ABC's Kindergarten!

Well I finally made it to the school in Guzhen! To be honest... I really had no idea what to expect. Alice (our chinese coordinator) picked us up as we got off the ferry from Hong Kong. We said our farewells to the other groups (sad) and were on our way! Alice is the most smiley and amazing person you have ever met. Getting things started off has been pretty rocky. This whole "Head Teacher" thing is rewarding... but very hard. We haven't had access to the internet and haven't had hot water or gas or anything for the past few days. (I haven't showered in three days, don't judge) We have squatters in our apartment! Sometimes... it makes a gurgling noise and then a few seconds later dirty water spews up. It gets some pretty good air. I have been the victim of its attack a few times. I wouldn't say its the most pleasant experience. All of that really wouldn't be a problem for me. I really enjoy life here and realize how blessed we are to have the things we have. But my teachers... I can't exactly say the same for them. For most, this is their first time out of the country and away from home. The fact that we didn't have access to the internet was daunting for most. They wanted to speak to their families and let them know they arrived safe. It made me realize how lucky I am that I don't have to worry about that sort of thing. I know my family loves me and cares that I'm safe... but they aren't going to panic if they haven't heard from me in 4 days. They know that I can take care of myself no matter where I am. I freaking love my family. We're awesome. It is so hard to keep these teachers positive about China. It was so easy for me to fall in love with China! I hope that my teachers will eventually love it as much as I do.

So things are fabulous. I feel like this has truly been the real chinese experience. It is SOOOOO cold here. I wasn't prepared for that at ALL. I was told it would be so hot! So all I brought was a super light jacket. Its rainy season here and so we all just huddle together as we run to the school. The kids. OH MY GOODNESS! The kids are tiny. I have never taught babies this small before. We have only been teaching 4 days and they already have completely melted my heart. I LOVE IT HERE! I don't have much time on the internet but know that things are going great and I love life here more than ever! I hope this finds you all safe and happy. Remember how blessed you are to have running water, microwaves, HEATERS!, toilets, dry clothes, clean sheets, mattresses, jackets, ovens, and normal bread. Haha.

Hong Kong!

Frontal view of our Hotel. We even have a pool!

Wow. I can't believe it. Everything seems so new to me and yet so familiar at the same time. We got out of the airport and had one of the prettiest bus rides I have ever taken in my life. The clouds were low and drifted over the water but you could still see the small islands on both sides. I LOVE BEING BY THE WATER! It is absolutely gorgeous here in Hong Kong! I don't know what exactly I expected... but i am definitely living in luxury. We are staying at the Metropark-Kowloon Hotel and it is by far the nicest place I have ever stayed at in China. As I write this.... a Chinese Catholic Priest is sitting across from me speaking very loudly with his comrade. It is sooooooo cool to see the old english influence here and how much it is different from mainland China. They even drive on the wrong side of the road!

The disease prevention staff!!! Woohoo!

But our travels here were not without a few difficulties. We made all of our flights. One girl missed her Korean flight but caught a later one and we will pick her up from the airport later this evening. Everything seemed to be going well. I was just thinking..."Hey this whole... "being the head teacher" thing doesn't seem so hard after all!" But in traditional chinese fashion... things didn't go exactly as planned. (Which is why we love the chinese so much; nothing ever goes as planned!) I was constantly doing a head count of all my girls (mom mode) as we made our way through the airport when one of my teachers is stopped by the "health and disease prevention" staff. They asked for her passport and took  her temperature only to find out she had a fever! Poor thing. They have these cool thermal cameras they use to spot you if your sick. So they made her put on this super legit chinese medical mask and (with very little english) said that she must go to the sick bay before she was allowed to leave. I told the other teachers to head through customs without us and that we would meet up with them in a bit. I went with her so she wouldn't be scared and oh my lady gaga.... it was hilarious. We went all the way to the other side of the airport, down an elevator shaft to this cute little sick bay. They asked her some questions... she didn't really understand her very well so they had to call in someone who speaks English better. We waited for her... then she finished the paperwork and told us that we have to go to the hospital. Haha. I've only been in China 5 seconds and its already time to seek medical assistance! Woohooo! I love it. She only has a sniffly nose and says she doesn't feel very bad at all but if we don't get it approved by a doctor (and then he sends the report to the airport) then her visa could possibly be revoked. Isn't that awesome!!?!?! I love that the SECOND we walk off the plane something crazy already goes down. Poor girl. She's never been out of the country before and they are making her walk around with a mask. It was hilarious though. It was a perfect welcome to China for me. Its good to be back!


The rest of the day has been awesome. We just settled into our rooms and then went and got some delicious street food. Tomorrow we will go on a guided tour of Hong Kong. It will be nice to have a guide for a change. I have just been aimlessly traveling to random places around China of my own accord. Might be nice to get a little extra information this time. There is so much to learn about Hong Kong and I want to soak it all up! AHHHHHHHHH! You guys have NO idea how good it feels to be back. I'm not even mainland yet and I feel... Alive!!!!

Layover In Korea.

Well I'm almost in China! I am currently sitting in the beautiful Korean airport and I couldn't be happier! Its such a relief to finally meet the teachers I will be spending all of my time with. Even after our 17 hour flight they are still hilariously awesome. We will be spending the next 3 days vacationing in Hong Kong and then we head to Zhongshan to meet our students! I am going to go explore the airport now but I will write more the next chance I get!

So Anxious!

I fly out of Phoenix on the 9th. Thats THIS WEDNESDAY! I can't wait another moment! I am ready to be on that plane back to China! I am not entirely prepared... I'm sure I am missing a few supplies that I will be kicking myself for later. I will be in a new area so its hard to know what I will need or what I will have access to. But thats all just part of the adventure I guess. These past few days have been torture. I hate waiting. I am so impatient at times. (Which is something I should really work on changing.) I really am just so ready to get back over there and start teaching again! Hooray!