of years. The oldest building in America could only be 200 years old. America is still young compared to the rest of the world. There is just so much history here in China!
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| In front of one of the building at BeiHai park. Love the ancient architecture. Why don't the Chinese do stuff like this anymore? |
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| In the middle of the park is a Lake and in the background there is a temple (that white dome in the middle of the picture to the left of my head). |
During this time we also talked about finding me a new apartment. I won't go into details but my roommate is kind of crazy and it just isn't working out. So my recruiter said he would start looking at apartments. We were all expecting my roommate to be leaving so that I could get a new roommate but it didn't seem that that was going to happen ( her leaving). So I decided that it was just time to move out. I wasn't going to tell her until I found a new place because I didn't want to make thing more awkward. Well on Sunday, shit hit the fan (sorry for the language). My roommate pushed me past my breaking point and I told her I was going to look at apartments because I couldn't live there anymore. I told her I wanted my money back. She said ok.
So I left to meet my recruiter and look at apartments. We went to 5 different ones and only saw 2 that were even worth trying to get. The first one was too expensive so we were trying to get them to come down a little on the price. But they wouldn't. So we found the last one. The apartment was nice and it had 2 bathrooms. And the landlord was willing to drop the price to one that I could afford and there was another teacher coming next Monday who could be my new roommate. The plan was for her to move into my current apartment because my roommate was supposed to be leaving, but that didn't happen. But the apartment was nice and the landlord spoke some English and it just seemed right. I really believe God provided the right apartment because it's unheard of to find an apartment on the first day you go looking. So we said we would rent the apartment and I would be back tomorrow evening to sign the contract.
So on Monday I took a taxi to the new school. I arrived early with some papers I wanted to print out to do with my class. I got there and met with the headmaster. She told me a little about the school and the class I would be teaching. She showed me that the school had tons of worksheets I could do with the students. I found some worksheets I could do with the kids. So the morning went pretty well. The students didn't really want to listen but they would do the worksheets and sing the songs that I had planned for them. After lunch they had play time. After play time I was supposed I take the kids back to my class and have constructive playtime with the them.
During the constructive playtime I had the kids form a circle and we played ring around the rosie so that I could get the kids to sit in a circle. The kids really enjoyed going around in a circle holding hands but as I said sit down one of the little boys lunged forward to sit down. I was holding him arm so he didn't face plant on the floor but he bit his lip and it busted. So on my first day I had a kid bust his lip. That's a great first impression. So we went and rinsed out his mouth and then I took him to one of the Chinese teachers (I didn't have a Chinese teacher in the class with me which seemed odd, because you are supposed to and it was my first day). Then I took the rest of the class back to do another lesson. The rest of the day went well. The headmaster asked me what happened to the little boy and I told them that he fell and bit his lip. I left around 4 and the manager said he would talk to My recruiter about my leaving time tomorrow and that they would see me tomorrow morning.
So now I was headed to the new apartment to sign the lease with the landlord. It's only a 15-20 minute walk from the school. I had to meet the housing agent at the bus stop because he had the contract. Once we got to the apartment I basically just sat at the table while the agent and landlord discussed the contract in Chinese. They would randomly look at me and the landlord would translate what the agent was saying if he was asking me a question. Once they had discussed the contract it was now time for me to sign the contract. The contract was all in Chinese so I was signing a document I couldn't read. So I prayed everything was correct and I would have my recruiter read it over just in case. Then the landlord showed me around the apartment again and told me how to work some of the appliances and the utilities. The utilities in China are usually prepaid so they have cards that you stick into meters in the house to add credit to your water, electricity, and gas. It's all very interesting and confusing. LOL.
After I finished the apartment stuff I headed back to my old apartment. I didn't get there til like 7 and I was super tired. So I went straight to my room and passed out on my bed. I woke up like an hour later and decided to work on some lesson plans for the next day. Since I knew the schedule and the kids I figured I could be better prepared for school. So I begin making plans trying to come up with activities that the kids would enjoy but were also educational :). I was getting excited about the next day. At 11pm my recruiter calls me. I answer the phone wondering what's up because it's late. He tells me he just got off the phone with the school. (Oh no this can't be good). He said that the little boy that busted his lip went home and told his parents that I pushed him. WHAT?!?!?!? I saved him from doing a face plant on the floor. Seriously. But the school didn't want me to come back until they worked out the problem. My recruiter said that he was trying to get the school and the parents to have a meeting with me so that I could explain what happened because the kid is only 4/5 years old.
