Learn To Dance In The Rain

In spite of a receiving some bad news today, here are some things that made me smile:

Heart attacking the guys' apartment.

Newbie's sweet revenge.

Adult footie pajamas. I mean, can you say SEXY?!

Girls night. Including- dirty dancing class at Gold's. 

(yes, Grandma- a dirty dancing class), 

mud masks, and smoothies. Mmmm!

And my language immersion programs finally came!

Newbie and I will be learning Chinese together.

We already try to speak four languages,

(English, Spanish, Chinese, & ASL)

so why not try to be better?

He's already fluent in Spanish, so I'm the one that needs to catch up!

Oh, and... I ONLY HAVE ONE FINAL LEFT!!

That is all.

Weekend Favorites

• Temple Square in Salt Lake City at Christmas time
• Cheesecake
• Chinese food (particularly Charlie Chow's Dragon Grill)
• Dan & Jaimie Riding
• Mint hot chocolate
• Fast & testimony meeting at church
• The first presidency Christmas devotional
• Prayer
• Pictures
• Divine intervention
• Sundays

A1 Sauce

Once upon a time there was a man who was full of patience and kindness. He had will power made of steel. He was a great leader. But, he really sucked at playing Blink. He could cook great pot roast and even get people to like gravy. He's the kind of man that cleans snow off of a girls car without her even having to ask. He's also the kind of guy that listens to Taylor Swift in his car, without a girl present. Hmm... a rare breed indeed.
Hello Kansas!

Roses Are Red, Steak is Too

Wedding receptions. What a fabulous excuse to buy a new dress, get beautiful roses from a great guy, and eat the most fantastic steak ever (seriously, I think I'm in love with it!)

Grateful

On this Thanksgiving Day, I have so much to be thankful for. Although, if I were to try to list everything that I'm grateful for, I'd be typing indefinitely. I'll try to limit myself.
I am grateful for:

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so blessed to have this sweet gospel in my life. I am grateful for the peace and comfort that it brings.
• Rachel. I was really unsure of how things would go when she came out here. But, against my preconceived ideas, we have become best friends. I am so proud of her and I love having her in my daily life. Even when she insists on crawling into my tiny bed with me (and gives me Reese's and then takes them away, like she just did).
• The United States of America. No, it is not perfect. But, I am so thankful and proud to be called an American. We have so many freedoms in this nation! Just take a moment and think of how wonderful it is that we have religious freedom. There are so many out there who aren't able to have this same freedom. I know that our forefathers involved the Lord in the founding of our country.
• The great people that I have met here. Influential, uplifting, motivational, kind. They are wonderful.
• Friends. I have such great people in my life.
• Bubble baths. What a fabulous pleasure in life.
• Utah Valley University. Although it is costing me three times as much as what BYU-Idaho did, I am grateful for the things that I am learning here.
• Music. It's good for the soul.
• Turkey! I couldn't forget that today.
• Family. The best for last. I am so glad that I was given this family. They are so wonderful. It gets a little crazy sometimes, but it's worth it. I am grateful for my eternal family.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Cold Toes

Here's another random one.
[commence rambling]
I tried Peach and Mangosteen tea; smelled great, didn't taste so great. There was supposed to be a huge blizzard here tonight ("biggest in the past 25 years"), didn't happen. My roommate has pneumonia, poor thing. She's been hurting and incognito for about a week now. I think I might be starting to get sick too. I can't afford that. I won't even have insurance for another month. My super duper bumble bee socks are not keeping my feet very warm right now. I was really excited for the snow. I made a gigantic pot of vegetable soup on Sunday.  Rachel is thinking of going abroad with ILP. I cannot believe that. Can. Not. Did you know that guys usually fall in love faster than girls do? What do you do when that happens? Did I already mention that my feet are cold? Channing Tatum is so beautiful. I would not consider myself to be a Harry Potter fan, nor am I anti. But, I went and saw the newest movie this past weekend and it was absolutely phenomenal. I'm contemplating doing a little Black Friday shopping this year. This is something that I'm usually against. I have so many books that I want to read right now. I have a huge final presentation next Monday which means that I'll be spending time on my break working on it. I hate it when that happens. It's called a break for a reason. One of my friends is thinking of volunteering to go back to Iraq again. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I already haven't seen him in two years. I might not be able to go home for Christmas; we'll see what happens. I want a baby. My best friend has a brand new niece! I was really excited for the snow, but laying out on the beach sounds wonderful right now. I miss my queen size bed. I still can't believe that my video won the competition at work. I cry almost every time I watch it. I want to go shopping. Gordon B Hinckley was such an amazing man. I love pulpy orange juice. Bubble baths and mud masks are amazing.
[commence bubble bath]

