It's More Fun in the Philippines

It's true! and it's their logo - It really IS more fun in the Philippines. 

I think I have found one of my favourite places in this world. Before now, Bratislava, Slovakia has been one of my favourite places I have ever been, but the Philippines is up there for sure. It wasn't the scenery, it wasn't the food, it was the people that made the place. As soon as we landed, I could tell that the Filipino people are very kind! I didn't want to leave at all. 

We left on a Saturday night and flew out of Hong Kong to Clark, Philippines, which was a 1 1/2 plane ride. Once we landed, we got a bus and headed to our hotel room. As we drove to our hotel room, I got a little nervous as to what we had gotten ourselves into. The drive to the hotel was along a road with a lot of run own buildings and it seemed like a pretty sketchy part of town. Then we saw our hotel, which was like a diamond in the rough, did I mention that this hotel room cost 8 CAN dollars a night :) We got settled in, turned on the television and watched some ENGLISH T.V. Desperate Housewives was on, and even though I haven't watched it for a long time, I was happy to see and her some English language on the T.V. That rarely happens in China unless you want to watch CNN all day, which I don't, mostly because it scares the shit out of me! hahaha

We woke up in the morning and headed back to the airport where we caught our next flight to Kalibo, Philippines which was a 40 minute plane ride. We were all really excited to get to Boracay, so I was happy that the ride was a quick one! Once we landed in Kalibo, we paid for the bus which drove us an 1 1/2 to the port where we would take the boat to Boracay Island. As we drove to the port I couldn't help but think about how much the Philippines was like Cuba. The people are very similar, and the scenery is quite similar as well. 

Our view as we took the boat to Boracay 

Once we got to the port we hopped on a boat which looked something like this..... We all crammed inside, threw our luggage on top of the boat and we were off! It was an exciting and interesting boat ride to the island. Needless to say, I wouldn't want to be on a boat like this in any kind of weather! hahaha 

Our hostel.. our room was up top to the left! 

A view from the beach, a few steps away from our hostel 

Once we got to the island we took a TukTuk to our hostels which is a little truck which you cram into the back of! It was a lot of fun and cost about 3 dollars each! Our hostel was called Bonzai, and we upped for the more expensive room, weighing in at 10 CAN dollars a night.. whoaaaa. crazy eh? The room was nice too, we had air conditioning (thank God), hot water, everything you need except a comforter! haha, o well, I dealt with the sandy, dirty sheet for a week for 10 $ 

The week was amazing.. In total there was 16 of us that all travelled together. There was 7 of us that stayed here at the Bonzai hostel. While we were there we met two teachers from the states who teach in Korea, two guys from France that we travelling and one guy from Ireland who has been living in Australia for the past year and was on his way back home to Ireland and decided to stop in Boracay (what a life eh?) 

The best thing about being in Boracay for me was the food. Hahaha, who would have guessed eh? It was so good to eat whatever I want, not worry about what I am eating and eat PROTEIN (which has been significantly lacking in my diet). Now that I am back in China, I am back to eating apples, bananas, cauliflower, bread, pb, rice and noodles. Doesn't sound too bad, but it does get monotonous after eating the same thing everyday! O well, I probably need a diet like this since I gained 20 lbs in Boracay (not complaining, it was SOO worth it) 

Another thing that was great about Boracay was being around English! English signs, English speaking people, English menus, English songs at the bar, etc etc etc. You really realize how much you miss it when you are away from it for awhile! 

One more thing I loved about Boracay was being called "mom" all week. Mom, would you like this, mom would you like that.. etc etc etc.. it was cute. 

We spent most of our days on the beach, and most of our nights out dancing our butts off! :) 

A typhoon did hit us though while we were there. Wednesday and Thursday was not very fun, but we did play a lot of games of Phase 10 and got a little bit of shopping done, and I walked around to every tattoo and piercing spot on the island to get my nose pierced, but they all had huge hoops, and I just want a little one! 

A little bit of water from the Typhoon! 

