Every Job Should Be So Enjoyable!

Today at lunch, my co-worker, Anne, tells me a lady is going to teach us how to make balloon animals during a meeting at 1 pm.  I had no idea what to expect.  Surely, a staff meeting was not going to consist of an hour making balloon animals.  I am here to tell you that is exactly what occured, and now, should I ever desire to leave my job, I can now join the circus!  Have a look at my day at work. 

Passing out the tools for this particular professional development!

Malika (on the right) was so afraid the balloons were going to pop!

Anne was afraid they were going to pop, too!

POP!!!  (Check out the lady in the pink and the jumper who is cringing after the POP!)

Going to get a new balloon after her's popped!

Yup.  I have the best job ever.  What a day!

Amidst the Madness

This week is Open House.  It's not like Open House in the States.  Here, Open House means that parents and grandparents go to class with their child.  Remember those times when you have threatened your child that you are going to go to school with him to see how he behaves?  All you have to do is move to China!  So, each morning this week, I started my day with a class of my precious, energetic 3-4 year olds........and all of their parents, too!  It makes for a cozy classroom!  Adults sat around the edges of the classroom while we went through our English Lesson, and while I tried to pretend they weren't there! 

I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but I have only had one open class per day.  So, for the other three classes, I must switch gears and get back to our "regularly scheduled programming."  This week, that has meant.....Evaluations!  Today, I reached a point where I had finished all the evaluations and I had extra time in the class period!  That meant that amidst all of the craziness of Parent Observations and Evaluations.....I got to watch this.....

After I asked where someone was....she showed me!   

"Where's .................?"

When she came on the scene.....Joseph was on top of the stable.  I listened as she played and set everything up correctly.  I heard, "Ba Ba (Daddy) and Ma ma (Mommy) and Bei bei (Sounds like bay bay which means Baby)" 

Where is baby...............?

Amidst the chaos...............There is peace. 

Always Something to be Thankful For

I'm back!  People who know all things computer make me smile at times like this.  (Ok, so at times they make me roll my eyes and huff in frustration...but at times like this...smile!)  It once again reminds me that people can use their powers (aka "smarts") for good or for evil!  I'm so glad to be back up and running....as I go on 3.5 months in Beijing. 

So, Thanksgiving just passed, and it is a good time to count your blessings.  However, this time of year is a wonderful time to help us see that we should be more thankful....all of the time.  I'm one who finds a few things to be thankful for every day, or every couple of days.  (Well, I try very hard to!)  After these months in Beijing, I am thankful in ways I never knew I would be!  I am learning to be thankful for the smallest, most (I felt) mundane things!  I am learning.....there are people the world over who don't take some of these things for granted! 

2011 Thankful For's.....

1. So thankful when I don't have to travel 2 hours by foot, bus and 3 trains to get to church because I can gather with others near my home. 
2. Thankful for my new air purifier so I don't feel hesitant to take a deep breath!  Maybe now only half my lungs will be black when I return! 
3. Thankful for days (few & far between that they are) when the wind & rain push the pollution away enough that I get to see the blue sky....and the buildings across the street.  (And, the other day I saw stars!  Lots of beautiful, shimmering stars in the sky!)
4. Thankful for clean drinking water!  I don't drink what comes out of the tap (that comes running through lead pipes), but we have clean bottled water. 
5. Thankful that not all children in China squat right where they are to "do their business" in their split crotch pants!  There are enough already!
6. Thankful for the things I have....because it is so hard (and time consuming) to get some things.  And, I am realizing how readily available things (necessary or [mostly] unnecessary) are in the states! 
7. Thankful when I recognize a few of the Chinese words that have been spoken and I can respond! 

I never thought those things would be on my list of Thankful For's.  Especially the bottled water!  I hate paying for water!  ;)  (You thought I was going to reference #5, now, didn'tcha?Tee hee! )   Well, here are a few of the more personal things I am counting my blessings for this year. 

I’m Thankful for the wonderful support system I have.  God has blessed me with amazing friends and family! 

