Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween!
So today is Halloween. Having all American teacher, of course we celebrated! The only thing I could really do to make a costume, was play with my hair. I decided to be Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch!
The Halloween party was a great success. I had so much fun coming up with different games for the kids. Here are a few pictures from the party! Haha it was fun! Hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tender Mercies
Well as always this week has been a crazy week. On top of everything I was sick for most of it. Ugh! A couple weeks ago I began recording clips of segments in my classes, as a way for me to track student progress and also to evaluate my teaching. Also after doing these recordings, I usually play them back to the students, so that they can hear what they sound like and make improvements. Not really for anything else. The other teachers found out and loved the idea. They thought it would be something great to share quarterly with the parents and students. So while I was sick in bed that is what I worked on. This past weekend was parents weekend. That basically meant that they could come and follow their child around to the different classes they attended. So this was also where I had the kids perform Jack and the Beanstalk in front of their parents and other classmates. Well do to my sickness, I was not able to attend the collaboration meeting and was not really involved in the planning in how this weekend would run. This really is not so new. There are only two other teachers and they are married. What they say goes...sometimes we plan things together one way and then last minute it is switched on me. Kind of makes it difficult for me to plan as a teacher.
Anyway so sorry, it just did not turn out well. I originally wanted the kids to practice the play one time through and then perform it. To make a long story short I was assigned the kids for two forty minute segments to perform the play (all of which were in front of their parents). I reflect back now and I wish I would have planned better and made more use of that time to show case the kids. But sometimes when I am taken in surprise I just do not think clearly. Some of the parents thought it was a waste of time, because their child was not getting the attention they need. It was such a rough weekend with the parent, not all of them thought that way. Jack and the Beanstalk was not the only thing I had planned, I also had a phonics lesson with our younger students. I was also in charge of teaching all the kids Halloween songs, which they performed for their parents as well.
So the gist is I walked away from school this week, just down. I badly want to be able to help all the students improve and grow, but it is killing me that I do not really know how. Man it has been difficult. If anybody has some suggestions, I would love to hear them! Well I got up this morning ready for a new day. Parent weekend still not over, but I knew I was going to go to church today and that was my light.
Sundays I teach for two hours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon that was our compromise. Sunday mornings I teach four year olds and Sunday afternoons teenagers. This morning was a rough one as well. What makes it so rough is that parents put a lot of stress on your shoulders for their child. They can care less about the other children, but if you do not pay attention to their child all the time you never hear the end of it! I can go on, but I will not. This morning I just let it roll of, I thanked them for their comments and left for church. FYI not all the comments are negative, but they are the ones that weigh the most.
I know I have said it several times, but church fills my bucket. I went to church and just soaked the warm feelings all in. Cheesy I know, but very true. The messages, songs, and overwhelming peace that I feel weekly gives me the confidence I need to conquer yet another week. Not only that but I am starting to make friendships here. I got invited to lunch by three different people, such tender mercies because it can be a little lonely being out here alone. I made plans to go shopping with a girl that knows the best places to go! Yes! These individuals are honestly tender mercies for me.
Sorry this really is turning out to be long, but I honestly I am just recording random thoughts and I am fine if no one else really reads this. Haha. I just really want to say that I know the Lord really knows us and loves us. There is no way I can deny that. I see His hand everywhere I turn. I have really been pondering and studying the scriptures lately and maybe it is because where I am in my life right now, but something I have really noticed is how often we are told to keep the commandments and the Lord will bless us. There is absolutely no way we can go wrong if we keep the commandments, repent, and come unto Christ. Parent weekend was a hard one on me, but instead of feeling down, I think the Lord wants me to know that He is supporting me through this. I need to rely on Him!
Okay so I did not actually mean to share all of that, but I guess it needed to come out. The point of writing was to write about the tender mercies I have recently received. Yesterday night I wanted to watch a movie, but I guess the dvd was to scratched up it got stuck in my laptop. I did not know what to do to get it out, an my computer kept making weird noises the whole time it was in. It scared me, so I thought I will just restart the computer. Well it would not come back on. I did not have Abram nearby, so I did I knew I could do...pray. I prayed and asked the Lord that He would take out the dvd. I am not even joking, when I was done I decided to turn off the computer again and turn it back on. This time it immediately came out. As soon as it did, I got back on my knees and gave thanks for I know that was a direct answer to my prayer.
