The great game of LIFE- China Edition

(I was talking to my sister Kate and she said that it sounds like I'm always off on a grand vacation, so I thought I'd update you on the daily things I do between vacations.)

We teach daily from 8:30- 11:30 in the morning with meals right before and right after. We get up at about 7:20 everyday, hurry to get ready and head down to the cafeteria for our breakfast of bread/muffin things. Then we head to the class room to fight with 5 year olds to sit down and not hit eachother or kung-fu fight all morning. (And of course get some English in there too.) After the kids leave for lunch we clean up and head to lunch ourselves. This is the Monday- Friday morning routine, the afternoon schedule changes daily though. It usually includes a nap at some point, we have to plan our lessons for the next day, check emails, run on the track, and whatever else we might need to do. Usually at the beginning of the week we go shopping for fruit for the week, and make a trip to the post office for these girls with missionaries. Monday nights we have a group meeting, and Chinese class taught by our Chinese coordinator. Tuesday nights is Kung-Fu in town, and Wednesday night we have Chinese class with the other coordinator. Thursdays we have to turn in our lesson plans for the whole next week and do any paperwork the Chinese teacher in our class wants. Thursdays are pre-Fridays here since the boys don't have to teach on Fridays- so we usually watch a movie that night or do something fun. Then it is the weekend. After teaching Friday morning we have kung-fu again and usually spend some time touring Zhongshan since we are already in the city. This includes parks, pagodas, or whatever else we think about doing throughout the week but don't have time for. Then Saturdays are the updating blog, talk to family, and picture day and usually includes a run to a McDonalds for some icecream- since China's icecream is like frozen whipped cream. :( We seem to always make it to a movie store throughout the week too, to check if any new releases have come out and to start building our movie supply. There is also a very addicting smoothie shop with strawberry Friyo's that are to DIE for! It doesn't help that all the food here tastes about the same so anything with flavor is addicting. Sundays we have church in the afternoon and then we just chill around here, with groups coming out for church we like to catch up with them or just spend the day relaxing. We have a vacation every three weeks with our next, and last one coming April 30th. The week always feels slow and weekends make me miss home since we have alot of down time, but everyday is an adventure. It is still hard for me to capture the thought that this is normal for all of these people. Most people have never driven a car, think it is normal to take 45 minutes to get anywhere, and they wear clothes that make me think "is that really not weird to wear in public?" I feel like sometimes I'm watching a movie or like it's all a joke, but no this is real for all of them. This is life.
China to me will probably be remembered as waiting at a bus stop, and lots of stairs. The buses never come on time when it is just us foreigners, but if there is a native with us it comes right on time. It seems that we spend alot of time sitting at a bus stop playing the "should we keep waiting because it could be late, or should we wait because it is so late that the next one could be early" game.


Waiting for the bus on a cold rainy day

Then there are stairs everywhere: we live on the fourth floor, our office in the school is on the fourth floor, and we teach in a different building on the third floor- so we climb stairs all day long. Also whenever we go out to see something there a a billion stairs. Up to pagodas and statues and kung-fu. Stairs, stairs, stairs- I just hope I have nice calves to show for it :)


Stairs up to a statue

China is so fun, I'm glad to have this experience and be able to see how lucky I am to have the life back home I do- for if nothing else China has taught me to be grateful!