TeamWaWa and their crazy adventures

Hello friends, family members, and passerby’s! We got the chance to do a marketing event in Qing Feng Park. It was an hour by bus from our apartment, but it was such a pretty park. You could rent bicycles, rent boats, fly kites in the grass, and even put your toes in the sand. Don’t go overboard, it’s a fake beach. We taught some colors and animals to groups of kids. Some too shy to even look at us. And others with good enough English to ask where we were from and what we were doing. It was a long day. Especially after the 25k the day before. Here’s some pictures. Enjoy. #krisandMatt #changzhouchina #qingfengpark #shaneenglishschool

Happy Thursday! Kris and I spend a lot of time in China at the gym. Now yes, I was teaching fitness at the Fowler Rec center, YMCA, and doing some PT with family members back in the States. So working out isn't a new thing. We love fitness! That feeling when you reach a PR.... It's also nice to have a little healthy competition. During our Crossfit days, we were known as Team WaWa. We've even both won medals in races in Georgia. Our gym in China is nice. It's spacious and has a nice mixture of machines and free weights. It has an aerobics and spin studio. If anyone in Changzhou is looking for a gym, visit WYRE near Auschan or the Shane HO school. Just an FYI, WYRE stands for "we run your errands". This of course makes us laugh. I do believe the Chinese business owners should consult with Native Speakers because the literal translations are hilarious sometimes!

Hello everyone! Today is February 22nd. Can you believe we are almost 3 months into 2017? Nothing much has been going on over here. We've been working, hanging out with friends, trying new foods, etc. I guess, you can say it's like a normal life. Work, eat, sleep and some social interaction :) One fun fact, we've been taking Chinese lessons. Mandarin is hard! Maybe I should emphasize,  if you want to say the tones correctly, it's hard. It is fun learning a new language. We know a few sayings in Spanish and now a few in Chinese. We went to a "commodity market" in Changzhou.  It's a huge place. Seriously, 4 floors. Reminded us of a flea market but with new stuff. Shoes, clothing, stationary, home goods like lamps and mops and bedding. Kris bought a new pair of shoes. We did bargain the lady down. Big feet though is the problem. They weren't her first choice of shoes, but finding a 40/41 women China size is hard. There is one Teacher leaving the s...

Hello everyone! It's been about 2 weeks since our last blog post. Our excitement happens in spurts. We'll  try to tell you the fun stuff. We survived Spring Festival. Kristin had a bad cold for the entire holiday. We still managed to see some great landmarks and sites. She was a real trooper. To describe Spring Festival think Independence Day on steriods. Canons and firework finale every day! Being a foreigner in China is hard to describe.  You miss weird random things. We miss having a real oven. We miss having a clothes dryer. Matt misses his beef jerky, and Kristin misses her Monster energy drinks and candy (twizzler, tootsie rolls, gobstoppers). China doesn't seem to believe in canned goods. You can't just go to the store thinking "we'll have canned chili" or "we will have a frozen lasagna" for dinner. It's frustrating to be on a bus and everyone around you is talking. About what? Who knows, you can't understand them. Ordi...

When you were younger and your teacher or parents asked "What do you want to be when you grow up", the typical answers are Doctor, Lawyers, Nurses. I don't remember what my response was to that question. In fact, if you asked me right now, I wouldn't be able to answer it. My ideal job is one where I can do nothing and become a millionaire! An independently wealthy person. But, since that's not possible, let's focus on teaching. I thought about adjunct teaching a few years ago. It seemed like a lot of work for little pay. So that was crossed off the list of jobs matching my skillset. Alas, I am teaching. Teaching in China! I will attempt to answer as many of your questions as possible. 1) What are you doing? Teaching English at the Shane School in Changzhou China. 2) What makes you qualified to teach? Well, according to the Chinese government,  I am a foreign expert. But, really, since I have a Bachelors Degree and a native English speaker...