School: Closing out January

January has flown by and as usual, it was an eventful month at school. I'm falling for my kids more each day. I'm learning more and more about each one's individuality. I was impressed I knew their names after the first month, but now I know their favorite colors and foods and hobbies. It's not something I can necessarily put into words, but working with children, you can never be blue. From morning when I wake up, until six in the evening I can be bored, tired, grumpy or any other negative emotion, but as soon as I enter the classroom and see a student I'm instantly all smiles. I tell stories about my students like mothers and fathers talk about their children. I guess that's normal. 
Teachers are supposed to be role models, but for me the students are my role models. They remind me what it's like to be six years old, naive, worry free and optimistic. I feel teaching keeps me young, and it's the best excuse for coloring whenever I want. My boss said the other day, "the key to being a great teacher is to be a kid." Then she said I was the biggest kid she had. That was the greatest compliment I'd ever received. 

Moving on to a few stories from the classroom. I'm sure I will miss a few because I'm running off memory. I need to keep a running notebook of the things and situations that happen daily at school. 

I think I start most sentences about my classes with, "my favorite class," but it seems at this point of teaching, all of my classes are my favorites. Each class is my favorite for a different reason and my favorite depending on my mood. However, my Monday night, 7:15 Small Star class is 100% my favorite. It's a small class and we always have spare time for extra, fun activities. I never have a TA (teacher assistant) in this class and we have a system that works well for us. Our routine is pretty laid out and they know what's going on and when. They are little adults and we don't have discipline problems. Anyway, their favorite game, which is also mine, is the freeze game. I play music, pause it, say "freeze," and the first to move has to read the sentence written on the board. My iTunes didn't properly sync my playlist yesterday so I didn't have a good song for dancing and made a sad face and said, "no music today." With a smile, Tony points to the computer and said, "play on the computer." So I did. My song for the week is "Uptown Funk," by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. The kids loved it, too. 

So, we're playing the game as usual, dancing and having a grand time, and at one point when I pause the music, Frank lets a fart out. With that, the whole class, including myself, loses their posture in a fit of laughter. Because when you're six, or 24, farting is hilarious. 

In my older level class, we were covering the five senses. I gave the students an example of each and they had to make their own statement using one of the senses. As I'm walking around monitoring, Helen proudly said to me, "I've got one." I go to check her workbook and she has written, "It feels like a shit." With what I'm sure was the wrong, and completely unprofessional response, I said, "are you sure you didn't mean smells like?" She said, "Yes. It feels like."  
Earlier, in the same class, we'd learned hieroglyphics so I had the kids draw their own. Helen had a compilation of faces like happy and confused, then at the bottom right corner, a pile of poop with a smiley face. I don't know what Helen's fascination with poop is. But to most people (with a sense of humor) between the age of birth and 100, poop is funny.
Now don't worry, I told Helen not to say 'shit' anymore, but it was still a proud moment for me. The weird part is, I never curse in front of the kids so she didn't get it from me, but it was still a highlight from my day.

In my other upper level class, Bill, who is cool but gives me a headache every class because he refuses to not speak Chinese, even though his english is great, says, "shit" about six times in class and finally I have to say, "Bill, stop saying shit." I realize that wasn't the correct response so I recovered with, "don't say bad words." Whoops! :)

In a reading and writing class one of my weaker students wrote a really inspiring story. Although she didn't use the assigned vocabulary I was still really impressed with her creativity and language use. She wrote a story about a woman being approached by a talking dog and the dog telling her all sorts of philosophical things. And I don't know if the following is a song lyric, book or movie quote, or just something original from my student but it was really inspiring to me and read on a day I really needed to hear something like this. Here is what she wrote:

"The dog said to her, 'If you want to go back in time to save your history, you must go quickly because time waits for no one and we need time to survive. To survive we will be more perfect.'" 

It's a bit unclear at some points, but the main idea is understandable enough. I loved what she wrote, yet, I'm really proud of her for writing a story with such great English. 