Rain Rain Rain 

Shopping at D'Mall (seriously, that is what it's called)

crystal clear water 

Friday we woke up to a nice day, and decided to take a boat trip for the day! We first went to an island called Crystal Cove (yes mom, I know.. it's your name!) haha While we were on Crystal Cove, we walked through some caves and at the end of each cave was crystal clear blue water! It was beautiful! We jumped in and went for a swim! After that we went snorkelling, which was AMAZING.. saw two barracuda, and so many cool tropical fish. I forgot how much I loved snorkelling. I took some really good underwater pics too, but my camera seems to be out of commission right now, so I will show them asap! After snorkelling, we went to another part of Boracay and had dinner at a restaurant on the beach. We asked to use the washroom and they pointed to the back to we went to the back of the restaurant and saw nothing, so we kept walking, and walked a little more until we came to an outhouse out back. Kate went in to pee.. while me and Olga dropped our bathing suits and squatted by a tree! I would rather squat in nature than use an outhouse personally! hahah! We then casually walked back to the restaurant, sat down and ate like nothing had happened. PS, while we were peeing Olga says" Wow Emma, you are really tanned." I guess she saw how white I am under my bathing suit haha! When we were done our dinner, we headed back to the boat and I took the opportunity to jump into the ocean with some of the local children. They were so sweet. I picked them up and spun them around in the water.. we played ring around the rosie and then we would all go under water on the count of 3. It was too much fun, I didn't want to leave them. 

The very last day was the best day there! It was absolutely gorgeous that day. We spent a lot of time in the water which was flat clam after all the wind had passed. You could see the bottom no matter how far you swam out! We also all decided to have a nap on the beach, and all woke up at the same time being like.. ummm.. what just happened! Hahaha! after our nap, we decided to go get dressed up, take some pics on the beach, and then go to the best buffet on the island! While we were eating supper, we got up and danced, and even got the chef to come over and dance with us to the live music in front of everyone else that was eating! it was wicked! 

From left to right - Kelly (from McAdam), Patricia (from NS), Olga (from Ukraine), me, Kate (from Hampton) and Krista (from NFLD)

We also got to meet up with Sohpie while we were in Boracay.. Sophie used to teach here at ISNS in Shenzhen and moved to Boracay this year to teach there, which I must saw is a GREAT GREAT decision haha! It was great to see her, and even though I wanted to stay out all night and dance with her the last night there, I was too tired out from the week and we headed back! Sorry Soph! hopefully next time!

Boracay was an AMAZING time.. I loved the Philippines, but definitely want to go back and experience somewhere that isn't soo touristry! Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful, fun and relaxing, but I would love to go somewhere totally out of my element and do something different then a beach vacation! 

All of these photo's are thanks to Patricia! My camera decided to break while I was there, so hopefully I can get the pictures off of it soon and hopefully I get a new one for Christmast (hint hint anyone who is in my family and reading this!) haha 

There is lots more to write, but I have been in my classroom all day and I am ready to do nothing but lay on my bed and relax! for all you teachers out there - I finally have a good rotation of Daily 5 going that I am happy with, and I am officially starting Math Stations next week (it is SOO consuming making all of these games, but it will be worth it ) I also have parent teacher interviews next week so wish me luck!

We are having our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner this weekend! YESSSSSS I am so excited for turkey, stuffing and gravy and pumpkin pie and carrots and anything else that my body will consume on Sunday! 

10 weeks until I am home curled up by the Christmas tree! I cannot BELIEVE that it is already the middle of October! what the frig! but that means that I should have a new niece born anytime now! I can't wait to meet her on skype, and officially meet her in 10 weeks! <3

Hope you enjoyed! xo Em 

Observations from My 2nd Week in China

I have been in China for 2 1/2 weeks... I can't believe how fast the time is flying! One more week and I have a week of vacation! Speaking of that... I did the last police check for my resident visa last week, and they say it should be here on Thursday and I can pick it up on Friday!! Keep your fingers crossed, since I have a flight booked to the Philippines on the following Saturday!! Ps.. guess how much the hotel is costing me each night in Boracay...........8 Canadian dollars.. thank youuuu cheap travel in Southeast Asia! It is true, our hotel room is booked for 24$ a night CAN, and there is 3 of us staying in it! Overall, the whole vacation to one of the best beaches in the WORLD is costing me about 350 dollars. WOW :) 

So here are some of my observations from my 2nd week in China:

1) First and foremost, I LOVE my students - I know that is a very cliche thing for a teacher to say.. but... it is true. I am so thankful for the class I have been given for my first year of teaching. They are so much fun to be around.. I hope I still feel like this come June:) 

I may be a little bias, but I think this is pretty friggin cute!  The word of the day was "like" and they had to write about why they like something, anything! I did not tell me students to write about why they like me! haha 

The rules in Miss Russell's class, they may be corny.. but its Grade 2 ! 

