We had a homemade feast for Thanksgiving here in Hunan, complete with a broccoli casserole, stuffed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and Chinese-style chicken. We had two chickens slaughtered for our meal- my first time buying live poultry in China. Another teacher and her son, and two of my senior
students joined Shane, Shobana and I for the meal.
I took a few minutes to reflect on what I am thankful for this year...
My students
What a fun couple months it has been, full of exploration and discovery, for both the students and myself. Class is truly a collaborative experience. We learn together, my students and I, what activities work and what activities totally flop. They accept me, no matter the outcome, and they do what is asked with energy and curiosity. Class is full of funny moments, but my favorites are when my students and I both find something amusing and we share a good laugh.
The pace of life
Last June the NY Times featured an excellent piece on America's 'Busy' Trap. The message resonated with me and I'm now more conscious of how often I tell people I'm busy. The pace of life here in Xintang is slower and relaxed, and I'm learning to adjust. I get my work done, but it doesn't consume my whole day and brain. I have time for long walks into town, blogging and reading. I'm relatively caught up on emails and sleep. Playing with students never gets old. It feels great to take time to enjoy.
Beautiful scenery
The people here, adults and students alike, enjoying spending time exploring the great outdoors. This has been a wonderful discovery. A couple weeks ago I joined the local bike group on a 100km group ride through Hunan's countryside. It was just like long rides I've been on in the US, with water and food stops, the only difference was this group had smoking stops too. I knew it was going to be a good ride when one of the men rode up beside me playing Gangnam Syle on his bike speaker.
I took a few minutes to reflect on what I am thankful for this year...
My students
What a fun couple months it has been, full of exploration and discovery, for both the students and myself. Class is truly a collaborative experience. We learn together, my students and I, what activities work and what activities totally flop. They accept me, no matter the outcome, and they do what is asked with energy and curiosity. Class is full of funny moments, but my favorites are when my students and I both find something amusing and we share a good laugh.
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| Halloween! |
Last June the NY Times featured an excellent piece on America's 'Busy' Trap. The message resonated with me and I'm now more conscious of how often I tell people I'm busy. The pace of life here in Xintang is slower and relaxed, and I'm learning to adjust. I get my work done, but it doesn't consume my whole day and brain. I have time for long walks into town, blogging and reading. I'm relatively caught up on emails and sleep. Playing with students never gets old. It feels great to take time to enjoy.
Beautiful scenery
The people here, adults and students alike, enjoying spending time exploring the great outdoors. This has been a wonderful discovery. A couple weeks ago I joined the local bike group on a 100km group ride through Hunan's countryside. It was just like long rides I've been on in the US, with water and food stops, the only difference was this group had smoking stops too. I knew it was going to be a good ride when one of the men rode up beside me playing Gangnam Syle on his bike speaker.
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| Danic, fellow English teacher and friend who introduced me to the bike group. |
Yum on txgiving!! And, that's so so awesome you're getting more involved with the community there. It was my impression from hearing past OYY vols talk, and from a brief visit, it was my impression that--awesome aspects of the post aside--getting into the extended community was not super easy. So, way to go!!
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