Chinese Tutor, NO english speaking!

Yesterday I got back from Hong Kong and as usual had a lot to unpack. I brought back more winter clothes and bought a lot of American food while I was there. Mom also gave me a REAL popcorn bowl! Leave it to moms to figure out how to get a large wooden bowl to fit in an already full suitcase.

I guess I can now count on two hands how many times I have flown and my flight has been on time because I was on time yesterday!

Yesterday afternoon Alicia came over and hung out for a bit and then we got dinner. After Henry came over and the three of us booked a few of our hostels for our trip and then we watched Easy A.

This morning I taught my class all about Halloween and then showed them the Modern Family episode of Halloween and gave them candy at the end. Even though they got one fun size piece of American candy they were SO excited... I mean SO excited. I made each of them say trick or treat otherwise they couldn't get a piece of candy. It was really funny. I love teaching my freshmen. They are all so innocent and still excited about being in university.

After class I took Henry shopping for our trip. I say I took him shopping because I did the translating. Shopping isn't easy over here since an XL is equivalent to a US medium... if that. Which reminds me, I went shopping in HK and was told I was a 12. YEAH RIGHT.... Note to self... retail therapy shopping in Asia is a BAD IDEA. I wan't doing retail therapy shopping, but I can only imagine if I had been how much more pissed off I would have been at the lady for telling me I was a size 12.

Anyway... after the shopping adventure, which thankfully was a success since the boy didn't bring the proper clothes to Ma'anshan, I met my Chinese tutor! We met in my boss's office. She speaks NO english. Not even the slightest... I mean she didn't know what morning and afternoon meant. I actually understood everything she said and we had a great conversation. I was finally forced to use my Chinese. It's amazing what I can whip out when I'm forced. I am so excited to start my tutoring hours with her. I meet with her once a week for 2 hours in my apartment. My first session is this Wednesday at 10! Stanley (my boss) said he was going to give me an exam at the end of the year and if I fail I have to stay for a second year and work for free. So I told him if I pass I get to stay for a second year and he will pay me double!

Henry and I got dinner to go from the cafeteria and then watched Armageddon. I can't believe it was the first time I had seen the movie... apparently I've been living under some rock watching really bad movies.

Filling up in HK

Thursday after class I left for Hong Kong for the weekend. As usual my flight was delayed and I got in at 7 instead of 5. I literally am the worst person to fly with because I am ALWAYS delayed. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have flown and been on time.

After going through immigration I applied to be an HK frequent flyer and was approved! It means I get to go in the same lines as the HK residents and e-channel members go through. MEANING.... NO lines for me anymore! Which is fabulous since I hate waiting in lines.

I met mom at the Elements and we got mexican food at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Some people would have said no to the option of mexican food after just having fajitas but I jumped at the opportunity. I mean... it's not like I had chips and guacamole or a margarita the night before... and plus, I love mexican food.
Dad couldn't meet us for dinner because he had his last dinner with his MIT group and became an official MIT grad from the Fung Group Leadership Program. I am so impressed with him. Not only did he have class for MIT (did you read that.. MIT), he also had a ton of work work and kicked some ass. Way to go Dad! I hope I have inherited his work ethic.

Friday morning I got to sleep in and then mom and I went to get our nails done and got me an HK sim card! For lunch we went to BLT Burger which was delicious, of course. Then we went shopping, headed home, I napped and then we went to Il Maestro for dinner when dad got home.

Mom and me at Sticky Fingers

I love going to Il Maestro. When we walked in the hostess and a few of the waiters came up to me and said.. "You're back, you're back! We've missed you!" Mom, dad and I may not have any other family over here but we have certainly done a good job creating one. My Poppop taught my dad to always make people remember you (I think I've butchered that a bit), but now I understand why. Or at least I have my own version of understanding... you make people remember you at a restaurant, you go back a ton, you get taken care of and they make you feel like family. Gosh I feel so Italian right now.

ANYWAY.... after dinner we went to Sticky Fingers with Vance and that is when the MIT graduation party truly began. A lot of people may think you age as you get older and you don't become as fun. Well, not my parents. They were dancing with all the people my age, jumping up and down and having a great time. I was dying laughing. And of course I was the 22 year old sitting in the chair taking videos of them... one day they will be sitting at Sticky Fingers watching ME dance and taking funny videos of ME.

Saturday I really slept in and we had a late breakfast. We all miss going to BCHAT on a Saturday but eating eggs and bacon while looking out at the harbour is definitely not a bad runner up.

