China
CHINA!!!
I've been wanting to post these photos for awhile now and talk about the 4 months I spent living abroad living in Weihai, China. Doing that will take awhile so I will be breaking each adventure down into smaller posts. I went to China with my brother, Tyler, his wife Aubrey, and her older sister Courtney. We volunteered with ILP (International language program) teaching english to 1st and 2nd graders. This company provides schools with people who want an opportunity to travel, familiarize themselves with culture, and live in a different country. The school we volunteered with was called Weihai Daguanghua International School. The parents who send their kids to this school hope to help their kids become the future leaders of China, and give them a better opportunity to advance in their careers. Everyday from 9-11 we got to teach the kids in small groups. Each of the teachers got their own classroom, and we each came up with a lesson plan each week.
At 11 we would typically go to the cafeteria for lunch, and I have to be honest about this.....the food was GROSS. Like honestly the most disgusting food I'd ever had. Pretty sure they would grind up whole animals add rice and plop it right on our tray. We weren't required to eat in the Cafeteria at the school, but it was free so a lot of the time we would stay. Sometimes we would go out on the town, and eat in the city. We would often go to an Italian restaurant where we would eat pizza. Sometimes we would go to a place we referred to as Muslim. It had delicious (compared to what we ate at the school) cheap food. The only way we were able to get anywhere was by foot, taking a taxi called a bon bon, or by getting on the bus. Most of the time we would use the bus. It was the cheapest method and easier for large groups to travel together. We would spend hrs walking around the city. We would explore shops, bakeries, and malls. We loved just getting lost walking around together. The night market in the city had all kinds of foods, and trinkets.
Weihai was so beautiful and had so much to do all the time. We lived right off the ocean, and we were able to spend our days on the beach and bask in the sun. We had so many wonderful adventures and experiences I cant wait to share all of them with you! Thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned until next time.