One Friday afternoon, we were invited to join the
elementary school activities. When we got there, we found out that we
were leading the activities. After teaching them songs, facial
expressions, and dances, we played with them. It was so fun! I love
Chinese kids! They are all so cute!
6:30 am. The kids are awake, dressed, fed and ready for classes. These
kids go to class from 6:30 am to 9:30 pm seven days a week! Crazy!
When I first arrived at Mayflora, something woke me up at 6:30 am. I heard shouting from the speakers outside and kids repeating. Now I know that every morning, the teachers line the kids up to do drills and chants. This is a picture of the kids doing their morning exercises.
This is a garden area on top of a huge hill in the middle of the school. It is really pretty.
I live in the Mayflora Hotel (big building). It is at the front of the school near the gardens.
Chinese people LOVE basketball. When they have free time, they spend
most of it playing basketball outside of the student dorms.
Charlie, Max and Greg. Charlie is one of those kids that convinces you that he's stupid, but he's actually really smart and can speak English in full sentences. Max is the quiet, sly type. He knows how to get what he wants while being sneaky. Greg is just hyper. I've learned not to chase him when he runs around the room because he sings Chinese songs and snaps his fingers like he's dancing with me.
This is our hallway with all of our hanging clothes.
We have to hang all of our clothes out in the hall to dry. One morning, I
was feeling my pants to see if they were still wet. When I wrapped my
hand around my pant leg, it squeaked at me. I thought it was a cricket
or something small so I got a stick and tried to hit it out. Then, a bat
flew out of my pants and started flying around my head and down the
hall. I screamed and ran back into my room. Let's just say I wasn't in a
good mood after that.
Do I still hang my clothes in the hall to dry? Yes. Do I
feel them to see if they are dry? No. I hit them with a stick and THEN I
check them. :)
Do I still hang my clothes in the hall to dry? Yes. Do I
feel them to see if they are dry? No. I hit them with a stick and THEN I
check them. :)
How true that is.
*One million thanks to Jess for sharing her snapshots! Also, former Linchuaners: what tips do you have for fun stuff to do at Mayflora?*
5 comments:
Fun stuff at Mayflora huh? Well definitely get out with the people! Our coordinators tried to really control our lives and we felt trapped in our rooms most of the time but as we began to really make friendships, we found that there were lots of things on campus to do! If you like dancing, kung fu, painting, piano, or those kinds of things, ask ask ask your coordinators and the other Chinese teachers that speak English. If Tim is still the coordinator, you really have to nag him for things but if you do, you usually can work something out. He is a tricky guy so be expecting to share your talents and your time. = ) I was just there this last Spring. You nailed Charlie, Max, and Greg just as I remember them. Awww...makes me so happy to see their faces again! = ) Charlie was like my little baby but yeah, he is definitely smarter than he seems. = ) Oh and one REALLY fun thing we finally realized we could do, was going to their dorms. They will pull you right and left and ask you to read stories and they are so giving you will probably walk out with a bag full of 'gifts'. It is so fun though! I hope you guys have a GREAT experience. Linchuan is NOTHING like any of the other ILP groups in China. You can vacation like no one else in China too but make sure you really nag for a bus to come get you from Nanchang...if you can. = ) OH man. So many great crazy things happened and i hope you guys get that same thing! ; )
Oh and one more thing, making dumplings was really cool...i bet you can find someone to teach you and all or again your coordinators can help you organize some things like that. If you ever get sick of the cafeteria food, a good way to get better food is finding out how to order from the actual hotel (you will notice families getting nicer dinners sometimes and your first dinner meeting the headmaster im sure was like that) = ) ahhh! so much to tell....yet, i guess you want to find out plenty on your own! ^_^ I just know at some point i just wanted to burst because I got in such a rut, homesick, and bored that i wish i would have known a lot more that we did by the end. = ) Have fuN!!!
FUQING sister school!! Oh Mayflora :)
Oh boy! haha oh how i love mayflora! :) i was the head teacher there last fall 2010! Email me, jess.bess.03@hotmail.com, and i can answer all the questions for you! :)
I miss Jiangxi Mayflora! I was there Fall '09; we opened the school. I'm so glad Max is still there! And that he's still Max! (it's nice when your names stick). Tim was also our coordinator and if you can believe it, he was worse then. We went to Fuzhou every weekend, just catching the bus or one of those white vans and Nanchang once a month. They also let us get supplies from the cafeteria kitchens whenever we wanted, so we frequently made our own food (even if it was mostly potatoes).
And you guys live in the Hotel? How weird....we were in the building with all the other teachers' apartments just across from the boys' dorms.
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