So again I was jobless. Twice in one week. That's unheard of. I called my friends back home and I was crying and just wanted to come home. I had just paid the rent for the new apartment and now I was jobless and moving. Was this really what I was supposed to be doing here in China? I was ready to get on a plane and head home. I had grown enough right? Was my time in China done? I know my friends would welcome me back with open arms and be so glad I was back. But was that what God wanted me to do? As I started to pray and remember the past week I could see that this was an attack from the enemy. The first job, my roommate, the second job all had common themes - lying and manipulation. You can really see the devil does not want me here in China. Must mean God has some awesome plans for me here. I just needed to get over this hurdle.
So Tuesday I went out with my recruiter's wife because I couldn't stay inside all day because I would have definitely convinced myself to go home. So I went out with her and just talked about how I was feeling and she told me to stick it out. There are always jobs in China and that Koreans here are crazy (the past two jobs were Korean schools). The ways the schools operate is just weird and the parents band together to gang up and get what they want. So I felt a little better after hanging out with her and talking. Then I headed to church for the prayer meeting. It was so good to be surrounded by other believers and praying for the church and the people and the city. It was so good. One of the guys at the church had a word for us and for me. Trust God. He has a plan and although we don't always know the next step He is always there.
After the prayer meeting I talked to the pastor and told him I felt like God has been wanting me to come and talk to him. So we set up a meeting for the next day at 10am. I went home and my recruiter called me and said that he had set up an interview for me at 10am the next day. Seriously? I just set up a meeting to talk with the pastor at the same time. So I had to text the pastor and ask if we could reschedule the meeting because of the interview. He said no problem but I still thought it was weird that it was at the exact same time.
So Wednesday I went to the new schools, it was kind of far away. The boss picked me up from the subway and took me to his school. He showed me around and told me what I would be doing. I also met the other foreign teachers. It was a really nice school. The school provided housing (so I would have to move, but it's close to the school) and 3 meals a day Monday through Friday, but the salary is low compared to most schools. I would have to share an apartment with a guy from Ireland (I'm a little hesitant but it could be awesome). I liked the school, but I didn't have the feeling that I wanted to say yes right away. So I told the boss that I needed to talk with my recruiter and I would let him now my decision. So I headed back to the apartment and called my recruiter and he said I didn't have to make a decision right away and that he was talking to 3 international schools in Wangjing. So I continued to pray about the school and ask God if that was where I was supposed to be. As I told more people about the school the more and more I liked it but I still didn't feel right about accepting the position.
On Thursday I met up again with my recruiter's wife. I didn't want to be at home alone for the entire day. So we went out and just walked around and talked and she showed me the gym where I could take jujitsu classes (I think it would be fun!). Then that evening the pastor was going to a worship night at another church and I tagged along. I can't pass up a good worship night! And oh my goodness I'm glad I didn't! It was so awesome! I love being in the presence of The Lord. I just know he has me covered and it's all going to be ok! I love it! He is amazing!
That night I made plans to meet with the pastor on Friday (tomorrow) at 1pm. Well then my recruiter called to tell me that he had an interview for me tomorrow at 2pm. Seriously I just made plans again to talk to the pastor! I wasn't going to cancel again. Thankfully the school pushed back the meeting until 3:30. I was beginning to wonder why these interviews kept conflicting with my meeting with the pastor. Was the devil trying to get me not to meet with the pastor? I know I was supposed to meet with him! But it worked out and the timing was perfect so I could meet with the pastor and go to the school.
The meeting with the pastor went really well. He and his wife just confirmed everything my friends had been saying about me being in China. The agreed that God had a reason for me to be in China and that great things are coming. I felt very encouraged when I left and I am excited to see what relationship grows between me and them while I am here.
I went to the school and I fell in love. It's everything I wanted in a school. It's just like a school in America. It's an international school so I could possibly have it count towards my teaching license in KY (maybe I still have to check into that). There are tons of other foreign teachers and it sounds like they are really supportive and have a great work environment. I left the school hoping they would call and say I got the job! It would mean I could stay at the apartment I just rented and I wouldn't have to move to a new part of Beijing! I went home after the meeting praying that God would give me this job if I was supposed to have it and if I wasn't the school would call and say they weren't interested. I know that if I don't get this job then I would take the other job.
