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I thought you might enjoy seeing a photo of some of my students! One cold, windy afternoon, the students invited my friend, Shannon, and I to join them for Hot Pot. It was great fun!

I feel really blessed to have found the perfect job to help ease the transition into a new culture. Teaching English has given me opportunities to build relationships with local people, and even make some lasting friendships. I have had students into my home, and Bo and I have been invited into some of their homes (which is a really big deal). My students have helped me with countless tasks, from grocery shopping to figuring out how to keep mosquitos out of my house. They also teach me so much, and are eager to share about their culture as well as learn about mine.

March wrapped up my 6 month teaching commitment, and I considered quitting my job because I have honestly maxed-out my schedule lately. But I just couldn’t give it up completely, because that would mean possibly missing out on future friendships. So as of this month, I am working part-time. Three days a week, an NO weekends!! Yippee!

I just couldn’t abandon these guys…

By the way, the girl sitting down is my Canadian colleague, Shannon, not a student… as if you couldn’t tell!

Last week, during a lower level English class, I presented my students with a simple question, “if you had 10 million RMB, what would you buy?” One student said he would buy a hotel. One said she would travel around the world. The last student to answer the question said that he would buy a car. So of course I asked him what kind of car he would buy, expecting him to say something to the effect of Ferrari or Lamborghini.

He said he would buy a Buick. Go figure.

It looks like I didn’t totally miss out on the Olympics after all!

Bo’s company has their own annual Olympic games, where all of the subsidiaries compete against each other in various track and field events. This is a BIG deal. Complete with an opening ceremony with pomp and circumstance that rivaled the actual Olympic ceremony…well, almost.

The ceremony started with a huge parade where a select group from each subsidiary marched (the way only people from a communist country can march) around the track, proudly displaying their colors, while the employees in the stands cheered and cheered. It was amazing.

I took tons of photos, but they hardly do the day justice. Here are a few:

And in the stands…

The company gave every single employee a track suit. Each subsidiary wore a different colored suit with a different country’s name on the front. Hisense International (Bo’s group) was Scotland.

Yes, these are people. They filled the stands on the opposite side of the stadium from where I was sitting. Their red and white shirts form the Chinese characters that represent the company.

No surprise here. Bo got ahold of the drumsticks somehow and entertained everyone with a not-so-communist beat.

Here is Bo, with our sweet friend Diana (who, by the way, is going to be my Mandarin tutor), getting ready for the 100 meter race. He was supposed to participate in this event and the long-jump, but due to the language barrier, he missed both events. Oops!

And no day in China would be complete without a group of strangers wrangling me for a photo. I don’t know any of these girls except for my beautiful friend, Melody, who is peeking over my head.

Qingdao, China- No one played hooky last week at AroundAsia Foreign Language school, as students filed in to catch a glimpse of the new American English teacher. Rebecca D, the teacher, was surprised and flattered by the enthusiasm. “I felt like a Hollywood celebrity,” she said with a smile, “students would approach me between class periods and ask me when I would be teaching their class. Then, they would wait in the hall to watch me come out of the teachers’ lounge and walk to class. Sort of like a red carpet moment.” 

When asked for her reaction to the new teacher, a female student remarked, “I think she has good education and has a good temperament and very beautiful. I like her very much and hope to be friends with her.” Most students agree that the new teacher is very  friendly and helpful, but there is also speculation among students that the American is hiding a secret. “I think maybe she has some Asian in her family. Maybe her mother is Chinese,” said an intermediate student. “She must not be full-American because she is not fat and Americans are fat. She has Asian hair, too.” We will be investigating this matter over the next few weeks.

The other teachers, originating from various cities in Europe and Australia, seem to enjoy the idea of having another foreigner to hang out with. Although, during the last week, they have experienced abandonment issues, as most of the curious students have piled into the new teacher’s class and left them with only a handful of pupils to teach. “She’s the flavor-of-the-month,” said a male teacher hailing from Australia, “in a few weeks, she will be old news and the students will be drooling over the next new teacher.” But for now, it is all about the American.

