This week in pictures

BBQed fish for a Thursday Thanskgiving dinner?  Why not :)

Apple pie is a bit more authentic!

 The difference between this morning and afternoon.  A clear day was such a blessing!!

 The Christmas tree in the lobby of our school.

Humbled

My students are amazing.  I've known that for a while, but every day there seems to be something that reminds me of their incredible gifts and abilities.  I should rephrase that: my students are amazing, but they still struggle.  I teach math, and math is one of those subjects that most kids have a love-hate relationship with.  Add being an English Language Learner to the mix of attitudes towards math, then a few story problems and a question involved US currency or measurement, and things get tough.  As a result, I often have students that pop into my room for extra help.

This afternoon, two of my most challenging and yet most loveable/loved students came in after school to do their homework so that I was close by if/when they needed some extra help.  Let's call them Suzy and Jack.  Suzy and Jack are in different grades and sat on extreme opposite corners of the room, but were singing/humming along to the Christmas songs I had playing as they worked and actually seemed to enjoy their math-filled afternoon.  They asked their questions and got their homework done, both frustrated by the problems that they struggled with.  I, as I try to always do, told them they were smart and not to let it bother them...the problems that grieve them aren't everything.

As the bell for the late bus rang and they began to pack up, Suzy asked Jack if he was in the intensive ELL program at our school.  Jack told her that he was and that learning English was soooo hard. (We do love the use of soooooo at our school!)  Suzy asked him what he though of English as his second language, and Jack non-nonchalantly replied, "Not my second....third."

Three language at the age of 13.  Three.  This kid is one that I have struggled with motivating this year, often more focused on the conversations he could be having more than anything else. Normal for middle school.  But those conversations are in his third language.

He asked me how many languages I spoke.  "Fluently?  Just one."  Telling him that he was smart earlier was most definitely an understatement.  (BTW, he laughed when I said just one and reminded me that we are all good at different things...aiy yai yai!)

"No, Miss Teusink.  I'm not a genius.  My father is.  He speaks five."

I'm humbled by the caliber of student that I have the opportunity to teach.  Humbled and honored.  If you ever want to bask in the presence of greatness sometime, come and sit in my classroom and get to know my students.  They will amaze you, I'm sure, as they amaze me more and more each day!

Teusink's Tuesday Tip of the Day

One of the traditions that I have with my 6th graders (both my homeroom and the other class of marvelous 6th graders that I teach for two subjects) is the Teusink Tuesday Tip of the Day. It's a way to bestow my rediculous amounts of wisdom upon them, one tidbit at a time. In all honesty, it's more about giving them a life-skill as far as socializing with the people around them are concerned. Today's tip was, "Don't be afraid to ask for help."

Middle school is a time in life when things can go terribly wrong. It might be as minor as a hairstyle (I have a student who hasn't taken his baseball cap off for a week because of a hair-cut gone wrong) or as major as issues with parents or other family members, but in the eyes of a 6th grader it all can be the end of the world. Life is hard. Friendship is hard. School is hard. It all can be hard, and we all sometimes need a bit of help. I'm feeling especially burdened today for my students that struggle, my students that have an extra ounce against them in the world. Whether it's because of issues I've been told about or just things that I've been observing, I'm seeing a lot of hurt in the people around me, young and old. Some of them are moving at the end of the semester. Some of them are carrying the burdens of their friends and don't know what to do or where to go for help. I'm so honored and humbled that some of them choose to come to me.

The view this morning wasn't spectacular, but it was beautiful (as it always is). Please join me in remembering those around us that are hurting. Let's offer them an extra ounce of love, maybe a hug, and whatever help we are capable of giving!

Happy Monday!

There are about a thousand things that I love about my job this year. I love my students, the content that I get to teach on a daily basis, and the people that I work with. I love interacting with people from around the world and figuring out the cultural differences that keep us guessing but keep it interesting at the same time. I also love my view. Hold on...love doesn't quite say it. I LOVE my view. LOVE it. Every morning it is different. Every day is unique.

In the interest of blogging more, I thought I'd share my view with you. I probably won't take a picture every day, but I do take a lot of pictures out my window. The great thing is, my students now tell me when it is a picture worth taking. I've trained them well! Each morning, they are in there before the bell rings while the sun is rising. This morning, about 10 of us were leaning on the windowsill enjoying the beauty of the horizon that was being painted before our eyes. What precious moments with some of my favorite pre-teens on the planet.

And so, here are today's photos of my glorious view. Enjoy!

Remembering...

