Meesa Lindsay ... we want to color animals.

Well folks, it's about that time of year. I'm about to hit 4 months of being in China (CRAZY RIGHT?!), and I think the "culture shock" is starting to hit. Before you jump to conclusions, no, I'm not wanting to leave China and come home. Farthest thing from it. Culture shock is different for everyone since every person is unique. So for me, alot of my "culture shock" expresses itself in my frustration with the system and the complete lack of anything resembling efficiency. 

For example, the education system at my school frustrates me a great deal. There's a ridiculous amount of pressure on my kids and on my co-teachers, and it's not fair or just. And I think that's what I have the problem with the most: I see injustice and I want to fix it. But I can't. 

It's strange how the things I thought would frustrate me, don't. And the things I thought I could deal with drive me crazy. For one, I thought the language barrier would make me want to pull my hair out. Nope. I thought the people and their attitudes would make me hate China. Quite the opposite actually. 

I never considered that my job would be the thing that frustrated me the most. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE teaching. I LOVE my kids. I LOVE my co-teachers. What I dislike is the system. And I dislike it because it is just ridiculous sometimes. With a lack of direct communication, it's hard for my co-teacher to know what they're supposed to do. And then it's even harder for them to communicate to me what I'm supposed to do. And what really just makes me so angry is how much pressure is put on my babies and on my co-teachers. My babies are SIX YEARS OLD!!!! It is absolutely ridiculous to expect them to be able to all score a 95 and above on their exams. Just ridiculous. And if my babies don't do well on their exams, the hammer comes down on my co-teachers. It makes the protective mama bear side of me come out. Nobody messes with Meesa Lindsay's babies or co-teachers!!!

And it also doesn't help my frustration level when I get back from a break on Monday morning and get handed a new book and told I need to start teaching from that book TODAY. 

I practiced labor breathing to calm myself down so my head wouldn't blow off. Hee-hee-hoo-hee-hee-hoo-hee-hee-hoo

But as infuriating as my job can be at times ... it also is my greatest joy, the thing I love most about China. And there's those little moments that happen every day, every class that make all my irritation melt away. Then there's the moments Father gives me outside of school that remind me of all the lessons China is teaching me. 

Exhibit A:

I was teaching my kids about different animals. When I put up the picture of a pig, all 36 kids in that class started making these ridiculous snorting hog noises. I about fell over laughing. 

Exhibit B: 

I had a lesson where my students got to draw different animals as part of an activity.  Unfortunately class 3 didn't get to draw animals because we ran out of time. However, news must have spread quickly down the hall about Meesa Lindsay's fun drawing time because on last Wednesday, after class 2, I met my genius kid Dustin out on the hall. This exchange went down:

Dustin: Hello Meesa Lindsay!

Me: Hello Dustin!

Dustin: Meesa Lindsay, this afternoon, in class, we want to color animals.

Me: OH MY GOSH!!!!!! OF COURSE YOU CAN COLOR ANIMALS!!!!

Heck, I would've let them color anything they wanted. This kid's English is amazing!!! Why on earth is he even in my class?! He should be teaching the class for crying out loud!

Exhibit C: 

Last Sunday I was on the bus heading back from a trip up to the north part of the city. It had been a rough couple of days, and I was just feeling exhausted. The bus trip was good for me because I just got to sit and clear my head for a while. Well, I transfered busses near my school, and I noticed a kid wearing one of the red winter jackets with our school's logo on it. I did a double take and it was one of my kids!!!! It was Tim from Class 1!! He was riding on the bus with his mom. I said hi and was greeted with a gigantic smile and a shocked "Meesa Lindsay!" exclamation. He told his mom I was his teacher, and she made him stand up so I could sit down. He sat on my lap the rest of the ride back to school. 

Me and Tim on the bus!!

Exhibit D:

On Saturday, we went out grocery shopping at a store called Carrefour. We get up to the entrance of the store and there's this huge advertisement campaign thingie for some kind of laundry detergent. Anyway, we went in, did our shopping, and came out. But, just as we were coming out of the store, I noticed that some of the employees working the campaign were lining up as if they were about to do some sort of dance. So we stopped and watched. 

Well, as we watched their little dance to Gagnam style, these three college girls came up to me and Sarah. One of them was like "Do you remember me? We met on the bus." She looked kind of familiar, and I've met several college students on the bus before. Anyway, we started talking about the employees dancing and how silly it was. 

Then, the inevitable happened. 

One of the employees came up to me and gestured towards the group dancing, saying "Come, come!" He wanted me to go dance with them. I was like "No, no, no, no." But he wouldn't back down. 

So I went out and danced with the crazy laundry detergent people. 

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

Crazy dancing

And of course a crowd gathered and everyone had their smartphones out video-ing the crazy 外国人 (foreigner) dancing. 

AFter the dance, I walked off back to Sarah and the college girls (who also all had their smartphones out). Then one of the guys I was dancing with runs after me and gives me a big thing of laundry detergent for free. And THEN their professional photographer guy takes my picture with the laundry detergent. 

I would not be surprised if I see my face with the laundry detergent plastered all over Taiyuan. I can see it now "Look! Even foreigners like our laundry detergent!"

So yeah, just another crazy moment in my Taiyuan life. 

Oh and the college girls asked for my number. They said they wanted to practice their oral English, so I gave them my number. And as it turns out they both go to Shanxi University, which is right down the road from my school! I got two adorable texts from them today: 

"Hi Lindsay. I am so happy to know you today. My english name is summer. can i make friend with you?"

"Hello, lindsay. I'm Miki. This is my telephone number. I feel very lucky to meet you today. I hope we can be good friends!!!"

They're so stinking cute! So yeah, I have two new friends, Miki and Summer! 

It's amazing how Father provides these little encouragements in my life exactly when I need them. His timing is impeccable ... of course I should've already learned that lesson by now. I keep having these moments where I'm like "KSJDHFLIAWUEHFLIBJKDSBLGAUHRUI I'M IN CHINA!!!!!! I'M IN CHINA!!!!!!! ASJDFHALSKHF!!!" But, it's where Father wants me for this season. And I am so blessed to be a part of everything here. 

Me and Dasha waiting for the bus. Isn't she adorable?!

Hope y'all enjoyed these little stories. Please continue to lift up me and my team as we navigate adjusting to a new culture.