Words From the Weekend

The bad. The good. The bitter. The sweet. Things that were said to me. Things that I said. Things that I wish I would've said. Words from this weekend.

"I know why you think I'm so cocky. It's because you have low self-esteem." -KD

"All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life."- Taylor Swift

"I put up with you because I think I'm falling in love with you."

"Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy." - Gordon B. Hinckley

"What a beautiful place to be. With friends." - Dobby (HP7)

"You can take his ego and caress it or you can crush it."
"My natural man is an idiot!"
"Girls, remember, nerds make the money!" - [stake] President Livingston

Sometimes all you can do is laugh.

PS- I won the video contest!! Which means a new iPod shuffle for Shaila! Weee!

ILP Video Competition

I've been wanting to do something like this since I got home from China. But, having a video competition at work finally gave me the incentive to do it. Lucky me, I have a friend with a cool Mac. Enjoy!

Sunday Checklist

• Talk finished? - Check
• Yummy left-overs for lunch? - Check
• Successfully made chicken & broccoli casserole? - Check
• Fabulous music fireside? - Check
• Watched a Christmas movie a couple of weeks early? - Check
• Wrestled and laughed until I almost cried?- Check

• Ready for Monday? - .... Mm, no thanks.

Sometimes (cont.)

And then sometimes you'll wonder why in the world you even bother with some people.

Sometimes

Sometimes it's okay to have milk and Oreo's for breakfast. Sometimes you will be the only one who really cleans the entire apartment. Sometimes when you put your iPod on shuffle, it will play the perfect songs. Sometimes you just need your best friend. Sometimes you'll accidentally hurt people. Sometimes you'll forget to put on deodorant. Sometimes you'll get extremely excited for someone else's future adventures. Sometimes your mood can change in a second, even if it's over something trivial. Sometimes people will tell you exactly what you need to hear. Sometimes it hurts to let yourself relive the past. Sometimes it's really good. Sometimes you just need to suck it up and throw away that nasty, black, molded pumpkin, even when it's not yours. Sometimes you'll want to run away. Sometimes you just need to soak and listen to Norah Jones. Sometimes you need to take a step back and look at things from another person's eyes. Sometimes you'll want to give people what you can't. Sometimes you'll have to pray really hard for patience. Sometimes you just need to step out into 35 degree weather in shorts for a minute. Sometimes you just need to sing really loud. Sometimes you need to stand on a mountain. Sometimes you'll laugh really hard, and everyone else around you will keep a straight face. Sometimes things won't work out the way that you want them to.
But, sometimes they will.

Last Minute

::ring ring::
Hello?
-Hi, is this Shaila?
Yes, it is!
-Hi, Shaila. This is Brother Scott.
Oh, hey! How are you?
-I'm good.. Hey, can I ask you something?
Sure. ((please don't ask me to speak at church..))
-Have you had a chance to speak in Sacrament meeting in our ward yet?
....No
-Would you like to?
...Are you asking me if I'd like to, or if I will?
-Of course I'm asking if you will!
...Okay. When?
-This Sunday.
What?! ..Okay.
-And since it's so last minute, you can pick what you want to talk about. Pick any conference talk given during this last Conference.
..Okay.
-Thank you, Shaila.
No problem. Buh-bye. ::hang up the phone:


Dang it!

