Honestly Danna, you sound exactly like your mother! The first picture you've seen of me in months, and you rag on my hairstyle. It's exactly the same style I wore when I left the states, I can promise you that.
I'm quitting the job where I teach children, incidently. It simply can't go on, and NO women are not less abusive than men. I'm not going to make it another week without hitting. Time to move on.
Glad you get days off! Hey Liz! You are working so many long hours that I was really happy to hear they let you have a day off to go to the zoo. Sorry you are in a cell. Had any flashbacks to living in the tent in the Hawaiian woods? Hope you got your malaria shots. I'm just glad you got out of China and managed to escape in one piece. Great photos, as always. Lovely narration as well. Your hairdo is a little nutty but nuttiness is why I love you. I got to go to the Madeira's Farmer's Market with your mom and showed her the wedding photo album. It was tons of fun. I emailed you some photos. I just hope I have your current email address correct. Did you get them? I know you would prefer to teach the older kids but you're right, a male teacher could be a pedophile or he could become abusive as a way to deal with the stress of such unruly children, so I'm glad the little "angels in disguise" are in your hands...especially since they are future leaders and are bringing guns to school! Don't worry if you feel like they are not learning any English. What they really need you to teach them is peace and love, and the best way to do that is leading by example and being nice and peaceful yourself, so try to keep your cool when they start driving you nuts and after work, try to de-stress, relax, and pray as often as you can!!--Love, Danna
YAY!!! I am so glad you are not being held captive in the prison that is China. Sorry you had such a hard time. All is going well with married life here. I am the happiest I've ever been. If I could change anything it would just be to not be living in America but I have hope that even that dream will be coming true soon. OH! And I have been extremely blessed as of recently, as I am now, officially, finally, thank God...ENCEINTE! I hope I spelled that right.
Ha Ha ha... Well Alan...that IS the funny thing. As mentioned in my previous post, they DID shut off the water. MY FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICER HAD NOT PAYED ANYTHING FOR SIX MONTHS. Keep in mind, I couldn't change this if I had to--I don't understand the system, I can't speak the language, no one is willing to give me information. I'm afraid what it boils down to is that my school abnegated its responsibilities rather egregiously, and I am indeed upset about it. As to the wok. It weighs about 10 pounds. I figure if I swing it at someone's head (or any bone), it could do some damage. I would not hesitate to do this, either.
Utilities Yanzi,
In China you pre-pay utilities for apartments. This includes electric, water and hot water. Yes, hot water is metered separately. I share an apartment with several of my co-workers that come and go. They did not understand this system, they did not pay. So when I arrived later, when the money on the meter expired, boom boom, out went the lights. And the hot water (twice in the shower!).
These people should have had an invoice for the water. But what makes me suspicious, is there were three people and the amount of the bill. 610 RMB seems to be a lot.
You were right to close the door and call your manager. If your apartment is really in arrears with the water bill, your water would have been turned off.
Your apartment should have an electric card - looks like a credit card. You go to a bank and deposit money on the card, just like a debit card. You then go back to your apartment and in the hallway outside your door, there should be an electric meter closet where you insert the card and then click a button. That then "tells" the meter to reset for th new amount. There should also be an LED readout telling you how much is on the meter. If it reads at 100 or less, go recharge your card now.
Believe it or not, I have grown to like this system, it encourages people to understand their resource use in a very upfront way. I belive it leads to better resource management. And better for the environment.
Finally, I understand the knife, but what's up with the wok?
The Place to Go Hey GD,
A friend of mine in our Beijing office said his visit to the Confucious forest was one of his favorite places. The pics are great! Thanks for sharing.
Complaints I do not complain, because it is not the socially acceptable thing to do. The school I teach at really is irrelevant to the content of this blog, the primary purpose of which is to keep people informed of my status without sending mass emails. Thank you for your interest.
Life Goes On Thanks again for liking the blog. It means a lot to me when somebody tells me that. Good luck with your TESOL, and don't worry too much about supporting the oil industry. You do that if you buy anything at all, drive a car, run the heat or AC, or eat. We're all part of the system, and it's not much better in any other place--possibly New Zealand and the Maldives are an exception.
Don't worry, I feel better by now.
