It's been very hot this past week here in Beijing. Saturday and Sunday were probably the hottest days, with temperatures between 30-35. We had an excellent Sports Day on Saturday with the school. The only unfortunate thing was that we had to be outside most of the time! Sitting on astro turf wasn't nice either, it gets really hot! All the students and staff were divided into House teams, and we had a great time getting dressed up as Yellow Lions, or Red Bulls. I even wore yellow nail polish.
In spite of the heat, all in all, it was a great day. Tug-o-war was probably the highlight, especially when us yellow lions won! We didn't win overall, but my team did take second place and Scott's team was third :) We were supposed to have Sports Day on a Friday, but for logistical reasons it was changed to Saturday, and so we got Monday off! We were able to enjoy a nice weekend, which included a trip to the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). It's pretty cool! Each of the main venues has to have a rehearsal running an event, that's why we've been able to go. We saw the finals for a Track & Field meet, including javelin, triple jump, high jump and the relay races, which are always exciting! (We also had a teacher's relay for our Sports Day, which Scott's team won because he's an awesome sprinter!).
We are down to the last two weeks! It's really hard to teach. The kids are loopy and excited, but I try to find fun things they enjoy doing. We're still not sure what exactly we'll be doing for our holiday after school, but that's ok.
Our bunnies are big now! Pepper can even jump up on the couch unassisted! Which is bad news, because he likes to poop on there. gross. But they are still as cute as ever, just double in size.
We've had some sandy weather lately, which means we have indoor recess. Apparently factories are working overtime now since they will be shut down during the Olympics.
Well, don't forget to come visit us over here! We're craving visitors! And I'm also craving Greek pasta salad mix. That kind in an envelope. Any of those dry envelope mixes would be great! :)
Bye!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Safe & Sound
Yes things are crazy right now in China. The recent earthquake has kinda shaken things up (unintentional pun). I barely noticed the small tremor we got here in Beijing at 2:30 on Monday. We were in school...I was standing at the front of the class and felt dizzy for a moment, as if I was sick. Later on I found out the reason, and that I wasn't the only one who thought I was sick :) Our students didn't even notice, so why would we evacuate? Some parents were wondering why not, when other schools did. Maybe we should first get an Earthquake Evacuation procedure! hmmm.....
Almost two weeks ago now we went on an AWESOME, memorable camping/hiking trip on a section of the Great wall. We planned to go with some co-workers who'd been before, but they backed out....so we ended up planning this trip on our own, blindly. Thankfully we had some other adventurous friends who trusted us to the task. We got a driver and off we went, 6 of us, to a more remote section. Hardly any people! That's an amazing thing when you live in such a crowded country. Unfortunately the china traffic delayed our arrival, so it was 6 pm by the time we made it to the entrance of the park. We hiked up, and then once we figured out which direction to go on the wall, we hiked as far as we could and found a flat tower in which to pitch our tent. We made a smorgasboard for dinner: baked beans, mac 'n' cheese, soup, buns, boiled eggs. So good! Us 4 girls slept in the tent, while the two boys gladly slept outside on mats.
At 2:30 I saw some lights.....prayed it wasn't lightning....but it was. At about 4am we woke everyone up, grabbed everything that was sitting outside, including the boys, and huddled inside the tent as it started to rain. We were completely, and entirely UNprepared for rain. No rain fly for the tent, no rain coats, nothing! Thankfully it wasn't too heavy and only lasted about 40 minutes. Once it stopped there was nothing else to do except pack up and hit the road. On the road at 5am it took us about 3 hrs to make it to our destination, Simatai park. Along the way we met some other really cool people who had also camped out for the night. Even though we didn't have clear skies and thus couldn't see the wall for miles in the distance, it was so wonderful to be up there in the clouds. Beautiful.
We have 4 weeks left of school. But sometimes it feels like just 1. I forget how much we have to do still. We're planning our vacation already - to Mongolia for about 10 days as soon as school is out. Should be a blast!
That's all for now folks!
Almost two weeks ago now we went on an AWESOME, memorable camping/hiking trip on a section of the Great wall. We planned to go with some co-workers who'd been before, but they backed out....so we ended up planning this trip on our own, blindly. Thankfully we had some other adventurous friends who trusted us to the task. We got a driver and off we went, 6 of us, to a more remote section. Hardly any people! That's an amazing thing when you live in such a crowded country. Unfortunately the china traffic delayed our arrival, so it was 6 pm by the time we made it to the entrance of the park. We hiked up, and then once we figured out which direction to go on the wall, we hiked as far as we could and found a flat tower in which to pitch our tent. We made a smorgasboard for dinner: baked beans, mac 'n' cheese, soup, buns, boiled eggs. So good! Us 4 girls slept in the tent, while the two boys gladly slept outside on mats.
