On the other side of the desk

Today, I became a teacher.

Part of me doesn't know what else to say because it has been such a whirlwind of a day and I have been through an emotional somersault. I started my first class (grade 2) at 9:10am. We then had to attend a school ceremony. I had to stand up on a platform (with the rest of the foreign teachers and administration) in front of over 2000 students and staff and give a speech. In English AND Chinese. Talk about nerve racking. I then had two more classes back to back (grade 4 and grade 1), a break for lunch, and then finished my day with one more grade 1 and grade 2 class. Five classes total.

And I drew the short stick in that the other three teachers had already received their teaching material books. I did not. I had to attempt to hold the attention of children who didn't understand what I was saying. First I talked to fast. Then too slow. I wasn't animated enough. Then I was animation overload. Too many pictures, not enough. Good golly by my third class I was about to burst. But during my break, I adjusted my game plan and had a lot more success with my classes. I'm still not entirely sure how it will all work out, but I've been told I'm beautiful by more little chinese girls than I can count. I have about 75 new boyfriends. My hand is raw and numb from all the high fives.

I had to completely change my game plan in the middle of the day. My afternoon classes worked a lot better.  Adding more pictures, more repetition, and going verrrrry verrrrrrry slow helped the students a lot. I'm guessing my powerpoint skills will get significantly better.

Most of my kids are adorable. Some of them seem like little demons. But, it is only day one and I'm guessing they won't remember a thing that happened today (let's hope they don't remember when I tripped over a water bottle...)

Now don't forget kids. K is for Kangaroo. And kangaroos Jump!

Incredible Guiyang.

I have now been in my new home of Guiyang for about one week and boy has it been interesting. When we first arrived, we were greeted at the airport by our school liaison Daisy and the school driver Mr. Lee. The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the plane were the mountains (hills? I'm not really sure what to classify them as). Next was the abysmal (but still beautiful) grey sky.  Finally the ground. Wet. Wet. Wet. You see, Guiyang (which is the capital of the Guizhou province in southwest China) has a wonderful motto: "never three days without rain, never three steps without a hill, never three coins to rub in your pocket". All that being said, the weather really isn't that bad. The first day/night, I nearly froze by caboose off. Sunny San Diego is absolutely no comparison. But it doesn't really rain, it kind of just mists all the time. Or at least every morning.  Then by the afternoon, the sun either battles out the clouds and joins the rest of the world, or the sun is defeated and goes away until his battle the next day.

We were brought to our apartments first. Amber and I share an apartment on the 9th (but sorta 13th...its confusing) floor of our building. We live about a 15-20 minute walk (you guessed it, uphill) from the school. Jake and Cate live in separate apartments in a building about half the distance from us and the school. Our apartment is very spacious, big beds (hard mattress, soft pillow!), a working heater, two big patios, a very nice kitchen...and a dinky bathroom. Our toilet and "shower" are separated by a curtain. No ledge, just water everywhere.  Oh, and no hot water. Or at least our hot water doesn't work.  All that being said, I love our apartment.  After a few days of living in it, it feels more homey, warm, and welcoming. My only issue is with our heater. Its this box/table top type thing that sits in the middle of the living room. I have decided it doesn't like me, seeing as it has branded me more than once and in not so pleasant places...

Our first night, we were treated to a dinner celebrating our arrival and the Lunar New Year. The dinner was attended by the school administration and a few teachers. We were served traditional Guizhou food (which varies in style/flavor vastly because Guizhou is home to more than 50 Chinese ethnic groups!).  I ate everything from sour fish soup (most popular hot pot delicacy) to ground herbs to pig kidneys.  KIDNEYS. And yes, I did enjoy them. At least until I found out what they were. :)

I am teaching at Guiyang Weiming Experimental School.  This is the most prestigious private school in the whole province for primary (1-5) and junior (6-8) students.  And the school is nice! It is a weekday boarding school, but the students go home on weekends. In addition to their normal classes, they are offered dance, music, kung fu, art, traditional calligraphy, and so much more.

