Sunday, July 12, 2009

Let's try this out!

So apparently China doesn't allow internet access to websites like facebook, youtube or blogs so I will have to email updates to my blog!  Hopefully I can figure out how to put pictures and video on as well!
On Saturday we went out to a park that has paddle boats.  The water was pretty gross but it was fun to be out instead of stuck in our apartment.  We also went to a bookstore and I found english books.  They mostly just had classics and I've read a lot of those but I decided to try Gone With the Wind (I'd already finished the books that I brought with me) but when I got it out to read it yesterday I realized that it was part 2!!!  It started at chapter 31!  Sheesh.
We also found what will probably be my favorite place to eat here.  Pizza Hut!!!  We had a salad bar, criss-cross french fries and an honest-to-goodness Hawaiian pizza!!  Talk about comfort food!  I know I haven't been here that long or anything but it made me realize what it is that's so different about the food here. It's not really the actual food.  They have beef and chicken and green beans and rice which are quite acceptable foods but it's the flavors in them that are so different.  So to taste something with American flavoring was very nice.  A little later the Mongolian teacher took us to an international food store.  It was called Jenny's store!  We bought things like frosted flakes, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and kraft parmesan cheese (Mitch was really excited).  It's pretty expensive so we will still eat plenty of native Chinese food though.
Right now the children are having sort of end of term tests and then they will get a short break.  Classes will resume on the twentieth and that is when we will get to start teaching!  It sounds like they want an english class, english songs, music appreciation and a music history class.  We got to sit in on one of their tests this morning.  It was for sight-singing. They use Russian solfege.  Most of it familiar to me but la is with a Russian L and Ti is Si.  I would say that they were as good as first year music students at BYU.
So until then we are getting to do some sight-seeing and adjusting to the time change (I actually slept in today until 8:20! I'm usually bright-eyed by 5:30 or so.). I'm hoping to get to go see the Harry Potter movie when it comes out and Nova said that this is the season for festivals here so we should be able to go see a lot of performances!
Hope you all are well!
Lots of love
Ev


Hotmail® has ever-growing storage! Don't worry about storage limits. Check it out.

No comments: