Ni Hao!

I’m sorry that it’s been such a long time since I last posted.  The internet situation here in China has kept me from being able to access certain pages, like my blog and facebook.  But at long last, I’ve got it figured out and will be able to keep you updated on my life once again. 

I’ve settled into life here in China quicker than I even expected.  The people I’ve met have been so welcoming and eager to make me feel at home.  I’m living with 1 other teacher, Katherine, and her cat, Mr. Dinner, in an apartment only about a 3-5 minute walk from the school where I teach.  There’s a grocery store right outside my front door and a park across the street.  Even though my Chinese is extremely limited, this place is starting to feel like home. 

Teaching has turned out to be an incredible experience too.  I teach for about 20 hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but the rest of the week I have to explore the amazing city of Xiangyang and the country of China.  I’ve got classes with students aging from about 3 years old to 14.  It’s really fun to be able to teach at so many different levels, but I’m still working on getting everyone’s names down!  I honestly think that may be the hardest part of being a teacher.  Fortunately, all of the students do have English names in addition to their Chinese ones.  Some of the English names are very creative like Butterfly, Tiger, and Sky – but the most common are ones like Mary, Linda, Lucy, and Jimmy.  It’s weird to think that I’ve been here for over three weeks!  I was worried that after the first week or so I would become disenchanted with the whole idea of teaching and living in China, but I’ve not found that to be the case. 

Perhaps my favorite place in Xiangyang (well that I’ve discovered thus far) is a park about three miles from my apartment.  In the middle of this park is a big lake and there’s a tree-lined path that circles this lake.  It’s turned out to be an amazing place to run, although I definitely get a number of interesting looks.  In the park you’ll see everything from fishermen trying their luck, to men and women practicing tai chi, to musicians playing traditional Chinese tunes.   At least once every time I’m there I have to stop and ask myself, “Is this really my life?”