I am responsible for primary grades 1-4. I teach 8 different classes of students and 21 classes a week.  Each class has 36 students (288 students total!). They range in age from 5 to 10. It sounds like complete madness, but they are so adorable that my heart is already about to burst.


Now a bit about the city. Guiyang is made up of 6 districts. I don't know their names so don't even ask.
On Sunday, Cate, Amber, and I decided to get on a bus for an adventure. The only bus that comes to our neighborhood is bus 69, so we figured get on, get off, get back on to get home. So we got on, got off and we wandered. We managed to find one of the most visited parts of Guiyang, the Jiaxiu Tower and garden pavilions. This area has one of the only remaining non refinished Miao dynasty buildings. The whole area was very beautiful. It amazes me how the ancient Chinese people would carve such intricate patterns into wood and stone. The architecture, paintings, and sculptures were simply breath-taking.

After walking around for what seemed like hours, wandering down busy city streets and equally busy market alleys, we decided we had had enough for one day and to head home. That in and of itself was an adventure. Finding a 69 bus stop was proving to be impossible. We were walking in circles when we were certain we hadn't seen something before. We were about to give up and take a taxi (our liaison gave us our addresses written in chinese for taxis) when we found bus 69! Now, to figure out the direction to go in....eh let's just guess, it goes in a loop doesn't it.

No, the bus does not go in a loop. We ended up at the very end of the line without ever driving through our neighborhood. So we hopped off the bus, looked around, and realized another bus 69 was about to leave in the opposite direction. So we hop on, sit down, and take off. I ended up falling asleep on this portion of the journey...which seems miraculous with how rickety these buses are. But I definitely had enough time to nap because when all was said and done, it took us 1.5 hours to get back to our apartments. You see, we live at the complete opposite end of the bus line. But, finding the positive in every situation, we had an entire day of exploring Guiyang and a bus tour all for only 3 RMB (each bus ride costs only 1 RMB...or roughly 17 cents!)

So even with the cold(er) weather, wet ground, spicy (!!!) food, no hot water, evil heaters, and kidneys...I love Guiyang. Its everything I imagined it would be but better.

Shenzhen, you make my heart sing.

Ok. Quick synopsis of what's going on. We haven't had reliable internet access since February 20th, so this is a little dated. And I'll probably be repeating myself so much as I post a million different things at once, so bare with me. Hopefully it's exciting enough that you won't care. Back to Shenzhen...

Anyway, we were so busy these days with exploring and training that I didn't 
really have time to write. I got some basic Chinese language training (I can 
count and have a basic introduction conversation) but as bad Jack continues to 
tell me, my Chinese is horrible. I've had a difficult time getting the four 
tones down and distinguishing between the them when listening. I'll keep trying 
though! 

Nothing about Shenzhen really stood out to me as being amazing. I didn't really 
take many pictures because it all just kinda seemed blah. That is until the last 
night when I think my life changed forever. 

Two huge things happened. One involving the infamous Jacks, the other involving 
KTV. 

The jacks left early that day to return to Nanjing and though I wasnt expecting 
it, I missed them (and Ben) like crazy. 

But as soon as they left, jack started qq messaging us like crazy. He told us 
step by step what they were doing, from getting a taxi, to arriving to the 
airport, to boarding the plane, and finally arriving home safely. He may act 
like a pain most of the time, but underneath the crazy antics of a 14 year old 
boy he is so incredibly sweet. 
Later that night we also video chatted on QQ with jack and both his parents came 
on to meet us. They were both so sweet and invited us to stay with them if we 
ever visit Nanjing! I can't wait to get up there and explore more of china with 
some amazing people. 

Finally though to my favorite part of this entire trip....KTV!! For those of you 
not in the know KTV=karaoke. Yes. Karaoke. When we finished chatting with Jack, 
brad and Tony took a small group to KTV. I was instantly interested but amber 
took a little convincing. It. Was. Awesome. 

