One Awesome thing we did after Sanya was go to the Guangzhou Chimelong Zoo. This Zoo BLEW MY MIND. It was AMAZING!! It was so clean and well kept and the animals were all super active.... compared to going to some Zoos where the animals sleep alllllll day long.
Active Animals:
Just to prove how active of a zoo this is I'll start off with this picture.. Usually Koala's are so lazy, well here is a picture of one that was running around and then jumped into this tree!
A momma and baby elephant playing.
Tiger swimming in the water.
Monkeys splashing water at us.
There were also nets right above our heads with monkey's in them!
and random monkeys hanging out near by. SO COOL.
Check out this super cute baby chimp and his momma!
And this guy was watching us with those beady little eyes... kinda creepy..
This zoo also had a lot of panda's! Here's a couple of pictures of them enjoying some food
There was also a fun elephant show that we enjoyed watching.
And I found my long lost family.....
Just because the monkeys at this Zoo were all so cute here are a few more pictures. :)
Another awesome thing about this Zoo was that you could really interact with the animals. Some of the cool things that happened...
AUTUMN AND I RODE AND ELEPHANT!
I also FED A GIRAFFE. I had done this before at the Montgomery, Alabama Zoo, but it was still pretty cool. The giraffe didn't like being touched but I still got to pet it a little on its adorable bumpy face.
I FED A BABY WHITE TIGER WITH THE BLUEST EYES. It was sooooo cute and soft.
Another funny thing was that it was definitely mating season at the zoo.. if you know what I mean.. I saw a couple of giraffes trying to get frisky and I saw two bamboo getting it on. Actually it was hilarious because I was trying to get a video of the bamboos doing cool flips and tricks and then BOOM! The monkeys were doing it. My commentary on camera was pretty funny. "What's that one doing? What the?? oh no.. ohh no OHH NOOOOO, oh man they just had sex!!" I was crying I was laughing so hard.. and I can't believe I got it all on camera too! haha
The day at the Zoo was a long one but it was worth it and SO much fun. Going to the Zoo was one of my favorite days of the semester. <3
I'm a horrible, terrible person.. okay maybe not.. but I am a horrible blogger. Here's the thing, while I was in China and in the week after I got home, I wrote up a few blog posts but never got around to adding pictures and posting them. Although, I've been home now for a solid 7 months (I can't believe it), I decided that I might as well finish up and post the entries for more of the keepsake, sentimental reasons than anything else.
So family, friends.. time to wrap up my time in China.. just a few months late. ;)
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and to remember all of the things that you are grateful for. Well instead of boring you with a long list of the million things I am thankful for, I will talk about one single thing.
There are not enough words in the English language for me to express how grateful I am for International Language Programs. I am so so so ridiculously grateful. ILP has changed my life.
Because of this program I have had the amazing opportunity to not only travel but to meet so many different people who have touched my life in so many different ways.
Obviously, the first people I need to talk about are the kids that I have taught. I have taught over 150 kids English with this program. Even though I have been the teacher I feel as though the kids have taught me so much more than I have taught them. I love all of the kids so much. There have been so many times that even when they have been driving me completly insane they have managed to pull at my little heart strings. I have been so proud of the growth I have been able to witness and these kids have such a special place in my heart. If it wasn't for this program then I never would have met any of them. Crazy.
Ukraine:
Weihai, China:
Xiaolan, China:
Other amazing people that I may not have ever met if it wasn't for this program are the wonderful people that have been in my groups.
My friends from Ukriane. I love all these girls so so SOOOO much. I am so glad that I met them. Every single one of these girls is incredible. Each of them has taught me something, made me feel special, and have influenced me and helped me out in ways they may not even realize.
My friends from Weihai. When I went to Weihai, I was really nervous that the group wouldn't accept me because I was coming in mid-semester. Boy was I wrong. The group took me right in and I made so many great friends. When I left Utah and came to Weihai, I was escaping a lot of crap that what happening in my life. Even though my time in Weihai was too short, I am still so grateful for the friends that I met there. They have helped me through so much and I had tons of fun with them. And will continue to have lots of fun and make memories with them. :)
My group here in Xiaolan. I love them. We have made so many memories this semester and I am so glad and such a lucky head teacher to have had the honor of working with these girls. I love these girls so much and I am so grateful that I was put as their head teacher. This semester has meant so much to me and I have learned an incredible amount from these beautiful girls.
Other important people who have affected my life in such a positive way have been my coordinators.
My coordinators from Ukraine, Oksana and Gayla. I am so grateful that I met them and that I was able to get to know them. We shared so many laughs and I have very fond memories of the time I spent with them. I love and miss them both so much.
And also, Andre the security guard to central school. I miss him a lot as well. I'm so grateful for all the funny stories I have to tell about him!
My coordinators and Chinese Teachers here at Ming De (the school I teach at here in Xiaolan). Kelly, Nicole and Carmen. These three women have seriously helped me out so much this semester. I love them each so so so much. They brighten every single day and have helped me out so much this semester. I am so happy that I can call them my friends. I will be so sad to say goodbye to them too soon.
It's crazy for me to think that if I would never would have done ILP in the first place, I never would have met these amazing people. My groups, my coordinators and my kids will forever have a special place in my heart. I feel very overwhelmed with gratitude and I will always be so grateful that I was given SO many incredible opportunities through this truly amazing program. я тебя люблю, Wo ai ni,I love you.
So seriously, if you are interested in seeing the world, changing lives, changing yourself and teaching the cutest little kids. Apply and do ILP, you will never regret it. <3
http://www.ilp.org/
Happy Thanksgiving,
With LOVE from China.
