Barcelona!

I'm writing this very quickly as it is definitely two am in the morning in Barcelona, but I have to, or else I'm afraid that I'm going to forget. I write this to you from my bedroom in Mas Palou, my friend Maria's country ... manor? near Barcelona - it's so beautiful and comfortable... but I'll talk about that later! The things that I have learned today.

1. Zara and Mango are SO much cheaper in Spain. I have the proof. The same dress that I bought it America was 60 USD$, was only 29.90 euros, which in dollars is only, 39.12 dollars.

2. There are a lot of Asians in Barcelona; they are ALL Chinese. For now, Spanish people can take comfort in not being racist when they assume all of the Asians that they see are Chinese, because 100% of the people of Asian background were in actuality Chinese. The Chinese people stared at me so hard! The Spanish people also stared at me! Sigh, I know living in China has gotten me used to all the staring - but in such a different way!

3. I went to a FCB/Madrid game today at a bar with Maria's friends - people of Catalonia are proud of their futbal team and will stay out until midnight on a Wednesday to watch it. ALL people - old, young and in bars - which brings me to 4.

4. Bars in Spain are not dark and do not predominantly sell alcohol. Bars in Spain are American local restaurants/bistros/small eating establishment with full lighting and are packed during big futbal nights.

5. The men in Barcelona are stilllll beautiful. I'm glad I've returned - the last time I was in Barcelona was 10 years ago and I vowed then I would come back!

I'm going touring in some vineyards tomorrow so I must go to bed now. As they say in Barcelona, "'Dio!"

On Atlanta

Since I've been home, I've languished in the luxuries of food diversity. One thing that I never took into consideration when embarking on a two year adventure in rural China is the complete lack of variety. For breakfast, I ate a cup of Greek yogurt. For lunch, I went to Hashiguchi Jr in Buckhead, followed by dinner at Mediterranean Grill in Decatur. The gyro meat was a little bit dry but the tsatsiki sauce was DIVINE.

It was here at Mediterranean Grill that my friend and I encountered a woman who very vocally commented on our social behavior. I realized that only in a developed civilized culture do people feel like they can publicly criticize another's behavior. In rural China, no one yells at you for spitting on the ground or bringing your chicken on the bus, a chicken that's not fully tranquilized, one that's jumping all over all the passengers on the bus.

In line, which in rural China, lining up does not yet exist - in the line to order, I was reunited with my friend who I haven't seen in a year. There was a woman who was behind me, who my friend walked past in order to hug me and to begin our reunion. I noticed after we hugged, that the woman began to glare quite fervently in my direction. I shrugged it off as surely, surely as she was very clearly eavesdropping that she would not be begrudging my friend's position with me in line. She did. She bitterly remarked upon my friend's position in line and asked to supersede her in the line. Then, she made even more remarks after my friend gracefully demurred her place. Confused by such social ... the only word I can think of is - awkwardness?, she insulted our manners and then ordered a take-out order for herself.

This instance was no instance at all. With the exception of being incredibly awkward, where I live now has taught me not to sweat the small things and that the people that express their negativity outwardly are people that are undesirable friends!

Exhibit A: Desirable friends!

Not in Atlanta: these are my friends in Yunnan! People that you DO want to associate with!

I miss ya'll!

I'm in DETROIT!

YAY!

..well.. It's America.

These are my travel plans for this holiday (by airport code)

KMG-TPE-NRT-DTW-ATL-BCN-CDG-ATL-SAV-ATL-DCA-LGA-ATL-SEA-PEK-KMG

mwahahahahahahaha I'm dizzy with excitement and jetlag! I can't wait to hang out with you - if you're reading this, you should probably email me.

My kids dance better than Tom's kids

A little more than a week ago, Tom posted a blog about teaching kids Jingle Bells (which I already did here) - and then with the speakers and computer that he had in class, two of his students had a little after hours dance party.

Well, after I saw his kids dance to LMFAO's Party Rock, I mused over what dances I could teach my students in a very short time. Last week, in the short time that I ran out of chalk in my fifth grade class, a grand idea popped into my mind!

Click and see the fruits of my effort. Love the boys in the front row. It's a long video, but scroll until the end and watch the expert girls lead my class! The boys take the dancing very seriously because I stressed the applicability of this dance to both boys and girls.

 Then, I made them silently practice 10 mins on their own with peer monitors as I ran downstairs to my room to grab my speakers and camera. CUTE. WIN!

A belated Christmas card from Shannon

Meet Shannon:

While she looks like a veritable badass in this picture taken exactly 4 months ago, Shannon is my hardest working sweetie who studies in all of her spare time and always has the most focused expression on her face.

