Happy Birthday, Amanda!

I just went back and looked at past blog posts - Amanda, this is the third birthday blog post I've written to you (2011 & 2012). That means I have kept up this blog for two years, going on three! ME! Who was doubtful and said to you on that night when I opened the blog that it probably won't last more than a month. Look at me now! Thank you.

Today is my friend Amanda's 24th birthday! While looking back and re-reading the past blog posts I've written to her on her birthday I felt mixtures of nostalgia, joy, and thankfulness: Nostalgia for the moments we have shared together, joy for the memories we have created, and thankfulness for the friendship we have created. Amanda has taught me a lot over time. She has helped me to grow and taught me what a solid and honest friendship should be. She has also inspired me to be a bigger person and to do great things.

This past year was the first time in our friendship where we lived apart from each other. And not just in different cities. We lived on different sides of the world: me in Calgary, Alberta and her in Beijing, China. I've seen many friendships diminish with distance. But when you put two people together who cherish a friend, a relationship that means you have someone to lean on and confide in, someone that listens to you in times of happiness, sadness, and darkness, a person who picks you up when you are down - that's a friendship that lasts through thick and thin, near and far. 

Amanda, as you begin your 24th year, I want to reflect on what this past year has meant to me and our frienship.

Firstly, you inspired me this past year. I remember upon arriving back in Calgary from my Christmas vacation at home, I FaceTimed with you at an ungodly hour in the morning and talked through with you where my head was at with my career and the future. I saw how successful and happy you were with your adventure in China and I wanted that for myself. You inspired me to capture the moment, to take it all in while I have the time, and to just jump!

You should also know that you taught me honesty this past year. To be honest with myself and to be honest with others. Though we didn't get to FaceTime or Skype as often as we both would have liked while you lived in Beijing and I in Calgary, when we did I often left our conversations feeling motivated and rejuvenated. You listened to my woes and you reminded me to just be true. With friends, with romantic relationships, and with family. You got me through some hard times, and for that I am thankful. 

Distance doesn't have to change everything. I am so happy that we had this past year to grow our friendship. If nothing else, this past year has taught me that we will be friends forever (as cliche as it sounds). You play an important part in my life, and though I may not always show my appreciation as clearly as I would want, you should always know that I love you and who you are. You don't ever need to change. Just keep on being you! I only hope that I have impacted you in a small way the same way as you have impacted me in such a big way. Honestly. 

Happy Birthday, Amanda! 

Love, always and forever.

Melissa

Paddy Murphy, Mustang Sally, and a Wagon Wheel.

Sometimes you just need a little taste of good ol', hometown, country fun! However, that is hard to come by when you are living in Beijing, China. I mean, not many local people here can tell me what a "hick" is or what a "barn dance" is. I usually get a good head tilt to the side and a "Shénme? (What?)". I'm not gonna lie - I miss those times where I say something and someone replies "Oh, you are most definitely from Carleton County." It's always going to be a part of me. Home. 

This past Friday (October 18th) my friend Craig, who is an intern at BCCSC, was singing with a band at a bar called the "Hot Cat Club" in the Fangjia Hutongs. When he explained what kind of a set list they would be playing, I was easily convinced that this was the place I needed to be on that Friday. So off Erin, Brittany, and I went on a search for this little "hole in the wall" I guess you could call it. It's not the fanciest bar, and it is definitely worn out in some areas (like the squatters...I leave that to your own imagination). However, the atmosphere was perfect. Absolutely perfect! 

How can you go wrong when you mix a small bar filled with Canadians, an ice cold beer, plaid shirts, a few french men, an acoustic guitar, a fiddle, and amazing live music featuring tunes like "Wonderwall" "Wagon Wheel" "Chicken Fried" and "Paddy Murphy." Mind you, I was slightly disappointed that the three of us girls seemed to be the only Canadians who knew the song "Paddy Murphy." Guess it's just an East Coast thing maybe? 

I danced, I laughed, I sang at the top of my lungs. And I smiled like a little goof ball the whole way home. My heart swelled. For just a couple of hours I forgot where I was and genuinely felt like I was home again. It's always good to be home.

What Are You Thankful For?