After church today, I felt like my burdens were lifted. I was in such high spirits. After my afternoon class, I came back to the apartment and had dinner with the family I have been living with. After dinner Sabrina (the daughter) played the piano, while the nanny and I danced around. Haha. Afterwards they performed for me, China's national anthem. I think I will share this tender mercy with all of you!
Anyway so sorry, it just did not turn out well. I originally wanted the kids to practice the play one time through and then perform it. To make a long story short I was assigned the kids for two forty minute segments to perform the play (all of which were in front of their parents). I reflect back now and I wish I would have planned better and made more use of that time to show case the kids. But sometimes when I am taken in surprise I just do not think clearly. Some of the parents thought it was a waste of time, because their child was not getting the attention they need. It was such a rough weekend with the parent, not all of them thought that way. Jack and the Beanstalk was not the only thing I had planned, I also had a phonics lesson with our younger students. I was also in charge of teaching all the kids Halloween songs, which they performed for their parents as well.
So the gist is I walked away from school this week, just down. I badly want to be able to help all the students improve and grow, but it is killing me that I do not really know how. Man it has been difficult. If anybody has some suggestions, I would love to hear them! Well I got up this morning ready for a new day. Parent weekend still not over, but I knew I was going to go to church today and that was my light.
Sundays I teach for two hours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon that was our compromise. Sunday mornings I teach four year olds and Sunday afternoons teenagers. This morning was a rough one as well. What makes it so rough is that parents put a lot of stress on your shoulders for their child. They can care less about the other children, but if you do not pay attention to their child all the time you never hear the end of it! I can go on, but I will not. This morning I just let it roll of, I thanked them for their comments and left for church. FYI not all the comments are negative, but they are the ones that weigh the most.
I know I have said it several times, but church fills my bucket. I went to church and just soaked the warm feelings all in. Cheesy I know, but very true. The messages, songs, and overwhelming peace that I feel weekly gives me the confidence I need to conquer yet another week. Not only that but I am starting to make friendships here. I got invited to lunch by three different people, such tender mercies because it can be a little lonely being out here alone. I made plans to go shopping with a girl that knows the best places to go! Yes! These individuals are honestly tender mercies for me.
Sorry this really is turning out to be long, but I honestly I am just recording random thoughts and I am fine if no one else really reads this. Haha. I just really want to say that I know the Lord really knows us and loves us. There is no way I can deny that. I see His hand everywhere I turn. I have really been pondering and studying the scriptures lately and maybe it is because where I am in my life right now, but something I have really noticed is how often we are told to keep the commandments and the Lord will bless us. There is absolutely no way we can go wrong if we keep the commandments, repent, and come unto Christ. Parent weekend was a hard one on me, but instead of feeling down, I think the Lord wants me to know that He is supporting me through this. I need to rely on Him!
Okay so I did not actually mean to share all of that, but I guess it needed to come out. The point of writing was to write about the tender mercies I have recently received. Yesterday night I wanted to watch a movie, but I guess the dvd was to scratched up it got stuck in my laptop. I did not know what to do to get it out, an my computer kept making weird noises the whole time it was in. It scared me, so I thought I will just restart the computer. Well it would not come back on. I did not have Abram nearby, so I did I knew I could do...pray. I prayed and asked the Lord that He would take out the dvd. I am not even joking, when I was done I decided to turn off the computer again and turn it back on. This time it immediately came out. As soon as it did, I got back on my knees and gave thanks for I know that was a direct answer to my prayer.
After church today, I felt like my burdens were lifted. I was in such high spirits. After my afternoon class, I came back to the apartment and had dinner with the family I have been living with. After dinner Sabrina (the daughter) played the piano, while the nanny and I danced around. Haha. Afterwards they performed for me, China's national anthem. I think I will share this tender mercy with all of you!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Mamahuhu
So I am new at this whole blogging thing, but I figured it could be a good way to keep in touch with everyone. I also thought it might help motivate me to write down my thoughts! So I have been in Beijing for a little over a month. Can I say this month has been quite a roller coaster! I will insert a few excerpts from past emails to give new followers a little bit of an idea.
