My classroom!!!

I wanted to get some new pictures up here of my classroom! It's ready to go for Monday and new students! I have lesson planning to finish up this weekend, and then I can get excited for the students to come.

Here is a picture of my reading corner and my monkey... flew all the way to China in my suitcase with me!

Grace(my TA) is hard at work getting journals ready for my class. She worked so hard this last two weeks - I couldn't have done it without her. The 3rd grade staff took our TA's out to lunch today as a Thank you for all they do.

This is the funniest part of my room - there is a stage at the front under the white board. It is a very Chinese style of instruction - the teacher is at the front teaching, above the students in more ways than one... I'm excited to use it for plays and for kids to do readers theaters so that they can be seen better, so it will work out.

At a meeting this week we had to lead our TA("blindfolded" with cotton pads) with our verbal instructions only through a maze. It focused us on communication, encouragement, and team work. Then they switched the tables and we had to be the one led through the maze by their instructions. Grace was actually better than I at giving specific instructions. It was a fun activity - and the best meeting of the week too!

I met 6 of my students last night at New parents night - they are so cute and seem quite well behaved. I will enjoy getting to know them this year. Just so long as the other 15 are as enjoyable... :) Just kidding... I'll make sure to post about my first day of school! Many adjustments to the school system over here, and the supplies that are avaliable, but also some wonderful things too - like a full-time TA and some helpful technology. God is good and faithful, and I'm thinking about each and every one of my students that he's placed in my care this year - please think of them with me too! Until next time...

You definetly had to be here for this sunset - it was bright red flaming sun - incredible! The picture doesn't do our Gd justice. We only see sunsets occasionally because of the smog and grey sky, so I've learned to appreciate them!

Well, this weekend has me at home taking Chinese herbal medicines and relaxing to get over a cold, so what better to do than post to my blog? The herbs are interesting though... tiny black beads you swallow for a sore throat, and a vial of disgusting tasting stuff for immunity! The good thing is medications are free through our health plan!

This week I got started working on my classroom. I met my TA - her name is Grace, and she is a wonderfu person. We are going to get along great. She is also a believer, and we got to talk together this week to the Father about a struggle she was having. I was so exhaused every night after thinking on things for my classroom, and planning. Please keep me in your thoughts - I have may decisions to make about curriculum and how to set up the room, and want to honor the Father in them all. Thanks!

Another adventure of the week was the subway.. I really need to start carrying a camera so I can post pics of the exciting things I run across and don't just have to explain it with words! The subway at 5:30pm is quite interesting... Even when it is obviously full to capacity, people just simple start shoving to get on and push their kids into the cracks of people. Not only is it humid, but people don't wear deodrant, so it is quite a concoction of smells! It is what the Shanhainize all use for travel, though, so I enjoy getting to experience life as they do.

The adventure on the subway was to IKEA - I needed to purchase some decorating things for my apartment, so i can put up pictures of family and start personalizing it. The only negative thing was carrying all I purchased home with me on the subway... this whole idea of carrying purchases will definetly curb my shopping/spending habits!

Something I don't think I'll get used to is the yelling, or the idea of saving face. Multiple times people have gotten in fights(one happened in IKEA on thursday) becuase the chinese can't back down, or else they would lose face. So things just escelate... I'm not sure the ramifications of this, but it is a definite cultural stigma.

I visited two chrchs last week - one close by, and the other on the Puxi side of Shanghai. Both services were touching and encouraging. I loved getting to praise together with other fellow believers. I look forward to going to Thanksgiving chrch tomorrow as well as another one in Pudong.

I've been doing a lot of running since I've been here, and this is the river that runs by our living quarters. I think it's pretty to have a river (though it doesn't flow, it's man made), and people in the morning are out here fishing, though I'm not sure if there are really fish... My friend Tifanny says that standing water her reminds her of misquitoes, which is probably why I've gotten so many bites!

This is another place I rode my bike to - an ampitheater nearby. It was great to sit and talk to Gd here.

This is my living room and my bedroom. My apartment is clean again since my ayi(maid) came to clean yesterday! I'm going to get so spoiled.

This is a picture of my apartment ... building 30, apt 102! I'm on the first floor.

My itty bitty kitchen is on the left - I made stir-fry dinner for some friends this week and we watched the Office. So my kitchen is officially broken in!

Thanks for reading, and next time I'll try to include more interesting pictures of my classroom.

China...I have arrived

I am sitting in a humid room at the school currently, waiting for a monsoon to blow over so I can return to my apartment without getting drenched. So what better to do with my time than post my first official blog from China?

Today was our first official day... we did bunches of paperwork. They spread about 2 hours of information over a 7 hour day - needless to say, the chinese aren't known for being efficient!

I had my first authentic chinese meal yesterday - it was amazing! A little place by the school that supposedly teachers eat at on a regular basis during out 1 hour lunch break ! I'm going to be so spoiled. Before that I had eaten western food and korean... the teachers seem to enjoy eating food from the states.

I've met the other Grade 3 teachers, all of whom are lovely and we will get along well. One in particular will make a great friend, and she has family in Shanghai, so will be a great resource. The Father has provided so many people to get to know - old and new teachers alike, and it is such a wonderful community!

I purchased a bike yesterday.. and rode it home from the market! I felt like I was truly becoming more of a local instead of a tourist! It gives me such freedom to get to travel where I want, without having to try to tell a taxi driver where to go.

I got my first Chinese massage the other day - it was wonderful! So relaxing, most certainly after lugging around 260+ lbs of luggage across the globe. Something that may become a weekly tradition, esp. for $6 for an hour deep tissue massage! And this is a more expensive place than some.

I'm moved into my apartment, and am feeling so at home! The previous tennat, whom I bought all the furniture from, left me loads of helpful stuff... my kitchen is stocked, I have candles, cleaning supplies, bedding, outlets, over 50 DVDs! It's amazing! I watched my first pirated DVD last night... and it was so interesting to hear the backround noise of the laughter in the theater, and every so often it would switch to Chinese! Quite an experience in itself beyond the movie! :)

Something i'm not used to yet is the humidity... every morning after my run I'm drenched - all my clothes are wet and my skin is slimy... but with the rain yesterday and today it helps it quite a bit. I've never so looked forward to rain! :)

Blessings! Can't wait to share more excitement with you - thanks for reading! Possibly next time I'll get to post some pictures too!
- Elizabeth