The Task

Now that we are home from China I want to focus on becoming a healthier me. It may not be an easy journey considering how wack the food is in this country. But with knowledge and patience I think that I can take control of this part of my life.

I want to take little steps each day to change me inside and out. I feel that sometimes people make excuses of how hard it will be or because of lack of time....or whatever the case may be. I know that for me it all boils down to self-control.

So, with that in mind I am going to really focus on changing the way I do things.

First step in my journey:
Gathering as much information as possible.

I am currently reading the book "Master Your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels, whatever I learn I'll journal here...specifically how it applies to me.

We'll see what happens!

Nostalgia

A good friend gave some of the girls in our college group a CD with three encouraging songs, about five years ago.

One of those songs is in my heart today. It makes me remember those good times....

I can't believe the years that have passed since those days where I was a student in college, soaking up all of the information my teachers provided. And now students are listening to me... I am filling their heads with words from our English language.

Sometimes it feels very strange.

Sometimes when I look back it feels like those days in the university never really even happened. Like it was just a dream.

I'll be 27 this year. At times I feel the memories of my childhood slipping away.

I'm glad I put those songs on my ipod before coming to China. It's been nice to have some reminders of the "good ol' days".

One of the joys of coming into a new culture is being able to learn new and exciting things. Of course the things I am learning mostly have to deal with crafts...but I know I'm learning some very valuable lessons, as well.

As far as the crafts go, currently I am working on embroidering. I've mastered the skill of making a very lovely, yet very plain scarf. So, I've decided to try my embroidery skills. Currently I am working on a very small key-chain type embroidery, and when I've finished, perhaps I can post a photo.

I've also decided to try to learn to play a Chinese instrument. The instrument of choice, a hulusi. It's like a flute, except it is made with a gourd... I haven't practiced as much as I should, but I hope that I can master it before returning to the States.

Other than these things...I've just been trying to make friends and teach those friends lessons in life.

Since I'm sick....still....and I have some free time...

I'm going to write about all the wonderful adventures I've had recently.

First, my friend Coco and I have played badminton, basketball and we even attempted to fly a kite together. We also went on a twelve hour shopping excursion to find presents for her family... and on May Day! There were so many people shopping that day....I don't think I have ever seen that many people in one place before.

We had a barbecue at a local park. This was our first experience barbecuing Chinese style, so it didn't go as smoothly as we would have hoped. It was mostly tasty. Our friend Sara invited us and invited two of her friends along. It was a good time. The park was beautiful (if you avoided looking at the trash on the ground).

As far as teaching goes, I showed some movies in my classes last Wednesday and this Monday. Wednesday we just hooked the laptop up to some really excellent speakers...but of course the screen wasn't sufficient. Monday I was able to get the multimedia classroom, but that didn't change anything. The first class we had some problems with lighting. The second class we had problems with lighting, so we changed rooms. Then we had problems with sound. We ended up only being able to hear the music and reading the subtitles. A silent film....well, sorta. I actually think it was more interesting that way. Whenever the music would get really loud and menacing all the girls would scream. Haha.

At home I have been able to rearrange some of the furniture and get some things situated. I'm really happy with the way things turned out. It feels a little more homey now. Just a few more rooms need to be cleaned....that is they needed to be cleaned from scratch. After I get those rooms cleaned I know I will have to go back and clean all the other rooms again. Oh, well.

David has been having some great studies this week.... exciting things. We'll have to update you on those things at another time.

Now, I must rest. Like I haven't had enough rest in the past three days!

Bleh. I don't like being sick.

And Don't Forget To Eat Your Medicine

So... for some odd reason I became sick last night after I had a short nap.

I had been cleaning the house all day; moving the furniture around, sweeping, dusting, etc. I felt really proud of myself afterwards. I had accomplished many tasks that I had wanted to complete over the past three months and all in one day!

When David came home from teaching all day we both decided to have a rest. When it came dinner time, David awoke and tried to get me out of bed. Not feeling too well, I had to tell him I needed a few more minutes before I could get up.

Turned out that it wasn't just sleepiness...I really did get sick. I was in a lot of pain and crying, so David took me to the hospital on campus.

I was ordered to eat only soft food and take all these strange looking pills.

I stayed in the bed all day today, while David filled in for my classes.

This being the first time not teaching two of my classes, my students were calling me left and right.

"Where are you?"

"Why don't you feel well?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Are you better yet?"

"Get some rest and get well soon!"

"If you do some exercise it will help!" (This is the first time I have ever heard that exercise will reduce vomiting..... :-P ).

So, all day various friends and students have been calling and text messaging.... all asking what they can do to help.

My best friend here showed up at the door very impromptly.... TWICE. And cooked me some rice and some soup.

And now she keeps text messaging me reminding me to "eat" my medicine.

I think I'm loved. Haha.

It's nice to be loved.

