Hi all,
We have just flown home from a great trip to Beijing. Here is a quick update for those that we don't talk to regularly.
We had Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off for a national holiday and decided to go to Beijing with a group of friends from work. We booked a tour company to help us get around and flew out Thursday after work. Friday and Saturday were spent taking numerous tourist tours and Sunday we got to do our own thing.
Friday: We started off our trip by heading to the Ming Tombs. It may be a great place to see some Chinese history but the part we saw, wasn't! We went to a huge area where 13 Emperor's from the Ming Dynasty are buried. The tour consisted of one of the 13 tombs. It was the one tomb that had been destroyed. Therefore, there was no palace to walk through because it had been burned. The actual tomb was down quite a few flights of stairs and looked like a bomb shelter. There were three thrones, a bunch of empty red metal boxes that looked as if they came from IKEA and not much else. There were however 12 more tombs with palaces attached that we could not go and see and one more that was open to the public but again, we did not sign up for that tour. It was not our favorite part of the trip!
These tombs happened to be about an hour drive from our hotel and seemingly in the opposite direction of next destination which was the Great Wall.
Once we reached the GW it turned the trip around. First of all, Christy, to her excitement got to ride a chair lift up a mountain to get to the wall! It was easier without skis on but no less traumatising! I was trying my hardest not to shake the chair as I turned from side to side snapping pictures and pointing out beautiful scenery, however...I was unsuccessful and ended up being sitting most of the chair ride in timeout, not allowed to move or make noise!
Once we reached the top the view was amazing even though it was a really foggy day. We walked around on the wall for over an hour snapping pictures and posing. We could only see a small part of the wall but what we did see in that short time was mind blowing. On the top of mountains sits a huge wall. It stretches for over 5 miles and was built hundreds of years ago when machinery wasn't invented yet. We all found it impossible to be true as we laughed and played in utter disbelief!
The trip down may have been the highlight of the trip (not to downplay how great the trip was but getting down from the GW was a blast!). We had the option of walking down something like 25,000 steps, taking the chair lift, or riding a sled down a luge. We opted for the luge. I went first in our group as I wanted to go as fast as possible without slow people getting in the way. There were others in front of us but we delayed as long as possible to give us some room before leaving. Three of us that looked forward to the ride took off in intervals first, followed by the people wanting to take it a bit easier. It may have been on wheels instead of ice but it was still a blast. It banked during the turns snaking down the side of the mountain (don't think it would meet US safety standards!). It was pretty fast when you allowed it to be. Although the people in front of us didn't allow it to be. We caught them quickly and as loud unruly foreigners do, we began breaking rules.
There were parts when the workers couldn't see you on the track and we would stop and wait during these parts allowing for more space and ultimately more speed. It was a blast! Christy, who did not ride the same way I just described, even had fun on the luge. It was really easy to control and go slow if you wanted. After the trip down we spent a few minutes arguing with vendors about their crazy prices and bought a bunch of "junk" (I mean well needed artifacts and decorations) to put on display in our apartment.
Friday night we went out for dinner and made a wonderful discovery. There was a street that had booths set up as far as you could see cooking and selling street food. Thousands or people were out for the evening and as we went in for a look it was hard to walk around or even catch a glimpse of what they were selling. We made it up to the front and to our surprise it all looked quite good (well, not all...some looked gross and scary but in general, of the things we would actually eat, the preparation and quality of that looked good). We were looking for something a little more restful after our long day so we went into a random restaurant. It ended up being some of the best food we have eaten in China and after 7 or us stuffed ourselves with what seemed like endless platters of food and beer we were given a bill for roughly $56! Gotta love that! When the bill came, Tony took it from the waitress and began laughing out loud and passed it around the table. It was funny to watch each reaction and then to glance at the waitress who had no idea what was going on. We each put in our $8 and then went out for sight seeing, more junk shopping, and fried bugs!
Ok, so not quick as I wrote earlier! I'll write more later but I'm tired of typing and you are probably tired of reading. It was a fun trip with a great group of people. Hope you enjoy another update! Again, I am not proofreading and the spell check isn't working so, Sorry Jennifer! Let me know what I need to correct and I'll get right on it!!!
T and CK
Monday, October 4, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Today...Have to tell you this!
A glimpse of what our days look like...at least today
After work we decided it was a good idea to go shopping. That may not be shocking if you are keeping up! We took off for the fabric market around 4:30. We had to change trains a minute later and after listening to "someone" tell me the wrong train to get on (first time she has ever been wrong...even though she was SURE, it was the right one) we figured it out after about 10 minutes. Got off the train. Went to the right one. Made it to the market at 5:30. It closes at 6:00! Still managed to purchase everything I wanted, three more shirts and three pair of pants (I didn't bring a lot of clothes!).
This is where it gets fun. Christy had decided to go out of the way to get dumplings so we had a nice tasty treat as a side to our Ayi made dinner. A great idea in my opinion!!! We love dumplings! However, it was on "THE ROAD" that Christy hates. Nanjing road is crazy and crowded and a bit overwhelming at times. This surprised me completely as we have been there twice and she has just about lost it both times (I believe in both other circumstances, I was blamed for "bringing" her to Shanghai!). But this time, SHE choose to come down here and it was for FOOD! I believe that to be the kicker!
Even though it was close to where the market was, it took us 20 minutes to get over there, then we had to walk a bit. As we came out of the metro and into a throng of people, I just looked over waiting for the...OOPS, let's not do this! It never came. For the first time on that road she walked liked she owned it! Running hobbling old ladies and young children off the road, She was on a mission! Not one Sigh or...I'm gonna kill you look this time (except to the people who managed not avoid the woman on a mission)! We ended up finding the place and after wandering for a few minutes we figured out the line we needed to be in. It was chaos up there. Multiple good cheap restaurants in a small area = congested chaos!
Normally, this would drive Christy up a wall and we would be out of there! Nope, not when dumplings are involved! She patiently (yes I said that) waited in a hot overcrowded line! We eventually made it out of there and back onto the road. Again, she owned it (this time on a mission to get home and eat). The metro was closed, so our plan was messed up yet again, and yet again, no whining or complaining. Just a hand in the air waving for a cab!
We made it back by taxi which was the best part. We already wrote about the cab driver that loved to cuss at us in English because he only knew those words and he laughed and laughed about it. This cab driver had on Celion Dion and was belting it out! Christy started singing with him and both were giving it their all. Christy couldn't be happier (I think because someone was actually a worse singer than her)! The cabbie just loved having a partner!
The whole dumpling diversion ended up taking an extra hour at least. We ate our meal, with...a side of dumplings. And it was wonderful! What a fun evening!