2) China is HOT - and when I say hot.. I don't mean a beautiful beach day on the island of Grand Manan.. I've travelled to a few hot places in this world, and I have never experienced a heat like this! Living in a tropical climate is awesome, but when all I want to do is stay in my bedroom or my classroom where the AC is on, you know that it is very hot, because I love the heat! 

3) STOP HONKING THE HORN - Last time I was in China I got used to the spitting, and the peeing on the street and whatever else came up, but one thing I cannot and will not get used to is the honking! (as I write this there are numerous car horns blowing outside my bedroom window) I know that patience is a virtue, and this is especially true in China, but for some reason beyond me, Chinese drivers will sit in their cars and lay on the horns even though they know they are not going to be moving for a good amount of time. I went to have a nap on Friday afternoon, and I couldn't fall asleep because someone outside my window was sitting in traffic in their car laying on the horn for.. no word of a lie.. 4 minutes straight! that may not sound like a long time.. but this was one continuous honk which was followed by many other car horns. AHHHHHHHH.. I don't know what it is about the honking, but it drives me crazy and I can't seem to get used to it..(even though I am adjusting easily to the MANY other strange things that bother other people) I here on out swear that I will never use my car horn when I return to Canada! 

4) I am obsessed with the show Parenthood - last time I was in China I bought the series of Parenthood and only watched a bit of it on the flight home, then summer came around and I didn't even watch T.V. but here, each evening I have been finishing up the seasons that I have and it is an AMAZING show! I am almost done it, but thank God for cheap DVD's from booths on the corner in China because I just bought the whole series of Breaking Bad for like 8 dollars CAN so that will be next !

5) The world is small - the more places I go, the more I realize this. It is a very very small world out there. Most of us teaching here are Atlantic Canadians and always someone knows someone who knows someone! It's crazy, you can be half way around the world and still have multiple connections with the people you meet! Also, skype has really made me realize this. I skyped this morning with a few of my friends and it was as clear as day, just as if we were hanging out for an hour together! it's unbelievable to me how well technology keeps you in contact with the ones you love! 

6) I love rice - I have always been a huge fan of rice.. but even though I eat it almost everyday of my life.. I love it.. and I don't think I will get sick of it! There is a little take out right outside the gates of our school and I can buy a big bowl of egg fried rice there for 1.10 Canadian! how can I resist that.. thats right.. I can't! I'm not really having a hard time finding food to eat here.. my only problem is trying to find the cheapest healthiest way to eat... I can eat cheap rice or noodles everyday but its not the healthiest choice (I NEED some sort of protein).. I can go buy healthy food at the international school but its expensive.. soo that is the only thing I am struggling with.. the longer I am here the more I will learn about this I am sure! 

7) I love Grand Manan - don't get me wrong, I am not homesick, I am having a great time here, and I do not want to come home.. but the farther and longer away I am from home, the more it makes me realize how truly unbelievable Grand Manan is! Everyone has told me that Boracay has the best sunsets in the world.. but I beg to differ! We will see next week :) 

8) Contractions - no I don't mean pregnancy contractions.. I mean vocabulary contractions.. I think these will be permanently erased from my vocabulary by the time I return to Canada. I never ever use them with the students! I *did not* even really realize it until the other day.. everytime I go to say something where I would usually say.. "no, don't do that.." or "no he didn't" I am using do not and did not so it makes it easier for the students to understand! It's weird how I unintentionally did that with my language! I guess it is just one of those things! 

9) I am a neat freak - having my own classroom for the first time has made me realize how organized and neat I really am (yes mom, I know I know I know.. you may not agree with me, my bedroom has been at times a mess.. butttttt) I organize my classroom and clean it everyday! I can't stand when anything is out of order! haha I guess that is a good thing being a teacher! 

well 9 is my favourite number, so I guess I will stop writing for now! I am getting excited about my trip to Boracay, but waiting patiently for my passport and resident visa to arrive so I can be even more excited! 
I do not know if I am technically allowed to do this.. haha but my classroom website is up and running! if you go to isnsz.com, click on faculty and find me, then click on classroom website you can see some pictures of my amazing students!! 

