Today was a great day. I awoke in my new home at 6 am. I live on the 12 floor of the dorm so I decided to walk some flights of stairs. At 6:30 am I was surprised by the number of people out in the city. I walked around the track of my school listening to chinese tapes and enjoying the morning. People all over were also out doing their morning exercises. I saw some Tai Chi in the parking lot of this grocery store. I think I will join one day. Breakfast in the caferteria was decent. Afterwards, I walked around the city. Things are really happening around here. At times it reminds me of Valparaiso, Chile, with the traffic and amount of crazy drivers. The city is not as clean as some cities in America but there are some really cool things I like about the city. I enjoy being a foreign face, this makes it very easy to learn Chinese. I think I will pick it up really quickly. My school is great. I will teach 20 classes a week (40 minute per class). I will also run Spanish club 1 or 2 days a week. I like the staff. They are eager to practice English and very helpful. The only thing my apartment lacks is internet and some more neighbors. There are only 2 people on the 12 floor. My other American friend lives here. On the 11 floor, I have met a Japanese teacher, my other friend from the U.S and another American teacher. It is good to have people close by. On the 3-9 floor is where the some students live. The students always greet me when I walk by and it is amazing how well they speak English. Hopefully I will have some good studentd in the 7th grade. They will be new to the school because they just were accepted into Middle School. Grades go from 7-9th grade. In order to get into a good middle school the student must pass a very competetive test. It consists of English, Chinese, Science, Math, and History. In Shenzhen (my city) 150 primary schools give this exam. The top students go to the top school. My school is the 2nd best in all of Shenzhen (population 10 million). Roughly 2,000 apply for the school but only 450 students are accepted. These kids will continue to achieve and work hard in my classroom!! I can't wait. I found out I will begin teaching on Monday (September 3rd). As expected much is unknown about my (Holidays) I know a few but it is difficult to plan months ahead because it is not Chinese customs to prepare far in advance. I love it. The food is good. I have had a few meals out and have enjoyed the spicy foods that are offered. But remember I Eat ANYTHING in the U.S and I will probably EAT ANYTHING here. That is all I will say about that =). Now, I must go to bed because I have a physical health exam tomorrow. I guess in order to get my resident card they need to check I don't have any dieases or anything. Ohh good old China! I love you all, send me an email with questions so I can answer them through my journaling =)
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