Chances in China

恭禧發財Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy New Year!
Chinese New Year, or as the Chinese people around here call it, ‘Spring Festival’, started on Jan 23rd this year and lasts 15 days! So far, there have been TONS of cool decorations, dinners, new foods appearing in the grocery store, and FIREWORKS, FIREWORKS, FIREWORKS!!!:) Everyone here is just as excited, happy, and bustling around, as we are during our Christmas! People pack the stores buying new clothes, (it’s lucky to wear red underwear), food for their family dinners (fish is lucky and at all dinner tables, but you MUST leave some leftovers, as it is lucky and represents that you will have a surplus of luck and love for the coming year;), and of course fireworks! Firecrackers specifically too..the long, red strands of them that really do sound like machine gun fire!! The first night I woke up thinking I was in a ‘war zone’! They have been exploding constantly around here for the last week, really! I LOVE watching them at night! The color red is EVERYWHERE, as well as pictures of dragons, and the characters for luck, prosperity, and money! Red envelopes are sold at every store to give cash to employees and young people! I got one from my boss who is Taiwanese! She also gave a ‘Spring Festival Dinner’ for all of her employees which included an authentic Chinese style dinner, drinks and some funny entertainment!! Think about a Chinese version of that old game show “Lets Make a Deal”, combined with karaoke singing!:) Ha! So much fun!~ So far it’s been a wonderful week off of work, soaking up all the new traditions and customs of my first LUNAR new year! The holiday ends on Feb 6th with the Lantern Festival and Dragon Dances… I can’t wait….

A few shots of the inside of my apartment and my classroom! Aren’t my students cuties!?

So here in Dalian it has started getting cooler, marking our Fall Break! We had a week off, as we do not have any days provided off to celebrate Thanksgiving. So my thoughts turned to somewhere warmer…. Southeast Asia! Cambodia to be exact. I traveled with three other women I teach with….We went to Phenom Phen and Siem Reap, the two largest cities in the country. We had quite the experience….We we able to see the S-21 Prison Camp that the Khumer Rouge used during the 70′s, as well as “The Killing Fields”. It was haunting…Also Angor Wat, the ancient temple, and the “Floating Villages” where whole towns including the schools, float on rafts!! It was amazing!! We visited a rural village and got to experience “first-hand” how they harvest thier guava, banana, and coconut trees. They also grow and dry thier own rice and raise hogs and chickens for the local market. We we able to share a meal with them and visit the community school down the dirt road. As a teacher myself, it was probably the most eye-opening experience of the trip, and as you can probably guess it was VERY different from back home or EVEN HERE in China!! Definetly the most fun was hiking down to a beautiful waterfall and riding in what the locals call a “Tuk Tuk”. It is sort of a cross between a carriage and a chariot!?!?:) Eating the local curry dish called “Amok” wasn’t bad either…..Anyway, overall it was a great trip; kind people, beautiful weather, amazing history….

In China, there is a festival called the Mid Autumn Moon Festival which basically marks the beginning of the Fall. Everyone travels home to spend time with thier families, eating a traditional “mooncake”. Now I use the term “cake” loosely, because by any American (or dessert lovers) standards, this item would be more like a slightly sweet cornbread with a boiled egg, or bean paste inside!! Mmmmmm….:) Doesn’t that sound delicious… Students are out of school for a long weekend which meant “travel time” for me! So I headed to Beijing for a couple days of sightseeing and shopping! It was an amazing city!

Sometimes in China it’s hard to tell the difference…:) Check out some of the “common” food items I have seen in stores around the city! Yummy!

So after living here a little over a month now, I have picked up some new and interesting pastimes…Tai Chi (like Chinese Yoga), Mandarin Lessons, and massage/reflexology/cupping!! (Ouch!) I am also volunteering in a nearby foster village and orphanage a couple times a month. I will post more pictures of the visit soon, but for now, check out my back after a particularly painful “cupping” session…Ancient Chinese practice where they use heat and suction to draw out toxins by applying glass globes to your skin…Found out it’s not so much for me….:) Hurt more than helped. But, the “name of the game” here in China is TRY IT!!:)

After the first two days of school and a busy week of planning and preparations I was ready to relax and explore the area around the school. A short walk through the village took me to a blueberry farm with some really beautiful trails through the misty mountains! My friend Isa and I hiked up and got some good pictures and video!

Annie Hiking

Downtown Kaifaqu
REAL Chinese FOOD!!
Chinese Products

Wow!! That’s all I can say to describe my first full week here in China!! The administration and faculty at my school have all been amazingly welcoming and patient as I asked question after question about my new life here in Dalian!!:) They left fresh flowers and a full fridge when I arrived to ease my transition! Each day was filled with shopping trips into the village, Jinshitan (Gin-shi-taan), and the town, Kaifaqu(Kai-fa-chew), followed by delicious dinners with all the other new staff members! I have already gotten to know some awesome people! The staff at my apartment building, Campus Village, provide cheap maid services, massage, and water dispensers….I have a clean, cute little loft with everything a girl needs.., Just a little smaller and more efficient than back in America!:) Got all my boxes shipped from the U.S. and have tried to make it feel like home!! My classroom is big, bright, and I am also working on making it a reflection of my teaching style and personality….:) Anyway, more to come soon… In the meantime, check out some pictures and video of my adventures so far…..And I’m starting off with the “tame” ones….:) He, he!!!

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I will be starting my new job teaching 5th grade at Dalian American International School in August! 

Check out My School Website!

I will leave SC on July 29th, take a looooong flight, sleep off my jet lag and then begin a week of training!

More to come soon!!

Posted from China.