I can not believe I have already been here for 2.5 months.. As always, sometimes you need to stop, take a look at life, breath, make sure you are on the right track and more.. Time is flying here, I can't wait to come home and see everyone, and EAT real food, but most importantly I am enjoying my time here. We have been super busy with volleyball, work, and more. They really do make sure your time is filled here, they do that so you don't get homesick! Weekends are hard, I will admit.. You have down time where you get lonely, miss home, miss comfort food, and miss TV. I have a huge vb tourney this weekend that I am working, we have over 16 schools coming to our school to play. They stay with host families, and the play goes all day and night. I am looking forward to that. We have Halloween coming up, I am sure you will love the pics from that. Then on to Thanksgiving. The last time I spent Thanksgiving away from my family was when they all went to New York and I thought I was strong, I didn't need them! I was crying by noon that day on the phone with my mom! You might grow up, but you don't grow out of tradition. I am going to host a big party at my place this year called, "Thankstini." Figure I would serve up martini's for all the transplants that miss their family. Might as well get drunk together like old pals! I will be home before I know it, I get in on Dec 19th. Looking forward to it. More pics to come, just ordered Papa John's... It is like home:) (JUST taste like noodles)
No water here for the next 15 hours. They turned it off for 24 hours. At first I was shocked, but it is China. You never know what you are going to get..I figured it is another way to preserve this country, with rapid population growth, archaic times with political unrest, it is time they get a grip. They are making up for lost time, not sure if they can ever catch up. Then again I compare everything to the US, which hasn't been occupied for ages like China.. If anything, when I do move back I will appreciate the small things..I won't run the shower for 10 minutes just to get it hot, or better yet I will think before I drive to get that cup of coffee that costs 5.00! But it is so good!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Chilly, wet, dark in October?
Wow...it is already chilly, and was dark when I was heading home tonight at 5:30. Am I going to make it through this winter? Our apartments have no central air/heat, just a unit in the corner. All cement, I am going to book my first flight home. Forget China.
HA HA. I will survive, only the strong do right? I know I need to write a ton to talk about Bali, and to be honest I am so into the series Nip Tuck that I can't think of sitting on the computer. This is the first series in years that I have been able to sit and watch...this is dangerous. If I do make it through this winter I will come back a good 300 with dreads...lol...
Bali was amazing, it by far gave me my first dose of homesickness when I arrived back home Sat am. Being immersed in China you forget about color, you forget what it is like having someone open a door for you, say goodmorning, smile, and much much more..Bali was filled with locals who spoke English, beautiful happy Australians, and me:) I hope the pictures on Facebook give you an idea of my trip, I did write up a list of what I learned while I was there, I will post it soon. We flew out Sat am early, 2am, we did fly first class but there were more men snoring then birds flying south. Seriously, I had ear plugs in, head phones, and I could still hear them sawing away. UGH. I showed up at my place early, to find I was locked out. This was after the cabby got lost, can you imagine how delightful Stacy was? Then this lady at my apartments decided to open her bag of FRESH catfish STILL alive on sidewalk next to me. This made me laugh hysterically, why be mad, this lady was proud she had fresh fish. lol...
Time to watch a few more episodes before Jordan calls. I have missed him so much, not sure how we would make this work without Skype.
Until next time, China lives.
HA HA. I will survive, only the strong do right? I know I need to write a ton to talk about Bali, and to be honest I am so into the series Nip Tuck that I can't think of sitting on the computer. This is the first series in years that I have been able to sit and watch...this is dangerous. If I do make it through this winter I will come back a good 300 with dreads...lol...
Bali was amazing, it by far gave me my first dose of homesickness when I arrived back home Sat am. Being immersed in China you forget about color, you forget what it is like having someone open a door for you, say goodmorning, smile, and much much more..Bali was filled with locals who spoke English, beautiful happy Australians, and me:) I hope the pictures on Facebook give you an idea of my trip, I did write up a list of what I learned while I was there, I will post it soon. We flew out Sat am early, 2am, we did fly first class but there were more men snoring then birds flying south. Seriously, I had ear plugs in, head phones, and I could still hear them sawing away. UGH. I showed up at my place early, to find I was locked out. This was after the cabby got lost, can you imagine how delightful Stacy was? Then this lady at my apartments decided to open her bag of FRESH catfish STILL alive on sidewalk next to me. This made me laugh hysterically, why be mad, this lady was proud she had fresh fish. lol...
