So it has been raining in Hefei for the past few days. I like rainy weather in general, but I hope it slows down soon.
Tomorrow we are leaving Hefei. 9 of us are taking the train to Shanghai to spend our 5-day vacation wandering the city and checking out the scene. An update (with pictures!) will happen when we get back!
2.25.2009
2.22.2009
More Hefei Adventures
Here are a few (actually a lot) of pictures of my experiences so far in China. They are kind of in backwards order, and mixed up a little even then.
These are my homeroom kids that I taught for the last time on Saturday :(
After our bathroom break I kept them busy with the camera! Bella is one of my favorite girls (kissing me) and Spencer (with his arm up) and Jason are two of the best students.
Me with some of my homeroom kids before class. Even though they seemed like devil children the first few days, I've already fallen in love with them! 
This is my classroom. It may look pretty empty but if I ever put anything in there they will destroy it or throw it at me. Little angels.
Joelle, Kelsey, Messa, and I went into downtown Hefei to get some American food at Pizza Hut. I was very sad that they didn't have my favorite Pizza Hut dessert :( But it was still good. We sat next to two kids who told us their names were Ten and Eleven.
In other words, don't step on the grass.
Me mimicking the dragons at Lord Bao's temple in Hefei.
Elephant seats at Lord Bao's Temple in Hefei.
This is Guogou Plaza in Downtown Hefei. Its like a mall with restaurants and a lot of people to watch. Pretty fun stuff. We actually saw one of the guys that works at the school there. He was on a Valentine's Day date and I think we embarrassed him when we all started yelling his name.
This is the few out of my back window. It looks out onto the school track and to a few of the buildings on campus. I just thought the sun looked cool through all of the smog.
Tammi, Meghan, Danielle, and I chilling on the elephants at Lord Bao's Temple in Hefei.
Me and Messa documenting our first Taxi ride in China! Public transportation is really cheap and convenient, if you don't mind cramming onto the buses!
On a Sunday walk around our school we found a giant blow up rainbow. Kodak moment. The Chinese store-keepers liked to come out of their stores and watch us saunter around. I feel like a movie star.
At the Plaza treating ourselves to ice cream after a long day of crazy teaching. Me, Chelsea, Messa, Erin, Danielle, and Tammi.
Feeding the pigeons in a park in Hefei. Note the cute little girl behind me. She has flapper pants on. Haha.
Me and my roommate Joelle in a park in Hefei.
Tammi, Erin, Danielle, Me, and Messa outside of the school gate on our first day in Hefei.
These are my homeroom kids that I taught for the last time on Saturday :(
After our bathroom break I kept them busy with the camera! Bella is one of my favorite girls (kissing me) and Spencer (with his arm up) and Jason are two of the best students.
Me with some of my homeroom kids before class. Even though they seemed like devil children the first few days, I've already fallen in love with them!
This is my classroom. It may look pretty empty but if I ever put anything in there they will destroy it or throw it at me. Little angels.
Joelle, Kelsey, Messa, and I went into downtown Hefei to get some American food at Pizza Hut. I was very sad that they didn't have my favorite Pizza Hut dessert :( But it was still good. We sat next to two kids who told us their names were Ten and Eleven.
In other words, don't step on the grass.
Me mimicking the dragons at Lord Bao's temple in Hefei.
Elephant seats at Lord Bao's Temple in Hefei.
This is Guogou Plaza in Downtown Hefei. Its like a mall with restaurants and a lot of people to watch. Pretty fun stuff. We actually saw one of the guys that works at the school there. He was on a Valentine's Day date and I think we embarrassed him when we all started yelling his name.
This is the few out of my back window. It looks out onto the school track and to a few of the buildings on campus. I just thought the sun looked cool through all of the smog.
Tammi, Meghan, Danielle, and I chilling on the elephants at Lord Bao's Temple in Hefei.
Me and Messa documenting our first Taxi ride in China! Public transportation is really cheap and convenient, if you don't mind cramming onto the buses!
On a Sunday walk around our school we found a giant blow up rainbow. Kodak moment. The Chinese store-keepers liked to come out of their stores and watch us saunter around. I feel like a movie star.
At the Plaza treating ourselves to ice cream after a long day of crazy teaching. Me, Chelsea, Messa, Erin, Danielle, and Tammi.
Feeding the pigeons in a park in Hefei. Note the cute little girl behind me. She has flapper pants on. Haha.
Me and my roommate Joelle in a park in Hefei.
Tammi, Erin, Danielle, Me, and Messa outside of the school gate on our first day in Hefei.