Going to run and get some rice and a smoothie now!  I'll write soon I promise (ok Bailey? :))

oo ps... the ONE thing I forgot in Canada - my CAMERA CORD! AHH EMMA! so I am taking pictures I promise, but I need to find a cord to put the pictures on my computer! Thank God I am in a country where the camera was more than likely made, so I am sure this will not be a problem! I just need to get on it! and when I do, there will be pictures up! 

lots of love, em  

Arriving/Chinese Hospitals/Boracay

For anyone who has been following my blog, last time I wrote I was doing a two month internship in Shenzhen, China during the months of March-May. From this internship I was offered a job, and I took it! The rest of this blog will be about my 10 month journey of living in China, travelling South East Asia, and most importantly, my first year of being a qualified teacher, teaching Grade 2! 

I finally arrived in Shenzhen on September 6th! I was originally suppose to leave on August 20th and was packed and ready for that date, then I was suppose to leave on August 25th, and I was packed and ready for that date... then I was suppose to leave September 1st, so I was ...well you get the point! Finally, I flew out on the 5th and arrived in Shenzhen on the evening of the 6th! The flight was long, with a lot more turbulence than usual, but after many movies, many sporadic naps, nasty plane food, and re-reading the two magazines I had bought, the 16 hour plane ride was over and I had safely landed in China! 

I have to admit, I was a little bit skeptical about moving to China for 10 months, but now that I am here, I am very happy to be back! I like this city a lot, and coming back to many familiar places and faces was nice! After a ferry ride from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, picking up my luggage and pulling around my two HUGE suitcases weighing 57 lbs each (yes, overweight, but thank you to the kind lady at the Saint John airport who did not make me pay extra) I finally arrived on campus! I was happy to see that my room was on the 6th floor (note that I said.. WAS happy to see, now that I have climbed the 6 flights of stairs multiple times a day, I am thinking different). I took the evening to fix up my room and unpack, and then relaxed and tried to get on track with my sleeping schedule (didn't happen, as I write this it is my 7th night here and last night was my first full nights sleep since I have been here). 

I woke up on my first morning here to my first experience dealing with any kind of medical care in China.. last time I was here I became super sick for about 3 days with some kind of virus, but I just dealt with it in my hotel room and decided not to seek any kind of medical care, but to get your residential Chinese visa I have to get a physical done before I can be issued one. After being super jet legged and wanting to sleep all day, I was woken up by one of the Chinese secretaries at 745am telling me I would be going to the hospital at 830 to get my physical done. anyone that knows me, knows that I am not much of a fan for hospitals.. especially when it comes to getting blood taken.. so as I tiredly had a shower, I kept picturing myself going into this small room in the hospital, having a Chinese doctor come in that doesn't speak any English, and repeatedly probing me with the needle trying to draw blood..and then me fainting on the floor.. it's obvious to say that I didn't eat breakfast before I went (which was probably a stupid idea..I know)
we arrived at the hospital, climbed a few set of stairs and walked to the area called "Shenzhen International Travel Healthcare Center" there I was met by many foreigners who were in the same boat as I. I grabbed my number and saw that I was number 135 and there was 62 "waiting persons" in front of me (one thing I learned last time I was in China is to take my iPod everywhere with me because it's usually a long wait most places you go!) While I waited, the secretary told me to follow her and that I had to get my picture taken.  we walked outside of the hospital and down the street to a little corner store which sold everything from chicken feet to water to electrical supplies... oo and they also took photos for my hospital forms there. I sat in a chair, she quickly took my photo, printed them out and handed them too me...and I bought a bottle of water as well as I knew I'd need to pee in a cup in a bit! haha we walked back to the hospital where the line of foreigners had grown so I took the chance to look over my physical form.. the general stuff I had to get done like ECG, chest X-ray, urine sample, etc ...o and did I mention that blood was on there too! ahhh I am not ready for a needle to be stuck in my vein in a foreign country. I might sound like a baby but I barely sleep the night before I know I have to get blood taken at my hometown hospital.
For each of the things I had to get done, there was a room.. "Blood Room", "ECG Room", "Ultrasound Room", etc with lines of foreigners lined up out front.
After filling out a few more forms I stood in line to get my ultrasound done... I walked in she grabbed my form, pointed to the bed for me to lay down, squeezed some gel on my stomach and then did a 3 second ultrasound and I was off to the next room... the chest x ray room... not like Canada where you have to put the gown on, take off your body jewelry, etc... instead I passed him my forms,  stood there while a quick x ray was taken of my chest and then grabbed my forms as he told me to leave. Next was my ECG.. that was also a quick, interesting experience. 
Finally, it was time for the blood to be taken from my body. Usually when I get blood taken on Grand Manan, I lay down, close my eyes, do some breathing exercises to relax myself, inform the nurse that I may or may not faint, turn my head and grind my teeth as the needle goes into my vein, but here.. I just couldn't do any of that. I was in a line of people who would walk forward one after another, sit, watched as the nurse wrapped a band around their arm, made a fist as the needle went into their vein, and then relaxed while the blood was taken from their body. As I nervously awaited my turn, I kept wondering if anyone else was feeling like I did.. no body seemed to be feeling like I did, and some people actually watched (WHO DOES THAT)  and when it came to be my turn, I sat, stuck my arm out and turned to the Chinese secretary and said.. I DO NOT LIKE THIS..  The nurse grabbed my arm, stuck the band around it, said.. "fist"..."ok, relax" and as the needle went into my arm I turned my head away and she said.. "You Ok?", without looking at her ... I just nodded my head. I have to admit, that no it was't as bad as I thought, but yes, it was not enjoyable and I wanted my mother there. :) (and no I am not trying to be funny, I am serious) 

