So LOOOOONG!!!!

Oct. 21, 2016
11:30 pm
Beijing, China

Today was a LOOOOONG day! It was tons of fun and I had a blast, but I was exhausted afterwards. Today was the day that we got to meet the people we are actually going to be working with. Up until now, we’ve just been in one big group of teachers who will be teaching all over Beijing. It’s been nice to get to know everyone, but in 2 weeks we’ll be spread all over the city. And there’s a big difference between different districts of Beijing. It was so nice to get to meet the people we will be with and see our school.

Around noon, our Director of Studies, Adam, and our School Director, Emily (that’s not her actual title, but I can’t remember that, so…), came to pick us up from headquarters. We went out for Italian for lunch and then headed to the school. It took us a little over 30 mins. by car, but it wasn’t at peak time. When we arrived, we got to meet all of the teachers and get a tour of the school. We then went to the bank (which I’ll discuss in a second) and observed a couple classes.

So, the bank. Oh my goodness, that was awful! EF requires that we open a Chinese bank account so that they can pay us. Good. I like being paid. I can do that. We had a translator with us, so I figured it would be no problem. Well, we got there, filled out the paperwork, and were sent to a teller. The teller got confused by my American passport and my handwriting on the form. Then, she could not understand that I wanted her to exchange USD to RMB and then deposit it in my bank account. Finally we got it all figured out and I thought I was set. So I sat on a comfy couch and waited for Brian (the other new teacher at my school) to finish his.

Well, Brian finished his a lot faster than I did. But we still couldn’t leave! I had been so careful to fill out all paperwork so that it matched my passport exactly. But during the paperwork, I guess I got a bit flustered and forgot to put my middle name. Brian did, too, but the teller simply asked him to write it on the form before she did anything else. I guess she didn’t notice mine, because she did everything without it. I had to sit there for another half hour as she redid all the paperwork because of one stupid little mistake. It was insane and super boring. I felt like a complete idiot.

After we finally finished at the bank, we went back and observed two classes at the school. I’m so excited to start, but I hope that I’ll get a bit more training before I’m thrown in head first. The classes ended late, so I got back to the hotel around 10:30. It’s been a long day, but I get to sleep in tomorrow!

Words to remember: Micah 1:3-7
Challenge: Where are your idols? Not just physical, but what keeps you away from Abba? Make a list and lift those up to Him. Let Him guide you through your struggle.

再见！
Bless,
Kristen