Shannon was the one that asked me oh, so politely after I showed my students their first American television series (Once Upon a Time with Chinese subtitles), what the word "kiss" meant. "I tried looking in the book and also in the dictionary and I couldn't find it anywhere!" That's what she said to me as I looked at her incredulously. When I told her the meaning, her face turned bright red and she ran from my presence. My heart melted.

Shannon is also the one that I watch The Amazing Race with while she writes down every word that she hears - she studies so hard that she can recognize words and write them down! I'm so proud of her!

Imagine my surprise when Shannon sought me out after classes and handed me an apple after Christmas with a special note rolled into it!

This was her Christmas card to me! Outside was a lion and a squirrel, inside a letter that reads:

I wish you a Merry Christmas Miss Yuan! I know that Saturday is Christmas, I'm going home and you're not here so I can't give this card to you on Christmas Day. I hope that you have a happy winter break! But when you're happy, don't forget about me! Miss Yuan, I don't know how to draw a Santa Claus, so I drew you a few little animals. Please forgive me!

Your student,
Shannon

Shannon is the reason I teach on those cold early Tuesday and Thursday mornings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's the new year in China and America. 2012, you're going to be amazing.

Pot, I want you. Kettle, I want you.

Found on fredflare.com. I wish I could have this for Christmas!!

DISH ABOUT THIS FISH

I need you to leave in comments which side of the fish you like better. Rainbow or spots. No wishy-washies please. Decide and post your opinion. It's very important. It's a competition and I am everything when it comes to being competitive. I won't reveal which side is mine, but the other side is Axel's and there are redeeming sides to both.

Axel and I were taking a slow jaunt in Yunxian when we decided to embark on a painting challenge in the middle of the Yunxian square. Southern girl vs. Yankee boy, we've pitted ourselves against each other in this artless battle of the sexes. This fish is the product of that love/hate relationship and the love child whose fate lies in the balance as we need people to decide who. is. better. Good luck, Axel. You're going down.

Candy EVIL

Candy cigarettes. It makes sense why they don't exist in America anymore. We don't want our children thinking that cancer sticks are fun, delightful, delicious or positive in anyway. Good thing where I live, those laws don't exist and hilarity can ensue for adults like me.

Imagine my shock and surprise when I saw a case of these selling at my corner store. I did the only thing that I could think of, and bought 4 packs. FOR SCIENCE. The packaging is thinner than regular cigarettes but is pretty affordable at .50 kuai. = 12 cents? I don't know. The packaging hopes to confuse children and lead them eventually to these classy brands:

The cigarette boxes I found online and I find that the Kent/Kemt boxes are EERILY ALIKE. But boxes aside, what do the insides look like and will children be led astray when they put their candy ciggies in their mouths and will it feel like a real one?

The comparison:

To my relief and yours, I'm sure, the side by side comparison should be pretty simple. (The one on the very right is the REAL ONE) Also, on the box, it states that the candy is gum, BUT it's NOT. It's smartie cigarettes. I know because that space where the real cigarette now lives, used to be a candy cig that I ate. I put the real cigarette there. I don't anyone to think that this is how KEMT hopes children make the transition..... although in a way, it would be kind of evil genius of them. And, the little S in the corner of the KEMT Smoke Candy means that it's been quality inspected so you know that this isn't poison. Yes. Poison for your young mind maybe but literally, no.

Kitties. Watermelons. AHHHH

I've watched this super cute video on YouTube three times. This means I'm sharing it with you because I think it's EAOIH:SOFHS:ODGIH:OH cute! This kitten looks evil and brilliant wearing down the watermelon like a boss!

(Be a) Santa in Shaojie

I'm not 100% positive that my students understand who Santa Claus is but they think he's really cute and they completed their homework assignment by making Santa active! As you can see in the top right, Santa is outdoors by the water, jumping rope. On the left, he's conferencing with Frosty; on the bottom, he's having a shoot out.

I think it's probably good to present Santa has a fat man who looks cute and hangs out around Christmas time, as opposed to a man who gives presents that their wishes desire. Let's be realistic.. :(  BUT If you want to make the fantastic true - please donate to tfchina.org - and email me!

Kellogg's Honey Nut O's + FWB = Tuesday night

Dear Nut O's,

When I saw you at Wal-mart this weekend, I knew you were a strange, non-imported Chinese version of Honey Nut Cheerios - you delivered just as I thought you were. You are delicious. (I am eating them right now!)

Honey Nut Cheerios imported to China = 70 RMB.
Honey Nut O's = 27 RMB.

I WIN.

These combined with probably the tenth time that I'm watching the Justin Timberlake headlined Friends with Benefits movie - obviously, I Timber-like this movie waaay too much.

HO HO HO. I love puns. Blogging quota - FILLED.

Tell me why I should keep reading 1Q84

I'm 7% in on my Kindle. Other than social relevancy, I have a hard time continuing to read this book. It's dark, it's strange, it's making me feel dirty - it's compelling and intricately interesting but.... my heart isn't engaged in this tome. HELP.