Whether it’s my adaptability, my co-workers’ graciousness, or a combination of both, I’ve fit in very well at my new job from day one. I’ve made some really good friends here. Not a week goes by that there isn’t some type of function outside of work where we all just hang loose, lay back, and enjoy each other’s company. My colleagues have made it a point to welcome me. And one of the best ways they have done so is by making it clear that however and whenever I need help with my Mandarin, they’ll help me any way they can.

The first two or three weeks with the company, different people would help me with my language skills after work. There would be some type of rotation between four people, but it wasn’t consistent or organized. The help was very much appreciated, but I still felt like I needed lessons that were on a much more consistent level.

One day, my friend Rolland and I were talking and he told me that he arrives at work every morning about 45 minutes early and would be happy to meet me the next day. Rolland is very nice guy. He’s what we in the west would call a “go-to guy.” He’s been with the company for a while and whenever the general managers need something done, he’s the man they call upon. He has a lot of experience, a lot of know-how, and is fluent in English. Rolland spent five years in Ireland for the same reasons I’m in China – to learn the ways of a completely different culture – but his primary intention was to learn English. His story is very encouraging to me.

Rolland told me of a friend of his in Ireland who always went out of his way to make sure he was comfortable at work. After all, he was a Chinese person who didn’t know any English whatsoever but worked in an Irish office (he also went through the same thing in Hungary before he lived in Ireland). I can imagine the difficulty. But his friend worked with him until he had a good understanding of the language. Now, Rolland is fluent in English and speaks the language better than anyone I’ve met in China.

So, having the exact same experience as what I’m going through right now, Rolland has been very sensitive to the fact that I am a foreigner working in a foreign company. He has shown his empathy through many gestures, including inviting me to the Kylin Hot Spring Resort and toasting to my braveness and courage in front of many co-workers.

But the most valuable thing he is doing for me is for the past two weeks, he has been meeting with me every morning to help me practice my Mandarin. And what a big help it has been. He’s a great teacher! In fact, he used to be teacher. Gee…what a coincidence!

I feel blessed to have crossed paths with someone like Rolland. And I am thankful that one of the most important parts of me being here (language training) will be easier because of good friends.

Here are some pictures to go along with that last post…

(Pictures to follow)

What a weekend! I just got back from a relaxing weekend trip to Kylin Hot Spring Resort, which is about an hour west of Qingdao. The resort was surrounded by countryside of hills, mountains, windmills, and silos. Yep. I found myself back in the (American) south – and it was a great feeling! In fact, I could’ve sworn there had to be some blackberry bushes out there for my grandmother to pick from to make her famous blackberry jelly. Either that or a couple of mobile homes, a fishing bait shop, and an over sized rebel flag billboard that says, “FIREWORKS HERE”. Yep…it was that close to home. My room was perfect – not because of the comfort of the bed or the amenities, but because of the view. In one of the pictures, I did my best to show you my room and the view as I saw it for the first time when I walked in.

I went on this trip with about 15 people from our company. It was just a fun getaway for pure relaxation – no meetings, no business and no politics (the Chinese love to talk politics – despite what you hear); just friendship and fun. The resort was a complete spa, with massages, hot tubs, pools, saunas, good food, and pretty nice rooms. In fact, this is considered a honeymoon destination for many in the Northeastern region of China. It was rejuvenation for me to be able to get away from the daily clutter of life and spend good quality time with my new friends. The first thing we did was run straight for the spa. We first jumped in the hot tub but then got in a pool full of those little fish that love to feed on your dead skin. This is supposed to be healthy for the skin on your feet, but I guess I just don’t care enough about the health status of my feet’s skin to use these pools for therapeutic reasons. The only reason I got in at all was to be able to say that I’ve done it, for photo-ops, and for a good laugh. But this isn’t something I would consider relaxing. Just imagine how it would feel to be barely poked by thousands of needles all over your ankles and feet. If you’ve done this before you know what I’m talking about. If not, you don’t ever need to know. Healthy skin on your feet is not worth the subtle torture.

The rest of the day consisted of swimming in an outdoor swimming pool, table tennis, piano playing, dinner, and card-games. The next morning after a meal of dumplings, boiled eggs, and some unidentified goodies, we left for Qingdao. Overall, it was a great weekend. But hey, any weekend that’s going to make me feel like I’m back in Tennessee, Alabama, or Florida is going to be a great weekend!