last week: let's review.

the pagoda run

a few pics from our adventure to the pagoda near our town

<3

a time of learning

growth.

as my time here in china comes to an end (8 days to be exact!),

i have been taking the time to reflect upon my experience here. 

i came to china this fall with no expectations, no assumptions. 

i didn't want to compare it to last year, i just wanted to accept 

the differences and embrace the good here.

 i don't know what it is about traveling around the world by yourself that changes you,

 but something in you definitely changes. 

you gain perspective, understanding, and knowledge. 

you come to realize that this world is bigger than you ever imagined. 

you get to break out of your comfort zone and meet completely new people in new places. in my life i grew so accustomed to living in the same town, 

seeing the same people, and only branching out so much. 

coming and living here in china has made me realize how many freakin people there really are in this world! it's insane! especially here in china... 

i have been able to experience a different culture for the second time, 

and i learned just as much this time as i did the last, if not more.

 i wanted to write this post about what i have been able to gain and learn from my experience here in china this fall. 

patience
patience has always been an attribute i have wanted to perfect, but it seems like no matter how hard i try, i will always fall short. although i haven't perfected it yet, i think that i have improved so much since i have been here. being in charge of the teachers, and communicating with our chinese coordinator, i have learned that patience is something that really comes in handy. i definitely had my moments where i let the communication barrier get to me, but not really at the same time. i learned to keep a level head in demanding situations and i learned to work with other people in a calm manner. i learned that being patient with others is a form of understanding. everyone is going through their own "stuff" and it helps when there is someone trying to understand and help you.

love
well, first of all i have to say how much i love china. it is da bomb.
but there is a different aspect of love that i was able to focus on while i was here. it was my love of the gospel, and learning to love myself again. i faced a really tough trial right before i got here and during the beginning of my trip. it took a huge toll on my faith, confidence, and trust in myself. i had never been in a place like that before. ultimately what got me through it all was learning to love again. i learned to love this gospel all over again. i fell in love with the scriptures more than ever before. i am still learning each and every day how to more fully love Jesus Christ. and the most important thing i am still working on, is loving the person i am again. it took going all the way across the world to remember why i am who i am, and why i choose what i choose.

faith
i have heard the word faith countless times in my life. i have always understood the meaning. i don't think ever before in my life have i been tested of the Lord, to see if all my words on the matter could match my actions as much, as i did here in china. i don't think it has to do with the culture, or the place really, probably just the fact of being off on my own with no real church support. it was me and only me that would get me through the trial i was facing. although it was the hardest and darkest point i'd ever reached in my life, i was able to pull myself out of it through faith in Jesus Christ. i can tell any soul at this moment in time that He is real. not because anyone else told me that, or because i think i am supposed to say it. i say it because it's reality. He literally helped pull me out of the dark, and through my faith in Him, he really saved me. i have the strongest conviction of faith now, and it is something that i am so grateful to have made rock solid while here.

becoming a leader
the first time i came to china i came as a volunteer teacher. this time i came as the head teacher, so that meant i was in charge of all the teachers in my group. i have never been the "leadership type" but here i learned how to be one. i tried my very best to always put the teachers needs before my own. their happiness and comfort was always something i wanted to help. i learned that to be a leader it is more than just talking the talk, but to also walk the walk. it takes hard work. it takes effort and concern. i was able to help each teacher become the best teacher possible through effective coaching. but more importantly, i learned to be a leader while also being their friend. yep, i know it sounds cheesy, but it's true! building a friendship with someone first makes everything after that come much easier. there is still SO much i need to learn about leadership, but it was such a good step in the right direction coming here to help these girls.

acceptance
i usually pride myself in being a master of first impressions. i can tell a ton about a person just from the few first moments of meeting them. i can't tell you their middle name, if they like certain sports or whatnot. but i pick up on things really easily that show me who people really are. getting to know my girls here has been such a fun experience. in the beginning it was hard because i would compare them to girls in my group from last year. i realized very quickly that that was a mistake. i learned to accept and love the girls in my group for who they ARE. not who i think they should or could be. i learned to accept their amazing qualities, along with their not so amazing qualities..hehe. i did this in the hope that they too would do the same to me. i have learned to accept all the qualities of a person, but to acknowledge the good ones more than you do the bad.

there should probably be more to write...but it is late and i need me some shut eye! 

i just need to say that china came at the perfect time in my life. 

i learned things here and i NEEDED to learn. 

i grew into someone who is stronger than the first day she arrived here.

i have a new perspective on life that i've never been able to capture until now.

it is good to be where i am, and i am so blessed to have had this opportunity.

