A failed scenic outing...

Tuesday Cassie and I attempted to trek around the famous purple mountain. It was a relatively short walk over to the base of the mountain from the teachers dorms and we found the ski lift with relative ease. So far so good. It was about a 15-20 minute ride up to the top and the view of the the city and mountain ranges in the distance were a sight to see. We got off the lift and walked along a rocky path up to the highest point of the mountain. We took a break, had lunch, and snapped some pictures.

From here things took a literal as well as figurative decline considering how smoothly things had been going so far. We attempted to help a German couple try to find their way around. They had a map of the mountain but were probably as lost as we were. We both set off along what seemed to be the most promising pathway. Along the way came to a fork in road with arrows in English pointing to where things were supposedly located.

Cassie and I were both intrigued to head in the direction of Ming era ancient ruins. The pathway consisted of baseball sized rocks, a sprained ankle waiting to happen. After heading along this pathway for 15 minutes or so with no indication of the end being in sight we turned and headed back for the main drag.

We continued down this main road for awhile. All along the way we saw signs pointing off in different directions but no indication of how far away the sights were. After veering off onto an even narrower path that misleadingly lead to a locked gate we decided to just start heading back home.

By this time it was getting later on in the afternoon and although it cooled off, the drop in temperature gave rise to an unrelenting swarm of gnats and mosquitoes thirsty for laowai (foreigner) blood and sweat.

Having not brought enough money for a return back down the mountain, as well as still holding onto a sliver of hope we might actually see an attraction, we decided to take the stairs down the side. The stairs surely predated any form or surveying equipment because they were windy, jagged, and unlevel. Our legs were put to the test once again trying to make it down without having them give.

I could carry on for several more paragraphs about how we eventually found the entrance to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, which had an outrageous ticket price. Or how we walked forever trying to find a taxi,bus stop, or anything familiar. But I think everyone gets the point.

On the upside, we made it. We also now have a better idea of where things are on the mountain. Next time we'll be more knowledgeable and better prepared.


As for the German couple...We'll never know.

More to Come...

Ni Hao!

Sorry we haven't posted in a while... School has been pretty busy and all of the foreign teachers here (including Thomas and myself) are all sick with colds! But we are taking some pretty interesting Chinese medicine. These pills are handmade and look like tiny little balls- think rabbit poop! They taste like dirt but they are supposed to heal your throat not just make it feel better. They used this kind of medicine since the Ming Dynasty so it is pretty old medicine! Kind of interesting...

Thomas and I started Chinese lessons with our tutor Neva. She is a professor at one of the universities here in town and tutors several foreigners. We are starting out with the basic pronunciation and some of it is pretty difficult but we are learning. Hopefully it wont be too long before we start picking up some basic Chinese language sills. I can kind of order food so far and that's about it!

School has been going pretty well. Thomas and I have to teach the new two weekends in a row because we have the next week off due to the Mid-Autumn Festival. This national holiday is also called the Golden Week and most everyone gets off work. We've decided not to travel any where outside the city yet because we still have a tone of sight-seeing to do here in Nanjing and traveling during the Golden Week is supposed to be near impossible because everyone in China is traveling at that time. With that said, by next week we will definitely have some new posts and pictures of all the other interesting things to do here in town.

Tonight all of the foreign teacher are attending a dinner provided by the school. We get to schmooze with the head honchos of the school. It's free dinner and drinks so we are all pretty excited. Next week during our break we plan to go to that Japanese restaurant for an all you can eat and drink party as well as go to a concert to see an American band called the Cave Singers. We are all pretty excited for our break coming up, so stay tuned for more cool info! We love and miss everyone! We will write again soon...

P.S. Just an FYI we are back on Facebook again! So feel free to contact us via Facebook if you want or need to. I was definitely going through Facebook withdrawal, you know, the shakes and what not, so it feels good to be back!

The Best Thing About China...

Hi Everyone!!

Things here have been busy but good! School started on Wednesday and it was a bit overwhelming for all of the foreign teachers but we made it through the first two days. The language barrier is difficult but it just takes a little bit of extra effort. Thomas and I share offices with other Chinese teachers (some are friendlier than others) but we only really get to see other foreign teachers at lunch because we are all so spread out. The school is HUGE and it feels like we are navigating a maze. The students are really great but very shy (in my classes any way- Thomas's 4th graders are a bit more chatty.) It is difficult to get many of them to speak up, but that will of course take time. I actually sat in on Thomas' class today and watched him teach his 4th graders a song about a little chicken who couldn't lay an egg... he choreographed it and all! (Thanks to my mom, Sandy Long, who taught me the song) It was so cute. The school itself is a bit hectic and nothing is ever set in stone so we have been jostled around a lot but we have learned that that is how most of China works- so you just learn to go with the flow.

But! Onto the most important part of this blog... the best part about China is most definitely, without a doubt, FOOT MASSAGES!!! For 25 RMBs (or roughly $4 US dollars) you can get the best foot massage! They soak your feet for a bit- all the while they massage your neck and shoulders... then you lay down and they massage your feet with this anti-fungal, medicated oil/cream... it's super relaxing and lasts about 1 hour and 20 mins. The best part about China... hands down.