I've written many times about my class with Wendy (bug-in-a-bag-girl) and how this was one of my first classes. Well, I lost a student from that class this week. Noodles' parents decided she was too young to be learning so much at once. I'm very sad she's gone, but we were able to take a goodbye selfie, (which was later photobombed by Baggio.) Also, I'm really proud of her parents for pulling her out because so many Chinese children are overloaded with learning and often miss out on the joys of being a kid.

Lastly, when I arrived in Beijing my school was beginning this six-week hell we call Summer Course. The local schools go on holiday and the students, instead of enjoying a holiday, come to us for additional English classes. Phonics courses, story courses and geography type classes are offered. For the teachers this means 12-hour days, six days a week, putting us somewhere around a 60-hour work week. Now, I did the 60-hour work week life when I was 18 and working at the vet lifting 80-pound sacks of cow feed and 100-pound dogs and occasionally chasing a loose ferrel cat. Well, that was nothing compared to the high-energy and obnoxious perkiness required of teaching kids all day, ha. 

Now we are starting Winter Course next Monday. Luckily, this is only two weeks. However, it's been six months since I've had to wake up at six a.m. everyday so wish us all luck. I volunteered to be a lead teacher which means nothing more than stapling hundreds of readers together for the past week and miraculously acquiring no paper cuts. 

There are a million other stories I'm sure I could share, but am drawing a few blanks. This month I will keep a note of what happens. For now I'll sign off and post a few pictures. 

Writing on the floor with dry erase markers is my favorite. However, I learned this week not to leave my markers unattended when we have our breaks because this is what I walked into after break. They were doing math problems all over the floor. Only Chinese students would do math problems. Jethro knows the first 10 digits of pi (3.14.....). 

Saying goodbye to Noodles. She initiated the duck face.  :)

Baggio photobombing. Yannay in the background <3 

 So I've spoke about how much the Chinese focus on education and learning. If it isn't regular school, it's EF (or a similar English school), art class, music lessons, a sport, etc. There is no such as free time for Chinese children. In my middle level class we were learning time and explaining routines and at what times we do things. The students had to fill in their own time table and they all looked pretty much like this. Such a tragedy.

Counting... 

This class learned habitats, animals, can and can't of animals actions and so forth. I told the students to create their own animal and describe it or choose an animal and draw it in it's habitat. I don't know where my kids get their knack for drawing, but it is certainly not from me. I can inspire the creativity, but the talent is solely them. Here are a few of my favorites! 

Ana and her horsebird

Harry and his TurtleBee :) 

Henry and a HorseButterfly

Ana and her favorite animal: rabbit. 

My students captured me here while I was running a gameshow with them in class. The weekends are agonizingly long sometimes but the students really do make it worth it. Even when they're driving me crazy. I really think this picture captures me completely as a teacher. 

Selfies with April, Jessie, Leo & QQ. Because we can :) <3

Chris just copied everything I drew. I think it's adorable when the students do this. :) 

Emily & Nick. Selfies during project work. :)

Five things I love to hate about China

Five things I hate, about China, yet secretly love. I had this idea on the subway ride to work a few days ago. I realized I was a fraud, because all the things I claim to hate, I honestly don't. That or I have greatly adjusted to my new life in China. 

The things are listed in order from most tolerable to least tolerable, five being the most tolerable and one being the most obnoxious.

I've blogged all of my pet peeves about China to date. However, I haven't always been completely honest. Although there are a lot of things I hate here, within the hate is a twisted reason for loving those same things.

5. Traffic!
Even with the car lottery, in a city of 25million+, traffic is inevitable. I hate the traffic and the fact that there is no courtesy driving (i.e. having the right-a-way, turning right on red.). Initially this irked me to no end, but now that I'm practically a Beijinger, I've mastered crossing traffic on foot: Just keep walking! Everyone does it and only an idiot would run over a human. Sure they'll honk, but especially now that it's winter I make vehicles wait for me. I'm obviously not completely careless about crossing the street but if there's a gap, I'm taking it. J-walking isn't punishable here.

