I'm Here!

Well I'm in China! After about 28 hours of waiting in airports and flying in planes, I'm finally here!  It has been quite a lot process, but most definitely worth it :) I was greeted at the airport by my cooperating teacher complete with oreos and potato chips.  Then we were able to pick up one of the Sarahs I am living with from the school and go to the apartment.  I was able to move into my room and unpack fairly quickly before the other Sarah came home.  I loved being greeted with hugs and smiles!

I had my first experience at a restaurant here as I got to go out with Sarah and Sarah to a Japanese restaurant where I had tea and Japanese fried rice (which I ate with chopsticks).  It was absolutely delicious!  I also learned of a store called Tesco which is basically comparable to a Walmart in the states.  It was an interesting cultural experience to walk around and see how the store was set up complete with three floors and escalators that were basically slanted treadmills instead of having actually steps...hope that makes sense.  On the walk back to the apartment, I got to see many people dancing in the square just as happy as can be. It was a great first night in China :)

Today after waking up later than anticipated (I'll blame it on jetlag), I got to go to school for my very first day.  I rode on the back of Sarah's bike to school and I didn't even fall off! I was introduced to the teachers at the morning meeting and welcomed by so many of them! Once I entered the classroom, I was shown to my desk (yes, my own desk!) where I got to read all of the cards and letters that my students wrote me welcoming me into the class.  I was feeling the love right away :) I was greeted many times in Albanian because it is communication week and that is the language of the day.  Throughout the day, I was able to see instruction in all of the subject areas, play frisbee at recess, and get to know some of the students' names through interactions in the classroom.

After school, I experienced my first bus ride as my cooperating teacher took me to a Korean restaurant in another part of the city.  The bus is super cheap and a very easy way to travel throughout the city.  We first went to a small store to buy drinks and went to the restaurant.  I tried kimchi, kimbob, pickled radishes, and jaiozi today, and the jaiozi was definitely my favorite.  It was a good time to just sit and talk with her about the school, her experiences, and the classroom in general.  To get back home, we took a taxi ride which was another unique experience. It was a great ending to my school day :)

I got to come home and simply rest for a while by texting some friends and family within the states and getting caught up a little with facebook.  I was also able to talk with one of the Sarahs here for a little bit just about life. I've really enjoyed just getting to know and spend time with people.  The cat here, Xiong Mao, is starting to warm up to me as well. She did wake me up at 4:00 am playing with a battery on the floor of my room, but we're becoming friends more day by day.  I'm looking forward to getting to know my kids more tomorrow as I am the featured teacher for show and tell! I'm also going to be able to teach on Thursday and Friday as well so that will be a great experience! Sorry this post is so long, but there is a lot to try to wrap up in the first 24 hours of my wonderful adventure here in China! I'll try to keep you guys updated as much as I can :) Thanks for all of your love and support!