Yesterday I took a shower at the boy’s house and feel like a new woman. I even shaved my armpits which was huge. Shaving my legs Iis a luxury that I have given up in China for the most part due to both lack of time and lack of space in the menial showers. The shower I used yesterday was a small room that was a toilet, shower, and sink all in one. There was a drain on the floor. Tres bizarre. I miss American sized showers and Western toilets. Again, I am so over squatting. The people here sit down and squat for hours while my legs are sore after a pee. I can’t understand how they do it.
Last night we heard a lecture by an older woan about Dazhai. Even Chris fell alsepp much to our amusement.
Joe, Keith, Erlinda, Grace, Harper, Kristen and Josh went for a night hike. We stargazed and pondered how long it would take to get to Mars. Grace says 9 months. I said that meant you could conceive a baby on Earth and have it on Mars. No one seemed to care.
We walkd home in the pitch black except for my headlamp and were scared by dogs. Joe was a gentleman and escorted Erlinda who is night blind.
I had another awful night’s sleep. My bed is hard, my back hurts, and my rice sack pillow is just not cutting it. I am considering starting a down pillow sales company in China. They don’t know what they are missing.
Today I had another bland breakfast. We taught at an elementary school in the morning. I taught with Joe Keith Edek and Dujan. We taught fourth graders animal names, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” among other English words. They were incredibly well behaved. Then someone told us we would be joineing the children for morning exercise. We walked outside (OH! The walls are lined with famous ccommunists including Mao and Stalin..weird) and found that every child in the school was lined up in perfect lines doing a chorecographed routine to music. It was hilarious and tons of fun. I’ll try to upload a video. Then we tried to teach them the electric slide, but they didn’t seem to like it.
After lunch and packing time, I walked around the small village for the hundredth time. A bunch of people asked me to pose with them for pictures. I’m not even the cutest one on the tri, so I don’t know why they keep asking me.
Then I learned in Chinese to ask to go on a motorcycle ride (the most popular way to get around town. Even babies are put on bikes.) A man agreed and took me for a ride. Sorry, mom.
In the afternoon we taught again at a middle school. It was tougher to get them excited. They were super shy and extremely well behaved. China brainwashes kids. When we tried to get them to play outside they kept standing in straight lines. When we finally got the point across that we didn’t want lines they separated by sex. In the class they kept standing and we had to ask them to sit. We played “Seven Up”, sang “If you’re happy and you know it” and “Doe a Dear” (which they already knew!) played another animal game, and got a lot of blank stares. We also played Duck Duck Goose and Freeze Tag. Recess games have little language barrier.
In the discussion with one of the pronciplas we were pressured into saying only postivie things about the Englib skills of the students so that the teacher wouldn ‘t get fired. Corruption.
Now we are on a 3 hour bus ride to get the 10 hour overnight train to Xi’an. Apparently the train is 3 bunks high and the bthrooms are gross. Edek said its just a hole and you go right on the tracks.
I have my period, but I just got it so luckily I didn’t have it in the small village. TMI I know, but hey, this is my blog. The night train is either going to be AWESOME or AWFUL. We’ll see.
Xi’an = HOTEL ROOMS! I heard we each get our own which thrills me. I don’t mind sharing, but I just want a hotel and shower. My feet are stained black from dirt, my toenails are atrocious, my legs hair is braid-able, and my nose is still full of dried blood.
God I sound sexy.
H
PS Please send nasal spray and a nail clipper.
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