4. Pollution.
On a day when pollution is at 600%, and I look out my window and can't see the building across from my apartment it's depressing as all hell. On the plus side, it's the perfect excuse to lay in bed all day and be lazy while receiving no judgments from others because chances are they're doing the same thing.

3. Manners.
Less of a pet peeve now than it is an adjustment. Coughs and sneezes are never covered but more a head turned to the side and bystanders hoping they're not on either side of the germ splatter. Spitting is so common here it's probably more frowned upon not to spit. Spitting has never bothered me because I do it, too. I know it's a filthy habit but I don't really give a shit. I love that I can spit on the street here, and even though I'm a girl, no one gives it a second glance. However, it's disgusting that many people will spit on the trains and inside buildings.

2. Stares.
The stares are another adjustment rather than pet peeve. In Western culture it's rude, regardless of your reason for staring. In China, foreigners of all sexes and ages are stared at like caged zoo animals. There are different types of stares from different types of locals (which I've noted in a previous blog.) Many foreigners despise this and others ignore it. I ignore the stares for the most part, but if it's a child I smile. If I'm having a good day I feel like a celebrity and smile so that's fun, but if I'm cranky I want to give my audience the bird.

1. Pace.
The thing I fear I will never adjust to here is the pace. For anything and everything the pace is an extreme level of SLOW. The only positive I get from this, and I only get it if I'm not in a hurry or if I'm in a good mood, is how relaxed an entire country can be. They're never in a rush. Usually big cities are always a go go go mentality, but in this giant city, in the largest country in the world, everyone lulls.

And this is just about 3 o' clock in the afternoon... 

"I Promise I'll Find You"

When I was a teenager and hating you for giving me a curfew, I never imagined one day I'd call you my best friend. We used to laugh at the girls who were best friends with their mothers. We always said it was weird and there are lines that can't be crossed. And although you'll always be my mother first, you truly are my best friend (after Big Nettie, of course)! I'll be 25 soon and I can finally say I know what makes a true friend. If I've learned nothing, if not everything, after being a wanderer these last 18 months, and I can honestly say it has taught me who truly sticks around. The family has no choice and only the truest of friends make the efforts. But the mother, she WILL find a way. If there were no Facebook, FaceTime, email or telephones I know you'd send a weekly postcard or telegraph to ensure I'm ok. I also realize you know how stubborn I am and how independent I'm trying to be so you give me the space to call you when I know you're dying to know how my day was.

Since I wrote dad a tearjerker blog for his birthday, I figure it is only fair to do the same for you (even though you cry at most anything).

The other day you commented on finding our book, "I Promise I'll Find You," when you were unpacking. I haven't thought about that book in years. And maybe even as a five-year-old at the book fair I knew I wasn't destined to stay in one place too long. I suppose 23 years was long enough. I'm so thankful for all the journeys I have taken in the past two years, and "I owe it all to you." 

People always call me brave and adventurous and maybe I am, but only to an extent. Friends and acquaintances my age always say, "I could never leave home like that." Many of them say they don't know how to live without their parents holding their hands. Well here's the bomb... neither do I. My strength comes from my family and the love and encouragement they send. But mostly, the strength I have comes from you and the strength you show in watching me grow up halfway around the world.

That's the funny thing about growing up isn't it? We never do. I'm 24, which is old enough to marry, have children, a career and so on, but even when I'm in my 50s, I'll still be growing up. I'll be where you are now and calling to ask my 80-something-year-old mama what the hell I'm supposed to do about my 20-something-year-old daughter who joined the peace corps and is living in Africa, or my son who wants to sail around the world on a fishing boat before going to college. Who knows what kind of adventures I'll inspire in my own children, but I know I will push them to live and go as you've done with me. And I know it's selfish, but I'm only doing this to you now so that when I have children who wander the world, you'll know what to tell me to do and what to say to comfort me. ;) 


I live an ocean and several countries away from the three most important people in my life, but I still have to ask you for help almost weekly. Now that I'm in China the calls and messages and need for help is less because there isn't much you can do since you've never lived here either. It's a whole other world here, but I still think to ask you for help first. And even when you don't know... you still know somehow.

