Life...

It has been awhile since I wrote on the blog.  It is the weirdest feeling to have someone from the states come over to China.  It is funny that I am getting to watch someone experience all cultural differences and the shock that comes with china.  It makes me realize how quickly I have settled into China.  I have realized that China is my life.  It is now become home.  I have my apartment and my friends here.  I get to see my on boarding family often and it is a weird feeling to now have the on boarding group feel like family.  Even though we only spent a month an half together it seems those are the people that know me the best.  The ones that I am most comfortable with.  When I am hanging out with them it is like I am with family from back home. It is comfortable.  I love my life in Nanjing too.  The people I have met have become close friends fast.  We are all from different walks of life but we are all connected in China.

While I was in Shanghai last weekend I had a moment where I realized that I am settled in to China.  I was talking to my friend Ivana and in conversation referred to Nanjing as back home.  This was a china first...normally when I say back home it means I am talking about USA...but apparently Nanjing is now my back home reference.   

I realized that the cultural differences that freaked me out a little at first have now become normal.  Nanjing feels like a small town now and I hardly notice many of things like horns honking ALL THE TIME....anymore.  It is interesting to see that no matter where you are it will eventually just become everyday life.  There are adventures still from day to day but for the most part it is just life...  I am ready to study the language a little more to be able to communicate more with the local people but for now I have my wonderful Assistant teacher and friends that I am always grateful for...They help me sooo much!  

From Maine to China....3 months later!

My first year in college I was first exposed to Maine at a wonderful lake house near Augusta I believe...Maine has always been to referred to as this magical place...After my visit I started to see why...last year I returned to Maine for the summer and after spending the summer driving around through the mountains and watching countless sunsets and shooting stars I could feel myself starting to change....I wanted something more....I wanted a new adventure...being in the magical mountains of    

Maine brought me back to someone I hadn't been in years...I remember sitting on a boat on a night ride with a friend discussing the fact that I needed to make a change...I needed an adventure...I wanted something more...She gave me a lot of support and really encouraged me to pursue something more...I left Maine a changed person...wanting to do what I use to do so well...be independent....I wanted to travel I wanted to see more than just Florida...I came back to Florida searching for more...applying everywhere and really exploring ideas for my future.

After months of frustrating events closed doors and disappointing results...I received news that one door had opened up...The door to really do everything I wanted....an adventure...a chance to be independent...a chance to start over....a chance to really get to know myself.

 3 months ago I set out on the scariest yet most exciting trek of my life...I set off to China...I have been here for three months now and it has been the most magical months of my life...Here I have  met some of the most amazing accepting people...people that like me are looking for more in life...looking for adventure...looking to see what else is out there...

Here I have experienced the most frustrating moments...trying to communicate in a place where no speaks your language....  Sometimes trying to find food in a place that seems so confusing and empty..However the past three months I have laugh the loudest...and laughed the hardest...to the point of tears more times then I think I have laughed in my life...whether it be over one of my clutsy moments where I fall out of no where or being stuck in a Typhoon where no taxi’s…or watching someone walk into a pole because the umbrella was blocking his view…Laughing has happened a lot….

I am also enjoying a lot of the culture like matching couples… couples here often like to buy matching outfits and proudly sport these outfits all around town.  Some cultural differences are more shocking than others…children going to the bathroom where ever they please…like the corner of a mall or in a trashcan…or split pants that children where with no underwear or diapers… Or hacking and spitting when and where ever you please….

Regardless of experiences good or bad…I am pleased to be experiencing something different…something that puts me out of my comfort zone everyday…something that challenges me as a person….and makes me stronger every day I am here. 

Happy 3 months of China…so excited for what is to come!

Suzhou...paradise on Earth...meets a Typhoon

So might I just start this story with this...This weekend we planned a delightful relaxing girls weekend adventure.  We planned to spend the weekend in two cities nearby Nanjing.  We planned to go to Suzhou and explore the city Tuesday and then go off to Tongli for a little sight seeing on Wed. We planned to stay the night with our friend Ben and just have a delightful weekend of exploring the cities.  We did however forget to plan to check the weather before making any of these delightful plans...So we start out our trek on Tuesday quite tired from events the day before and caught a train to Suzhou.  Three of us went from Nanjing and we met a friend from Shanghai in Suzhou.  We had heard there was a chance of rain but none of us knew what was to come.   We decided to rest when we got to Suzhou and then headed out for a delightful walk around where Ben lives.  We ate dinner and headed back to the apartment to go out... We went to a great little American bar and caught up on the Olympics...somewhere in this we heard about a Typhoon hitting Shanghai but decided people were crazy and it was fine....So we go to bed that night thinking of the great adventure we will have in Tongli the next day.  We wake up to a Typhoon...and that is where our real adventure began.

We woke up to sideways rain and lots of wind.  We decided to take it easy enjoyed a nice breakfast and quickly realized the rain was not passing so we cancelled our plans to Tongli.   We got a little restless in the apartment so the girls decided to go to the shop to get somethings.  We head out of the door and we are not out five seconds and a new gust of wind and rain hits.  Screaming like girls we are all trying to figure out where to go because our umbrellas were not helping with the rain.  We all scramble like ants and found shelter under an overhang where some lady decided she would poke her head out of the door and laugh at us for getting soaked.

