Seriously? Seriously girlfriend? I think Kyle is fictional. Or illusive like Bigfoot maybe? P I C T U R E.... we all know you have a camera 8-). Love reading your stuff. I bet you were thrilled to see a Mickey Ds and a WalMart....tastes of home for sure. You are missed!
Perhaps? Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to teach these people some manners and responsibility when it comes to trash and hygiene? And how they speak to one another? You can't change the habits of an entire country but they are in your care often and for a length of time. Perhaps it's not a bad thing to learn Ms. Brenda doesn't like a funky classroom where people are rude to one another? Just a random thought (I don't try to type ransom, LOL...that's weird!). Good luck!
I am very happy that you mentioned my name in your blog although I am ashamed I made fun of Todd. He was nice. I was just a stupid girl trying to be funny, as always! Sounds like your having a good time and your classes are going well. I am excited to hear about it all!
huh? Maybe is you are from there, it is funny? I haven't heard you tell it before. Maybe it is because I am super tired from being at Dollywood all day, but I really don't get it either. Keep 'em coming! Have a great day!
Okay here are my favorites...
1. Do you like lovely person?...that one made me LOL literally. I was just very amused.
2. Do you have a boyfriend.
3. How to do with a one year old child's mistakes?
i'm jealous you got a textbook and you department has meetings? i think i knew maybe wo teachers we never got textbooks or anything, just the title of the class and the syllabus from the previous year.
you'll get the ang of the language it just takes a bit. i still didn't learn that much but i did get enough to eat:) oh also the market and kid pooping Ha! you know it happens but it always suprises you. i bought a pineapple and was waiting while the lady peeled it and there was this cute little kid so i started playing with him and he picked up a broken bottle and i didn't want him to cut himself so i tried to get it anyway he thoguht it was funny so he kepy playing wiht me like he would give me the bottle. a few seconds later he took a poop in the street and poked it with the bottle he came back over to play and needless to say i was kinda done with it by then! the mom just put a pomelo rind over it, and then i learned not to step on the rinds in the street!
thinking about the cook walking around shirtless being ok...suprises never end. we took a student with us to xian once and there were like 5 of us so we got a hostel and the chinese kid stayed with us. so i walk into the room that night dude was chillin in his tidy whities! not only that he later went down the hall in them to wash his face and brush his teeth! that was a suprise. he also aksed me what i did with my undergarments like if i washed them or soemthing i can't remember basically what about tommorow and i was like well i brought more for tommorow...he responded with something along the lines of oh thats a good idea! ...and know you know how they travel so light! oh and text messages TURN your phone OFF on american holidays and perhaps even chinese holidays if you want to get sleep. christmas or other american holidays my students knew about i started getting chain text messages at like 5 or 6 AM, not the way i had intended on starting the holiday, it goes all day. its sweet...just early
bottles i think i was told they get like a jiao or something for every bottle so you collect enough of those... yea we tryed to save them and give them to folks to, people that beg will almost always take bottles and if they aren't willing to take bottles i definitely didn't feel bad not giving them money. ahh chicken feet..that reminds me of that time in NZ after that i was terrified of what the food would be like in china. i actually liekd the food in china, and honestly i rarely saw chicken feet. :S go figure! we always grabbed bottles of something before we went in to eat. i don't mind tea or hot water in winter but when you're sweating outside, man its obnoxious!
oh i meant to tell you at some point when i realized where you would be that i think the people in town with you went to training with me before i went! just a random fact. also bathrooms...better in eastern china. always..ALWAYS carry tp with you, bathrooms always bad..everywhere. its unbelievable sometimes. most of where i was there were actually like squatty potty ceramic things not a toilet but yea anyway. when i headed into central china on vaca one time it was just the holes, very weird, then came the rooms with several holes, no walls or anything...you think they stare like it is, just wait till you're all in the bathroom together. oh and one of the rarer sights of bathrooms and people and such i saw a young adult (our age ish) use the bathroom outside the subway in shanghai....very odd very out of place. just pulled her pants down and squatted...yep it happens.
