This past Friday was parents day. We have been preparing for it for days. We have been preparing lessons, cleaning, and lots of paperwork. The teachers have been nervous and stressed and we all couldn't wait for the day to be over. The night before I went to bed really late with plans to wake up early, shower, do my hair, and dress up nice. After parents day I was to have a meeting with the parents in which I explain our program and answer any questions they have via a translator. That morning one of my teachers woke me up at 5 o'clock in the morning. I was disoriented and couldn't quite hear what she was saying. I swung my feet around to get out of bed and found myself wading in about 4 inches of water. We had a flood. We have a fairly large apartment for China standards. We have three bedrooms, a living room, and a small sliver of a kitchen. The WHOLE place was filled with water past our ankles.
I quickly ran to the kitchen to find the source of our newfound swimming pool. A pipe beneath our sink had burst and the water was spraying out like a hose on full blast. I held my hand over it while we woke up our chinese coordinator to figure out how to turn off the water. After some struggles... it was off. And there we are. Seven soaking wet teachers standing in water on the day we most needed our rest. I looked at katie... and then we just started laughing! Of coarse. Of all days for this to happen. That was the day. We had no electricity and no water. Showers were not an option and all of our things were wet. (Including the clothes I had laid out for the day) One of my girls had left her computer on the ground and my camera was on the ground as well. So there were some casualties. The girl that lost her computer was not laughing nearly as hard as I was. I feel so bad for her. But... there are more important things in life. At least now we know not to leave anything on the floor! It was impossible to ignore the humor in it all. I looked awful for parents day. Hopefully they were able to look past my appearance and see how much I love and care for their children. That morning after we scooped out some of the water into the sink, I got a call on my chinese phone from my friend Natalie! It was so cool to talk to someone from back home. Its been far too long since I have talked to a friend. We got to the school and it was like the stresses of the morning melted away. Those kids. I love them so much. They are learning so quickly and it never ceases to amaze me! The kids are doing great, the teachers are doing great and, (despite the flood), I am having the time of my life! Thanks for all of your support and interest in my adventures. I miss you all!
I quickly ran to the kitchen to find the source of our newfound swimming pool. A pipe beneath our sink had burst and the water was spraying out like a hose on full blast. I held my hand over it while we woke up our chinese coordinator to figure out how to turn off the water. After some struggles... it was off. And there we are. Seven soaking wet teachers standing in water on the day we most needed our rest. I looked at katie... and then we just started laughing! Of coarse. Of all days for this to happen. That was the day. We had no electricity and no water. Showers were not an option and all of our things were wet. (Including the clothes I had laid out for the day) One of my girls had left her computer on the ground and my camera was on the ground as well. So there were some casualties. The girl that lost her computer was not laughing nearly as hard as I was. I feel so bad for her. But... there are more important things in life. At least now we know not to leave anything on the floor! It was impossible to ignore the humor in it all. I looked awful for parents day. Hopefully they were able to look past my appearance and see how much I love and care for their children. That morning after we scooped out some of the water into the sink, I got a call on my chinese phone from my friend Natalie! It was so cool to talk to someone from back home. Its been far too long since I have talked to a friend. We got to the school and it was like the stresses of the morning melted away. Those kids. I love them so much. They are learning so quickly and it never ceases to amaze me! The kids are doing great, the teachers are doing great and, (despite the flood), I am having the time of my life! Thanks for all of your support and interest in my adventures. I miss you all!
Ashley, I love your blog! It makes me miss China. Just yesterday I took the bus here in Salt Lake around town to do some shopping and as I sat on the empty bus I missed the crowded China buses. Those were so fun! I'm sorry to hear about the flood but I love that you just laughed about it! That always makes a bad situation that much easier to handle. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us back at home through your blog. Also, I'm so glad you got to go back to Changzhou! Even if the time was short. Keep having fun!
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