Lady Gaga and Marcel

On Friday 5-28 we had the annual Children's Day performance at our school. Most of our students' parents came to watch, and many of our students were in three or four shows. It was kind of like a stake roadshow. A few groups sang songs or played traditional Chinese instruments. Katie and my kids sang "Bingo," and the other ILP teachers' kids sang "Lollipop." Later, the ILP teachers all sang the Hannah Montana song, "The Climb." Bruce played guitar and someone else played the piano. Then, to end the talent show, we were the second-to-last act. We got on-stage and performed a dance choreographed to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." Katie learned it and spent the past two weeks teaching it to us. It was so much fun! We dressed in all black with sequins, and painted our faces like halloween, and ratted up our hair. It kind of felt like "Thriller." We got a huge applause, and the next evening the school principals paid for us to go out to eat, because the parents liked it so much.

On Saturday, Katie and I went at 8am to teach at the kindergarten. One of the kids is named Marcel, after a monkey from the TV show "Friends." He is kinda quiet, but one day he saw one of us teachers getting a token to put in our apron. He decided he wanted the token, jumped out of his chair and started clawing the token out of the teacher's hands. The teacher screamed, but Marcel just kept climbing up on her and clawing at her hands. Once he got the token, he never gave it back. So on Saturday, Katie was teaching Marcel when he did the same thing to her. She was able to whip out the camera and snap a photo of him:

*our internet is not letting us upload right now so we will gets those pictures ASAP*

We do dishes in the shower

This is Katie teaching at the public school. Tyler is the kid in the center, facing the camera.

So there I was (Bruce), teaching at the public school. My lesson for the food category was to pour juice into a cup, and use a straw to drop some in everyone's mouth without ever actually touching them, like a pipette. (We talk in English the whole time about what we are doing). At first I would tighten the juice cap so tight that the kids couldn't open it. I would pass it around the table, and when no one could open it they gave it back to me. I would dramatically blow on the cap, and unscrew it as if it were effortless (I actually had to twist pretty hard, but the kids believed it was magic). I tightened it again, passed it around, and all the kids would try blowing on it before opening it. Again, none of them could open it. Before we moved on, I would have everyone at the table blow on the juice cap at the same time. Then I would take the cap off like it was easy. After all the kids had gotten a few drops and I was done with my lesson (20 minutes), we would rotate kids and I would start over with a new group of about seven kids. After all four rotations, we were done for the day and I was saying goodbye to the kids as they walked off down the hall with their parents. But one kid, Tyler, had other plans. He is our ADHD kid who just got back from Beijing where they tried to cure him with traditional Chinese medicine. Tyler ran past me into my room, jumped over my chair, and squatted down in the corner where my juice bottle was sitting on the floor. I immediately knew what he was doing. He was trying to get some more juice! As I started pacing towards him, I could see him struggling to get the bottle cap off in time to drink some before I caught him. With no success, and upon seeing me, he freaked out and started blowing on the bottle cap as hard as he could. I started laughing so hard I could barely get the bottle away from him.

We ar like your Dinosaur Dance

This week we have been practicing a dance we choreographed for the kids that they do to "Bingo" (there was a farmer had a dog...) The kids worked so hard that we decided to give them a break and let them play on the playground. With us teachers being their play buddies, our little 1st graders were able to reach new heights! Bruce started lifting up the kids that couldn't reach, so they could play on the monkey bars. Then he helped them climb up to the top of the bars! The kids were so excited, and it was neat to hear them do it all in English - "Teacher, teacher, I want up!"

Katie helped Kim, our star English speaker, make a sand cake. Kim told us, "I will go to school in Shanghai with my sister, and if my English is good I, I can go to America."

You're like my own personal enzyme...

