It's for Sure

I got my teaching contract emailed to me the other day from Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics so mid February 2008 it’s ‘for sure’ that I am going back to Hangzhou, China for another years adventure.

This time I will take fewer clothes and a few more American luxuries such as a 4 inch mattress pad (to counter-act the board-hard Chinese mattress), a fitted bed sheet, a few spices and a big box of peppermint patties. I am trying to be better and learn a little more Chinese before I go but it sure is frustrating and humbling. Learning a language has always been hard for me. One, because I am a visual learner and two, I am dyslexic. I am getting Dottie, the media specialist at Frederica, to call out Chinese flash cards during lunch. I listen to 30 minutes of Chinese language podcasts before I fall to sleep and I try to get in at least 5 hours a week on the Rosetta Stone Chinese CD. I still don’t think I will be able to speak more fluently than before but I should be able to understand a lot more.

People have asked me why I am going back - mostly it's because I feel that I am not done with seeing and experiencing China. I was very timid the first 4 or 5 months in that I didn't make good use of my free time in seeing more and going to more places. There is just so much to see in China. I hope I will be braver this time.