Hello Guangzhou!!!

 My handsome boy in his formal school uniform!  It's going to be a great year!

Well, after a quick summer, we arrived back in Guangzhou for the next leg of our worldly travels. I am SO GLAD that we got the apartment before the summer and had everything set up to come back to. It eased so much stress!

Orientation went rather painlessly, with some hiccups here and there, but when isn't there. I have been in very high spirits regarding the choice I made to come here. I really think it was the right move for us. There is a lot of work to do at the school, but that is ok, I'm not really one to shy away from work. ;)

I made a new friend during orientation who ended up becoming my teaching partner. (long story, but I had one partner who was then swapped with another teacher, upper for lower grade) My new partner, Camilla, is here with her family on her first international teaching assignment from Sweden. She came with her husband and two kids, one of whom is in my class and the other is in grade 2.

New Student Orientation: Majken, Sulvej, Lucas Lucas at New Student Orientation

Lucas and hisnew teacher, Ms. Yashna, Grade 1!!

We became friends pretty quickly and her girls and Lucas also became friends quickly. After the first night they played together, Lucas said how much fun he had and then said, "Mom, we don't even speak the same language but we had SO MUCH FUN!" (the girls don't speak any English) They have since made up different signals to communicate, use different sounds and have taught each other some words. But is is fascinating. Even now, they are in the other room, playing and laughing. You would never know they didn't speak the same language.

They moved into our complex too, which has been really fun. We have done so many things together, IKEA, grocery shopping, going to school, and just hanging out. We even had the shortest taxi ride together, all 6 of us in one taxi for about a block and a half.....we were misled on actually where our destination was, and long story short, we all shoved in a taxi despite the driver saying things to us (probably telling us just to walk). It was pretty funny!

The weather here has been SO hot and humid!  We just have had to kind of get used to the fact that the minute you leave the house, you are immediately hot and sweaty. I guess we will get used to it though. And I hear it does get less humid, so we will see.

School started yesterday. Lucas was so very excited to start 1st grade (which they call year 2 here....strange, I know)! He has grown up so much it seems the past few weeks since we have been here. It is unbelievable! He was very happy with the first day of school and has just been itching to get into 1st grade. He had already met all the teachers during the orientation week. They were all so kind and inviting to him. He told me that he "really liked everyone at this school."

After the first day, Lucas was SO TIRED he was in bed by 6:30! Today though, he has a bit more energy. I saw him in the lunchroom looking REALLY focused and professional. He and a classmate came in with a bin and then stood by the wall. Lucas was straight up tall with his hands behind his back. I went over and asked him what he was doing and he said that he was the lunch tub helper this week. He and his classmate got to come ahead of the class with the cold lunches and then stood there to wait for the other kids to get their lunches. He looked SO GROWN UP!!!


Yesterday the rain started. During the day, there was huge thunder and then lightning and a ton of rain!!!  Of course, we are used to rain, but since being in Beijing, we have not seen rain in a long time, especially rain like this! Today it rained too, all day! We wore our rain boots and were in about an inch of water on the way to school.

 

 FINALLY!!!  Use for our RAIN BOOTS!!!!

And now, my classroom!
Setting up the room for a new year is a really exciting time. Being in a new school and environment, I feel that this is the place for us. Here's to our new adventure!!