After work we decided it was a good idea to go shopping. That may not be shocking if you are keeping up! We took off for the fabric market around 4:30. We had to change trains a minute later and after listening to "someone" tell me the wrong train to get on (first time she has ever been wrong...even though she was SURE, it was the right one) we figured it out after about 10 minutes. Got off the train. Went to the right one. Made it to the market at 5:30. It closes at 6:00! Still managed to purchase everything I wanted, three more shirts and three pair of pants (I didn't bring a lot of clothes!).
This is where it gets fun. Christy had decided to go out of the way to get dumplings so we had a nice tasty treat as a side to our Ayi made dinner. A great idea in my opinion!!! We love dumplings! However, it was on "THE ROAD" that Christy hates. Nanjing road is crazy and crowded and a bit overwhelming at times. This surprised me completely as we have been there twice and she has just about lost it both times (I believe in both other circumstances, I was blamed for "bringing" her to Shanghai!). But this time, SHE choose to come down here and it was for FOOD! I believe that to be the kicker!
Even though it was close to where the market was, it took us 20 minutes to get over there, then we had to walk a bit. As we came out of the metro and into a throng of people, I just looked over waiting for the...OOPS, let's not do this! It never came. For the first time on that road she walked liked she owned it! Running hobbling old ladies and young children off the road, She was on a mission! Not one Sigh or...I'm gonna kill you look this time (except to the people who managed not avoid the woman on a mission)! We ended up finding the place and after wandering for a few minutes we figured out the line we needed to be in. It was chaos up there. Multiple good cheap restaurants in a small area = congested chaos!
Normally, this would drive Christy up a wall and we would be out of there! Nope, not when dumplings are involved! She patiently (yes I said that) waited in a hot overcrowded line! We eventually made it out of there and back onto the road. Again, she owned it (this time on a mission to get home and eat). The metro was closed, so our plan was messed up yet again, and yet again, no whining or complaining. Just a hand in the air waving for a cab!
We made it back by taxi which was the best part. We already wrote about the cab driver that loved to cuss at us in English because he only knew those words and he laughed and laughed about it. This cab driver had on Celion Dion and was belting it out! Christy started singing with him and both were giving it their all. Christy couldn't be happier (I think because someone was actually a worse singer than her)! The cabbie just loved having a partner!
The whole dumpling diversion ended up taking an extra hour at least. We ate our meal, with...a side of dumplings. And it was wonderful! What a fun evening!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Life updates
We've already been here 7 weeks. That's crazy to me but it's more crazy to think of how many things we have done and how fast it is all going.
We ate our first Ayi prepared dinner last night. We decided to compromise and have some meals prepared by our Ayi and the others we will still go out for. It was very nice to come home from work to a clean house with dinner all prepared and waiting. Clothes were hung out to dry with the others all put neatly away. Our change from grocery shopping as well as the receipt for our internet and electric bills were on the table. That all sounds great but we also had to complete some our first housework because of this new addition to our lives. We had to rinse the dishes and leave them in the sink for when she comes next and wrap up the leftovers for our lunch today. It's obviously not as easy as we have made it seem!
We then took off to the metro and headed downtown to the Bund. The Bund is on the west side of the river and looks across to a beautiful skyline on the east side. We had an amazing view from the fancy seventh floor roof top bar. The pictures are on facebook.
Our group was ready to move on after a few hours and we went down the street to another place that was a bit less fancy, not the same view, but much cheaper! The night ended up being one of our favorites here so far. We were in shock most of the night as we looked out at the view and kept saying, "I can't believe we live here!". So Fun!!
I'll keep this one short. Hope you all are well! Keep contacting us as much as possible because we miss you all!
T and C K
We ate our first Ayi prepared dinner last night. We decided to compromise and have some meals prepared by our Ayi and the others we will still go out for. It was very nice to come home from work to a clean house with dinner all prepared and waiting. Clothes were hung out to dry with the others all put neatly away. Our change from grocery shopping as well as the receipt for our internet and electric bills were on the table. That all sounds great but we also had to complete some our first housework because of this new addition to our lives. We had to rinse the dishes and leave them in the sink for when she comes next and wrap up the leftovers for our lunch today. It's obviously not as easy as we have made it seem!
Our group was ready to move on after a few hours and we went down the street to another place that was a bit less fancy, not the same view, but much cheaper! The night ended up being one of our favorites here so far. We were in shock most of the night as we looked out at the view and kept saying, "I can't believe we live here!". So Fun!!
I'll keep this one short. Hope you all are well! Keep contacting us as much as possible because we miss you all!
T and C K
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I have officially taken a step forward in life...I bought Calvin Klein underwear
So we went shopping today. Our first real shopping experience where we didn't have a plan of going to one place to get something specific. Not only did I take a huge step forward in my life but Christy's lifelong emotional roller coaster has hit a new high. We went with no real purpose or plan of what we were going to get and she came home with two pair of Seven jeans, one Channel bag, one North Face winter jacket, a pair of comfy Abercrombie pants, a new Nokia blackberry style phone, Ugg boots, five DVD's, Glee Season 1, and a key chain!
I believe she summed up the experience quite well when she exclaimed, "It's like Christmas!!!". Shopping here is actually kind of fun (if you know me at all, you know that is a huge statement). If we even slow down in front of a shop they begin the sales pitch. Of course, since Christy is interested in everything every store is offering, we didn't pass too many without going in. They would then run around grabbing things and asking "you like?" If the answer is no they run to get something else to put in your face. If yes, the real fun begins.
They then give you a price. Usually on a calculator where they punch in the number they are offering. That is when we get to act completely disappointed and begin to walk out of the store. They quickly offer another price and we repeat. They then give us the calculator and we type in a number that is roughly 60% lower than what they are offering. Then, it is their turn to act completely exasperated. Depending on how everything goes we seemed to end up paying between 50 and 60% of their original price. All in all, when the experience was over I totaled up all of the prices she had paid and it came out to around $270 for EVERYTHING.
I did manage to stop in a few places that actually sold men's clothing and bought myself some new skibbies and 3 new shirts. The shirts have $72 US price tags and I ended up getting them for $11 US and $2 for each pair of underwear. We passed the calculator quite a few times and I even put the stuff down and stopped arguing the price which sent the woman into an almost panic as she began shouting out lower price after lower price until she just agreed to what I wanted to pay. Fun!!!
Although that ended up being quite a deal it doesn't compare to the tight fisted shopping that Christy was able to pull off. When we walked into the coat store that was full of North Face jackets and coats Christy ended up settling on one rather quickly. The lady gave her a price of around 1000 yen. Christy put it down and said NO and began to leave. The lady said "just for you, new low price" and typed in something around 980 yen. Christy repeated her original performance and then grabbed the calculator from the lady and typed in 500. The lady let out a loud sigh and explained to Christy how great of a deal she was giving her at 980. She basically turned the coat inside out to show her the quality and the stitching and everything about it. Christy retyped 500. The lady then said "good for you, not good for me!". Christy repeated her 500. This went on for a while until the lady began coming down on her price. It is at this time when Christy would usually start raising hers to meet in the middle, but she didn't. The whole process took only a few minutes but without going up at all the lady ended up selling her the coat for 500 yen. Which is just over $70. Christy closed the deal by promising to return if she agreed to the price! Nice job Wifey!