Once I got home I finished packing up all my stuff because I was moving to my new apartment after I finished home tutoring. I was super excited about moving because I couldn't stand to be in that apartment anymore. The mother of the boy I am tutoring came to pick me up and allowed me to fill her car up with all of my belongings because she was going to take me to the new place once I finished tutoring. I am so glad God provided me with this family because they are super sweet and very helpful!
Tutoring went great. I really love the boy I am tutoring and he really seems to like me. The mother took me to my new apartment. We got lost but thank goodness she has internet on her phone and I could navigate us to the new place. She helped me move all my bags in and then she left me in my new apartment. So I started looking in the rooms to make sure all was as I saw and thought it was going to be. I went into the first bedroom and notice something was missing. The mattress! So I go and check the other bedroom and it too is missing the mattress. Did the landlord really take the mattresses? He was moving to Sweden, don't they have mattresses there? So my first night in the new apartment and I slept on the couch. At least there was a couch, it would have sucked to sleep on the floor! I talked to my recruiter about the mattresses and he said that we would go to IKEA sometime to look at mattresses. The landlord kind of screwed us over with the mattresses. It's a great thing that IKEA is just around the corner from my new apartment.
On Saturday I met up with my aunt's friend from Mexico. It was really cool on Thursday I got ahold of my aunt who told me that her friend was in Beijing and he is moving his family to Beijing in September. What a small world! So on Saturday I met him for dinner in San Li Tun, a major expat place in Beijing. He took me to this Mexican restaurant and we talked about China and what we liked and didn't like. I am really glad we met and I hope I get to meet his family soon. It will be nice to have more people to talk to! Your family here is made up of all different kinds of people!
Sunday I went to church and sang on the worship team, despite my horribly bad cough that I am almost certain is caused by the pollution. I am really enjoying singing back up on the worship team. Then the message that the pastor preached was amazing and I felt like it was just for me! It was about God's plan for you and even though you don't know what the next step is follow The Lord because he makes divine appointments. So even though you don't understand it at the moment, it is all working toward his plan. I don't think I do it the justice of how good it was, but trust me it spoke to me and encouraged me! After church I went out to eat with some members of the worship team and the pastor. It was nice to be included. Then after lunch I went home to my new apartment and took a nap on the couch. Then the pastor called and invited me to his house for dinner with his family and two other girls from the church who are my age. So I went to his house and ate dinner with them and then we watched a movie. It truly was a great day!
On Monday I met up with my recruiter's wife and we walked to IKEA to look at mattresses. We got there and I swear whoever designed IKEA had an ulterior motive as a science experiment because that place is a maze! Are they trying to see if people can find their way out or if they get tired and just sleep on the furniture. Yes at IKEA in Beijing you will find people sitting on the sofas watching movies on the televisions or you will find people sleeping on the couches and mattresses. And IKEA is ok with this, it is common. There was even a news special about people sleeping on the furniture at IKEA! But anyways we walked around trying to find the mattresses and then once we did I remembered that I didn't measure the beds so I didn't know what size beds we needed. So we had to walk back to the apartment to measure the beds. Then walked back to IKEA to figure out which beds to get. The mattresses were kind of expensive so my recruiter looked online at the Chinese Amazon place and found some cheaper mattresses that would be delivered the next day. Perfect only one more day of sleeping on the couch.
Monday night my new roommate arrived from Canada! I felt bad that we didn't have any beds in the apartment but I tried to make the other couch more comfortable. :) She is super nice and she has experience teaching abroad. She has never been to China but she taught in Korea. So far we have gotten along great! I am really hoping I can stay at this apartment because I am really enjoying it living here with her. We are a great match because she has experience living abroad and I have some experience in China, but we are both new to China. Hoping this will be a great friendship.
As I was finishing this post my recruiter called and told me that the international school didn't want to hire me. I'm not going to lie I was kind of sad because I really liked the school. But I did ask God to close the door to that school if it wasn't where I was supposed to be. It is just hard because I really liked the school. My recruiter did say he was going to look into one more school here in Wangjing, before I pack my stuff up again and move. So we will see. I really need to stop getting my hopes up and just wait for God to tell me where to go. Maybe I am supposed to move to Huilonggong. I don't know.
Praying for guidance and direction :) thanks for sharing in this journey with me! And thanks for praying!!!