I'm often left speechless by the memories that a single happenstance can bring with it.  In a heartbeat, your transported to a different time and place.  Sometimes that transport brings with it tears, sometimes laughter, maybe fear, maybe joy...it's amazing what that heartbeat carries.  At the moment, I'm blissfully remembering a little over 18 months ago going to a movie with friends.  I had seen it already, but liked it enough to go back.  That doesn't happen often.  Now, seeing the sequel, I find myself wishing I could go back and enjoy it again with those friends at that time in that place.  You can't step in the same river twice, though, so here I am.

Where am I at the moment? Well, I'm in the river that is my time in China, enjoy the ripples and the waves, the sunsets and the smog.  It has been a busy fall.  If you usually receive my newsletter, you've likely been wondering if I removed you from my list.  Never fear, you're still on it...you just haven't received anything lately because nothing has been written.  I've started/updated/tweaked the August one a hundred times.  Then it became September...then October...and now November.  This school year has hit me hard and heavy, and I find myself struggling to do what I need to do, let alone the extras that I want to do.

What have I been doing?  Well, I'm teaching full-time at the 6th and 7th grade level, leading a small group for some of the coolest middle school girls in the world, working on my final masters portfolio projects and the 9th of 10 classes that stand between me and being referred to as Master Teusink (that's how it works, isn't it), and making decisions.  Every day is filled with decisions.  What to eat? Where to go? Where to stay? What to wear?  Oh it's a hassle, to be sure.  Thankfully, I've made one of the bigger decisions that has been plauging me, so one less thing to stress about.

Since summarizing the last few months with words would take far too long, here's a quick look at some pictures that might do the trick.

 

The view from my new classroom is breathtaking some mornings!

There are some mornings where the smog takes over, though.

For Book Character Day this year, I went as a giant cup of coffee.  I couldn't resist :)

I do, after all, drink Starbucks even with the most Chinese of meals!

 It is definitely turning from fall to winter in Chengdu.

Our favorite leaves are beginning to drift to the ground, but they are still beautiful!

As always, feel free to leave a comment to let me know how you are!  If you'd like to email me, leave your email address in the comment and I'll get back to you asap.  Comments are monitored and if you leave personal information I'll delete it, so no stress there!
 

Location: Chengdu, China
Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 7:49 p.m. (11/24/2013)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-8): 3:49 a.m. (11/24/2013)

Parting is Such Sad Sorrow

June is when goodbyes are supposed to happen in the expat community.  June is when school gets out, people move, and people like me shed a whole lot of tears.  June.  June is when people leave.  I can prepare myself for Junes.  The problem is when June events take place at another time of year.  I am a well-trained saying goodbye machine when it comes to Junes, but when people leave in, say, October, I just can't take it.  The sadness doesn't fit October.  October is supposed to be the time for candy corn and Christmas music (I make my own combos, k!), not tears and see-you-laters.

You are probably wondering what is causing this confusing, out of sync issue in my life.  Well, a good friend (and amazing co-worker) is leaving on Tuesday.  She's moving back to the world of English customer service centers and 24 hour Taco Bells.  She's leaving us and going there, and it's good that she's going.  It's the right time for her to leave.  But it's not June, so it's not the right time to say goodbye.  The world of a TCK is a world of incredible hellos and heart-breaking goodbyes.  I'm so glad that I got to say hello to my dear friend, but that doesn't make the goodbye any easier.

These are the things that keep me up at night.  Oh the joys :/




Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 9:35 p.m. (10/21/2013)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 6:35 a.m. (10/21/2013)

I'm dreaming of a Pumpkin Spice Latte...

It's beginning to feel like fall in Chengdu.  Let me rephrase that...it's beginning to like Fall in Seattle would feel, but I'm in Chengdu.  The weather is shifting (who knows if it's a permanent shift or just a few days of rain, but it feels like a shift) and I'm beginning to crave Pumpkin Spice Lattes and crunchy leaves.  Sadly, I won't see either of those this fall..

The school year is up and running and I'm already getting into the groove of a new year with new students and new classes to teach.  I've moved up to middle school, so I'm loving teaching the same thing multiple times a day and getting to interact with students on a bit of a deeper level during lunch breaks and after school clubs.  I truly love my students and am so blessed to be able to spend so much quality time with them!  Yesterday, we had our big fall camp and I had a blast skiing (on plastic, mind you) and chilling out with some of the best kids on the planet.  I am a lucky lady!

