Observations from My 2nd Week in China

I have been in China for 2 1/2 weeks... I can't believe how fast the time is flying! One more week and I have a week of vacation! Speaking of that... I did the last police check for my resident visa last week, and they say it should be here on Thursday and I can pick it up on Friday!! Keep your fingers crossed, since I have a flight booked to the Philippines on the following Saturday!! Ps.. guess how much the hotel is costing me each night in Boracay...........8 Canadian dollars.. thank youuuu cheap travel in Southeast Asia! It is true, our hotel room is booked for 24$ a night CAN, and there is 3 of us staying in it! Overall, the whole vacation to one of the best beaches in the WORLD is costing me about 350 dollars. WOW :) 

So here are some of my observations from my 2nd week in China:

1) First and foremost, I LOVE my students - I know that is a very cliche thing for a teacher to say.. but... it is true. I am so thankful for the class I have been given for my first year of teaching. They are so much fun to be around.. I hope I still feel like this come June:) 

I may be a little bias, but I think this is pretty friggin cute!  The word of the day was "like" and they had to write about why they like something, anything! I did not tell me students to write about why they like me! haha 

The rules in Miss Russell's class, they may be corny.. but its Grade 2 ! 

2) China is HOT - and when I say hot.. I don't mean a beautiful beach day on the island of Grand Manan.. I've travelled to a few hot places in this world, and I have never experienced a heat like this! Living in a tropical climate is awesome, but when all I want to do is stay in my bedroom or my classroom where the AC is on, you know that it is very hot, because I love the heat! 

3) STOP HONKING THE HORN - Last time I was in China I got used to the spitting, and the peeing on the street and whatever else came up, but one thing I cannot and will not get used to is the honking! (as I write this there are numerous car horns blowing outside my bedroom window) I know that patience is a virtue, and this is especially true in China, but for some reason beyond me, Chinese drivers will sit in their cars and lay on the horns even though they know they are not going to be moving for a good amount of time. I went to have a nap on Friday afternoon, and I couldn't fall asleep because someone outside my window was sitting in traffic in their car laying on the horn for.. no word of a lie.. 4 minutes straight! that may not sound like a long time.. but this was one continuous honk which was followed by many other car horns. AHHHHHHHH.. I don't know what it is about the honking, but it drives me crazy and I can't seem to get used to it..(even though I am adjusting easily to the MANY other strange things that bother other people) I here on out swear that I will never use my car horn when I return to Canada! 

4) I am obsessed with the show Parenthood - last time I was in China I bought the series of Parenthood and only watched a bit of it on the flight home, then summer came around and I didn't even watch T.V. but here, each evening I have been finishing up the seasons that I have and it is an AMAZING show! I am almost done it, but thank God for cheap DVD's from booths on the corner in China because I just bought the whole series of Breaking Bad for like 8 dollars CAN so that will be next !

5) The world is small - the more places I go, the more I realize this. It is a very very small world out there. Most of us teaching here are Atlantic Canadians and always someone knows someone who knows someone! It's crazy, you can be half way around the world and still have multiple connections with the people you meet! Also, skype has really made me realize this. I skyped this morning with a few of my friends and it was as clear as day, just as if we were hanging out for an hour together! it's unbelievable to me how well technology keeps you in contact with the ones you love! 

6) I love rice - I have always been a huge fan of rice.. but even though I eat it almost everyday of my life.. I love it.. and I don't think I will get sick of it! There is a little take out right outside the gates of our school and I can buy a big bowl of egg fried rice there for 1.10 Canadian! how can I resist that.. thats right.. I can't! I'm not really having a hard time finding food to eat here.. my only problem is trying to find the cheapest healthiest way to eat... I can eat cheap rice or noodles everyday but its not the healthiest choice (I NEED some sort of protein).. I can go buy healthy food at the international school but its expensive.. soo that is the only thing I am struggling with.. the longer I am here the more I will learn about this I am sure! 