(taken today at the chinese pagoda in our city)

ahhhhh

as each day passes i get more and more antsy to get home! it is coming so fast! and it came out of no where. i swear yesterday i was in sanya playing in the waves.. or in beijing cat daddy'in on the great wall. now all of a sudden i have a week and 2 days! whahaaaaa??

how will i spend my last week?
what will i do to make sure it is the best week ever?
will it be a success?















stay tuned to find out...


i will bawl my eyes out and be depressed when i leave, but i sure am excited to be with my best friends again :) oh and to eat taco bell... hee hehehe hehehehe nomnomnomnomnom

hehehe

i am super bored and i can't fall asleep! i decided that i will write a blog post instead. i don't have a million pictures like i usually do, this one is mostly going to be my words! exciting right?

let's see..what is on my mind...
at the moment i am looking at our sad broken table in our living room.
it reminds me how china is super...
what is the word... fake?
things will look super nice but when you get down to quality...
not so much.
our table looks super cute and nice, but it is the cheapest thing ever!
also our couch looked super modern and stylish,
but it is the most uncomfortable thing i have ever sat on.
it is hard to have movie nights because none of us want to
sit on the thing for more than 10 minutes!
so rude.
when we got here it totally looked like they supplied us with big mattresses!
buuut when you pop a squat on them.. it was rock hard! hahaha.
it's better than sleeping on wood though? yes.

don't get me wrong, i love china.
there are just definitely some things that i am not going to miss about this place...
the communication barrier is sort of half the fun we have here...
but at certain times it can really make situations frustrating.
i am not going to miss eating rice at every meal.
no matter how many times freda tells me it is "good for my health,"
i don't think i will have rice for a really long time.

i am not going to miss showering right next to my toilet hahaa.
it will be nice to be in a separate area just for showering...
and baths! oh my! baths! i can't wait to relax in a bath tub again!

hmm.. that is really all i can think of to complain about right now!
besides that, i freakin love this place.
it hasn't hit me yet that i have less than two weeks left here.
it doesn't really hit you until you are home... which kind of stinks.
i know being home will be fantastic, and i will love it for a while.
but then it will hit me.... and i will get chinasick. deeply chinasick.

welp... looks like i will just have to start planning my next trip here... teehehehehee..

2 weeks.

exactly 2 weeks until i come home. what? here's what's been going on in my life.

     

we decorate our apartment all cute and christmasy then invited our chinese teachers over for a little party! we had a hoot of a time.

they love their peace signs.


freda made us some nomnom chinese food! she made our fav dish. the tomato and egg....mmmmm she knows us too well!

this isn't depressing at all... 

fredaaaaa. she's the bomb. she is also super short.

this is one of our principals. in the beginning we were all really scared of her and we thought she didn't like us. turns out she just needs to warm up to you :)

they LOVED all of our decorations! they would pick up any little decoration and giggle then want a picture with it..hahah. so cute.

this is jet! he is our kung fu teacher. he is such a boss. i'm gonna miss him so much!

we played "pin the nose on santa" they thought it was HILARIOUSSSS. which it kinda was.

then we played a little game of musical chairs. i must say, they were quite intense about their musical chairs. made for some funny memories!

everyone who was at the party. we have such cute teachers!!

he is trying to look all serious and suave, but he was giddy and giggly alllll night.

no comment.

baaaahahahahahahahahahaa. she looks sooo awkward?!?!?!

now on to how i spent my saturday:woke up super early to take bridget to the bus stop in shiqi(an hour away.) she was going to zhuhai to go shopping with another group and we went with her to make sure she got there all right. we were right near mcdonalds.. so we had it for breakfast. duh...i think i have had mcdonalds more in this time i've been here in china than i have in my whole life... sick. as in awesome.

afterwards we decided to just stroll around shiqi since we aren't used to being in a large city. this was some chinese grafitti. dope.

this is our engagement picture. yes you are all invited to the wedding.  this was some memorial to this guy named sun yat sen. he is famous in this province. led some political revolution or something. i feel like i should know more about him...dangit.

we went shopping at this place called walking street! it is a more urban area than most. felt like we were at an outdoor shopping mall in america almost! so, i guess this mannequin thinks everyone is a loser. rude.

we got a little carried away trying on wigs at one store. hehehe. lady gaga, clown, and mermaid. yes. we are so cute right? right.

in china when people get married, they decorate their cars like we do in america! well.. not exactly how we do... they add their china flare to it. hahaha. gotta love the chinese.

schleepy time on the bus.

our nightly run to the convenience store. mandy looks.....nice.

aw. we are precious.

we went for a walk in a little village literally 50 ft from our apartment and saw this cute pup!

the xioulan girls came and viisited us, we love them. truly and deeply. bffz.

      
this is a pond thingy literally right behind our house... beautiful.

it was such a lovely walk! i enjoyed it very much. we are very blessed to live in such a beautiful area and have weather that permits us to still want to be outside!
anywho.. this is what i have been up to! hehe.