Living in China...in a nutshell

Our group of English Teacher
Our group of English teachers getting off the airplane.

So I'm officially home from living in China for four months. I feel like there's no way I can even begin to describe what it was like, but I'll try.

My city was the city of lights, seriously, it sold everything to do with lighting. Every store was devoted to chandeliers, and lamps. You could find chandelier crystals on the ground sometimes, which was always fun for us. My apartment was tiny, had no carpet, only squatters for toilets, our beds were wooden boards, I lived out of my suitcases the entire time, and I was in a tiny room with two other roommates. I lived with 6 other girls and we did everything together. I loved that experience though because its like unto living with a companion. You get to practice divine love, kindness, humility, and all those things! Our group seriously was the BEST on getting along. We had FHE every Monday, and we really did come together as a family at the end of it.

The food was basically rice, fruits, and veggies! I honestly learned to love it so much, but I do miss cheese, and butter :) I did eat everything with chopsticks, so that was way fun. I did learn that I seriously love dried sweet potato's :) Now I just need to see where I can find them!

The kids....how I love the kids! At the beginning of the semester we got to actually name the kids who've never received English names. So I named Parker, David, Steve, Ben, Ivy, and Kate. I cannot begin to describe how amazingly cute they were. We had about 48 in our class, and I taught 2 other classes, so by the end you love every single kid for a different reason. I did have favorites, (not totally a saint) and interestingly enough they were all boys. I loved David, Parker, Steve, Ben, Anthony, Josh, William, Benny, and Eddy the most. I had a "home" group of kids that I was kind of put in charge of and their names were Taylor, Ivy, Locy, Kiki, Linda, Matthew, Zach, and Steve. I loved them so, they were always a little harder for the other girls, but they really loved me, and did well for me! :)

Well I can't believe that I'm living back here in America again! To have carpet, a mattress, toilets, FOOD, cell phone, car (don't' walk everywhere), clothes, straight hair (had it curly the whole time), clouds (Utah's sky's are BEAUTIFUL), temples, churches, and so much more.

I have to say that I miss China's humility and friendliness. They are such a kind culture. They were always smiling, and saying hi. They are also very quick to stop whatever they are doing to help you out. I also lived near a village of sorts, and would walk down there often....so I saw third world type stuff everyday. They are still so happy, and so friendly even in the most humble of circumstances. Americans really do live in excess, we're always just collecting more and more "things". I hope that I'll always retain in remembrance the amazing humility, kindness, that I felt there.

We seriously are so blessed as Americans as well that we can worship a religion as we chose. There was an ILP group with a boy in it, so we were able to travel (3 hour bus rides to and from) to their school to have sacrament meeting. We did that about 5-7 Sundays while we were in China. I will hopefully never again take for granted going to sacrament meeting, especially when it only takes you 5 minutes to get there!

All I can say is I learned to love in China, I loved
the people, I loved the kids, I loved the girls I work with, I love CHINA!

BEIJING

Day one: We took a 22 hour sleeper train to Beijing and on the first day we walked across Tienanmen square during one of the Chinese holidays, so needless to say it was PACKED. It didn't help we were Americans so for about 50 minutes we were just posing for pictures with the locals, than we got over and saw the Forbidden City. We stayed in a really friendly, hip hostel called Monkey Jane's were we met fun French guys, German guys, and Swedish guys. :) Nusly and I were placed in a room with 3 other guy room mates. It was one of the funniest experiences ever!

Day Two: We went to the Temple of Heaven, than we shopped at the Pearl Market.

Day Three: It was Sunday so we rented bikes, and rode bikes around the city. We than went to Zhongshan park and wrote in our journals.

Day Four: Alix, and I slept in than went to the silk market, which is basically the BLACK MARKET, they sell Mac makeup, True Religion jeans, Ugg boots, watches, IPods, Ipads, cellphones, belts, clothes, purses. Yeah I spent a lot :)

Day Five: THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!! I walked the Great Wall of China!!! We did the "secret" wall which means, we went to a part that had no tourists. It felt like we were alone up there, so we really got to walk around and enjoy it.

Day Six: More shopping, Night Food Market, hanging out at the hostel talking to fellow travelers, just a lot of fun!!!!

Nusly and I riding bikes in Beijing

Yangshou, China

So I just got back from our first vacation to Yangshuo and it was sooooo amazing! I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful that place is! It's the china you picture seeing when you come to China. We took a sleeper train to Guilin then a bus to Yangshuo, where we then we found our hostel Monkey Jane's. The hostel felt more like an apartment then anything else, Nusly, Jill, and I shared a room. The first thing we did upon getting there was shopping at the markets! Love the market so MUCH!

We went into a LEGIT cave that had a big mud pool that you can swim in, and then there's these hot springs that you can climb up into to chill in. It was like a bunch of mini personal hot tubs for everyone. The next day Nusly and I wanted to save money so we skipped breakfast and went on a walk to find an AMAZING VIEW! It had a waterfall and white horses just chilling! It was so beautiful that Nusly and I left our mark (which means she stole yellow paint and we put our hand prints on a wall). We also rented scooters and took a 5 hour drive through the countryside and I cannot even begin to describe the BEAUTY of it! Rice paddies, legit small villages, women in the Chinese straw hats, and these massive misty mountains! Then the next day we took bamboo rafts down the Li River, and came home via sleeper train.

What I love about China so far....

Love the markets here

Men Playing Checkers

The Chinese people coming up and asking us to take pictures with us 

 The kids pooping and peeing on the streets. I pretended to take a picture of Nusly so we could capture the action of the kid pooping behind her!
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The cute boys that were following me in wonderment because I was a white American girl!
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The cute little family's you can see playing in their local parks.

