Ok everyone, I've got a lot to catch up on. First things first. I am still trying very hard to fundraise for my service trip to China. As of right now, I still need
$1,470. The difficult thing is that I need to have all of my fee paid by
Friday, July 29th. Which is what brings me to my next subject. There is a yellow "donate" button right over there ----------------------------------------->>>>>>>
If you could donate anything, it would be greatly appreciated. You can donate using PayPall, your credit or debit card, or you could send a check made out to ILP or to me. I've done a lot of fundraising so far. We had a booth at Lehi Round Up Days and also did a fundraiser at Shakey's Pizza. And if you came to either of those, thank you so much :)
In other news, I just completed my two day training with ILP last week. It was actually a really amazing experience. I met some people who will be in my group :) (in the picture below)
If you don't know me, I'm the one on the left :) Anyway, we learned all about how to teach the kids. We even got to practice on each other. I never knew there was so much that went into the teaching method that ILP uses. But I have to say, it seems like an amazing method. I just can't wait to start teaching. Being around the little kids everyday is going to be amazing :) If I forgot to mention, we'll most likely be teaching kindergartners/1st graders :) It's also going to be amazing living in Zhongshan. It's supposed to be the "Garden city" of China :) it's also close to the coast, so it's humid too. But me and Kaydee (middle of the picture) can't wait to get there. She's going to be my roommate. We aren't sure who else in our group yet. We know of a few people, but that's it.
Not only did we learn about the teaching method and how to be around the kids everyday, we learned about the Chinese culture. There were some really weird things that we learned. Here are the top 10 things that stood out to me:
1) You don't sit on the ground. That's dirty. You squat over it.
2) Lines are for children and soldiers, no one else.
3) The best way to dry our clothes is to wear them.
4) Being Canadian/American makes you a celebrity.
5) You do not tip at a restaurant. The waiter will come chasing after you to let you know that you accidentally left money.
6) Meat is REALLY fresh. Like, "five minutes ago this was walking" fresh.
7) Don't stick your chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice, because it resembles incense at funerals and is symbolic of death. Instead, lay them across your bowl when you aren't using them.
8) It is OK to spit out bones, bean pods, etc. on the table at a meal.
9) It's offensive to sit on tables or put your feet on chairs.
10) Flip-flops are not appropriate to wear in public - they are considered house slippers.
I'm so excited to get there and experience everything that I've been learning about. I just have to make it through the next few stressful weeks. I've been working a lot and also I'm finishing up 2 BYU-Hawaii online classes. This week is finals week so I've been even busier. I'm hoping that when I get back from China, I'll be accepted to BYU-Hawii to go as a full-time student. I'm planning to major in International Cultural Studies with an emphasis in communication. I also want to take Chinese along with that. Hopefully I'll get some experience in China with the language while I'm over there.
I know that I already did a post about the reasons I am going to China. But I figured I'd post them again because they are important :) I'm going because I've always wanted to be a volunteer for something like this. I want to help change the world; even if it's just one child at a time. Being able to know English will help these kids so much in this world. It's great to know that I'll be a part of something that is going to help give them such a great and useful gift. Also, I love little kids! It's going to be a great learning experience. It will also help me prepare to be a better mother one day. Another reason why I'm going is because I want to experience a different culture. I'm obsessed with different places in the world and learning all about them. I'm also excited to travel in China.
One thing I'm planning to do is to bring random gifts for the Chinese people. We learned in training that they traditionally give gifts to people whenever they enter their homes. We found out that we'll be visiting the children's homes a lot to report on how their child is doing. This means, we'll usually need to bring a gift with us. But I'm not going to take just any gift. They will be gifts from America. I've heard that Chinese people are crazy about the Utah Jazz. I definitely hope to take a lot of that stuff with me. Even though most of the stuff I'll take is made in China, the people there still highly desire it - anything typically American.
Before I wrap it up here, I just want to send out a huge "THANK YOU" to the following businesses and individuals who have already helped me greatly with fundraising: Doug Smith Autoplex, Macey's of Lehi, the Steve and Shauna Arnesen family, Shakey's Pizza in American Fork, Matrix Signs of Lehi, The Chris Jones Group, Lehi Roundup Boutique, Angie Lethbridge, Mr. and Mrs. Thundore Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Taggart, the Arnold Family, Barbara Diamond and many others. I really appreciate all the help.
All this talk about China is making me crazy. I just can't wait to get there :) 37 more days! I'll be sure to keep you updated on everything :)
P.s. Feel free to donate... :)
