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

If you have been following our blog, you will realize that being a foreigner in China is not a breeze. But, what makes it all worth it is seeing these kids! Teaching English is relatively easy but mentally taxing. Look at these smiling faces; doesn't your heart just melt?

And that's a wrap... Our second set of summer camp intensives are over. Thank goodness! Having 30 contact/teaching hours in a week is hard work! Having only 1 day off in a week is hard work. Not getting paid extra for the extra effort and lesson planning is a little disheartening.  Our contract allows for 100/mo. When they give you a week off between the 2 week sets, it isn't 100/mo. The bright side- the kids! I do believe kids can be anything they want to be. They are such sponges. With enough patience,  practice and time, well, they can learn anything. Hope you enjoy these pictures.

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...

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...