So I just worked my first Saturday here in China. Let me just say I am not a fan! In the United States when you have a holiday (days off of work) you don't have to make those days up on the weekends, I am pretty sure that defeats the purpose of a holiday. Well in China you do. I don't know the logic/reasoning behind this but during some holidays you have to work on the weekend to make up for the days you had off during the week. Yeah. It truly makes no sense!
Anyways... It's back to the grind with work. I am really loving my job. I love the kids in my classes and the people I work with. Everyone is so nice and helpful. Also the kids are well behaved compared to the last school I was at and compared to some of the schools in the States. LOL. I am glad I have an education background, but sometimes the things I want to do with my kids (who are kindergarten level) are too difficult because explain the directions is complicated. Also there days that I want to do something creative for arts and crafts but I can't find the stuff I need because everything is in Chinese (I know I'm in China what should I expect right?). Also the quality of the things here is not as good as in the States. Which is weird because usually everything is made in China. Guess the only export the good stuff and keep the poor quality stuff for themselves.
I am really struggling with the science class. I want to do some fun experiments but explaining what is happening is difficult so really we would just be doing an experiment. I enjoy doing experiments but I come across the same problem, I don't know where to find the things I need. I can ask people at school but it is usually last minute and I don't have time to go to the store or wherever I need to go to get the things I need. This is really just me venting :). I usually get through the week and I look back and I learn what went well and what I would like to change for the next time. So it is all a learning experience.
In my cooking class this week I made the classic American snack, Ants on a Log. If you don't know what that is it is a piece of celery with peanut butter and raisins. The celery is the log, the peanut butter is also the log (must have something for the raisins to stick to), and the raisins are the ants. I remember eating this snack a lot as a child. I would usually lick the peanut butter off and then eat the celery plain. So I decided to try this snack here in China. It was actually pretty funny. First one of the Chinese teachers asked me if you could eat celery without cooking it. She said they don't eat it raw it is always cooked. Then one of the kids in one of my classes saw me putting peanut butter on the celery and she said "that is no yummy". I just laughed and said "you haven't tried it yet". But in my head I knew she wasn't going to like it. So I put peanut butter on all the celery and let the kids add the raisins. Once they added the raisins I told them they could eat it. Many of the kids examined the celery and then closed their eyes to try it. I tried my hardest to hold in my laughter. Let's just say the Chinese kids were not a fan of this classic American snack (I say classic because seriously every time I looked up American snacks the first one on the list is Ants on a Log). So it is funny to see the difference between cultures. The Chinese are very used to eating a lot of vegetables, but they are usually cooked into their dishes. And then there are Americans who don't always eat a lot of vegetables (and those that say they eat a lot of vegetables, I am almost certain you don't eat as many as the Chinese!), but we eat raw and cooked veggies. So the iconic Ants on a Log snack goes over well in America, but is not a hit in China (or at least at my school).
On Tuesday I start my TEFL course at the Foreign Expert Hotel in Beijing. I have to leave my apartment by 7:30 in the morning to get on the subway to get to the closest subway station to the hotel and then take a cab to the hotel. I think I am dreading the class because I am dreading the commute. I am hoping it is better than I am imagining. Everyone is saying that this class will help me get the work visa, but I still don't know what I want. There is part of me that still would like to go home in December, but there is another part of me that wants to stay here. I really just want to go where God wants me. I know he has great plans for me and if that means staying in China I will gladly do it, but if it means going home then I will go home.
The thought of going home has had me thinking about what I would do back in the States. Would returning to the classroom be a possibility after teaching here? Do I look for jobs in other countries? Do I look into doing something other than teaching? I never thought I would say that but I am learning things about myself here that I didn't think about when I was home. I grew up always wanting to be a teacher but I don't think it was the teaching aspect that I was drawn to. I love working with kids and seeing them learn and grow. I think growing up I thought the best way to work with kids and see them learn is to teach, but what if that isn't the only way? Just thoughts that I keep thinking about. But they are just my thoughts. God has a plan for me that is bigger than I can imagine and as much as I want to know his plan I am glad I just have to follow and trust him. So I don't know what I am going to be doing in December, but I know that God's plans are better than my own!
**Some random comments**
*The pollution here is awful! LOL. The Air Quality was in the 400s this week which is hazardous and yes I walked to school in it without a mask.
*I am still singing on the worship team at church and I love it! I never thought I would sing on stage in front of people. I truly was content singing into my shower head, but God's plans are better than my own! Glad that it's to worship God because the focus is on him! :)
*I work with some really awesome people and they are one of the reasons I don't mind staying in China. I feel like I live at the other apartment with the girls and just sleep at my apartment. LOL.