All in all it was actually a fun day of shopping! My message to all of you reading out there is:
Come Visit...and buy nice new things!
Until next time, best wishes from us! Keep in touch as much as possible because we love hearing about what is going on in your lives as well. We miss you all!!! Take care
The Klumps
I believe she summed up the experience quite well when she exclaimed, "It's like Christmas!!!". Shopping here is actually kind of fun (if you know me at all, you know that is a huge statement). If we even slow down in front of a shop they begin the sales pitch. Of course, since Christy is interested in everything every store is offering, we didn't pass too many without going in. They would then run around grabbing things and asking "you like?" If the answer is no they run to get something else to put in your face. If yes, the real fun begins.
They then give you a price. Usually on a calculator where they punch in the number they are offering. That is when we get to act completely disappointed and begin to walk out of the store. They quickly offer another price and we repeat. They then give us the calculator and we type in a number that is roughly 60% lower than what they are offering. Then, it is their turn to act completely exasperated. Depending on how everything goes we seemed to end up paying between 50 and 60% of their original price. All in all, when the experience was over I totaled up all of the prices she had paid and it came out to around $270 for EVERYTHING.
I did manage to stop in a few places that actually sold men's clothing and bought myself some new skibbies and 3 new shirts. The shirts have $72 US price tags and I ended up getting them for $11 US and $2 for each pair of underwear. We passed the calculator quite a few times and I even put the stuff down and stopped arguing the price which sent the woman into an almost panic as she began shouting out lower price after lower price until she just agreed to what I wanted to pay. Fun!!!
Although that ended up being quite a deal it doesn't compare to the tight fisted shopping that Christy was able to pull off. When we walked into the coat store that was full of North Face jackets and coats Christy ended up settling on one rather quickly. The lady gave her a price of around 1000 yen. Christy put it down and said NO and began to leave. The lady said "just for you, new low price" and typed in something around 980 yen. Christy repeated her original performance and then grabbed the calculator from the lady and typed in 500. The lady let out a loud sigh and explained to Christy how great of a deal she was giving her at 980. She basically turned the coat inside out to show her the quality and the stitching and everything about it. Christy retyped 500. The lady then said "good for you, not good for me!". Christy repeated her 500. This went on for a while until the lady began coming down on her price. It is at this time when Christy would usually start raising hers to meet in the middle, but she didn't. The whole process took only a few minutes but without going up at all the lady ended up selling her the coat for 500 yen. Which is just over $70. Christy closed the deal by promising to return if she agreed to the price! Nice job Wifey!
All in all it was actually a fun day of shopping! My message to all of you reading out there is:
Come Visit...and buy nice new things!
Until next time, best wishes from us! Keep in touch as much as possible because we love hearing about what is going on in your lives as well. We miss you all!!! Take care
The Klumps
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Start of School and other stuff
Hi everyone. We have successfully completed two weeks of school and over one month in Shanghai. We have experienced quite a few different feelings and emotions so far. It's been crazy, hectic, exciting, super fun, exhausting, exhilarating, gross, and sad to be away to list a few things.
Christy is adjusting to her overwhelming class of 11 students. Having an aid has helped her immensely with the stress of handling so many little people at one time. She is getting used to traveling on the metro and we have worked out a pretty good morning routine where we both leave at the same time. This is helpful because we obviously can't trust her to cross roads all by herself. Although our morning routine was a bit messed up the other day when she decided to sleep in and take a taxi with a couple of her friends. On my way out, either in a morning fog or because she is a lock Nazi, I locked the door.
I didn't think much of it as I made my 10 minute trek to school and settled into my classroom around 6:15. I had quite a bit to do to prepare for my 14 hour day with Back to School night following the regular day. Don't feel sorry for me...I knew I would be returning to a freshly cleaned house, washed and hung out to dry clothes, neatly ironed shirts and pants, as well as carefully folded underwear put away in my drawer. You may be thinking, Wow, what a wonderful wife!...that she is. However, she never lifts a finger here! See this was last Thursday and Thursday is one of the days that our maid comes. Anyway, back to my story. I got a call around 7:15. I answered and was surprised to hear crying and screaming. I made out that it was Christy and struggled to hear her say, "you locked me in the apartment, you *&%$!!!!!!!!!"
Needless to say, I quickly got up and began my return home to rescue my wife. I passed many teachers going the other direction who were completely miffed by what I was doing. My quick explanation of, "Locked my wife in the apartment, can't talk", caused mixed reactions of laughter and looks of death from some of the women who already considered me shady that I had managed to not get hit by a car, while my lovely wife was plowed over. During my short walk back to the house I couldn't imagine how, even in China, they would design an apartment that you could get locked into. Upon my grand arrival to rescue Christy I glanced at the inside door handle and noticed a sizable key hole. Yep, the exact key hole that would fit the key Christy carried on her key chain everyday. I'm glad we both have a sense of humor and that it is already a funny story.
Back to school. Christy's building is amazing. The classrooms are huge and everything is designed especially for all the little ones. However, it is a new building and not all the kinks are worked out yet. They can't print or make copies yet! Not an easy problem to deal with while trying to teach. They don't have all the curriculum materials they need, and they don't have internet. So basically she is teaching without materials or resources to create or gather some. Kinda frustrating!
My school on the other hand is wonderful in just about every way! We have tons of materials, printers, copiers, etc, etc! But that isn't the best part. I know it is early but the staff is amazing. I'm learning so much everyday! Getting new ideas, planning huge and fun projects, and learning all about the world from stories instead of text books. Quite cool! The kids and parents have been wonderful. Again, it is early but I am extremely impressed by what the 19 (yes only 19) kids are capable of doing.
We took our first trip outside of Shanghai today. We went to Hangzhou. Our school has another campus over there and we were offered positions at either one. We ended up choosing Shanghai but wanted to see what the other area was like. It is a town built around the West Lake which is supposed to be absolutely beautiful. We took a trip down one of the rivers that flow into the lake but didn't actually make it to the lake today or to the campus. That trip will have to come later. What we saw was gorgeous! The river was surrounded by mountains and was very picturesque. We will post pictures in a few days on facebook.
The rafting was a blast. We went with around 120 people and there were other groups on the river as well. After getting off the bus we bought Huge water guns (under $2) and headed on our way. We got down to the river by riding in an ox pulled cart. Quite entertaining in itself! We got on large bamboo rafts with benches for seats and headed out. Right away things got wild as everyone had the large squirt guns. It ended up being a gentle ride (slow current with a man with a large bamboo pole steering us), but not restful. It was an hour long water gun fight on open water. Everyone was drenched and we laughed for most of the hour. We followed that up with a BBQ of hotdogs, hamburgers and 80 cent 1 liter beers! The bus ride home was nap time for us (Christy has extended that...as she tends to do, and is sleeping as I type) because we are headed out to Big Bamboo to watch some college football.