Payday is in about 8 days. Most of us are counting down the days so we can all splurge on a restaurant that has an all you can eat and drink special for 150 RMBs... I have no doubt that it will be a bonding experience for all of us teachers. Things here are great! We miss everyone back in America! Hope you are all doing well... we'll write again soon! Our 1st vacation isn't for about a month or so so we probably wont leave the city unless we are going to try and visit Shanghi over the weekend but we'll keep posting about all there is to see and do in Nanjing for now. Love and miss you all!!

More Pictures!!

We've add some more links for everyone of our school (as well as Thomas teaching!) and a temple called Jiming. This particular temple is only a few blocks away from where we live and the Buddhist site dates back to 557 AD. They hand you incense to burn once you get to the top of the temple. You are supposed to light your incense and say your prays before you stick them in a sandy bin. It was so beautiful and serene- a great break from the busy city life of Nanjing. Our school is pretty beautiful too. The hallways are all open and exposed to the elements and the campus is located right along the bottom of the Purple Mountain. It's really big and confusing to navigate! Let me know if the links don't work. Also, still no facebook here! We'll try to get on as soon as possible. Enjoy!

Jiming Temple:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=4e9be45b0b8ebce59a16dcf07a6807f9&sid=0AZs2jlo3cNGLo4

Xianlin Campus:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=95b6f9fb4b31638f2a944dfefaeb216b&sid=0AZs2jlo3cNGLqw

1st Day of School...

Hello Everyone!

So, yesterday we had a big meeting on campus and were given a tour of our classrooms and offices. I am splitting 7th grade with a guy named Iain from Scotland (he seems very nice) and Thomas is teaching 4th grade. We were given textbooks that we need to teach from 70% of the time but we can also teach some of our own material as well. The campus is super nice! Class starts Wednesday so we will take pictures sometime this week. All of the other teachers finally made it so we've made a lot of friends. It's been very fun but tiring as well. We are still getting over jet leg. That's all for now! We'll post more later... love and miss you all!! Hope you are all doing well!

Pictures of Nanjing...

I can't seem to add a slideshow of pictures due to the fact that we are using a proxy in order to get onto blogger (blogger is blocked in China) so I am giving you all a link to Shutterfly.com so you can view my pictures. Let me know if this works! There are pictures of our rooms on campus and of the city. Enjoy! Hope this works:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=c471bb4ab0cad91c2a944dfefaeb216b&sid=0AZs2jlo3cNGLkI

P.S. In order to see the pictures from the link I just posted you need to open a new window and then copy and paste the link in order to view them. Sorry about the extra trouble!

We Made It!!!

Hi Everyone!!!

We made is safe and sound! I am so sorry it took us this long to add a new post. When we first got to school the internet was down and then everything was just so busy all week- we haven't had a chance to blog. I apologize!

SO!! The flight here was great... except Thomas and I almost missed our flight from Beijing to Nanjing. We were sprinting across the Beijing airport in order to make the flight on time! It was a bit stressful, but we made it. And then, the school forgot to pick us up. But we took a taxi and made it with ample amount of time to unpack and enjoy the city! Nanjing is beautiful and filled with history. Ian (an American teacher who has taught in Nanjing for a year and speaks a fair amount of Chinese) has been showing us around and getting us aquatinted with the city. Nanjing has 7 million people and we are right in the heart of the city- it's so big! We've done so much with in the last few days. We don't start school until this weekend so we've had time to explore the city and get used to the time change. We've walked to city wall (which was built during the Ming Dynasty) and ate at a restaurant that was 100 years old. But I think the best thing I've had so far (food wise) was from a Muslim restaurant- fried bananas! So good... Thomas and I went to a traditional tea ceremony today and bought a huge thing of our favorite tea- Pu'er. Traffic is crazy in the city- but not as crazy as the kids that just drop their pants and poop on the sidewalk- whenever and wherever! No joke, it's acceptable, and we saw it on our first night here! The city has the most beautiful parks along a bunch of lakes and canals- and all of the streets are lined with trees and native plants. One of our favorite places to eat is a little whole-in-the-wall place that is known around here as "the rice guy." He's got the best fried rice around. They like to eat chicken feet around here too but dog is not common in Nanjing- thankfully!

In terms of teaching, we have one prep. In other words we teach one lesson to about 16 different classes (roughly 300 students). We live on the main campus but travel to a sister campus about 45 minutes away to where we are actually teaching each day. We start teaching next week. We are both excited and nervous but we have plenty of help from other teachers. We are adjusting pretty well and plan on taking Chinese class as well as working with private tutors to help learn the language.

Here are a few fun facts:

They call cell phones "hand machines" and the term for window shopping literally translates to "Riding on a horse I glance at a flower." Kind of cool!

Okay, I think that's enough information for you all! Things are AMAZING here and we are loving every minute. I hope everyone is well in America! We love and miss you all... we'll write again soon!