Perspective

Living abroad can certainly throw you some curve balls. The last few weeks have been filled with many ups and downs. Some days I wonder "why am I living in China? This is crazy!" but other days I think to myself "I love that I live in China, this is the best experience of my life." When it all breaks down it is really just a matter of perspective. The days that are difficult are often the days that I lose sight of my motivation and desire to live here. It can be easy to let the little things get in the way of seeing the bigger picture. Cultural differences and language barriers (although I find them fascinating) can sometimes be difficult to deal with. I can't tell you how excited I am to be in an English speaking country and go to a store where I can clearly communicate with the staff. I'll probably ask for help just because I can! At the end of the day, I am extremely happy to be here and am grateful for the experience. I have had the opportunity to get to know so many incredible people during the short time that I have been here.

Since it has been so long since my last entry I feel as though there are so many incredible stories and moments that I could share but I will force myself to limit them to just a few. The most recent of which being my trip to a park here in Eco-city with my kids. Now that I live in an area that has a total of 4 seasons (I will always love CA, but we have 1 season all year... let's be real) there is a lot of perks that come with the spring =) Beautiful flowers are everywhere and the weather is a happy mix of sunny days and rainy days. In celebration of this our whole school went to the park and I got to spend time with a couple Kindergarten classes flying kites. Well, most of the time I was untangling the strings, but it was so fun. It made me so happy to see the kids running everywhere and laughing (as opposed to the usual sitting in the circle as I teach them English and sing some songs). Sometimes it is good to break out of the usual routine and get out and enjoy the sunshine (note to self: buy sunblock you white girl!).

A group picture outside the museum

Another thing that is great about my job is the random trips that the school pays for--no kids, just staff (and people can bring their families. The most recent trip was to a museum in downtown Tianjin. It was interesting to walk through the exhibits and see pieces of history from an entirely different perspective than what we read in the US history books.Since I was already in downtown I met up with some friends that were just a couple stops away and went to a Japanese restaurant (Janis, if you are reading this it wasn't real Japanland food). I even found a place where I could buy some hot dry noodles (a dish I fell in love with during my previous endeavor to Asia). Last week we also had a day of doing outdoor activities for the staff while the kids were napping. I didn't know what was going on and then, before I knew it I was outside doing some relay race with three inflatable horses and hopping across the playground. Although I was busy making a fool of myself the photographer wasted no time taking pictures of the foreigner laughing at herself as she bounced everywhere. I think I'm building a reputation at the school for being the silliest teacher (I'm not telling them in advance that I'm making bunny ears and tail for Monday's lessons and will "dress up" like an Easter bunny, I really want to see the teacher's reactions when I walk into class like that)

And consequently falling on my face...

Me playing the game

I have been blessed in so many different ways since arriving here in China and am surrounded by a great community of people. While sometimes I feel like this is the hardest thing I've ever done, I have no doubt in my mind that is the best and most adventurous thing I have done. I have no regrets! Since being here I have also made some connections with people who work with refugees and there could be some potential opportunities for me in the future. I will update if anything pans out, but please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I continue to grow and learn more about God, myself, and this global community we are all a part of!