You know you're in China when...

Well, here I am. In china at last!! I'm sorry that it has been so long since I have written a blog update. It has been insanely CRAZY to say the least. Crazy AWESOME! Ok, well, that might not always be the case...as I am going through lots of adjustments, etc. But it has been pretty awesome. Here is a miniature summary of what I have been up to while in China (please excuse the lack of pictures...I will get to that eventually):

It took us quite some time to get to Qinhuangdao China. It was a delightful(?) journey indeed. We started out with an hour drive to the Dulles Airport in D.C. We then boarded a 14 hour flight to Beijing, followed by a 4 hour bus ride to Qinhuangdao. I was pleased once we finally arrived!! It was fun to see parts of China during our bus ride, but I was also so tired and slightly delirious...so it was hard to experience the full value of the journey.

 Kelley and I stayed at a hotel near our school the first night that we were in Qinhuangdao. We were moving into Brett's old apartment, so he needed time to move out, etc. The following day, we helped Brett move his things out, and we started to settle in! The apartment is pretty nice. It needed some heavy-duty cleaning, but I think it will be a lovely place to live once we fully settle in. I will add pictures once we have everything in order! We have a kitchen, one bathroom (a small room with toilet, sink and shower head in one open space...yay for wet floors!), two bedrooms, and a nice living room. My room is quite lovely and has a view of the university's track field. This allows me to watch students walk around in circles. This helps to entertain me during the slower times of the day (don't worry, I am only a little bit creepy.) Our apartment is located right next to campus, so we are able to walk to class and see our students very easily!

On Saturday, my fellow teachers (Brett, Kevin and Kelley) and I found out what our teaching schedules will be for the following semester. I will be teaching Oral English. Basically, I will be helping the students develop their conversational skills, while also teaching them about the American culture. I am also hoping to stir up some meaningful and thought-provoking conversations with my students! I will be teaching 8 classes of freshmen each week. Since all of my students are freshmen, I won't actually start teaching for another 4 weeks! Freshmen have military training for the first 4 weeks of class (only in China...) so I will have some more time to prepare before I start in on the fun. During this mini vacation, I plan to learn some Chinese, visit with students, wander the streets of Qinhuangdao, adjust to my new home, and prepare for my new job!! I am hoping to continue to stay busy. So far, I am finding that this will NOT be a problem. There are so many things to do and see here.

Now you know a little about my daily life in China. But, I'm sure you're curious about the fun little quirks of China that tend to make every little task a bit more interesting... Instead of typing everything out, I will just write down some highlights about life in China. Enjoy!

You know you're in China when:

1. You feel like an exhibit at the art museum...or zoo.
2. It takes a week to learn how to tell the taxi driver your destination. And then you still end up 10       minutes from your desired location.
3. Every meal is fried and greasy. Well, I guess that isn't much different from my normal diet...
4. You are the one that people speak loudly and slowly to. Turns out it doesn't help to repeat things over and over at a louder decibel and slower speed...it's still Chinese.
5. People are very hospitable and kind to their friends (and often us foreigners.)
6. You find a stuffed Pomeranian at the market. And I don't mean a cute stuffed animal you can find at Toy's R Us.
7. People are blow drying a puppy on the side of the road.
8. Lines at the grocery store are non-existent. And if you aren't tapping the person in front of you with your cart, you are moving TOO slow!
9. Two wooden twigs are considered utensils.
10. Things change constantly!
11. Things can tend to move even slower than me...it's a rare thing to see.
12. Running red lights is considered normal, and absolutely necessary.
13. Frogger is very popular game! Only, you play it every day while crossing the street. Slightly more terrifying, but much more rewarding.
14. Medical examinations often include suction cups, sketchy x-rays, an ultrasound, and blood sample.
15. Small children wear split pants. And this is no accident. How else would you be able to go to the bathroom on the side of the street? Common sense folks.
16. Everything feels unfamiliar, and yet it just feels right. :)

My list could go on forever, but I will just have to wait until another time. Overall, China has been a crazy experience. So many changes. It is hard to describe it in a simple blog post. Over time, I hope to record all of my fun experiences, pictures, my fun travels, and my heart during this adventure of my life. I know that this year will be hard, unfamiliar, exciting, fun, and a time for growth and learning. I can't wait to see how it will all unfold!!

