Happy Teacher's Day!

Yesterday was a fun day to be a teacher in China, because it was Teacher's Day! All day long I saw students walking around both campuses, carrying carnations or gigantic fruit baskets or other odd gifts for their teachers. The Japanese foreign teacher, Takao, who shares the office with us, was given the craziest stuff. Someone gave him four knock-off Eddie Bauer shirts. He also received a huge wooden ship, gigantic origami flowers sprayed with perfume that he promptly tied in a plastic bag, because the smell was so strong, and a beautifully framed cross-stitch of cherry blossoms. I was given a bobble head cow and a very blue and feathery wind chime by my students.

I also received several emails from students, such as:

"Tomorrow is Teacher's Day . A day for you , a day for all the teachers . It's the time we give our thanks to the teachers who have worked so hard . We chinese regard the teachers as candles . Because they always care so much about the students but pay little attention to themselves just like candle burning himself and giving lights to othe people . Teachers are very great and hard . You did a lot of help to us and you will still help us in the future even though you don't teach us ,because we are friends . Please accept my benediction and regard!"

"Miss Laura Freeze
Today is Teachers' Day in China. i stand for 08BE2.Send you our everlasting feeling of gratefulness and thankfulness on this special day.We all like having you as our teacher. You have our respect and gratefulness. and i think It is the most appropriate time to show you our thanks."

Teaching is going a lot better, not just because it was Teacher's Day recently. I still see my old students, but I don't compare them with my new students. It's sort of fun and challenging to see how well I can love my new students, even or especially when they are being extra difficult. During nearly every class I have to lift my thoughts up, but that's probably how I should live all the time.

On Friday I also officially started language learning again. I'm meeting with my Chinese friend, Amy, in my office in the afternoon. So I'm still trying my best to engage the culture and people. It's just taken a week or two for me to get my feet wet again.

Now I'm off to dinner and then a game night with some students and friends! Have a marvelous, blessed weekend!

(The pictures are from teacher day, a couple of my students, and the military training at our school).