Yes, I realize this is a day late. I'll just go ahead and point that out now and get it over with. So, today I taught my students about Canadian Thanksgiving. On Monday, I told them about how I got up early to Skype with my family back home while they enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner. Today, I taught them some new vocabulary surrounding the holiday and we talked a lot about what it means to be thankful. I told them that I am thankful for four things this year. This is what I said to them: 

"I am thankful for four things this year. I am thankful for my family back home in Canada because they always love me. I am thankful for my friends because they always make me laugh. I am thankful for the opportunity to come to China because I have always wanted to see another part of the world. And I am thankful for my amazing students because they make me love my job as a teacher!" They clapped and said that what I said made them very happy! I smiled.

Afterwords, I had them write in their journals answering the question "What are you thankful for?" You know what touched me most about their answers - that every single one of them, all 23 students in that class today, wrote that they were thankful for their parents and families!

"I am thankful for my parents...They gave me a chance to live in this world and I love them very much." - N

"I am thankful for my family because they give me warm and love." - A 

"I am thankful for that I can go to BCCSC, because it makes me confident and happy." - T

"I am thankful to be living in this magnificent world because there are many great things in the world that are waiting for me to discover." - J

"I am thankful for Melissa because she inspires* my passion for English (and I love games!)" - K

I love my job! 

*A little background story: In my fourth year at STU I purchased my T-Ring and had the word "inspire" engraved on the inside of it. I wear this ring every day. As a teacher, I hope that I can inspire even just one student to strive to do better, to follow their dreams, and to be the best them they can possible be. There is one teacher in my public school days that did just that for me. Mrs. Kelley - thank you!

My First "Staycation" in China.

Last week was National Holiday here in China. This is a week long holiday in China where everyone and their sister are on vacation and are doing the "tourist thing." Hundreds (and I'm sure that is an understatement) of people swarmed to hot spots like Beijing to take in the sights and get away for a week. Check THIS out. After weighing out different options, many of us teachers here decided to stay in Beijing and make it a "staycation" vacation. I have been living in Beijing for 6 weeks now and prior to the National Holiday it had been a solid month. I was itching to finally see the city I was living in and will be living in for the next 10 months or more. There is so much history packed in to this enormous city and many scenic areas to take in. My agenda for the week didn't take long to fill up. On the menu: Tiananmen Square, National Museum, Nanluoguxiang Hutongs, Houhai Lake, Wangfujing Street, Forbidden City, Beihai Park, Summer Palace, Beijing Zoo, and Olympic Park where the Bird's Nest and Water Cube are from the 2008 Olympic Games. How does that saying go? "Places to go, people to see, things to do!" 

Soooo, maybe I over thought the amount of time I had during the week long break. And maybe I didn't take in to consideration that others would be on vacation too and that the population of Beijing would grow exponentially for one week. Oopsie! Yeah, so, I didn't get to do everything on my list for the week but I was reminded that I am living here for a year or more and have LOTS of time to see things. Lots of time! 

The Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square.

Proof that I stood in Tiananmen Square.

But what I did see was magnificent! Just amazing. Guys, I was at Tiananmen Square! The history, the stories, the things that took place. And I was there! My friend Amanda can vouch for me on this one: I remember having a conversation with her sometime in the spring after she went to visit Tiananmen Square herself. I said very strongly to her (ALERT: family & friends - sorry for the bad language) "DUDE! You were at fucking Tiananmen Square. That's a big deal!" Yup, that's pretty much how I felt as I stood in the square looking around at the Great Hall of the People, Chariman Mao's tomb, and the Chinese flag waving in the wind high above the activity. 

Similar feelings were present when I went to visit Summer Palace and Forbidden City. The architecture at these places is just phenomenal, and the colours are gorgeous. The numerous amounts of people I could have easily done without, but I tried my hardest not to let them drive me too crazy. Shoulder to shoulder people trekking on walkways around a lake that isn't more than 2-3 feet wide saw my anxiety levels rise. Nevertheless, I took it all in (or as much of it as I could or had time for!) 

Standing in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple at Forbidden City.

A beautiful view of "The Temple of the Fragrant Buddha."

I had my name painted by a Chinese artist at Summer Palace where each letter of my name is a drawing representing different Chinese fortunes. I took a boat ride around Kunming Lake at Summer Palace where I saw a huge inflatable rubber duck and got a beautiful view of "The Temple of the Fragrant Buddha."