At 2:30 I saw some lights.....prayed it wasn't lightning....but it was. At about 4am we woke everyone up, grabbed everything that was sitting outside, including the boys, and huddled inside the tent as it started to rain. We were completely, and entirely UNprepared for rain. No rain fly for the tent, no rain coats, nothing! Thankfully it wasn't too heavy and only lasted about 40 minutes. Once it stopped there was nothing else to do except pack up and hit the road. On the road at 5am it took us about 3 hrs to make it to our destination, Simatai park. Along the way we met some other really cool people who had also camped out for the night. Even though we didn't have clear skies and thus couldn't see the wall for miles in the distance, it was so wonderful to be up there in the clouds. Beautiful.
We have 4 weeks left of school. But sometimes it feels like just 1. I forget how much we have to do still. We're planning our vacation already - to Mongolia for about 10 days as soon as school is out. Should be a blast!
That's all for now folks!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
7 more weeks of school
It's hard to believe that school will be over quite soon. 7 weeks can really fly by quickly, especially when we have another holiday coming up this week, and lots of activities to finish up the year. By the lord's grace I've made it through my first year of teaching. This past week was Enrichment Week. Monday we spent time preparing for the big photo scavenger hunt we were sending the kids on. Good thing we didn't plan anything outside that day because it was pouring! and traffic gets bad when it rains a lot here. there are accidents, it's almost impossible to get a taxi, and buses are more crowded than usual.
Tuesday and Wednesday was our scavenger hunt. the kids were divided into groups of 3 + an adult per group. We gave them a list of locations, and certain things they had to find or do at the location. The kids had to do all the work, and the adults were just there to keep them safe. It was a great experience! It forced the students to use their chinese, and it was the first time using public transportation for some of them. It was quite exhausting by the end of the two days, but well worth it!
Thursday we drove to a city just southwest of us, Tianjin. We visited a historical site, then spent too much time at the hotel trying to sort out problems. I almost thought we'd have to go back to Beijing. It's a long story so I'd rather not elaborate. Needless to say, after an hour of them saying no, we decided to leave for awhile so they couldn't waste more of our day. As we left they said everything was alright. This is just how things go here. Regulations for having passports have changed and there was a lot of miscommunication between the travel agent and our staff member. Anyways, we got to stay at the hotel....which was alright....but I've learned a lot planning this past week and will be better prepared for next year!
This weekend has been great for relaxing and doing some things outside. We played some badminton, went to the park, did some biking to the art district, and just had a good time with friends. This week we only teach 2 days, then we have May holiday! We're planning a camping trip to the great wall with some friends for 1 night. We're also making our plans for summer. we hope to volunteer with some camps, travel, and take some chinese lessons.
Along with the warmer weather comes the return of some nasty smells. We certainly didn't miss them in the winter....but more smells seem to come out of our drains when it's warm. Gross! I also think I inhaled a few small flies today while we were biking.
Bye for now!
Tuesday and Wednesday was our scavenger hunt. the kids were divided into groups of 3 + an adult per group. We gave them a list of locations, and certain things they had to find or do at the location. The kids had to do all the work, and the adults were just there to keep them safe. It was a great experience! It forced the students to use their chinese, and it was the first time using public transportation for some of them. It was quite exhausting by the end of the two days, but well worth it!
Thursday we drove to a city just southwest of us, Tianjin. We visited a historical site, then spent too much time at the hotel trying to sort out problems. I almost thought we'd have to go back to Beijing. It's a long story so I'd rather not elaborate. Needless to say, after an hour of them saying no, we decided to leave for awhile so they couldn't waste more of our day. As we left they said everything was alright. This is just how things go here. Regulations for having passports have changed and there was a lot of miscommunication between the travel agent and our staff member. Anyways, we got to stay at the hotel....which was alright....but I've learned a lot planning this past week and will be better prepared for next year!
This weekend has been great for relaxing and doing some things outside. We played some badminton, went to the park, did some biking to the art district, and just had a good time with friends. This week we only teach 2 days, then we have May holiday! We're planning a camping trip to the great wall with some friends for 1 night. We're also making our plans for summer. we hope to volunteer with some camps, travel, and take some chinese lessons.
Along with the warmer weather comes the return of some nasty smells. We certainly didn't miss them in the winter....but more smells seem to come out of our drains when it's warm. Gross! I also think I inhaled a few small flies today while we were biking.
Bye for now!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
will I survive?
The stress is getting to me. I think I need to have a breakdown and relieve some of this stress............or maybe I just need another $3 massage and hair wash. This past weekend I pampered myself a little. Jodee and I went for pedicures, then for a hairwash/massage. So wonderful! Scott was away at youth camp ;) Anyways, this week is SAT testing and we're still finalizing details for next week's Enrichment Week, which is a week of field trips! yikes! Someone decided to inform us today of some unwritten rule that would've changed our plans. But someone else in the office staff doesn't think it matters! They leave us on our own to plan a week of trips, including an overnight trip, with no clue what we're doing, and then a few days before you're off "Oh, by the way, have you done this???" "NO, because no one told us to!!! How are we supposed to know that?!" We just want to enjoy next week. Hopefully things run smoothly.
