oh the washing machine adventures...

Hey! So much to write, so little time! I am finally here in China!!! so fun! After a long flight to Japan (complete with complimentary robes and slippers in our hotel there) we spent the night and flew into Beijing! Our students were taking exams on sunday and monday so today was my first day of teaching my kids! i have 9 students, 7 girls and 2 boys! they are quiet but i like the challenge of pulling them out of their shells. I've been sick with a cold but am finally feeling a lot better! Our school is sooooo tight! this is the first year they've had this program and so we are the first "foreign" English teachers. Some sweet foundation laying...they love basketball which is fun and their school is HUGE! It's like Highland Park High School times 6! In the middle of it is a track (like a real one) and about 6 basketball courts (getting my game on for sure:) and soccer goals, a badminton/volleyball court, and a huge playground! Wow. We live in offices converted to bedrooms in the administration building behind the school...and our accomodations? Way above par! I was definitely not expecting this much hospitality. The Chinese know how to do it! We have hard wood floors, a western toilet, sinks, huge jugs of water for washing and drinking, new and VERY NICE furniture and AIR CONDITIONING only in our rooms. Royalty treatment i tell you...crazy...i'm definitely feeling inadequate of this amazing treatment. Our food is another thing...I'm becoming quite an adventure, a good one! I am becoming a chopstick expert! We have banquets for every meal, with a lazy susan in the middle and about 18-20 dishes to eat from...along with tea and coke or sprite...they think we live on cokes and fast food and just want us to be happy...way too kind...today, being the clutz i am i spilled my soup all over me at the meal...on the first night i dropped food on this nice table cloth in front of the head master and everyone at the table cracked up...so funny! Our washing machine adventures come from the fact that our new chinese washing machine has to drain somewhere and our only drain is in the bathroom floor but the water won't flow down...so our bathroom is always flooded and my friends bonnie and adrian were frantically trying to empty the buckets of water before they overflow...hilarious! We go to the market and buy food for breakfast now...i bought a really cool visor that are the fad here...they are UV ray protective and move up and down over your face! they crack me up! keep the comments coming! they are such an encouragement...i'm learning more than i ever thought i could imagine and keep seeing more and more as to why i am here. peace out and take care...i'll be back on this weekend for more updates! take care in Texas and jess, HAPPY WEDDING ON SATURDAY!!!! to the fam, i love you guys...chaney i told them about harry potter quoting today-"happy chirstmas harry..." so funny! they loved it! they love titanic, harry potter, and the incredibles, and mulan! amazing! DO and Jon sad i didn't see ya at the airport but i hope you had a good flight home and are re-adjusting ok...peace out kids!