My lamb at Va Bene

Saturday afternoon my dad and I went to Mong Kok to a hiking store so I could buy a backpack. It really was the three of us at first until I mentioned to my mom that I thought I may have left the straightener on so as a mom, she turned around because she was worried the apartment would burn down... the straightener was off. It was a success and now I have a 40 liter backpack (not really sure if that's what is called) for my trip this Thursday-Monday to ZhangJiaJie!

Saturday night we went to Va Bene and I ate enough that night to keep me full until I return for Thanksgiving. Dad and I each got our own bowl of clams for an appetizer and I finished my bowl 5 minutes before him.... then finished all my lamb and mashed potatoes. I'm serious when I say it is necessary that I fill up while I am in HK. The food in Ma'anshan is not filling in the slightest. Love dumplings but.... I need some real meat and I don't mean CHICKEN FEET.

Halloween in Lan Kwai Fong

Well.... long blog shortened: I had an awesome weekend in HK. Going to Hong Kong is like refueling, so it's only necessary I return once a month. Which is why I will be back in  3 weeks for Thanksgiving and I will get to see Steph and Derek! 

Fajita Night!

Wednesday night I had a fajita night in my apartment. The whole foreign gang came: Henry, Alicia, Renata, Nat, Ian and his wife Sunny, Fran, Geraldina (Geri, Italian) and Katherine (Chinese teacher from this university who is around 30). It was quite the crowd. I was nervous that I didn't make enough food but it ended up being a huge success! It was the first time Renata, Sunny and Geri had ever had a fajita, so thats fun!

Having everyone over to my apartment for a fun night really made me feel like I am making this place my home. Of course Hong Kong is still truly home to me, but Ma'anshan is finally feeling like a place where I belong. I went on a walk Wednesday morning after my 8am American Culture class and I found myself leaving campus with a huge smile on my face (the smile wasn't because I was leaving campus). It was a gorgeous fall day, I had just had a great class (I showed Modern Family and the students LOVED it), I was going for my walk and then I had one more class and then fajita night! I'm sure a bit of the smile had to do with the fact that I was leaving for Hong Kong on Thursday but I'd like to think that I am actually settled in here and happy! It really is a great feeling.

The last person to leave my apartment was around 12:30 and I had class at 8am. Well... let me tell you. Going to class as a college student after staying up late is one thing. Teaching a class at 8am after staying up late is another thing... never again. I guess I have to accept that I'm in the real world now and I need my rest! Although, I wouldn't have changed a thing about fajita night!

Wednesday night I also decided that I am going to stay here for my two month break. Originally I was going to go back to the states for some job fairs and visit family and friends. And although I miss you more than anything (even more than bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel from BCHAT... and THAT is saying something!) I just think I would regret looking back on my time here and not having traveled during the break. I am already over here and there is so much of Asia that I have not seen. As I have said before, traveling is the greatest gift you can give yourself and this is a gift I plan on giving myself. 

You are so beautiful.

Monday I had my freshmen Speaking class in the morning and then English corner in the afternoon.

I did ZERO lesson planning over the weekend so I had nothing planned for my Monday class. I woke up at 8:30 for my 9:55 class and whipped up a quick lesson. It actually went great! I do have to give some credit to Fran though because she gave me the idea to have my students make a list of words that included the word "up". I figured the lesson could go either way but they actually had a ton of fun with it.

For the first part of class I put my students in groups and gave them an envelope full of questions to ask one another and answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES. They hate using complete sentences. No matter how many times I remind them. I walked around to every group and talked with them for 5-10 minutes. I asked them questions and they asked me questions. It was a great opportunity to let them practice their English with me. It's always difficult to come up with activities that allow teacher to student conversation while keeping the rest of the class busy and engaged in practicing English speaking.

After class Alicia and I went to Auchan, the best grocery store in Ma'anshan. As Marie knows, I am super spacey in grocery stores and usually have a hard time figuring out where things are... at least the first few times I go. With that said, it was great having Alicia come along to show me where all the prime food is. Totally successful.

At 4 I had to go to the lake on campus (small lake) for English Corner. English Corner is a club put on by students. One of my students in my American Culture class asked me if I could join them at least once a month.

When I arrived at the lake there was a HUGE group of students standing there, when they saw me they all starting applauding and cheering. It was so funny.

For the first half a bunch of students introduced themselves and asked me what they should do to learn English better. I should be taking my own advice on learning Chinese...

At the end of English Corner every student asked to take a picture with me. Eventually I had to say last picture and everyone came running in. It's like I'm a celebrity. Both girls and guys told me how beautiful I was and how I have the most gorgeous eyes. It is so flattering and SO awkward.