Adventure vs. Bad choice? Definitely an adventure...a little crazy, but every good adventure involves some confusion and risk. I am so happy for you, Liz. I have finally finished reading all of your blogs from the beginning of your Cambodia trip to present. Thank you sooo much for taking time to write. Not only is your material interesting and entertaining and I get to know how you are doing but it is also giving me all kinds of things to keep in mind when I travel and when I start teaching. THANK YOU!!! PS. I especially liked that one blog where you compared teaching to your first day at Panera. Brought back all kinds of memories about working there...and one of my fondest...meeting you! Love, danna
Happy (belated) Birthday! My baby girl, Miss Leeza/Yanzi?/Global Drifter! It's gonna be okay! I didn't even know you had a blog or else I would've been following it all this time. I was looking through my old emails when I saw the one from you where you invited me to join your blog. I must have been superbusy that day, opened and closed the email and then forgot you even had one. I didn't know you can subscribe and have them sent automatically (which I have now done). I LOVE your writing and LOVE you and while this post is the saddest one I've read so far and makes me feel like scum for missing your birthday (even though I don't think I've ever known when it was), it is by far the funniest thing I have ever read in my entire life. You really need to publish these writings someday. You are an amazing writer. I sooo wish I had been with you to celebrate your birthday and see you in your crown with your stuffed puppy and bamboo cane. The lotus candle is beautiful and the cake looks deeeelish! Don't cry Lizbeth! I am so proud of you, my fellow adventurer and Earth-lover. Helping those kids in the Cambodia orphanage is by far the coolest thing ever! That is kinda like MY dream. And a mango tree in the front? No wonder you wanna go back. You don't even have to pick them. God makes storms that throw them on the ground for you! God is good and I'm so happy you are getting to explore His creation at such a young age. Well, you said you were "ancient" compared to the others but you're younger than me and I haven't even started doing what you've been doing for years. I decided to take my TEFL/TESOL course online in the comfort of my own home. It's only $300 (vs. $1700 if I did it "in-classroom' in Egypt) and I can start today. I figure the sooner the better and who wants to be pregnant, stuck overseas in a land I've never been to, possibly without their husband? Technically, if I am motivated, I could have my certificate by the end of the month, but if I land a job or get busy doing volunteer work or something, I can just study part-time and take as long as 6 months to complete the course. I probably (hopefully) will not work in America ever again, however, since I no longer wish to support the corruption of the big oil guys who ARE our government because I don't want the White House staff to go use even 1 billionth of my tax dollars for their daily Coke and BBQ sandwiches, coffee and donuts, fancy rugs and drapes, latest computer software and office supplies, and 4-star resorts with 4-star catering for their caucus meetings, and plane rides all over the world, polluting our Earth. That's what goes on, 1 billion a year, and we pay for it. Such crap. Uh-oh. I'm turning negative like you! KIDDING! I was actually very, very impressed with all the blogs I've read so far. I don't think ANY of them were negative AT ALL! I'm glad you are making the best of your situation and at least you are helping others by teaching something. I at one time was against teaching English to foreigners but I have come to learn that it really doesn't matter WHAT you teach as long as you do it with sincerity, compassion and love...Bible's definition of love that is (patience, kindness, no keeping errors of wrongs, etc). Anyway, God Bless and keep in touch! Love, Danna
...With Double Crap. Good thing you weren't stupid enough to take a bite of it, the way I was. I guess these things are inevitable with fast food chains. I'm sorry, I have to go throw up now.
Krabby Patty Years ago McDonalds was advertising a new cheddar chaeese and mushroom burger. It was one of their first specialty burgers. Boy did it ever look good on the advertisements and in the posters on the windows. So I went to the drive through and got one. My first clue should have been the musty smell on the 5 minute drive home. So I get home, mind you I'm really hungry, and I tear open the bag and what do I see? I see a badly moldy bun containing a cold gray hamburger, a gray mushroom sauce (not mushrooms like in the ads) and a orange-ish gray runny cheese sauce (not the ever so slightly toasted cheese slice from the ad).
I threw the whole bag out, including the fries. So I had saltine crackers and pickles for dinner that night.
Footage Oh, it's not any better yet. I am still limping around with a massive bandage caked to my foot, my toe is still numb, and I haven't been able to shower for a week. But I am alive. And one day the foot will heal.
Hi Mary, thanks for writing! When all is said and done, I don't have too much to complain about at all! But, like you touched upon, I do wish I could continue to work against climate change here. At least I am living with a lower Footprint here than I would be in my home country, right? All the best, Leeza.
This looks like it must've been a nice break from monotony! Those are some gorgeous pictures and I hope things are going better than they were at the beginning! It must be infuriating to be in a town with a coal plant, and with people who deny climate change :(
Three things:
I teach English in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
I trained here, then taught in China for six months before returning.
I'M SO GLAD I LEFT CHINA.
ADVENTURE!!... full info
Global Drifter
Yanzi
Honestly Danna, you sound exactly like your mother! The first picture you've seen of me in months, and you rag on my hairstyle. It's exactly the same style I wore when I left the states, I can promise you that. I'm quitting the job where I teach children, incidently. It simply can't go on, and NO women are not less abusive than men. I'm not going to make it another week without hitting. Time to move on.