I saw pieces of art at Forbidden City in one of the buildings that had been changed in to an art gallery. I saw three different couples getting their wedding pictures taken around the outside of the "Imperial Ancestral Temple" at Forbidden City. I climbed up the side of a mountain at Summer Palace in my Toms. It was all amazing! And I still pinch myself today in disbelief that I'm really here. That I am finally traveling and doing the things I've always imagined I could do.  

We even spent a day at the Beijing Zoo. My friends who know me the best know that I LOVE a good zoo. And this zoo made me extra excited because it has pandas at it. Before going to the Beijing Zoo I had never seen a panda in real life. I know that it's in an enclosure and that they aren't wild or anything, but what are the chances I'd EVER see a panda out in the wild here in Asia. Pretty slim if you ask me! And they were adorable! The first enclosure we went to the panda wasn't home. Which made Brittany, Erin, and I quite upset (see below). 

But as we moved on we saw a crowd gathering in front of another enclosure, and there he was. The most adorable, regal, and calm panda bear sauntering around his enclosure. He was beautiful, and I fell in love instantly. The Beijing Zoo is an enormous place! We didn't get to see it in it's entirety, but we did see all of our favourite animals. Tigers (my personal favourite), elephants, dolphins, polar bears, lemurs, lions, and so many more. The zoo is well kept and is very green! I'll be making another visit sometime during my stay in Beijing. 

Remember watching the Olympics in the summer of 2008? I do! They were in Beijing and as I feel about all Olympic games, they were epic! So, when Brittany expressed in extreme interest in going to see the Olympic park where the Bird's Nest and Water Cube are, I was totally on board! One common theme I am running in to here in Beijing is the gorgeous and unique architecture. And that's just how I'll describe these buildings where the Olympics took place. The Bird's Nest building where the track and field is, and where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies took place is unlike any other building I have ever seen. Clearly they named it the Bird's Nest for a reason - because it looks just like that. It looks like sticks and twigs (or in this case, pieces of metal) woven together like a nest. It is a very open concept, and you can see through the intersections of the metal. And the Water Cube is just as interesting! The outside of the building has a very liquified and bubbly look about it. I know that this building in particular has a whole new look about it at night as it lights up several shades of blue. This is something I will also be returning to see during my stay in Beijing!

Standing outside the Bird's Nest at Olympic Park.

Looking through the Bird's Nest to the Water Cube (and smog!).

So, I didn't get to Beihai Park or to the National Museum. I didn't get to eat something funky on a stick at Wangfujing Street. BUT! I did get to see everything else on my list during my "staycation." And, I'm living here for a year or more. There is lots of time. By Thursday afternoon, we all agreed that we needed to slow down and do some relaxing. And we did just that! I feel like I'm just rambling in this post and that my thoughts are spewed all over the page! Maybe I should have blogged each night to keep my thoughts organized and concise. Oh well! I know I'm forgetting some things, and there are specific moments during my vacation that I'll remember forever. But I have the pictures, I have the memories, and I have this blog! There is no way I'm going to forget my first "staycation" vacation in Beijing! 

The group before climbing up to the "Temple of the Fragrant Buddha"

Taking a boat ride on Houhai Lake at night.

Outside Forbidden City.

The Temple of the Fragrant Buddha at Summer Palace.

The view of Beijing and Kunming Lake from the Temple at Summer Palace.

One Month.

I can't comprehend how I've been living in Beijing for one month today! I know it is so cliché to say, but time sure does flies by when you are having fun. It's certainly been an experience and a learning curve at times, but all in all it has been fun and an adventure since day one. 

I already knew this before arriving, but living in China is quite different in some ways from living in Canada. I have had to change how I do some of my day to day tasks, and I have also learned to let things go a little bit easier - like when the internet stops working. Sometimes you just can't fix it no matter how determined you might be. So, as I look back and remember the feeling I had when getting off the plane in China after 13 hours in flight only one short month ago, I will share with you five things that I have learned or changed about myself since moving to Beijing, China. 

1. I will NEVER, EVER complain about traffic and driving in Canada ever again. Okay, maybe I'm over-exaggerating slightly. But I do know that if I ever do begin to complain again about traffic back ups, crazy drivers, or the lack of signalling in Canada I'll be brought back to my time to Beijing and will remember how insane and intricate the traffic moves here. Sometimes it seems like an art how closely the cars graze each other as the weave in and out of lanes. And the horn honking! I know that here in Beijing the incessant horn honking is not out of angry and road rage (most of the time), it's a warning to pedestrians and other cars letting them know where you are. But sometimes it's hard to hear yourself think, let alone talk, with the horns wailing in the background. It's certainly a lot different then the cruising we do in New Brunswick. China has taught me patience.

