Five days and counting....

And I still can't decided if I am excited yet. I went to the training on Wednesday and it is going to be HARD. No cake walking on this experience. Yes, I will be in China exploring places I would otherwise not be able to partake of but this teaching children business is going to be quite a feat. I will do the best I can, but one advantage I have is I talk A LOT! That is a requirement for this volunteering experience. You pretty much have to talk to yourself for the first month or so. The trainer likened it to "talking to a wall" for a month and a half. That will be FUN!! But he did show us some videos he took of the kids during the 4 1/2 months he was there and the progress is shocking. The first video, the kids just sat there staring at him and I can imagine what they are thinking "Um...I hear sounds but no words are coming out...is he speaking gibberish?" then later down the road after getting used to him they are starting to get noisy and grab things out of his hands and talking loudly in Chinese (which is a BIG no-no) then more months go by and they start to pay attention and answer in English and speak in English. It is amazing to watch!! I hope that I can be a benefit to them and get them to speak English as much as our trainer was able to do. The trainer put me at ease when he said when he first went he didn't know what he was getting himself into either. That is how I feel right about now.

I will continue to keep everyone updated for as long as China allows. I am still in America so it's no problem right now. But as of Wednesday I have no idea. I talked to several people who have been to Zhongshan and they said that this website (that my blog is on) and hotmail.com has not been censored yet! So good news!!!

I hope you are all well! I miss everyone in Washington (DVPC) tons!! Until next time.... :)

Moving

SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That's all.

:)

I haven't died!

I am still around...just working takes a lot more time than going to school! I have done a TON since graduating Clark; I have gotten my degree, began working full-time, my car was hit by a gigantic bird and getting ready to move out of my apartment.

I am getting ready to move back to Utah then to China for a little under five months and I am so excited!!! I am excited to serve those children and teach them English, I hope they like me too!!

My sister is getting antsy so I better go! Until next time....

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

The world is full of changes. Changing lifestyle, changing diet habits, changing views on a wide variety of issues, changing schools, changing jobs, changing hair color, changing styles, changing plans...the list goes on and on. One thing is for sure about change, it always changes.

I haven't been keeping up the blog because of all the changes and moving on that I have been preparing for. I am getting my Associates Degree next week from a fantastic college, otherwise known as Clark. This is usually not a big deal because an Associates Degree is almost like a High School diploma these days. But it's important to me because I never thought I'd get back to college again. I left high school 10 years ago, and believed I would just work the rest of my life. I never prepared or planned (totally unlike me not to plan) to go back but something drew me to Clark and it was so unbelievably simple to attend. I only had one small misstep and then it was back to normal. It was a smooth ride and I am excited to finish with honors and move on to a new chapter in my life. I am going to China in August, which was postponed from last year due to finish college and I am very happy I did postpone. I was sent to Hefei, China since the first time I decided to go this time last year but again with that silly little thing known as change, it wasn't meant to be. Oh, I'm still going to China! Just not Hefei. ILP called me the other day and told me the Hefei school closed down, so now I am off to Zhongshan, which ironically is where I wanted to be sent to in the first place! So it is great! I am excited. When I get back from China in January I will be off to Western Oregon University to start my ASL experience. So many changes!!

Balsamic and Oil artwork

This is what happens when one does not have enough homework to do!
(side note: I don't have photoshop so I don't recommend opening up picture, much too big)

WSD

I started school, but that is not the reason I haven't written. I have no excuse for not writing other than I am lazy. My classes aren't really that pressing, very little homework. I really had nothing to say, that is the reason, not because I'm lazy. Ignore that last statement about me being lazy! I am not lazy, I am a very busy girl. I began volunteering at Washington School for the Deaf again this quarter and I absolutely love it! I thought I had a great time last time, this time is ten times better! I am working with a bunch of little kids as they put together their very own play! I love ASL and watching little kids sign is the best!! They have these little hands and sign so fast and it is just so cute! I still am so limited in my ASL skills but those kids are so patient with me. I feel like I am younger than them sometimes when I am talking to them. It should be a pretty fun quarter. I won't get to see the whole play when it's finished since I won't be here (I'll be in China) so that is a bummer. But it will still be fun to watch them put this play together all by themselves. It's great! I am super excited about the next few months!

Until next time!

China or Bust

The final payment on my service mission has been paid! I am officially going to China!! Yes, it was supposed to happen last year. But it didn't. But it IS happening this August. I am super excited. It was definitely a long time coming and I appreciate everyone hanging in there with me while I went through my go-postpone-go-phase. I will blog everything I do, because you are all dying to follow my life, minute by minute. Hehe. Gosh it feels like forever since I started this process. I was still living in Cedar City when I started thinking about going on this service mission and now I'm in Washington going to finish it. I guess the best plans have to be fully developed before they can work correctly. That is how I feel with this adventure. I had to be in the right place and the right state of mind. I am such a planner. My sister would have been to China and back by the time I decided to plan it. She is definitely the spontaneous child in the family. My friend Sarah was my inspiration for deciding to go to China and I am so grateful for her friendship even if we don't get to chat very often! Her next adventure is Switzerland. Wow! Good luck to her!

That is it for now. Until I find some other mundane thing to talk about!