Everyone seems to think that it is all paradise over here but we have come upon some issues. We are currently debating over what to do with dinners. Christy wants to start having our Ayi (maid) cook for us a few nights a week. I would like the flexibility of continuing to go out wherever we want every night and order whatever I want and feel like. So, as you can see, there are some real difficulties here!
More updates to follow! We'll let you know when we update this again. Thanks for keeping up with us! I hope there are not too many typos because this is too long to proof read. I'm sure Jen will let me know if there are! Miss you all!
T and C K
Christy is adjusting to her overwhelming class of 11 students. Having an aid has helped her immensely with the stress of handling so many little people at one time. She is getting used to traveling on the metro and we have worked out a pretty good morning routine where we both leave at the same time. This is helpful because we obviously can't trust her to cross roads all by herself. Although our morning routine was a bit messed up the other day when she decided to sleep in and take a taxi with a couple of her friends. On my way out, either in a morning fog or because she is a lock Nazi, I locked the door.
I didn't think much of it as I made my 10 minute trek to school and settled into my classroom around 6:15. I had quite a bit to do to prepare for my 14 hour day with Back to School night following the regular day. Don't feel sorry for me...I knew I would be returning to a freshly cleaned house, washed and hung out to dry clothes, neatly ironed shirts and pants, as well as carefully folded underwear put away in my drawer. You may be thinking, Wow, what a wonderful wife!...that she is. However, she never lifts a finger here! See this was last Thursday and Thursday is one of the days that our maid comes. Anyway, back to my story. I got a call around 7:15. I answered and was surprised to hear crying and screaming. I made out that it was Christy and struggled to hear her say, "you locked me in the apartment, you *&%$!!!!!!!!!"
Needless to say, I quickly got up and began my return home to rescue my wife. I passed many teachers going the other direction who were completely miffed by what I was doing. My quick explanation of, "Locked my wife in the apartment, can't talk", caused mixed reactions of laughter and looks of death from some of the women who already considered me shady that I had managed to not get hit by a car, while my lovely wife was plowed over. During my short walk back to the house I couldn't imagine how, even in China, they would design an apartment that you could get locked into. Upon my grand arrival to rescue Christy I glanced at the inside door handle and noticed a sizable key hole. Yep, the exact key hole that would fit the key Christy carried on her key chain everyday. I'm glad we both have a sense of humor and that it is already a funny story.
Back to school. Christy's building is amazing. The classrooms are huge and everything is designed especially for all the little ones. However, it is a new building and not all the kinks are worked out yet. They can't print or make copies yet! Not an easy problem to deal with while trying to teach. They don't have all the curriculum materials they need, and they don't have internet. So basically she is teaching without materials or resources to create or gather some. Kinda frustrating!
My school on the other hand is wonderful in just about every way! We have tons of materials, printers, copiers, etc, etc! But that isn't the best part. I know it is early but the staff is amazing. I'm learning so much everyday! Getting new ideas, planning huge and fun projects, and learning all about the world from stories instead of text books. Quite cool! The kids and parents have been wonderful. Again, it is early but I am extremely impressed by what the 19 (yes only 19) kids are capable of doing.
We took our first trip outside of Shanghai today. We went to Hangzhou. Our school has another campus over there and we were offered positions at either one. We ended up choosing Shanghai but wanted to see what the other area was like. It is a town built around the West Lake which is supposed to be absolutely beautiful. We took a trip down one of the rivers that flow into the lake but didn't actually make it to the lake today or to the campus. That trip will have to come later. What we saw was gorgeous! The river was surrounded by mountains and was very picturesque. We will post pictures in a few days on facebook.
The rafting was a blast. We went with around 120 people and there were other groups on the river as well. After getting off the bus we bought Huge water guns (under $2) and headed on our way. We got down to the river by riding in an ox pulled cart. Quite entertaining in itself! We got on large bamboo rafts with benches for seats and headed out. Right away things got wild as everyone had the large squirt guns. It ended up being a gentle ride (slow current with a man with a large bamboo pole steering us), but not restful. It was an hour long water gun fight on open water. Everyone was drenched and we laughed for most of the hour. We followed that up with a BBQ of hotdogs, hamburgers and 80 cent 1 liter beers! The bus ride home was nap time for us (Christy has extended that...as she tends to do, and is sleeping as I type) because we are headed out to Big Bamboo to watch some college football.
Everyone seems to think that it is all paradise over here but we have come upon some issues. We are currently debating over what to do with dinners. Christy wants to start having our Ayi (maid) cook for us a few nights a week. I would like the flexibility of continuing to go out wherever we want every night and order whatever I want and feel like. So, as you can see, there are some real difficulties here!
More updates to follow! We'll let you know when we update this again. Thanks for keeping up with us! I hope there are not too many typos because this is too long to proof read. I'm sure Jen will let me know if there are! Miss you all!
T and C K
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Open House
This past Friday and Saturday Travis and I had our open houses. Travis said his kids seemed very polite and excited to be there and the families were great. My students were so little, cute, and excited! They went nuts in the room exploring everything and playing with each other. I only have 12 students right now, but my max is 18. The school is very transient, so the numbers change often. I have 6 different nationalities in that little group, it's amazing! We both have a couple kids that don't speak English very well, so that will be a challenge to overcome. Travis has 19 students and his max is 20. He has a lot of nationalities as well.
My open house was a big deal since it was the first time the families saw our building. I am surprised we got it all together. We had 4 days to get everything set up. It took a lot of long hours and hard work, but we did it. The parents were in love with the building and so excited to have their children in the school. We even had a ribbon cutting ceremony at the end!
Afterwards we headed to Bubba's for a few drinks. This is a restaurant right down the street from our school. We were so exhausted, but it was great to sit and relax all together. We were also able to finally meet the other preschool teacher. She is from the Philippines and just landed Saturday afternoon.
It REALLY begins on Monday! Wish us luck...
My open house was a big deal since it was the first time the families saw our building. I am surprised we got it all together. We had 4 days to get everything set up. It took a lot of long hours and hard work, but we did it. The parents were in love with the building and so excited to have their children in the school. We even had a ribbon cutting ceremony at the end!
Afterwards we headed to Bubba's for a few drinks. This is a restaurant right down the street from our school. We were so exhausted, but it was great to sit and relax all together. We were also able to finally meet the other preschool teacher. She is from the Philippines and just landed Saturday afternoon.
It REALLY begins on Monday! Wish us luck...
