If there was one thing I heard a lot over Christmas Break while I was home, it is how horrible of a blogger I am! (Speaking of Christmas Break, it was unbelievable. Top moments - meeting Oaklee for the first time. Fell completely in love with her, and don't want to write about it because I will cry all over my keyboard! -Seeing my pregnant best friend. It absolutely KILLS me that I am not there for the last 6 months of her pregnancy, but at least I will be just arriving home when she about due. Once again, can't write how I exactly feel or I'll cry all over my keyboard. -Waking up beside Asia on Christmas morning, that's a top moment in life. There is nothing like waking up beside that kid any day of the year, but especially Christmas morning, now I am actually crying, so I need to stop writing about home. It was so great to see everyone though, so great!)
One of my goals (amongst many others) for 2013 is to be a better blogger and keep everyone at home and whoever else reads this, up to date with my life far from home! Looking back I realize I haven't updated my blog since my trip to Boracay in October. OOPS.... sorry!
Now I am off to Bali in 2 1/2 weeks and will update you all on that as soon as I return!
Getting back to China felt great. I guess you know you are in the right place when you feel okay about coming back to wherever you are and leaving home. No offense to my little island, but I do love life in China!
One of my goals (amongst many others) for 2013 is to be a better blogger and keep everyone at home and whoever else reads this, up to date with my life far from home! Looking back I realize I haven't updated my blog since my trip to Boracay in October. OOPS.... sorry!
Now I am off to Bali in 2 1/2 weeks and will update you all on that as soon as I return!
Getting back to China felt great. I guess you know you are in the right place when you feel okay about coming back to wherever you are and leaving home. No offense to my little island, but I do love life in China!
Getting back into the routine of school is fun too (never thought I'd say that), but I actually did miss the students! It was great to see their faces on the Monday everyone returned. I lost one of my favourite students (actually she was my FAVOURITE, it's okay to have them... right?) but I got a new student this week from Korea who will fit right in! I have also been a much better teacher already this term. More planned, more organized and more productive! Maybe that has to do with how much I went out last term! HAHA (but seriously)
If you know me, you know that I keep a journal for each year. For some reason my journal that I have chosen for this year is a lot smaller than my previous ones. I don't know why that is, because I feel like 2013 is going to be a BIG year in the life of Emma Russell, but we will see!
I started my year off with one of the hardest things I could do to myself.... I GAVE UP CHOCOLATE. That's right... I haven't had one piece of chocolate (NO PEANUT M&M'S) in 19 days now...maybe that doesn't seem like much to you, but to me, it's not normal. I have decided that this year I will give up something each month for a month (maybe longer we will see, but I have to at least make it a month) that is either not so good for me, takes up too much of my time, is a waste of money, or doesn't fall under any of those categories and I just wanted to challenge myself.
Month # 1 = Chocolate. Jaclyn was suppose to join along.. but she FAILED.. yes.. capitalized Jac, I don't blame her though, she does live with my brother and she just had a baby, so it's okay in my books! :)
Oh yes, I suppose I should take this moment to thank my best friend Katelynn Russell for providing me with a package full of various chocolate bars to bring back with me to China! They are still sitting in my fridge, staring at me, waiting for February 1st to come around!
On to what I really should be writing about.. and that is CHINA. As I said, it's great to be back! The weather has been nice! It was great to be home around the snow, but I can't complain about running in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of January! The smog has been bad lately though. I think it's the worst that I have seen it since I have been here! Is running long distances out in this air good for me? Probably not, but I'm also not the type of person that can just forget about being outside. Nature is there, I have to go enjoy it, even if it does create a build up of shit inside my lungs!
Since getting back to China I have been running a lot outside. I made a decision to get back into running, and want to sign up for the half at Marathon by the Sea this summer, so I got to get to it! Running outside in China is an adventure in itself, and I absolutely love it. Do I take the side roads to avoid all of the people, stairs, animals, fruit stands, bus stops, and every other random thing you would find on the streets of China, no.. I definitely don't. I love running here. It is an obstacle course that I enjoy participating in, although this week.. a grey Toyota literally almost took my life, it was the closest I have been to getting hit here, but hey, I survived!