Time to watch a few more episodes before Jordan calls. I have missed him so much, not sure how we would make this work without Skype.
Until next time, China lives.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Road Closures, ATM's out of cash and SWINE flu
OHHH where do I begin...First, it is Tuesday night! One more day of work then off to Bali. I know most people back home don't know anything about Bali, either did I before I arrived here. I knew it was another place besides the US, that was about it. Bali is in Indonesia, it is a small tropical island. Sand, surf, sun and booze. :) I am going with the girl I coach volleyball with, she is from California. Rough few days, but making it through. Everyone here is so broke, our wallets are so dry they need WD40. Not kidding, we haven't had a real paycheck since May 25th. I had my last bit of ramen tonight, hoping that I don't have to eat ramen again until the depression hits Asia. I heard through the grapevine tonight that we had already received our paycheck, I road home quickly after practice, avoiding as much rain as possible through my rain gear, grabbed my ATM card and bolted to the ATM. (I had already received word that the ATM's around here run out of cash). Was there in 5 minutes to an ATM that needed WD40 too...:( Looks like my wallet will stay dry another night... This is what happens I guess when you have an all cash society. I do have to say I am glad for the early release day tomorrow. China is getting ready for their big celebrations so they just close roads. We have to be able to get the kids home in time, which means early release for us...smile... Lastly, the swine flu..since China is highly over populated they do not have enough vaccinations for the H1n1. Every school I enter I am getting my temp check. Before buses, before I pee, always temp checks.. If you have any sign of a temp you are sent to prison. You are not released for year, since the symptoms for H1n1 may be dormant. OK, HA HA HA not that intense, but damn, they are ON this one. I am glad they are though! Alright, my man is calling..love you all~! I will have lots to talk about after Bali. Get back the 10th. Then only 2 months until I get to come home..I am going to eat and eat and eat when I get back to the states! ( I MISS AMERICAN FOOD)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday Evening...
Been awhile since I have wrote, so let the novel begin! I know DAD that you want me to change the background so you can see it better, I will do that too:) I will break this into sections, since it has been so long..
Last weekend was my first time watching a rugby game, oh my...Never knew it was so intense. The weekend started by me staying in on Friday night. I am honestly realizing I am older now. I don't care to go out all night, I hate being tired, and I like relaxing on Friday's. That is so different for me, as the last 10 years I never missed a beat. I can't wait until Jordan is here, we can do dinners in town, explore the city during the day, and just be together in China.. So, the rugby game! My Asst. Principal Ty plays in a competitive league, after my vb tourney on Sat we made it a fun filled day. It started off with beers on our bike ride home from my vb tourney. There was a grand opening going on right by the school, I have never seen so many black haired people in one place. They loved looking at us drinking beers on our pink bikes..I think they thought we were part of the grand opening. lol. We continued having beers on the subway, then during the game. I enjoyed the game, what is better then watching a bunch of big men holding each other in bear hugs, tackling each other, kissing. HA HA. The game was good, we were invited on their team bus to have more beers after. The bus ride is what made the day. The guys were singing, and we were definitely bonding! My friend Kelsey was proposed to by this Russian guy, he even said the names of their future 4 children! The night continued on until the late hours, good times... Sunday was a lazy day. Hours on Skype with Jordan then a two hour massage. The massage places around here are super cheap. I paid 15.00 dollars for two hours..I was over it at first, they put me in a room that someone had just smoked in. They smoke EVERYWHERE HERE. UGH.