We sang everything from classic Elton John to backstreet boys to Justin beiber, 
Taylor swift, even Adele. Brad and Tony even serenaded us with some Chinese 
songs. I may not have understood the meaning but you can tell how beautiful the 
songs were by just listening and feeling the music. It's crazy how you can take 
a group of 10 Americans (and 1 Chinese guy) throw them in a room, and have 
everyone connect into one entity. It didn't matter where we were from, what we 
believed, or that we were all in China, a place nearly all of us hadn't been to 
before. That night, we became friends. It takes guts to move yourself to a 
foreign country where you don't know a soul, can't speak the language, and live 
a completely different culture. To let go of all your inhibitions and 
embarrassment while singing "truly madly deeply" makes the experience that much 
better. 

Shenzhen, it has truly been a pleasure.

Henry the Duck

Alright. So I am now in china. It feels  so crazy for me to say that. I still don't think it has fully sunk in yet. But that seems almost impossible to believe considering I have eaten chicken feet. You heard me (Well, read me?). With the claws still attached and all. 

I may have been sad to leave HK, but in reality I am loving Shenzhen. Don't get me wrong, there are negatives mixed in with the positives, but I'm trying to approach everything with open eyes and acceptance. I may not like it all, and it may be different from back home, but that doesn't make it wrong or gross. Just different. 

And the funny thing is, the reason it has been so great is because of the five guys from the "hostel" group. Brad has been great about acclimating me (and the group) to everything around us. Ben has been so patient teaching me Chinese (it's going very slow) and the Jacks. I don't know what I'm going to do come tomorrow morning when they leave to go back to Nanjing. Who thought you could become so attached to two 14 year old Chinese boys. 

But never fear, "bad" jack helped me download qq, which is sort of like a Chinese Facebook but more like instant messaging or Skype. We have already exchanged qq numbers and he has invited me (and amber) to visit Nanjing and stay with his family! He may be unruly and crazy, but he has such a sweet heart. 

Ok. So obviously I haven't mentioned Henry the duck yet. But that's because once I start talking about food I may never stop. 

For my first meal in China I got a duck hot pot. That's basically a huge bowl of soup over a flame at your table and whatever meet you get, well the whole animal is in there (chicken, duck, squab...). 

Well we got duck. 

And somehow I wasn't getting a lot of food and I was hungry! The only thing left untouched by the group was the neck and head of the duck (beak and all!). So I took my chopsticks, grabbed the duck neck, and plopped it on my plate. After a few photos of me kissing the duck beak, I just dug right on in. 

Was it strange? Heck yes. 

Was it delicious? Double heck yes. 

Was I freaked out? Of course I was. 

But, since I was eating it, and staring directly into the empty eye sockets of the duck, I decided he must have a name, and thus Henry was born. Well, he was consumed. 

And I didn't stop there. 

My dinner that night was the best I've had yet. I picked up my menu in Chinese. Pointed to something. (was told it had potato) and said yes please. 

Best decision of my life. 

I've even eaten normal foods that I would have never eaten at home: soy milk, asparagus, tofu (yes, tofu. Even crazier for me than the chicken feet), cucumber, fish, peppers. All these things I thought Id never like. And I eat them. And I love them. 

Some things have been done right icky. But at least I tried it. At the end of the day that's really all that matters. I'm trying new things and experiencing a whole new world I didn't know existed. 

I've got one more day of training in Shenzhen before I head off to Gúiyàng. I will miss some of these people so much when we separate, but I can't wait to chat with them on qq and hopefully build lasting friendships. 

Stairs

In the last three days I can't even begin to think about how many stairs I've climbed. Between the several subway stops/trips, the big Buddha (268 steps to the top) and the monastery we went to today, I'm gonna have me a nice bum.

Today was a pretty action packed day.

I had my first authentic Chinese breakfast (hot soy milk that tasted like sweet oatmeal and a pork/bread rice ball type thing). It was...ok. We then went to the 10,000 Buddha monastery but there are actually over 13,000 Buddhas there. The stairs here were super steep and endless. I saw a couple monkeys there as well. Whenever I have reached a high vantage point in HK I am simply amazed by the views. Everything is so high!

