Game 2: U.S.A. WINS!

We went to our second FIFA World Cup game on Saturday night...U.S.A. vs. England and the U.S. won 3-0! It was so exciting...our group consisted of a bunch of Americans and a few very loud Englanders. Needless to say, we were louder! It was a good game - although not as packed as the China game. Some of the American boys came with their chests and backs painted...yep, no matter what country you put them in, American boys will still paint themselves for sporting events! Ha! :) I took a better picture of the stadium so am posting that, as well as a picture with my friend Cindy (she's the one that I knew from a previous trip to China) and one with my friend, Chuck.



I leave for Shanghai and Hangzhou (where I studied abroad in 2003) on Friday and will be there for 6 days visiting some friends so I will have much to report on after that! Thanks for reading! :)

FIFA World Cup Fever!

The Women's World Cup has taken over Tianjin! It's really exciting...we went to the China vs. New Zealand game last night and China won 2-0! The stadium is brand-new and holds 60,000 - it wasn't sold-out but it was pretty close! The Chinese think that when you are celebrating or cheering that the louder it is the better. So, there was every kind of noisemaker you could imagine...also, red flares went off throughout the stadium each time a goal was made and when they won. Possibly even more entertaining to the Chinese than the game was our group of about 40 foreigners sitting together cheering just as loud as everyone else for China! Most people were decked-out in Chinese headbands, red shirts, and face paint. A few guys even shaved their heads and painted a Chinese flag on their head! :) Before the game started we were all standing outside the stadium and if we would have charged 10 Kuai for each picture that was taken of us, we would be rich! It was hilarious...they just couldn't believe we were there to cheer for China. We are going to the U.S.A. vs. England game tomorrow night...hopefully I'll have some more good news to report! Check out the pictures of the game and stadium!

Trying to fit in.... :)
The stadium....

China wins!!

Beijing + Rush Hour = 2 Hour Taxi Ride

Hiya! Thanks for the comments on my bike...I took it out for Fellowship this morning for the first time and rode back all by myself! People were taking pictures of me!! So, of course I posed. :) For those of you who are wondering, I go to an International Fellowship here...passport holders only. There are people from all over the globe...it's really pretty cool and a great time to meet with others who are like-minded.
This has been a busy week! Probably the two most exciting things happened on Friday...
1. I got a facial! My friend, Cindy, took me and we layed there getting pampered for almost 2 hours, they massaged my face for at least 25 minutes! Then, they did a full body massage while the mask was doing its job. I decided that anyone who comes to visit me is going to get a facial...for the low, low price of $10!
2. I went to Beijing and got to see Pr. Tom and Kris Pietz from FLC!!! How cool is that?!??! They were in China to take home the little girl they are adopting. So, my friend Chuck and I ventured to Beijing to have dinner with them on the night they flew in. Getting to Beijing was simple (there is a train that takes a little over an hour) but when we got there we had some problems! First of all, it was downpouring and we could not find a taxi. Then, we got in the taxi, at rush hour, and started heading toward the hotel...unfortunately, we found out about halfway there that it was the wrong hotel and we had to turn around. It took us 2 hrs and cost 120 RMB to go 21 kilometers! By the time we got to Tom and Kris we had to rush through dinner and then put them in a taxi and get our own back to the train station to catch our train. Nevertheless, it was awesome to see them...Kris was so tired that she was loopy and giggly...it was so fun! A connection with home was much needed and so refreshing...I hated to see it end so quickly.
Saturday we had a "Day of Upward Requests" within our organization...it was so nice to be able to lift up Tianjin and the people within our group, as well as specifics for teaching, language students, etc.
To answer your question, LJ, the Women's World Cup is going to be in Tianjin and its the talk of the town. I have tickets for the game on Wednesday...New Zealand vs. China and will possibly go again if the U.S. makes it to the Semi-Finals. I'll write about it afterwards! I really miss you all and hope you are well!

For my mom...

This blog comes after a special request from my mom (sure, you can make requests!) She wanted to see some pics from where I live so I'm going to include those. Also, I wanted to let you all know that I got a bike! I haven't ventured off campus yet because I'm a scaredy-cat but I've been practicing on campus. :) One of my Chinese friend's friend was selling hers and it was such a good deal, I couldn't pass it up! I bought it for 70 Yuan, which is less than $10 USD, and she even included the basket and a lock! :) I bought a second lock to go with the first because stealing bikes is quite a common practice in China... When I bought the bike there were 3 Chinese girls there helping me...we put air in the tires and then they had me do a practice run. As I was riding and practically hitting myself in the face with my knees, I mentioned that maybe the seat should go up. So, they took me to a "bike guy" who could help with this and they told him I wanted the seat up. Eventually we got it moved to the height that I thought was appropriate but apparently in China they ride a lot lower to the ground than in the U.S. because the 3 Chinese girls thought this was way too high and unsafe for me! I continued to say that it was okay but before I knew it they were speaking to the bike guy and he was lowering the seat...ha! That is when I lost any sort of control of the situation and had to give in...guess I'll stand out enough being the white girl on a bike, at least I can blend in a bit riding low to the ground.
Here's my "new" bike...nice, huh? Notice how there is even a little rack on the back where someone can sit as I pedal...a very common thing to see in China!