2.      I’m Thankful God has kept me close when I began to wander, and that I didn’t settle for less than His best.  Nothing is worth more than His best for me!  I see the fruits of that decision daily! 

3.      I’m Thankful for the work that the Lord provided.  On a day not long ago, I asked for prayer for discernment, wisdom, and courage.  Discernment to hear from God, wisdom to know what it meant, and courage to obey!  I needed that courage....without it, this whole venture would not be possible! 

4.      I’m Thankful for the way I have grown this past year.  I have grown closer to God (in my relationship and bible knowledge), stronger professionally, and I am in a better place personally. 

5.      I’m Thankful for the opportunities I have right now!  Opportunities to live overseas, to travel the world, to learn a new language, to try new foods, to live with my sister, to have a new kind of work, to teach others, to meet new people, to share the true meaning of Christmas with little ones, and to continue on His path for me!  It's not easy, but following His will is always right! 

Have a great week, and even though Thanksgiving has past, maybe you can find a few things to be thankful for this week!

The Art World of Beijing

Today, we went with Mandi, Jonathan and his sister to 798.  798 is an area of art galleries, exhibits, and stores.  There are little shops and restaurants. 

 Mmmm.....a little pesto.  This tapas restaurant was a complete failure.  We ordered, and then the waiter returned to the table multiple times to tell us that they didn't have that particular item.  It was a rather frustrating visit to a restaurant!

Amanda is about to eat corn ice cream.  It is as disgusting as it sounds!

After lunch, they went to the airport to meet some friends, and we went to Ikea for some more shopping.  We were pretty happy when we were able to tell the driver where we wanted to go successfully!  We met everyone back in Yizhuang at Otto's for dinner.  It was a fun way to end the day!



Longqing Gorge

This week, Amanda and I don't have school.  We are out and about in the city of Beijing!  There is no school due to the National holiday, which is like our July 4^th.  I don’t know anything about it other than the fact that throngs of people come into the city.  So.  Many. People. 

Monday, we went with our friend Anne to Longqing Gorge (pronounced Long-ching).  It is about 1.5 hours outside the city, but it took us over 4.5 hours to get there.  Traffic is an ugly thing! I was glad to get out of the city and into the mountains!  On our walk to the gorge, we saw some people farming.  They harvest the corn by hand!  Stalk by stalk, the sun darkened people remove the corn from the stalk, shuck it, and throw it in a pile before moving on.  It was so crazy!   Amanda and I rode a boat through the gorge.   It was really pretty!  When we got back, Anne talked us into riding these little scooter things down slides that went down the mountain.  As we stood in line waiting with the rest of the masses, we noticed the signs above us that said something about if one hits the person in front of you, “One bears all responsibility.”  That’s encouraging!  We flew down the mountain on those little things!  With a metal handle in the middle, the driver of the scooter can control the speed. 

We stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom with the rest of the masses.

This mother is putting her child back in the car after he squatted by the car to go to the

 bathroom in the middle of this stop and go traffic!  Oh.....China.

Donkeymeat Sandwiches.  They are called

China's Hamburgers.  They are delicious!

We ordered more of them after we ate the first ones. 

The restaurant we stopped at. 

Walking up to the gorge in the beautiful fall weather

was a much better choice than paying for a trolley. 

The grounds we walked through to get to the gorge.  Beautiful.

This dragon has escalators in it to take us to the top.

Enjoying this beautiful fall day with friends.

Don't eat me!

Decisions, decisions.  Take the cable car or the boat? 

The boat it is!

I enjoyed seeing some of the country of China. 

We got really cold when we were not in the sun!

We had fun riding in the boat!



This guy grabbed the scooters as they came up on a conveyor belt,

and threw them on the track. 

Ride at your own risk!!!  These things went REALLY fast! 

Amanda took off and was really far ahead. 

I'm glad we did it!

At the end of our journey in the gorge. 

 We passed many people in the fields harvesting the corn by hand. 

This terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad picture does one thing!  I

t documents my very first sighting EVER of The Great Wall of China! 

I may or may not have gotten a tad bit excited!

What a wonderful day!

It was a great way to start our week off!