Bow gwah!

My co-worker Anne who speaks both Chinese and English went to the bathroom this afternoon.  (And, you are SO thinking, "Uhhhh, where is she going with this!?")  Well, while she was gone this man (shi fu) came to the window (there is a window into the hallway) and started talking to me in Chinese (I heard bow-gwah) and gesturing.  It looked like he was doing the motions for deep and wide!  I was so confused.  We both started laughing and he gave up and walked away.  Anne came back from the bathroom and he returned and said something to her.  She told me he had a package for me downstairs.  I was so happy!  I ran down the stairs to get it! 

Back in the office, I asked Anne.....what is the word for package?  She said, bow-gwah!  I learned a new word today!

I can't wait until 4:30 so I can go home and Amanda and I can open the package!!!

Planes, Pollution, and Helpful People

 Hey, everyone!  We made it!  We landed around 10:45pm last night.  I am not able to express how happy Amanda was to be off the airplane!  Our flight went up through Canada and made an arc that looked like the flight just went over the globe to the other side (for those of you who have been wondering and asking what route the flight would take).  Upon arrival, we packed the provided mini-van with all our (TONS of) stuff and headed for the hotel at the clubhouse of our companies living quarters.   

My senses are overwhelmed.  My eyes keep trying to focus...everything looks blurry because of the pollution.  The hotel (apartment building, school, WORLD) has so many foreign smells that my nose is in over-drive. 

Mandi and Jonathan (2 friends we know) have been invaluable.  I am so thankful I can learn from their experience!  Today, we met our roommate (she's from Africa), saw our apartment, decided who would take which bedroom and made a shopping list (cause we are our mother's daughters).  We also did some shopping!  Now, we both have phones with minutes, subway cards (enabling us to ride both subway and bus [we've ony ridden bus so far.]) and we will share a blow drier and a hair straightener.  Amanda was really happy to have found the straightener!  (Well, Mandi's gesturing found the straightener.) 

It has been quite the first day! 

Keri

(yes, I am blogging retro-actively) 

Our flight went North over Canada and over to the other side of the world. 

Mandi and Jonathan were very helpful during our first few days in our new home.

Packing everything in the taxi that came to pick us up. 

A view of the elementary school from our hotel room in the Living Quarters clubhouse.

Same view of the hotel (a few days later)  It rained and the rain moved out the pollution.  THIS is what the view should be!  See the difference.  Pollution is UGLY!

We had a plethora of things to do to do in those first few days.  Food, towels, beds, bedding, curtains, toiletries, phones, and so much more to buy......oh, and payday is not for another month! 

How Did I Get Here?

I’ve had so many people in my life who provide wise counsel and use their experiences to help me.  They have shared tears, shared pleas, and shared the work alongside me.  I am so thankful for them and Who placed them in my life. 

Over two years ago, I spoke with a woman who has been so special to me over the years.  When she learned a few details about the relationship I was in, she said, “Oh, Keri.  Don’t settle.”  Her words rang in my head like a resounding bell.  Over the next weeks and months, I heard them over and over.  Those words came from a place of understanding and experience.  They were wise words, and I will carry them with me always.  I will not settle.  Not in love or in life. 

That conversation has a lot to do with where I am now. During the past few days, I've found myself trying to wrap my head around the fact that I am moving to Beijing.  How did I get here?  How did I get to this place where I am planning a move all the way across the world?  It's a long story, but I guess I have the time.........

A little over 2 years ago I left my teaching position, put the majority of my possessions into storage, and I moved home with the plan of moving to New York.  It was something I'd always wanted to do, and it seemed like the perfect time.  I was dating a New Yorker.  What better time to make this move? 

After the horrendous conditions of my previous job, I didn't want to see the inside of a classroom ever again.  Hearing a child made me physically shudder and grimace.  I was done.  I set out to find myself any position I could obtain with an elementary ed degree.  No luck.  I sent out multiple resumes, and filled out one application after another.  I became a pro at writing cover letters.  It was all to no avail.  I began to apply all over the country.  I joked that I was unemployable.  To add to it, we ended our relationship.  It was painful, but it was the best decision I could’ve made for myself.  I laughed thinking about what my life would look like if I wrote the specifics down on paper!

I had another conversation with that same friend and she asked me what she could ask for on my behalf.  I told her to ask for wisdom, discernment and courage.  I wanted wisdom to know where to go and what to do (because at this point, I was about to go crazy!), discernment to understand, and courage to do whatever it was I was supposed to do!

Months later, after a year of looking for a job with nothing to show for it, a friend of mine approached me about teaching at a preschool.  She had an opening in a classroom.  But, it was only 3 days a week.  I felt strongly that I needed to pursue something full-time with benefits.  Something that would allow me to move out of my parent’s house and provide for myself!  She called back 3 more times during the following weeks.  Each time I said no. 

Again, another wise woman came alongside me and she shared her wisdom and love with me!

The director of the entire children’s program called.  She offered me a 5^th opening teaching in a pre-k classroom.  I took the job, and along the way I began to enjoy children again.  I enjoyed teaching again.  I had a wonderful year with my pre-K class, and I am so thankful to those who provided support and opportunities to see how wonderful it can be when it is right!
Even though I succeeded with my preschoolers, I hesitated to go back to teaching…..to what had been more terrible than words can describe.  I continued to question the impression I was getting, “This isn’t what I am supposed to do, is it?” My fear that I would walk right back into what I had left kept me from making a move. 

In January, a friend of mine who's teaching in Beijing, emailed me and asked if she could pass along my information.  I agreed.  I didn't think it would end in much.  I couldn't get a job here, what made me think I would get one there?  Not long after, I heard from someone, and he wanted more information from me.  Then, I had a phone interview.  Then, a Skype interview.  Then, I received a job offer! 

A door was opening here!  After every closed door over the past few years, this door was opening.  Through this process, doors have continued to open, and I know this is where I am supposed to be.  I know what I am supposed to do, so here I go.  I’m trusting, and I’m about to move to the other side of the world!  4 more days!