I was thankful to think that my time at the Chinese hospital was done and then Yolanda, our secretary came to my classroom on Monday and asked me when I could go to the hospital.. I said.. "Yolanda I have already been to the hospital"! She informed me that for my Chinese Visa to get here quicker I would need to get more blood work done to rush things along. As much as I hated to hear this, we have a vacation coming up the first week of October and we have been thinking about going to Boracay. I know that I will need my visa back before this holiday to be able to go, so that is what kept me focused during my second trip to the hospital to get even more blood drawn from my body. 
The second time around wasn't as bad as I knew what to expect and I kept envisioning Boracay in my mind, but I was still nervous and shaking before hand, and felt dizzy and fainty after... what can I say.. I HATE giving blood.. I know that it's "in me to give" or whatever the Red Cross people say.. but I would like to keep as much inside me as I can, without a needle probing at my veins! 

Another little note on Boracay.. although there is no guarantee that my Chinese visa and passport will be back in 2 1/2 weeks, I decided to go ahead and book a flight to Boracay (a small island in the Philippines). It was a risk I was willing to take! The round trip flight was too good of a deal to pass up, and if my passport and visa are not back before then, then I am out some money, but o well, you live and you learn.. and sometimes you just have to live on impulse! Keep your fingers crossed that Boracay will happen for me, and don't google it, or you'll be jealous! :) 

It is weird, I keep thinking I will be home soon, but I am actually doing this, I am actually living in China!

Sorry this post is so long, more posts will come, especially about setting up my classroom, my first day of teaching, and my students! 

Heres to hoping I'll be writing about Boracay in a month!  