China Trip: The entire school leaves for a trip once a year. Each grade level does something different. The younger kids, my kids, went to a town two hours away called, Suzhou. The point of these trips is to socialize them with reality. 99% of our kids come from affluent homes, live in compounds that are hidden away from the real China. The compound (AKA neighborhood) next to me that majority of them reside in is similar to Scottsdale. The older grades go and live with locals in small towns, they volunteer at orphanages or help out in the schools or farms. Since my kids are still so young, they got to camp for the first time. For me it would've been easy, but the rain poured like Niagara falls! From the moment we got on our boat ride to the island it rained..The island we went to has 280 families that live on it. It was neat to see that they are completely self sufficient. From their goat milk to their chili pepper treas, to the daily fish that sat in the sink waited to be cook, it was all there. The women cooked and cleaned, the men fished. I watched a man one morning grab the closest chicken, kill it, then clean it in the lake..nice hu? It sure did taste good though! We did manage to get a hike in, but most of the day was spent indoors playing card games, talking and bonding. I truly take each moment in with these kids. They all come from different cultures, have different ways of doing things, ways of how others should be etc. The true meaning of International School is finally hitting me. Setting up tents went smoothly, came back after bringing in supplies, looked up to realize the girls might as well just slept in my tent. I was in the center, they were so close I could have tickled their backs:) When I finally got everyone settled in, I laid down with my journal, listened to the rain and relaxed. I have always loved listening to the rain while I fall asleep. Then I heard one zipper, followed by zippers all night. If one wasn't up it was another..Finally I fell asleep, prayer after prayer asking God to let up on the rain, I hear another zipper..Followed by, "UM, Ms. Johnson I have to pee." After a few deep breaths, I said, "Just pee behind the tent." I was finally dry, and my last time I got up I slipped on the mud, flew up in the air, and hit my butt pretty hard. Thank god I have a cushioned butt! I was so out of it, irritated, that I didn't even realize that this young Korean girl probably hadn't pee'd outside..I won't continue with that story, just a bit of it was her tent mate waking up telling me she pee'd in the tent! I think I was able to get a few hours of sleep, I was obviously to sleepy to figure out that my pillow was soaked, so was my bag, but I was dry...
I did like listening to all of them talk to their mom's before bed. 6 different languages, all at once... I am finally adjusting/accepting the language barrier. It can cause a helpless feeling, a feeling of insecurity, a feeling of jealousy and more... To speak a different language would be great. I do realize how many of the locals want to learn English, and I want to learn Mandarin, it is just so hard... If I was younger, not that I am old, I would possibly think about starting an International school in Phx. Imagine if we offered these back home, and they were Spanish only. All the kids speak English at home, but only Spanish at school. We could offer languages of all types..not a bad idea!
Starting to get dark out, going to my neighbors for a glass of wine. They are a family from Michigan with two little kids. Not doing much this weekend, usual pancake breakfast tomorrow am with some friends then off for a bike ride. I leave for Bali next Thursday. Not sure what to expect there, just know everyone that has visited Bali mentioned it is their favorite place. Endless beaches, years of history, hopefully no RAIN. Dad has been, he gave us the name of an English driver, that should help. We are going to backpack, so I am sure we will be island hopping. I will take lots of pics of course. I haven't posted many pics on my blog, it takes forever. As you know blogs/FB and more are all blocked here, the VPN I pay for isn't always a 100%. The govt here is odd! Thank god I didn't book a trip to Tibet with several of the other staff. Just yesterday the govt stopped all travel there for the holiday. Odd hu? To much political unrest during this specific holiday.
Love you all...
China Trip:
Monday morning
Last weekend was my first time watching a rugby game, oh my...Never knew it was so intense. The weekend started by me staying in on Friday night. I am honestly realizing I am older now. I don't care to go out all night, I hate being tired, and I like relaxing on Friday's. That is so different for me, as the last 10 years I never missed a beat. I can't wait until Jordan is here, we can do dinners in town, explore the city during the day, and just be together in China.. So, the rugby game! My Asst. Principal Ty plays in a competitive league, after my vb tourney on Sat we made it a fun filled day. It started off with beers on our bike ride home from my vb tourney. There was a grand opening going on right by the school, I have never seen so many black haired people in one place. They loved looking at us drinking beers on our pink bikes..I think they thought we were part of the grand opening. lol. We continued having beers on the subway, then during the game. I enjoyed the game, what is better then watching a bunch of big men holding each other in bear hugs, tackling each other, kissing. HA HA. The game was good, we were invited on their team bus to have more beers after. The bus ride is what made the day. The guys were singing, and we were definitely bonding! My friend Kelsey was proposed to by this Russian guy, he even said the names of their future 4 children! The night continued on until the late hours, good times... Sunday was a lazy day. Hours on Skype with Jordan then a two hour massage. The massage places around here are super cheap. I paid 15.00 dollars for two hours..I was over it at first, they put me in a room that someone had just smoked in. They smoke EVERYWHERE HERE. UGH.
