Hostels, hostels, and more hostels!

     If there's anyone out there who actually checks my web page, I apologize that I have not been keeping up on it. As I am writing this I am sitting in a blue and green painted hostel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is beautiful and hot! I am here with my best friend in China, Lindsey (also an ELIC teacher), and after saving every penny we earned teaching last semester, we are on holiday traveling South-East Asia.

     We left January 16th and headed to Bangkok where we stayed for a couple days, visitng temples, the Grand Palace, the zoo, and other fun attractions. From there we ventured to Camboida, and I'm pretty sure I left my heart there. The temples are AMAZING and the people are beautiful in every way. After Cambodia we spent a few days in northern Vietnam where we met some wonderful people. The highlight of that trip was being on a Junk Boat with people from all over the world and singing and dancing with them. Good times....

     After Vietnam we spent a week in Chiang Mai, Thailand for our ELIC's annual conference. It was so uplifting and restful for me and I could have stayed a lot longer. So here I am in Malaysia, walking around the city and sweating bullets! Tomorrow Linds and I are going to go see the world's largest towers and are then going to the world's largest aquarium. The day after tomorrow we'll be flying to Bali, hitting the beaches for a few days, and then we will be meeting my mother in Phuket! Yay! I can't wait to see her and am looking so forward to our time together!

     One last piece of traveling news...I got dreads! It's the best hairstyle in the world and if I didn't have to take them out for teaching I might keep them forever! I'll be sure to put a picture on when I return to China.

Chinese Boyfriends

Before coming to China I thought that my dating days would be over for a while. After all, there aren't any American men at my school. But to my wonderful surprise, I have found some of the most wonderful boyfriends in the world here in China! They are far better than any American man and have that thing called chivalry that my country seems to be lacking. Here's a look into the boys of China...

ON MY WAY TO DINNER

"Miss Ashley, where are you going?"

A: "I'm going to dinner. Would you like to come?"

"How lucky we are! Of course! So exciting that we get to eat with you!"

...in the dining hall...

"Please Miss Ashley, let me buy you dinner."

"NO! I want to buy her dinner!"

"Let me carry your tray. Can I get you a drink? We are so lucky!"

IN THE HALLWAY

"Oh Miss Ashley. You look sooo beautiful today!"

SHOWING A PICTURE OF MY FATHER

"He is so handsome...no wonder you are so beautiful..."

IN CLASS

"Miss Ashley, I drew this picture of you."

"Miss Ashley, I love you very much"

"Miss Ashley, can I be your boyfriend?"

GOING BACK TO AMERICA MIGHT BE HARDER THAN I THOUGHT...

  The inside of my door...AKA "The Vault"

Straight ahead...the kitchen

The kitchen. Complete with a stove and sink!

My favorite thing in the kitchen...the watercooler with instantly hot or cold water! Ewww...ahhh.....  To the left of the doorway...my living room

Complete with movable Chinese couch!

Yes, I have a TV...complete with Chinese channels! More of the living room...

To the right of my doorway...my bedroom!

My desk and bed. Not as comfortable as my bed back home, but hey, it works.

My wardrobe and dresser...

My insane asylum bedroom door. Creepy.

My beautiful view from my bedroom window. The main building is the library.

My bathroom. So glad to have one since only foriegn teachers have a bathroom, complete with a shower/tub.

And here's what's behind the bath curtain...now I feel like I'm in another country!

The sink...it only gets cold water, but I'm glad I get water at all...well, at least we get it most days... =)

My "washer"

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A CHINESE APARTMENT...

The shoerack!

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING...

I thought I would give the run-down on my weekly schedule so you all could get a feel for what I do with my time...

MONDAYS

7:00-7:15     Thought time with team

8:00-9:55     Office hours

9:55-11:35     Class

11:35-1:30     "Rest" (lunch, nap, quiet time)

1:30-3:10     Class

3:30-4:30     Chine class

TUESDAYS

7:00-7:15     Thought time with team

8:00-9:55     Class

9:55-11:35     Office hours

11:35-1:30     "Rest"

1:30-3:10     Office hours

3:20-4:00     Tutor student

7:00-8:30     Study time with team

WEDNESDAY

8:15-8:30     Thought time with team

8:30-9:30     Faculty meeting

9:55-11:35     Class

11:35-1:30     "Rest"

1:30-3:10     Class

3:30-4:30     English Corner

6:00-7:00     Chinese class

THURSDAY

7:00-7:15     Thought time with team

8:00-11:35     Office hours

11:35-1:30     "Rest"

1:30-3:10     Office hours

3:30-4:30     English Corner

5:00             Lesson plans due

5:30-??       Team night

FRIDAY

7:00-7:15     Thought time with team

8:00-9:55     Class

9:55-11:35     Office hours

11:35-1:30     "Rest"

1:30-3:10     Office hours

AND THAT'S MY WEEK! MY WEEKENDS ARE PRETTY BUSY WITH SHOPPING, HAVING STUDENTS OVER AND PLANNING FOR MONDAY. IT'S A BUSY LIFE, BUT I LOVE IT!

Changchun

     Yesterday I started teaching. I never knew teaching a couple classes a day could be so tiring! I am in the international business building from 8am until 3pm every Monday through Friday. I teach six different classes once a week. When I am not in class I am in my office preparing lessons, reading, visiting with my officemates, or working on whatever it is that needs to get done.

     Such busy days make me pretty tired, and since the sun goes down at about seven and the school gate is closed at ten, bedtime comes pretty early! I'm really enjoying having some time to myself. When I'm not with my teammates I like to watch TV series on DVD (I just bought the second season of Lost!), read, clean my apartment, go for walks, have some 'quiet times' and just relax. Tomorrow I am going to go play tennis with another teacher from America that I met here. I'm so excited to get to play and to have something new to do.

     I am loving it here in Changchun and hope to put up some pictures of the city and my school very soon.