Le Meridien Shanghai
Friday night we had a cocktail party with work. A bunch of teachers met at school and took the Metro downtown. This was the first time we were on a Metro that was so packed! We got off at Nanjing Lu, the pedestrian street that ALWAYS has WAY too many people there. It is so stressful to me to walk through it. There are so many people, then people just stop and take pictures, and then on top of all that chaos, there is a trolley that goes through the streets. It is just nuts!
Anyways, the party was at the top of Le Meridien Shanghai, which is a very nice hotel. We went to a bar on the 65th floor. The whole bar was reserved for our school. Andrea Stubbs, the superintendent’s wife greeted us all. The new teachers were all given a stamp of their name in Chinese characters.
We enjoyed an open bar, fancy finger foods and desserts, and a DJ all night. Everyone was having a great time. We had an AMAZING view of the city from up there. We were able to see the Pearl Tower and other buildings along the river. It was beautiful. Of course our camera battery died while we were there and we couldn’t get any pictures of the view. L We are going to go back so we can take pictures. It was such an amazing feeling to look out that window and see such a large, beautiful city and know that it is our home right now! We couldn’t stop talking about how crazy it would be for our friends and family to not come and visit us! You would be missing out on seeing a gorgeous city full of restaurants, shops, huge buildings, Chinese culture, and friendly people.
The night was going strong long past the 10pm end point. After that we had to buy our own beer and wine. But, the dance floor was still PACKED! These teachers definitely know how to have a good time! Some of the staff was up on the stage dancing, myself included! I loved it! Travis even got out on the dance floor! I could barely move by the time we were done. I had worn my super cute 5 inch wedges because I didn’t think we would be walking much, since we took the Metro. However, it was a LONG walk after the metro to the hotel and I ended up getting a few blisters and couldn’t walk or dance as well as I had wanted to!
We left by midnight because I had open house the next day. When we got out of the taxi I couldn’t walk in my shoes. Travis talked me into walking barefoot up to our building, which is a short walk. When we got in, my feet were black! It was gross! I will not be doing that anymore!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
August 18, 2010
This week has included all staff. We started Monday by meeting with a "buddy". We each got to chat with one returning teacher. We learned a lot about each other and then the returning teacher had to introduce you to the rest of the staff in a meeting. It was nice to hear about everyone. Travis got a little embarrassed by his, but most of us thought it was funny! His buddy told everyone that Travis loves to drink, which Travis never said to him. He said he just guessed that he liked to go out!
We have had a lot of classroom work time this week in preparations for the students on Monday. My school is finally coming together. We have most of our furniture and all our other goodies. But, there is still TONS to do! Travis still has a lot going on in his building as well. It seems as if we are stretching everything to the wire. Many things are a little crazy right now, I don't have all my curriculum materials, my entire school doesn't have internet, and Travis' school does have air conditioning in some of the rooms, which is nice in 100 degree weather! But, all in all, the schools are amazing, and although it is a little worrisome and stressful, we know it will all get done and be perfect when the kids come! Oh, and we learned that the school has 112 busses that come daily to drop off students! We saw them all lining up and practicing rounds today, it was CRAZY! I don't know how they make it work. These people that work behind the scenes are just amazing!
Tuesday night we had a BBQ at work on the campus. We had a local restaurant cater for us. They brought us hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, veggie kabobs, salads, water, pop, and BEER!!! It was very strange to see people walking around with a Tsingtao (Chinese beer) and Bacardi Breezer at work! We hung out for a bit and then headed home. Everyone seemed tired and it was an early night for all.
Today I got a lot of work done and Travis had a professional development meeting that he really liked. After he was done he came out to my campus and saw my building and room. He was very impressed with how cool our building is for ECE! Then we headed to Hongmei Lu pedestrian street for a few beers and some dinner.
Friday Travis has open house and then the whole staff is having cocktails at a fancy hotel at a restaurant on the 65th floor! Can't wait to see how cool that will be! That is from from 7-10, and then there is an after party! These people love to have a good time, we fit right in with them! I have open house all afternoon on Saturday, so I will be taking it easy until our Happy Hour after that!
We are enjoying ourselves a lot...but I am hitting some low points as well now. I am getting more homesick and missing things, but Travis is staying positive, which helps me a lot! Although, I am really looking forward to the kids coming in on that first exciting day of school! And happy and excited kids always make things better!
Oh, and we are really enjoying our teaching partners. My school is so small that I really getting a chance to get to know them all very well. It has been wonderful. Travis has a very knowledgeable teammate that has given us important information on making life easier in Shanghai, it has been GREAT!
We have had a lot of classroom work time this week in preparations for the students on Monday. My school is finally coming together. We have most of our furniture and all our other goodies. But, there is still TONS to do! Travis still has a lot going on in his building as well. It seems as if we are stretching everything to the wire. Many things are a little crazy right now, I don't have all my curriculum materials, my entire school doesn't have internet, and Travis' school does have air conditioning in some of the rooms, which is nice in 100 degree weather! But, all in all, the schools are amazing, and although it is a little worrisome and stressful, we know it will all get done and be perfect when the kids come! Oh, and we learned that the school has 112 busses that come daily to drop off students! We saw them all lining up and practicing rounds today, it was CRAZY! I don't know how they make it work. These people that work behind the scenes are just amazing!
Tuesday night we had a BBQ at work on the campus. We had a local restaurant cater for us. They brought us hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, veggie kabobs, salads, water, pop, and BEER!!! It was very strange to see people walking around with a Tsingtao (Chinese beer) and Bacardi Breezer at work! We hung out for a bit and then headed home. Everyone seemed tired and it was an early night for all.
Today I got a lot of work done and Travis had a professional development meeting that he really liked. After he was done he came out to my campus and saw my building and room. He was very impressed with how cool our building is for ECE! Then we headed to Hongmei Lu pedestrian street for a few beers and some dinner.
Friday Travis has open house and then the whole staff is having cocktails at a fancy hotel at a restaurant on the 65th floor! Can't wait to see how cool that will be! That is from from 7-10, and then there is an after party! These people love to have a good time, we fit right in with them! I have open house all afternoon on Saturday, so I will be taking it easy until our Happy Hour after that!
We are enjoying ourselves a lot...but I am hitting some low points as well now. I am getting more homesick and missing things, but Travis is staying positive, which helps me a lot! Although, I am really looking forward to the kids coming in on that first exciting day of school! And happy and excited kids always make things better!
Oh, and we are really enjoying our teaching partners. My school is so small that I really getting a chance to get to know them all very well. It has been wonderful. Travis has a very knowledgeable teammate that has given us important information on making life easier in Shanghai, it has been GREAT!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
August 15, 2010
Well, we are finally up and running on the internet! It only took 2 weeks and 3 appointments! Here are some new updates...
