a very merry JAPANESE Christmas!

While many of the other teachers decided to go to the Hainan Islands, (also known as the Hawaii of China) Virginia-Claire and I took another approach to Christmas vacation and went skiing in Japan! After quite a long day, 12hours to be exact, of flying, busing, train-ing, metro-ing, and even cabbing, we finally made it to our adorable hostel where we spent 5 days and 4 nights with the nicest and most gracious hosts I have ever met.

During our stay in Japan, we drank green tea, enjoyed lots of yummy sushi, skiied until we were sore, relaxed in an Onsen (Japanese Hot Spring/Spa) and even got the chance to hang out with snow monkeys! We had the time of our lives and I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend this memorable holiday with a great friend!

walking on sunshine while living in a yellow submarine!

As you may or may not know, as well as being a standard 1st grade homeroom teacher, I also teach DANCE, and somehow actually survived my first semester! If you've ever seen me dance (and I'm sorry if you have) you understand how this is quite the accomplishment! Not only was I expected to come up with fun, energetic routines for class but at the end of the semester my kids had to perform in the Christmas Art Festival! I can 100% guarantee I was 10x more nervous than any and all of the kids! I had no idea what to expect from the other dance classes and was absolutely clueless about choreographing a dance for 1st graders. In the end I chose one of favorite songs, "Walking On Sunshine" which luckily turned out to be the perfect song for the kids as they (almost) always danced together and (for the most part) looked polished and organized.... Either way it was a lot of fun for both me and the kids and a great experience to broaden my horizons and be challenged in a new art form.

Christmas in China... a new level of "Tacky Light Tour" -sisterhoods, this is for you!

Although my sisterhoods may not agree, one of MY favorite Christmas traditions is heading out every year for a night of sisterly bonding, and tacky light touring! For obvious reasons, our little girl’s night is being put on hold this year. So, without the help of Iris, Roy, or any of our other wonderful limo drivers, it has been up to me to find my own Tacky Light Tour here in Shanghai! Luckily, this was not a difficult task – in fact it came quite easily! Immediately after Thanksgiving, the Chinese Christmas elves took over Shanghai and the city was transformed! But instead of seeing those “classy reindeer” (Tricia), and dancing Santas I found neon trees, angels, ribbons and bows as well as strands of SINGING Christmas tree lights (sounds cool, but trust me when I say - it gets REAL annoying after about 5seconds) and GLITTER GALORE!!!!

Now, what surprised me most about all of this was not the glitter, tensile, or even singing trees, but the fact that our school has not only talked about and decorated for Christmas but is also encouraging the children to discuss and embrace the holiday! This week we have dedicated journal topics, read aloud time, and show and tell to everything Christmas. Our class is even planning on having a proper Christmas Party on Tuesday with a gift exchange, Christmas music, and snacks! I love the excitement and anticipation the children are feeling with the upcoming holiday and a visit from Santa!

Just make sure to remember the reason for the season! Happy Birthday Jesus!

My first Shanghai Snowfall!

Not much else to say, but the kids couldn’t get enough! We had a great time playing outside throwing snow balls and attempting our hand at snowmen and snow angels! It was truly awesome to see the kid’s little faces light up each time they would tap you or grab you by the hand and say, “teeecha techaa look it snows outside” or “buuut riiiily teecha, it snows, look! look!” Oh how I love my job!

the infamous squatters - the good, the bad, the UGLY

Inevitably this entry was going to happen eventually - so here it goes!

As many of you may or may not know, toilets in China are NOT always easy to come by. Bathrooms? sure, no problem! But an actual toilet as we know it.... well that's another whole story! Typically, toilets, bathroom, and everything involved, is not something that is often talked about, but for reasons soon to be revealed, NEEDS mentioning!

So of course I heard about the so called "hole in the ground" (or "squat pot" for lack of better words) but nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, could prepare me for my first actual experience using such technology (or lack there of.) Let's be honest

- I was scared! How do I balance? What if I fall? Do I flush the TP or put in the bin next to me? What if the pot clogs because I flushed the paper and it overflows? AHHHHH!!!!!!