We make it to the store and then decide to trek it onward to TGI Friday's for a little Typhoon party.  I enjoyed a lovely Jack Daniels steak so good.....How I miss that food :).

We decided that we should probably head home since Tongli was out of the picture and we were all still tired so we headed to the train station wondering if we would be able to get a train.  It became extremely apparent that we would not be getting a train as people laughed at us as we walked into the station while other people looked disgusted with life because all the trains were halted.  Annoyed at the idea of not being able to go home we decided to go get a massage and just relax.  We leave the train station...4 people 2 umbrellas and all our stuff...and the Typhoon decides to pick up at this point.  We had to walk to the road to get a taxi   as we walk we are being pelted by sideways rain and trying desperately to shield ourselves from the rain. Finally reaching the road all hopes of a taxi were quickly taken away as taxi after taxi passed us by we were soaked and cold....we ended up under a bridge looking like little pitful drowned rats... Some of us having spaz attacks because we were stuck with no train and no taxi we look up to see  a bus full of Chinese guys laughing at us from their nice dry bus as we were rejected and told no by yet another taxi driver.  Finally we meet a guy that offered to take us in his car for 50 rmb...dejected wet and frustrated we pile into his tiny little non air conditioned car....Where we had the most disgustingly stuffy hot ride of our lives.  We arrive at the massage place and then we got the most delightful oil body massage with hot stones...Nice and relaxed we head out in semi dry clothes from our bags..back to Ben's apartment...in the process once again getting wet and pelted by rain two of us give up and decide to dance in the rain....and jump in the puddles...great fun....we finally get a taxi and get back to the apartment and decided the rain has settled so we would go to dinner....It was great we had wonderful pizza hut and then we had to walk home....Another band hit Suzhou at this point and we were left 3 umbrellas 5 people and sideways rain.  Long story short yesterday was spent completely soaked swimming through a Typhoon....

Things learned this weekend...Planning makes everything go over smoothly and you know what is to come....Not planning while sometimes can ruin your plans for the weekend...can also lead to adventures that make you laugh the hardest and bond with people...and make for the best stories...

You can either laugh about a situation or get upset about a situation...It is always best to laugh uncontrollably at every chance you can cause it will certainly be more fun.

Spaz definition

1.

an awkward, clumsy, or eccentric person..

2.

to move in an awkward or clumsy way (usually followed byout )

3.

to become more angry than a situation warrants 

4.

to twitch: 

This word may be used to describe a few people in our little adventure. :) :) :)

A photos says a thousand words...in this case it is a person description of a word...SPAZ
What happens after you are stuck in the rain with 2 umbrellas 4 people and sideways rain with no taxi...

Stuck in Suzhou in a Typhoon before really getting soaked...

Back at the apartment exhausted from the days events.

Day one the day before the typhoon hit...in a temple shopping area.

 Typhoon Haikou ....In a random car

Rice paper from the candy fruit...yummm!

Getting names written on rice so cool!

Freaking huge pants and shirt...

The man writing on rice...

The Typhoon

 finally in a car...not a taxi soaking wet from head to toe!

My work

So everyday is an adventure at work seeing as our entire building is under construction it is always an adventure to see what the day holds. Some days its a leak that leads to a flood and some days its non stop jack hammering into the floor....today being one of those days.  The closet we had all our supplies in has been emptied out due to a flood from the ceilings and so now we have too keep our stuff in a classroom that is unable to be used due to leaking.

Side note through this all Disney has been amazing at trying to find solutions to these problems that come when your building is building re built around you. When Disney built their center here is was a fully functioning kids mall...no one told them they would be closing the mall within a few months and we would be completely surrounded by construction.

With that being said some days are a true adventure....My favorite day so far was Sunday night when I hear one of my co workers shout there is a bird in the center.  So I walk outside my classroom to see what looks like a bird flying upon looking closer at the flying object it turns out it was a bat.  So the bat was flying trying to figure out a way out.  One of our security guards reaches up and swats it out of mid air.  Rather awesome to watch but then I realized they killed it in the process...couldn't help but scream when he did it cause I was so sad he killed a bat. but still none the less a great adventure in the world of construction :)

Athletics

So along with the many new things I have learned in my life in China...the one thing I am reminded of that I might have already known....is that Sports no matter how great...are not my thing.  We have taken up playing soccer on wed nights as a fun little group get together.  This is all great except for I suck at soccer....yesterday's adventure consisted of a wonderful relaxing lunch and massage and then a fun soccer game...only due to my lack of skill while trying to get the ball I fell and busted my butt on what I have found on more than one occasion the not so soft china ground.  So in attempt not to hit my head I then in the end of it ended up hitting my head :)  With only a small headache I played on...I eventually decided to try being the goalie....figuring this is a safe bet for a none soccer player like me I was doing great until I decided to battle my co worker so he would not get a goal....instead it resulted in my accidently kicking his ankle and my toe feeling like it was broken....good news is toe is apparently only bruised however I did get wobble my way in to work today because it hurts to put pressure on the toe....Oh the joys of athletics :)

We had another delightful dishes meal at a traditional Chinese restaurant before heading to the lake with a gorgeous full moon lighting up the sky :)  No shooting stars but still a great time :)