This was the most relaxing weekend ever! So Yantai is a city about an hour and a half west of us. There is a Brazilian family that comes to Weihai to meet with us for church every week, the Machados. Brother Machado has been asking us to come visit and have a real Brazilian BBQ at his house for months now. This weekend we finally went. Brother Machado and his wife are in their late 30's and have two boys; one is 3 and the other is 5. Their boys are very active. They have been in China for over a year, while Brother Machado works as an electrical engineer on an oil rig in the ocean. Nine of us squished into a shrunken mini-van built for 7 passengers. It was really tight! We sat four to a row (instead of three) and one lucky person got shot gun. It took a little longer than expected because our driver didn't really know where to go, and there was a ton of road construction and detours. We left Weihai at 4:45pm and got there at about 6:30pm. The first thing he did was take us out to dinner to an American restaurant. It was THE BEST American food I have had since I have been here! Oh, we had sour cream, guacamole, lemonade, pork ribs, Caesar salad, fries, twice-baked potatoes; Bruce got a chimichanga, and I got Parmesan chicken. It was heaven! I didn't realize how good food can be. It was indescribable bliss . . . They had to roll us out the door after we finished eating. We got home and played with the boys before going to bed. They go to an international school, and can speak Portuguese, English, and some Korean and Chinese. Sister Machado said they hated being so far from home at first, but now they have made friends, mostly Brazilian and Korean.

The next morning I woke up to what sounded like gun shots in a war zone. It was the Chinese shooting fireworks for a wedding at around 7 am. Then I smelled something yummy . . . Brother Machado made us pancakes with real butter and maple syrup! After breakfast we held church in their living room. Their home was small but beautiful! I loved how they decorated it! It didn't feel like China at all. It was like going home for a nice break! The talks were inspiring and uplifting. The rest of our stay was devoted to bumming around and eating yummy food!! Brother Machado made us Brazilian-style beef ribs and steak for lunch. It was the best. I felt so full and content. It wasn't just the food, though. They were so welcoming and the boys were so funny to watch. I could feel the love they have for each other. It made me miss our family. Unfortunately, it couldn't last forever. This coming week we are preforming at our Daguanghua school for Children's Day (which is on June 1st). I can't believe it is June next week!

Chinese Childhood

I took this picture a in front of the International Market in Weihai. While his mother waited for the public bus he wandered off to look at the balloons. This scene represents typical middle-class China - street vendors, toddlers with potty hole pants, electric scooters, the guy is smoking, bright red Chinese signs, and too many stairs. (We have looked through lots of toddler clothes here, and they ALL have the potty hole in the crotch. Normal toddler pants as found in the US are completely obsolete.)

As a side note, Bruce was so intrigued by the convenient design that he is commissioning a seamstress at the local market to sew him a pair that he can wear for the remainder of his stay in China.

Just kidding.

"Teacher! This is your . . .*Snip Snip Snip*"

While walking around downtown we found a lady selling something weird. It was in the shape of a star, with the texture of hard jelly. She tried to tell us what it was, but we didn't understand. We bought one! (It was only 15 cents). She handed it to me in a baggie with water. When we started to play with it, the lady started talking in Chinese and motioned for us NOT to poke or pinch it, and to keep it submerged in water. Weird. We brought the star home and put it in a jar of water. We are going to Yanti this weekend to visit some church members there. I wonder what we will find when we get back?? The only two guesses we have are: 1- it will absorb the water and expand to a ridiculously huge size; or 2- it is filled with fertilized fish eggs and food, and after a while we'll have a bunch of fish swimming around. Any guesses, looking at the picture?

Funny Story: I was teaching a game at the EDK (kindergarten) yesterday when one of my favorite students, Candice, walked up to me. She showed me a small sticker of a strawberry. I said, "How cute!" and continued my lesson. A few minutes later she stuck something wet on my hand. I looked down and saw the sticker covered in spit stuck to my hand. It was a cute gesture, and little gross, but cute! (The sticker wasn't sticky anymore, so she used her saliva to make it stick again, and then gave it to me as a symbol of her friendship).

Fu Yuen, I'll have the Gou Rou.

Katie's Experience Eating Dog: I know, I know, I said I would never eat dog. But there it was in front of me, and it smelled really good. So I picked up a rib (yes, a dog rib) and nibbled it. Wow- much better than I had expected! It was kinda stringy and a little fatty but it reminded me of dark meat on a turkey. The hardest part was getting over the fact that every time I remembered I was eating dog I thought of Lucy, Emmie, and Prince Henry. I'm not sure if I would eat it again. Maybe to gross someone out. Lol!