Painting Pictures of Egypt- Song by Sara Groves

I don’t want to leave here

I don’t want to stay

It feels like pinching to me either way

The places I long for the most

Are the places where I’ve been

They are calling after me like a long lost friend
It’s not about losing faith

It’s not about trust

It’s all about comfortable

When you move so much

The place I was wasn’t perfect

But I had found a way to live

It wasn’t milk or honey

But then neither is this

CHORUS:

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt

Leaving out what it lacked

The future seems so hard

And I want to go back

But the places that used to fit me

Cannot hold the things I"ve learned

And those roads closed off to me

While my back was turned

The past is so tangible I know it by heart

Familiar things are never easy to discard

I was dying for some freedom

But now I hesitate to go

Caught between the promise

And the things I know

BRIDGE:

If it comes too quick

I may not recognize it

Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?

If it comes too quick I may not appreciate it

Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?

There was a lizard in our house today!

David isn't really cool with having lizards in the house. Last time we had a lizard when we lived in Belize, he practically tore the house down trying to get it.

This time, he didn't tear the house down. But he did have some pretty fancy foot moves.... dancing on his toes. Haha.

I stayed far away from the thing. :-P

A short message for my dear friend

Courtney....dear.... I cannot post any comments on your blog.

I'm not sure why.

But I love the new things you've added.

That's all.

<3-amanda

East Lake

I just wanted to share a couple of photos from our day at East Lake about two weeks ago...

Next time I will share a few photos from our weekend in Changsha.

I found a new exciting website. 43things.com... It's a website where you can record your goals and dreams, and where others can cheer you along the way.

Here's my list....

1. be the best I can be.

2. Read the ENTIRE Bible in one year.

3. love my husband more and more each day

4. be more disciplined

5. become more organized

6. Pursue a Minimalistic & Simple Life

7. travel all over

8. Create a List of 365 Life-Inspiring Quotes

9. Take a photo every day

10. video tape a day in my life

11. create the soundtrack to my life

12. find at least one thing each day that makes me happy and record it everyday

13. Learn Mandarin Chinese

14. Keep a travel blog while living abroad

15. take yoga

16. Make a kite

17. learn to crochet

18. learn to knit more than just scarves

19. sew my own clothes

20. make something beautiful every day

21. write a book

22. exercise regularly

23. go on a road trip with no predetermined destination

24. Learn to juggle

25. learn to play many musical instruments

26. fly in a hot air balloon

27. Lose 100 lbs.

28. make a baby someday

29. grow a huge garden of flowers

30. write and illustrate a children's book

31. backpack through Europe

32.be a great cook

33. reduce, reuse, recycle

34. be the change i want to see in the world

35. read 43 classics

36. keep a gratitude journal

37. make photo albums

38. write more letters

39. see more sunrises

40. travel to all the countries in the world

41. floss more

42. own a fisheye camera

43. Improve my housekeeping

I never noticed how many times Chinese people are portrayed in popular films, until I moved to China.

Oh! here's a map of our city..... if you click on the image it will make the map larger.

Classes went well today.

The students had to prepare a midterm speech, and most of them came well prepared. A few students didn't prepare, but I told them one minute isn't a long time for them to speak (this was the minimum time requirement), so they still had to get up there. I told them, "If you don't speak, you don't get a grade."

I don't think that speaking for one minute is a terribly difficult assignment, so I had to stand my ground.

Overall, the students did well.

Just two more teaching days this week, then midterms are over!

David and I are thinking about going to Changsha this weekend. We want to eat Subway sandwiches.

Changsha has a Subway. :-D

Midterms!

I can't believe that this week my students will be taking their midterms! That means that we are about half way through our first semester.

It's unbelievable how fast time flies.

Argh.

Yesterday afternoon I had some problems with my class. Every week this same class gives me trouble. The problems seemed to magnify yesterday, perhaps it was because some of the students were trying to act "cool" before the other students.

There's one boy who doesn't care what I think, and typically he will sit in the last row with his head down. Yesterday, he decided it would be fun to shout something along the lines that my was class boring him.

Yes, he shouted it out right there in class.

So, as the class went on and other issues fueled what I was feeling inside, I decided that I needed to let the class go early.

I've never let my class go so early before. In fact, I usually begin the class five minutes early, and I usually have to cut myself short because class time is over before you know. This class, however, was making it entirely too difficult for me to teach. So, I let them go.

Some of the students in that class really are good students, and sweet girls. I tried to explain to them.... and one of the girls feels that she needs to ask each student how I can make the class better.

I don't think that she understood. In this case, I don't care if my class is boring, nor do I care if the students really "like" me. All I needed yesterday was for the students to listen when I am speaking, and to show respect when they are.

I'm hoping this situation gets better....

Chinglish

It's official. My English is no longer English. It has morphed into some strange form of English that resembles what is known here as Chinglish.

I know this because I just reread an e-mail I wrote to my mother.... and I couldn't even understand what the e-mail said!

And I am supposed to help them improve their English!!!

What a daunting task....

Oh, well. Hopefully it won't get any worse.

Since I have come to China, several students have tried to teach me some "ancient" forms of Chinese craft-making.

I just finished my first scarf; knitting the old-fashioned way. The students tell me it's the Chinese way...but I'm not entirely sure where the ancient craft of knitting is derived from.


In, other, more important news...my Aunt was just diagnosed with COPD. I'm not really sure all the details of her disease... but I ask you to keep her in your thoughts and petitions. As well as my friend, Nicolle, mentioned in the previous post.