7) I love Grand Manan - don't get me wrong, I am not homesick, I am having a great time here, and I do not want to come home.. but the farther and longer away I am from home, the more it makes me realize how truly unbelievable Grand Manan is! Everyone has told me that Boracay has the best sunsets in the world.. but I beg to differ! We will see next week :) 

8) Contractions - no I don't mean pregnancy contractions.. I mean vocabulary contractions.. I think these will be permanently erased from my vocabulary by the time I return to Canada. I never ever use them with the students! I *did not* even really realize it until the other day.. everytime I go to say something where I would usually say.. "no, don't do that.." or "no he didn't" I am using do not and did not so it makes it easier for the students to understand! It's weird how I unintentionally did that with my language! I guess it is just one of those things! 

9) I am a neat freak - having my own classroom for the first time has made me realize how organized and neat I really am (yes mom, I know I know I know.. you may not agree with me, my bedroom has been at times a mess.. butttttt) I organize my classroom and clean it everyday! I can't stand when anything is out of order! haha I guess that is a good thing being a teacher! 

well 9 is my favourite number, so I guess I will stop writing for now! I am getting excited about my trip to Boracay, but waiting patiently for my passport and resident visa to arrive so I can be even more excited! 
I do not know if I am technically allowed to do this.. haha but my classroom website is up and running! if you go to isnsz.com, click on faculty and find me, then click on classroom website you can see some pictures of my amazing students!! 

Going to run and get some rice and a smoothie now!  I'll write soon I promise (ok Bailey? :))

oo ps... the ONE thing I forgot in Canada - my CAMERA CORD! AHH EMMA! so I am taking pictures I promise, but I need to find a cord to put the pictures on my computer! Thank God I am in a country where the camera was more than likely made, so I am sure this will not be a problem! I just need to get on it! and when I do, there will be pictures up! 

lots of love, em  

Arriving/Chinese Hospitals/Boracay

For anyone who has been following my blog, last time I wrote I was doing a two month internship in Shenzhen, China during the months of March-May. From this internship I was offered a job, and I took it! The rest of this blog will be about my 10 month journey of living in China, travelling South East Asia, and most importantly, my first year of being a qualified teacher, teaching Grade 2! 

I finally arrived in Shenzhen on September 6th! I was originally suppose to leave on August 20th and was packed and ready for that date, then I was suppose to leave on August 25th, and I was packed and ready for that date... then I was suppose to leave September 1st, so I was ...well you get the point! Finally, I flew out on the 5th and arrived in Shenzhen on the evening of the 6th! The flight was long, with a lot more turbulence than usual, but after many movies, many sporadic naps, nasty plane food, and re-reading the two magazines I had bought, the 16 hour plane ride was over and I had safely landed in China! 

I have to admit, I was a little bit skeptical about moving to China for 10 months, but now that I am here, I am very happy to be back! I like this city a lot, and coming back to many familiar places and faces was nice! After a ferry ride from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, picking up my luggage and pulling around my two HUGE suitcases weighing 57 lbs each (yes, overweight, but thank you to the kind lady at the Saint John airport who did not make me pay extra) I finally arrived on campus! I was happy to see that my room was on the 6th floor (note that I said.. WAS happy to see, now that I have climbed the 6 flights of stairs multiple times a day, I am thinking different). I took the evening to fix up my room and unpack, and then relaxed and tried to get on track with my sleeping schedule (didn't happen, as I write this it is my 7th night here and last night was my first full nights sleep since I have been here). 