 The "Snow" where we "Skied"

Back to my original point, though, I miss fall.  Again let me rephrase that...I miss fall in the States.  I miss the season of pea coats, seasonal foods, colors shifting in nature, and knowing that a scarf was a safe bet.  Oh, and I also miss Halloween decorations.  I know by this point Back to School is heading out in stores and Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are right around the corner.  To think that I'm actually missing the materialism that I once loathed.  Sad, eh?

Oh well.  I'm thankful to be where I am doing what I'm doing.  Here, it's coming on chestnut season and the fruits that I can't remember the name of that they caramelize and basically turn into candy.  I'm thinking I might have to go to one of the "ancient" streets in town and be a tourist one of these days so that I can enjoy the festivities and see the season through a different perspective again.

Happy Fall!



Location: Chengdu, China
Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 12:31 p.m. (9/7/2013)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 9:31 a.m. (9/6/2013)

Bugs

There are times when I think bugs are really cool.  I mean let's face it, God made some pretty awesome critters.  Maybe it's because my roommate is a 1st grade teacher, but I have been noticing some crazy awesome bugs lately!  There was the flat green one on the side walk the other day...the cricket-like cockroach in the grocery store parking lot today, and of course the jumping spiders in my classroom.  Oh wait, let's not talk about them.  (Don't worry, the shoe marks on the wall are proof that I killed them all real quick!)

There is one type of bug that I hate.  Well, I probably hate more, but right now I just passionately hate one type of bug.  The only problem is that I have no idea what bug it is.  I'm hoping it's not the dreaded bed bug (insert loud and drawn out *gasp* here), but at the moment that is my only lead.  My legs are getting bitten up BAD, and when I say BAD, and mean REALLY BAD.  Every day there is a new pattern of little red bumps that clearly have some sort of bug as the source.  Don't get me wrong, I love trying to figure out what pattern/picture the bug had in mind when I wake up in the morning, but getting the bites and having bugs living somewhere in my house with me is no beuno.

So what do I do, you might be wondering?  Well, after watching 30+ minutes of YouTube how-to's on getting rid of bed bugs, I took a shower, sprayed myself down with bug-spray, and went to bed.  I'm a teacher and tomorrow is the first day of school...I don't have time to deal with these critters.  I might be able to pencil them in sometime next weekend.  We'll see.

Oh the joys of being me :/


 

Location: Chengdu, China
Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 8:14 p.m. (8/13/2013)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 5:14 a.m. (8/13/2013)

356.

I realize that I haven’t been the best at keeping up with my blog.  There are a handful of reasons, the most likely/plausible of them all is that life gets busy and I get lazy when I have time that could be used to write.  I have all of the time in the world this weekend, though, and so I write.

I have lived in China now for almost a year.  356 days to be exact.  For the past 356 days, I have called China home.  For 356 days I have said “Xie xie” more often than “Thank you.”  For 356 days I have learned to make due without a space bubble, especially when standing in line.  For 356 days I have driven a scooter more often than I have been in a car.  For 356 days I have taken public transportation regularly and confidentially in one of the world’s largest cities.  356 days.  Wow.

This weekend, in celebration of those 356 days, I am taking a break from life as I know it here in Chengdu and have splurged a little: I’m staying in the Sheraton.  I can sit in my room on the 30^th floor and watch the city below me from a healthy distance.  The blaring car horns and bustling streets are distance echoes from my perch.  I can watch the rain and not worry about being caught in it (I don’t intend to leave my hotel until check-out on Monday, after all).  I almost feel like Rapunzel up in her tower, however I have absolutely no intention of letting down my hair and letting someone into my little retreat.

As a part of my little retreat, I’ve been reading quite a few of the books that I’ve been stockpiling on my Kindle for such a time as this.  I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but many of those books happen to be about some aspect of the TCK life.  As I sit and peer through the windows that these books are into the lives of other adults with childhoods like mine, I can’t help but be so thankful for who I am, where I am, and where I inevitably will some day go.  Let’s think about it for a minute together, shall we?

My first memories are of hiding under the baby-grand piano in our living room with my brother, crafting little snakes and other sculptures out of modeling clay and hiding them on the little ledge that lined that musical masterpiece.  A fairly normal memory, right?  Wrong. We lived in rural Rwanda in the early 90’s, a land that was in turmoil and soon to be thrown into an even more extreme state of disaster.  I was oblivious to the dangers, though, as I lived out an idyllic childhood in my land of a thousand hills.  I seem to remember a little nook in the tree where we had a tire-swing that was an equally marvelous hiding place.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself in my completely unfamiliar homeland: Washington State.  The people were familiar and actually looked like me for a change, but the culture was so backwards from my vantage point.  They didn’t want you to climb the trees by restaurants?  What are the trees for then?   Why couldn’t we eat with our hands?  Where were the grasshuts?  Why didn’t they have dolls that looked like my friends (white dolls just didn’t do it for me)?  While my seven years as a American living in the United States were essential for my crooked sense of home, there were many times that I felt like a bit of a cultural refugee.  I wasn’t meant to be there.  It wasn’t my home.  My home had been torn apart by war, so I was simply biding my time until my parents declared that we would be moving back.  How can you settle when that is what your mind is telling you?  You can’t…you really can’t.