2.11.2009
Here in Hefei
I've arrived in Hefei safe and sound and I love it here. The food is delicious, the school is fun, the kids are adorable, my group is amazing, the city is so unique, the weather is nothing I didn't expect, my room is so much better then I expected, the Chinese are so friendly, and I'm having the time of my life.
As requested by my mom, here is a picture of my room:
As requested by my mom, here is a picture of my room:
I have had many exciting adventures since I've been here, and tomorrow I start teaching. I am sure that will open the door for all kinds of new adventures!!
Sorry this isn't too much information, but time is short and the internet isn't quite legit. But I'm safe and happy and LOVING CHINA!
2.10.2009
I didn't see that coming: the unexpected Hefei.
I wasn't expecting a lot of fireworks. In Hefei they have a lot. No, not a lot, a ton. A gazillion. Every day, every night, every morning. I have been waking up at 6 o'clock because of the loud, gun-shot-like noises and flashing lights coming in from my window. I'm not exactly sure what they are celebrating (if that's what they are for) but I hope the celebration ends soon, or else the 4th of July will be ruined for me.
There are quite a lot of babies in this area. We see them all over JoyMart (the market/buy-everything-here store across the street). We see them playing in the long jump pit in the track right outside my window. We see them with their parents around town, in the parks, and just walking at the school. Now, babies are always cute, but I'll argue that nothing compares to a fat Chinese baby running around with his bum hanging out of his pants. Hahaha. In Hefei I guess they don't use diapers. What they do instead is cut slits in their babies' pants right at the butt crack. When the kid has to go, it just goes. I'm not sure where whatever comes out goes . . . although I have seen some dumpings on sidewalks. It is a little weird, and yes, kind of gross too, but hey, it must work for them. And it gives us foreigners one more reason to love the Chinese people. Especially their babies.
The other night the group headed to downtown Hefei to go to Guogou Plaza - a large 4 story shopping mall with restaurants and stuff. We took the #3 bus from the school about 20 minutes into the city center. On our way back we were standing by a young man who started talking to us in English. He seemed about college age and knew English really well, except that he had a thick Chinese accent which was sometimes hard to understand. His English name was Tony. We started talking about travel, and college, and teaching, and English. He is studying English at his college and told us that he loves it. Then he started telling me about how his friends have "colors". I had no idea what he was talking about but kept nodding my head in agreement and smiling. Apparently everyone in China likes to have "colors". After a little more talking he pulled out his cell phone and asked me if I have a mobile. I informed him that I did but that it doesn't work in China and I didn't have it with me. He looked a little disappointed, but then perked up when he asked if I would like his number. Laughingly I said "sure! why not!?", so he then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote it down for me. He told me to call him when I had my mobile working and we would be "colors". Finally I realized that what he was saying was not "colors" but "callers". He and his friends like to call their English speaking friends to practice! We continued to talk until I had to get off the bus. Tony has now been named as my "gentleman caller".
There are quite a lot of babies in this area. We see them all over JoyMart (the market/buy-everything-here store across the street). We see them playing in the long jump pit in the track right outside my window. We see them with their parents around town, in the parks, and just walking at the school. Now, babies are always cute, but I'll argue that nothing compares to a fat Chinese baby running around with his bum hanging out of his pants. Hahaha. In Hefei I guess they don't use diapers. What they do instead is cut slits in their babies' pants right at the butt crack. When the kid has to go, it just goes. I'm not sure where whatever comes out goes . . . although I have seen some dumpings on sidewalks. It is a little weird, and yes, kind of gross too, but hey, it must work for them. And it gives us foreigners one more reason to love the Chinese people. Especially their babies.
The other night the group headed to downtown Hefei to go to Guogou Plaza - a large 4 story shopping mall with restaurants and stuff. We took the #3 bus from the school about 20 minutes into the city center. On our way back we were standing by a young man who started talking to us in English. He seemed about college age and knew English really well, except that he had a thick Chinese accent which was sometimes hard to understand. His English name was Tony. We started talking about travel, and college, and teaching, and English. He is studying English at his college and told us that he loves it. Then he started telling me about how his friends have "colors". I had no idea what he was talking about but kept nodding my head in agreement and smiling. Apparently everyone in China likes to have "colors". After a little more talking he pulled out his cell phone and asked me if I have a mobile. I informed him that I did but that it doesn't work in China and I didn't have it with me. He looked a little disappointed, but then perked up when he asked if I would like his number. Laughingly I said "sure! why not!?", so he then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote it down for me. He told me to call him when I had my mobile working and we would be "colors". Finally I realized that what he was saying was not "colors" but "callers". He and his friends like to call their English speaking friends to practice! We continued to talk until I had to get off the bus. Tony has now been named as my "gentleman caller".
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