yep ahh i remmeber those things well. going to my apt. from the airport the first time i thought the driver was insane..i thought on several occassions that we (or someone else) would die. you get used to it. i was only in an accident once and luckily no one got hurt. as strange as it is and as crazy as they all drive, as soon as the guy took off i knew something bad would happen, he drove crazy even by chinese standards...point being, trust your gut..get out of the taxi! TUCK AND ROLL!!! oh also random advice.. do NOT take a sleeper bus from wuhan to chongqing, ever...just don't do it. *twitch*
Oh my goodness! wow... they asked some random and a couple of rude questions! :-/... I have some questions for you that make more sense and sound better haha! Are you haveing fun? are you enjoying yourself? What is the best part of your trip? Are you learning Chinese? Do you miss us? :-)
re the ???s Wow! Do you answer all their questions, or are you having them practice writing conversational English? If you do answer their questions, wow that's a bunch! Some of their questions are thought provoking! Cool! Thanks for sharing! Have a fun day! Kelly.
hello Hey Brenda,
James forwarded me your blog address and I have read every entry and have kept up with you through this. Oh, the adventures you are having! I am so proud of you! I admire you and the job you are doing!!! I so enjoy reading all of the little things that go on in your daily life and the life of your friends. The mouse, the spiders/bugs, all the aimless animals running around everywhere! Oh and the food. You are brave. I think if I went to just about any foreign land where you are advised to not drink the water...I would lose weight!!! ha ha ! I have been known to be picky and I can see me in a lot of your descriptions. Keep blogging and telling us all of your stories...we keep you in our thoughts and prayers. I know the blog is a comfort to your family as well. Take care ~ Kim
I hate mice! Hey Brenda. SO sorry it took me so long but I just saw that you wrote on my myspace. I did send the other girls a message. I have read all of your blogs and feel complete informed on your life and have laughed so hard at everyone o your posts. I hate mice too! They are gross and I totally would have done the same thing. I love all of your pictures!! The ones of building or temples(whatever they are ) remind me of Mulan. Please put more up when you can. I hope that your first day of teaching went well. I can't wait to hear more updates. Love you!!!!
Hmmm.... I think your washing machine may be a little bit homosexual. You have HBO now! Yay! You should watch True Blood. I guess it comes on in China. Maybe not. Don't they restrict what people can watch there?
I know what you mean about listening to the same song over and over. I do that all the time and it drives my husband crazy! I have listened to "I can only imagine" by Mercy Me so many times that "Sissy" Kyra, knows every word! Thanks for taking the pics and sharing them with us! Keep the interesting blogs and emails coming! Love ya!
Blenda, Blenda, Blenda! Wow! Sounds like you could puree something for lunch just with your name. Of course, you do realize that fried rice comes out "flied lice"!
That market was what I was talking about the other day. With ducks, chickens and other things just (mostly) hanging around, dead. Oh, and I forgot about the fish. I should have warned you.
I would have figured that if Kyle mentioned finding a bat, you would have been ready for a softball tournament before he got the rest of the comment out! LOL I agree with you, I prefer thinking about caves than rabies! Actually, bat rabies is quite rare, but it really gets media attention when it is discovered. I think I will download the Microsoft Language software and send my next message in Mandarin!
Keep cool and you will begin to think of it all as normal in a few weeks or months. You should send us some of those papers you are grading. A group effort may actually be helpful.
Love,
Dad
Reflections Your comments are great about your new homeland now. I enjoy your insights about the differences you are finding in being a foreigner and how it affects you. The smells are such a difference. I am glad they have this person watching over you all as his understanding of the culture is specific while yours is still vague. I think you will find that in some ways you will never be totally at ease in China but with time you will adjust slowly until it seems normal. That will become the time when this new culture will give you more surprises and even shock you into thinking "I know nothing" but in reality you will know a lot about a new culture and that is aways exciting. Bless you my child as you adapt and keep adapting to wonderful China.
William
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Wow
Cool blog. Glad you had a good time in Xiangfan. Ill have to check out DJK sometime. See ya around!