Other than running, I got to go biking today! I haven't done it since I was here in the spring last year, and I forgot how much I enjoy biking these streets. We were on our bikes for almost 3 hours today adventuring around and exploring new places. One key to biking in China is confidence. You literally half to get in with the traffic sometimes and own the roads like you're a car. I felt like I love my foreign virginity today when Ross left Kate and I to get back to campus by ourselves on our bikes. I don't know why it was such a big deal to me, but it was. Being on a bike within the traffic is exciting to me, I guess it's the only way to get some adrenaline around here!
We explored some new parts of Nanshan that I haven't seen yet. We also came upon a fresh fish market and the smells immediately hit my senses and I felt like I was home (gross to some, but exciting to me) :) It was cool to see and be around!
Other than all of that, I have been coaching the High School Girls basketball team here at ISNS. It was rough at first and I wasn't sure what to do, but after 3 games, I have seen such an improvement in them! I have always thought about coaching, and obviously have done it many times with little kids, but have never had a group of high school girls to call my own team, but I guess I didn't realize I would enjoy it so much. We have 2 more weeks until we head to ACAMIS, so hopefully they keep improving.
There it is; an update on my life so far in China in the year 2013.
Since getting back to China I have been running a lot outside. I made a decision to get back into running, and want to sign up for the half at Marathon by the Sea this summer, so I got to get to it! Running outside in China is an adventure in itself, and I absolutely love it. Do I take the side roads to avoid all of the people, stairs, animals, fruit stands, bus stops, and every other random thing you would find on the streets of China, no.. I definitely don't. I love running here. It is an obstacle course that I enjoy participating in, although this week.. a grey Toyota literally almost took my life, it was the closest I have been to getting hit here, but hey, I survived!
Other than running, I got to go biking today! I haven't done it since I was here in the spring last year, and I forgot how much I enjoy biking these streets. We were on our bikes for almost 3 hours today adventuring around and exploring new places. One key to biking in China is confidence. You literally half to get in with the traffic sometimes and own the roads like you're a car. I felt like I love my foreign virginity today when Ross left Kate and I to get back to campus by ourselves on our bikes. I don't know why it was such a big deal to me, but it was. Being on a bike within the traffic is exciting to me, I guess it's the only way to get some adrenaline around here!
We explored some new parts of Nanshan that I haven't seen yet. We also came upon a fresh fish market and the smells immediately hit my senses and I felt like I was home (gross to some, but exciting to me) :) It was cool to see and be around!
Other than all of that, I have been coaching the High School Girls basketball team here at ISNS. It was rough at first and I wasn't sure what to do, but after 3 games, I have seen such an improvement in them! I have always thought about coaching, and obviously have done it many times with little kids, but have never had a group of high school girls to call my own team, but I guess I didn't realize I would enjoy it so much. We have 2 more weeks until we head to ACAMIS, so hopefully they keep improving.
There it is; an update on my life so far in China in the year 2013.
-coaching
-teaching
-exercising on the crazy streets of China
-staying away from chocolate
...that pretty much sums up the past few weeks! Of course there are the times we go out and have fun on the weekends listening to live bands and dancing like we own the place...but of course you would expect that from me!
PS - my VW is officially sold. Is it weird that I am mad I didn't give her the proper goodbye when I was home at Christmas?
PS - my VW is officially sold. Is it weird that I am mad I didn't give her the proper goodbye when I was home at Christmas?
PSS - this is what I have to look forward to coming to Shenzhen in May: http://www.backstreetboys.com/news/123103
That's right.. the Backstreet Boys. It's their 20th anniversary. HOLY SHIT I'M OLD.
Love the girl who promises to be a better blogger,
Em
