Loving Life

TODAY:

• Woke up with a sore throat/cold.
• Taught 2 lessons at 7:40am in the morning to cover for another sick teacher.
• Crashed out after eating lunch.
• 2 timetabled lessons in the afternoon.
• 2 extra lessons this evening and have just got back to my dorm at 11pm.... AND I LOVE LIFE!!!!

I love my classes, I love my school, I love my colleagues... China is the absolute bomb and I can't get enough of everyone and everything. 

You'd think I'd be stressed or antisocial after 7am-11pm day, but all I can think about is how much fun I'm having. Standing in front of my classes is the best feeling! I love teaching them so much! I know my classes well and can tell them funny stories and they can confide in me. 

After teaching in the evening, my class asked me to stay and watch TV with them (they watch the news in their classrooms on Friday evenings) and a couple of students translated for me. I sat there for a while just thinking all I want to do is stay! If I could, I'd stay another term and just travel the expanses of SW China during the school holidays. I don't even want to go back to England inbetween the 2 terms! I absolutely love China and can't believe how quickly time has gone. I feel like I'm only just scratching the surface of life. I know I'll be back though!! I just hope it's as soon as possible!!

I've been showing photos and talking about Fiji/volunteering to my classes, most of them have never even left the province before so travel is such a big idea to them. It's felt pretty immense to have a few students come and tell me that before meeting a foreigner they never cared about learning English and never wanted to travel... but now they want to work abroad and learn more languages!

I love how relaxed everything is now... students showing me pet cicadas in the break time, not being scared to try out new English words in conversation with me and me.... finally having the confidence to speak Chinese with them!

I know I have to go back to England and go to University. Here's a video of my friend's first Anthropology lecture. Anthropology is probably the only degree that could reign me back in from all these travels, but I have a feeling nothing will ever match to this super, super amazing year. (My classes have just learnt the word "super" from their textbook this week, it now precedes EVERY word possible :) )

Only 26 days left of teaching :( ....but the best days EVER!