I am grateful for new friends and old. I’m grateful for my new school and old. I am grateful that my former school set me up to succeed at this one—giving me many tools and much useful knowledge and experience. I am grateful for new coworkers that have become my friends. I am grateful I get to create a classroom environment built on positivity. I am grateful for the staff support I have at school. I am grateful for the many aspects of life in China that are inexpensive and easy. I am grateful to have support from friends through the struggles of adjusting to a new culture. I am grateful to work with co-teachers that are open-minded and willing to learn and change and grow. I feel grateful!
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I am out of the habit, and I need to get back in! I want to somehow reorganize my AM schedule so that I am back in the habit of posting my daily gratitude feelings. I have gotten out of the habit and I need to bring it back; that and many more! I am on week 10 in China and I have “survived” much and succeeded equally. Yesterday, me and my co-teachers were doing lesson planning at school, and I was reminded of how stressed I felt—on a daily basis— at my former school. I always felt I wasn’t “doing enough” or that my lessons weren’t “good enough”. That, mixed with the (partially) toxic work environment made for a feeling of dread that filled me mmost mornings. But putting those aside, we didn’t have much support in class, and so we had to do everything. As I was considering all that, I felt really grateful for all the support I get in my current school. The burden of every single detail for managing and planning and creating a viable classroom is shared between several teachers. I am not solely responsible for creating and implementing the unit lesson plan, decorating the classroom, or managing behavior. I felt relief and gratitude when I thought about planning for the next unit. I am also grateful for the creativity that flows out of that knowledge. When my find is free from stress, I am definitely more creative, and the lessons are then more creative! I am also grateful for the friends I have made here in Chengdu! I’ve only been here a short while, yet I feel cared for sincerely by a few people; a path has been started for some authentic friendships. When I feel lonely, I have GFs to call upon! This is especially important because I feel really cut off from family right now, due to recent circumstances. But then again, that brings more gratitude, because while I am cut off from some, others are making up for it by reaching out to me more often. I am grateful for my family in FTW that consistently express their love for me. It means a lot! I am grateful for prosperity and the many things that are easier in China. I am definitely grateful for the many things that are less expensive in China! And I hope I never forget to be grateful for all the times I have been helped out here, by local people. I am so grateful for all the help I have received from all the Chinese people who have been kind and gone out of their way to help me when I was on the verge of meltdown tears. I feel grateful and it is a good feeling. I want it every day!!
I’m grateful I finally got my air purifier connected to my phone so I can operate it remotely! I am grateful I have people to guide me in my new country of residence. I’m grateful for sweet baby tomatoes. I’m grateful lI get to be part of the school photo today. I’m grateful I can get a massage, because I need it! I’m grateful for my new thermal carafe that keeps my morning chai steaming hot! I’m grateful for new friends and new adventures!
A small, barely audible knock on my door again. This one is about 30 minutes after she had knocked the first time to see if I wanted my room cleaned. She must have heard my sniffling and coughing—seen my misery, for she had returned with a scalding cup of hot ginger and honey tea for me, accompanied by kind words, “Hot ginger. For cold.” I was floored and bowed adn repeated xiexie over and over. I don’t know if she understood when I mumbled that both the air pollution and cigarette smoke had made me sick, “okay”.
When we arrived last night, I instantly fell in the love with this “boutique” hotel. Heavily decorated with live greenery, and a lovely courtyard including a swing invites you in. The lobby is a combination library, cafe, tea room, small bistro, Japanese-style sitting area, and information desk. Again, the room’s main inhabitants are vast numbers of green plants—as welcoming as the hosts, but without overcrowding the clean, well-organized space. While the main host spent an hour with P., helping with our itinerary for the next day, (and speaking immaculate English), I wandered around then ordered a pot of jujube-lingonberry tea. It was just-right-sweet, flowery, and herbal. The host had also helped me carry my bags up the 5th floor—lots of stairs! The room is cozy and clean and softly lit like the lobby. A feeling of Hygge and comfort washed over me. In the morning, I opened the drapes to mist-covered mountains, that appear very, very close! I can also see the cable cars that begin their frightfully high journey from the town center of Zhangjiajie disappear up the slopes, beyond the short medium-rise buildings. Here, the tallest buildings are perhaps 5 stories high, a refreshing contrast from the 30+ floor high-rises in Chengdu! I love that I can turn my head a few degrees to view a partly sunny sky and cloud-tipped mountaintops. In addition to excellent service, a comfortable stay, a thick down comforter atop and equally just-right mattress that makes me sleep like I am at home in my own bed, the offering of tea by staff when I am obviously sick is remarkable. Zhijue Art Hotel was already going to get a great review, but now they’ve really done it! I a grateful for the friendly —and surprising — care I receive in China. I am grateful for the lovely people that run this hotel. I am grateful to be sick in a cozy room with a view; this lessens the misery. I am grateful to be a short 3km from a Buddhist temple, a mountain to hike, and a “traditional village”— all for me to visit when I feel a bit better. I am grateful that I was invited by new friends to join on holiday. I am even more