I'm Thankful for being...Sick

Yes, you read my title post right, I am thankful for being sick!  Well, it's not 100% accurate...I hate being sick.  I'm pretty sure I had food poisoning from my lunch out on Sunday and Sunday night into the wee, early Monday morning was TERRIBLE!  I didn't think I could puke my whole stomach out, but I think I was very close to doing so in the last 48 hours.  I'll save you the utter, gross details for another post.  On that being said, I am still thankful for being sick because now I found a good time to write on my blog (which I do miss since I started my new job in China).*

Trying to stay warm (and not sick) during recess!

Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I wanted to count my blessings and share what I have been thankful for this year, especially in the last 4-5 months since I left America for China.

I thank God for:
2. My Family: Leaving my intermediate family in the U.S. to start a new adventure in China was a huge leap for me.  However, everyone was gracious to me and I was very fortunate to connect with my extended family in Hong Kong when I visited my grandma for her 80th birthday a couple weeks ago.
3. My Boyfriend: He should receive the Ultimate Boyfriend of the Year Award (or maybe decade?).  He has been so loving, patient, and understanding with me.  I just can't believe how lucky I am to have him and call him my own, even though we are on different time zones and continents!  6 years and we are still going strong. :)
4. Technology: FaceTime, Skype, Instagram, iMessage, email, internet, YouTube, Facebook, iPhone, SmartBoard...etc. The list goes on and on!  I truly don't think I could survive transitioning into a new, strange world without these things. I'm sounding like a typical Gen Y kid, but hey it's on my list of things I'm thankful for!
5. Starbucks in CHINA! Being able to see, smell, taste, something from America once in awhile (ok, maybe everyday...) is very nice to be thankful about.
6. Turkey!  I thought I wouldn't be able to taste Turkey until I landed back in the US or ordering an expensive, imported whole turkey, but thank God for Subway!
7. My readers and my blog: Connecting with teachers all around the world with diverse backgrounds, creative ideas, and teaming up as a global community gives me the chills!  You guys are the best!
8. My friends- Old and New, Near and Far :)
9. Fall weather= scarves and fall clothes
10. The Blue sky and clean air- It's strange how I check the pollution more often than the weather app now. 
11. My Ikea bed
12. My 8 precious students and TA- We are a small class but we are family and I love them all so very much!
13. Roommate nights- Being able to hang out and get to know my new roommate has been amazing so far. She is really God-given to me and I'm thankful for going through ups and downs with her.
14. Camera- To capture moments which may be hard to explain in words.  Just look up these hashtags to name a few moments: #sleepingchinamen #expatproblems #expatlife #livinginchina
15. Taxi Drivers, marketplace workers, waiters...people of China- For being kind and gracious to be when I ask them to take me somewhere in my broken Chinese or give me the benefit of a doubt when I say "Ting Bu Dong".  My favorite phrase meaning, "I hear you but I don't understand". 
16. My Ayi- Our cleaning lady (ayi=aunt in Chinese).  She is amazing when she comes and cleans our apartment.  Life is just better when you walk into a clean house.
17.  My School- I'm so lucky to teach in a school where everyone truly cares for each other, students and colleagues.  I love my ECC team!
18. China- As a foreigner in a country I'm not used to, I'm glad I am having a great working/living experience of a life-time.
19. My Oven- In China, people don't typically cook with an oven. I'm glad my job provided our apartment one so we can make yummy foods like cookies and stuffing.
20.Music- Life is just sweeter with music.  Anyone else listening to Christmas music as you are preparing for Thanksgiving dinner?
*I was so sick on Monday, I didn't finish this post until today- just in time for Thanksgiving day!

Having a Thanksgiving luncheon with kinders and their families!

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of my special readers. :)

Class Assembly

Last Friday, my Kindergarten class lead our Friday morning assembly.  Every Friday, in every school department (ECC, Elementary, Middle, and High school), we have assemblies where we sing worship songs and learn something that benefits the students.  Class assemblies is when a class shares what they have learned with the school.  Also, the parents can come in and watch them perform. 

I was so nervous because this was my first class assembly ever and I only had the change to see one example the week prior.  However, my students were wonderful!  My TA or I didn't have to pull anyone out of our performance for being too silly or disruptive.

We did a skit based on Moses' story.  Here is Moses talking with the burning bush with the rest of the class being sheep.  They were TOO cute!  We sang a couple Bible songs but their favorite was definitely Who's The King of the Jungle.

Since I had the parents coming in to watch the kids perform for class assembly, I changed my bulletin board to a Moses theme.

The Moses craft is of Moses in the basket.  Here is a link where I got the craft idea from (Love pinterest!) but I changed it up by adding a brad on the basket to open and close the basket.  I love how adorable this craft turned out to be.  The reed hands add a nice touch and dimension to it. 

International Day- The Netherlands

My school had its International Day two weeks ago.  I started writing this post that night but never had the time to finish it until now!  The days were filled with short school weeks, lesson planning and parent/teacher conferences.  But I'm so glad they are over with!  This week is our first full 5-day week in a long, long time.

Each year, my school has an International Day where we celebrate a specific country for the whole week.  This year we learned about the Netherlands (Holland).  In my school (an international school in China), we have 2 families that are from the Netherlands. Apparently this is one of the biggest events our school produces because they went ALL OUT for this particular day. 

 This is the huge stage for students (ECC- high school age) and guests were able to perform on. 

Each ECC teacher gets a 3-D display to share with parents and on-lookers what we are learning for each unit or week.  Here is mine displaying what we learned about the Netherlands.

 My dad used to travel to Holland annually for his job when I was growing up.  He got me the wooden clogs as a gift.  It was adorable to see my kindergarteners trot around the classroom with them on.

 Miffy is basically the "Mickey Mouse" of Holland.  Here is a TV show, books, and merchandise about her everywhere!  We had a surprise visit from her and a Dutch lady.  The kids adore Miffy!

 For International Day at my school, everyone is encouraged to dress up in their home country's cultural clothing.  I didn't feel like dressing up "American" because dressing up in jeans and colors Red, White, and Blue didn't appeal to me.  So I resorted in wearing a Chi Pow (Chinese traditional dress).  Next year though, I'm planning on being the statue of Liberty. :)  The girl next to me is one of my Japanese students with her younger brother.  Her Kimono was so beautiful!

 We studied the Dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh.  We learned about his famous paintings and use of landscapes.

In my school we have about 25 countries represented through the students and staff.  I loved seeing everyone dress up, sharing and embracing a different cultures and backgrounds because that's what truly makes up our school.  I'm so blessed to be a part of a school that reflects so many walks of life!

Does your school do anything special to celebrate different countries or cultures? I would love to hear about it!