Kids, Kids and more Kids!!

Ahh the loves of my life! I absolutely LOVE the kids here. Obviously there are a few naughty ones and I'm pretty sure the spawn of satan lives here! But, I love them so much! I am getting to know all of their personalities and loving every minute of it! I teach the Basic Reading kids (8-9 years old) They are so darn smart! They like to pretend they have no idea what is going on but, they can understand a lot of English. They are very good at writing too! They can all write their name and starting to learn to write new words! 

This is Dan. He is so smart! He is usually the one the kids all follow- their leader. So, if Dan is in a non-listening mood the rest of the kids follow his example. I try to do things that Dan will like and want to pay attention to because then that means the rest of the class will have fun too!
These are some of my ELE girls. They are in 3rd grade. I only teach them twice a week. When ever they see me they run up to me and touch my hair and say "oh, so beautiful" :) They are so sweet!

Everyday at 4 we have WC break. Most of the kids run wild but, I got this picture of them all lined up watching the older kids play tug-o-war.

Tommy is probably the cutest kid here! He is going to be handsome when he grows up. He is a little trouble maker but always makes me laugh. Stewart is right behind Tommy and he is a thief! He likes to reach in my bag, pockets, or anything in sight and take things! He is deceivingly cute. He pretends to be an angel but don't let him fool you! :)

This is me outside playin' with the kids! (I'm the really tall one)

If I could choose one child to take home with me it would be James- hands down! James (left) is in my homeroom class. He is super adorable. He acts out everything I say- so animated! Before class starts I go through the rules (No kicking or hitting, no chinese, put toys in pockets...) and he will stand in front with me and act it out for the kids. Braxton (right) is  very good at writing!

Sam, Cole and Me! I taught Sam the "High five, up high, down low, in the middle, cut the pickle, TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!" And it has become a ritual everyday :) I also taught him to blow me kisses when he is leaving. Cole is in my homeroom class and he is a ball of fun! All the kids love him, he gets along with everyone! You can see in the picture that he is a very happy child!

I have two Spencers in my class and this is "naughty Spencer". I don't call that to his face though! He is actually getting a lot better. He is an angel outside of class and wants to hang out and play with me but, once it's class time he transforms! He is super funny and has a raspy voice that is so funny! 

Sam showing me his kung fu moves! He is also a child I have thought about sticking in my suit case!

This is a CRAZY day! It went horribly wrong so I just let them put on costumes and run amuck! 

Stewart and Benny being silly!

These are some of my home room kids- Cole, Spencer and Megan. 

Rocky and Bella sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. They are the "couple" of Basic reading :) Rocky is one of my favorites because we tease each other all the time. A few days ago he was mimicking everything I said, Meg: "Rocky look at the board" Rocky: "Rocky look at the board"

Meg:"Stop it Rocky" Rocky: "Stop it Rocky" Meg: "I'm a silly little girl" Rocky: "I'm a silly little girl... ah BOY!" It was so funny! So now I call him a girl and he calls me a boy :)

The children in their natural habitat!

When Animals Attack

The Zoo! Well, more like a PETTING Zoo!

Messa, Tammi and I on the bus headed to the zoo! We travel mostly by bus around the city. It is only 1-2RMB ($0.30) Taxi's are also super cheap but, not as cheap as the bus :) Taxi's starting rate is 6RMB ($1) The most I've ever paid for a taxi has been 24RMB but, then we split the cost. Getting on the bus is sometimes a tricky task! There are no such things as lines, ladies first, or common courtesy. You have to SHOVE your way onto the bus. I've had my fair share of being inches away from the door slamming shut on me and having the bus leave me. It's a brutal game we play. 

There were dogs at the zoo. Weird, I know but, I just had to see them because they looked like my puppy, who I miss very much, Addie! 

That's me getting a wet slickery kiss from a sea lion! We watched his show and he was the coolest sea lion ever! He could even break dance!

The only thing standing between me and those man-eating lions was a chain link fence! If I had been brave enough I could have stuck my finger through the fence and touched Mr. Lion. It would have been a cool story about how I lost my finger, right?!

Ok, if you ever have the urge to go on a ride in China-DON'T! It said it was Safety Tested but, that ride would never have passed in the United States. It looked harmless so we all got on to have a little thrill. TEN MINUTES LATER... I can honestly say that no force in Heaven or Hell could make me get on that stupid ride EVER again! I have been on some scary rides but, this beats them all ten fold! The control guy thought it would be funny to make it go fast and longer for the Americans. As soon as Messa's seat-belt came undone it wasn't fun anymore. We were being thrown up, down, side to side and upside-down! Luckily we had feet straps which probably saved our lives! When her seat-belt come undone I started screaming for them to stop but, obviously they don't understand english. So, I started screaming the only thing in Chinese that I knew that would sort of make sense, "BU YAO!" (NO WANT!) Which just made the Chinese laugh even harder and keep us on for longer. Finally they slowed the ride and I fled the scene! I had bruises on my thighs and shoulders within hours!

The Squirrel Monkey's were so cute! Erin "caught" one with her water bottle! They aren't really in cages and so you could try to touch them if they thought you looked interesting enough to approach or had food.

Yup, that's me on a camel! She didn't have a name so, we decided to name her Sally! I think it was a girl...

This is China's pride and joy. The most un-animated animal in the entire zoo. It just laid there, pooped (while sleeping), yawned and then rolled over. I kept wanting him to stand up on two feet, throw on an apron, cook up some noodles and talk to his dad that is unnaturally a duck. (If you don't know what I'm talking about watch Kung Fu Panda for more information!)

The zoo was awesome and we've been talking about taking the kids to see the animals!

Home Sweet Home

This is the hallway in which we walk... All of the ILP teachers live on the second floor of the apartment building. There are 8 rooms (one is empty and the other is our teaching supply room). 