I finally got to see my building. It is so great for Early Childhood! I can't wait to see it completely done. Our building has an outdoor play area, and indoor play area with a ball pit, tunnels, padded walls, trampoline, and all kinds of cool stuff! We have a great media center, a gym perfect for younger kids, and a gross motor skills room! Our cafeteria is pint sized and not scary for the little ones. My classroom is huge and has carpet for most of it and some tile for an art area.
On Thursday we had our health check...not fun. They took blood, did an x-ray, EKG, all kinds of great stuff. It was a little scary for me, but I made it! Afterwards, they took us to our superintendent's house. It was very close. He lives in a villa, which is 4 stories! It was really nice. His wife cooked us Mexican food, some of the best I have ever had! She made awesome rice, Jeff, the superintendent, grilled chicken, she had homemade salsa and guac, and of course they had tons of beverages for us! It was a great time. This included all new teachers from Hongqiao (us), Pudong (on the other side of the river), and Hongzhou (an hours train ride away). They decided we all needed more time together, so we set up a gathering for Friday too.
On Friday we went to Pepper Steakhouse, right by us. We had drinks and appetizers and a lot of laughs, especially when Travis spilled beer all over me! We stayed a little too long and decided to head home.
We felt the aftermath all day Saturday! Too much fun for one week, I think! We waited all day for internet to come, laying around getting upset and not feeling well. We had to have lunch and dinner delivered to us. Well, they never came! So Sunday, today, Travis called them back, they came and now we have internet! YAY!!!
However, we seem to be sick now. We were told we would get sick (our stomachs), so we were got an antibiotic before we left. We started taking them today and are hoping it gets better....it is 4:30 pm and we still haven't eaten today :(
Tomorrow we start with returning teachers, can't wait to meet them!
I finally got to see my building. It is so great for Early Childhood! I can't wait to see it completely done. Our building has an outdoor play area, and indoor play area with a ball pit, tunnels, padded walls, trampoline, and all kinds of cool stuff! We have a great media center, a gym perfect for younger kids, and a gross motor skills room! Our cafeteria is pint sized and not scary for the little ones. My classroom is huge and has carpet for most of it and some tile for an art area.
On Thursday we had our health check...not fun. They took blood, did an x-ray, EKG, all kinds of great stuff. It was a little scary for me, but I made it! Afterwards, they took us to our superintendent's house. It was very close. He lives in a villa, which is 4 stories! It was really nice. His wife cooked us Mexican food, some of the best I have ever had! She made awesome rice, Jeff, the superintendent, grilled chicken, she had homemade salsa and guac, and of course they had tons of beverages for us! It was a great time. This included all new teachers from Hongqiao (us), Pudong (on the other side of the river), and Hongzhou (an hours train ride away). They decided we all needed more time together, so we set up a gathering for Friday too.
On Friday we went to Pepper Steakhouse, right by us. We had drinks and appetizers and a lot of laughs, especially when Travis spilled beer all over me! We stayed a little too long and decided to head home.
We felt the aftermath all day Saturday! Too much fun for one week, I think! We waited all day for internet to come, laying around getting upset and not feeling well. We had to have lunch and dinner delivered to us. Well, they never came! So Sunday, today, Travis called them back, they came and now we have internet! YAY!!!
However, we seem to be sick now. We were told we would get sick (our stomachs), so we were got an antibiotic before we left. We started taking them today and are hoping it gets better....it is 4:30 pm and we still haven't eaten today :(
Tomorrow we start with returning teachers, can't wait to meet them!
Shanghai Updates (finally!)
These are basically from the emails most of you have gotten!
Aug 2, 2010
We made it to shanghai. Our flight was very long and full. It ended up landing an hour early, so that was good. Then we got our luggage fairly quickly and were picked up by the head of the school. He took us in a cab to our apartment, which is a lot nicer than we expected. It has 2 big bedrooms and an office. We also have two bathrooms and a good size living room and dining room. The kitchen is small but I don't imagine we will be cooking a lot. I will tell u more later. We just wanted you to know we are here safely. Travis is doing great and I am freaking out a bit....which you all expected!
Aug 4, 2010
We are almost settled now. We finally unpacked everything yesterday and did more shopping today. Our apartment is starting to look like a home now!!!
It is almost 100 degrees and 100% humidity everyday, that is the worst part!!! I sweat instantly and you have to shower at least twice a day! The food is great! We have eaten at a lot of great places- chinese, taiwanese, american, and right now we are at a German beer bar. Lots to choose from all over the city. It is so cheap and easy to get around. Taxi's are everywhere and are super cheap and the metro (which we have not ventured on yet, but are told) is close to us and really easy to use and cheap. the people are super nice and are obsessed with staring at americans, it's funny. Very easy to communicate with everyone, I was shocked with that! Our school is ridic!!!!!!!! It is unbelievable how nice it is. Everyone we have met so far is super nice too. My principal is a State fan and is awesome. Haven't done much shopping yet. We went to IKEA today, that was fun. There are also not as many people as I thought there would be. I really like it here. I hope it stays that way! We are getting a maid soon, lol! She will come twice a week to clean, do laundry, iron, fold, and grocery shop for us!!!!!!!! Unbelievable!!!! :)
Aug 6, 2010
Yesterday, I had my first freak out (well besides the first initial shock and thought of- "what the hell did we just do, why are we in China" on the first night and morning). The last few days have been GREAT! Everyone is nice, easy to get around, easy to communicate, great food, met Harmony who has lived here for 3 years and she took us around, etc. Last night we decided to get on the Metro and go to a pedestrian street called Nanjing Lu. It was NUTS, to say the least. Tons of people, tons of shops, lots of people trying to sell us fake bags, watches, coach, armani, prada, etc... Totally freaked me out. All the restaurants there were very local kinds. I am not quite sure I can stomach that yet! So I got a little stressed and wanted to leave. We went back to our area and found a restaurant. We went a different way down our road than we had before. There were lots of restaurants that way, local, cheap ones. We found one and went in. Travis loved his food, mine was ok. That was one of the first meals I really didn't like.
Today we decided to take the Metro (which is super clean, easy to use and about $1 to ride!) to Xintiandi Lu, which is where we originally met up with Harmony. It is a nice, more westernized, calmer area with coffee shops and lots of restaurants and more Americans and lots of English. We have been on the internet and relaxing all morning. then we actually ran into Harmony here and she told us about Hongmei Lu, which is close to us, and apparently is just like this place! So happy about that! We are going to explore that tonight.
Here are some interesting things about our apartment...
1. the furniture is not my fav, but could be worse
2. Lots of storage
3. the kitchen is small, but no one really cooks
4. The oven and washing machine are in chinese, so we had to get the washer translated so we could use it!
5. Dryers don't work here, so we hang stuff outside on the porch
6. we don't have central air, each room has it's own air unit. You only put on the air in the room you are in.
