Trying to adjust back to life in Beijing, and actually it's not too much of an adjustment. We were only gone for 3 weeks afterall. Things do change quickly around here, at least the way things look. Otherwise, this is our home. We know the routines here, and it's become familiar. In Canada we were out of routine. We didn't really have a place to call home. What was familiar were all the people. How marvelous it was to see so many people and spend time with people who truly know us. Those bonds are irreplaceable. And the time in Ontario really was awesome. The skies were such a deep blue, and the trees and grass were such a beautiful dark green. The air was sweet, and the blueberries were delicious! We had a great time visiting....and although it was hard to leave, it was nice to unpack the suitcases, even if just for a week.
Salt & Pepper (our pet rabbits) grew and matured while we were away. They have both reached puberty and it certainly affects their relationship :) Needless to say, we think Salt might be pregnant. Pepper is as mischevious as always, jumping up on the couch, chewing on almost every piece of paper and wood he can find. Salt is still shy and flighty. We've considered getting rid of them, and have thought it over for a few days. But we don't really have many options. The pet store won't take them. Even though they are quite a bit of work these days, we're still quite attached to them and would hate to part with them. (Yes, we realize that we've become crazy pet parents).
Even though we've returned to our familiar surroundings, we are missing a lot of our friends that have returned to their motherlands. We're really missing Jodee and Steven, who unexpectedly left while we were gone. His contract was cut short by one month and so we didn't even get to say goodbye. We really did a lot with them. Our evenings are currently a bit boring without them around. But we look forward to the beginning of the school year, when new faces will arrive, and some others will come back from summer holidays.
I won't be posting again for a couple of weeks, as we're heading down south to where it is rumoured to be 35 degrees everyday and have lots of mosquitoes! It's an overnight train ride, which is always an adventure. Thankfully our friend Noah is joining us. We'll have 3 other people to share the cabin with.....hopefully no babies or snorers.
Oh, I forgot to mention our impulsive move this week (we realize that together we sometimes make rash decisions). I really wanted to add some colour to our white walls. I wanted a cozier feel....I guess slightly inspired by all the beautifully decorated homes in Canada. We decided on RED for a few of our walls. Choosing the paint at the store is nerve-wracking. We probably should've taken more time and brought the paint chips home, because we ended up with a red that I think is too bright. But it's fine. It was a 1.5 day affair. Cleaning, taping, painting once, painting twice, painting three times, go buy more paint, then paint fourth time! yes, four coats. It actually looks pretty good....but I think we should've done a red that was a bit warmer. Oh well! Stay tuned for pictures! And we're hoping our landlord likes it :)
Goodbye for now from the mainland, where the sicadas are defeaningly loud, and dogs ride in the baskets of bikes.....
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
HELLO CANADA
Yes, we've been visiting Canada now for 2 weeks. It was an unplanned trip, spurred on when I realized we had about 3 weeks with no plans, and I really needed a break. After sitting on the idea for 3 days, we went ahead and bought tickets, just 10 days before flying out. We've really enjoyed our time at home. It's been great to catch up with friends and family. Honestly, it doesn't feel like we've left! Facebook is great for helping us keep in touch. The biggest difference would be the kids - they sure grow and change a lot in a year.
Being home is nice and easy...everything just runs simply....not like life in China. Scott reminded me tonight that this is not all that life is meant to be...too much comfort, and you don't grow. I enjoy life in China when we're there, but it's sure nice to visit Canada. We've really appreciated the clear skies, clean air, GREEN everywhere, stars, sunsets, the list goes on. But I know that for now, God has called us to serve him in China. So in obedience, we return there next week. There are lots of adventures planned for this summer, and we look forward to another great school year.
Keep in touch!!!
Being home is nice and easy...everything just runs simply....not like life in China. Scott reminded me tonight that this is not all that life is meant to be...too much comfort, and you don't grow. I enjoy life in China when we're there, but it's sure nice to visit Canada. We've really appreciated the clear skies, clean air, GREEN everywhere, stars, sunsets, the list goes on. But I know that for now, God has called us to serve him in China. So in obedience, we return there next week. There are lots of adventures planned for this summer, and we look forward to another great school year.
Keep in touch!!!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
HOT!
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!
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 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!!
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