Well, I survived and I must say my first experience wasn't that bad!

Now, if you know me at all, you'll know that I LOVE a pro and con list so - behold!!!

The first squat..... A+ = Pro List

*You don't have to touch ANYTHING!

*To flush - just step on the foot pedal! *environmentally friendly - GO GREEN!

*You usually get a door that locks!

After experiencing my first squat (and living to tell the tale) I thought I was up for

anything.... little did I know what was lurking in my future - "the bad and the ugly" - writing a con list never felt so good!

Please Note: the "moat" like concoction that's happening here - one "bathroom"

connected to the next, and next, and next....

The Second Squat...... F = Con List

* The Smell

* Leg muscle cramps

* The LACK of doors

* Poor Aim resulting in

slippery floors...

* Splashing....

(sorry but it's true)

There you have it - you be the judge - To Squat or Not to Squat?

Now THAT'S a question worth asking!

Gobble Gobble! - Happy Thanksgiving!

For the first time EVER, I spent Thanksgiving away from home... I was not particularly looking forward to working and not being with my family during the holiday but as it turns out, I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend Thanksgiving! A bunch of the teachers got together and had a HUGE potluck complete with all the holiday favorites from turkey, and sweet potatoes, to green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and even stuffing! I was highly impressed with all the teacher's culinary skills (not only can we teach, but we can cook as well - what more could you ask for?) Once we arrived everyone took off their shoes, got comfy, and sat on blankets around coffee tables. We ate, socialized and reflected on our many blessing and gave thanks!

quick trip to Hangzhou!

I never thought the day would come that I could actually say, “I love mid-terms.” As a teacher, mid-terms mean administering tests, then grading – and that’s all! There are no lessons to plan, classes to teach, or homework to grade. Instead, it’s a week to relax and let the kids do the stressing. Also with mid-terms we were given a long weekend – which for most of us meant another great opportunity to journey outside of Shanghai.

After talking to a few friends, I decided t o embark on a trip to Hangzhou, located about an hour away by train from Shanghai. Hangzhou is known for its natural beauty, including tea fields, botanical gardens, the West Lake, and a population of 6.4 million! It was wonderful to get out of the busy city life and be surrounded by fresh air and greenery!

While in Hangzhou, we rented bikes, walked around, and spent our time exploring and taking in the beauty. We walked through botanical gardens, got lost a little, and even saw a water show on the lake. After being in Hangzhou for only a couple hours, it soon became one of my favorite places I have visited thus far, and being so close to home, is definitely a place I will visit again!

Ms. V, Why you look so funny?

Happy Halloween!

As a primary grade teacher, I get to do all the fun things that the older grades don't, including dressing up for Halloween! Since SHSID is an international school, we encourage learning about and experiencing various customs and traditions of other countries! This whole past week, we've been learning and getting ready for Halloween. We've talked about costumes, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, scarecrows, witches, ghosts, mummies, and goblins. The kids donated candy and Friday, we had a HUGE party! The day started off with class trick-or-treating, where the children walked around to the other grade teachers and got TONS of candy! After lunch, we paraded to the high school building, singing songs and getting even more candy along the way. Finally, after everyone was fully loaded with sugar, we had a costume contest among the children where the winners were rewarded with being able to mummify their favorite teachers! All in all we had a GREAT day filled with laughs and plenty of sweet treats to send home!

why I love first grade...

"what's your favorite color?"

"RAINBOW!"

"If you could give the children from the past a gift, what would you give?"

"I would give the children a PSP, pretty dresses, a necklace, and you Ms. V because you're a really good teacher to me."

"Hey Jude, We all live in a Yellow Submarine, A Kuna Matata..."

"Ms. V, I give you star today because you very beautiful!"

"I sorry teacher, sometimes I just like to yell."

