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!