Today has been a pretty average day in my life (whatever that means). Meaning, I woke up (which is generally my least favorite part of the entire day! And I teach at 8 am four days a week... lucky me!) and taught two classes. Teaching has definitely become more natural feeling... like it's my job instead of panic attack inducing... which I am very happy for.
As I was headed to lunch, I got a text from Depreena saying that there was a package for me in the library (where the half of the post office that mail comes to is located... as opposed to the half where you send mail out... and neither of which places sells stamps, as far as I've been able to figure out.) I was surprised and excited, and pretty curious about what this box was. So I went promptly there (forget lunch!) and chatted along the way with my student Marion, who was also doing something in that direction.
And there was indeed a huge box!
I was good and took it along with me to lunch... ate... went back to my apartment and opened it... and then left the contents alone until after my office hours.
Office hours: wherein today I took a nap (props to a culture where that is generally acceptable...), worked on lesson plans, and was quite chilly. By the end of my three hours in the office, I had put my coat, scarf, and hat back on.
This had a rather amusing consequence. A few minutes after all the other teachers had left the office (there are eight of us in there), a student came in. She was asking me very quickly in Chinese where one of the other teachers were, and I wasn't quite sure what she said, so I pulled off my hat so that I'd actually be able to hear her...
And she gasped.
Apparently she hadn't realized that I wasn't Chinese...
Anyway... after office hours I properly opened the package to discover SUPER warm socks and a really soft blanket from the McP's! What an awesome surprise! (And I know... I didn't save it for Christmas... but I figured it was cold now...)
Then I headed out to the cafeteria for lunch with a brother and sister. We ate, goofed around, and talked about some deeper stuff. It is so, so cool beyond words to be able to have these types of conversations. I really am getting to do exactly what I had hoped to be able to do here -- investing in the lives of brothers and sisters -- and that fact blows my mind.
After dinner, what's better than playing in the snow/on the frozen-over pond? So we waded through the snow (which is really dry and powdery) and jumped down onto the frozen pond and stomped out names and shapes and made snow angels and skated around in our sneakers. So. Much. Fun. I felt like a freshman again!
Then we parted ways, and I came back to my apartment, supposedly to work on my lesson plans for next week... but I have no idea what I want to do with my translation kids, so I've been working on stuff for the study with my team that we'll be doing tomorrow night.
Hopefully a new newsletter will be out soon! :) The comm department (which kindly mails them to y'all) has been a bit swamped of late, but it is in the works.
Things you could be lifting for us...
~a few people are sick right now
~we're all tired and need perseverance and new energy as we finish the semester
~relationships with students (as always)
Thanks!
(no photos today as they aren't wanting to load/attach)
As I was headed to lunch, I got a text from Depreena saying that there was a package for me in the library (where the half of the post office that mail comes to is located... as opposed to the half where you send mail out... and neither of which places sells stamps, as far as I've been able to figure out.) I was surprised and excited, and pretty curious about what this box was. So I went promptly there (forget lunch!) and chatted along the way with my student Marion, who was also doing something in that direction.
And there was indeed a huge box!
I was good and took it along with me to lunch... ate... went back to my apartment and opened it... and then left the contents alone until after my office hours.
Office hours: wherein today I took a nap (props to a culture where that is generally acceptable...), worked on lesson plans, and was quite chilly. By the end of my three hours in the office, I had put my coat, scarf, and hat back on.
This had a rather amusing consequence. A few minutes after all the other teachers had left the office (there are eight of us in there), a student came in. She was asking me very quickly in Chinese where one of the other teachers were, and I wasn't quite sure what she said, so I pulled off my hat so that I'd actually be able to hear her...
And she gasped.
Apparently she hadn't realized that I wasn't Chinese...
Anyway... after office hours I properly opened the package to discover SUPER warm socks and a really soft blanket from the McP's! What an awesome surprise! (And I know... I didn't save it for Christmas... but I figured it was cold now...)
Then I headed out to the cafeteria for lunch with a brother and sister. We ate, goofed around, and talked about some deeper stuff. It is so, so cool beyond words to be able to have these types of conversations. I really am getting to do exactly what I had hoped to be able to do here -- investing in the lives of brothers and sisters -- and that fact blows my mind.
After dinner, what's better than playing in the snow/on the frozen-over pond? So we waded through the snow (which is really dry and powdery) and jumped down onto the frozen pond and stomped out names and shapes and made snow angels and skated around in our sneakers. So. Much. Fun. I felt like a freshman again!
Then we parted ways, and I came back to my apartment, supposedly to work on my lesson plans for next week... but I have no idea what I want to do with my translation kids, so I've been working on stuff for the study with my team that we'll be doing tomorrow night.
Hopefully a new newsletter will be out soon! :) The comm department (which kindly mails them to y'all) has been a bit swamped of late, but it is in the works.
Things you could be lifting for us...
~a few people are sick right now
~we're all tired and need perseverance and new energy as we finish the semester
~relationships with students (as always)
Thanks!
(no photos today as they aren't wanting to load/attach)
That's pretty good for an average day. I'm glad to hear you're getting to do what you wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the hat mistake! XD Too funny! You're blending in little by little.
I forgot to tell you - I had sent you a card when you were in Xiamen, but it finally came back to me with all these Chinese stamps on them. "Return to sender"? I guess? I can't read very well.