Too much excitement for tomorrow!

I'm writing now because I might not get another chance to do so until Sunday. It's been a busy week and I can't wait for tomorrow. I will get to sign my new contract, let out a HUGE sigh of relief and move into our new apartment. I will probably spend about two hours cleaning and then I imagine I'm going to sleep the rest of the evening away.

Yesterday was much less stressful because I knew I was still getting my dream job, but I was still so busy. I've been trying to get my grad school application finished which involves a lot of pestering people (to get references and transcripts and such). At work we practiced our Chinese song for the performance tomorrow, and yesterday evening I had to judge a speech competition.

Among the highlights of the competition was a girl using what sounded like foul language as part of her speech. I'm pretty sure her pronunciation was just aweful, but I honestly had no idea what she was trying to say. One of the skits done at the end of the competition was an amusing rendition of foreigners who don't speak any Chinese trying to order food. Think hotdog + China = roast dog. What really made my night, though, was the two middle school kids who sang (if you can call it that) "That's my name" If you're too old that might mean nothing to you, but for those of you who are younger, think "Bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yay!" And, no, that song is not decent enough for a middle school assembly.

Today it's raining. I actually missed the rain, I think. It sounds so nice and smells so good! I didn't bring my umbrella to work, though.

This afternoon we don't have class, but I'm really not looking forward to more singing practice. We are just so bad at it, so off key.

As a side note, there are some weird bugs here (one of which is currently flitting around my desk). Unfortunately, there are plenty of mosquitos too, and they apparently like my blood as much as the Western variety.

Anyway, it's time for lunch, so I'm going to get some canteen goodness (and maybe a slice of leftover pizza)!

Emotional rollercoaster

I have been up and down too many times in the past few days. We got an apartment (high), but we had to pay 5 months rent up front (low). I got a job (high). I didn't get a contract(low). I got a contract (high). I figured out they thought I had a teaching certificate (low). I got confirmation that I should still have the job (high), but that the contract will change (low). Right now I feel like I've been medicated.

I'm somewhere in between, but I'm exhausted. It doesn't help that I have to learn a really long Chinese song for a performance on Friday. At least they gave us more than one day to prepare though. I have about half of it memorized.

I'm hungry too, but I can't eat too much because I have yoga at 1. I think this weekend is going to be a godsend. I'll have to clean, but I'll get to spend some quality time with Dan. That is to say, time where neither of us is fretting or upset about anything. I need that! We both need that!

One down, one to go.

I still haven't received the contract from BCIS, which makes me worry that they're just buying time and don't actually want me to work there. It probably isn't true, but it's just so good that I can't help but worry about losing it. I've felt rotten all day, mostly stress related, I think.

On the up side, Dan is currently signing the contract for our apartment. YAY! It will be so nice to have a place to spend our weekends. This weekend will be a cleaning marathon, but I'm even excited for that. I just can't wait to decorate!! Pictures will definitely be posted soon.

Chairman Mao.

This past weekend seemed incredibly busy, but, in all honesty it wasn't even. It was just over way too fast.

Friday, I didn't feel well. I still had the head cold I started to get on Wednesday, so I felt pretty bad. I slept most of the day and then went with Dan to the village for about an hour. Only Jennifer was home, but it was good to see her. I really want to help her with her English, but it's so hard. I'm not sure if it's hard because she just isn't talented with languages or because she doesn't study enough or what. It's frustrating because I wish I could just snap my fingers and she would speak English. Of course, then it wouldn't be nearly as good for me to learn Chinese, but I wouldn't feel so useless.

Saturday, we woke up early, like usual. I keep telling Dan I want to sleep in, but I can't even when I try, so it's pointless to have a free day. We had our Chinese lesson and I went off to teach one of my little brats for an hour. Afterwards, I went rock climbing, of course. I'm addicted! I made it up two harder routes and I made it around a corner I couldn't do before... I'm definitely improving (and, of course, I'm kicking Dan's butt)!