China Trip: The entire school leaves for a trip once a year. Each grade level does something different. The younger kids, my kids, went to a town two hours away called, Suzhou. The point of these trips is to socialize them with reality. 99% of our kids come from affluent homes, live in compounds that are hidden away from the real China. The compound (AKA neighborhood) next to me that majority of them reside in is similar to Scottsdale. The older grades go and live with locals in small towns, they volunteer at orphanages or help out in the schools or farms. Since my kids are still so young, they got to camp for the first time. For me it would've been easy, but the rain poured like Niagara falls! From the moment we got on our boat ride to the island it rained..The island we went to has 280 families that live on it. It was neat to see that they are completely self sufficient. From their goat milk to their chili pepper treas, to the daily fish that sat in the sink waited to be cook, it was all there. The women cooked and cleaned, the men fished. I watched a man one morning grab the closest chicken, kill it, then clean it in the lake..nice hu? It sure did taste good though! We did manage to get a hike in, but most of the day was spent indoors playing card games, talking and bonding. I truly take each moment in with these kids. They all come from different cultures, have different ways of doing things, ways of how others should be etc. The true meaning of International School is finally hitting me. Setting up tents went smoothly, came back after bringing in supplies, looked up to realize the girls might as well just slept in my tent. I was in the center, they were so close I could have tickled their backs:) When I finally got everyone settled in, I laid down with my journal, listened to the rain and relaxed. I have always loved listening to the rain while I fall asleep. Then I heard one zipper, followed by zippers all night. If one wasn't up it was another..Finally I fell asleep, prayer after prayer asking God to let up on the rain, I hear another zipper..Followed by, "UM, Ms. Johnson I have to pee." After a few deep breaths, I said, "Just pee behind the tent." I was finally dry, and my last time I got up I slipped on the mud, flew up in the air, and hit my butt pretty hard. Thank god I have a cushioned butt! I was so out of it, irritated, that I didn't even realize that this young Korean girl probably hadn't pee'd outside..I won't continue with that story, just a bit of it was her tent mate waking up telling me she pee'd in the tent! I think I was able to get a few hours of sleep, I was obviously to sleepy to figure out that my pillow was soaked, so was my bag, but I was dry...
I did like listening to all of them talk to their mom's before bed. 6 different languages, all at once... I am finally adjusting/accepting the language barrier. It can cause a helpless feeling, a feeling of insecurity, a feeling of jealousy and more... To speak a different language would be great. I do realize how many of the locals want to learn English, and I want to learn Mandarin, it is just so hard... If I was younger, not that I am old, I would possibly think about starting an International school in Phx. Imagine if we offered these back home, and they were Spanish only. All the kids speak English at home, but only Spanish at school. We could offer languages of all types..not a bad idea!
Starting to get dark out, going to my neighbors for a glass of wine. They are a family from Michigan with two little kids. Not doing much this weekend, usual pancake breakfast tomorrow am with some friends then off for a bike ride. I leave for Bali next Thursday. Not sure what to expect there, just know everyone that has visited Bali mentioned it is their favorite place. Endless beaches, years of history, hopefully no RAIN. Dad has been, he gave us the name of an English driver, that should help. We are going to backpack, so I am sure we will be island hopping. I will take lots of pics of course. I haven't posted many pics on my blog, it takes forever. As you know blogs/FB and more are all blocked here, the VPN I pay for isn't always a 100%. The govt here is odd! Thank god I didn't book a trip to Tibet with several of the other staff. Just yesterday the govt stopped all travel there for the holiday. Odd hu? To much political unrest during this specific holiday.
Love you all...
China Trip:
Monday morning
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