A Burrito and a Bath

This will be the last post I do from China!
 (unless there is Wifi in Shanghai and I find discipline to write in my blog)

I'm sure you are all wondering what I am looking forward to most when I return

 (aside from monstrous hugs from those I love)

Throughout our months being here we have played "What are you gonna do/eat first when you get home".
Answers and cravings have changed from salad to pizza or sushi for others. They miss their phones, swimming or driving their cars.

Mine are and have been the same since day 1:

I want a burrito and a bath.

Alright just wanted to say quick farewell
Until next time
XoXo
Libertee

Tune in next time for my adventures in Shanghai  and my 36 hour day trip home!

uninspirational

Today is my last full day at my school. Bags are packed, I'm ready to go....
The last days of teaching were fine. Mostly I just didn't even tell my classes it was my last day. I prefer to disappear and pretend they care rather than find how much influence I didn't have. The classes I did tell barely winked an eye at the news so I told myself it's because they don't understand that I am not returning next semester. A few of my favorite kids (yes I play favorites) hugged me and asked me to take them with me. They were the kids I stayed here for.
Here are pictures of me with my kids (favorite and non alike)


It was sure an adventure teaching them all, but no tears were shed on my last days (unless you count when I watched Tangled, but I always cry at that beautiful movie). I learned what I could here and now it's time to start a new adventure.I will always remember them though.




During the weekend we held a "goodbye" party for the people who we'd come closer to (Tessa and her student posse, The teachers from the KTV day and Caroline and her boyfriend). We made french-toast (best we could) and experimented with the blueberry muffin mix mom had sent to make "pancakes". Everything was messy but sweet so we gobbled down what we could. We also drank Kool-aid or Lemonade from bowls because we don't have pitchers for mixing and the cups are tiny.




On Sunday Tim came over and "taught" us how to make dumplings.... but really we didn't make the dough or help prepare the meat, we just stuffed them and then they were boiled. It was really fun, but then all the sudden Tim was like "clean the table" "go downstairs and get bowls and chopsticks" "set out the chairs" and we were like... why? apparently we made all of these dumplings for his family dinner (we got some too) but still it was weird. It was like if I came over to your house to teach you how to make a cake and then started bossing you around and telling you to put up decorations and blow up balloons because I was having a birthday party! All was well though because we had a million dumplings so there was more than plenty and his family is really nice.






My experience in China was very difficult, but a great opportunity that taught me a lot and I made the best of it.
Was it what I expected? No, but it was what I needed to grow. I'm sure I will have days where I miss it, but I am ready to move on.
It was NOT perfect, but it was perfect for me. I learned a lot about myself, living away from home, a new culture etc.. I know most people expect me to say things like: “I love love love love the people and the culture blah blah blah” but for me it was just alright. My personal experiences and memories here are what made it life changing. Although, it was cool to learn the culture and be a part of it, I just didn't particularly love or hate it. I am glad that I came though. I don’t know if that even makes sense. I would say this is more of a “look-back-on-with-fondness” type experience.

There is a YouTube video of a kid being interviewed about basketball, but he misunderstands when they asks "what is your favorite part" and he thinks they said "park". He then begins describing a park near his house and how he can swing really high there. After he (adorably) goes off about unrelated topics he finishes the interview by saying "and I LOVE BASKETBALL!". I feel like that is what I will be like when people ask me "how was china"... I'll just end up saying weird things and then say "and I love China!"
So that's that.

Sorry if you wanted something more inspirational.

White people

Here are some "sobrinas" from Karoeke/Children's Day:

We had to do our Dance again for a different assembly...
It wasn't so bad. I am, however, sick of sitting through assemblies in Chinese.
I don't know what is going on so when you're reading touching poems and waiting for me to cry
I'm wishing I was in my hermit tower watching Spongebob.
To keep myself entertained I take a lot of  pictures sitting in the crowd:

I did get to go onstage to play a game I didn't understand
After a full round I found I was supposed to be blowing up as many balloons as I can and trying to get them to POP.
Here is my onstage being confused/slowly figuring it out:

In class I have been teaching important things:

but mostly I've just been drawing on the chalkboard and or watching TV

here is how the 3rd graders responded to my drawings:

Life's been on an up these last few weeks and I am going to miss this strange home I've made here
When we went into town during the weekend there was a huge street market set up for the dragon-boat-racing festival:

Garth lost his debit card so while we were trying to figure out stuff at the bank I went and bought my new favorite thing ever; a candied-crab-apple flavored ice-pop.
It is good enough to warrant it's own little picture section and description. I really dig them.

The bank took forever and in the end we couldn't even do what we were trying to do. We found an interesting picture on the wall to depict how we felt:

After the Bank we stopped at a little restaurant and ate DUMPLINGS!!! YAY! (steamed and fried <3)

Then we made a routine stop at the grocery store for "milk" and other small things. We were playing around in the carts...

.


.. when SUDDENLY! WE SAW BLONDE HAIR THAT WAS NOT NOELLE'S! IT WAS A WHITE PERSON! IN FUZHOU! 5 months here and we finally learned we weren't alone!

Her and her friend were from England teaching at the university near the city.

No blog post could do justice to how excited we were so i'm not even going to try, but just know it was AWESOME!

really... so cool

When we arrived home there was a 5th grade photoshoot going on in front of the front gate's sign.

We were roped into being in them so here are some pictures of us with the kids I teach:

I think the Giant Lily Pads that grow all over are cool

Here is a picture we found of ourselves on a sign in the sch

This is an awkward Peter Griffin-like cartoon on this package of "fat guy underwear"

Cacas is where we buy smoothies... but its funny because... Caca means... a word Wyatt hates.

This sign malfunction made it look like creeper eyes were peeking through Carlos Costello's Advertisement

Were getting very near the end here




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R09JTnpbBII