The area where I live in Tianjin is called the "Foreign Concessions." When foreigners were first allowed to live in China they had to live in a certain part of town, which is where the name Foreign Concessions comes from. So, many of the buildings around me are very European-style. It's a bit weird to walk down the street because it doesn't really feel like China! It is a very nice area, though.
The following picture is of the front of the building where I live...


This next picture is the building you see when you walk through the gates of campus...


I tried to get a good picture of a typical China street....one where the hundreds of bikes are lined up next to the cars, ready to go when the light turns green....but was out at the wrong time of day! I'll try again soon.
What they say about China is true...if you are outside of your apartment, you are never alone! I snapped some of these pictures on the way to Starbucks and I almost took one of a white guy I saw walking along, too, because it's so rare! I guess it's not that rare for all of you. :) I hope that you enjoyed these pictures - let me know if there is anything else you are curious about!

First Day of School

I had really good intentions of taking a "first day of school" picture but unfortunately, I failed! Maybe one of these days I can take a 4th or 5th day of school picture. I did start teaching yesterday and had a second class today. My students are so cute and sweet!! They are very eager to learn and they all say to me, "You are so beautiful!" So, yeah...what's not to like!?!? :) My first class was very outgoing and so interested in finding out about myself and the U.S. For introductions, I had them split into pairs to interview each other and then introduce their partner. To split them up I pulled out a deck of cards (for all of you out there who know I'm a card shark) and they had to choose a card and pair up with the person who had the matching number. They told me after class that they really love my "teaching methods." Hehehehe...I guess you could call that a method! I even had a few students linger after class and take me to lunch. As I read through the writing samples that they did, many of them said that one of their expectations of the class is to become good friends with me. :) In both classes so far I have had the chance to give some of the students English names...I am naming them after all of you back home! So, if one of them ends up with your name, maybe we could set up a pen pal - type of thing...you and your Chinese student named after you!
Just to make this a little more visual for you, I am going to include a picture from a calligraphy show that I went to last week. The art that I am holding says "One World" and is based on the Olympic theme, "One World, One Dream." It's now hanging on my wall. :)

I hope you are all well and that your new school years have started out well...Til next time! :)

Bus 619

Life in China....Sometimes things like this happen:
Two days ago my friend, Natalie, and I went to get her a bus pass and we were told that to do this we would just need to get on a bus and take it to the end of its route. So, we hoped on bus 619 and away we went. About an hour later we decided that we probably shouldn't be leaving Tianjin, which we were, so we got off the bus and took a 45 minute taxi ride back to our campuses. The next day we attempted again and found the end of a route within 15 minutes....guess next time we'll ask which route is the best to take!
I start teaching on Monday so I'm sure I'll have more stories then.
Zai Jian! :)

Settling In...

First of all, I want to apologize in the delay of the postings...I know many of you think I fell off the side of China - nope, I'm still kickin! :)
The first week in Tianjin has been busy busy - we opened bank accounts and got cell phones - each of which took an entire afternoon!! Since I'm teaching at a university that is somewhat far away from the orientation meetings, I've gotten very familiar with the local taxis...and can even tell them where I want to go (although they usually get a good chuckle out of my incompetence!)
My apt was a sight for sore eyes at the beginning of the week but after lots of cleaning, LOTS of bleach and a new couch and rug, it's doing much better...see pics...and just to put things into perspective for you, I paid $158 US Dollars for a brand new sectional-couch! Cheap!!! Other fun money facts...I ate an entire meal of fried rice (I couldn't even finish it) the other day for approx. 75 cents USD. And, you can ride the bus here for approx. 12 cents USD! My monthly phone bill is 50 Yuan, which equals about $6 a month. Crazy, huh???

My new rug...it's unbelievable the joy a rug can bring!!

My new couch...luxury...and yes, it's bright blue! :)
The view of my living room...

I start teaching on Sept. 3rd...WRITING for Year 2 and 3 students...not exactly what I was expecting but I'm trying to be open minded. I have every afternoon off and Fridays off...but I'm guessing I'll be using a lot of that time to grade papers. I will have about 24 students in each of my 6 classes...they said only 3-4 boys in each class, the rest are girls.
Must be naptime in China because the guy sitting next to me in Starbucks just woke up and continued eating his muffin. Ha!
Next week I should be getting internet in my apt so these posts will become more regular then...I feel like I could write so many more stories but I'll spare you and write again soon! Missing you!!!! Shannon :)