Bruce's Experience Eating Dog: My number-one priority was to make sure we got real dog meat; not sliced beef that they called dog just to be cool. We ordered two dog dishes- spicy dog, and dog ribs. They were both surprisingly delicious. It was weird to see what looked like chicken-sized bones attached to what looked like cow meat... It couldn't have been a midget cow... it was definitely a dog. The meat was a little stringy, and a little fatty, but seasoned to perfection. I watched the Chinese guy cook it in his wok, and flames were shooting three feet up. I took a video of the whole thing, which we'll post on youtube. It was definitely better than scorpion.

We have been practicing for the performance so each day we only have two classes. I got a few shots of the kids putting together a puzzle. (We repeat lessons at each school.) Tonight we are eating dog . . . I'll let you know how that goes . . .

"Seven, Seven. Go to Seven Eleven ..."

We got back into teaching this week and it wasn't easy! It almost felt like the first week again. I think our kids are just a little wound up for the performance coming up next week. Whitney told us that for the next few days we need to practice our song and dance. Bingo is getting really old! So I thought I'd try to make it fun by bringing in some other fun songs to warm up to. I played "S.O.S." and did dance stretches with the kids. My girls loved it! They kept time with me as I jumped and shook my hips. The other classes did pretty well to. After we were warmed up they lined up to sing Bingo . . . again. I was a rough run through but they found the motivation when we bribed them with candy. It was funny cuz one of they boys, Andy, from Bruce's class, was really hot and wanted me to pull his hair into a pony tail. It was too short, lol! We only had time for 2 rotations today. That was enough to make us all exasperated! I keep forgetting my camera, when I remember I'll take pictures of the kids.

Happy Square Pictures

Ultra Man

It has been a LONG and CRAZY week. At the end of each semester our school puts on a performance for the parents. Ours is on May 28th. However we just found out that they are having rehearsals 3 weeks early. So we spent the last week teaching our kids a dance to Bingo. I can't describe how difficult it is to teach a dance to 7-year-olds who don't speak the your language. Don't get me wrong, they speak English well, but there is a whole other jargon when it comes to dancing and singing. The next day we decided to speak the international language of "candy." Bruce held up a bag of suckers, and within about 5 minutes, they had learned the dance. They look so cute doing it! Kelly said we will get a DVD copy of the final performance. Also, I never knew how talented our students are. During the rehearsal I saw my kids do almost everything. Maia played two instruments, danced, and sang the English song with us. Amy (8 years old) played an instrument, danced, and sang our song and a duet with an older girl. When we weren't teaching, we were learning a dance to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." It is pretty popular here. I hear it on the streets all the time. But you will have to wait to see the video.

Today felt like a week's worth of work stuffed into a single day. We woke up around 7am to do a demo teaching at the town square. We were told it was for government officials. Our school set up blankets to teach our students so people can see how cool it is to go to our school. Basically it was a "LOOK! We've got white people and our kids can speak English! You should come to our school" advertisement. I don't know if the government people ever showed up . . . there were so many people. We were given microphones so everyone within 30 feet could hear us. It fun to see all the people gathering. I read a book for my lesson and sometimes kids that weren't from our school would sit and listen for 10 mins. I was nice to be in a setting where we could have fun with kids and not worry about keeping them in line. I taught Kitty (one of my youngest students) two hand clapping games; she picked up on them pretty quickly. I taught her "Down by the Banks" and "Double, Double, This, This." Drew (my little Korean boy) loved rolling around on the grass. He would do 4 or 5 forward-rolls in a row. After we were done teaching, most parents came and got their kids for the weekend. A few came back to school with us. Drew was one of them. I thought it would be fun to get out the bubbles on the bus. Both Drew and Chase loved them! Drew would blow bubbles in Chase's face and Chase would scream like a girl. After 10 mins I think the Chinese teachers were about to beat them. So I put the bubbles away. The rest of the way home Drew and I threw a ball back and forth.

We can home and ate a late lunch. I got a video of the kids eating seaweed soup. I wonder what American foods they would and wouldn't like...

