When you least expect it...

...you find the perfect person to share your love of red wine and coffee buns with... ❤

Bliss.  (◡‿◡✿)

Just Chillin' In My Birthday Suit...

I have been living in Asia for a year and eight months and it has taken this long to finally gain some courage to go and relax at the spa...you know, just chillin' in my birthday suit...

I hadn't planned on going yesterday but somehow it just fell into place and before I knew it, I was sheepishly walking around a bath house...(insert whisper voice here)...naked...and what an experience it was!  I was the only foreigner there at the time and it seemed to be just as exciting for others as it was for me.  I am grateful that the staff took such great care of me. The language is still a barrier and had they not come to my rescue, I may still be wandering around the spa aimlessly...naked...just trying to figure things out.

First stop was the shower, which felt more like a stage because all eyes were on me...or so I thought lol.  Everyone knew I was a newbie because I was wide-eyed and trying to cover all the goods with a tiny face cloth and my hands.  I awkwardly dropped the cloth on my way to the shower...and on the floor it stayed!

Next stop, SCRUBBING.  Four tables were lined up next to each other, and four old ladies were running the show...in their bra and panties.  My lady welcomed me with a huge grin and two loud thunderous slaps on the table. Gulp.  As I laid down on the table, the women on the other three tables decided viewing my scrub down would be more entertaining than enjoying their own...and they were right!

The scrub down began...and I jiggled and giggled like a little school girl and couldn't stop.  Laughter IS contagious, even awkward laughter because before I knew it, everyone was laughing while this woman scrubbed the dead skin off every inch of my body.  As I was being scrubbed, the scrubber lady was asking me questions...in Chinese of course, and I did my best to answer in what little Chinese I know...

Lady:  Where are you from?
Me: Canada (giggle, jiggle, giggle).

Lady: How old are you?  In your 20's?
Me: No (jiggle).

Lady: are you 30?
Me: Yes (giggle, giggle, hee, hee).

Lady: Do you have a husband?
Me: No (jiggle, jiggle, giggle).

I flipped from tummy to back, from side to side, scrubber lady maneuvering body parts to ensure she had scrubbed everything to perfection.  I was jiggling so much that motion sickness set in.  Every now and again she would show me all the dead skin she had scrubbed and I would nod with approval...peeking at the women on the other tables to ensure they had just as much dead skin as I had...

Finally, I made my way to the steam room and just relaxed with a nice warm glass of water...feeling as smooth as a baby's bottom :D  I had survived it!  I did it!

I was greeted out of the steam room with a gigantic towel and fresh fruit.  Phew!  I could finally exhale.  As I sat down, finally covered up, I couldn't help but feel proud of myself. Sitting silently while a lovely lady blow dried my hair I thought, "It wasn't so bad...Everyone was just as naked as I was...I had stared just as much as everyone else had...It was no big deal..."

Besides, the cute little jammies they give you to wear after make it all worth while...

 I felt sparkly!! :D

Thanks for reading :)

Two Hundred and Fifty-Four Days

Two. Five. Four.    

The number of days I have lived in ZZ, wandering ‘round and feeling a little bit lost...just trying to figure out how I fit in with all things Chinese-y.  As it would turn out, I’m finding my way and the chicken is looking a little less...orange than it used to...(reference from Karl Pilkington in Idiot Abroad, China...a must watch!!).

Marveling at the sparkle of  二七广场 and finding my way around without getting lost...

 

Construction demolition sightseeing brings me much joy...

Looking on as the students at the elementary school next door complete morning exercises...

 

Having some fun with my BIG kids.  Learning English and Chinese together...

Relaxation between classes at Stay Cafe keeps me calm and blissful...

Feeling less surprised when I see things such as this...

 and this...

 Participating in school celebrations for Mid-Autumn Festival...

Discovering all things ancient at the museum...

...and smirking at napping museum security at every corner...

 

A visit to Changzhou and Shanghai reveals just how different things are from one province to the next...

 

 Finding a little bit of Korea in ZZ and reminiscing over living in Asia...

Working my way through the maze of scooters just to find a parking spot is not so intimidating...

I have discovered that I LOVE CHINESE FOOD...and no, it's nothing like the Chinese food back home :D

Enjoying a stroll with very little smog...

 ...and finding amusing restaurant names along the way never bores me...

Proper attire for a very smoggy bike ride...

 

Grooving with the cheesy club love... 

 Scaring the Halloween spirit into my nursery kidlets...

 ...and my colleagues... 

Enjoying that much needed glass of red after a long day is needed sometimes...

...after dealing with the... 

Taking in the joy of watching the sunset whenever it's possible...

...because sometimes you can't even see the sun on a sunny day :D

Looking forward to the days to come...

Thanks for reading :) 

Teachers' Day

It was Teachers' Day on September 10th and those little gems that remembered really spoiled me...

...and those who forgot gave me snacks and drinks from their lunches...and I accepted :D

This was my second Teachers' Day to celebrate as a professional...and it was fabulous. Thanks to all my wonderful babies and kidlets <3

All Things Sweet & Sour...

The rollercoaster ride of all things sweet and sour have continued over the last two months.  To say the least, it’s been emotional, but exciting.  Never a dull moment in ZZ, but to spare you from reading a very loooooong and detailed description of every gory detail, I shall keep my ramblings short and focus more on using those sweet moments captured on camera.

All Things Sour...

Strike!

Unfortunately, I have had some contract battles over the last three months with administration at school.  The good news is most of these things have been sorted, but it’s been...difficult.  Staying true to my roots, I did what any Ontario certified teacher would do...I went on strike for a half day and received what I had hoped for....resolution!

Goodbye, Friends.

When living abroad you meet great people...and then they leave.  That’s just the way it is and it suuuuuuuuuucks!

Foreigners Smell Strange.

It happened. I ran out of deodorant. No problem...I’ll just buy the Chinese brand. What’s the diff?

I was rank after using it for two solid weeks.  It just didn’t work for me.  I smelled horribly. 

 I mentioned my dilemma to my T.A. in hopes she would know where I can buy some type of deodorant I was familiar with. Her response...

“Yes, I have noticed you have smelled for almost two weeks. Don’t worry. Most foreigners smell strange to us.  But normally, you don’t smell THAT bad.  I just figured you were on your period”.  (Fact: the Chinese believe that most things having to do with overall women’s’ health is intricately related to your monthly cycle).

End of Year.

The end of the school year came and went, which meant I had to say goodbye to my toddlers.  It was a sad day and there were some tears.  We learned so much together and I grew a wee bit attached.

All Things Sweet... 

Shaolin Temple.

I love touring temples and have yet to give in to the belief that “once you’ve seen a temple, you’ve seen ‘em all...”

Longman Grottoes.

A day trip to Luoyang with some fabulous women to look at some old limestone. 

 

Expat Love.

All night shenanigans...

Yangshuo.

I celebrated my thirty-third birthday in July and decided to treat myself to a weeklong vacation in the south of China.  This place is bliss!

so many folk..

yangshuo markets...

The Throne.

The toilet in my apartment did not work. Most days, it just would not flush and the maintenance man refused to fix it because “it not broken enough”.  Finally, after five and a half months of me being bothersome to admin, I was able to move to another apartment where the toilet always flushes.  The luxury of being able to deuce at home was almost forgotten...

New School Year.

I have new nursery students and it's been an amazing first two weeks.  They are sooooo cute and I look forward to the next year with them.  My coworkers are pretty rad, too.

Reflecting.

The thing about proofing your own blog- you can plainly see just how unreasonable you've been as a guest in a new country.  The sour really wasn't that bad...was it?

Thanks for reading :)