Too Good

You've all heard the phrase. "It's too good to be true." Well have you ever encountered something that's too good to not be true? I believe that I might have stumbled across just such a thing. Yesterday was one of the best days in a long time. I can't even think of the last time that I've been happy for an entire day. Our ward's testimony meeting was powerful. Each member in our bishopric is just truly amazing. Especially our bishop. And there are so many individuals in our ward who are equally amazing. One of which is my sister. I am so proud of her. Basically, I'm just blessed to be surrounded by such great people.
Over the past couple of days, I've started reading to people. Sometimes, without real consent. But that's okay. Part of it was just practice for an assignment that I had in my Children's Literacy class today. The other part is just that I like sharing stories with people. So, after church yesterday, that's what I did. I read aloud. From a children's book, of course.
Later, I was able to attend the CES fireside by Elder Ballard at the Marriott Center. He is, yet another, amazing man. His talk was great. The night was great. The people surrounding me are great. Fabulous, actually.
Then, as if yesterday wasn't great enough on it's own, today turned out to be pretty good as well. I managed to let Rachel and a friend talk me into getting up and going to the gym this morning. At SIX THIRTY AM! Let's just say that I wasn't too enthused. But, as I'm sure most of you know, it didn't take for longer for those good feeling endorphins to kick in. I was wide awake and full of energy. Alive.
All of my classes were great today. Institute, Stress Management, Children's Literacy, Powertone. All of them. Although, I may not have had that thought during Insanity in Powertone tonight. And that's exactly what it was; insanity. I'm one big, jelly legged mess now. Still happy about it though.
We had a stake FHE tonight. President Livingston is also an amazing man. He just really connects with all of the people in our stake. I love it.
Well, I think I'll step down from my soap box now. I just wanted to share this pure-joy-kind-of-feeling while I had it.
Oh, but I do have one question. Are all men impressed by girls who will not only order but, also eat an entire steak? Just curious...

PS. My sisters are so cool.

While It Lasted

"Today is one of the last nice days we'll have," said Jan, my Stress Management teacher. So we took the class outside. She thought it would be nice to do this next section of meditation in some fresh air.
The orange leaves were falling everywhere. The sun was starting to make it's slow descent.
She had us all lay down in the grass, making sure that we had enough room to stretch out. "Today, we are going to do complete muscle relaxation," she announced. This just meant that we'd tense up different muscles and then let them relax.
We started with our legs, then butt, stomach, arms, back, neck.. slowly moving to different facial muscles. With each muscle group, I could feel my body slowly melting into the earth below me. The grass was tickling my arms. I could feel the warmth of the sun kissing the right side of my body. I could hear people laughing as they passed by on the sidewalks.. probably at us. But that was okay. I started to go into my own little world. Barely being able to hear what Jan was telling us to do.
Next thing I know, class is over. I stood up and grabbed my things and started to walk down the hill, feeling completely relaxed. I took a deep breath of the autumn air. Then my slick, hard plastic, zero tread shoe met this..

Down I go. Laid out by this stupid little electric box cover. Grass stain on my khakis, which I only wear probably three times a year. My whole body was so relaxed, dang it! .... Well, it was good while it lasted.

"In Every Other Aspect, You're Better Than My Dog..."

::commence rambling::
Pushing Rachel out of my bed will always be funny. Fruit snacks are great. My mom makes me laugh. We have too much candy in our apartment now. Salty tortilla chips are also wonderful. Scrubs is good, talking is better. It snowed already. Sometimes we need to think before we speak, sometimes we just need to get everything out. Cold hands, warm heart. Is there a limit to how many times you'll feel good when someone compliments your butt? October is almost over, which means that I've been home from China for just over four months now. Wo bu ming bai. Wo xiang Zhonguo. We're all different.. but we're all kinda the same too. I ordered Gordon B Hinckley's biography the other day, it should be here soon. I also ordered Eat, Pray, Love. I'm excited for both. Would it be sac-religious of me to buy mala beads, since I'm starting a section on meditation in my Stress Management class? Utahans do not know when to turn off their sprinklers.  Living with roommates most definitely prepares you for marriage/family life. Stephen's mint hot chocolate is quite wonderful. As is my tie-dyed pillow.
::commence sleeping::

All You Need is a Little Pixie Dust!..