We live about a 10-15 minute walk from school and the metro. Although, I will have to take the metro to my school. I will be in the new ECE center. It is a brand new building, still be worked on right now. Next week all new teachers start. We are not sure about the whole week, but we should be able to get into our rooms sometime next week to see it. Travis' school had an entire floor added to it! the campus is amazing! Everyone from our school has been super nice and helpful. The week after that, all staff report, the following week, the week of August 23, kids come.
Aug 8, 2010
OK, so some of you have already heard from my mom that I was hit by a car yesterday, yes this is true...
Let me start by saying that traffic is a little crazy around here. There are tons of cars, scooters, and bikers everywhere. Horns honk constantly and traffic rules are merely suggestions, rather than rules. People kind of do what they want. It is not abnormal to see someone go through a red light, come inches within hitting a person or biker or scooter. You have to constantly be aware and always be paying attention to exactly what you are doing. Close by us there is not much traffic, but it more downtown areas it's pretty crazy.
With that said, we were headed out Saturday morning to go check our email and play on the internet, as we still don't have it in our apartment. We took the metro to Xintiandi, a part of downtown with expats and coffee shops to relax in. We wanted to go to Starbucks and get a coffee. We were walking down the street headed there and crossed one street fine. As we began to cross the next street, which we had a green walk light and looked for cars. We didn't see any so we began to cross. Then a car came down the opposite street and starting to turn down where we were. We were the only ones crossing and were already in the middle of the road when he came at us. Travis was a step ahead and didn't get hit. I got hit. The driver drove off without stopping, coming close to running over my feet! I was totally shaken and upset, but nothing was seriously hurt, thank God. My ankle was sore and I had a few cuts. My flip flop was on the other side of the road and my sunglasses (which were on my head) have seen better days! A crowd of people (I'd say over 30 people) quickly formed asking us if we were ok (I can only assume this is what they were saying!) and telling us where a hospital was. Then 2 policemen came and a witness that saw the whole thing explained what had happened. We got a hold of my principal and he sent Tina, who is amazing and seems to do everything, to come and get us. She took us to the hospital, where my principal also met us. Mind you, I have never been to a hospital in my life, I'm here for 6 days, and I end up in one! Ridic! Anyways, a doctor looked me over, checked everything out and said I was fine. I have a slice taken out of my baby toe on my right foot, hurts a little, a few other scratches, and a big gross blister on my left palm. I rested a lot yesterday, but felt good enough to go get some dinner and then we went to a bar for a bit. Today my ankle feels better, but my whole body is really sore.
The hospital was great. The doctor spoke English really well and the nurses were pretty good too. Our insurance covered everything, even my prescription.
Tina called us today and said they caught the driver. There are cameras everywhere at intersections. She went to the police station, or where ever and watched the tape. They found the car and called the driver. Apparently it was a kid and his father is really pissed. He is making him come to our school tomorrow to appologize to us!
Crazy, crazy, crazy! I can't believe it happened, it was very surreal. The good news is, I am fine. God is certainly watching out for us!!!
Aug 10, 2010
Well here is what happened,
Aug 2, 2010
We made it to shanghai. Our flight was very long and full. It ended up landing an hour early, so that was good. Then we got our luggage fairly quickly and were picked up by the head of the school. He took us in a cab to our apartment, which is a lot nicer than we expected. It has 2 big bedrooms and an office. We also have two bathrooms and a good size living room and dining room. The kitchen is small but I don't imagine we will be cooking a lot. I will tell u more later. We just wanted you to know we are here safely. Travis is doing great and I am freaking out a bit....which you all expected!
Aug 4, 2010
We are almost settled now. We finally unpacked everything yesterday and did more shopping today. Our apartment is starting to look like a home now!!!
It is almost 100 degrees and 100% humidity everyday, that is the worst part!!! I sweat instantly and you have to shower at least twice a day! The food is great! We have eaten at a lot of great places- chinese, taiwanese, american, and right now we are at a German beer bar. Lots to choose from all over the city. It is so cheap and easy to get around. Taxi's are everywhere and are super cheap and the metro (which we have not ventured on yet, but are told) is close to us and really easy to use and cheap. the people are super nice and are obsessed with staring at americans, it's funny. Very easy to communicate with everyone, I was shocked with that! Our school is ridic!!!!!!!! It is unbelievable how nice it is. Everyone we have met so far is super nice too. My principal is a State fan and is awesome. Haven't done much shopping yet. We went to IKEA today, that was fun. There are also not as many people as I thought there would be. I really like it here. I hope it stays that way! We are getting a maid soon, lol! She will come twice a week to clean, do laundry, iron, fold, and grocery shop for us!!!!!!!! Unbelievable!!!! :)
Aug 6, 2010
Yesterday, I had my first freak out (well besides the first initial shock and thought of- "what the hell did we just do, why are we in China" on the first night and morning). The last few days have been GREAT! Everyone is nice, easy to get around, easy to communicate, great food, met Harmony who has lived here for 3 years and she took us around, etc. Last night we decided to get on the Metro and go to a pedestrian street called Nanjing Lu. It was NUTS, to say the least. Tons of people, tons of shops, lots of people trying to sell us fake bags, watches, coach, armani, prada, etc... Totally freaked me out. All the restaurants there were very local kinds. I am not quite sure I can stomach that yet! So I got a little stressed and wanted to leave. We went back to our area and found a restaurant. We went a different way down our road than we had before. There were lots of restaurants that way, local, cheap ones. We found one and went in. Travis loved his food, mine was ok. That was one of the first meals I really didn't like.
Today we decided to take the Metro (which is super clean, easy to use and about $1 to ride!) to Xintiandi Lu, which is where we originally met up with Harmony. It is a nice, more westernized, calmer area with coffee shops and lots of restaurants and more Americans and lots of English. We have been on the internet and relaxing all morning. then we actually ran into Harmony here and she told us about Hongmei Lu, which is close to us, and apparently is just like this place! So happy about that! We are going to explore that tonight.
Here are some interesting things about our apartment...
1. the furniture is not my fav, but could be worse
2. Lots of storage
3. the kitchen is small, but no one really cooks
4. The oven and washing machine are in chinese, so we had to get the washer translated so we could use it!
5. Dryers don't work here, so we hang stuff outside on the porch
6. we don't have central air, each room has it's own air unit. You only put on the air in the room you are in.
We live about a 10-15 minute walk from school and the metro. Although, I will have to take the metro to my school. I will be in the new ECE center. It is a brand new building, still be worked on right now. Next week all new teachers start. We are not sure about the whole week, but we should be able to get into our rooms sometime next week to see it. Travis' school had an entire floor added to it! the campus is amazing! Everyone from our school has been super nice and helpful. The week after that, all staff report, the following week, the week of August 23, kids come.
Aug 8, 2010
OK, so some of you have already heard from my mom that I was hit by a car yesterday, yes this is true...