I promise not a day goes by that I don't think about being home with you. Although I'm not in the living room with you and dad, I'm watching Cheers on Netflix by myself and I make it a point to listen to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack regularly.
This makes the second birthday of yours I've missed and I'm afraid it won't be the last one either. When people told me not to rush growing up I laughed. But damn, it really is hard.
I've said it a thousand times before, and I'm sure a thousand times more, but I truly don't know how people make it through life without the same set of parents I have.
You know that I love you. I say it every time we talk, and I mean it like hell. I just wish I could show you more. I wish we could spend more days together doing all the little things that mothers and daughters are supposed to do: manicures, shopping, cooking, gossiping, and the rest of it. I'm sorry that we now have to cram it into a few weeks or a month when I come back. I've always said I'll come home to start my life (at least somewhere in the South). Although I can't say when, I can say, "I Promise I'll Find You." I love you, mama, and this blog is the most I can do to show and tell you how much I love you on the one year anniversary of your 50th birthday.
"I'll love you forever, and I'll like you for always."

I saw this quote today and I thought it was appropriate.

"Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey." 

China: A Six-Month Check-Up

So today marks exactly six months since I've been in China. I can't believe how fast the time has flown, and I damn sure can't believe it has only been six months. I've really settled into life here and I've found my niche and happy places. Some days are a struggle, but if they weren't that would be boring. When I left Louisiana, an old friend told me, "It's not going to be as easy as you think." They were completely right, but it's been worth every moment.  
I've seen, done and discovered an incredible amount of things in six short months. It helps that I live in one of the oldest countries with the richest history and culture(s). Let's do a monthly play-by-play. For my avid readers, I apologize for any repeats. 

July 2: Ready, Set, Go! 
I walked away from my parents knowing I wouldn't see them for the next 365 days at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at 6:30 a.m. (I've never been more proud of my mama for holding in her tears until I was out of sight).  
At this point I honestly had no idea why I was doing this, how it was going to turn out or why the hell I chose China. I didn't even like kids at this point. But hey, when you're searching for a place in the world, you try anything once. 
Twenty hours later I'm in what I hope to be Beijing Airport. I stand out like a sore thumb and I have never been stared at so much in my life. Excessive stares from Chinese locals was not in the research I'd done prior to leaving the U.S. Reminder: For many Chinese, especially those who live in rural areas, they have never seen, or seen very few, foreigners in their life. China only began to open to foreigners in the last 15 years or so. They stare because they are curious, which is the same reason I  occasionally stare at them. :) 

Mid July: Phase 1: "I live in China?"
I passed my TEFL course to be able to stay in China and teach. Everything is new and exciting and all is grand. I'm making a new friend everyday and I have struck gold in the roommate department. I have also started smoking. Everyone smokes when they come to China because it is so cheap. By everyone I mean usually seven out of ten foreigners. It helps to have a popular social habit while adjusting. It has only been weeks so my brain has not registered that I am a temporary resident of this country for the next 12 months. 

August: Phase 2: "我不懂 --- "I don't understand.'"
I saw Summer Palace. One of the ten most famous palaces in the world. Right here in the city I live in. Beautiful. I'm finishing up a six-week intense summer course I was thrown into as a rookie at school. I have my own classes and I'm still freaking out before walking into class each day because I can't understand what students say their names are, what color they like or how they are through their Chinese accents (my ears have since adjusted).  

September: Phase 3: "对不起 (duìbuqǐ) -- "I'm sorry!" 
I've got my full load of classes, and I still have no idea what the hell I'm doing most days. I forget to assign homework, collect and check homework, mark attendance, do an entire 15-minute segment of my lesson plan, and who knows what else. Because I came in during the six-week intense summer course, I wasn't given much time to adjust, nor much guidance that wasn't on the spot. I think I'm a stronger teacher today because of this. At this point, I am saying sorry every five minutes, though. 