I woke up on my first morning here to my first experience dealing with any kind of medical care in China.. last time I was here I became super sick for about 3 days with some kind of virus, but I just dealt with it in my hotel room and decided not to seek any kind of medical care, but to get your residential Chinese visa I have to get a physical done before I can be issued one. After being super jet legged and wanting to sleep all day, I was woken up by one of the Chinese secretaries at 745am telling me I would be going to the hospital at 830 to get my physical done. anyone that knows me, knows that I am not much of a fan for hospitals.. especially when it comes to getting blood taken.. so as I tiredly had a shower, I kept picturing myself going into this small room in the hospital, having a Chinese doctor come in that doesn't speak any English, and repeatedly probing me with the needle trying to draw blood..and then me fainting on the floor.. it's obvious to say that I didn't eat breakfast before I went (which was probably a stupid idea..I know)
we arrived at the hospital, climbed a few set of stairs and walked to the area called "Shenzhen International Travel Healthcare Center" there I was met by many foreigners who were in the same boat as I. I grabbed my number and saw that I was number 135 and there was 62 "waiting persons" in front of me (one thing I learned last time I was in China is to take my iPod everywhere with me because it's usually a long wait most places you go!) While I waited, the secretary told me to follow her and that I had to get my picture taken.  we walked outside of the hospital and down the street to a little corner store which sold everything from chicken feet to water to electrical supplies... oo and they also took photos for my hospital forms there. I sat in a chair, she quickly took my photo, printed them out and handed them too me...and I bought a bottle of water as well as I knew I'd need to pee in a cup in a bit! haha we walked back to the hospital where the line of foreigners had grown so I took the chance to look over my physical form.. the general stuff I had to get done like ECG, chest X-ray, urine sample, etc ...o and did I mention that blood was on there too! ahhh I am not ready for a needle to be stuck in my vein in a foreign country. I might sound like a baby but I barely sleep the night before I know I have to get blood taken at my hometown hospital.
For each of the things I had to get done, there was a room.. "Blood Room", "ECG Room", "Ultrasound Room", etc with lines of foreigners lined up out front.
After filling out a few more forms I stood in line to get my ultrasound done... I walked in she grabbed my form, pointed to the bed for me to lay down, squeezed some gel on my stomach and then did a 3 second ultrasound and I was off to the next room... the chest x ray room... not like Canada where you have to put the gown on, take off your body jewelry, etc... instead I passed him my forms,  stood there while a quick x ray was taken of my chest and then grabbed my forms as he told me to leave. Next was my ECG.. that was also a quick, interesting experience. 
Finally, it was time for the blood to be taken from my body. Usually when I get blood taken on Grand Manan, I lay down, close my eyes, do some breathing exercises to relax myself, inform the nurse that I may or may not faint, turn my head and grind my teeth as the needle goes into my vein, but here.. I just couldn't do any of that. I was in a line of people who would walk forward one after another, sit, watched as the nurse wrapped a band around their arm, made a fist as the needle went into their vein, and then relaxed while the blood was taken from their body. As I nervously awaited my turn, I kept wondering if anyone else was feeling like I did.. no body seemed to be feeling like I did, and some people actually watched (WHO DOES THAT)  and when it came to be my turn, I sat, stuck my arm out and turned to the Chinese secretary and said.. I DO NOT LIKE THIS..  The nurse grabbed my arm, stuck the band around it, said.. "fist"..."ok, relax" and as the needle went into my arm I turned my head away and she said.. "You Ok?", without looking at her ... I just nodded my head. I have to admit, that no it was't as bad as I thought, but yes, it was not enjoyable and I wanted my mother there. :) (and no I am not trying to be funny, I am serious) 

I was thankful to think that my time at the Chinese hospital was done and then Yolanda, our secretary came to my classroom on Monday and asked me when I could go to the hospital.. I said.. "Yolanda I have already been to the hospital"! She informed me that for my Chinese Visa to get here quicker I would need to get more blood work done to rush things along. As much as I hated to hear this, we have a vacation coming up the first week of October and we have been thinking about going to Boracay. I know that I will need my visa back before this holiday to be able to go, so that is what kept me focused during my second trip to the hospital to get even more blood drawn from my body. 
The second time around wasn't as bad as I knew what to expect and I kept envisioning Boracay in my mind, but I was still nervous and shaking before hand, and felt dizzy and fainty after... what can I say.. I HATE giving blood.. I know that it's "in me to give" or whatever the Red Cross people say.. but I would like to keep as much inside me as I can, without a needle probing at my veins! 

Another little note on Boracay.. although there is no guarantee that my Chinese visa and passport will be back in 2 1/2 weeks, I decided to go ahead and book a flight to Boracay (a small island in the Philippines). It was a risk I was willing to take! The round trip flight was too good of a deal to pass up, and if my passport and visa are not back before then, then I am out some money, but o well, you live and you learn.. and sometimes you just have to live on impulse! Keep your fingers crossed that Boracay will happen for me, and don't google it, or you'll be jealous! :) 

It is weird, I keep thinking I will be home soon, but I am actually doing this, I am actually living in China!

Sorry this post is so long, more posts will come, especially about setting up my classroom, my first day of teaching, and my students! 

Heres to hoping I'll be writing about Boracay in a month!  

Love, Em