Love, Em 

Home Time

I can't believe how fast these two months have gone by! Tomorrow is my last day as an Intern at ISNS! crazy!!!....but also that means it is officially my last day as an INTERN! THANK GOD! This year has gone by soo fast! 
   I am really sad to be leaving China, but I am also excited to get home. I am going to miss the staff here and my class so much, but it is always nice to know that you are going home. It is weird how close you can become with someone after only knowing them for 2 months! I have made some really great connections here in Shenzhen, and I hope those connections last a lifetime! 
I am mainly excited for the fresh ocean air and to run beside the ocean. There is an ocean here, but of course there is nothing like going for a nice long run along the cliffs of Grand Manan! I am not so excited for the cool weather. I have been living in extremely hot and humid weather for 2 months now and enjoying every second of it, so I am hoping that the summer weather hits NB really really soon! I am also excited for some good food! I haven't had a problem with the food here really, but I am missing my dairy! I haven't had a glass of milk for 2 months now, and that is so not like me! and of course, I can not wait for some fried dough, dulse, lobster, etc etc etc! It's always good to know you are coming home to some good home cooked food (thank you mommy) :) 
My flight leaves Shenzhen at 3:00pm Friday afternoon, and after a 15 hour flight, I will land in Toronto at 6:00pm Friday night. That is such a weird concept to wrap my head around! I am officially going back in time! My flight is scheduled to land in Fredericton at 1:00am on Friday night and my plan is to jump in my car and drive to Blacks Harbour and sleep in my car until the first boat, although I do not think I will be able to sleep because it will really be afternoon time in China, so we will see what happens! 
I am excited to get back and see everyone, especially the nieces! I bought them cute little China dresses and I think they will love them! Although I will be extremely jet lagged, I promise I will be ready to go and up for anything once I get back! I want to make this summer one of the best summers I have ever had, although it will be hard because I will be in school until July 13th (not fair, why do I have to finish my degree even though I have a job for September) haha! 
I don't know if I will make another post before I come home, hopefully I will be able to, but I am going to be busy with goodbyes and packing (how am I ever going to pack everything?) so I just wanted to take this time to say thank you to everyone that has followed my blog while I have been in China! It has been truly one of the BEST experiences of my life, and I would recommend China to anyone. I know that my view about what China is really like has majorly changed since I have been here, and it has really opened my eyes, both in a good way and a bad. Someday I will make a post about that, but not right now! I am very thankful for the place that I have grown up. Even though it has its issues, I live in a very healthy environment with fresh clean air, I am free to do what I want when I want, and I know that I am safe. We need to all take a step back and be truly thankful for what we have, because there are MANY people in this world that aren't that lucky! 
Lots of love and see you soon!!! :) 

May?... really?

First off, I can not believe that it is May already! The month of April absolutely flew. I know I say this about all months, and life in general..but I honestly do not know where the month of April went. April Fool's day was here, and now its May 2nd. This actually scares me about how fast life can go. I seems that the older you get the faster it goes. One of my goals for the year 2012 was to start living in the moment, because I am terrible at it. I am a future thinker and am always thinking in the future. To me right now, it is already July. I am slowly changing this about myself, and the realization of how fast the month of April went has really hit me that I need to start living in the moment more often.
On another note, I haven't updated my blog since our field trip to Hong Kong which was two weeks ago. I haven't updated for so long because I have been busy with school (was teaching all subjects) and I was extremely sick last week. I am finally back to feeling like myself and I have energy! I spent most of last week in the washroom or laying on my bed watching movies/tv shows (yes I finished two seasons of Vampire Diaries, a show I swore I would never watch and am now addicted) I am still not sure what I got sick with. At first I thought it was food poisoning because I had all the symptoms of food poisoning, but after I heard about a few kids getting the same sickness and a few people on the staff, I ruled out the food poisoning and realized I had some kind of crazy Chinese flu. All I know is that I have never in my life been that sick.. even though it only lasted 3 days and then came back for a night or so, I had no energy at all last week, barely ate anything, was very dehydrated and had nothing left in my system. NOT FUN!
Thank God for feeling better though because I had a great weekend. In China this weekend was May Holiday, or they also call is Labour Day Holiday. It is a holiday for people to rest, which made sense to me until I saw that all stores were open, taxis were running, thousands of people are still on the streets and life is going on like any other day in China, so I am not really sure where or if people were resting, but either way I got 2 days off from teaching so I wasn't complaining!
Saturday, Kate and I ventured to Daphen Village which was about a hour long subway ride away. It is a little village with alleys full of paintings. Every colour, every kind, original and printed paintings. It was totally not what I expected though. I got a few paintings for really cheap! I love them!
On Monday, 9 of us girls went to Evergreen Resort, which is a gem in the middle of Shenzhen. It was about 10 minutes away from our hotel, but felt like it was another world away! It was a very neat resort made into the middle of a forest. There were restaurants, pools, tree houses to stay in, butterfly sanctuaries, pottery making stations, and so much more! It was good to get away for the night and stay somewhere! The first day we were there the pool was still closed because pools do not open in Shenzhen until May 1st (even though its already 100 degrees in April). So we decided to get our bikinies on and lay beside the pool that we weren't allowed to swim in. The guard was watching us the whole time, but we all kept pushing the boundaries and eventually we found ourselves sitting in the water (technically we weren't swimming, right?) The guard did seem to mind, but he didn't really say anything, im guessing because we are foreigners. Oh, also, while we laid by the pool in our bikinis many chinese people including women, decided to stand outside the pool and stare at us. We kept saying that it felt like we were in a zoo, so then we started acting like animals. Why not give them a show right? Hhahaha it was hilarious! its not odd to look to your left or right and someone is either staring at you or taking a picture of you. I don't really mind, but when I am laying in a bikini, its a bit different! We went out for some Indian food and then came back to the resort and played a bunch of board games including one of my favourites, Things! I think we might have got to know each other a lot more than we expected through that game! Overall, the Holiday was a great experience and really relaxing!

