One-year Anniversary

I know I haven’t posted in sometime. I have come up with the following excuses:

1. China has blocked access to the “blogger” website. Some people refer to the occasional blocks as the “Great Firewall of China.” You tube has been blocked since around March, and recently we’ve had some issues with Google/Gmail. Not fun! So in order to make this post, I have to use a proxy server. This doesn’t really require a lot of effort on my part, but I like to be able to use it as an excuse….

2. End of the semester. I finished teaching a little over a week ago. So, that means, 2 semesters down, 2 more to go! I am excited for next year because most of students who were freshman this year will be moving to the main campus (where I live and spend most of my time). I will be teaching the same group of students next year, which I see as a good thing. Having already established rapport with them, I hope to challenge them with even crazier activities!

3. End of the semester, Part II. The end of the semester also brings some other things that have been keeping me busy. I had my first birthday celebration in China last week! It was fun to celebrate with all the new friends I have made while living in Chongqing, but I certainly missed being able to celebrate with my friends and family in Minnesota!
Many of the other foreign teachers are leaving for the summer (some to come back in the fall, others to move on to other adventures) so there have been some good-bye gatherings as well. Most of my students will return to their hometowns for the summer holiday, so it is only a matter of time before the campus will start to look pretty desolate.

Lucky for me, Peace Corps has a way to keep us busy! In two weeks, I will leave the city with 4 other volunteers and go to a teacher’s college in the countryside. Over 100 middle-school English teachers will attend our “summer teaching project.” It is basically going to be a 2 week “English camp”. The 5 PCVs will organize classes and activities to demonstrate different teaching methods for the Chinese teachers. I am excited for the opportunity but a little wary because I know it is going to be incredibly hot and humid!

Looking back, I can’t believe all the things that have happened over the last year. Memories of my arrival in China seem to be in the very distant past, and it feels a little strange to talk about the new group of volunteers who will be arriving next week! I know that this next year will probably be just as unpredictable and adventure-filled. I will try to do a better job keeping you posted!