That evening we had plans to play majong with friends, so we rented a hotel room and headed to their place. We didn't finish a normal majong game (cause it's like 16 hands if it were cards), but I won more than anybody else. Technically, it might still be beginner's luck because I had only played once before. We stayed there playing until about 2 a.m. and then headed back to our hotel.

Our cabby was awesome. He spoke only a little English, but he was so funny! To be completely honest, I thought there might be something wrong with him at first, but he got us back safe and sound so I'll never know. Dan asked him where he learned his English and I quote him directly:

"1971. Middle school. Lesson one, Chairman Mao. Lesson two, long live Chairman Mao. Lesson three, long long live Chairman Mao. Lesson four, workers, peasants and soldiers love Chairman Mao best!"

Dan and I were laughing so hard, he never got to lesson five. What's possibly funnier than hearing this guy say this stuff is that it's true. That's what they learned in middle school English class. They weren't taught how to say, "Hello, how are you?" And here I thought that my language classes were sort of off.

Sunday morning we had brunch with Dan's cousins. It was a really pleasant morning and the food was pretty good. We just sat and talked for a few hours sipping away at coffee (which I later regretted getting). Then, we went our separate ways. They were off to the silk market and Dan and I went to find an apartment.

The apartment search, up until yesterday, had been a disaster. We had been dragged all over the place to see some of the most disgusting rental properties I have ever seen. Landlords in China don't seem to understand the importance of a good cleaning and a paint job before showing a place. Fortunately, the place we saw yesterday was really nice and aside for some dust, not really dirty. It was as close to exactly what we were looking for as it was possible to get in our price range. It's a hutong house with two rooms a kitchen and a bathroom (sort of). Ok, well, it has a toilet and a shower, but it's tiny and there's no sink in the bathroom, it's sort of in the courtyard. Dan and I will be living a very Chinese life for the next year. The best part of the house, aside from double paned windows that open very easily, is the courtyard--fifteen square feet of joy, and it's all ours. That's right, it's a private courtyard.

What's odd though, is that Dan seems more nervous about taking this place than I am, even though it's everything he wanted. Maybe because it's everything he wanted he's afraid of being disappointed. I don't know. It doesn't really matter though. We're signing the contract today. We have a home!!!

An update... sort of.

I got my "formal offer" of employment for BCIS!!! I'm really excited, not to mention thankful. I still have no idea what they are offering me in terms of salary or benefits. I only know that it is a two year contract (don't worry, mom, I'll be home for Christmas and summer vacations) and I will be doing exactly what I want to be doing.

I can only hope it won't take them another week to send me my initial contract!

Life is good.

A sore throat but no job.

I read some of my brother's blog last night and found it ironic that the first post I saw had a whole lot to do with patience and waiting. I have been "waiting" for two months now.

Exactly two months ago, to the day, I had an interview for a position as an ESL teacher at an international school in Beijing. This is, I should mention, pretty much my dream job. I am, however, slightly underqualified (as in no teaching certificate aside from my TEFL).

So, at the beginning, I was actually waiting to be rejected more than anything. I hoped, but didn't expect to get the job. As the weeks passed, I figured it wasn't going to happen and I applied for a few other jobs. Dan and I had an interview in Shanghai, which was a total disappointment because they lied to us. They said that Dan would be teaching philosophy, but at the end of the 5 hour interview we found out that it was only two hours of philosophy and 18 hours of English or History. Needless to say he wasn't interested.

I also had a couple of interviews in Beijing. One of those interviews was seriously disappointing because it reminded me a lot of my current school. The other was for a Montessori school, which I actually ended up liking. They came in solid second to the previously mentioned international school. They offered me a good package for a job that seems pretty low stress. I told them I would sign the contract today.