For dinner I made steak, broccoli, asparagus and sticky rice. I love being able to cook American food at home.

After dinner Henry and Alicia came over to talk about traveling. Next week we have Thursday and Friday off for the university sports meeting (sports competition). Unfortunately we don't get to participate...

INSTEAD we are going to ZhangJiaJie for 5 days and we leave next Thursday. I am so excited. I am also extremely privileged (well, I think so...) because I am going to Hong Kong this Thursday to Sunday and then ZhangJiaJie next Thursday to Monday. I love traveling.

OH Katrina!

At the steel industry part of the Yangtze River

I need to start making a list of the funny things Katrina says and does. She asked Henry and I awhile ago if we wanted to go to the Yangtze river but we couldn't go because we were both busy. Henry went during our break and told me it was great and that I should definitely have Katrina take me. So Sunday Katrina and I made our journey to the Yangtze river. I call it a journey because of her driving... she drives like my Poppop used to drive. If not WORSE. She actually told me she was terrified to drive in China and asked if I wanted to drive.... I literally wanted to get out of the car and run away. 

45 minutes later we arrived at the "Yangtze river". Yes we were at the Yangtze river, except we most definitely were not at the part Henry told me about. We were at the industrial/steel industry part. I asked Katrina if this is how we were supposed to get to CaiShiJi (I think that is what it's called....) and she responded with a firm no. It would take us another 45 minutes to drive there. So I thought she was planning on taking me to the nice part of the Yangtze river and she was planning on just showing me the river. I don't know if this is a "you had to be there moment" but I was dying laughing. Classic Chinese/American miscommunication... I don't even know if that's what you would call it. We just had two different ideas of "going to the Yangtze river". I think she must have taken it literally...

CaiShiJi... so much pollution you can't even see. 

Eventually we arrived at CaiShiJi. It wasn't a very nice day but it was HOT. I dressed for cold weather since the weather had been cold the past week. But of course... I should have known. I am in CHINA, the weather can be summer, fall, winter in one week. I guess that's sort of like the south too, but whatever.

We had to "hike" (climb up) a bunch of stairs to get to the top to see the river. Henry kept telling me how romantic it was and how beautiful the square was at the top and how you can eat lunch up there so of course I am thinking of Italy... nope. Totally wrong. Why I would think something would seem like Italy in China... beyond me. Guess I was trying to be optimistic!

Only half of the food we got.

Anyway... we finally get to the top and climb to the top of the pagoda. The view was great, but it would have been better with NO pollution. When I was about to walk down the stairs Katrina says, "Oh lets sit for a moment, I'm going to call my friend." She calls her friend and talks on the phone for 30 minutes... while I am just sitting there and a million people are taking pictures of me. WHAT?!?! I found it totally strange that she felt the need to just sit down and have a 30 minute conversation with her friend. This literally is Katrina. I always laugh about hanging out with her AFTER.

After our Yangtze river/CaishiJi journey, Katrina took me to a restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was having a big discount because it was there 10 year anniversary. So, Katrina ordered as much food as I think we would have on our tables at Thanksgiving. At least that's how I felt after because I took a nice 2 hour nap after lunch. TONS of food but it was DELICIOUS.

I'm sure it comes off that I don't like Katrina and/or don't enjoy my time with her but that isn't the case. She is very nice and very helpful and I actually enjoyed my morning and lunch with her. She makes me laugh with pretty much everything she does and says... so that's nice. Better laughing than being frustrated with all the cultural differences. I also

Sunday Italian dinner at Fran's!

Sunday night Alicia and I went to Fran's for our Sunday Italian dinner with Geraldina. Geraldina is the 17 year old from Italian who is doing an exchange program here. I thought I was brave...

Dinner was great. I loved meeting Geraldina and we plan to hang out more. Who knew I would come to China and become great friends with foreigners from ages 17 to 60. It truly is a wonderful experience and I love it!

IHC Day

So my trainer from Beijing told us that we will all have an IHC day "I hate China day". Saturday was mine. I woke up at 8:20 to be at the speech contest practice at 8:30. Naturally Renata woke up late too and we decided to take our time and show up at 8:40. During our break a teacher who I have never met before came up to me and asked me to do an extra class on Monday. I simply told him that I couldn't because I already teach in the morning and then I am doing English Corner Monday afternoon. He told me to stop being a "cry baby" and went on and on. Well, for starters, I wasn't being a cry baby. They just don't accept the word NO here. It drives me crazy. Anyway, the cultural block that creates a million different miscommunications had really gotten to me at that point.

