Hi, my name is Ge Jia En
Hello everybody!
Today was my first day of Mandarin classes. The teachers gave me my new Chinese name! Obviously, my name is in Chinese characters but I can't type those on LJ so I will tell you the meaning of each Pinyin (English pronunciation of each Chinese character). Ge represents Graebert and this is my Chinese family name. So my students will call me Ge lao shi or "Teacher Graebert." Finally, my new first name is Jia En. This is literally translated to good, beautiful-attractive and grace. Haha. :) Chinese class is quite interesting and exciting but it is also intense. I learn one on one with a Chinese teacher in a small, 5'x5' room with a table, two chairs, and a white board. We go for two hours with a small break and we meet every week day. Once I start teaching English I will only go two hours every week. However, tonight's homework was fun...memorize 37 new symbols by being able to pronounce them, recognize them, and write the strokes correctly. I have a quiz tomorrow. It is now midnight. Yawn*
Getting ready for school.
Tiphanie and I did other things today than go to language school. We finally found Morrison Village!!! This was by chance, of course. We became lost again and we were so hungry. Lo and behold, we came face to face with a KFC. This was relaxing since we could just point to a number on the menu. However, we both felt ill after eating that grease...yucky. Anyway, while we were eating, we attracted our normal crowd of children introducing themselves and saying "hello, nice to meet you." Eventually their mother came running over to apologize for them interrupting our meal but we assured her it was okay and we enjoyed talking to them. It turns out that the mother used to be an English teacher at Morrison Academy. She told us how to get there and we actually did it! By the way, the traffic and biking is getting easier every day. I think walking is scarier than biking now. For example, after Tiph and I parked our bikes, we walked a block to the Morrison night market. Tiphanie almost got hit straight on by a motor bike. Hehe, she yelled, "I almost got hit! I felt the air whiz by me." I laughed and yelled back, "but you didn't so all is well." We laughed so hard. Fearing for our lives has become a daily occurrence.
Market's clothing section
and vegetable section
bikes cars people= crash. no, there isn't a sidewalk.
After all of our biking, we hit up a drink treat shop and again went to our usual spot in the park. Tonight was different, though. There was this huge group of people doing night aerobics in the middle of the park so we joined in! It was so much fun but by the time we got home I looked like I had just stepped out of my shower. I only wish that I was exaggerating! :) Well, it's late and I have Bible study tomorrow morning. Sleepy time...zzzzzz
Love you guys,
Jenna