Qingdao

the beach close to my apartment

Alright.  My last post was more than lacking and I know it.  Although nothing exciting has happened still, the past couple of weeks have been a positive turning point and I feel like my writer's block is breaking way.  Perhaps it was my much needed weekend walk on the beach: toes in the sand, sun on the skin...perhaps it was the wino diet I've indulged in...whatever it is, it's working.

My kids are great.  I was [am] really intimidated by some of their parents and the fact that I have so many nugs compared to last year, but it's going pretty smoothly.  I have quite a few characters, and definitely an entertaining bunch.  Photos soon to come.

shrimping (I think...at least they looked like shrimp) behind my school

The school is downright dreamy compared to my previous employer.  I was greeted at the airport with a smile and a welcome packet on the city...my apartment was stocked with water, juice, and snacks and I was taken to get a SIM card for my phone soon after getting in so that I could stay in contact with the school liaisons.  **Hey Noblesse...take some notes on how to treat a lady!**  My visa and paperwork were taken care of in a timely fashion and the people who run the school are both efficient and competent.  And get this...we have a curriculum!  It's a whole new experience for me.  Our school is also conveniently located directly across the street from a Tsingtao brewery....about twice a week it smells like toast in the morning, which is a lovely break from the rest of the Chinese smells that usually blow around.  It's a 2 minute walk to the sea where there is a quiet boardwalk with grandparents walking their grand-babies and local fishermen setting their nets up.

I have quickly come to realize that speaking Mandarin is quite necessary here. I've picked up a lot in the past few weeks from my co-teacher, and hopefully once I get Rosetta Stone downloaded I'll be pretty solid for a while.  By the time my 2 years here are finished, I should be able to hold conversations.  I will undoubtedly not attempt reading and writing anytime soon.  Babysteps!

I bought a folding bike so I can get around town, exercise, and travel easily.  It's so cute! And fits nicely in the shopping cart...convenient.  Between the ridiculous amount of stairs I climb each day and this little gem, I'm about to have legs/buns of steel!  It only takes 8 minutes to ride to the beach and I can fold it up and stuff it on the bus when I want to ride around the rural villages.  Perfect.  I also bought a wave board which is kind of like a skateboard but with 2 wheels.  The tag says it is a mixture of skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing.  I ride it back and forth on my living room floor and hopefully will soon gain the confidence to take it to the parking lot.  So far, it's a great source of entertainment.

Hopefully I'll make it to a village or two next weekend so I can finally get some shots up of China.  I promise to be better about updates and pictures.  As for contacting me- my internet is still too poor for Skype, but I check e-mail quite regularly :D