2/23/2016

We rode on a bus and made it to Suzhou. I still haven't seen much of it yet, but it seems nice. I just want a Sunday where I can stay in and be spiritual, and maybe even find out how to do the church on Skype thing, but that didn't happen this week.We went to a welcome reception for the foreign teachers at Chengxi Middle School, which was the school where I was assigned, so I didn't have to go anywhere afterward. It was more people talking to us about important stuff, except they made us all give a speech to introduce ourselves. They made me go first, and I had no idea what to say, so it felt really awkward. After that, they took us to our apartment. It's a really nice place! There are two of us, and three bedrooms. One is a child's bedroom, and we decided that it can be our studio/office/whatever. I have the master bedroom, which means I get my own bathroom, which I was not expecting. It took us a while to get the hot water to work. You have to pull a lever and then wait for it to be hot, and make sure it's off before bed. We also have a TV, a kitchen with cooking supplies, a washer in the lower bathroom, and an indoor balcony. And the tables open up so you can play mah jong (also included). My roommate is named Amelia Quine, and she's quite nice. We just wish we could get the DVD player to work, but maybe the problem is our foreign disks. At any rate, at least they didn't stick us in another hotel until arrangements could be made. Most of the other interns in Suzhou are in hotels, which means they have to pack and unpack AGAIN! Chengxi Middle School is nice. It's a fairly new school, and really big. Amelia and I haven't started teaching yet. They mostly wanted us to just sit in the office and familiarize ourselves with the other English teachers. Amelia is on the floor below me, because they have an office for English teachers in each grade. It was kind of boring, actually, but not completely. Whenever it's time to change classes, the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" plays over the intercom, which I find amusing. And, in between classes, the students go in and practice things that they remember from class. They often smile and wave at me when I go by, and some of the girls even exclaim, "Oh, you are so beautiful!" (One guy even winked at me as he walked by. I wasn't sure what to think of that.) I feel so awesome! The only thing is, they were somehow under the impression that one of us was supposed to teach English, and the other was supposed to teach music. I think they were supposed to get a music teacher and an English teacher, and then they got two English teachers instead. Amelia and I both know a little about music, and she was pretty happy with the idea of teaching the kids English songs or something, but the agency decided that I would be going to another school instead. Which is fine, I guess. I get to go to a nearby primary school, which means I get to work with cute little kids (not that middle schoolers aren't cute). It makes me sad because the people at Chengxi were so happy to have me, and now I have to leave. But, oh, well. Yesterday was the day of the Lantern Festival, which is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. It's not a super big deal in Suzhou, like it is in Beijing, but there were fireworks. Well, there were fireworks probably every night since I've gotten here, because it was Spring Festival, but there was a really nice show outside my window. The Lantern Festival is a time for families to get together and eat dumplings, so Amelia invited the other interns over and we shared dumplings. It was a great idea, except they also brought beer, so it was mostly awkward for me. I ate some dumplings so I wouldn't starve, but then I hung out upstairs and got ready for bed. (I got a nice view of the fireworks, though.) I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go to school today, since I'm changing schools, anyway, but I did, and it was a good thing, too, because they hadn't been informed of the plan yet. (This seems to be a thing in China. Everything is just confusing.) I just sat there, mostly, but the other teachers showed us around a bit during their free time. There are a lot of shops around the area. I just love it! They pitied me and lent some money to buy a coat, since I just had my jacket. I had left my money at the school, and I didn't have quite enough cash, anyway. There was also a guy on the street who sold musical instruments. I hope I see him again, because I really want to buy a bamboo flute. That's one of the things I have to get while I'm in China. Then, after school, I got more cash from the ATM and we did some food shopping. I also bought a sweater and some work pants, because I need them. I start at Wuzhong Primary School tomorrow, and I'm excited to see the kids. While I was just sitting there, I thought it would be a good idea to scratch out a lesson plan today, since I have no idea what's going on. Now I'll be prepared. One thing I hope they have is sit-down toilets. Chengxi does not. I can get used to squatting, I think, but sometimes it's just nice to not have to. I think that's everything. I hope you don't fall asleep reading this novel that I have composed for you. I hope you're all well, and I hope Dad and anyone else who got sick are feeling better. I love you all. Love, Chelsey*:x lovestruck