Oh, China...

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Short entry, as it's already 7:30pm and we still have to study and lesson plan! Ahhh! We started getting evaluated today in our teaching classes, which will help determine our placements through the city of Shenzhen (say it with me now: Shen-Jen). We also get to fill out a sheet of preferences (district, age group, who we might want to be near, a few other things) and they'll try to work with us to get our top choices, but the Education Bureau in Shenzhen has the ultimate say. So, we'll see. Less of our preferences will matter, as we'll most likely get placed in a school that specifically has requested a couple and has space for us both.

I don't get evaluated till the 12th for the first time, with a total of 4 of my classes being observed by a coordinator. Martin got observed today, and will be FIVE MORE TIMES. Poor him. I also am only teaching for 25 minutes each class, since I have a partner, and he's teaching for the whole 50 minutes. Just the way the coordinators worked it out somehow. Luckily, he's a survivor and he can do it. 😊

It's rained really hard the past two days. Today we were on campus late for a Q&A session about preferences and got caught in it. Let's just say the umbrella sort of sucks. Martin's coat- not waterproof. My coat? In Seattle. AWESOME. I was wearing sandals. Plus it's still like a billion degrees and humid so you're just completely soaking. Oh well. We stopped for dinner at the same noodle place we've been to before, ordered the same thing (pointing at pictures is glorious) and both ended up feeling a little queasy. Stomach tightening, light-headedness, etc...I'm sure you can guess more details for yourself, but I won't get into it. Oh, China...

Oh, by the way? Squat toilets. Way harder than I really imagined. My thighs hated me afterwards, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to pee all over myself one of these times. Oh, China...

Things change by the minute here. Rules are very different than in the states. You risk your life crossing the street, where cars and bicycles honk at you and have absolutely no regard for your life. You NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EATING. There are constantly Chinese people taking pictures or videos of you and yelling 'Hello!!'

And, despite all of that, we are loving it. Truly, absolutely loving it. It's the experience of a lifetime, and we know it's not for everyone at all, but we're living through it and will have a thousand great stories and memories.

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Comments

[Grandma Betty]

Reply
How nice to be able to keep up with what you are doing. We are glad you are happy in what you are doing and continue to pray that it will all go well for you both. We send our love.

[Tiffany Journeys East]

The squatters..
Don't worry! By the end of the year you'll be squatting like a native. Then when you return home you'll absentmindedly squat to get something out of a lower kitchen cabinet and someone in your family will exclaim, "Where'd you learn to do that?!" I was a CTLC newbie last year. I'm living in Shenzhen for a second year on my own.