Finally, in August of 2000, we moved back home.  Now this time home turned out to be Ethiopia rather than our former central-African surroundings, but it was home all the same.  I quickly learned to love macchiatos, injera, and shirro watt.  I learned how to read the language that first year and found myself with a new code to use when writing down personal thoughts or ideas.  I lived in a city of 4.5 million that was at my fingertips.  I always felt safe.  And I was different again…blissfully different.  Blending in while living in the US always felt so foreign to me.  Being at home meant being odd, and I was so comfortable there.

After three years in Ethiopia followed by two-years in boarding school in Kenya, I found myself at a terrifying crossroads: that between high school and college.  For any 17 or 18 year-old, this time is an adventure.  For me, it was an adventure that was coupled with the great loss of everything that I had known.  As I flew out of the Nairobi airport in July of 2005, I felt my heart leave my body.  I’m still not sure if it’s completely back, although pieces of it have returned over the past 8 years.  I left my homeland and knew that every time I returned would not be the same as it was.  I was leaving a river that was going to keep flowing without me.

College had its string of ups and downs, followed by three years of living back in Washington State and attempting to get back in touch with my roots.  I was thankful for many friendships, new and old, that I was able to cultivate and the family members that I was able to grow close to again, but something still felt off.  I was becoming comfortable in a place that I didn’t truly belong.  I could blend in most of the time, apart from those conversations when I let my true colors shine through and everyone around me realized just what an odd duck I was.

And then came China.  It was an idea that I was completely opposed to at first, but eventually the appeal of the adventure outweighed the fear of the unknown.

And here I am.  A part of my heart that was silent for 7 years in the US is back.  I’m odd again.  I don’t fit.  I can’t understand 99% of what is going around me.  It is impossible to buy a DQ ice cream cake or run out for Taco Bell.  And yet, I’m happy. Of course there are hard days, but everyone has those no matter where in the world you are.

This is home.

Who knows if this is merely the first of two years in China that I have completed and if I’ll jet set to another foreign location in a year for another adventure.  Or maybe this is the first of twenty years.  Either way, I’m thrilled to be here and so thankful for each of you who are going through it with me, near or far.

Happy 356 days!

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 9:52 a.m. (7/28/2013) 

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 6:52 p.m. (7/27/2012)

Fears

I guess it's safe to say that I don't really blog anymore.  There were a few reasons that I fell off of that update wagon, but I'm back now so no more need to worry that I've died or disappeared (if you were in fact worried)!

There is only one week left in my first school-year as an international school teacher.  Only one more week with my precious students that have grown to adore so much!  I have been so blessed!

It is so surreal to realize that a year ago I didn't know any of the people that I would be working with this year.  A year ago, there were endless possibilities before me coupled with even more endless unknowns.  All I knew was that I was moving to China.  I had no idea what the city would be like, if there would be blue sky, if I would like the setting, if I would be able to learn Chinese at all, if I would make friends, and so many other minute details.  Fear became very real, but with it was a great pile of excitement for the adventure that I was going on.  An adventure that I chose and could claim as my own.

I'm so thankful for this adventure, and so thankful that you've been willing to encourage me along the way!

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 2:08 a.m. (6/2/2013)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 11:08 a.m. (6/1/2013)

Yipes...

I just realized I haven't blogged since Chinese New Year break.  Oopsie.  There are a few reasons (er....excuses) that I shall share with you now:

1 - Life is crazy busy.
2 - School is crazy busy.
3 - I am crazy busy.
4 - Some crazies have been accessing my blog and I don't want them to know anything about me.
5 - As a result of #4 I haven't wanted to write anything.

As a result of all of this, I am going to start password protecting my blog.  You can still read it, you'll just have to ask me for permission.  Maybe it makes me feel powerful, maybe it makes me feel safe, but whatever the reason that is what it shall be.

Okay, enough for now.  Will write for real in a few weeks!

