Well here I am... one week into the Spring semester already. I can't believe in about 3 months I'll be on my way back to the States. I have the same students as I did last semester. I am so glad, because my kids are great and I love them so much. They are also so impressive this semester. Either I can just understand them better, or their English has improved a lot since I first started working with them. Between the first hour and second hour of class we have a 10 minute break. On the break I always go and sit with a group of students and just talk to them. It's amazing how this simple thing has really gotten them to open up to me, and has made them so much more comfortable to speak in class.
I am in, yet again, another dance production. CUBA Basketball Tournament is happening this coming weekend and taking place at SIAS. This is pretty much the Superbowl for the Chinese... it's a big deal. It's televised on CCTV (the major Chinese TV network). And of course since SIAS has more foreign faculty than that of any other school in all of China, they want us to perform. It's been a whirlwind of 3 hour dance practices every night mixed with the crazy madness of the first week of the semester.
I have started running. I have this unusual habit of pushing myself to do things that I ordinarily think I "can't do" or "don't like". I have always hated running, but since it's the only form of exercise I can get here in Xinzheng I decided to train myself to love it. My goal is to be able to run 2 miles without stopping by March 15th. When I first began "training" I could only run 1/8th of a mile without wanting to die. After 3 weeks of training I can now efficiently run 1 mile. I add an 8th of a mile every 2 days. In the past 3 weeks I have run in the sunshine, gloomy skies, rain, freezing rain, and snow... and I must admit... I truly am growing to love it.
Speaking of snow, it snowed here a few times this week. It didn't stick very well, but it was enough for it to feel like we had a winter. When it snows here everyone walks around with umbrella's. They really do use umbrella's here for ALL kinds of weather: sun, rain, & snow.
I have a feeling this semester is going to go by very quickly.
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