Hockey Talk

Christina and I chatted hockey the other day. She made a comment about the Canucks and it being the Stanley Cup finals, and then I asked her who she's cheering for... she said no one because Montreal isn't playing. I said good answer!! In truth, we're actually cheering for Vancouver, but the city rather than the team, because in four short weeks we'll be back in the mountain protected, vast blue ocean surrounded area in Western Canada, Vancouver (& Vancouver Island) that we have so desperately missed these past 10 months in the concrete jungles of North Eastern China.

We miss the ocean! We miss the green spaces, we miss the mountains, we miss the random and eclectic assortment of things to do on a Saturday afternoon, and yes we miss our families and friends.

That being said we have learned and experienced much this year. We have learned patience in dealing with students who don't understand what you are trying to teach, or what you are even trying to communicate. We have learned perseverance... October-January is a long time to teach 5 days a week, with no holidays or PD and only one day off for Christmas, all the while, if we were lucky, the temperature would possibly reach a 'balmy' ten degrees Celsius INSIDE the classrooms!! We expanded our palettes for various Chinese cuisine as well as sampling some tasty International fare. Christina has become a FIERCE bargainer, employing skills and techniques that the most experienced barterers would envy. Ben is learning, and continues to find that if he is riding his bike in front, no matter how hard he tries, Christina CANNOT hear what he is saying if he continues to face forwards... (this one is still being learned along with his need to check the distances before attempting to 'walk' to new places!!)

As the school year comes to a close we don't have much class time left with the students, two weeks in all, where final projects will be worked on, study tips will be shared and the students can see that we aren't as evil as they think... giving homework and actually making them work for their grades... whodathunkit??

Maybe one of these weekends we'll remember to bring the camera along on a bike ride and we can document some of our favorite getaways in the surrounding areas. I'll guess you'll just have to keep checking back to see if we do!!