The weather here continues to improve. It's been in the mid twenties all week so I've been enjoying wearing skirts (yes, I bike to work in a skirt) and some of the new clothes from my mom and sister-in-law. Thanks! So many beautiful blooms that mask some of the bad china smells.
Oh and on top of everything else we're having some grade 8 boys from an out-of-town international school stay with us for 3 nights. our school is hosting a soccer tournament and we offered homestays to some of the teams. Mostly we just have to feed them dinner 2 nights and make sure they get to bed on time :)
I'm really looking forward to the end of the school year. I need a long break!
Remember that our place is always open for guests!!
The weather here continues to improve. It's been in the mid twenties all week so I've been enjoying wearing skirts (yes, I bike to work in a skirt) and some of the new clothes from my mom and sister-in-law. Thanks! So many beautiful blooms that mask some of the bad china smells.
Oh and on top of everything else we're having some grade 8 boys from an out-of-town international school stay with us for 3 nights. our school is hosting a soccer tournament and we offered homestays to some of the teams. Mostly we just have to feed them dinner 2 nights and make sure they get to bed on time :)
I'm really looking forward to the end of the school year. I need a long break!
Remember that our place is always open for guests!!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Spring Fever!!!
The weather is really warming up now! I think today was about 20 degrees! There are so many blossoming trees, that in spite of the pollution and dust in the air, the city is looking pretty :) This past weekend we had the chance to spend some good quality time with friends. Friday was a holiday, and besides hosting a fellow Holland Landing resident for lunch, the weather was sunny and hot! We spent the evening playing Cities & Knights with friends (thanks for sending it mom!) and then the next morning we took off for a hiking adventure.
There are many English books and websites about hiking around Beijing. Steven and Jodee have one of those, so he picked one he went on over a year ago, got a driver, and off we went. It took about 1.5hrs to get there by car (Buick minivan!). The hike was on and beside part of the Great Wall that hasn't been restored. The day was cloudy, but the weather was perfect temperature for hiking. The mountains were literally covered with flowering trees. And there were very few people. We were by ourselves, the 4 of us, most of the time. The higher we got, the steeper the climb was. The safest route was on a path that ran alongside the Wall. But sometimes we had to climb up rock. Thankfully there were guardrails to keep us from falling over the steep cliffs down into the river valley. With breaks and lunch at the top, it took us a total of 3. 5hours. We were exhausted when we got back. Thankfully Jodee and Steven have free passes to the Club at their place, so we all went to the hot tub, and then enjoyed the steam room. Only today have my calf muscles finally begun to feel normal again.
Sunday was another nice warm day. After lunch at our favorite pita place, Scott and I went to the Expat show, where our school had a booth set-up. We were too tired to stay for long, and went home after an hour. It's still hard for me to keep up with everything happening at school. We finish one thing, and another starts. Was it just last week we had our accreditation? Have I mentioned that yet? Anyways, it went very well. We don't really know the results for a month or more. This week I had parent teacher conferences on Monday. And this week is fairly regular as we preapre for SAT testing next week, and then Enrichment week after that! And then May holiday! phew! Time is passing far too quickly!
Thanks for all your support, love, and friendship. We still think of home, and miss it occasionally. But we know we have obeyed our lord , and so he continues to teach us and mold us.
much love,
SA
There are many English books and websites about hiking around Beijing. Steven and Jodee have one of those, so he picked one he went on over a year ago, got a driver, and off we went. It took about 1.5hrs to get there by car (Buick minivan!). The hike was on and beside part of the Great Wall that hasn't been restored. The day was cloudy, but the weather was perfect temperature for hiking. The mountains were literally covered with flowering trees. And there were very few people. We were by ourselves, the 4 of us, most of the time. The higher we got, the steeper the climb was. The safest route was on a path that ran alongside the Wall. But sometimes we had to climb up rock. Thankfully there were guardrails to keep us from falling over the steep cliffs down into the river valley. With breaks and lunch at the top, it took us a total of 3. 5hours. We were exhausted when we got back. Thankfully Jodee and Steven have free passes to the Club at their place, so we all went to the hot tub, and then enjoyed the steam room. Only today have my calf muscles finally begun to feel normal again.
Sunday was another nice warm day. After lunch at our favorite pita place, Scott and I went to the Expat show, where our school had a booth set-up. We were too tired to stay for long, and went home after an hour. It's still hard for me to keep up with everything happening at school. We finish one thing, and another starts. Was it just last week we had our accreditation? Have I mentioned that yet? Anyways, it went very well. We don't really know the results for a month or more. This week I had parent teacher conferences on Monday. And this week is fairly regular as we preapre for SAT testing next week, and then Enrichment week after that! And then May holiday! phew! Time is passing far too quickly!
Thanks for all your support, love, and friendship. We still think of home, and miss it occasionally. But we know we have obeyed our lord , and so he continues to teach us and mold us.
much love,
SA
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