deadbeat

"Kacie, is 'deadbeat' a dorky word?" Hehe I love Yang.

Well, today was a bit crazy. Teaching three 90 min classes with chalk dust plastered onto my perpetually perspiring face is exhausting. I am definitely beat. A deadbeat with sore feet who had to teach in the crazy heat.

Surprisingly, I really like my culture classes, big as they are. :) They are surprisingly manageable.

Katy and I celebrated our first two days of jam-packed classes with hot bowls of noodles and cold beer. SO delicious, and in such good company. Thank you, Lord, for sending me such an easygoing site mate!

semester 3, day 1: what i like about you

My first classes of my third semester here began today. From 2:30 to 6pm I put on my "I'm From Hawaii Show" for two different classes of very confused sophomores. Yessmams, this chick ain't Chinese.

I think this semester will be a good one. Today's students were a little shy but after my Haka dance they started to open up a bit. :P I'm a little worried about tomorrow's classes... in the morning I have another Oral English class, but in the afternoon I have two sections of Culture classes, each with 70+ students. I don't know why the department decided to double up our classes this semester! I am a little freaked out. I mean, CRAP that IS a LOT of students!!!!! :/


In other news, my obsession with "What I Like About You" is official. It's just so damn funny. And I get an extra kick out of it because my students say I look and act like Amanda Bynes. Of course I would only come up to her boobs, which are much bigger than mine, and she has the Cauc- to my Asian, but what the hell, I kind of do see a little of myself in her.

I was watching another episode while munching on my sweet and sour pork leftovers, and Val's sickeningly sweet engagement really got to me. I don't know why I'm all sentimental and stuff right now, but it probably has something to do with the fact that this is the longest I have ever not been in a relationship. It's a good thing, I guess, because I don't know how a relationship would be possible here anyway. But you would have thought that after all this time, I would be over that one fool who once drove me crazy enough to write poetry. I AM over him, because I definitely think he's poison to my happiness, but little things - like FB flirting with MY friends - still get to me. Why does he do it????? Why do I care???????

Ohhhhhhhh. China.

midweek weekends

Got my teaching schedule - no class on Wednesdays and Thursdays! Boooyah!

I'm a little peeved at having FIVE Oral English classes, but other than that, I really like my schedule.

I'm still a little fuzzy from the banquet in Fuling we just got back from. But I feel like I just crossed a major threshold. I understood all of the Mandarin table talk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

too many shots of grad caffeine

every time i log onto thegradcafe i start to freak out.

this is going to be a LONG six months!! :/

Chengdu

Traveling in these parts of China is STRESSFUL.

I nearly missed my one-a-day bus to Chengdu because I couldn't get a ride from campus to the station in Fuling. The buses, for some reason, weren't stopping at our school, so I had to go out to the main road, and then they still wouldn't stop to pick up people!!! I was freaking out, so this girl I had just met dragged me down to Ma'an to uncover the source of the snubbery. Turns out the entire town wanted to get to Fuling! Kids moving in to their boarding schools, parents who work in town, etc. etc. They piled into each and every bus, filling them way beyond capacity. Finally I shoved my way onto one of those illegal mini buses and made it to Fuling on time.

Now, if only I had known that getting to town would take twice as long, I would have left much earlier and wouldn't have developed a near ulcer from worrying all morning.

Aside from that mini fiasco, Chengdu was SO great! I seriously love that city, and if I had to live anywhere in China, it would be in Chengdu. I got to see a bit of Christian and Tim, and was reminded once again that HOLY CRAP, WE HAVE LESS THAN A YEAR LEFT! I don't know whether to be happy or sad. It's a bit of both, I guess. I like my site, but I am ready to start grad school!!! Of course, if I get into anywhere!

The best part of being in Chengdu was seeing Elaine and Matt. We ate at the Tibetan Elephant Restaurant - not a fan of butter milk, but yak is yummy! They took me back to their palace and then we went to eat shadow ice... it's like shaved ice, but much softer - in fact, it's incredibly soft, I honestly don't know how they make it!

But I am back in Ma'an and am comforted by the thought that for the next month or so I won't have to go anywhere. What happened to adventurous Kacie who liked to travel?????

bath water

I met my new site mate today. She is pretty fricken awesome =)
She's got a positive attitude and a lot of spunk - I can tell she's going to be a hit here!

In other news, it's the start of chapter 5 billion in my fat ass book of bathroom problems. The shower drain is plugged now, and I was told to let it sit for a few days to see if the water goes down. If it doesn't, then they'll have to replace the entire bath tub!!!! The worst part is that I'm going to Chengdu the day after tomorrow, and my waiban wants to wait until AFTER I get back to do anything.

That means tonight, tomorrow night, and perhaps for a few nights next week I'm going to have to stand in FILTHY water when I shower. And I have blisters on my feet. Flesh eating disease, anyone? ACK!

=P

sometimes i wish i could be more classy.

just to look like i know what i'm doing.

=P