There is nothing like being with family and friends for the holidays! It was so good to see my kids!! I had a great visit and enjoyed our 10 day road trip! Love my people!!
Ms. Frizzle is at it again!
In December, I supervised a group of students on an overnight field trip to the Taiwanese Businessman’s School in Dongguan. It is a huge campus with about 2,000 students from K-12. It is a boarding school and I was amazed to learn that most students stay all week and some for months at a time. Starting at age 5!!!
The school offers team building activities and fun learning opportunities, so I was glad to have this experience with some of my students.
From the first week I arrived in Dongguan, these two guys have been so incredibly kind and welcoming. Miguel and Paulo Alves are brothers from Portugal who are extremely helpful to the expat community here and I love going to their restaurant. Everything I have tried there is so good, and it is located in the building next door to my apartment, so quite convenient. Dangerous for my diet, but fantastic for my social life. =)
Recently, they celebrated their 15th year in business in Dongguan! That is quite a feat for this area. Businesses seem to come and go quite a bit, so to stay around this long is remarkable, I’m told. Of course, there had to be a party! And, of course, I had to go! It was a great evening of celebrating with music, friends, and such yummy food. But what made it over the top awesome for me….was that I won the grand prize!
Free Pizza for A YEAR!!! Yep! That’s right! Every week, I can dine with friends and have an amazing meal for free. There are 41 pizza options on the menu and I think I will try them all! Gonna have to step up my workouts I guess, but it will be worth it! Haha
Pizzeria Calzone rocks! Thanks, Miguel!
I am so excited about Christmas!!!! More than anything I am excited to come home for a visit and see my kids! I have missed them so much. And even though I live alone and won’t be here for Christmas, I still had to put up a tree. Though not in many places, it is possible to find Christmas trees here in China and a few decorations, but nothing like back home, of course. A friend was moving back to the States, so I bought the tree from her. I was able to find a few ornaments at an outlet store and I found lights at Wal-Mart.
A bit of a hodgepodge, but my favorite thing….
I knew I didn’t have much space, but I made sure to pack my Christmas ornaments that I have been collecting from my travels over the past couple of years. It brought me so much joy to hang them each on my tree and think of the memories made on each trip. From “Cheers” in Boston, Ellis Island, New York, Washington DC, Mount Vernon, The Statue of Liberty, the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Nashville, Memphis and more…so many beautiful memories that make me smile.
So, yes, it is a bit different this year. I am used to putting up my tree surrounded by family and fun traditions, but there is an unique contentment in my experience here. I am in a good place and it is nice. Knowing that I will see my family and friends in a couple of weeks makes it all good!
Besides, I wasn’t completely alone…I had Frank and Bing, a little bit of Michael Buble and Mariah. It’s all good….because…..”I’ll be home for Christmas”….and not only in my dreams! =)
One of the best things I have done since moving to China was join this Hiking Group! Not only have I shed a few pounds, I have seen some beautiful places and met some increbile people. This weekend we hiked up the hill at Tonsha Park. This was probably my first time to hike anywhere here where there weren’t major stairs! It was quite a steep incline in places, but very nice to be walking in nature. Another crazy six degrees moment…I met a girl from Hot Spring, Arkansas on this hike. Such a crazy small world!
Check out that major spider!
Now my only question….Is poison ivy a thing in China???
I was so excited for my first big gig as the Drama teacher for QSI! We had an awesome event called Winter Wonderland last Saturday and my Drama students performed 5 stories. It was a Readers Theater presentation with some extra flare. =) I was incredibly proud of my students! All 47 kids showed up…on a Saturday! We had such a fun time!
The greatest Santa ever!
My high school Drama guys performed, “The Christmas Truce.” A moving story about a truce called between German and British soldiers during World War I.
“Twas the Night Before Christmas
“The Baker’s Dozen”
“Which Shoes Do You Choose?”
“Goldilocks and the Christmas Elves”
I work with some amazing people and I am so thankful. The kids did an awesome job and I was so very proud of them! I really love teaching here!
It’s really more like a village than a market. So many shops! There is a huge variety and it is a full day event for sure. I enjoyed seeing the different vendors and finding some great bargains, but I just don’t think I will ever get over the shock of the market foods. Hover over the pics for details. Again, proceed at your own risk…
I have to admit…I really struggled on Thanksgiving Day this year. It’s like, you know it’s going to be hard to be away from home, but sometimes it’s really hard. Really, really hard. Considering we are 14 hours ahead of everyone back home, our “holiday” started earlier. No days off, of course. Just another work day, which just seemed so wrong! LOL
As the day went on, I made an effort to try to not spiral into a pity party and focus on all of the many blessings that are everywhere around us. I talked with my children and that always warms my heart! #thankfulfortheirsmilesandvoices.
Our principal, Lisa, treated us to coffee and pastries for a breakfast treat. #thankfulforherkindnessandthoughtfulness.
We also had a guest professional story teller from England visit our school that day and presented three beautiful stories. My favorite was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” #thankfulfortheArts
For my Intensive English class, I got to introduce my students to “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!” They were confused a bit, but after reading the book, I showed them the cartoon and it was fun listening to them laugh and enjoy Snoopy. #thankfultoshareglimpsesofAmerica
After work, I had dinner with Brooke and her family. It wasn’t the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but it was close and we enjoyed it. One of the local restaurants offered a special: roasted chicken with veggies and pumpkin pie! So I made mashed potatoes and found some sweet rolls to contribute and together we had Thanksgiving…in China. =) #thankfulforfriendswhoarelikefamily
I was excited to participate and help lead students in Dance for Kindness 2018! Dance for Kindness is a worldwide flash mob kicking off World Kindness Week, orchestrated by Life Vest Inside, a non-profit organization that inspires, empowers and educates people of all backgrounds to lead a life of kindness. QSI participates every year and this was my first time to be a part of it. As the Drama teacher, I made it part of our class assignment to do the flash mob at school and then we later met at our local mall and performed the dance together there. A very cool experience!
Dongguan is an incredibly diverse city. I have loved meeting people from all over the world and hearing fascinating stories of how they came to call this place home. Recently, I met a kind and beautiful lady from India whose name is Vijaya. She and and her family cook amazing Indian food and deliver weekly to our complex. She also does eyebrow threading… something I have never had done until recently. Very cool. =) She invited our group to the traditional Indian festival, Diwali. I didn’t know anything about it, but was eager to learn more about the culture and celebrations. It was so much fun! I loved all of the bright colors, the loud music, high energy, the food was amazing, the lights, and the traditions that were shared and explained. An exceptionally awesome night!
Charli in China 