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8)  9:35 p.m. (3/27/2013)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 6:35 a.m. (3/27/2013)

Wǒ shì měiguó rén

I had quite the conversation with a stranger today while waiting for the bus.  I’m going to share it with you because I actually understood it.  This is a major accomplishment.  And it was a little funny, so here goes…

Random stranger in a snazzy silver suit who was standing in front of me in line: “Nǐ shì àodàlìyǎ rén ma?” (Are you Australian?)

Me: “Duìbùqǐ, wǒ de zhōngwén bù hǎo.  Qĭng màn diăr.” (Sorry, my Chinese isn’t good.  Please speak a little slower.)

Stranger: “Nǐ shì àodàlìyǎ rén ma?” (Are you Australian?)

Me: “Wǒ bùshì àodàlìyǎ rén. Wǒ shì měiguó rén.” (I’m not Australian.  I’m American.)

Stranger: “Nǐ bùshì měiguó rén. Nǐ shì àodàlìyǎ rén.” (You’re not American.    You’re Australian.)

Me: "Wǒ bùshì. Wǒ shì měiguó rén."  (I’m not.  I’m American.)

Stranger: "Tā shì měiguó rén. Nǐ shì àodàlìyǎ rén." (Nods towards my friend.  She is American.  You are Australian.)

Me: "Oh.  Ok." (Oh.  Ok.)

And then we got on the same bus and stopped talking.   This conversation jazzed me (to use RVA lingo for the first time on this blog) for several reasons…

Reason A: He would not take my word for it.  To him, apparently, I am Australian.

Reason B: How could anyone think I am Australian?  Don’t get me wrong, I take it as a compliment, but seriously?  Have you heard me speak?  Have you ever been to Australia?

Reason C: How is it that now, after having visited Australia, that this suddenly happens?  It must be my glowing tan…hahaha…

Reason D: I understood the conversation!!!!  Yes, it’s lesson 1 Chinese…but still!  Woot woot…go me!

I'd like to thank Google translate for helping me with the tones :)

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 11:04 p.m. (2/11/2013)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 7:04 a.m. (2/11/2013)

A few questions rolling through my head...

My mind is so often filled with questions. Sometimes I ask them, and sometimes I don't, but eihter way they are still there. So, in the spirit of trying to blog more, I'm going to write some of them here and just throw them out into the void. Answer if you'd like to, but feel free to just ponder away like I have been and will continue to about them...

Why is it that I use my backpack more now than I ever did as a student? I don't know where I'd be without it! Weird.

Why do traditional definitons only allow the use of the term "best friend" in reference to one person? My life would be so strange if I only had one!

When is the point where you stop adapting and start changing the world around you rather than changing yourself? Not necessarily in merely a spiritual sense, but in a physical and transformational sense, as well.

How can people commit so easily to a place? The thought of staying somewhere longer than a few years is so against everything I know. It is such a nice thought, but in reality it is so difficult after such a transient life.

Why does it get cold again just when I thought things were warming up?

Why do we have middle names in some cultures? How did that start??

Okay, enough of that...

Crazy with a side of reality

It is amazing how quickly time flies, whether the result of busy work or a relaxing vacation. Since I last wrote, which is amazingly almost a month ago now, I have visited a brand new country/continent, celebrated a new year in a new place, and tackled three weeks of a new semester successfully. Hopefully sometime soon I will have a chance to write more about life these days, but for now know that I am alive and well! I will be sending out my newsletter in the next week or so, and if you'd like to receive it, please just comment with your email address, which only I will see. Have a lovely Wednesday/week!

Christmas Down Under

Written January 4th

Well, another year is over and another yet another vacation has come and gone, during which I forgot to blog. I spent the last two weeks in Melbourne, Australia, with Teresa and Wray. Tes was my roommate at boarding school in Kenya and Wray is a good friend from during my time at RVA as well.

There's something so wonderful about spending time with friends like these two. First of all, I've known them for more than a year, which trumps 99.9% of the people that I spend my time with these days. They also get me. They get the confusion, the geographical displacement, and the uncertainty that fills me when I think about long term plans or settling down in one place. It is so nice to be understood, to not have to worry about what they think or how they will respond to something odd that I say, and to just be able to relax. While I feel at home and comfortable in Chengdu, this vacation was a welcome reprieve from reality.

My time in Australia was filled partially with being a tourist, but more so with just relaxing and enjoying friends. I spent three days at the beach, a day on the Great Ocean Road, a day in the city of Melbourne enjoying the sights, a day visiting an animal sanctuary that only has animals native to Australia, and an evening ringing in the New Year with thousands of others in downtown Melbourne. All in all, it was pretty much the perfect vacation.

And now it's back to Chengdu with me, geared up and ready for whatever adventures this next quarter might bring.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!