*I went to a local market and bought some personal art supplies, like sketch pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils. So I am excited to start doing some drawing and writing :). and....
*I miss everyone back home! :)
With love,
Anyways... It's back to the grind with work. I am really loving my job. I love the kids in my classes and the people I work with. Everyone is so nice and helpful. Also the kids are well behaved compared to the last school I was at and compared to some of the schools in the States. LOL. I am glad I have an education background, but sometimes the things I want to do with my kids (who are kindergarten level) are too difficult because explain the directions is complicated. Also there days that I want to do something creative for arts and crafts but I can't find the stuff I need because everything is in Chinese (I know I'm in China what should I expect right?). Also the quality of the things here is not as good as in the States. Which is weird because usually everything is made in China. Guess the only export the good stuff and keep the poor quality stuff for themselves.
I am really struggling with the science class. I want to do some fun experiments but explaining what is happening is difficult so really we would just be doing an experiment. I enjoy doing experiments but I come across the same problem, I don't know where to find the things I need. I can ask people at school but it is usually last minute and I don't have time to go to the store or wherever I need to go to get the things I need. This is really just me venting :). I usually get through the week and I look back and I learn what went well and what I would like to change for the next time. So it is all a learning experience.
In my cooking class this week I made the classic American snack, Ants on a Log. If you don't know what that is it is a piece of celery with peanut butter and raisins. The celery is the log, the peanut butter is also the log (must have something for the raisins to stick to), and the raisins are the ants. I remember eating this snack a lot as a child. I would usually lick the peanut butter off and then eat the celery plain. So I decided to try this snack here in China. It was actually pretty funny. First one of the Chinese teachers asked me if you could eat celery without cooking it. She said they don't eat it raw it is always cooked. Then one of the kids in one of my classes saw me putting peanut butter on the celery and she said "that is no yummy". I just laughed and said "you haven't tried it yet". But in my head I knew she wasn't going to like it. So I put peanut butter on all the celery and let the kids add the raisins. Once they added the raisins I told them they could eat it. Many of the kids examined the celery and then closed their eyes to try it. I tried my hardest to hold in my laughter. Let's just say the Chinese kids were not a fan of this classic American snack (I say classic because seriously every time I looked up American snacks the first one on the list is Ants on a Log). So it is funny to see the difference between cultures. The Chinese are very used to eating a lot of vegetables, but they are usually cooked into their dishes. And then there are Americans who don't always eat a lot of vegetables (and those that say they eat a lot of vegetables, I am almost certain you don't eat as many as the Chinese!), but we eat raw and cooked veggies. So the iconic Ants on a Log snack goes over well in America, but is not a hit in China (or at least at my school).
On Tuesday I start my TEFL course at the Foreign Expert Hotel in Beijing. I have to leave my apartment by 7:30 in the morning to get on the subway to get to the closest subway station to the hotel and then take a cab to the hotel. I think I am dreading the class because I am dreading the commute. I am hoping it is better than I am imagining. Everyone is saying that this class will help me get the work visa, but I still don't know what I want. There is part of me that still would like to go home in December, but there is another part of me that wants to stay here. I really just want to go where God wants me. I know he has great plans for me and if that means staying in China I will gladly do it, but if it means going home then I will go home.
The thought of going home has had me thinking about what I would do back in the States. Would returning to the classroom be a possibility after teaching here? Do I look for jobs in other countries? Do I look into doing something other than teaching? I never thought I would say that but I am learning things about myself here that I didn't think about when I was home. I grew up always wanting to be a teacher but I don't think it was the teaching aspect that I was drawn to. I love working with kids and seeing them learn and grow. I think growing up I thought the best way to work with kids and see them learn is to teach, but what if that isn't the only way? Just thoughts that I keep thinking about. But they are just my thoughts. God has a plan for me that is bigger than I can imagine and as much as I want to know his plan I am glad I just have to follow and trust him. So I don't know what I am going to be doing in December, but I know that God's plans are better than my own!
**Some random comments**
*The pollution here is awful! LOL. The Air Quality was in the 400s this week which is hazardous and yes I walked to school in it without a mask.
*I am still singing on the worship team at church and I love it! I never thought I would sing on stage in front of people. I truly was content singing into my shower head, but God's plans are better than my own! Glad that it's to worship God because the focus is on him! :)
*I work with some really awesome people and they are one of the reasons I don't mind staying in China. I feel like I live at the other apartment with the girls and just sleep at my apartment. LOL.
*I went to a local market and bought some personal art supplies, like sketch pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils. So I am excited to start doing some drawing and writing :). and....
*I miss everyone back home! :)
With love,