My 5th graders wish you a happy holiday season!

 My 5th grade angels are gifted, musical, artistic and really remind me every time I see them how wonderful teaching can be. This is their rendition of Jingle Bells made for your viewing pleasure! Let me know if you have any other songs that you think would be fun to teach them.

PS. Wham's Last Christmas bombed last year, this year I'm still looking for a challenge!

A Dali-ghtful Thanksgiving

As per the traditions that were created last year, I returned to Dali for a taste of the holidays with friends last weekend. The leaves had changed, the cold was crisp but comfortable and I was with a handful of the friends that I've just begun to make this year.

CAUGHT: This boy was kicking the tree to make the golden leaves fall faster. 

Dali's pretty small and there's really nothing to do if you've done the bike rides and the deaf massages, Laura and I did a lot of random shopping and food eating. We found this:

How lovely.

We ate this:

It was so dark at the time that sadly, this is clearest picture of the food that I ate and I'm seeing it for the first time- 3 days later. Is it sad that since coming to China that I don't mind eating mystery foods in the dark as long as the promise of delicious rings true?

I think there might be as many pictures in this post as words. In short, Thanksgiving was necessary and I give thanks that I could take an excursion and spent the holidays with friends and loved ones. I can't wait until Christmas!

I haven't used my camera in so long...

that I imagine it must have mold on it - just like everything else in my room.

Seriously, for once, I have no idea where my camera is. I'm horrified and also incredibly lazy because I have one of those breakfast-in-bed things trapping my legs in place and I don't want to move. I will put it on my to do list for tomorrow morning. "Find camera." Why don't I let you get a peek of the things on my to do for tomorrow?

1. Drink delicious coffee. Eat Nature Valley bar.
2. Find camera.
3. Watch entire new season of the League while sending out a billion emails. (That's right. A BILLION.)
4. Lesson plan.
5. Make mac 'n cheese for lunch.
6. Lesson plan some more because I have to lesson plan for four hours today and three hours tomorrow. WHAT up. That will be so much fun.
7. Pack for tomorrow.
8. Remember to buy scarves for students in Dali (it has been very cold here. VERY cold - the only part of my body that is exposed right now is freezing - that would be my nose and my hands :( boo)
9. Class - class - class - class. (Bring camera to class - see it all makes sense)
10. Dinner????
11. Number crunching and email searching and finishing emails.
12. SLEEP. 7:20 wake up in the freezing cold :( for Thursday = Thanksgiving.

Shenanigans - a weeks back. Camera, come back!

A little bit of CUTE for a happy Friday!

I found this on my laptop - Tom Hoffecker created this in the middle of a meeting we were supposed to be paying attention in  -

I think the nose makes it cuter. The lightening bolts from his hands give him the potential to be a super hero!

B-b-b-b-b-beautiful blue butterfly!

He wandered into Megan's apartment last Tuesday. He's gorgeous and if he were mine, I'd name him Karl.

How do I know if this butterfly is he? I don't. Rural China brought Karl to me. Thanks, rural China. In this instant, I remembered how beautiful you could be.

Halloween Kitty gets in trouble!

Oh, Halloween. Halloween is always a fun holiday to start off the holiday season. A holiday for parties - you certainly start off celebrating Halloween with your parents, but as soon as it becomes unacceptable to start taking candy from strangers, Halloween becomes a holiday where you start drinking candy flavored drinks :)

Monica + Laura + Christine = hilarious. Click to enlarrrrge.

It pleases me to say that this year, even though I am still in rural China, was hilarious and no different.  I was Hello Kitty, a lifelong dream of mine - which might be sad, but if you know anything about me you know that I love HK. I wore my bow huge and proud as inspired by the big bow Hello Kitty:

Rawr. Hello Kitty you are cute! Here are some more highlights from the night:

MEOW. we are cats. and on the same team. Yay Phoebe and Christine at Shaojie.

LAURA, WHY ARE ALL YOUR FRIENDS ASIANS?

Chen yuan, you make me laugh laugh laugh

Oh, mummy!

ONLY CHILDREN.

Lucas and I on repeat. Click to enlarge!

Karman as Downey - who is my teammate and next door neighbor

A-BRO-ham Lincoln disapproves of Bangmai Barbie's outrageous ways. 

In character, BMBB is sooo glamorous. How can A-bro-ham disapprove while playing beer pong?

Hello Kitty loves rainbows!!

As you may or may not be able to tell, sometimes I lost my yellow nose, good thing I brought a whole slew of stickies and replaced my nose about 5 times. Later, it became unsafe for me to use scissors. 

Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty!

LOVE,
Christine (as Hello Kitty for Halloween!)