After the practice was over I came back to my apartment, made a grilled cheese and started watching my favorite new TV show, 'Suits'. Then I met with one of my students to help her with the BEC exam. That was a pretty big fail because her English isn't great and she can only write about the topics... she can't actually speak about the topics. In her test she has to actually SPEAK about the topics with another Chinese student. After guiding her some and giving her some tips I sent her back to her dorm to work on speaking about the topics.

After meeting with her I watched some more 'Suits' and then went down to Alicia's apartment to eat Chili and Cornbread. It was just what I needed... comfort food and some girl time.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I am going to the Yangtze River with my co-teacher (she is really just an assistant, she doesn't sit in any of my classes) and then going to Fran's for an Italian dinner. 

Friday

Today I met with one of my favorite freshmen students, Monica. She is the speech competition and asked me if I could help her with her speech and pronunciation. So I met with her Friday afternoon. She was waiting for me in front of the main teaching building and when she saw me her and her two friends she was with came running up to me. It was really funny.

I also loved that she brought her two roommates along because they wanted to hang out with a foreigner. The "meeting" went well. We corrected her speech and made it longer and I helped her with her pronunciation. A lot of my students have a difficult time saying "youth" it comes out "yute" or "use". When we were done she told me she wasn't sure if she would be at practice tomorrow because she has to wait for a call to tell her if she made it to the next round or not. When she told me this I couldn't help but admire her. I could tell that she knew she wasn't going to make it to the next round yet it was still so important to her to perfect her speech and her pronunciation and innotation. I feel like most students would wait for the call and then if they made it to the next round they would work on their speech and everything else.

Tonight Henry, Alicia and I went to the night market to get shaokao (Chinese BBQ). We decided we should go as many times as possible before it gets too cold to eat outside. After dinner we came back to my apartment and Fran came over to have drinks with us. I don't know if I have introduced Fran but Fran is older (around Renta and Ian's age) and from Tennessee. She teaches at the middle school here in Ma'anshan.

I asked if anyone wanted popcorn and Fran almost fell out of her seat with excitement. So I sent her home with 4 bags of popcorn. I figured since I was going back to HK next weekend I could get some more!

Overall it was a fun night! Fran invited us all over for Italian food on Sunday. Her school does an exchange program and there is an Italian girl there who is 17 that Fran has sort of taken under wing. Her name is Geraldina and she stays with a Chinese host family and has ZERO freedom. So Fran tries to get her out of the house as much as possible. I can't wait to meet her Sunday. Maybe I'll forget about learning Chinese and just learn Italian from her!

Fall has FINALLY arrived!

It's now Wednesday and I have finally left campus. After the fight I was pretty terrified to go anywhere alone. Yesterday I walked like 2 minutes outside the campus gate to get paper for my Public Speaking class project. Today I finally got the courage to go back to the lake. I had to remind myself that those guys are in prison, Chinese prison, and they aren't after me. Plus I've been safe for the past month here walking around Ma'anshan and the lake alone. And... if anything happens to me at the lake I have two 7lb weights... so I'm set!

Such a beautiful lake and a gorgeous day :)

Last week I taught my Public Speaking classes about the Presidential Election and all that goes along with that. Then I had each student create their own party. This week and next week they are working on their campaign signs and party symbols and then in three weeks they are all running to be President of Anhui University of Technology. Yesterday my class was SO into creating their posters that I extended it into next week since they don't have any of the supplies to do it on their own. I can't wait for them to be done with their posters, they all look so great so far! The week they do their speeches I am going to video tape each one and create a class video! I am so excited.

As I mentioned before... I finally left my apartment today! I went back to the lake to go for a walk. It was great. Five days of not walking around the lake and I was ready to get back! Fall has finally arrived in Ma'anshan and it had been gorgeous weather. I love it. I'm just missing tailgating and football. Henry bought an NFL package so he can watch the games on Monday and Tuesday or throughout the week. He said I could watch whenever but it's just on his laptop... not too exciting.

Picture of ZhengJiaJie

Last night Henry, Alicia and I got food from the cafeteria and ate it in my apartment and hung out. We decided we are going to go to ZhengJiaJie during the 13th week. The 13th week is when all the students have midterms so afternoon classes are canceled. I am so excited. Part of Avatar was filmed there with the floating mountains!

Tonight Alicia and I are having a girl night and making breaded chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.

My life in Ma'anshan is finally starting to fall into place! I've become good friends with Renata and Ian who are both from Australia and in their 50s. I love being friends with people from such different walks of life. It is awesome. Alicia and I have started become better friends which is great. I love having another girl to hang out with.