We also went to the museum of HK and learned about its history which was very interesting. I loved looking at all the clothing from different time periods and ethnic groups. The intricate details are stunning.

We ended the day by going to what I can only describe as the ritzy part of HK. It was right on the water and while it was still fun and had beautiful views, it felt too touristy. We took a boat across the bay at night that allowed for better views of all the buildings with their decorative lights. We also walked down the avenue of stars an(similar to Hollywood).

I had been looking forward to the award winning laser light show that happens nightly but was pretty disappointed in the end. I don't know if I was just standing in a bad spot or maybe it was too cloudy. All I do know is I was more entertained listening to the "bad" Jack laughing at everyone and everything.

As much as I have loved HK and will miss it, I am excited to head to mainland China tomorrow. We will be staying in Shenzen two nights before heading to our future china homes. I am mostly excited to get to Guiyang and be totally immersed in the culture.

The big Buddha.

I feel like I could spend hour upon hours writing about the big Buddha. I feel today was so monumental for us. We ventured off for breakfast alone and stumbled into a restaurant without a lick of English. Not even on the menus. We fared pretty well, got some tasty food for very cheap ($53HK for both of us...$6.85USD!)

We then got lost (sorta) when meeting up with the main group. Quite an adventure.

But the Buddha will likely be my favorite part of Hong Kong, but then again every corner I turn never ceases to amaze me.

We rode cable cars over the bays and some hillsides to get to the monastery where there are so many amazing things to see. Because we only had two hours there, I headed straight to the giant Buddha statue. It sits at the top of roughly 250 stairs. Tiring but completely worth it. The statue is 112 feet tall and took four years to build. It is the second largest outdoor Buddha (as of 2007, it used to be the biggest!). It was also very inspiring to see the way another culture/religion works. Some people were so focused on praying under the buddha. It made we wish for as strong a passion or devotion in my life.

Next I wanted to see the path of wisdom. It's made of tall pillars with writing and they are laid out in the figurine of infinity.

However, my favorite part of the monastery was when I wandered off on my own. I saw people walking along a path across from the path of wisdom and decided to go as well. The path was carved into the side of Lantau peak (second highest in HK). The steps and everything were just made from the earth. Im not sure I can come close to describing how it felt walking along this path, just soaking in everything around me. I turned one corner and all of a sudden I could see the edge of all of hong kong and an endless expanse of ocean. After climbing a little higher, I could see the Buddha and wisdom path at the same time (and actually make out the infinity shape). At times I would just stop and listen to all the sounds around me.

Completely amazing. I could return home from this trip right now and be a changed person.

Noodles on noodles on noodles

Today has been quite an eventful day! After waking up (for good) around 5am, we went out for a traditional hong kong breakfast with the rest of the "hostel group". We are staying with 5 guys: Brad is from the US but living in Nanjing (he originally came with the same program as us over two years ago and never left!), Tony (a former student of Brad) and then Ben and Jack (father and son, Jack is a student of brad), and finally Jack. Yes two jacks. One plays soccer and is obsessed with his hair. I call him "good" jack. The other plays video games constantly, has the most contagious laugh, and got kicked out of brads class for saying a bad word. I call him "bad" Jack. They are all from Nanjing.

Anyway, breakfast. I wasn't really sure what to order so when I was asked "a or b" I said a. I'm lucky because the food was actually pretty good (a bowl of macaroni noodles, ham, abalone soup) and a plate of fried eggs and bread. We also had this really delicious toast with butter and sweetened condensed milk.

Next we went to the beach!! (yay!) it was called "deep sea bay beach" and it was really pretty and the sand was so soft (and rocky...weird). I found a shell with a hole so I put it on my necklace...free souvenir!

We then walked up a huge hill to take the scenic route bus ride back to the city centre for lunch (more noodle soup) and then to meet up with the whole group (most of the day we spent with the Brad and Tony).

