How I have been keeping busy

I agree I have been MIA, but I swear I am not hurt nor depressed. I actually am trying to keep myself busy. I am sorry if you have been concerned so I'll fill you in about the ways in which I am spending my time.

I’m beginning to settle in with my job. That is not to say am not frustrated by it in a lot of ways. I'll need a separate post for that but for one thing, one of my students clearly has special needs and the lack of understanding about children with such needs here is disturbing. It contrasts greatly with how I felt students were over diagnosed with special needs and overmedicated in the States. Here, parents do not want to mar their child’s life by having them carry this label as children, so they just ignore it. I have discussed this with the higher ups at my job and no one knows how to address his needs nor knows how to talk to his parents about these concerns. It makes me wonder what will become of this student. I also have a student who is so disengaged that he reminds me of some of my students in Newark, only his parents are super rich and ignore our requests for intervention, saying that they cannot be bothered by him because they work so much. Another one of my students is overmedicated by antidepressants, which his parents had him popping since he refused to go to school for a year after girl he liked did not love him back. (I am totally serious.) During class he sleeps A LOT and if he is awake, he stares into space, possibly reaching into other dimensions. Again, no one knows how to address this. On the other hand, a lot of my students are progressing and I feel like a proud mom when they impress others with their English and academic skills so it is not all bad. We recently threw a Halloween party and although the most tamed Halloween party I have ever been to, it was sweet. 

Some of the kiddies.

I wanted to be a dumpling,
 but all I could find was a panda suit.
(btw, thats a sticker on my face lol)

I spent a weekend two weeks ago in Yangshuo. It was amazing, for lack of a better word. The town is filled with karst mountains formed over time by the bases of the mountains being eroded by the acidity of the Li River nearby. I went mountain climbing for the first time and seriously loved it. (I went into Foshan this past weekend to find a local climbing spot…2 hours away by bus…but it was so disappointingly, small. And I discovered the city of Foshan is just filled with  commercial shopping centers for the uppity types…yuck! My best bet is to go to Guangzhou on the weekends if I want to climb more.) I plan on going again since it is only 10 hours away. The pictures of Yangshuo pretty much speak for themselves. Check them out!

My mode of transport to Guanxi Province. 

My mode of transport along the Li River. "Bamboo" rafts made of PVC pipes.

kinda perfect, huh?

We went hopping around the center of town at night
designed for expats and tourists but it was so fun!

Finally, on weeknights I find it too taxing to leave so I have been reading a lot. I am currently reading The Darker Nations by Vijay Prashad and The Great Reversal by William Hinton. (Maybe I will post book reviews?!) I follow the news closely here but I want to expand my understanding of the Global South. Plus, I’ve been considering going back to school soon and I think this will help me prepare for it. I've been studying Mandarin with the head of the Chinese language department too. I've been told that I am very skilled and a fast learner. I'm really proud of myself for that.

Speaking of preparations, I am planning on going to Pakistan and India during my three-week Spring Festival break in late January/early February. I am going to meet my dad and older sister (God, I miss you guys!) in Rawalpindi, stay there for a few weeks, and then take a train into the Punjab across the border. India is at the top of my list for places I want to go and I seriously cannot wait for this trip to be finalized. I’m working on it though, so more details are to come!

XOXOX