..That's how I managed to find someone nice enough to drive me to work after my alarm didn't go off yesterday morning.
That's how Whitley and I were able to get ready in a hurry last night.

That's how Rachel pulled off a fabulous ward Halloween party.

That's how I was able to stay up until almost 3:00am making a cherry pie.

Words From the Wise

"Girls are way better than guys. I'll admit it. And any boy who won't, doesn't know very much."

"[Shaila,]You're almost never, ever, ever, ever, ever wrong."

"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens; not by what life brings us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results." -Wade Boggs

The Clothesline Project

For some extra credit in my sociology class, we were invited to view the Clothesline Project that was on display this week at school. I knew I would get emotional. But as I walked in, I told myself "I'll just go in for fifteen minutes. In and out. Easy." And of course I was completely wrong.
What an awakening experience. I tried to read as many shirts as possible. My heart broke as I read each one. I had heard domestic violence statistics before, but this experience really helped me to realize just how much abuse happens. Even here, in the "Mormon bubble." My heart goes out to all those who's lives have been impacted by these horrible acts.


Clothesline Project


PS- you all guessed wrong. The pumpkin is supposed to be the Browning deer symbol.

If You Give Shaila a Clorox Wipe..

..she will clean the entire apartment instead of going to class.
It all started with cleaning the bathroom sink. Then the bathtub. Then the whole bathroom. Then the whole apartment. I only get "cleaning fever" every so often, so I figured I might as well embrace it while it lasts!

We carved pumpkins tonight for FHE. Kudos to anyone who can tell me what it is!
PS- I did the nasty gutting part. The guys got the easy/clean part.

Adventure Is Out There!

What a day! Actually, I take that back. What a week! Let's review...

• Last Saturday was the exciting volleyball game versus BYU. We lost, but it was still a good game.
• Testimony meeting on Sunday was wonderful. Also, I made a new friend. His name is Rockwell. He is my neighbor's pet snake.
• For FHE on Monday, we played a grueling game of kickball. Whit actually got nailed in the face. Thankfully, she is okay!
• Tuesday night was my first "expressive lab" in my sign language class. Glad that's over with!
• On Wednesday night I was able to help host an info meeting for work. I loved helping out at the meeting, but after seeing the slideshow of pictures from past volunteers, it really made me question why I'm here and not still in China.
• Also on Wednesday, our ward played our 4th volleyball game. We lost, but I think everyone is having a lot of fun playing. And that's what counts, right?
• My one and only midterm was also on Wednesday. You'd think that out of all of my classes, Stress Management would be the one class that I wouldn't have a midterm in, right? Yeah, that's what I thought too! Wrong. But, I think I did alright.
• Thursday was the beginning of our fall break! Whitley and I went to Halloween City and tried on some ridiculous costumes. Then, after work that night, I went on a hot date! Okay, maybe "hot" isn't a very fitting word. But, it really was a good night. We had dinner at a great Indian restaurant and then went and watched HumorU, a comedy group at BYU.
• After work on Friday, Rachel and I had dinner with Adam and Mike (friends from the ward). FYI- Olive Garden will always be delicious. Then I continued my Scrubs marathon with Adam.. I think we've managed to watch about 20 episodes in a week. Is that unhealthy?
• And now for today, the best day! SATURDAY! I started the morning off by shooting guns down in Payson with friends from the ward. Afterwards, Rachel and I got to spend a little time together (while Whit is in St. George with some friends). Jamba Juice & The Cocoa Bean. Yum! Then we took a short trip to the golf course with Mike, where he ever so patiently taught us to chip and putt. And then we ended the night with a group of friends at a haunted house.

Whew! Good times, huh? I'm definitely staying busy here, but I'm loving every minute of it! ;)

Wo Xiang Wo De Mei Mei

Erin Rae. One of the flyest girls you'll ever meet. (She got it from me, of course) I usually end up wishing she were here whenever I'm having dance parties by myself in my room. I miss her.