No words.

Yesterday I still wasn't feeling well. Renata and I had to be at the speech practice at 8:30 so that was a bummer. I really could have benefited from sleeping in!

The speech practice was a huge waste of our time. There are 12 contestants that will go on the CCTV English Speech Contest. Renata and I were under the impression that we were actually coaching them. WRONG. We just sat there for 3 hours and asked 2 or 3 questions. Waste of time. When we did give advice they didn't take it because they had no idea what we were even saying. They made it this far in the contest just because they are good at memorizing their speech.

"Tonight" (Saturday night), Henry, Renata, Ian, his Chinese wife, Sunny, Alicia, her mom, Catherine (a student at AHUT) and I all went to a Cantonese restaurant for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner! The restaurant gave us a coupon for KTV (karaoke) which was right across the street so we all decided to go there except for Alicia and her mom.

Long story short... we didn't end up doing karaoke. When we first walked into the lobby of the building KTV was in we got yelled at by two Chinese men who were with three Chinese women. They were clearly drunk and in hindsight we should have just turned around and left. But we didn't. We stood there and waited for the elevator while we were getting yelled at. It appeared that they were angry that Catherine and Sunny (two Chinese women) were with foreigners. The men were SO angry. They pulled on Catherine's jacket and one thing led to the next. We eventually made it into the elevator and said we would forget about it all, that the men were just being drunk. Well while we were paying for our KTV room the two men came running up to our group in pure rage. They through Renata on the ground and stomped on her head and threw Sunny around, punching her and pulling her hair. Ian tried to defend his wife, as a good husband would do and got punched numerous times. Henry also got hurt while he was trying to hold Ian back and stop the fight. Eventually the police showed up and the men ran away. We all had to go to the police station to give investigation reports, which took 2-3 hours.

I am still sort of in complete shock that this even happened. I understand Ma'anshan isn't a dangerous city and that any city, no matter where you are has bad people. What shocked me the most is that Chinese men would hurt/beat another Chinese woman or foreigner for that matter. I have never seen something so crazy in my life.

Note to anyone who ever goes abroad (especially to China when a lot of people hate foreigners right now because the island dispute with Japan), if anyone yells anything at you just leave. Going to KTV was definitely not worth ruining a wonderful dinner.

烧烤 (Shao kao= Chinese BBQ)

I don't teach on Friday's so I didn't get out of bed today until later. It was nice to wake up and realize I had a day to do WHATEVER I WANTED, no deadlines. Except, I woke up feeling sick. I think all the dirt has gotten to me. My plan today was to apply to a bunch of schools in Orange County and DC for next year but that didn't end up happening. I still have all weekend though so thats nice.

Nat, me and Henry at the Night Market

Katrina called me around 10am to ask me if I could coach 12 students for the next three weeks. Only two of them will be chosen after the three weeks to compete in the English speaking contest that airs on CCTV. I say that she "asked" me but "asking" doesn't really exist here. You are expected to say yes, no matter what. So of course I agreed. So Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:00-8:30 and then Saturdays from 8:30-11 I will be "Coach Rachel". Should be interesting.

I didin't do much today since I wasn't feeling well. I pretty much just relaxed and read all day, it was great.


Tonight Henry, Nat, Katherine, Alicia, Alicia's mom and I all went to the night market to get BBQ (Shao Kao). It's not your typical BBQ, it's meat or vegetables on a stick. We also got crawfish. The food was delicious! We plan on going back a bunch before it gets cold.

I'm heading to bed early tonight since I have to be at the speech contest practice at 8:30.

Please no more staring!

Today was by far the most interesting day I have had in Ma'anshan. I had two classes this morning, Speaking for my freshmen and Business English for my juniors. Both classes went well and all the students were extremely active and using English, it made me so happy! Usually I have to walk around the class repeating, "Use English, Use English, Use English". Gets pretty old.

After class my plan was to go straight to the grocery store but for some reason I was in a mood where I didn't want to deal with all the staring and "lao wai lao wai" or "wai guo ren". "lao wai" means "outsider" and "wai guo ren" means foreigner.

Eventually I decided I had to get over it and go. I mean it's not like I can spend the next year in my apartment to avoid everyone staring at me. The Chinese have siesta from 11:30-2, so I went at 12:30 thinking it would be a less busy time on the bus and in the grocery store. Well... I WAS RIGHT. Thank goodness. I actually ended up being the only person on the number 6 bus. The driver asked me where I was going and took me straight there.. no stops. We also had a nice 10 minute conversation in Chinese. So now I know when to go to the grocery store! The fact that I was the only person on the bus is crazy... that is extremely rare.