So, while the job with the Montessori school was panning out, I received an email from the principle of my first choice, saying that they were going to make me a formal offer. This was last Thursday. I figured that by Friday or Monday, I would have the offer and would be able to inform the other school that I wouldn't be working for them. Apparently, however, the President of the Board of Directors was out of town until yesterday or today. Since his or her signature is necessary before they can make me an offer I haven't seen anything yet.

Hence, my dilemma. I have been waiting so long for this job, which, I'm told, is practically mine. Yet, I'm due to sign a contract with somebody else this afternoon. What do I do??

Well, first I asked as many people as possible what they thought I should do. Most of them told me to lie to the Montessori people to buy more time. A few suggested I should probably just sign the contract because the other school seemed too disorganized (and, they added, I could break the contract if I really wanted to).

Oddly, neither of these was my first instinct (you would think I would try to keep as many doors open as possible, right?). Instead, I called the woman from the Montessori school and told her exactly why I wouldn't be coming in to sign the contract this evening. I closed a door, so to speak.

In being honest, however, I think I gained even more respect from her. She told me that we should keep in touch and that if things didn't work out with the international school I should call her back and she would do what she could to offer me something. I was amazed! I honestly didn't think that she would be so kind and understanding. In taking that risk, though, I got an even better deal than I had hoped for. I have no job at the moment, but both doors are still open.

A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and even though the waiting is still difficult, it is less so. I do have a sore throught, which I'm convinced is stress related, but now i can sort of relax.

Now I suppose I should listen to my mom's advice: If now isn't the time for one thing, it must be the time for something else. I know exactly what I should be doing. So now I'm going to stop blogging and finish writing my essay for GMU.

It's been a while.

The title really says it all. I've been in a writing rut. I realized, actually, that I rarely write when I'm living with Dan, not much on paper and never online. I think the problem is that he listens to me too much. I'm not complaining, I swear, but he is ruining the possibility of a writing career for me! When I can talk to him, I just don't really need pen and paper.

That said, my lack of dedication is also to blame and I apologize to all of you who might have been thinking I died on my way to Mt. Everest. I didn't, obviously, and I do plan on posting back blogs at some point in the near future. That will probably happen around the same time I figure out how to post pictures...

Recently, I've been super busy. There hasn't been a lot to do with school, in part because I realized that what I had been doing before was not only simpler, but more effective. In addition to that, after the February break, I came back to find I had a smaller course load. So, life is easy in that sense, but I've been finding other ways to fill up my time.

For Labor Day, which lasts seven days in China (I love this place), we spent most of our time climbing at a rock wall we found. It's about 18 meters high and has about 10 different faces, each with various routes. In all honesty, I actually can't remember if we did anything but climb that week. I'm addicted. Today I almost made my hands bleed because I was trying to climb routes without points. It's hard, but I love it. Here is where my mom is probably thinking, "Not only does she go almost as far away from home as possible, but she is actively trying to kill herself!" I love my mom!

Lately, I've been stressing out quite a bit because of my job search for next year. I am really close to having it all figured out, but I've just got a few days left to go. It's between working for a Montessori school or an international high school, neither of which would be bad, but I want to work for the international high school. I'm nervous that it's not going to work out, though. They're supposed to make me a formal offer soon (said the principal), but I don't want to count my chickens just yet. Instead, I've tried to occupy myself as much as possible, so that I don't have to think about it until the time comes (tomorrow or the next day).

In other news, my Chinese is improving! I can understand a lot of simple conversation (though sometimes with some serious delay) and read about 30 characters (which isn't much, but it's an accomplishment for me). I would be doing better if I studied some, but I am happy with what I can do so far.

I was trying to think if there was anything about China that I should write in my blog, and there probably is, but I can't think of it right now. Maybe I'm just getting so used to being here that everything seems normal. HA! Right.

There are actually plenty of stories, about Shanghai and Chinese realestate agencies, but they will come in back blogs. I promise it won't take me another three months to blog this time, so check back soon!