2. "Tuan Li rich, Beijing poor." This is so true! I live in a small village in Beijing called Tuan Li which is surrounded by the Tongzhou District. The cost of living out here is very cheap. So cheap that when we wander into the city centre of Beijing we find things to be overpriced and very expensive when in retrospect, it's still a lot cheaper than living in Canada. I mean, HELLO! going to the grocery store in Tuan Li and buying two huge chicken breasts (one does three meals) for about $7 is mind blowing. I think I'm going to find it difficult to pay full price for things back in Canada when I come home in the summer. China has taught me to spend money wisely.

3. It's China. Sometimes you just have to let things go. Life here is very different from life in Canada. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that they play by different rules and you have to accustom yourself to living in a new culture and a new way of living. I am not afraid to admit that I have a bit of a control freak streak implanted within me. It's who I am, it's why I like to lead. So it can be hard for me sometimes to let things go. But I'm getting better at it. Brad, you would be so proud - I'm becoming slightly more "laid back." China has taught me to take a step back and let go.

4. I love teaching here. Every day I become a better teacher because of my students. They have already helped me to grow immensely as an educator. This is my first full time teaching job, and I am loving every minute of it. I had a conversation with my dad and grammy a couple of weeks ago and I remember saying to them that there have been several moments during teaching time where I've paused and thought to myself "This is job is definitely what I am meant to do." I am so thankful that I took the educational path that I did because I love my job. China has taught me that teaching is truly the profession for me.

5. This last point isn't sometime I learned nor something that has changed. It is something I have gained. Friends. I have met and made friends with some amazing fellow teachers. By moving out here we already shared something in common - the urge to travel and see a new part of the world. From there things could only grow more. I can't imagine a better group of people to live with, work with, and see this part of the world with. I am a pretty lucky lady! 

If the last month speaks anything of the experience I am going to have in Beijing and China as a whole, I think this is going to be the experience of a lifetime. Something I have been waiting and yearning for for a while.

The Same Moon.

The harvest moon was out in full force tonight in Tuanli. It was beautiful, full, round, and the most gorgeous hue of orange. And for a moment while walking home from supper tonight I got home sick. I missed my family, I missed their hugs, I miss my friends, I missed their company and laughter, I missed home. I won't lie to you, I got emotional and had a good cry. I took some time alone when I got back to my apartment and talked to Mom and Dad. I sent a message to my best friend Sara. I slowly began to feel better. I looked out my window again and up at the moon and remembered that no matter how far away I am or where my life takes me, family and friends are always near. Because we all look at the same moon. We are together, always and forever.

Happy Birthday, Brad!

Today is my "little" brother's 21st birthday. HIS 21ST BIRTHDAY! I remember very clearly writing a blog post for him one year ago in disbelief that he was turning 20. We were finally back in the same decade again. Then BOOM! Another year come and gone. And now, as I sit in my room in Beijing ending the day in which he is just beginning, I'm feeling nostalgic. I'm feeling proud. I'm full of love. 

Now, last year I wrote a list of things that I loved so much about you and our relationship. And I know how much you love me being all sentimental (sarcasm...), but I just want you to know how much I love you. I've learned a lot about you and our relationship over the last year of being away. And I am continued to be amazed at how much you've grown, how I've grown, and how we have grown as a family. Brad, you are a remarkable human being. Your "laid-back-ness" can drive me INSANE, and your ability to get under my skin is irritating in itself. All that aside though, I know you would bend over backwards for your family, friends, and loved ones in an instant. You put others before yourself time and time again (though you can be very sarcastic about it!). And you find the humour in small things. You know how to lighten the mood and let go of the little things. You have taught me a lot (though I don't think I have ever told you that until now, nor would you even understand it fully). You bring out the best in people and your determination is admirable. I think what I am trying to say, and what I want you to always remember is that I am so proud of you and to be able to call you my brother. I love you, always and forever. 

Have an amazing birthday, brother bear. Wishing you all the best and sending you much love from China! xoxo 

PS - Though it may be an unattractive picture, it's my favourite :)