After grocery shopping (I treated my self to buying two bottles of good white wine :) ), I went to my boss's office to discuss getting a Chinese tutor. My Chinese tutor will be a professor at the school and we will meet two times a week. Hopefully it goes well!

My flowers : )

This afternoon I went to the lake for my daily walk. Since I was in this "I don't want anyone to stare at me and say 'lao wai' or 'wai guo ren' mood I decided to put on my brightest pink shirt. I figured I could just pretend they were staring at my bright shirt instead of me... WORST IDEA. I got more stares than I have ever gotten. I even got a "wow" from one guy. Maybe he was just taken back by my gorgeous face? ha ha. The older Chinese in the park would stare at me and then I would pass them and then they would turn and continue staring at me. Who knows how long they stared at me after I passed them. I even got some open mouths.

Despite all the staring, I managed to have a great walk. I now walk around the entire lake which is 6.5 miles (at least the way I go is). It was the most gorgeous day today. I went to the lake around 3, which isn't when I normally go. There were a ton of high school/college students rowing... wish I could have joined them. I was so tempted to jump in the water.

On my way back to campus I decided to visit my flower girl and buy some lilies and roses. So on the way back to campus, not only was I a foreigner, I was a foreigner with a bright pink shirt on and a big bouquet of flowers. Lets just say I could not WAIT to get back to my apartment.

One day I'll look back and laugh at all this, but until then y'all can do the laughing for me!

Henry and I got dinner to go from the cafeteria and then he showed me how to download music, movies, programs, etc. for freeeee. I am so excited.

I learned tonight that Colorado is big into country music? Who knew... not me. Whoops.

Tomorrow night a few of the foreign teachers are going to go get BBQ (Chinese BBQ) at the night market.

OH and I downloaded QQ (Chinese version of AIM) because all my students asked me so they could practice their English with me. After class I had like 50 new friend requests. Some of the girls chatted me and said, "You are so beautiful Ms. I". Such a confidence booster... I'll miss all these compliments when I get back to the states!

Am I in Hong Kong or am I in New York?

Saturday mom, dad and I went to Soho to get NY style pizza from a place that my dad had been before. It was amazing... didn't realize how much I missed NY style pizza... not. My favorite food is NY style pizza... yes NY. The NY part is KEY.

After we finished eating we headed to Gateway to the illegal costco (we think it's illegal). You aren't supposed to take pictures but I did... whoops. They sell all Kirkland brand food and anything and everything an American living in Ma'anshan would ever want. I felt like I was in heaven. Not that I know what that feels like... but I'm sure it's something similar.
As you can tell from the picture... I loaded up. The candy is for my students for halloween and for when they give a great speech, improve their pronunciation or volunteer a lot. I'm such a nice teacher. I mean I sacrificed 5 pounds of my bag weight for their satisfaction of eating American candy!

Anyway... the best thing I got at costco was DEODORANT. I was panicing a bit when I couldn't find any in Hong Kong.

When we got back from costco mom and I went to get our nails done. It was a HUGE disaster. They told us to wait 30 minutes so their nail lady could come. Well when she finally got there we discovered she had NO idea what she was doing. So I got my nails done and mom didn't. It was such a frustrating experience. For example... she put the cuticle oil on my actual nail, put the dryer on my nails and then tried to put nail polish over it... she didn't understand why that wouldn't work. So that will be the last time we ever go there.

When we got back I started to pack. Of course it turned into a stressful project because I was trying to bring all my winter clothes back plus all the food from costco. So I ended up leaving half my winter clothes at home and fitting all the food. Mom and Dad are meeting me in Shanghai in three weeks and bringing some of my other winter clothes, so I would say in the end it worked out!

For dinner we went to the Intercontinental to get burgers. I didn't think I was hungry until I had my first bite. Literally the best burger I have ever had. AND the truffle fries.... I'm wondering why I waited until I got back to Ma'anshan to write this blog post... I'm making myself super hungry for food that doesn't exist here!

Leaving home is never easy, especially now that my parents live in the greatest city. I already miss Hong Kong but thankfully I have my lake to walk around "replace" the harbour walks.

Frank Sinatra Tribute

Stanley beach

Friday my mom and I went to Stanley Market to do more shopping... I'm pretty sure we are trouble with dad. Well actually we are banned from shopping, except I make my own money now sooooooo

I love the bus ride to Stanley Market. It is absolutely gorgeous. I also love Stanley Market. I never think I am going to buy much.... until I actually get there.

