Traveling, Teaching and Touring

The other night when we were out on the streets of Downtown Beijing we met a friend. His name is Julian (pronounced as we like to say Hooligan). He is from Spain and was traveling through China alone staying in hostels. He walked around with us for about an hour, just practicing his English and Chinese. As he walked away - I marveled at his bravery. How anyone could travel around the world on their own is beyond me - that would take so much strength and confidence. And then it hit me, I got on a plane by myself and flew across the world to people I didn't know. (Many times I forget that I have only just met all my new friends, I feel like we have been friends for a long time.) And so for this reason, I know you could do it too - you have are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. We tend to look at people who accomplish great things and wonder what they possess that makes them so different. We think that if we only had that missing part we too could achieve greatness. But, i think the only difference between you and them is that they simply acted. That's it. We all could change the world if we simply acted. It's time to stop thinking of all the reasons why you shouldn't help or couldn't do something - and instead just do it. There is no missing component. You, how you are, have everything you need to do whatever it is you have been dreaming about.

Today I had my final evaluations for teaching . . . . and . . . .they went great! I received good marks and they had many positive comments about my teaching. All of them agreed that my confidence in the classroom had obviously grown and I was looking very comfortable in the classroom. Most of that is because I have such great students. They are so great! Having taught in China will help me so much in the fall while I am student teaching. For one thing, I will actually have a curriculum to follow so I won't have to make up everything everyday - it will be so easy! :) I have only two more days to teach and then one day to review, bake cookies and play UNO. And then its my final weekend. And then its back to America. And then its back to school. And then I will need a summer break to recuperate from my summer. . . .But it has all been worth it. The thing I love about teaching is that it teaches you to be aware of what messages you are sending. Especially when someone is evaluating you and telling you how it might be interpreted. For example, when more than one student starts to talk sometimes its hard to keep focused on one student. But that is important because they need to know that their effort is being appreciated and be encouraged to try again. In everything I do, I want to make the people I am talking to feel like what they are saying means the world to me - and it does. But if my appearance says otherwise, then it doesn't matter what I feel. By teaching, I am learning to continually evaluate what I am portraying to others - this is a great life skill. I also love to teach because it is always changing. You can plan all you want, but questions will be asked and you will follow bunny trails - and this is good. It just means you need to be able to think on your feet. I love that challenge.

We toured our neighborhood the other night and traveled to the courtyard. This is the place right behind our apartments that comes alive at night with everyone from all ages. I love just sitting and watching. The old people are sitting there talking. The middle-aged people are talking or ballroom dancing. The young parents are teaching their children how to walk. The teenagers are out talking and playing games. The kids are rollerblading and ripboarding (like skateboarding). It is just so cool to me to see such community. I love community. I wish we could spend our nights like this in America. Instead we spend it in front of a TV or computer, not even talking to our family. The people at the courtyard however are getting exercise, laughing and bonding with all generations. I feel that we have lost that in America. Our generations are separated by so much, and when we do get together we don't really talk. I wonder what we are missing. If I were going to live here for a while, I would go to the courtyard every night. I would probably take a journal (okay, to be honest, probably my computer to blog) and then make friends. Soon I would be able to improve my Chinese and really make some friends. It would be a great place for an outreach into the village. Last night we had a man come up to us and try talking to us in English. It was very difficult because his English is as good as our Chinese (aka bad). But we had a great time and I would love to be able to talk to him more. Its amazing what you find you have in common with a person who lives in an environment so different from your own.

Oh yeah, tonight I learned some Spanish dance moves from a woman from New York. Who would of thought that is what I would learn on my last Tuesday in China? haha - I love having new friends from everywhere (California, Illinois, Kansas, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Canada, South Korea, Germany, Spain . . . .) and we all met in Beijing. Someone sure works in mysterious ways. And as sad as it is to be leaving all my new friends (as my Chinese friend says) No matter where you are in the world - you are only half a day away. For some reason, that really helps.

Love,
Your International Traveler,
Kelli Lynn