I knew that my dear friend was in the hospital, but I didn't really know the seriousness of her being there until yesterday.

Apparently, there have been some complications with her health, and she is in the hospital until she gives birth. She isn't due for another two months, so each day is a struggle for her. She has high blood pressure (which isn't at all good) and the baby is very small, still.

Last night as she told me how very serious it is, and she admitted to me that she was scared... I couldn't help but tell her the same.

I know that she's in the best Hands, but it still doesn't make the distance between us any shorter.

We are hoping her blood pressure will go down, and that the next few days will help her and the baby to gain a lot of strength.

If she is able to become stronger and reduce her blood pressure, the baby's chances of survival will dramatically increase.

I wish I could hug my friend.....

But, I will trust that He is holding her in His loving embrace each day.

Sometimes it's so difficult to be away from home...and the ones you love.

Two Months Already!

It's really hard for me to believe that we've been here for almost two months now. It's been more like two days, really.

With students coming to our house every day, I suppose time would fly by...as it has.

Here's a brief list of what we've learned:

1. Chinese students love to smile.

2. Teaching is not as hard as originally suspected.

3. Hubei Univeristy of Education is terribly far from anything interesting in the city.

4. We will be asked the same three questions every time we meet a new friend.

5. Those questions are:

• "Do you like Chinese food?"
• "Can you use chopsticks?"
• "What do you think of China?"

6. Our students will never hesitate to tell us if they think our class is boring.

7. You should bring toilet paper with you if you intend to stay out on the town for any lengthy period of time.

8. You must push people out of the way to enter the buses.

9. Our job isn't an easy job, but we need to be here.

So far, being in China is like being any other place in the world. Except that everything is large...and that there are crowds everywhere you go. Other than those things, though, China is like any other place. People are people. They are hurt. They are lonely. They are longing for answers to those menacing life questions that every person has deep within.

We are here and we are trying hard to adapt. But mostly we are trying hard to love on the people we encounter.

I think China is a lovely place...

I think our students are even lovelier.

Creepy Crawlers

Yesterday we had a house-centipede in our bathroom.

Upon asking the Chinese students if this insect would kill us if we were to be biten, the Chinese students told us, "No, but you better get to the hospital fast."

After long extensive research on the internet, I have not discovered anything life threatening about the bug. Although it seems that this insect may be harmless to humans, it still was very scary and I wanted it really dead.

So, our bug/creepy creature adventures continue.

Our First Month

We've been here for over a month now.

Some days are really good, other days are a little sad. This week I had a rather hard day. I missed home a LOT. Mostly just nostalgic for people and the way things used to be when.... You know...that sort of missing home.I'm doing better now. I spent the whole day cleaning house, which always cheers me up when I'm down.

Now, I'm almost done teaching my classes for, this, our sixth week. We've had probably half of our students in our house. We've been to East Lake and the Provincial Museum. I've stared at Chinese oil paintings and adored each and every stroke. We've made plenty of friends. I've bought some new Converse shoes to help my achy feet from walking too much. We've learnt how to cook a Wuchang fish....

All in all, life is good. We have three more months until summer break....so we're going to keep busy. Hopefully, I can post a little more regularly.

Our First Classes

I have a cold....But yesterday was a good start to teaching English.

I had two classes yesterday, David had three.

I basically did the "get to know you" thing with my students. I also had them read from some text.I spent a lot more time talking than I had originally planned, but I suppose that is a good sign. I guess that means that this won't be as difficult of a task as I thought.Today I have the entire day off! I think I need the rest, and maybe my cold will go away. Hopefully.The only down side to having today off....David has to teach all day.

The First Week

A couple of days ago we had our first tour of the campus.

We walked out to a little lake that we have out back of the campus and there was a pagoda out there! Lovely. It seemed a nice place that we can go sometimes for some quiet. There was also this little bridge that went out to a little pagoda-ish balcony-type-like thing, walking out on the bridge was a little scary, because it's high and also very narrow, but it was beautiful.

Yesterday we signed our contracts, finally! We also went to a German chain store all the way on the other side of town. The store was amazing! We got some things for the house, but I was OVERjoyed to see that they sell Russian juice! I bought all three kinds of Russian juice and am now enjoying my яблоко (apple) flavor.

The drive to the German market, also called "Metro" (which is similar to Sam's club in the U.S.) was absolutely fantastic. It made China come alive. The drive was pretty foggy and overcast, and there was water surrounding us from the river. There weren't many bridges, but the road was somehow built onto the water, if that makes sense, and it had trees on both sides. I don't know if I am making a clear picture, but needless to say, it was a magical place and I would love to take that drive again!

Today I guess we are going across town to see some other Americans who live in our city. I am excited to get to see the city again.

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***Note:

I caved in. Writing on xanga is too difficult, which results in my lack of communication. I decided that blogging is a necessity for me, so I signed up for blogger. I've been a part of the Xanga community for almost five years, and it really tortures me to write elsewhere, but I need a place to write... I need this outlet....so blogger it is. So, for the remainder of my time in China, I will blog here.
End Note***

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