We took a new way home to see if it was faster but we discovered no matter what way we take it is pretty much an hour and 45 minutes door to door. Worth the time though!

Friday night my parents and I went to my new favorite Italian restaurant, Domani. They had a 'Frank Sinatra Tribute' that was great! For those of you who do not know, my PopPop passed away this past May and he LOVED Frank Sinatra. It wasn't until Friday night that I discovered Frank's songs have some pretty good lyrics. Im sure my PopPop is yelling down at me saying, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

The night was great and I loved being able to do something in remembrance of my PopPop. 

Shopping in Shenzhen

Wednesday morning my parents got back from the Philippines! I was so excited to see them. They were exhausted though because they flew through the night. No idea how my dad managed to go to work... what an all-star. 

Famous Waffles

Mom was exhausted and planned to do laundry and relax so I went exploring in HK for Katie, Heather and Cindy's last day. We went to Nathan Rd. and got these famous waffles that Cindy discovered the last time she was in HK. It was delicious but next time I'll have to bring my own syrup! 

The girls left for Shenzhen around 3. My mom and I planned to meet them there Thursday morning to go shopping. 

Waterfront, where we had dinner.

Wednesday night my parents and I went to the Waterfront for dinner. Gorgeous night and great food!

Thursday my mom and I took the train to Shenzhen. It is so easy! The train station is across the street from our apartment and then a 40 minute train ride to Shenzhen, China. Going through customs was easy since there were no lines.

Shenzhen Shopping

We met up with Katie, Heather and Cindy to go shopping where my mom has been probably five times already. She showed us the ropes and introduced us to all her "people". It was great.

I got four pairs of pants made for a great price. I got UGGS, driving loafers, DVDs ($1 US, each), purses, a painting of Starry Night and some other things. It was definitely a successful day. 

I was sad to say bye to the girls but I'm going to go visit them before our January break! They are teaching in a small city outside of Chengdu so I can't wait to go visit and eat tons of Sichuan food. 

I can't believe my home is in Hong Kong

Today Heather, Katie, Cindy and I hiked Dragon's Back and went to Big Wave Bay. It was honestly the most incredible day I have had since I've left the states.

We really could not have asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot out.



Our adventure began on Avenue of the Stars and then we took the Star Ferry to Central where we got on the 6 bus to Stanley. The bus ride to Stanley is the most beautiful bus ride. It's actually indescribable .. a lot of today was. After getting to Stanley we took a cab to the bottom of Dragon's Back. From there we hiked up Dragon's Back which took about an hour. When we got to the top we stopped for a break and ate Nature Valley bars and chugged water.

The hike was the most beautiful (sorry I've used the word beautiful a lot... I can't help it) hike I've ever been on. The scenery was incredible; it actually took my breath away. At one point I couldn't believe how lucky I was that my parents live in Hong Kong and I am able to experience the coolest adventures!

There were a bunch of stairs at the end of the hike so Cindy and I decided it would be a good idea to run up all the stairs.... it definitely was rewarding and completely exhausting! OH and we also saw a snake on the hike.

The hike down was just as beautiful as the hike up!

After the hike we took a bus to Big Wave Bay which is a beach with a ton of surfers. I've literally never seen more surfers in my life. I've also never seen bigger waves in my life. The sand was so soft, the water was the perfect temperature and the sun was shinning. We probably looked like the happiest four girls on the beach. Katie and I sprinted into the ocean the second we got there.

Later on we discovered that it was Cindy's FIRST TIME ever to go to a beach. I thought she meant in another country, but she really meant ever. So crazy!

We left the beach in the afternoon and took a taxi back to North Point, took the North Point ferry to Hung Hom and then walked from the Hung Hom ferry home.

Tonight we took the world's longest escalator to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We were done with dinner in under an hour.... our food was pretty much done right after it was served to us. It was as if we had never eaten before.

After dinner we headed back and watched Eat, Pray, Love.

Tomorrow my mom and dad will finally be back from vacation! I can't wait to see them. I feel like a 5 year old.

Overall, today was an amazing today. I honestly could not have asked for a better day. It's too bad I'm not living in Hong Kong... I sure will miss my view of the harbour when I leave on Sunday.

Friends and Fireworks

Today Katie, Heather and their friend Cindy came to Hong Kong. They were supposed to get in at 10am but ended up getting in around 2pm.

I can't tell you how amazing it is to have friends around, especially girlfriends. I didn't realize how much I missed just hanging out with a group of girls, chatting, eating, watching a movie, etc. Friends can lift your spirits so much :).

After lunch at the Waterfront

Securing their spots at 5:30 for the fireworks at 9!

