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.