I love my students so much! Because of all their exams, I have made the last few weeks monumental but not too overbearing, as they do have many other classes and exams for which to study. Before I went to Beijing and Xiamen, we had the “Make a Difference” week, and last week we had a Talent Show. I figured this would be a good way for them to feel more relaxed, use the compliments they learned a few weeks ago, and to also practice the confidence they have built up throughout the semester. Here they are almost terrified at times to practice English because many of them are smart but their English is the only thing they aren’t good at, so they feel a little embarrassed when they get the grammar wrong.
The Talent Show was a great success! It was so great to see students who have had a prominent fear of getting up in front of people singing or reading poetry or dancing, etc. in front of their peers. As classes we have bonded very close. They even tell me now who their boyfriends or girlfriends are, which shows substantial trust because they can’t even tell their parents or teachers without getting in trouble. The school is very serious about students not having a significant other in High School, but I always tell them I think it is a good thing, so as far as I care, I tell them they should. I know, maybe that’s very unteacherly-like to me, but I feel like they should have the opportunity to date before they get released into the university. Here in China, High School is much harder than the Universities, so when they get the freedom to date in a university, it is so awkward for them. They have spent their entire lives being pushed away from the opposite sex so in college they are just socially retarded. See, I’m doing them a favor. :P
The seriousness of me leaving is hitting my students. For their talents I have receives poems, essays, paper roses, pictures, all sorts of artwork and little gifts, and many students come up to the front of the class or catch me on my way out and tell me how much they love me and how they will always remember me for my “Make a Difference” lesson, for my smile, for the love they feel from me, and for all the time and effort I put into each class. The seriousness is starting to hit me too. I’ve started packing and wrapping up my time here. I am very sad to be leaving China. My students are my children and I feel like a terribly mother for leaving them. Yes, I know I cannot teach them even if I do stay here, but I would love to be here for them whenever they need me. I want to continue to provide a place for students to come and feel love, the Spirit, at peace, and like their life is important and they can live their dreams and have support.
After all the Talent Shows of the week, Madi, Sam, and I went to Shuangpai for the weekend. We got up very early to make it there by bus by 8am, and then a small van tour group guide and driver came to pick us up to hike Yangming Mountain, which is a very beautiful mountain here in Yongzhou. It has some good history, rocks, bridges, views, waterfalls. It truly was a very beautiful hike. We got to hike, dine there, go rafting, and receive free water bottles and hats for only 150 Yuan each (US $22~), and that’s including the hardcore windy roads there and back for 2 hours each way. Pretty awesome!
Oh I will miss China SO much!
Photo 1: A group from Class 344
Photo 2: God Bless You singing (that's his name)
Photo 3: Boyfriend and Girlfriend doing a duet together...awww.
Photos 4-5: Some gifts I was given
Photo 6: Singing together
Photo 7: Ian and Jake singing together
Photo 8: Tiger singing
Photo 9: Stella has a gorgeous voice and she's one of my best students.
Videos:
Video 1: This is Knight, one of my beautiful students who is reading an essay she wrote about me: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc0MzAw.html
Video 2: A trio that turns into a sing-along: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc1MzI4.html
Video 3: Beginning belting out a tune: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc2MjYw.html
Video 4: Arean showing some King Fu skills: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc2MTUy.html
Video 5: Albert Einstein has a gorgeous, traditional chinese voice: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc3ODEy.html
Video 6: Doreme (Do re mi)-She's a singer: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc3OTgw.html
Video 7: Rock on, Mike: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc5NzY4.html
Video 8: Chase and Tom (I love Chase-I named him): http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc5NjU2.html
Video 9: Rock on Mike: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTc5NzY4.html
Video 10: James jamming "Beat It": http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTgwNDI0.html
Video 11: A dance trio: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTgxMzY4.html
Video 12: A singing trio: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTgxNjg4.html
Video 13: Tiger reciting a very long English speech: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTg0NDgw.html
Video 14: Out Man and his gf singing a duet: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTg0NTg4.html
Video 15-17: Groups singing:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTg1MjU2.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTg1MjYw.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTg1NjA0.html
Video 18: I suppose drinking a whole carton of milk without breathing is a talent: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NTg1NjA0.html
Video 19: Awesome kung fu skills: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTg0NjI4OTMy.html
Pic 1: A temple on Yangming Mt
Pic 2: Yangming
Pic 3: Drinking from the Temple Spring water. Best water I've had in all of China!