I LOVE china and Chinese people. I am used to people staring, taking photos, asking to take photos with me that I feel like I'm going to come home and feel quite insignificant and not loved because of all the love I've gotten here. I love to just walk down the streets saying Ni Hao! to everyone and having them super react back. I know a little bit of Chinese but I need to get better! Its so hard cuz its such a different sound to it all...

Taking scooter taxis

Even though I felt homesick I still need to be out here learning about myself. Every day I need to seek to be an example of Christ and to love all those I come into contact with. I don't think people realize how important the commandment to love really is! I want to learn to love in China!

America is blessed

Yeah we are super blessed, I was talking to one of the Chinese teachers and she makes 1,000 Yuan a month which is $149. I was making 4,000 Yuan every 2 weeks back in the states. Its crazy! The exchange rate 6.7 Yuan = $1. American's really are RICH in their eyes! The poverty definitely is noticeable, but at the same time you notice the love and kindess the Chinese people have! I know I'm white, so I'm interesting to them period...but their very kind to eachother as well.

The Chinese Teachers

Tomorrow is parent day so they're actually having me host the opening, and then the parents get to sit in and watch us teach their kids so the schools stressing just a little.

More to Learn

The kids blowing me kisses as I leave the school for the day

Eating dumplings at a dinner

The prettiest grapes I've ever seen

Today we woke up and went to a Market...the Chinese eat everything, any animal that can lay an Egg, they'll eat it. They eat Frogs on stick, snake skins, star fish, octopus and so forth. So markets are always an adventure of smells and food to see. Then were going to go out for fried noodles! You do get to love the food here though.

Kids I teach

The boys playing a Chinese Game

My home group of kids Steve, Kiki, Linda, Ivy, Matthew, and Zach down in front



The school and kids are ADORABLE! The lessons I've taught so far our making an activity with the kids to do. We made paper fishes then the next lesson we made fishing poles, and another lesson I just taught we just made a catapult with a plastic spoon and the kids LOVED it. But there's this one little boy named Chad and he gives attitude ha ha. I'm actually the only teacher he'll respond to, kind of but he'll get in the kids faces, man, I shouldn't be entertained by it, but the guys a little gangster. And there's one named William that's already done ILP so he's good at being like "teacher, teacher he's speaking Chinese." and he's so adorable. O and I'll have you know I've got chopsticks down, now Nusly and I are going to have the Chinese even teach us how to cook Chinese food.

Guzhen, Zhongshan China

This is my group having a dinner in the main room. We usually have Jill (in the green cardigan) go to the market and pick up the food because she's the one that likes to make the meal. We then split the cost and I clean up after the meal.

Our Kitchen for 7 girls

 
I had the top bunk, its a wooden board... no mattress

 
The school we teach at

So we've arrived in our city, and we got to have a tour of our school! The school has a gate with a secuirty guard you have to pass every day to get in. The school only teaches kids from the ages 2-6 years old, so I get to work with just adorable little kids everyday! Our coordinater's name is Alice, and the teacher here's name is Apple. So far its been super hot, but I love it!

Hong Kong, CHINA!!!!

I just arrived here and its amazing but I am in Hong Kong and that used to be own by the British so its very western-ized so I feel like China won't HIT me until I actually go to mainland China to my city Zhongshan! The language is hard, but I haven't really tried to pick it up. Its going to get really hard when I actually am over in Mainland China.

We flew into Hong Kong today (friday) and took a charter bus to our hotel and then a group of 5 of us went on their subway to a chair lift thing that has a glass bottom viewing floor and we rode that over the ocean. We rode over the moutains to the biggest outdoor Buddha statue there is! I've attacched a picture so you can see what I'm talking about!

Flying out on Wednesday

I fly out on Wednesday at around 3:30 pm :) I'm super excited and I'm actually going to have my dad update this blog so you guys know what's going on with my life in China. Google pulled out of China so they don't allow blogspot but I want you all to still be able to hear whats going on in my life!

Missing London

It's been a year ago that I was living in London right at this time. Whenever I'm having a down day I remember the fact that I lived in London, a 20 year old by herself in the amazing city of London!

Just some highlights I was thinking about....
Waking up to London
The accents
The gilato
Portbello Road Market
Walking through Kensington Gardens on a Sunday
The Fashion
Oxford Street

Percy Pig's at Marks & Spencer's

Unlimited ice cream at the Pizza Hut's
Going to class in my sweats, while all the girls were already primped and dolled up
Being one of the few girls that would go off in the city by myself

Diet Coke
Lauren's blogging
Being able to even see real Celebs
Living in a house you had to punch in a code
Stourhead Gardens,

MAGAZINES. Love the UK versions of Vogue, & Glamour
Riding the Double Decker Buses
How Green everything was
Touring the BBC

Accepted to China!

International Language Programs

"As an ILP teacher, you’ll travel, serve, and make life-long friends with other college-age volunteers. By interacting with children for a few hours each day, you will give them something that will open doors for them for the rest of their lives–the English language. You’ll have a safe, unique chance to live with people.

Filming "Apathy"

Location: convenience store on state between North and South temple.

Time: 9pm- 12pm

Katherine (Emma Smith actress) was so incredibly nice to me, not only did she compliment me on my performance but was also great on running lines with. The director's name is Jeff Hein and he owns a studio for aspiring artists downtown. His art show is March 12th at his studio where not only will he debut this film "Apathy", but will also unveil a canvas painting his been working on for the past 6 months.

Best Valentines Date!

I came down to St. George with my parents, and Ben & Krystal to visit Brooke and Steve and the house. Of course they wanted to go out on Vday, so that meant I got to have that good looking man all to myself! :)