Dinner Music

Tonight whilst enjoying dinner with friends we were greeted with the background music of fireworks!

And what beautiful music it was!

Dear Mom & Dad, I...

Lovely Luoyang

This is backtracking a week...last weekend the school hosted a trip for the foreign teachers to Luoyang.  We went the opening weekend of the Peony Festival.  The Peony is the flower of Luoyang...and it will always remind me of mothers day.  So mom, these are for you.  

The festival was hosted at a place that had rides including a zip line.
So, with a little encouragement, I sat on a jerry-rigged zip line.
We watched many go successfully before we tried.
Under the zip line was a river full of trash and mud. Gross!

Almost safe!

Some of our lovely tour guides, translators and friends.

The very first person I met in China!
She greeted me at the airport when I first arrived.
A very sweet friend!

An easy way to get a crowd of Chinese to take your picture.
The man and his wife (on his shoulders) have been special friends.

Dinner?
As one who rarely ate meat in the states...this was quite the sight.
We took the meat and cooked it in our individual pots full of hot broth,
hence the name "hot pot".

 

Time in Tianjin

Tianjin is known as "the biggest village in China" with a mere 12 million people.  Being a "suburb" of Beijing, the city hosted some events of the Olympics.  The history of the city is full including home of Eric Liddell (Chariots of Fire) and Herbert Hoover (just for a year).

For me, the city was the most Western influenced city I had been to.  But no worries, it is still very Chinese!

A traditional street market full of bowls and bowls of nuts, seeds and grains. 

West meets East:  A Starbucks and Subway in the center of town. 

Culture Market:
A touristy shopping area full of trinkets and treasures.  

A woman working on beautiful embroidery art in the culture street .
By the time they are finished they look like fine paintings...intricacy and it's finest.
If you look closely at the picture you can see the pink flower she has already embroidered.
Seriously, it looks like painting...it is not.  

The Tianjin TV Tower which I called the Space Needle, wrong city!
The fisherman next to the TV tower is such a good picture of the city.

Playing a street game trying to throw hoops on treasures.
I did not win.  :( 

My sweet host, tour guide and friend.
It was a gift straight from above getting to spend time with her. 

Opening Ceremony

The quality of the video is minimal.  The zooming and shaking may make one feel sick.  With all that said, below is a glimpse of the opening ceremony today for Sports Day at Sias.  It was quite the event!

First Day of Class

The first day of class can be an nerve-wrecking experience.  But when you have a creative, fun partner teacher like I do, the day was one to look forward to.  As one whose most recent job was a barista, I was overjoyed when my partner teacher suggested we bring an American coffee shop to our students. There are no coffee shops in our area.   Instant coffee is the only coffee found at most grocery stores.  There was so much to teach the students!

My partner teacher provided the atmosphere with chill music on her computer and American magazines.  I provided a brief lecture on how to brew coffee.  Together we served them from a thermos of pre-made coffee.  Oh, the familiar feel of the infamous green apron!

Overall, the first day of teaching was a good one.  I definitely had some bumps, and I feel like I am more prepared for next time.  It is a rare occasion that my partner teacher and I bring our classes together and teach in the same classroom, so today was a treat.  

"Welcome to our Cafe, may I pour you a cup of
 (instant, already mixed with milk and sugar) coffee?"

Taking a sip break from a hard day of teaching.  :)

The caffeine did not take long to set in...

My fellow "barista" and partner teacher. 

Spring

Glimpses

Students performing a "shadow box" at a talent show at their outdoor performance theater.

Made in the USA in China.  :)  I love it!

Laundry day.  The students air out their comforters outside on a sunny day.

A cute Chinese girl enjoying her corn while riding the bus.
Street vendors sell corn on the cob here, it is flavored differently than in the States. 

One day it decided to rain/snow/sleet and all the students pulled their umbrellas out to keep them dry.
This is in the center of campus.  

Eating a fish eye is good luck, and as the "new girl" I was voted to be the one to eat it.
Crunchy.