grateful that they are awesome travel companions and we have so much fun together. I am grateful we can do our own thing or remain together and it doesn’t matter. I am grateful for the cute guy I got to stare at during the 4 1/2 train ride, LOL! I am grateful for my outgoing travel partner who speaks very good conversational Mandarin, who planned our entire trip, who booked all of our hotels and transport, and who basically has taken care of all the logistics while me and her hubby had the easy job of enjoying the fruits of her labour. I am grateful for an free upgrade to business class on OK Airlines (haha, really!), which flew us from Chengdu to Changsha. I am even grateful for Starbutt’s coffee shop! I am grateful for my adventurous and flexible spirit, which allows me to be an equally enjoyable companion to my friends on this trip, as well as find trails in the mountains and take off hiking on my own. I am grateful for the opportunity for a weekend away from my Chengdu home to this temporary home in Zhangjiajie; even though I’m miserably ill, I am at least comfortable and feeling hygge. What else... I am grateful for the laughter and conversation P and I shared for almost the ENTIRE 4 1/2 hour ride... now that is one damn long conversation and means we get along pretty darn well if we can talk that long, LOL! and her hubby is a doll and so loving toward her— their relationship is really enjoyable to watch! I am grateful for Our Great Leader and his big head in Changsha (hahaha—wait for pix!). I am grateful for this amazing opportunity: I get to live in China and experience this lovely Chinese culture. I could go on and on, but I am getting close to feeling well enough to eat (at 2:40pm) and maybe leave my cozy environs for a small and easy adventure of temple exploration. Ziejian (goodbye)!! Yes, I am a little behind on posting my daily feels of gratitude, but definitely not behind on the feels! Another day, another round of many aspects of my life for which to be grateful! Yesterday, I visited a TCM/Chiropractor/and? Dr. for a much needed and long-overdue massage. They also did cupping. Wow, it was an intense, therapeutic massage that put me in the relaxation and toxin-release and stress-relieved zone! Including the intitial assessment, I was there for 2 hours! Not to mention, the Doc came down to meet me at street level, since I had never before visited the clinic. It is a beautiful, traditionally-decorated Chinese medicine clinic and she speaks excellent English. I needed that massaged 2 weeks ago! Later, I met M., a new friend from work, and we hopped in a DuDu (China’s Uber—it’s really Didi, but hey, sometimes the ride feels like doo doo, so...) to head downtown for food and cinema... then it was really dudu... Click “read more” to the right... I was reading my gratitude post about Dad, telling friends about my upcoming vacation, and commenting on my new rice cooker, when I realized that WOW! I have a TON to for which to be grateful! I am waaaaaay behind in gratitude posts, although I have definitely been feeling a lot of gratitude in the last four weeks; I have had a lot for which to be grateful! It might be more readable to just create a list!
I am so grateful for so much! Although I missed it, damnit, there was a huge turn out for the last Dinner Around The World gathering, which turned into a Bon Voyage for me! Wow! I am floored by the # of people that turned out at DK Sushi to wish me well. I am grateful for all the love and care! I am going to miss my IA families!
I am grateful that I got everything except for two boxes shipped and off to China; even though it cost double what I expected, ugh! I’m reminding myself that this is a long-term investment so a large initial outlay of $$ is expected as I relocate across the globe!!! I am grateful for friends who love me and whom I will dearly miss while I’m gone! I’m grateful for the help I’ve received from wonderful people, and of course, D&E, who are letting me store 6 boxes of my 30-year’s-worth of journals and personal writings in their garage until I feel comfortable with spending another $grand* (forrealz!) to ship them over! I’m grateful that pretty much everything is done except for a few things-to-do so that I have been able to relax this AM, write, play on FB, and organize the remainder for shipping, suitcases, and donations! I AM GRATEFUL!!! Wheeeee! Wo neng xing! As of right now, it is 0911 on Saturday, I depart for the airport at noon Monday; 2 days, 2 hours, 48 minutes, and 22 seconds from now! I managed to achieve two goals last night: to stay up until 2am for time-change adjustment, and to get all my boxes packed! Whoo Hoo! Done! And boy am I exhausted! I am so grateful that 98% of everything is packed! I just have to wrap some framed artwork, finalize my box of cosmetics and liquids for shipping, and organize the suitcases that I will take to Paris and then on to Chengdu. It is absolutely DOABLE to get everything else done today and tomorrow! I’m grateful my roomie said he would help me get the boxes to the PO, because that job was a potential killer—9 boxes weighing 30-60 lbs. each!! I think they are all within the Chinese restriction of 66 lbs, and I managed to get everything that was important—even my SCUBA gear! Whoo Hoo! I’m going to leave my6 boxes of journals at a friend’s, sadly, but prepare them to ship so that I can either get them later, or they will be easy to ship when I come back to visit in 2 years...! I’m grateful it’s almost all done, even though I am very, very, very, very, very tired! I’m grateful I get to see many of my Lil Peeps again, at our last Dinner Around The World today! I’ll be super grateful for the hours-long nap I plan on afterward, then a farewell and celebratory dinner with my besties who have helped me in innumerable ways since my return from Korea. I am grateful I survived this sojourn in ATX, because it wasn’t at all easy!! I’m grateful that I’ll be in Paris on my Half Birthday! I’m grateful I am moving to China! I’m grateful for all the visualizations and positive affirmations I have done for years that have come to fruition! I am grateful for so much!!! Yay! |
Gina is......grateful for the past and the future! Archives
November 2018
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