October: Phase 4: "Holy shit! I live here!"
I knocked another WONDER OF THE WORLD off my list when I saw The Great Wall in October. It seems like such a mundane name for such an amazing creation, but, "Holy shit! This is the most unbelievable, incredible, breath-taking, badass, man-made, wall you'll ever see," was just too long for postcards. :) 
I'm rockin' n' rollin' in all of my classes and already considering staying another year. I know most of my students names, what to assign, what to check, what to omit, what is crucial and so on. Also, I get to color almost everyday. 
Lastly, it finally sets in that this is my home and I'm absorbed in everything. Oh, and I've quit smoking because there is enough filth in the Beijing air without me adding to the amount of poison I inhale. 

November: Phase 5: "Stella Gets Her Grove Back"
My Chinese has increased from five words that were completely useless to about 100 with many being phrases. Although, I'm not conversational at this point, I'm gaining a large knowledge of the vocabulary and I'm able to understand, yet can't always reply. I can respond in simple words and phrases and a large use of hand gestures. I'm proud of myself at this point in the journey.
I take a 10-day holiday with my Venezuelan amiga where we saw an unrealistic amount of Chinese culture. In the south of China in Guangxi Province, we discovered the famous Karst mountains in Guilin, Yangshuo, and Xingpin. Another natural world wonder of the world, knocking out two major natural world wonders in one week, we hopped over to Shilin in the Yunnana Province and saw the Stone Forest. Going for a home run, we also saw the rice terraces in YuanYang County. I've blogged about all of these things individually so I won't go into further detail. I'm on top of the world at this point and can't believe the places I've seen and the people I've met so far.

December: Phase 6: "I want my mommy and daddy!" 
The first week of December I got a kidney infection and spent a whopping 12 hours in a hospital. The staff all spoke impeccable English and were extremely attentive and professional. I had my bestie by my side, too. However, I've never been so weak and sick I couldn't walk. Nothing makes you want home more than being sick, much less, hospitalized. I spent the next three weeks contemplating what I was going to do for the next six months while I awaited for my chance to get the hell out of China. I was homesick for people I don't even know at this point. I was an emotional wreck and my permanent smile was fading. Then as if a hypnotist snapped his fingers, I was out of it. Christmas came and went. 

January: Phase 7: "And that's it."
My goal for the year is to let go. I was having lunch with a friend and we were spouting the normal, "traveled there, want to see this and do that, probably someday, and I used to" stuff that is common among fellow wandering spirits. They said if something happened then, "that's just it." As simple and completely unrelated to my life as the statement was, it spoke to the exact part of me that needed dealing with. I spend a lot of time asking what if and why instead of simply embracing the present. I think that comes across insane to most of you because in most of your eyes, I live this "exotic life" so I must never miss an opportunity to embrace anything, but the truth is that I do. 

When I left for China I promised myself it was going to be an eat, pray, love adventure like Elizabeth Gilbert (or for non-readers, like Julia Roberts). Well I've done a lot of eating and loving, and in my own way, praying. For two years I've been trying to "figure it out," but the truth is, we never really do. Life is kind of bittersweet that way. If we knew how it ended we wouldn't bother thinking about the hard things. It's safe to say, despite even the mistakes I've made here, China has been the biggest eye-opening move of the last 24 months of my life. And since I've already informed my family of my plans, it's safe to tell the world I'll be here an additional year. I've found something I'm good at doing and a company I can grow and continue to travel in. I've also found the perfect environment for my mind to expand and absorb easily. Above all else, I'm happy. :) 

