Not Yet a Teacher

Okay, so it’s been a few days since my last update. Saturday night right now, we’l l see how I do with this one.

When I last updated, we’d just been around for a day or so, but I think we’re getting the hang of things, though we haven’t started teaching yet. Meals are at 8, 12, and 5 and since this week had a lot of parents dropping their students off, we also were asked to stay in the main office for an hour or so every day… basically they were just putting us on display, ‘cause we’re their newfangled American teachers.

Wednesday and Thursday also held special surprises for us… we ended up teaching! Sort of. Basically they stuffed us into a huge classroom with fifty to sixty kids and told us we had an hour.

… Basically we ended up singing a ton of camp songs. I used Da Moose and Big Buffalo and others. The Frog Song is especially popular.

I learned something while doing this though… Being called ‘Teacher’ by enthusiastic kids is incredibly awesome. My ego loves it. :DDDD They also like the way I flail around when singing. Hehe.

Besides that, there hasn’t been too much out of the ordinary until last night and today. Last night there were fireworks because of the Lantern festival! They were setting them off in the middle of campus and it was pretty awesome.

This morning we got woken up at 6AM with Chinese pop music. I guess the kids here have classes on Saturdays too, or something. It was a great way to wake up, if just a little on the early side.

Then there’s the fact that most, if not all of the students are back now… our teachers apartments are above and below teenage boy apartments. I walked outside to take pictures of the construction outside our dorm (they’re building another one and the brick laying seems to be going super fast.) I get a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, I find four teenage boys smiling at me and asking me if I’m a teacher and where I’m from and if I could take a picture… Random, but I took a picture of them and showed them it. They got all hyper and said thank you and then ended it with a ‘You’re so very beautiful!’

Guys, I’ve never been called beautiful in my life, this is hilarious.

Oh! Also, while we were hanging out in the office, one of the Chinese English teachers gave me a Chinese name. It’s Lin Qiaoyin and it apparently means something about having a sweet voice. I will have you also know that among the people we’ve met, I’m known as the crazy, noisy one. I slide on the cafeteria floors and the Chinese thinks it’s a scream.

Tomorrow will bring a new adventure or two. One is sponge cake! I guess on Sundays, the cafeterias serve it, which is something unusual. Another is skyping for church! We’re part of the Chinese International District Branch and it’s for people all over China. So we’ll be skyping for Sacrament meeting and then doing self study for Sunday School/Relief Society… Though I can’t seem to get lds.org to work, so I’m not sure if it’s blocked or what.

People should be proud of me. My tolerance for spicy things has shot up from what it used to be, because… Well, people kept on telling us that the food was going to be bland and I will admit, the rice does get kinda old (but come on, I’m in China. Durr, there is rice everywhere), but there are always three to four side dishes and there is always at least one spicy one. Tonight’s was this potato and duck floating in pepper sauce dish. It was so good, but goodness, it left my lips burning after the first bite.

I’m not quite sure what else to say. Once it gets less wet and cold, I’ll go around and properly explore and take pictures! And of course, come Monday, I’ll be able to tell you about how my first day of ‘proper’ teaching was.

Toodles for now!