home

i am home.

thank goodness.

traveling went well, we only had one problem in hong kong.

our airplane's AC broke before takeoff so we had to sit in a hot plane while they fixed it.

luckily, we got free ice cream out of it.

when we finally reached salt lake, we booked it out to the baggage claim.

i cannot tell you how happy i was to see my parents.

it was the most relieving feeling ever.

and to top it off, the brought brownies and milk.

and lindsay's parents brought homemade oreos.

and sara's parents brought cinnamon rolls.

talk about overload.

when i got home i was welcomed by a cute sign in my front yard, a poster signed by some family and friends, and a room full of balloons and signs.

i have the best family and friends.

also waiting for me in my basement were kalli, lindsay, josh, perkins and conley.

it was great to see them.

i didn't spend much time with them though because my family was waiting upstairs to talk.

that night i couldn't sleep.

i cleaned my room.

i went through my closet.

i unpacked.

i went on a walk in my neighborhood.

i ate food.

i finally fell asleep last night around 2:30.

i was up for a total of about 34 hours.

gotta love jet lag, right?

now it is back to real life.

on my to do list:

-do laundry

-see my grandmas

-find a car

-find a job

-start class on tuesday

-go to the ophthalmologist, doctor, and dentist

-swimming

-oh and eat all the good american food

-k

endings and beginnings

this week has been and continues to be one full of endings.

we had our last church meeting in china on sunday.

we packed on monday.

we had our performance on wednesday.

we finished teaching yesterday.

we are completing any unfinished business today.

we have said our goodbyes.

we are leaving tomorrow.

our china experience has come to an end…it is officially over.

i knew this day would come eventually and it is finally here.

it's crazy that only five short months ago, i was just starting my adventure.

time has gone by way too fast.

i am so thankful for the time that i have had in china.

i have learned so much.

i have grown so much.

i have developed such a strong testimony of the gospel.

i have learned many life lessons.

i will always remember my china experience.

it has been more than i could have ever imagined.

yes, a chapter in my book has come to an end.

there is no going back, the time has come and gone.

but up ahead there are only open doors.

i am beginning to realize that every time you say goodbye to something, you have the opportunity to say hello to something else.

with every ending comes a new beginning.

so as i say goodbye to china, my students, my chinese friends, all the teachers, and to this experience, i am also saying hello to my future. i do not know what the future will hold, but i am excited to the many surprises that are going to be thrown my way.

bring it on!

-k

grade two

so there they are...my 25 second graders!

they are all so different and they each have something unique to offer.

i have learned something from each and every one of them.

tonight they have their performance!

we have been preparing for this night for the past 6 weeks.

if it goes at all like it did yesterday during the dress rehearsal, they will do great!

tomorrow i have to say goodbye to them...

i am not a fan of goodbyes.

coming here to china i had to say my fair share of goodbyes, but i knew that those were all temporary.

saying goodbye for good is something different.

i will most likely never see these kids again and that breaks my heart.

i didn't think i would ever get as attached to my students as i have, which makes it ever harder.

but do you know what?

i know that these kids are in good hands.

they are going to continue being great students.

they are going to continue be amazing people.

they are going to grow up and be successful.

they are going to be just fine.

and for some reason, knowing all of that makes saying goodbye just a little bit easier.

each and every one of these kids will hold a special place in my heart.

they have taught me more than i probably ever taught them and i am so thankful for them!

wo ai ni grade two!

-k

jerry

jerry. jerry is one of my favorites. he is one of those kids that knows when to be funny and when to be serious. he is a very good student and is always participating in the lessons. jerry is also very helpful…he always makes sure to gather papers, crayons, or whatever else i have handed out. jerry loves to make sure i know of his accomplishments. every time he completes a step in our lesson he yells, "teach Katie, come see!".