Guess Who's Back (back, back, back again)

Hello, Blogger world! It's been a while and plenty of things have changed since my last post. First, as you can see by my new title, I am no longer in China. I'm in Utah! My decision to go to school at Utah Valley University was a little spontaneous but, not nearly as spontaneous or impulsive as my sister's decision to join me! I decided to come out here, talked my roommate into coming with me two weeks before classes started, and then Rachel joined us about three weeks ago. But, before I start talking about my life here, let me rewind and tell a little bit about my six weeks at home.
After spending one long night here in Utah, I finished the last few hours of my journey home to the gorgeous state of Virginia. I got home late Friday night/early Saturday morning. I was able to surprise my parents by showing up the night before they thought I was actually going to be there. At that point, it was just Mom, Dad, and Erin my youngest sister at home. Sammi and Amber were gone to Youth Conference, and Rachel was living at her own place. So, I was expecting to get at least 18 hours of sleep. I even locked the door to ensure that I would not be bothered. But, did that happen? Of course not. At 7am, about four hours after I had fallen asleep, Erin picked the lock to my room and crawled into bed with me. Gotta love her ;)
Thankfully, I was able to get my job back, so I started work at EvriChart bright and early on Monday morning. It wasn't too fun to be working the whole time that I was home, but I definitely needed the money. Plus, working with great people always helps. I love my EvriChart family. They were so sweet and kept in contact with me the whole time that I was in China.

I got back to the States at the perfect time. A week before Independence Day! My love and appreciation for this wonderful nation grew tremendously during my time abroad. Don't misunderstand me, I am in no way trying to put China in a bad light. I learned so much while I was there! But, one thing that I learned was that I have been so blessed to have been born into a wonderful family in a wonderful country. I am so grateful to be able to enjoy the freedoms that being American grants me.  Independence Day fell on a Sunday this year, which only helped me to be that much more thankful for my religious freedom. Ask my family, I bawled like a baby through most of the church services that day. I truly believe that our founding fathers involved the Lord in their work, and I am just so grateful to be American!

Whew! Done with that tangent.. I spent the rest of my time at home with family and friends. I, of course, went to the midnight showing of Eclipse with some fabulous friends. I was able to FINALLY see my cousin's baby, Karlee! She's so precious. I was also blessed with the opportunity to spend time with a friend's baby. His name is Julian, and I'm pretty sure that he is one of the most adorable babies that I have ever seen. He's so funny! He'll be turning a year old this month.
Even though I enjoyed my time at home, I wish that it wouldn't have passed so quickly so that I would've been able to spend more of it with my family.  But, it seems that this semester is going to go by super fast (midterms are next week!) so I'll be home for Christmas soon enough!

Happy Tuesday!

PS- there will be more about China. Have no fear ;)

Well Fed

I'm leaving here with a full stomach, a full mind, and a full heart.
Wo xiang zhong guo. Wo ai ni!

Dreaming

Today is my last day in Zhongshan, China. This isn't real. I've spent six months here. Now it's all over. I feel like I've been dreaming this whole time and I'm about to wake up. I'm not ready to leave these wonderful people. Last night was our farewell party with the other Chinese teachers. We had dinner at the school and then went out for karaoke.. It was so hard watching them walk away as we got on the bus to go back to our apartment, knowing that we may never see them again.
I'm not ready to leave. This has become like another home to me. It's hard to think that I may never have the chance to return again.
I like this dream. Can't I sleep for just a little longer?

Humidity

I thought you might suffocate me. Turns out, you won't. I've got three days left.

Bring it on.

Wo Ai Wo De Baba

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland

My dad is Superman. He is funny, patient, kind, and loving. He is a carpenter, a mechanist, and a hunter. But, most of all he is a father and a husband. He has taught me some of the most important things in life, and I am lucky to call him mine.
Happy Father's Day!

Spring Fever (pt.3)

Last night, we had a little party in honor of America playing in the World Cup. We invited our adorable kung fu teachers, of course, and had super sugary American desserts. Don't let that face fool you. He loved the cookies.. they were just extremely sweet in comparison to Chinese food. I'll probably have trouble getting used to it again..But, no problem. Mei wen ti!

One

One:
-class to teach
-day with these kids
-week to spend in China
-big performance in a few hours

-too many goodbyes to get ready for..

Spring Fever (pt. 2)

Last night we had dinner with Hui Hui and Spring.

