China 2003-2007

days until I turn 32.

Home Did you know... Family My Favorites Funky Food Korea 2002-2003 Megan School Where I've Traveled  

Two years ago I started teaching at an international school in one of the largest cities in China. I teach sixth graders two subjects - world history and the Good Book. Most of my students/players are Korean, but I have also had students from Brazil, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. During the school year I take Chinese language classes for just under two hours every week. Megan and I signed a two year contract extension. She taught English part-time at a university last year as well as mentored a couple teachers at the international school. I love teaching here, and I'm grateful to be in this position.

Megan took me to a really sweet restaurant in Changchun when I visited her in China for the first time (2002). We had to get a snapshot of their attire after I finished eating my dumplings stuffed with donkey meat. Yes, I decided to be adventurous and try some donkey meat. How would I rate it? It was da' diggity bomb - baby, baby! Put some donkey meat in front of me anytime, and I will hunker down. The Chinese eat such a wide variety of food, and much of it I really love. Some of the items I've eaten in China include scorpions, a seahorse, silkworms, grasshoppers, spinal cords, sheep and goat reproductive organs, sheep kidneys and brains, pig skin and stomach, cow's stomach, a duck's bill, chicken hearts, and dog meat. Ruff, ruff. I hope to try some cat, rat, and starfish in the future. Yes, I'm serious. You can read more about what has found its way into my stomach on the Funky Food page.

This picture was taken during the spring of 2002 - my first time in China. This part of the Great Wall is a popular spot near Beijing, China's capital. Pretty amazing. I've been to several different parts of the Great Wall over the years including Shanhaiguan (First Pass Under Heaven and Old Dragon Head). This part of the wall is where it meets the sea.

Megan introduced me to ice scootering during the 2002 winter. It was extremely cold that day. Hammer would say Indiana winters can't touch Changchun winters. Can't touch this. Wool underwear is a must. Although wool underwear rules, sometimes it's not enough. When you go ice scootering, you are given two sticks with sharp ends that allow you to manuever your scooter across the ice. A couple times I got a little excited and crashed. Cool.

The weather in the city Megan and I live in is very comparable to Indiana. Summers are hot, and winters are cold. This area of China tends to be really dusty though, and we don't get nearly as much snow in the winter. Due to the the junk in the air, I sometimes have problems with the contacts. Fortunately I have some stylish glasses that help keep the junk out.