I was right: Kunming is a beautiful city! This morning Macy Rodgers and I took the bus to KIA (Kunming International Academy). It was amazing to see the school I’ve heard so much about- and where I’ll spend so much time! It’s 5 stories tall and all the classrooms open right to the outside. You can see mountains in the distance behind the school. There are 270 students there from around 30 different countries. Not many people were there on Sat. morning, but I met a couple people who reminded me just how small the world is these days. (One man I met is from Singapore, but has spent time in SC and knows about CIU; a girl I met has lived here for several years, but grew up in Fairfax, VA- just half an hour from where I grew up!) It was encouraging to talk to them and a great introduction to the school.
After that, we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant- I was so excited to try real Chinese food and wasn’t disappointed. It’s sooo good- definitely different from American Chinese, but just as good I think- I might even end up liking it better. After lunch we went shopping a bit for some groceries. I love walking around the city. The weather here is amazing: Kunming lives up to its name, “the city of eternal spring.” There’s just one problem: everything is so photogenic! I have a feeling I’ll end up with more pictures than I know what to do with.
This evening I went back to KIA to meet Ken Pye, my cooperating teacher, my class, and their parents for family night. It was a great way to meet them, it was very relaxed and everyone was so welcoming. The kids had made posters for me and were excited to meet me. I can tell they’re gonna be a great class: there are only 12 students, and they are so sweet! I was surprised to find out that there’s a girl named Laurel in my class! It was already a little confusing, when anyone said Laurel, we both turned around. It’ll be funny calling on Laurel in class to answer questions! Mr. Pye is going to be a great teacher to work with. He’s had over 30 years of teaching experience and is still full of enthusiasm for teaching. I know I’m gonna learn so much this semester!
No comments:
Post a Comment