Pic 4: Madi and I in front of the mini temple pagoda
Pic 5: A Yangming Monk
Pic 6: Feeding the baby fish
Pic 7: The Temple
Pic 8: View from the temple
Pic 9: The squatters (Chinese bathrooms)
Photos 1-2: Yangming Mountain
Photo 3: Flower Protector
Photo 4: More Yangming
Photo 5: Leaving a Spark?
Photo 6: A Yangming Pagoda
Photo 7: A fun bridge
Photo 8: Madi and Sam exhausted from the hike
Photo 9: Bamboo forests-beautiful
Pic 1: A bridge on the Mt
Pic 2: Waterfall
Pic 3: Grass Huts
Pic 4: Taming the frog
Pic 5: Ultimate Jenga!
Pic 6: Rafting
Pic 7: One gorgeous bamboo forest
Pic 8: Restaurant in the Cave
Pic 9: Stairway to the Cave
I got into Xiamen Monday about 11am and took a bus around Xiamen for 1 yuan to find the hostel. I could’ve taken a taxi, but I wanted to see a bit more of the city. Xiamen is beautiful! Greenery, trees, palm trees, lakes, beautiful buildings, a beach and ocean views, and some 1st world conveniences-I got to eat at McDonalds! It’s amazing how good some American food tastes after being deprived for a few months. Oh it was good to be with Madi and Sam again! My China family! I’ve missed them a lot. We took a hike through some botanical gardens beyond a lake and through a field and the gardens were so magnificent. I got to see some cool trees, flowers, cacti, rocks, views, birds, and it was just great. It took most of the day and it was quite a hike. One cool thing about Xiamen is it has the big city portion, but it’s full of nature everywhere, a good blend, and it’s a more chill atmosphere compared to Beijing. I think if I came back here to teach Xiamen would be my first choice-I would choose Beijing, but it’s so expensive. Sam and Madi, who have both been to Xiamen before, introduced me to Zhongshanlu (middle mountain road, a strip mall) and Gulanyu, a beautiful island off the mainland that we had to take a ferry to get to and it has many more shops, beaches, fruit, and attractions. Tuesday the three of us went to a Buddhist temple, the Nanputuo Temple, where actual monks shave their heads and live. It’s set on the side of a small forest and it’s beautiful up there on the mountain. It’s a beautiful place and then a beautiful hike beyond. After the hike (I’ve done a lot of those this trip ;), Madi and I got to go off on our own and just talk and enjoy nature and a leaf fight. I love us! Afterward Alex, an old student of Madi’s Grandma Moss, took us sigh seeing around Xiamen and we drove underwater! There is an underwater tunnel 70 meters below sea level, and we went through it twice for fun. Then we picked up Sam and went to a Vegetarian restaurant because Jimmy, another former student, is one. The food was pretty good and so was the company. We got to meet a few more students, including Vera, Alan and Harry. After dinner, Alan took the three of us out for hot chocolate-always a good end to the day.
Wednesday Alan took us to what he thought was the Butterfly Valley, but it was just a good hike, which was perfectly fine, but we didn’t see all the butterflies we thought we would. Then he took us more sight seeing and out to lunch at a seafood place. We got to choose all of our food before they cooked it for us, which made me glad I don’t lose my appetite fast. It was alright, but I’m not a huge fan of an entire meal of seafood, just a thing or two here and there, so I wasn’t full or hungry at the end of the meal. Afterward he took us back to our hostel, where we chillaxed and Madi and I played a ridiculously silly version of pool. Good times! Then we went out to eat with Madi’s Grandma Moss’ Chinese Doctor, Dr. Tian, who took us around her hospital, which was pretty first world and nice. Then she took us out for Japanese food, which was really delicious. I have been severely spoiled these past couple weeks, completely! It’s nice, but I don’t think I could live like this forever. The most I spent was just plane tickets, and hardly anything on meals or water. After dinner we parted, and Sam, Madi, and I went to Gulanyu again and looked around and bought some fruit which we planned to do a documentary on.