Training for a Life of Spontaneity

Before heading to China, I made a pit stop in Baltimore Maryland for training. When I got to Baltimore, I was able to finally meet Dane and Jo. They are the two from ELT Edge that hired me, and they are in charge of training and helping us out while we are in China. It was awesome to be able to finally talk to them in person and really get to know them. They are a great couple and have already been such a support for all of us teachers. Throughout training, we stayed at a lovely house that belonged to one of the ELT Edge board members. It was a beautiful area, and a great place to feel at home while we learned all about China. Training week was very helpful! We spent time learning about the Chinese culture, our goals and vision for the year, and lots of team building! We were even able to do a high ropes course one day. It was quite enjoyable. I pretended to be super adventurous about it, but I was definitely a bit nervous. Haha.

I also finally got to meet my new team for the year! There are seven teachers overall. We are split up between 3 different Universities. I will be teaching at the Northeast University (aka Dongda) along with Brett, Kelley and Kevin. Alex and Katie will be teaching together at the Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology (aka Sci-tech.) And finally, Danny will be teaching at the Hebei Vocational College of Foreign Languages (aka Nandaihe.) All of the universities are within 45 minutes of each other, so we will all see each other every Sunday at least. We will also have a girls night each week. Yay!

I was so excited to meet our team. I was curious to see how we would get along and work together. Turns out, we have an awesome dynamic! I have loved getting to know everyone so far. We have all been able to laugh together about ridiculous things, but we are also able to open up and talk about deep stuff. I have a feeling it will a great year with these folks!! Here is a picture of the team, so that you can get an idea of all the crazy kids that I will be living life with:

Picture Caption (Starting from left to right): Alex Ianno - kind, outgoing, hilarious, honest and beautiful heart, Nikki Stoll - curly hair, slightly awkward, enjoys long walks on the beach, Danny Beall - smart, also hilarious, great story teller, Kevin DeKreek - curly hair, California surfer (obvi) witty, Brett Hine - quite intelligent, team leader, funny, Katie Worthen - bubbly, lovable, honest, quirky in the best way possible, Kelley Wolbert - sweet, kind, warm and open heart, future roommate!

Going into the week of training, I was definitely nervous for the year ahead. After training, I was even more nervous...haha. But it really helped me to envision and prepare for the real China that I would be stepping into. I was excited to get to China and start living this adventurous and exciting lifestyle that I heard all about!!

I'll be there in a Jif!

 

You may ask yourself: "Why is there a picture of peanut butter on a blog about China?" Well, I will tell you:

1. I love peanut butter. I once asked for a jar of peanut butter for my birthday. It was such a delightful gift. I enjoyed every little morsel of my precious peanut butter. (I later realized that my parents got off easy for gifts that year...)

2. One of the first questions that I asked when I found out I would be teaching in China for a year was: "Can I buy peanut butter there?" This is a true and valid concern.

3. I love a good pun.

Anywho, back to blogging business. It is official: I will be leaving Colorado on Thursday! I am heading to Baltimore, MD for a week of training. While at training, I will finally be able to meet my fellow teachers! I am excited to meet them and learn a thing or two about what I'm getting myself into.

We will leave for China on August 23rd. Yay!! We will be flying into Beijing, and then traveling four hours east to the city of Qinhuangdao. This will be my new home for the next 10 months! I am so excited, and also a tad bit nervous. I will be teaching at the Northeastern University. I am hoping to connect with the students here, and fully embrace the new culture! I will try to update y'all with my new adventures. (Whether you like it or not.)

And don't you worry, I will post the minute that I find me some good ole peanut butter. In the meantime, I have an emergency supply in my suitcase.