"Ms. V, If you're going to be mean today, I'm going to give you an 'X'!"

"My favorite part of school is Science and Ms. V"

"Do you have an siblings"

"Yes, I have little brother."

"You're mom told me you have a sister...?"

"No, I think it's a brother"

walking back from lunch - "Ms. V, I want to hold your hand because you're a lady and I'm a gentleman and that's nice to do."

In regard to my Halloween costume - "Ms. V, why you look so funny?"

Primary School Swim Competition

What’s school without a little competition? So these past few weeks there has been constant talk about the primary school swim competition. With swimming not offered as a class or even an afterschool extracurricular activity I have been questioning the validity and wondering how this will be incorporated into the day. Now, even after the competition has happened I’m still confused about this quite bazaar occurrence.

The competition was done by grade level, so each homeroom had representatives to compete. It was totally optional, so the children that wanted to compete had their parents fill out a form and that was it – no questions asked about swim level or experience. This meant that literally, even if a child could barley hold his/her breath underwater they were eligible…. Well, as you can imagine this was NOT the best idea. The range of swimmers competing was HUGE from kids that have clearly been swimming for years and looked like soon to be Olympic hopefuls to others that actually had to be rescued by a lifeguard. Yeah it was weird – During this time I began to wonder what the school was thinking when they decided this would be a good idea as well as the reasoning any parent would agree to let their child compete knowing that their swim skills were not up to par… At this point all I have to say is, ONLY IN CHINA…

Final day of Outdoor Excursions

I think today was my favorite day of the entire trip! We slept in a little later than the last few days, (around 8:30) had breakfast, and then rented bikes for the day. The four of us ended up mapping out a route and biking all around Yangshou, we got lost a few times along the way and our 4hour bike tour ended up being 6hours! We started off strong and alive – making it to the mid-point without any problems! But once we crossed Dragon Bridge that all began to change…. We couldn’t seem to get our directions correct and ended up making lots of wrong turns. Towards the end of our bike excursion we were so lost that a local Chinese farmer had to show us the way! What a blessing he became – not only did he lead us through his fields he also took us on his bamboo raft across the river singing the entire way! He was so much fun and we were so thankful for him! Once we were on track again we stopped and had a yummy lunch at Giggling Tree, about 3miles out of the main town. By the time we got back we were exhausted so we showered, took a little rest, then spent the rest of the night walking around town and doing some bargain shopping!

Wednesday was the final day of our outdoor National Holiday excursion! We spent our final day shopping and walking around Yangshou! I had a wonderful time and can honestly say it was one of the best and most exciting vacations I’ve ever been had! I love love love CHINA!!!!

Li River Bamboo Rafts and Cooking Class

Monday was another early morning – we woke up at 6:00 in order to catch a bus and raft down Li River. We rode in bamboo rafts down the river spotting water buffalo, wild horses, and ugly white frogs along the way. Being so early in the morning and on the river, it was FREEZING! Eventually we made it across the Li River and took another bus to Yangshou. Since it was National Holiday, everything was a lot busier and more crowded than normal. We weren’t able to get seats on the next bus, but considering how lucky we had been up until this point none of us had any room to complain. Once we made it to Yangshou we walked to Showbiz Inn (our new hostel) and rested for a while before heading out! We booked a cooking class upon arrival for later in the evening giving us the rest of the afternoon to explore the area.

The cooking class was so much fun! We each made 3 yummy dishes! I made green beans with ginger and garlic, braised tofu with veggies, and local beer fish! The green beans were by far my favorite but the fish was also very yummy! Some of the others made Gong Bao Chicken, and Braised Beef which I was told was good as well! At the end of the class we were each given our recipe cards to take home and make again!

After cooking class we went back to Showbiz and had a few drinks on the rooftop bar! We met tons of cool people teaching or working in other parts of China and I even ran into a couple people from high school! Such a small world! All in all we had a great first day/night in Yanghou!