Then...VICTORIA PEAK! It was incredible. We were up so high I felt like I could see everything. This area has some of the most expensive real estate in the world ($9000 per sq ft!). It was nice to finally be introduced to the rest of the group too, even though we really didn't meet many people. Amber was able to take better pictures then me because dumb typical Ashley didn't charge her camera battery.
Also Victoria peak had a bubba gump shrimp co! And then I couldn't stop quoting the movie (also typical Ashley).
In other movie news, we saw the building that batman jumps off of in the dark knight! (picture below)

In trying to keep this long blog short (Amber says I ramble too much, but in my first post I had a disclaimer!) I'll end with saying dinner was also great (more noodles!) but I made the mistake of adding some sauce to my food before knowing what it was. It smelled sweet...but tasted SPICY! Wowza. Amber and I eventually peeled off from the group and did some more exploring on our own. Thats when we found Chinese dragon dances for celebrating the new year. It was pretty cool.

Ok. I need to stop now. Too much info. But then again, I've been living in sensory overload now for two days. And I love every bit.

Chopsticks

After getting to our hostel yesterday and settling into our room, I pretty much fell asleep instantly (I didn't sleep much on the plane). Sometime around 7 here I finally woke up realizing I had only been sleeping for two hours. I was surprisingly refreshed considering the rock of a mattress and pillow I have (well I guess it's not that bad).

Anyway, amber and I freshened up a bit and hit the streets of Hong Kong searching for food. If I had to pick one word to describe HK, I would probably pick crowded. No, bright lights.  Smoky?  Well maybe I don't have just one word, but I definitely dont have anything to compare it...or maybe imagine being at Disneyland on the busiest day of the year but add the fact that every fifth person you pass is smoking and car horns are constantly blaring.

Despite all that, I love it.

After walking around for awhile, we finally found somewhere to eat and sat down. Lucky for us, the menu had pictures and simple descriptions of the meals in English! Amber got a friend rice, I got an udon noodle dish. And now comes the entertaining part...

Chopsticks. Can't use em at all. Ok. I can sort of use them but out of every 10 tries, I'm lucky if I manage one solid bite of food. Amber couldn't stop laughing at me. But all should be proud because there were forks on the table and I never touched one. I stuck to my chopsticks like a champ.

Even though we are alone in HK while the rest of our group is together, I think I prefer what we have. We get to experience so much more and I think will come out of this small chapter of the journey with a richer experience and greater understanding and love for all HK has to offer

At the Airport

So here we are sitting at our gate awaiting our flight.  We have about one hour to go. The journey has only just begun and it has had its fair share of craziness already.

Amber dropped her boarding pass the second it was handed to her and it fell underneath the scale at the check in counter. Roughly 20 minutes later I realized I removed all my toiletries from my carry on luggage and put them in my checked bag.  Way to go me.

Finally, Amber just realized her jacket is missing. It has barely been an hour and we are losing things and all over the place.

Im sure we will have many more bumps and "whoops" moments to come...its all part of the adventure. 

One hour to liftoff

........

So I wasnt able to ever post this in lax like I intended but we are now in Japan, home of the fancy airport terminals.  No joke we walked past tons of designer stores.

The flight was pretty good, a little turbulent but there was a pretty cool entertainment center at each seat with really good movies.

Roughly 2.5 hours til we leave for Hong Kong.

Still a little in disbelief.

Before the Adventure Begins

Alright im gonna start with a disclaimer: this is my first blog...and I am definitely a rambler.  That being said I am extremely excited to start this journey and share it with whoever may care. 

So in about 24 hours I'll be off to the airport and on my way to China.  After a LONG flight and a short layover in Japan,  I'll be in Hong Kong.  I can't believe the time is finally here.  I'm sure my friend Amber and I are in for the time of our lives.  I dont think my body can contain all the excitement, anxiousness, nervousness, happiness,  butterflies....all of it all at once. 

Well, it's too late to look back now 

Ready. Set. Go