-k

jalen

jalen is the perfect definition of a boy—he gets dirty, he loves sports, he is loud, and he loves girls. he is always trying to show off and get the girl's attention. it is pretty entertaining to watch. jalen is also very dedicated. he comes to class everyday ready to learn. each day, the kids do "eye exercises" and jalen is the only one that does them consistently. if jalen keeps it up, he is going to go very far!

-k

sam

sam used to be one of the biggest troublemakers of grade two. but throughout the semester he has shown drastic changes. the one thing that hasn't changed is how much sam loves tokens. he always comes to class with his game face on, ready to get as many token from me as he can.

-k

nite

nite is such a great student. he is always listening to everything i say, he participates in every single lesson, and is so willing to help. nite has been saving his tokens for the past couple of weeks to get a parachute man. finally, on tuesday he was able to get it. he came to me at lunch that same day with tears on his face and a tangled mess in his hands. i felt so bad that the next day i gave him a different toy. once again, he was back to his happy self.

-k

michael

michael is always smiling and laughing. he is never sad or mad. the one thing i love about michael is that he gets so excited over the smallest things. that is one thing that he has taught me…to appreciate the stuff that usually goes unnoticed.

-k

jolene

jolene is from singapore and because of that she speaks fluent english. not only is her english very good, she is a very smart girl as well. she is most happy when i teach arts and crafts or kitchen because she is very creative and she loves treats. jolene is obsessed with my "pocketbac" hand sanitizers from bath and body works. she asks me if she can "wash her hands" almost every day. she also asks me if i can send them to her from america.

-k

wendy

wendy is so funny and has the greatest smile. she is missing a few of her front teeth so that just makes her smile that much better! wendy loves food. she always is bringing treats with her to class. if i am lucky, she will share. i think because of her i have tried some of the greatest and the worst chinese goodies out there. wendy is also a very good student. she has come a long way from the beginning of the semester. i can see a drastic change.

-k

kalai

kalai is another one of the quiet ones. he usually keeps to himself and speaks english when he is prompted too. lately he has been a little bit braver and has started speaking some english without any encouragement. it makes me happy that he is breaking out of his shell and trying really hard to learn.

-k

tatum

what to say about tatum? first off, he is a really good student. he listens, participates, and speaks a lot of english. i hope that he is learning something with all the work that he is putting forth. second, tatum is so caring. it could just be that he has a huge crush on amma, but he buys things with the tokens that he has saved and always gives them to amma. how cute is that?

-k

amma

amma is a quiet girl, but is very smart one. she is the "leader" of grade two. she has to make sure that the kids stay in their lines, she has to call the class to attention, and she has to make sure they are all behaving properly before they enter the classroom. it is crazy to see how much the kids respect amma. she is a natural leader and they follow her as well as look up to the example that she sets.

-k

judy

judy is a cuddle bug. whenever she sees me i get the biggest bear hugs…the kind of hugs where she won't let go. she has recently started calling me mama and i call her "mei mei" which means little sister. judy invited me to her house one time and i was able to go with lindsay and sara. it was such a relief to see that she is well taken care of and that she is loved. after that night, i don't think there is a day that has gone by where she doesn't ask me if i can come and play with her at her house. i haven't made it back yet, but i think i will try to go back once more before i leave.

-k

greta

greta is such a cutie. she knows some english, but doesn't know how to structure her sentences yet. she asks a lot of questions that don't make sense and all i can do is chuckle. it is so funny to watch her try to put the sentences together in her head as she is trying to ask them out loud. i admire her courage for putting herself out there, even if she is not always correct. through trial and error she has made so much improvement.

-k

wayne

wayne is my biggest struggle. he is very sneaky and sly. he is always speaking chinese and has to be constantly reminded to only use english while in class. with that said, he has his moments. wayne can be very funny. when he speaks english, he sounds great. he has a great smile. and he means well. i just wish that i could get him to focus a little bit better.