School: The Month of December

I promised to incorporate monthly newsletters of my school life into my blogs. My apologies for slacking in that area the past few months. Turns out, teaching is a busy job. I have a full schedule, parent-teacher meetings, progress reports, tests to grade, crafts to make, ideas to apply and sleep to occasionally have. Keeping busy makes the time fly and makes me continue to enjoy teaching my wonderful kiddos each week. 
I teach 17 classes, ( I think,) which gives me a little over 100 students. I have finally memorized all of their names and can tell you which ones love to learn and which ones hate it. I know which students think I'm funny, and which students think I'm crazy. I can tell you the students who laugh at my jokes and the ones who don't understand them. I can tell you the ones who always say, "Amie lao chi (teacher)," when they see me in the hall. I can tell you the ones that melt my heart every time I see them and the ones I wish were absent that day (and most other days). I'm learning their likes and dislikes, but more importantly, I'm learning which ones need more attention and more help. Also, which ones need more push and discipline. Essentially, I'm learning not just their names, but who they are as my students.
Here are some personal highlights from my month.
First, I teach a class of high school  freshman level students. We had a test and writing class a few weeks ago and when the students have writing classes I always play some music in the back and take requests. I got the normal Katy Perry, Beatles, and Bieber requests. This day, Frank surprised me by requesting Blake Shelton's, "Boys 'Round Here," which isn't a great song in my opinion but it was country. And not the country that comes on pop stations. Frank, however, redeemed himself when he then requested Keith Whitley's, "When You Say Nothing At All." Frank was my favorite for a day and this beat the time Adam requested The Eagles, "Hotel California." 
In this same class, a few classes prior, we discussed sketching, drawing and art class in our starter discussion. Apparently, all of my female students in this class take art classes and can execute their skills quite well. They spent the class drawing me and I now have three sketches of myself. Although they don't look much like me, they look better, which is fine by me. 
You all know my favorite student, Wendy, also known as, "bug in a bag girl." Well, Wendy has taken to a new habit when we have lessons that involve cut and paste. She likes to cut tiny hearts from the scrap paper and one-by-one bring them to me. Of course, this distracts her from ever pasting so I have to throw away her excess paper and chaperone her through cutting everything encircled by the dotted lines. Needless to say, I now have a small collection of tiny paper hearts. 
In Wendy's class is a student names Noodles. Yes, you read correctly. We have a lot of food-inspired names throughout our school. As well as several Lions, Tigers and a Dinosaur, Oh My! :) Anyway, Noodles comes into class this past Saturday morning while I'm checking homework gives me a hug and kisses my cheek. I melted. It's the little things. That they love and trust you is so heart-warming. That the one hour, out of the 168 hours in a week, I see them, I make an impression on them in some way or another. 
Seriously, on weekends after working 10-hour days of non-stop jumping, entertaining and yelling, these little guys are the only thing  that make the 6:00 a.m. wake ups, and one-hour commute before sunrise worth it. 
In my favorite Monday night Small Star class, we've been learning marine animals. Of course I play "Under the Sea" for them. As well as teach them the "Baby Shark" song. They loved the shark attack part, ha. :)These guys think I'm funny and I look forward to every Monday with them. 
In this same class I caught Andy on video singing Jingle Bells. And then Dora busted me filming Andy. :)

In my favorite Saturday morning class, the kids have a lot of fun with the introductions. They say their names funny and when I ask, "how are you," they are always hungry for silly things like, heart cake, flower cake and even Amie cake (draw a stick figure with a ponytail on a slice of cake). Cindy is usually, "Sinsindeedee," and James is always, "Jajajamesuh." They're nuts. This week they decided to change their names entirely. Cindy is the ring leader and she names herself "clock." Lion follows suit and  becomes "blue sticker." Leo makes a short change to, "Neo." And lastly, little Jessie becomes, "Rabbit." Apple, QQ and April remain their normal selves (probably only because I'd asked their names before Cindy started the change). I can't wait to see who they will be next week. 

My crazy Saturday morning bunch. Leo, Cindy & Lion <3

My youngest class. Four years old. Rose & Sophie. Rose is a pincher :)

"Put on & Take off" lesson :) This is Joseph! 

Noodles making my shirt look like a dress :)

They day their names changed.

Jessie <3

Apple :)

 My middle school level class learnt animals and what they cn and can't do. What they look like and where they live. So we created our own animal worlds for project work at the end of the lesson. 

Eric

Tom

Betty 

Harry

Edward, even though his paper says Will. I wrote the wrong name in a rush :) 

This here is Crazy Kevin. We ALL call him this. He is a non stop chatterbox of Chinese even when I ask him to stop but there's something about him I can't gel but love. Definitely a character!