I can't believe how quickly time has flown this past month! So much has happened in the past few weeks and we're down to the last week of classes on Monday. The next couple weeks will definitely be bittersweet-- a combination of tearful goodbyes and reunion with family and friends that I can't wait to see. As I begin packing up some of my things this past week of June, its strange to me that I won't see it until September upon arriving at my new school. Above the crazyness of finals and packing and making plans for the summer, I've tried to live my time here to the fullest. Here's a glimpse of everything that's gone on this past month...
MAY HOLIDAY!
~May 1-7, 2007~
~May 1-7, 2007~
May holiday is a national holiday similar to Labor Day in the states. We all got about a week off, so me and 5 teammates decided to take a short trip to a seaside town about 15 hours east of Beijing called Dalian. Our first task was to brave the crazy sardine-style crowds in the train station... personal space... what? I was actually quite amused myself!
Since the train tickets for the direct route to Dalian were sold out, me and 3 others opted for the train/bus/boat option to make our way east, while 2 other teammates flew over and met us there. I can definitely say that our group got the more exciting and memorable end of it! With the help of a co-teachers friend, we were able to book overnight boat tickets in the biggest (and only) ship I've ever seen or been in! 
It was comparable to the titanic and probably held at least 600 people! The picture above fits only half of the boat into it! It was definitely an adventure and probably one of my most favorite parts of the whole trip simply because of the uniqueness of it and the fact that I love the ocean.
It was comparable to the titanic and probably held at least 600 people! The picture above fits only half of the boat into it! It was definitely an adventure and probably one of my most favorite parts of the whole trip simply because of the uniqueness of it and the fact that I love the ocean. We got to see the sun set over the harbor, which was a special sight because usually the tall buildings and smog block our view at school.
We spent most of the night sitting outside on the deck watching the land get further and further away until we finally froze and decided to go down... and further down... and down yet another couple stories and flights of stairs until we arrived in our designated sleeping areas- not for the weak at heart...
There were probably about 50 other people bunked in our room alone- people of all ages, mostly families with younger kids. Take a good, hard look at the wooden mattresses and beanbag pillows. 
This is me checking out my watch at 3:30 in the morning... hey, if you can't sleep due to lights shining above you and old men snoring away, you might as well document your surroundings, right?We all actually got up around 4:30 in the morning because we originally thought the boat would arrive around 5:30am. Although we didn't
get to Dalian until 8:30am, it was still really cool to see the sun rise over the ocean with nothing visible but the blueness of the neverending sea from every angle.
Once we arrived in Dalian, we explored the town and visited some Chinese parks by the ocean. Believe it or not, the beach in this town is covered with small pebbles instead of sand and the area is filled with small carnival rides and games. We also took a hike through the park where tons of kites were flying through the air.
This crazy castle is actually a hotel and the strange chunk of cement that slants up on the left is just a unique cement statue that tons of people like to climb on to get a good view of the ocean.
Here is my team at the edge of the park right beside the ocean. (Luke, Claudia, Liz, Ben, and me and Megan in front.)My favorite thing we did in Dalian was a hike up a small mountain one morning. We had a really good view of the entire town from the top.
We finished off our trip with a 15 hour daytime train ride all the way back to Beijing! As you can probably conclude, this picture was taken about 13 or 14 hours into the trip! (Hence the table overflowing with empty water bottles and our half-alert expressions!) :)Overall, it was fun to visit a new city and spend some time traveling one last time with my teammates.
Children's Day
~June 1, 2007~
Another recently celebrated holiday was Children's Day at the beginning of this past month. Traditionally, on this holiday parents may take their kids out for a special meal or buy them gifts. One of my students got to go to an amusement park that day. But prior to the celebration, there is a half-day segment of all-out extravagant performances in dance, singing, and musical instruments. Many parents and high-up school officials crowded around to watch their kids show off their skills after hours upon hours of hard work and practicing. The kids at our school definitely demonstrated their skill, and I wondered several times myself whether this holiday should actually be called "Parents Day..."
All of us foreign English teachers, along with some of the international students also had our turn to perform. We sang a song in Chinese called 大中国 (Da Zhong Guo), which means "Great China."
At the end of the day, the kids brought out giant banners and had all the teachers and parents sign their name on it. It was definitely an interesting day, and a fun switch up in morning teaching schedules.
Teaching made fun
We have a lot of freedom in teaching here to make lesson plans and games about as creative as we want... so several of us have enjoyed taking advantage of this opportunity...