September 19, 2011- First Day
Haha best part of the so far day. I came home and the nanny came up to me. She said something in Mandarin and I stared blankly at her. She laughed and rubbed her tummy. I assumed she was asking me if I was hungry. I nodded my head yes... because I was, and she want off to work in the kitchen. About twenty minutes later she knocks on the door and pounds on her fists. I guess that means lunch is served... haha! I went into the kitchen and there was a huge plate of noodles with eggs and vegetables! MMMMmm. She saw me with a fork and shock her head and handed me chopsticks. Haha I am so not good with them. She watched me struggle with them for a bit while laughing before showing me how to eat. Haha the nanny gets a kick out of me. She has been constantly laughing. She does not speak any English, and I do not speak any Mandarin, but somehow we managed. Boy if I think latinos are bad about food servings, she was as well. She kept bring plates out. I motioned it was too much food, so after saying no to plates a couple of times she joined me and ate. It was such a funny experience. You had to have been there I guess. Well I am still very tired so I hope to take a nap and then finish unpacking.
October 3, 2011
One of the hardest things I have encountered in being out here is the language barrier. I have never have had to deal with it before. In Germany and Austria people spoke English, my mission was in Spanish...I did not really need to learn it. I always have understood it. So this experience has been completely new. To be honest I did not really think about how not knowing the language would be difficult, because it has never been an issue for me. The only time I remembered really not being able to communicate myself was when Tati and I were in Poland. But we were only there a short time, and the only time we really needed to be understood was to find the train station to return back to Germany.
Here I am, and honestly I cannot communicate a thing to anyone. Do you know my coworkers have written my home address and work address practically on everything I carry, so in case I get lost I can make my way back. I have learned words here and there, but I still cannot get by. Today I decided to go to school for a little bit, and asked Sabrina if she wanted to join. She loves going to school, so she was so excited. After a couple of hours I took Sabrina out to lunch at KFC. I sent Sabrina to hold a table for us, before I realized I could not order the food. You see no one here knows English. Well not the people off the street, the people who work in restaurants, or in stores. The people who know English are educated and are not the typical people I encounter. I have a new found respect for missionaries who learn new languages, especially for my companions who came to the field knowing nothing. So I guess there is a first time for everything. I really am trying so hard to learn this language, but it is so hard. I think once my work schedule is fixed, I will work on getting a tutor to learn the language. I really do think it is necessary to live here.
October 6, 2011
Ok on other notes. It is really interesting being a member in China. On Tuesday when I had my outing with Eileen, my coworker, I could tell she had a lot of questions. She asked them as if they were not questions at all. Can I just say, that it feels so wrong not to be able to answer them to an extent that the answers can be understood. My heart just really aches inside that I cannot freely discuss the gospel. I might have mentioned how Daniel (my boss) has an associate who is LDS, right? Well his name is Mike Farley and everyone knows him. Eileen said this "both you and Mike Farley are always really happy and nice, is it because you are both Mormon? What makes you so happy?" She also asked what we did during church, why we are called Mormons, and what we do? I simply answered the questions, but I could tell it was not enough for her, I then told her she can refer to lds.org to read more. Ugh so hard. I have never felt so restricted, but I did not want to say anything to get her, the church, or myself into trouble.
Ok so you get the gist. I have been thrown new curb balls in this very short amount of time I have been here and I have a feeling they are still coming. But what is an adventure without them?
Before I came out here, I went over to my grandparents house. My grandparents have to be some of the funniest people I know. They are from Costa Rica and know very few words in English.
On this last visit with my grandparents, my grandmother gave me some advice (which I choose not to share, it is not really pertinent) and then she taught me a phrase. Mamahuhu. She told me to use this phrase in coming out here to China. Well honestly I thought she was joking...she tends to do that a lot and you should have heard how she said it. I could not really take her seriously. Well anyway time past and I did not use the phrase. Then yesterday when I was studying Mandarin with my cd rom and book, I came across the phrase. What the... grandma was right? Well the book said it meant so so.
