Friday, June 17, 2011
*Quick side note*
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that because China is a Communist country they monitor internet use and block a good portion of websites including the following: Facebook, Google, my blog, Youtube, Hulu, and many more. I was pretty bummed because a lot of people were going to stay in contact with me through Fb, but alas that is no longer an outlet. Anywho, just thought I would let you know. OH about the blog, my dear, sweet, wonderful sister Ashley is going to post all my posts (haha) once I am in China, so don't fret, you will still be able to live vicariously through me and my blog (I know you were worried). Back to packing!
Location, location, location!
At the moment, I am taking a break from packing my apartment to blog, and let me tell you it is a most welcome break. I loath packing, and it is even more hard since I am trying to downsize as well as pack all my possessions into a few totes. Plus I am trying to weed out what I want to take with me to China and remember what box it is in. Wish me luck!
Many of you have been asking me where I will be living, etc. Shenzhen in located in Southern China where most of the year is pleasant and springlike with no real winter. Summers are supposed to be long, sticky, muggy, hot and humid (fabulous). Typhoons and tropical storms are the norm in the south but for the most part it is known as, "The land of eternal spring." Shenzhen is also known as the richest city in China due to the status of "Special Economic Zone" (SEZ) because the city has the highest per capita GDP of all major mainland cities. Another reason for Shenzhen gaining the position of number-one Chinese city is for quality of life. Shenzhen is the first city to get pollution under control and has a reputation for having a clean and pretty seaside area. The status of SEZ has caused Shenzhen's populace to be a strong mix of peoples, both from other parts of China as well as foreigners and overseas Chinese which all use Mandarin as the common language. Too bad for me I only know a handful of Mandarin lingo, most of which I learned how to say using Google translate. This is my personal favorite: Oh bu ni mei yo! (Oh no you didn't). Oh yes, I may not be able to ask where the bathroom is, but I know how to tell someone off in English slang using the Mandarin language.
I found out a few weeks ago that I will be teaching pre-school and that I will be these students' first encounter with English, and I have absolutely NO idea how I am going to do that. We will be singing lots of songs, using lots of imagery and signaling. I pray that we have nap time! The school is also setting me up with an apartment along with a roommate who will be another teacher from the school. They will also pay for two meals a day at school, so dinner and weekends are on me. Also, they are paying for two round trip tickets to and from the U.S. and China, so I will be home around Christmas time. I leave for China at the end of July and I will return home for good in June of 2012. I am super excited and nervous about what is in my near future that is still so unknown, but I am up for the adventure. Thanks for reading!
Many of you have been asking me where I will be living, etc. Shenzhen in located in Southern China where most of the year is pleasant and springlike with no real winter. Summers are supposed to be long, sticky, muggy, hot and humid (fabulous). Typhoons and tropical storms are the norm in the south but for the most part it is known as, "The land of eternal spring." Shenzhen is also known as the richest city in China due to the status of "Special Economic Zone" (SEZ) because the city has the highest per capita GDP of all major mainland cities. Another reason for Shenzhen gaining the position of number-one Chinese city is for quality of life. Shenzhen is the first city to get pollution under control and has a reputation for having a clean and pretty seaside area. The status of SEZ has caused Shenzhen's populace to be a strong mix of peoples, both from other parts of China as well as foreigners and overseas Chinese which all use Mandarin as the common language. Too bad for me I only know a handful of Mandarin lingo, most of which I learned how to say using Google translate. This is my personal favorite: Oh bu ni mei yo! (Oh no you didn't). Oh yes, I may not be able to ask where the bathroom is, but I know how to tell someone off in English slang using the Mandarin language.
I found out a few weeks ago that I will be teaching pre-school and that I will be these students' first encounter with English, and I have absolutely NO idea how I am going to do that. We will be singing lots of songs, using lots of imagery and signaling. I pray that we have nap time! The school is also setting me up with an apartment along with a roommate who will be another teacher from the school. They will also pay for two meals a day at school, so dinner and weekends are on me. Also, they are paying for two round trip tickets to and from the U.S. and China, so I will be home around Christmas time. I leave for China at the end of July and I will return home for good in June of 2012. I am super excited and nervous about what is in my near future that is still so unknown, but I am up for the adventure. Thanks for reading!
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