I love Skype!

Skype has become one of my new favorite things in the world. I say this because it has opened up doors for me to talk to some of my students and friends in China. Last night, I called A and talked to her for about 10 minutes. The conversation wasn't long, but it was so good to hear her voice!

A and I became very close friends during Camp China 2006. I knew when I left that summer that our Dad had big plans for our friendship and that it would continue....our friendship has not only continued, but it has GROWN! We were both pretty emotional when I left the first summer because Dad had done so many things in both of our lives. As I boarded the train, A gave me a huge hug and said, "Don't worry Katie. It is only lots of Wahaha that separates us!" Wahaha is the brand of bottled water that we drank while in Nanning. If you look back there is a post about an interesting experience with Wahaha. That lighthearted comment made the distance from Nanning, China to Texas seem much smaller.

I was also blessed to be able to travel back to the same city and teach last summer (2007). I was so excited because I knew that A would be there. An unfortunate accident the first night I was in China left me with a broken arm and a short stay in China. I left after two weeks because of my arm. The news of having to leave early was a shock and I hardly had time to say my goodbyes. I wanted to video all of my kids so that I could hear their voices when I missed them, but I didn't have time to do it. Now with Skype, they are only a phone call away....and I love it!!

Here are a few pics of me with A in 2006 and 2007. She is my SISTER, and I love her so much!

A and I eating her new favorite snack...PEANUT BUTTER! (2006)

A and me hanging out after closing ceremonies of Camp China (2006)

First night in Nanning. We were so glad to see each other again! (2007)

Saying goodbye to my girls: A, Y, and C (2007)

A recent pic of A (in the pink hat) with some friends on a visit to Kun Ming (2008)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

A Long Overdue Update...

Wow...its been a long time since I have posted anything on this blog. Sorry about that. I guess a combination of a lack of time and a lack of anything interesting to update about could be to blame. I am also limited on the things that I can really say on this blog because of the location of some of my readers. Since I am here now, I will give you a brief update on life....

First of all, I made the decision to quit pursuing Medical School and have started thinking in the direction of Nursing. If you know me well, you will know that I have talked of going to Med School for a long time, but I just don't feel like that is the direction that Dad is leading me anymore. I am excited about Nursing School though, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for me in that area.

This semester has been full of new experiences for me. I am no longer a student (which is really crazy in itself) and am in the "real world". I miss being a student, but I love the season of life I am currently in. My job is so much fun. I work in a Special Ed/Life Skills classroom, and I adore the students. Each of them has captured my heart in their own unique way. I love them dearly. Here are some of the precious students I work with.

My computer is not cooperating with me right now, and so I will finish the semester update soon. Enjoy these pics for now!

China Slideshow!

I finally finished....well, actually I finally had time to sit down and work on a slideshow. I had Monday off from work, and so I decided to put this slideshow together so that you could have a better idea of what my summer was like. Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement throughout this difficult summer. I never imagined that my summer would turn out the way that it did. Eventhough it wasn't under the ideal circumstances, I had a blast in China for the two weeks I was teaching in Nanning. I also had a blast in Hong Kong for a week, but I really don't have many pictures of that. Enjoy the slideshow. I hope that, if nothing else, it gives you a glimpse of why I love these people and China so much. Please feel free to leave comments. I love to hear what you think. Have an amazing day!

I tried several times to upload the video to my blog, but blogger wasn't working. So I am

putting a link on here to the slideshow. Here it is...ENJOY!!

(The quality of the pictures is much better if you click on the down arrow at the bottom of the video and change the view to "original view". It makes the pictures smaller, but they are better quality.)

So I've Been Thinking...

It has been a while since I have updated this blog. Thanks to all of you who continue to check back to see if I have updated. Life has gotten a little crazy, and I am having a hard time finding time to post.

What I have been thinking about is taking a different approach to my blog. I will still post about China, but I also want to use this blog to keep people updated on everything else that is going on as well. Continue to check back for China stories and pictures (I will do better about posting), and you will also see other postings that don't have to do with China. For now I have decided to keep the name of the blog and everything else the same.

Thanks for reading!!!

Carnival/Circus

As part of the Camp China program, the "Foreign Teachers" would put on Culture Nights for the students as a fun way to teach them about American culture. Culture Nights were usually a favorite part of the Camp for many of the students. This Culture Night was the carnival/circus.

We had many guest appearances including "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", monkeys and a monkey trainer, Strong Man, and clowns. And what carnival/circus is complete without games and dancing?...no carnival is complete without games! The students loved the water balloon games and the three-legged race. "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World" also introduced the Chinese students to the Conga Dance. It was pretty amazing to see that many chinese kids dancing around in the courtyard.

Good times were shared by all and laughing could be heard echoing in the courtyard! Good times....great memories!

Opening Ceremonies

The place I love so much!

Opening ceremonies is always exciting for me. I love it because it is the first time to get to see all of the students together. We arrived at the school on Friday night, and the students arrived at different times throughout the weekend. Camp China kicks off on Monday morning with opening ceremonies followed by an all-camp picture and testing (to put the students in the appropriate class according to their English level).

Here is a brief rundown of opening ceremonies activities....There are many speeches given by various school officials and students at opening ceremonies. We listen intently to 3 or 4 speeches that are completely in Chinese as if we understand every word that is being spoken. Then, although completely clueless about what was just said, we clap and smile. One of the top English students in Camp China will usually give a speech telling the foreign teachers how excited they are for us to be there. All of those speeches are followed by a speech from the team leader that talks about "building bridges of friendship and cooperation". The favorite part, however, is the performances. This summer the students performed a song for us (see the video at the end of this entry). We "foreign teachers" performed a wonderful rendition of Aladdin's "I Can Show You the World". The kids love to hear you sing....anything...anywhere...at any time. It's always makes me feel good to hear them say, "Miss Katie, you have a beautiful voice!" especially when I know that I don't sing very well at all.

I love opening ceremonies because it is the start of something new....something amazing...something life-changing. It is the start of new friendships that will last a lifetime. It's the start of 4 (or in my case 2) of the most challenging weeks of teaching of your life. It's the start of many interesting stories and memories. But most importantly, it's the start of being "ruined for the ordinary" and making an eternal impact on Chinese middle school and high school students. I love it....