My favorite so far this year was the day Ben decided to bring a full-sized mannequin to class for a lesson on clothes shopping! After learning 
the phrase, "Can I borrow your mannequin?" in Chinese from our Chinese co-teachers, he then proceeded to ask 6 different clothes stores to no avail. In China, most people are afraid to think outside the box... meaning, if it's never been done before, then it is not possible. However, as a reward for his persistence and determination, he finally came upon an agreement and lugged home our new friend, "Mr. Silver" on a taxi. :) Our team had WAY too much fun with him the night before classes!
the phrase, "Can I borrow your mannequin?" in Chinese from our Chinese co-teachers, he then proceeded to ask 6 different clothes stores to no avail. In China, most people are afraid to think outside the box... meaning, if it's never been done before, then it is not possible. However, as a reward for his persistence and determination, he finally came upon an agreement and lugged home our new friend, "Mr. Silver" on a taxi. :) Our team had WAY too much fun with him the night before classes!
I have also enjoyed a chance to do a few fun games in class to practice simple English phrases for my 3rd graders. A few weeks ago, my kids were learning prepositions and the phrase, "Where 
was it?" So I decided to spice it up a bit and play a competitive hide and seek game. Two students from a team came up at once and while one was blindfolded, the other student hid our class mascot "Mr. Lion." The blindfolded student then asked the rest of his team, "Where is Mr. Lion?" and they could then answer "He is under the box," etc.
was it?" So I decided to spice it up a bit and play a competitive hide and seek game. Two students from a team came up at once and while one was blindfolded, the other student hid our class mascot "Mr. Lion." The blindfolded student then asked the rest of his team, "Where is Mr. Lion?" and they could then answer "He is under the box," etc.
Dinner Parties
We've also enjoyed continuing our Friday night dinners for the Chinese teachers on the weekends. This last meal was my favorite so far with grilled pork on Bob's new BBQ, mashed 
potatoes, vegetable and fruit salads, and banana bread. Its amazing that its actually possible to put together an American meal with the limited access we have to western items. The Chinese teachers always enjoy a chance to try new foods.
potatoes, vegetable and fruit salads, and banana bread. Its amazing that its actually possible to put together an American meal with the limited access we have to western items. The Chinese teachers always enjoy a chance to try new foods.
Julia, me, and Grace pose for a potentially nice picture at our dinner party... hmm
Here I am below with Karen and Lily that same night.
Claudia and I also had fun making our team-favorite peanut butter balls for Karen's birthday. We came up with the idea of dipping them in chocolate to make them extra fancy. Mmm, in case you didn't notice, we had to sample the chocolate to make sure it was still good! ;)
English Office Photo Scavenger Hunt!!
~June 16, 2007~
One of the funnest things we've done as a team with our fellow teachers is the photo scavenger hunt we had this past Saturday. It was kind of our last final big activity to do with our Chinese co-teachers before we leave. There were about 16 people all together, so we divided into teams of 4. I had Amy, Gloria, and Claudia on my team. We came back with some fun memories and a ton of very unique and interesting photos. Here's a few of my favorites...
"Mannequin shot!"
"Favorite mode of transportation"--- a miniature shopping cart at our local grocery store, which, by the way, is the typical size of a Chinese shopping cart-- just enough to hold a small red basket!! "A tight space"
And our 3-in-1 photo: mannequin, reflection, and store front shot!
Lastly, this is a picture of my friend who is a seamstress in the village with one of her daughters that is about my age. She has sewn up several of my shirts for me and fixed the hem on my pants. I just happened to find her tiny little one-room shop one day when I was walking through the village and have come back to her ever since. She doesn't speak any English, so its been exciting for me to have the opportunity to
practice a bit of my Chinese with her. She is extremely sweet and friendly and I've sat and talked with her a couple times when I come to drop off clothes. I love that the people in the village here have no time frames or immediate obligations. They can just sit and talk for hours and every night all the older ladies in the village gather together to practice their movements to traditional Chinese music while the kids play outside and the men are working on hand-laying bricks to build new shops. When they took this picture with me, they had me take my hair out of the ponytail so my long, blonde colored hair would show more! ;)Well, this is probably going to be my last post before I am home for the summer! It's hard to believe how quickly this year has gone! I'm down to the last week of classes, giving out and grading
finals (see picture below!), packing up, saying goodbyes, and finalizing plans for when I'm home. Thanks to everyone who kept in touch these past 10 months! I hope I can see you when I'm back in the states!