Thursday was mine and Madi’s day to hang out while Sam went to Taiwan (Madi and I only have a single-entry visa). We went to Gulanyu (twice) and went to an organ museum, which is quite a cool place and we took a bunch of pictures, and then we hung out on the beaches, bought some things, gathered seashells, played around, and when we came back the second time it was raining with thunder and lightning, but we came back across the ferry to play on the beach anyway-everyone was getting out of the rain and thought we were insane. It was great! When we decided to go back and were sopping wet, people on the street still offered us umbrellas and I couldn’t help but laugh because of how drenched we were-we were more wet than the rain itself, what would an umbrella do? Haha. We went back and then to dinner with Alex, and he took us to his apartment-SO nice with an amazing view of Xiamen and he has a beautiful wife and the most adorable son, Thomas, who I just wanted to steal as my own. He’s so energetic and amazing at the piano and he’s only 3. He’s quite brilliant for his age, and so adorable. We met Charles, a colleague of Alex, and his son Andy, who wants to study in America after high school, so we had someone else to speak English to. After dinner, Sam, Madi, and I documented the fruit we bought, and then they went to bed and I stayed up all night skyping David. Why not, the next 24 hours would be traveling home? Friday we took a sleeper bus to Guangzhou and then a sleeper train to Yongzhou, and then a taxi to our school. This was my first time on a sleeper bus. If I’ve ever complained about sleeper trains before I was grateful for them after riding a sleeper bus. A sleeper bus is a bus with beds in them, if you can call them beds. They are only at most 5 feet long and a foot and a half wide, with rails on either side to keep you from falling off while the bus takes windy and bumpy turns. The only way I slept so well on them is because I was tired from being up all night and traveling always makes me tired. I can sleep anywhere now. It was nice to travel again with people I know. We met a guy named Chris who works at the university in Lingling and he’s from Boston, so we talked and visited, got numbers and promised to hang out before we went home, and in the morning (Saturday when we arrived in Yongzhou), we took a taxi home together. I slept so well on the bus and train, but I was still tired when I got back, and because I was locked out of my apartment, Madi was gracious enough to let me use her things.
Wow, these past 2 weeks were fantastic and priceless (even more for me because I didn’t spend much at all, hehe). Life is SO good! Thanks for your patience and prayers-the Lord has been with me every step of my journey!
This week my students are doing a talent show and next week the party for the class who has earned it. Then depending on if I teach the next week, we’ll have a final words lesson/party extension/pictures week, then I go to Shanghai (if I get out earlier than that last week I’ll go to Harbin first to visit Tate at his place and see the sights there), and then I fly back to America! I’m so excited to come home to see my family, friends, and David, but at the same time I’ll miss my students terribly. I did over these past two weeks and I’m not even gone for good. I love them. Life is excellent and full of adventure, and that makes one happy Nikki!
Pics 1-5: First Views of Xiamen around the University
Pic 6: Lover's Lake
Pic 7-9: Botanical Gardens
Pic 10-14: The cacti garden
Pic 15-18: Xiamen from the Botanical Garden hike
Pic 19: Xiamen sunset
Pic 20: Gardens
Pic 21: I rode an Elephant
Pics 22-23: Pics of Xiamen from the Gulanyu Ferry at night
Pics 24-28: The Nanputuo Temple and views from the forest behind
Pic 29: Classical Music Park: Me and Beethoven
Pic 30: Alex taking us sigh seeing-one beach on Xiamen
Pic 31: Marathon Sculptures
Pic 32: The underwater tunnel 70 meters below the ocean
Pic 33: The Butterfly Valley
Pic 34: My tail in Butterfly Valley
Pic 35: "Found a Peanut Just Now..." in Butterfly Valley
Pic 36: My favorite part of BV-look at that mole hair!
Pic 37: Baby Butterfly
Pic 38: Sam, Alan, and Madi on the path
Pic 39: Dolphins in Butterfly Valley?
Pics 40-42: Alan took us to a seafood restaurant. We got to choose our living food to eat. Yummy
Pics 43: Our plates
Pic 44: Sam going to town on the giant shrimp
Pic 45: Madi and her shelled snail
Pic 46: Our hostel in Xiamen
Pic 47: The Gulanyu aquarium
Pic 48: Organ Museum
Pic 49-51: Gulanyu Beach
Pic 52-54: Getting soaked in the Lightning Storm
Pic 55: Alex's Family (I love little Thomas!)
Pic 56: Charles, Andy, Sam, Madi, Thomas and Mother, Me, and Alex at dinner together.
Pic 57: Sleeper Bus Madi and Sam- Our way back Home!