Hong Kong Field Trip

 We just got back from a three-day field trip to the countryside of Hong Kong with the Grade 4 and 5. Needless to say, I am tired and dirty… but had a lot of fun! In between the torrential downpour of rain, Kate getting over 70 mosquito bites on her legs (yes I counted) my room smelling like pee, the thunder and lightening storm while we stood outside under a metal rooftop, and the 5 kids throwing up, and one having a mild seizure… it wasn’t a bad trip at all! Haha After taking 34 students across the border to Hong Kong we got there on Wednesday around noontime. We first moved into our rooms. The kids had rooms full of bunk beds, which was a lot of fun for them (until the next night when many kids got sick). Us leaders each had our own room, although mine smelled a lot like pee, I dealt with it and slept there! After we got our rooms we had lunch, which was sandwiches that were actually really good, and then we went to the gym all afternoon. The activities were supposed to be archery and repelling, but because of the rain, we were inside all afternoon doing rock climbing and playing with the parachute (which I forgot was so much fun to play with). That night we had a BBQ outdoors for supper. I was really anxious to see how this was going to work with 34 kids from many different places all over the world, and that probably had never heard of a BBQ before. We were given corn, fish balls (which weren’t really the balls from fish, it was just some kind of gross fish mixture rolled into a ball. I took a bite and spit it out) chicken wings (didn’t try one), sweet potatoes (they were good after they cooked on the fire for about 45 minutes) and hot dogs (anyone that knows me knows the answer to that one). The kids actually made out great and no one got burned! I was surprised. Most of them said the BBQ was the best part of the trip! I think I ate about 7 ears of corn; they were too good to pass up!  After supper we went for a walk through the woods which was nice, but there was a lot of bugs, which the kids didn’t like (I can’t lie, I didn’t like it either) I came out of the woods really itchy, but didn’t get any bites.

            On Thursday morning I woke up around 6 and went for a run up the road to a village by myself. It was the first time I have gone for a run by myself and didn’t have a clue where I was going (yes mom, I made sure to tell someone that I was going for a run so someone would come looking for me if I didn’t come back). I ran through the hills of the countryside of Hong Kong and came to this little village. It was actually a really nice run because the water was along the way too. I wasn’t nervous running by myself until I came upon 4 bulls and a baby cow walking up the sidewalk towards me. I didn’t really know what to do, so I just jumped off into the bushes and let them go by. I didn’t hide myself too well though, because when they went by each one of them stopped and starred at me while they snorting. I thought to myself, “this is how I am going to die. I am going to get rammed by this bull and thrown into the bushes and never seen again.” Although I think I worked up more of a sweat letting those things go by then I did when I was actually running, I survived. I can only imagine what people that drove by thought as they looked into the ditch and saw a white girl with a bright purple top on crouched down as the bulls went by. (such a foreigner) and don’t get me wrong, I love animals, but when you’re already nervous from running up and down the hills of a strange land and you see 4 bulls coming at you with a baby, it is a bit scary!

            The rest Thursday was suppose to consist of  Kayaking and hiking, but after one group got to do one of each, the thunder, lightning and rain started so we had to head back to camp. Kate’s group got to go kayaking before heading back, and Jess’s group and mine went hiking. It was actually an interesting hike because we went through an old rice field, saw one of the 6 most deadliest plants in Hong Kong, and ended up on a beach where there was many different kinds of shells. It was also interesting because the rain started as we were heading back and we all were soaked by the end of it. This wasn’t good for many of the kids, and I got to see personalities come out in the kids that I haven’t seen yet!

            That night we had supper, and then went to the theatre to put on skits. Many of the kid’s skits were about death or fighting (the Dragonfly staff should have made it clear that there was to be no violence in these skits. They’re obviously not teachers) Joey, Kate, Jess and I even put on a skit of our own for the kids. They loved it.  After all this the throwing up started. We still aren’t sure why, but by the end of the night 5 kids had thrown up. I am not too good with throw up, so I sort of hung back and let the other 3 leaders take control. Hahaha! I didn’t realize that teaching also involved things like cleaning up throw up (this is why I decided to become a teacher, NOT a nurse. I have a weak stomach.)