Then we taught at the public school. I got a new boy in my class. He was really shy. He cried for the first half of my class, until his mom convinced him to stay. When he sat down I asked him what his name was. Brian, my little 6-year-old sweetheart, turned to me and whispered, "Teacher, his name is Kyle." So I don't know if that is his real English name or if Brian made it up, but the kid responded to it. For my public school lesson I cut up a picture of a panda and they had to put the puzzle pieces together. First I showed them the picture they were trying to make. Most of the classes got it right away. I decided for the last class to see how they would do if I didn't show them a picture of what the puzzle was supposed to be. They all took turns trying to rearrange the pieces to make them fit. I took about 5 mins to work out a 5 piece puzzle of the panda. I was surprised it took so long but it was fun to see them try to make a foot attach to the head. I've never seen them work so hard on a lesson.

Tim: "It is wet squatter."- Referring to dinner

Bruce pointed out to me that we haven't written much about teaching. Teaching is much easier now than it was 2 months ago. We have set schedules that the kids now know and follow . . . most of the time. They do some funny things. At our home school I have 5 girls and 1 boy in my home room. Drew is my little stinker. He was in shock when we moved him to an all girls class. He has opened up again. He is such a cutie. No doubt my girls are the best behaved. Amy is my show girl. She is always doing cartwheels, singing, or talking. She is super talented. Lilly is the teacher's pet. She is more strict with the class than I am sometimes. Lele is really mellow. She talks in English the best that she can. Maia is shy but mature. She so gorgeous with her big eyes. Last is Kitty, she is my baby girl. She is more sensitive than the rest; I think she is the youngest. She is a doll!! I absolutely love my class! They keep me on my toes. I've been meaning to get some pictures during class. I'll put them up as soon as possible.

Harmonious Habitat

There are no zoos like the zoos in China! At least not that I know of. Nine of us (plus the driver makes ten) crammed in a shrunken minivan (the size of a twin bed with a roof and wheels) and drove to the Weihai Zoo. It was about an hour away. However, there were about 10 weddings in the city, which created about a million cars on the road, which led to horrific traffic jams. It took us about 3 hours to get there. But we did get there and we were determined to have a good time. We ate lunch at a very slow restaurant, and headed for the first part of the zoo. It started with a BANG! There were tigers, lions, leopards, wolves, and cheetahs! The layout of the zoo was awesome. Well, I guess it was technically an "animal rescue reserve."

Anyways, it was designed so that we walked above the animals on a wall (like a mini Great Wall of China, with animals on both sides). There weren't any fences over the animals. It was concrete and a few electric wires. Most of the walls were 9 to 15 feet high. Just knowing that if a leopard really wanted to eat you he could skip to the top of the wall was exciting. Hearing them roar added to that feel of fear. The lion roars reverberate through our chests. I wish we could experience that in the States but there is no way that kind of exhibit would be allowed!

As we continued walking, we were lead to a mountainside with monkeys. Again, there were no fences, just a rope to show us the path. A mama monkey gathered food as her baby clung to her stomach. While some monkeys played tag across the rocks, others twirled on ropes.

The next exhibit was the enclosure with birds and small animals that you could hand feed and pet. It was mostly rabbits, hamsters, and squirrels. My two favorite animals were the crazy rabid squirrel and the sugar glider. It was kinda sad in a way; looking at the animals you could tell they had all been traumatized by overexposure to humans. Most were hiding in corners or at the bottom of the cage. At least they were well fed.

In the third enclosure we saw eagles and vultures. A zoo handler had a giant vulture on a branch posing to take pictures. We lined up to get next to it. It was almost as scary as the tigers! We got too close and it nipped at us.

Next were a few random animals. We saw a beaver, a lot of turtles, snakes, ostriches and kangaroos. The snakes weren't as scary as I would have thought. They were about 4 feet below us. What made it worse was the amount of snakes that were kept together! I did get to feed an ostrich an apple and that was fun! They are beautiful birds!

Next to the big cats, the monkeys were the biggest attraction. It was fun to watch all of them interact with each other. In one enclosure all the monkeys were chasing after one little monkey. It was too quick for the bigger ones to keep up. Several monkeys had found empty soda bottles that people had thrown in and were playing with them. It was sooo cute! An orangutan had two bottles, one in his mouth and another he held onto with his foot.