Today we had a late lunch, early dinner at the Waterfront. I got angel hair pasta with agli oilio sauce (not really sure if thats how you spell it) and ate the entire bowl. Didn't realize I was that hungry but it was DELICIOUS. Katie, Heather and Cindy had been on a train for 38 hours so they all devoured their food.

After we went to Metropolis to get ice cream and candy and then came back and watched a movie until the fireworks started!

The fireworks started at 9pm and lasted for 23 minutes. They were awesome. I act like a 5 year old when it comes to fireworks. But apparently I'm not the only one because all the asians standing on the harbour were clapping and yelling and oohing and awing. It was hilarious.



Tomorrow we are going to hike Dragon's Back and then go to lunch at Thai and hit the beach! I am so excited to see a new part of Hong Kong and be with good friends.

Watching the fireworks from my apartment.

Bike Ride with God

I didn't write the story below, but a good friend sent me this story when I first got to China. I love it and it has helped me get through some of the most difficult times I have had over here. I have learned that plans change and I have learned that faith in God, includes faith in His timing. 

Last night I went on a walk and was able to enjoy the beautiful Hong Kong scenery!

Bike Ride with God

At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like the President. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn't really know Him.

But later on when I recognized my Higher Power, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride; but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that God was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since...life with my God makes life exciting.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places and at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "pedal."

I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are You taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to trust.

I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure; and when I'd say, "I'm scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing acceptance, and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey; our journey, God's and mine.

And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it. But He knew bike secrets, knew how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high places filled with rocks, fly to shorten scary passages.

And I'm learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, my God.

And when I'm sure I can't do any more, He just smiles and says, "PEDAL"!

A long adventure to HK!

Friday morning I left Ma'anshan at 9am on a shuttle to the Nanjing airport. My flight wasn't until 12:50 but there wasn't a 10am shuttle, so I really had no choice but to arrive super early.

The Nanjing airport is SO boring. I ended up starting a book and getting to 70% by the time it was ready to board.

Got on the plane and what do you know... we are delayed an hour. So they served us food while we were still on the ground. I usually never eat airplane food, but I devoured this. It was sticky rice and chicken. I guess my standard of food has gone down after a month of being in China.

Eventually I landed in Shenzhen at 4 and somehow got on the 4:20 bus to Hong Kong. Well, I thought it was straight into Hong Kong and figured I'd clear customs then. NOPE. We arrived at this huge bus terminal. I had to clear customs in China and then walk through this tunnel to get the HK side and then do the whole arrival thing there. Then I got on a bus that FINALLY took my to the Elements. From the Elements I took a taxi and arrived home... 10 hours later!!

I think it's safe to say I will never do that again. The ticket into Shenzhen was $200 so that was worth it, but usually its only $50-$100 cheaper which isn't worth the 10 hours when it could only be a 4 hour day of traveling!

I guess I should probably explain why I am even home in Hong Kong. In China, October 1st is National Day. So everyone gets 8 days off. They make up having Monday off on Saturday. But they still have the rest of the week off and don't make up those days? I seriously don't understand but I don't really understand anything that goes on in China.

Lucky me I get 10 days off because I don't have classes on Friday and the school decided to have Friday classes made up on Saturday.

So now I am finally back home in Hong Kong! I only got to see my parents for 2 hours the night I got home. They went to Phuket for vacation until Wednesday. I'm counting down the hours until they return!!

Saturday I went to bliss spa at the elements and treated myself and then came back and went to the pool for a bit. All the chairs in the sun were taken so I was stuck in the shade.

Saturday night I decided to dine out alone at Il Maestro, a restaurant my parents and I always go to in HK. It's nice showing up to a place where the people recognize you.

When I was done eating a brit came over to me and asked me if I wanted to join her and her boyfriend to drink and listen to music so I did. Turns out they are both English teachers in HK! They are 36 and 44, but were so funny! The guy had friends from South Carolina and went to visit awhile back and asked me if I had ever been to Greenville. WHAT A SMALL WORLD! He told me Greenville has churches like Ireland (I think he said Ireland) has pubs. I thought it was a really funny comparison.

I ended up singing Sweet Home Alabama on stage, which was funny. I even got some claps.... That will probably be the last time I sing on stage. ha ha

Going out to dinner by myself and meeting people from the UK was a great experience for me. It amazes me how you can go out on your own, meet people and find that you have so many things in common. I've realized the world is so big and I should really take advantage of exploring it while I am over here. Meeting people from different paths of life is so interesting and Saturday night is definitely a night I will never forget.