This is mine & Tammi's door! Our's definitely the coolest door ever! Pictures of hot guys aka Shuaw gai (that's NOT spelled right). Our door is very temperamental, it usually takes us 5 minutes to unlock it. I usually have to kick it, yell at it and then it will open.

This is me in my room! I'm making token bags that the kids have already destroyed. The first thing I did when I moved in was put up pictures of family and friends! (thanks TP for the pics)

Our shower is gross. I have never stepped on the ground with my bare feet in the bathroom. It is hard adapting to shoes 24/7! At home I'd usually walk around with bare feet inside and outside but, here I would never do that. I don't think my feet have been out of shoes and socks for more than 20 minutes at a time (shower). I have learned to love/appreciate the little things I never really thought about like walking around with no shoes.
Bathroom... need i say more?

Laundry can be quite tricky! China doesn't believe in dryers so, we are forced to let all our clothes hang dry :) It's harder because it's cold and humid so when they do actually dry (usually takes 3 days) they are crusty and feel damp. I'm getting used to it but, the weather is changing and soon it will be HOT and humid. I'm afraid my clothes will never dry!

These are the washers. They don't have lids and you fill them up with water from a hose, sprinkle in some China brand detergent (that makes my armpits itch like crazy! hahaha!) and watch it slosh around. After they "wash" for 15 minutes you drain the water then fill it back up to rinse your clothes. Drain that water and stuff all your tangled clothes into the spinner. The spinner just squeezes water from the clothes. 
It's definitely a lot of hard work but, it just makes me appreciate the luxuries at home! I want you all to go to your washer and most importantly your dryer, kneel down and tell them how much you love them. Also, you should name them and include them in all of your family pictures. Love them, read them stories and treat them well because one day you may not have them anymore. 

Hap-Hap-Happy Burfday!

I had my 20th Birthday in China! It was a really good day! I only had to teach the kindergartners across the Street. Which by the way... I got to name a ton of them over there! Girls: Lucy, Gracie, Rachael, Taylor, Lisa, Tammi and Breanne Boys: Perry & Dean

The girls surprised me with a beautiful cake during dinner! 

The birthday candles here in China are probably the coolest thing I've ever seen. They are a firework! You light it in the middle and it shoots out and then opens into a flower with candles lit on the pedals while singing "Happy Birthday" I wish it was my birthday everyday just for the candle!
I had a really great birthday! Yummy cake, I got to talk to my family! Even Russell sang "Happy Birthday" on the phone! (ps I named a kid in my 6th grade class Russell!) Tammi bought me a Hello Kitty alarm clock and I had a ton of fun. I came to China a teenager and I'll be leaving a woman! Hahahaha!

Shanghai--Serious Price! No Joking!

Shanghai was awesome! It is the New York of China! We even saw more white people :)  We missed our train to Shanghai so we had to wait 4 hours for the next one and while we were waiting Erin and I went exploring. We found a VIP room that had comfortable chairs and heat! I knew I had to get inside that room somehow! A few minutes later and some shmoosing I found myself in the lap of luxury. The finest squatters, food, heat and no cigarette smoke! We meet Meteor in the lounge. She is a policewoman and she was so cute!  

This is Tammi, Erin, Meteor, Messa and I at the train station! She gave me a Chinese name while  we were waiting! It sounds like May-May. It means beautiful dear one/little sister. Everyone in China treat each other like one big family.

Nanjing Road... where I did most of my shopping! It looks like Las Vegas at night but better! Our hostel was close to this street which was convenient because there is a metro station on the street. We mainly used metro or walking while we visited. 

My favorite thing we did while in Shanghai was the Acrobat show! It was amazing! I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire time! Those people can bend, twist and turn in EVERY direction! They must have zero joints :) Best 100 RMB I ever spent... that's only $15.

We found an aquarium near Jin Mao tower and decided it would be a fun thing to do (mostly because it was rainy and cold outside). It was a beautiful aquarium! Almost better than Sea World... not really but, it was huge (4 floors) and had some pretty cool things! They have the worlds longest under water tunnel! The tunnel has a conveyer belt thing that goes about 0.5 mph so Erin, Tammi and I decided to sit down and enjoy the ocean above! In the Shark part of the tunnel we got to watch a scuba diver man go down in the water and feed the sharks! It was really cool to see. 

Inside the aquarium! Messa, Tammi, Me, Kelsey, Erin and Joelle! PS I totally touched a shark! It was a small shark but still... I touched it! 

My Second favorite part of Shanghai was Old Town. It looked exactly like I thought China would look! Buildings with pointed roof tops, too many people, bridges and lakes, paper lanterns, strange food and weird smells! Above: Me and Abby

Erin and I found some Octopus tentacles to eat for lunch! They were BBQed and sort of tough :) they weren't my favorite thing to eat but, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to gnaw on the leg of a sea creature.

This is the 6th tallest building in the entire world! I thought the Empire State Building was tall but, this was even taller! The ESB is only the 10th tallest.

The Jinmao Tower!

At the top of the tower we were given free pearls and I paid to have mine put on a necklace! It's super pretty and only cost me $17! 

Below: Chelsea, Danielle, Abby, Joelle, Tammi, Me, Erin

These strawberries on a stick were the most delicious treat I have ever eaten! I'm not being dramatic or sarcastic! I could have eaten a million of these beauties! They were just strawberries with a candied/sugar shell around them. Not the most healthy thing for me but the best things usually are the most unhealthy! 

The Shanghai Skyline! The building with the ball on it is the Pearl Tower. I guess it's famous or something :) 

All of us girls on The Bund at night! Back: Joelle, Chelsea, Abby, Danielle, Me and Messa 

Front: Erin, Tammi and Kelsey