            The next morning there was more throwing up, and one kid had a mild seizure. After finishing their last activity, it was finally time to go home! All of the kids were very excited to get home, especially the ones that were sick. We still aren’t sure why those kids were sick, could have had something to do with the chicken leg they were gnawing on that afternoon, but overall, it was a good field trip and all the kids had a lot of fun (which was most important). The only bad part for me was the food, but that’s because I hate white bread, sketchy meat and milk that doesn’t have to be refrigerated (I don’t get it). We came back to the school today and had pizza waiting for us, which made me really really happy!

             Overall, the field trip was a lot of fun, and was a great experience. It is so funny to see how students act outside of the classroom. You can really see their personality once you get them away from the classroom and home for 3 days! Here are some pictures from the past 3 days. I am not allowed to post pictures of the students on facebook, so my blog will have to do! 

hahahahhahahah this picture is too funny!

caught him mid-chew

pretty butterfly from our hike

The girls were less than impressed with the rain 

we made it back! 

           

Earth Day Poem

Each student was asked to put together a four lined poem in AABB style for Earth Week that is coming up next week. It is pretty cute what they came up with because the students are learning English as a second language, so even though most of their english language is strong, some struggled. Together as a class, this is what everyone wrote:

Save the Earth!

Vincent - Everybody knows that Global Warming is bad

It melts all the ice caps, making polar life sad

Vincent - The earth is hot

It’s like the fire under the pot

Kevin - The sun is also very hot

Like a burning pot

Kevin - We cannot live without the sun

Or we don’t have any fun

Lawrence - Make sure you have sunscreen when you are having fun

Or you’ll get hurt by the sun

Lawrence - When too much light comes through

It melts the ice, what can we do?

Joanne - Pollution is causing a huge hole

Please stop that huge hole

Joanne - Stop making pollution

Trouble is coming from pollution

Grace -The atmosphere is helpful to us

But we are hurting it with the bus

Grace - I can tell you why

If we don’t have the atmosphere, we will die

Aileen - If you destroy the plants

Where is the habitat of the ants?

Aileen - Plants are the angels in our lives

So don’t cut them, let them be alive

Lily - When the sky turns grey

When there’s nothing left to say

Lily - Where will they go?

Nowhere, we all know

Selena - Throwing the garbage on the ground

And look, it is all around

Selena – I want the sky to be blue

There are many things we can do

Lisa - Recycle is fantastic

Remember to save your plastic

Lisa - Recycle is so strong

That it should not be gone

Rachael - As I watch the sky turn to blue

I wonder what I will do

Rachael - But then as I watch the earth turn grey

My life is full of sadness and dismay

Jessica - Watch the dirty gas in the air

Humans smoke everywhere

Jessica - I don’t want to hurt the earth

I just want to save the earth

Melanie - Plants, forests and trees

Full of the colour green

Melanie - Now the forests are starting to die

It really makes me want to cry

Goldie - The hurricanes and floods

Nothing can stop the blood

Goldie - All these natural disasters

I want to stop them faster

BMW - We need to have a lot of oxygen

It is good for the children

BMW - We are leaning about the cow

We should not eat them now

Dalan - We are killing our trees

Flowers and food for the bees

  

Dalan - Trees are very tall

All the trees are starting to fall

Oscar - Rain can help the plants grow

Rain is helpful we all know

Oscar - Typhoons can stop school for a day

We can all go home to stay

Sharia - But that is not very great

Natural disasters are something we hate

Sharia - It’s really nice if the environment is good

We can do everything we should

Linda - Nature is so precious

But we are so vicious

  

Linda - Nature is slowing fading away

Lets be caring in every way

  

Christine - We want to save us scums

From being toasty buns

Christine - Earth used to be a piece of art

But look at it now, I wish it could all restart

Christine - So save the hole of the Ozone Layer

Don’t let it get any bigger

Dennis - Humans cut down the trees

And number of animal decrease

Dennis - Carbon Dioxide everywhere!

There will be no trees, no animals, no humans, anywhere!

Kev - Please stop hurting the Earth

We’ve been doing it since our birth

Kev - Don’t pollute the air

For every living thing, it’s unfair!!

STOP GLOBAL WARMING!