My Lists (not the Christmas one)

What’s so great about teaching in China anyways?

-I can freely text all of my students. No qualms or moral issues about that [as there would be in the states]

-I can wear jeans to work everyday if I wanted to.

-I can wear the same outfit multiple days in a row and no one will think anything of it [because they do the same thing].

-Their standard of fashion is “Pretty + Pretty”. This means that if you have two things that are pretty on their own (say cheetah leggings and fuzzy sparkley boots), wearing them together makes them a whole lot prettier. That basically means no fashion “rules” whatsoever.

-The love language of China is words of affirmation. Having a bad day? Give it two minutes and someone will tell you something to make you feel better about yourself.

-If you ever end up with an extra 5 minutes of class, your students will always be more than willing to learn a song

-If you’re the type of teacher who wanders around the classroom while the students are doing work, be prepared for the free food that’s about to come your way as students hand you the entire contents of their desks.

-Listening to other people speak a second language all day results in tiredness, no doubt about it, but it also results in funny. Life is hilarious when communicating with second language learners.

-I’m the foreign teacher. It’s my excuse and my hindrance. I have every given right to be as crazy as I want to be. Be sure to use this to your full advantage.

-My students are full of grace. No matter how poorly the previous class was, each day is a clean slate and they are willing to give {almost} anything a try [with a little prodding and persuading, of course]

What have I learned since being here?

-The internet is as trustworthy as a quarter. Heads or tails?

-It is a wise idea to remove the song “I’ll be home for Christmas” from any iTunes playlist you may own. Failing to do so may result in ugly.

-My bathroom is able to receive text messages, but can’t send them.

-Everyone in China is on the internet from the hours of 5pm to 10pm. That is approximately 1.3 billion people. Good luck.

-My teammates are everything: we help each other survive.

-Sometimes in life we have to do things we don’t want to do. Up until this point it usually involved not wanting to go to my 8am class or clean my room, but sometimes these things we don’t want to do involve relationships and the people around us. Often, it’s hard.

-Sometimes the handle on the right brings forth hot water, sometimes it’s cold. You just never know.

-It is a necessity to sweep…every weekend.

-If you have a hot plate, there is only one setting: hot.

-Pure childlike joy can come from the most unexpected and simple things. This may include [but is not limited to] letters, emails, being attacked by your students, successfully ordering a new dish in the dining hall, catching the drift of a Chinese conversation around you, discovering that your campus has a playground, being witness to Tiffany’s happy noises, and other various, random things.

-Don’t trust the sun outside. It can still be sunny and -8 degrees.

-Cheetah print is the most fashionable pattern I could ever invest in [by China standards].

-Walking stairs is just a part of life.

-The media and truly ridiculous TV shows that America puts out are truly what people think our country is like. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to explain that “Vampire Diaries” and “Gossip Girl” are not real.

-You can make an apartment feel like home with nothing but scissors, markers, and some poster board.

...this list is to be continued. I promise.