China fab, China dinner, China team

November 19


Here is Kelsey on the left and Monica (my team leader) on the right. I got to spend today with my team. This morning was spent with the Father followed by team discussion and pancakes :).. then we went into town for Christmas shopping, the foreign store which has normal western food that is hard or impossible to find elsewhere (like butter), and to massages. The massage was amazing, 40 yuan which is almost 6 American dollars for an hour. This picture was taken at the Western restaurant after wards... we went for peanut butter milkshakes (another rarity in China). My team is so great, they have given me so much support and encouragement during my time here. Please lift my team up as well when you remember me.



November 18


So in this picture from left to right is Kelly (my Chinese teacher and sophmore here), Tannah, Grammar (a new brother :D), Gwendolyn, Sophie, and Jordan.

On Friday some friends and I went out to play pool and eat dinner. As you can see eating at a restaurant in China is different from eating at a restaurant in America. There is a rotating glass thing in the center of the table and you put dishes on it and everyone shares. It's kind of like a personal buffet. Also you don't eat off big plates, you get a little plate, a little bowl, a little cup and then chopsticks... everything is little in China haha. You can also see our little tea pot...
After dinner we all went to watch the Passion.. I feel like the Father is kind of bringing me back to the basics and telling me how much He loves me.

"Greater love has no man than this that someone lay down His life for His friends."



November 17



On Thursday I went to another competition, this one was a hosting competition and it was all in Chinese!... My student is on the right, his name is Mark and he won first place! His English is really good.. he could probably teach my class haha.
I also added this picture just so you can see the girl on the left.. her dress is what we call China fab, meaning you would only wear this and look good in China. :D

Speech Competition

Okay so two pictures today..

here is the first one.. a little random, but it shows of a little bit of China's style. I liked how these girls matched. In the background is dining hall 3, there are 4 on campus but I think this one is the best. It has nai cha (milk tea) which is amazing


This one is my favorite. I was invited to an English speech competition, which my students were part of, and at the last minute was asked to be a judge. China never plans for anything! haha... it was fun. There are a few things about this that I want to share.. first of all the awesome spelling (not that I can say much), the second is his hobby.. English song, there is some Chinglish for you :).
So this is my student, he looks like a politician! He also gave a speech like one in his shiny black suit, literally shiny (like glitter). He was very passionate about not buying knock-off brands, he even yelled at us about it. Apparently the more you yell, the more you care and the better the speech. Man, I love China.

Rascal Flats

These are some of my students in my Friday class. The one on the right is Charlie and he loves country music which is really funny because most students are into Lady Gaga. He actually sang "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flats in class. :) Today in English Corner (where they can practice their English) we were talking about weddings and they had to plan their own proposal and he quoted the Rascal Flats song, "I won't let go"..

I will stand by you
I will help you through
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I wont let go

I think it may possibly be the best proposal I have heard, coming from a Chinese students. :D


The one on the left is Van and please be lifting him up, his mom was in a car accident and has been in the hospital. He just returned to school and she is okay but yarp for him please.

Winter!

So at the beginning of the year I began something called Project 365 where I wanted to put up a picture a day for a year to see how my life has changed. Well it fell through haha.. but now I think it is a good way for you to keep up with what's going on with me in China!




Here is the beautiful Hua Qiao campus. So it is already winter in Changchun and it is so cold! It is mid-November and I'm already wearing my down jacket. So you guys at home, enjoy the warm weather while it lasts!
Today was Monday and I had two classes this morning, faculty meeting, and then lots of grading to do. Teaching is proving a huge challenge, with over 300 students who all have different levels of English it is easy to get overwhelmed. But it is my first year teaching so I guess that's normal.
The Father is really working both on our campus and on other campuses... we already have a new brother and 2 new sisters in the Father's family! Please continue to lift us up. He is working and breaking down the walls the enemy has built up.

well that's it for today. I hope you enjoy this blog and follow along!