We had Muslim noodles; what a beautiful thing.
The group laughed and ate for about an hour.
Spring said that pretty girls gave him power (to eat more food).
We slowly made our way out of the crowded shop.
We were just having so much fun and didn't want it to stop.
The night was still so very young.
It had really only just begun.
Then Spring spoke the words, "you, come with me?"
Inside I was screaming with glee!
I hopped onto the back of his motorbike and rode off into the sunset.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he told me not to fret. ("You are with me. You believe me. I will not let any bad happen.")

Best night in China? You better believe it.

'Bad Man' Drill Day

Because of the recent stabbings throughout China, our school decided to perform a drill to prepare the children to hide if there were ever to be an intruder ("Bad Man"). Most of the kids were confused. Some giggled through the whole thing, while others were terrified.
This affected me more than I thought it would.
As I looked into the faces of the 20+ children in the big storage closet, I had news headlines of Columbine and Virgina Tech flashing through my mind. It made me sick to my stomach to think about anyone ever trying to hurt these precious children.
I fought to blink back tears as I snapped back to the present. The kids began laughing and dancing as soon as the drill was over. And the rest of the day went on like usual.
I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with these children. They have touched my life so deeply.
It's going to be really hard to leave them in two weeks.

Love, Love, Love

I love my kung fu instructor- who kissed me on the cheek yesterday.

I love my guard- who I saw out of uniform today.

I love my coordinator, Celina- who is in labor!!! Yeah!

I love China.

Wo ai ni!

Rain, Rain, Won't You Stay?

As you wash away the bothersome stickiness of steamy humid air, you bring in soothing, cooling waves of assurance and tranquility.
An assurance that not everyday will be horribly sticky, that my efforts with the 'babies' will be validated, and that I will be able to handle the adventures that await me at home.
You bring the sense of tranquility and nostalgia as you lull me to sleep with your rhythmic beating against the window; sending me off to dream of things far away.
Drown out the mugginess. Drown out the noise.
Rain, rain. Please, won't you stay?

Children's Day

Happy Children's Day! What a wonderful day! Children's Day is another fabulous holiday that we, sadly, do not honor in America.

Teaching was not involved in today's festivities. Instead, we played games, gave out prizes, sang a few songs, and ate a lot of great food! The school was decorated from top to bottom with balloons and streamers. Laughter and squeals of excitement floated through the hallways. Smiling parents beamed with satisfaction in watching their children. And seven foreign teachers left the school, filled to the brim, with borrowed childlike enthusiasm.

Today marks the beginning of June... The month that we leave.

It feels impossible. Where did the time go?...

In more believable news, today is my sister's 20th birthday.
Zhun yi shengri kuai le!
Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear RACHEL! Happy birthday to you!
Wo ai ni!

Back to Basics

Friday was my last day with the older kids. If you had asked me eight weeks ago if I was going to be sad about going back to the babies, then I might have told you "no." But, during these past two months, I have absolutely fallen in love with the older classes. Especially my homeroom. They're so smart and so funny! Since it was my last day with them on Friday, I made bracelets for just the kids in my homeroom class and explained to them that I wasn't going to be their teacher anymore. Bella took this as me saying that I was going back to America already. She started crying and sat on my lap and just hugged me. It was so sad! Made me cry too, of course. I knew that it was going to be hard to leave them all at the end of this adventure, but Bella helped to give me an idea of just how hard it will actually be.

After I was done teaching today, I went up to help with the Children's Day performance rehearsal, and all of my kids ran over and hugged me. It was wonderful. I'm going to miss them all so much! ...Three and a half weeks. Then back to reality. Wei shen ma?

One Month

I have one month left in China. One month. One. Yi! 我会想中国！ I'm going to miss China!
It's so crazy to think about how fast my time here has gone. It's especially hard to think about after days like today. The kids were wonderful and so happy! Ta men hen kai xin!

The Children's Day performances are coming along great. But, because of the recent shootings and stabbings in China, we've had to move the performance to a different date and to an indoor venue. The show must go on! They're doing such a good job at their parts, and of course (I'll say it again) they're adorable.