So I have been sick these last couple of day. When I came back from work, the nanny just started talking to me. By what she was doing and the tone in her voice, I guessed she was asking how I was doing. I have been feeling a little bit better so I said mamahuhu and she understood me! Haha usually when I learn a new phrase it takes using it a couple of times before I am understood! So today I publicly would like to thank grandma for teaching me mamahuhu!
P.S. It also means careless. Haha I wonder in which context grandma learned it...jk!
September 19, 2011- First Day
Haha best part of the so far day. I came home and the nanny came up to me. She said something in Mandarin and I stared blankly at her. She laughed and rubbed her tummy. I assumed she was asking me if I was hungry. I nodded my head yes... because I was, and she want off to work in the kitchen. About twenty minutes later she knocks on the door and pounds on her fists. I guess that means lunch is served... haha! I went into the kitchen and there was a huge plate of noodles with eggs and vegetables! MMMMmm. She saw me with a fork and shock her head and handed me chopsticks. Haha I am so not good with them. She watched me struggle with them for a bit while laughing before showing me how to eat. Haha the nanny gets a kick out of me. She has been constantly laughing. She does not speak any English, and I do not speak any Mandarin, but somehow we managed. Boy if I think latinos are bad about food servings, she was as well. She kept bring plates out. I motioned it was too much food, so after saying no to plates a couple of times she joined me and ate. It was such a funny experience. You had to have been there I guess. Well I am still very tired so I hope to take a nap and then finish unpacking.
October 3, 2011
One of the hardest things I have encountered in being out here is the language barrier. I have never have had to deal with it before. In Germany and Austria people spoke English, my mission was in Spanish...I did not really need to learn it. I always have understood it. So this experience has been completely new. To be honest I did not really think about how not knowing the language would be difficult, because it has never been an issue for me. The only time I remembered really not being able to communicate myself was when Tati and I were in Poland. But we were only there a short time, and the only time we really needed to be understood was to find the train station to return back to Germany.
October 6, 2011
Ok on other notes. It is really interesting being a member in China. On Tuesday when I had my outing with Eileen, my coworker, I could tell she had a lot of questions. She asked them as if they were not questions at all. Can I just say, that it feels so wrong not to be able to answer them to an extent that the answers can be understood. My heart just really aches inside that I cannot freely discuss the gospel. I might have mentioned how Daniel (my boss) has an associate who is LDS, right? Well his name is Mike Farley and everyone knows him. Eileen said this "both you and Mike Farley are always really happy and nice, is it because you are both Mormon? What makes you so happy?" She also asked what we did during church, why we are called Mormons, and what we do? I simply answered the questions, but I could tell it was not enough for her, I then told her she can refer to lds.org to read more. Ugh so hard. I have never felt so restricted, but I did not want to say anything to get her, the church, or myself into trouble.
Ok so you get the gist. I have been thrown new curb balls in this very short amount of time I have been here and I have a feeling they are still coming. But what is an adventure without them?
Before I came out here, I went over to my grandparents house. My grandparents have to be some of the funniest people I know. They are from Costa Rica and know very few words in English.
On this last visit with my grandparents, my grandmother gave me some advice (which I choose not to share, it is not really pertinent) and then she taught me a phrase. Mamahuhu. She told me to use this phrase in coming out here to China. Well honestly I thought she was joking...she tends to do that a lot and you should have heard how she said it. I could not really take her seriously. Well anyway time past and I did not use the phrase. Then yesterday when I was studying Mandarin with my cd rom and book, I came across the phrase. What the... grandma was right? Well the book said it meant so so.
So I have been sick these last couple of day. When I came back from work, the nanny just started talking to me. By what she was doing and the tone in her voice, I guessed she was asking how I was doing. I have been feeling a little bit better so I said mamahuhu and she understood me! Haha usually when I learn a new phrase it takes using it a couple of times before I am understood! So today I publicly would like to thank grandma for teaching me mamahuhu!
P.S. It also means careless. Haha I wonder in which context grandma learned it...jk!
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