Love baby lobsters, but shrimp babies freak me out!

I may have seen a lot of terrifying things in my life. Been scared to death or near death many times, as any person could say. But near the very top of the list: teaching first graders. I thought I was going to get away with just 3-6th graders, but 1st and 2nd somehow made it onto my schedule. My terror was obvious to my beautiful Chinese colleagues. However, in the thousandth stroke of evidence on this trip of how blessed I am by God above, Lydia was wonderful help!

Seriously. Are you trembling yet?! TINY TERRORS.

They learned several body parts, particularly around their faces, already this year. So, I decided to teach them "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." First, we learned the words. 

Then, we played games so they would know the words. 

During this game, they watched the shape of my mouth and if I whispered the word, they yelled it, or if I yelled the word, they whispered it. I thought this game was going to be so fun, until the first time I whispered: "head."

"HEAD!!!!"

Lydia had to pry me off the chalkboard where I had flown back due to the noise, you know, like a cartoon character. 

They're taking turns as groups singing the song with me. At this point, I was having fun and wasn't so scared. They even started to look kind of cute. KIND OF.

Group picture. Here they look almost angelic. It's only because I'm holding my lion tamer whip behind my back. There was a fierce battle for this picture. I mean, I got them all riled up with "head and shoulders"...

I asked this little sweetie to take a picture with me. During my lesson, I would wink at her, and she would wink back perfectly, without missing a beat. I kept her in my pocket. 

...And once you take a picture with one...

That is Paula, one of my colleagues whom I introduced to you already and recently added that she is an excellent bargainer. Well, during school, she gave me a Chinese token she had bought the day before, but now she had fixed it up. 

She gave me such a beautiful card with a note she did a wonderful job writing. She admitted she used a translator, and I told her that every time I write in Chinese or speak Chinese I do too! Her English is much, much better than my Chinese.

Here is one part of the text from the card she wrote:

"In China, 'knot' means reunion, peace, friendship, love, etc. Chinese knot is often used to express good wishes. And two fish together with the Chinese knot contains intention of forming love forever, family forever. So one fish is you, and the other is your husband Mike. Wish you love each other forever, and have a baby in 2014. So the egg is my gift for your baby." 

HAHA! I lost it. Paula is hysterical. 24/25 is primetime in China to have a baby, so she was teasing me. She also included the guy at the bottom of the fish which she had labeled with her name, because she wants to come to America. I hope she does. I have told her she is always welcome to stay with me. I told Mike about it, and he said the egg had to stay in China. Hahaha.

During the middle of the day, and this was wicked cool, the space program broadcast a science lesson by one of the women astronauts from their space ship. It showed a physics lesson about Newton's second law of motion and the surface tension of water (no, I didn't figure that out myself, I asked what they were saying in Chinese). The whole school was riveted, and I was too, what an awesome link for education and Chinese students-- a lesson just for them!

After school, Betty and I got our hair done before dinner with her friends. This time, they did my hair the Chinese style. Not too shabby, but I like the other way better. I did feel a little like one of those women in The Great Gatsby though it might not come through well in the picture. Betty said I was wearing a very Chinese style. I told her I was just completing my Chinese transformation.

We headed to "The Peacock" for dinner. I named it. I name a lot of things I can't read the Chinese for, ala "Black Horse Pub" in England circa medieval times. 

Jellyfish again. :)

Salmon and goose liver mountain.

OH. MY. GOSH. Listen, I have eaten a LOT of things in China, but this is the first that legitimately makes me a little sick to look at the picture. I don't know why. See that shrimp? See all the little pink bubbles underneath it? THOSE ARE SHRIMP BABIES. OH. MY. GOSH. I can't write any more about this picture, because it's making me almost throw up just looking at it. Seriously, fish eyes made me squirm a little, conch shell was rubbery-- BUT THIS IS SO YUCKY.

Betty's sister cousin, she spoke English and was really sweet. See on her neck? The first time I saw someone (and I have seen many) with those marks on their neck I didn't know what to make of it. They have someone pull at their neck at certain points to relieve pain. Like if they have a headache they take herbal medicine and then pull at certain muscles in their shoulders. Betty's cousin sister had sunstroke, so she pulled at her neck.

Two of her friends enjoying dinner. On the left is her friend who is a very successful businesswoman with several branches of children's stores. Betty and she are going to Korea in July to pick out more designs for her stores.

Then, today, I taught 6th grade again. The boys are crazy, the girls are over them because they are-like-so immature-like-do you get what I'm saying here?

These sweet girls and I talked during one of the passing periods, they wanted to know what I liked about China and what I missed in America, and had suggestions for me of things to try and do. Just loved them. It reminded me of some of the reasons I enjoyed teaching middle school. 

 Today after school, Pom Pom, Nigel, Betty and I went swimming in a reservoir. It looked close to this: 

Betty warned me there might be naked men swimming every once in awhile, and there may have been somewhere, but I didn't see them. We had fun swimming back and forth and around, and Betty was insistent that Pom (who is an excellent swimmer) always swim right beside me to make sure I didn't drown. I thought it was sweet of her to worry, because the only danger I was in came from my swimsuit. Chinese women apparently have very short torsos, and I had to pick up a bathing suit out shopping and it was a wee bit tight... But it worked. 

We went home to shower, and the boys went to Nigel's so everyone could get ready to go out to dinner. Which meant we got to see baby Dow having fun. :) She's so precious. 

Then, we went to dinner at a local restaurant well known for awesome baby lobsters. I'm not kidding. So Betty ordered one pound each for each of us. I was thoroughly confused how to eat them. I always say to Betty that Chinese food is always a lot of WORK! But man, was it worth it! The lobsters were DELICIOUS and I definitely ate my share.  

Pom takes terrible pictures, lol. But Nigel and I are happy as CLAMS to be swimming in seafood world.

On the way home, Betty and I stopped by an outdoorsman shop so I could look for a gift for Mike.

I would up finding a gift for Mike and my little brother, and if I could figure out how to get it back to the US, I would totally have bought this sweet tent they had there, too. 

So. In summation:

1) First graders are scary, but they won't eat you.

2) Little students are louder than big students.

3) Two fish kiss to make an egg. 

4) Chinese astronauts are awesome.

5) Shrimp babies... *shiver*

6) Sixth grade girls > sixth grade boys

7) Dow baby: still cute.

8) Baby lobsters: DELICIOUS. 

What a world, what a life...