Let me start by saying that traffic is a little crazy around here. There are tons of cars, scooters, and bikers everywhere. Horns honk constantly and traffic rules are merely suggestions, rather than rules. People kind of do what they want. It is not abnormal to see someone go through a red light, come inches within hitting a person or biker or scooter. You have to constantly be aware and always be paying attention to exactly what you are doing. Close by us there is not much traffic, but it more downtown areas it's pretty crazy.
With that said, we were headed out Saturday morning to go check our email and play on the internet, as we still don't have it in our apartment. We took the metro to Xintiandi, a part of downtown with expats and coffee shops to relax in. We wanted to go to Starbucks and get a coffee. We were walking down the street headed there and crossed one street fine. As we began to cross the next street, which we had a green walk light and looked for cars. We didn't see any so we began to cross. Then a car came down the opposite street and starting to turn down where we were. We were the only ones crossing and were already in the middle of the road when he came at us. Travis was a step ahead and didn't get hit. I got hit. The driver drove off without stopping, coming close to running over my feet! I was totally shaken and upset, but nothing was seriously hurt, thank God. My ankle was sore and I had a few cuts. My flip flop was on the other side of the road and my sunglasses (which were on my head) have seen better days! A crowd of people (I'd say over 30 people) quickly formed asking us if we were ok (I can only assume this is what they were saying!) and telling us where a hospital was. Then 2 policemen came and a witness that saw the whole thing explained what had happened. We got a hold of my principal and he sent Tina, who is amazing and seems to do everything, to come and get us. She took us to the hospital, where my principal also met us. Mind you, I have never been to a hospital in my life, I'm here for 6 days, and I end up in one! Ridic! Anyways, a doctor looked me over, checked everything out and said I was fine. I have a slice taken out of my baby toe on my right foot, hurts a little, a few other scratches, and a big gross blister on my left palm. I rested a lot yesterday, but felt good enough to go get some dinner and then we went to a bar for a bit. Today my ankle feels better, but my whole body is really sore.
The hospital was great. The doctor spoke English really well and the nurses were pretty good too. Our insurance covered everything, even my prescription.
Tina called us today and said they caught the driver. There are cameras everywhere at intersections. She went to the police station, or where ever and watched the tape. They found the car and called the driver. Apparently it was a kid and his father is really pissed. He is making him come to our school tomorrow to appologize to us!
Crazy, crazy, crazy! I can't believe it happened, it was very surreal. The good news is, I am fine. God is certainly watching out for us!!!
Aug 10, 2010
Well here is what happened,
I think I told you that they found the driver. He was 19 and is a new driver and was driving his dad's company car, which his father is the president of. The whole family came to apologize to us at school yesterday. They brought me a big bouquet of flowers, a fancy tea set, and a huge fruit basket. They said they were so sorry, we made them feel really bad and made sure they knew how upset we were.
Then, the police came to work today to get my official statement. The said the boy will be arrested because it was a hit and run! I think we are done dealing with all that now. Poor kid...should have stopped!
As for school, it has been great. Just new teachers this week. Everyone is super nice. We are just learning about the school, insurance, the bank, and doing a little sightseeing. Last night we had a BBQ at a great place. The school paid for the food and 3 drinks. We ended up staying til around 10:30 at night with a few other teachers and my principal. It was a great time. No dinner today, but tomorrow each school, ECE, Lower, and Upper all have their own dinners planned. My school, ECE, is going to a fancy restaurant that is Chinese and supposed to be great! Travis' school is going to an administrator's house. They also provide breakfast and lunch each day, which has been really good.
We got our maid today. She is shopping for cleaning supplies and then going to our house to clean as I type! Love it! Oh, and it is about $3.50 an hour! :)
Aug 11, 2010
Here is a teacher/school update.
The teachers and admin staff are from USA, Canada, and Australia. Although one of our preschool teachers is originally from London, but has been living in Shanghai for 5 years now.
Everyone has such different stories, it's amazing! Some have grown up in international schools all over the world and want a chance to teach in one. Some have been teaching in tons of different International schools, all over the world, some have traveled to many places and decided to start living all over the world, and others are like us and this is their first experience like this. Some people have kids, most are at least with a significant other, and there are a few single people here. It so interesting to talk to them and hear where they come from and I love some of the accents! Hopefully I will pick up some new slang words and a little accent myself! Lol!
As for school...
We got our schedules today. Travis has 2 specials (preps) daily. I get one, but have recess time in the morning and afternoon (and lunch). School starts for Travis at 8 and ends at 3, mine starts at 8:30 and ends at 3. Teachers have to be at school at 7:30 am and must stay til at least 3:30. We also have to do one activity after school for one hour a day. Travis has to do it for 2 quarters, I only have to for 1 quarter. Every student has Mandarin daily. They are divided into different classes, according to their level. It all sounds amazing and we can't wait to see it all in action.
Next Friday we have an open house type event for families. I still haven't seen my building, too much construction is still going on since it is a new building. I am assuming that means that next week will be very busy for me (and Travis too). He did see his room, it is nice and a good size. Every room has a huge flat screen tv, crazy! He is also supposed to get a smart board.
We have separate dinners tonight, each of us with our school. Travis is going to an admin's house and I am going to a Chinese restaurant. Can't wait, it is supposed to be really good!
Everyone has such different stories, it's amazing! Some have grown up in international schools all over the world and want a chance to teach in one. Some have been teaching in tons of different International schools, all over the world, some have traveled to many places and decided to start living all over the world, and others are like us and this is their first experience like this. Some people have kids, most are at least with a significant other, and there are a few single people here. It so interesting to talk to them and hear where they come from and I love some of the accents! Hopefully I will pick up some new slang words and a little accent myself! Lol!
As for school...
We got our schedules today. Travis has 2 specials (preps) daily. I get one, but have recess time in the morning and afternoon (and lunch). School starts for Travis at 8 and ends at 3, mine starts at 8:30 and ends at 3. Teachers have to be at school at 7:30 am and must stay til at least 3:30. We also have to do one activity after school for one hour a day. Travis has to do it for 2 quarters, I only have to for 1 quarter. Every student has Mandarin daily. They are divided into different classes, according to their level. It all sounds amazing and we can't wait to see it all in action.
Next Friday we have an open house type event for families. I still haven't seen my building, too much construction is still going on since it is a new building. I am assuming that means that next week will be very busy for me (and Travis too). He did see his room, it is nice and a good size. Every room has a huge flat screen tv, crazy! He is also supposed to get a smart board.
We have separate dinners tonight, each of us with our school. Travis is going to an admin's house and I am going to a Chinese restaurant. Can't wait, it is supposed to be really good!
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Saturday, July 31, 2010
Leaving Cabo
Well, today is the beginning of our adventure to Shanghai. Our honeymoon is over and we are headed to the first of three airports! We arrive in Shanghai on August 1st, at 1:45 pm. We will begin posting pictures as soon as we can!
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