One month... I just can't believe it. Then I have to go back to facing reality, right? School, work, social life. Oh, and speaking of a social life, I'd like to first say THANK YOU to those of you who haven't forgotten about me and have continued to keep in contact with me. And secondly, I'd like to say sorry to those of you who have been trying to reach me on Facebook. I won't be checking it until I get home.

I miss my family and friends so much. I can't wait to see them all! But, I will strive to thrive in the last month of my Chinese life.

"Family" Night Activity

For this week's activity, we wrote each of our names on a piece of paper and passed it around for everyone to write down three adjectives/compliments. Here are my results.
Shaila:
-is beautiful
-hysterical
-logical
-talkative
-supportive
-genuine
-giggly
-nice butt
-nice legs
-optimistic
-gorgeous hair
-smile-provoking
-makes-you-feel-warm-&-fuzzy-&-happy-like-summer-er
-jokester
-angelic-smile
-flexible
-good-listener
-peaceful
-hilarious

These girls are quite hilarious themselves, don't you think? I can't believe that I only have five and a half weeks left with them. Crazy!

Wo Ai Wo De Mama

I should tell you more often how much I love you and how lucky I am to be your daughter. So much that’s good about my life today comes from having a mom who cared enough to raise me right and has loved me through thick and thin. For all the big and little ways, your wisdom and caring have made a difference in my life. I'm so happy to call you mine.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

Homeroom

Teaching the older kids was very difficult at first.. Okay, sometimes it still is. But, I'm loving them more and more everyday. And so I want to tell you a little bit about them. Since I teach about twenty kids, I'll only tell you about my homeroom class right now.

Aiden- He is one of the best English speakers in the school. Although, recently he's chosen to speak more Chinese in class. And he's not the only one. Bu hao! But, since he speaks a good amount of English (for his age), he also loves to ask a ton of questions! He's very inquisitive and a fast learner. He also loves to touch you whenever possible. So, if you're someone who can't stand to be touched (I have my days) then keep a good 2 foot space between you and this adorable child ;)

Alice- She is currently my best student. As previously mentioned, my students have been starting to slack off in their English, but Alice has been a persistent speaker. She's smiley and happy and a wonderful big sister to her little brother, Scott. She's like a little princess :)

Bella- She's got a lot of sass. She likes to take her time with everything. And more often than not, she is laying across the table, sprawled out everywhere. But recently, she's really begun to shine. Her English is improving and she is more interested in and excited about the class activities. She will be playing the Princess in the upcoming Children's Day performance. We put together our own version of The Princess and the Frog. It's going to be adorable :)

Jack- He came into the program about a month and a half ago. At first he was a bit of a fighter, getting into trouble with the other boys in class. Now they're all pretty good friends. He is doing well at repeating things, but still sometimes has a hard time grasping concepts. When he first came into the program and an English teacher would say his name, he would respond with, "English only!" Ha :) But that was because we were constantly having to remind him to only speak English in class. He's a really funny kid. If you need a laugh, come watch Jack.

Josh- I know that we're not supposed to have favorites, but I'll go ahead and admit that Josh is one of mine. He just has such a sweet heart! He is a good student, but sometimes gets picked on by the other kids, so I just can't help but have a soft spot for him. Also, lately he's been having to wear an eye patch over his glasses. Sometimes he'll just tilt his head down and look up at you with little puppy eyes. It'll make you just want to hug him.

Paul- He likes being the first in line. He's also usually the first to greet me in the mornings, which makes my heart smile. "Guhh morney teecha Shella!" :) His pronunciation isn't that fabulous, then again these kids are about five years old, but he knows how to make people smile.

William- He loves having your attention. He also loves to help me get the group to focus. For instance, if I have to get after someone else; Me: "Jack! Aiden! Sit down." William: "Jaaaack!!!!! Aaaaaidennnn!!! Siiiiiiit dooowwwnnnn!!!!!!!" At first it was funny. Now I gently remind him that I am the teacher and that I will take care of it. William will be playing the Alligator in our Children's Day performance. He loves pretending to eat everyone :)

**The pictures are in description order.