-k

jacky

jacky is a character. he is always trying to get people's attention whether it's by yelling or falling down or acting like a monkey. this kid is so funny to watch—he always has a new trick or kung fu move to show me. he has so much energy it is unreal. every time i see him, whether it is in class or around the school he makes sure to come up and get a high five. he has come a long way since the beginning of semester. his english is getting so good!

-k

kady

kady is a funny girl. she definitely has her days. sometimes she will be really happy and talking nonstop, while other days she just sits there in silence. i have not really been able to zone in on what triggers her moods, but i don't think i ever will. no matter what mood she is in though, i love her. she is a great student and makes new progress everyday.

-k

gigi

gigi is a shy one. in fact, when i first started teaching she didn't speak at all. with a little poking and prodding from "teacha katie", she started to feel comfortable enough with the environment to slowly start speaking. now she speaks A LOT. it turns out, she is a really good student and her english isn't too shabby…all she needed was that little push.

-k

ken

ken has been one of the harder ones to work with. he has a hard time paying attention to the lessons because he tends to get distracted very easily. he did not like me very much at the beginning of the semester because i would take away his toys. i will never forget his dirty looks...he had the best angry face when he was not happy. i think now he understands that i am a pretty nice teacher if he keeps his toys in his pocket during class. because of that he has made progress and has started showing improvements with his english.

-k

complete opposites

you are probably wondering why i have posted such a pretty pictured followed by one of the world's ugliest pictures ever.

they are complete opposites of each other and seem to have no relation to each other.

well, here is the story:

we just had our last vacation in china!

we decided to go to yangshuo.

i was stoked to go back and revisit such a beautiful city.

we had unfinished business there...river rafting, mud caves, hiking, scootering.

the bamboo river rafting was so relaxing.

we got to float on a bamboo raft for two hours down the river.

the scenery was breathtaking.

i cannot even begin to explain how amazingly beautiful yangshuo is.

the mountains are so lush and green.

they are the weirdest shapes...not one looks remotely like another.

some are big and fat, others are short and skinny.

they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

the mudcaves were also amazing.

i'm not a fan of being trapped in small spaces, but this was an exception.

we literally hiked through a cave for 30 or 40 minutes to get to a big pit of mud.

there some points were i felt a little claustrophobic, but for the most part i was fine.

the mud pit was fun too.

we had a mud fight, we got dirty, and we had a good time.

after the mud cave, we hiked out and saw moonhill.

we got to hike around outside for a bit which was really fun.

yangshuo may have been hot, but boy was it just as amazing.

the scenery is breathtaking.

i don't think i could ever get sick of looking at the mountains.

once we were finished with the mud cave and hiking, we went swimming for a bit and saw the big banyon tree

so beautiful.

here is where is starts to get ugly.

we got home that day and showered.

my eye started getting those nasty "boogers" in it every 10 minutes or so without fail.

i didn't worry about it too much at first until we saw the whole iris covered in mucus.

yuck.

at that point i began to worry...

i thought it was pink eye so we went to the pharmacy and grabbed some medication.

i went back to the hostel and laid down while the others finished their shopping.

by the time they got back my eye was swelling.

not pink eye.

we went to the hospital and i was told that it was a bacteria from the water.

they gave me medicine and sent me on my way.

the next morning my eye was sealed shut and swollen even more.

the others went scootering while i stayed home and slept.

the rest of the day i stayed in the hostel...most boring day ever.

such a way to end a vacation. ha.

but it's okay. what we did and saw in yangshuo made it worth it.

i will never forget this trip.

even though it didn't go as planned, i had fun and definitely experienced some new things.

-k

marlin

marlin is the man. he is so funny and so full of energy. he always brings the biggest smile to class each day. i don't think i have ever seen him sad or mad. he is always showing off his english and making sure i hear what he has to say. not going to lie, marlin is one of the better english speakers in grade two. he has learned a lot in his english classes and has put that knowledge to use. i think he will be a very good english speaker once his schooling is over.

-k