The Week Before School - Disasters

Disaster 1: Typhoon Haikui.

View from the lobby.

Li Ren Gate.

Enough shown.

Disaster 2: Brownie Double Fail
I didn't get the chance to go grocery shopping before the typhoon hit, so I was an incredible mooch during the storm. In order to give back, I offered to make brownies, since I brought brownie mix in my suitcase. I borrowed an egg from Julie and started cooking!
1. Prep oven temperature. Get brownie sheet from cupboard ... wait, where is it? Oh shoot! It's collecting leaking water in the study. *Replace it with a temporary smaller bowl, wash it, moving on*
2. Take out mixing bowl. Open cupboard. Looking ... looking ... oh shoot! It's also collecting leaking water from the study. *Replace it with a temporary smaller bowl, wash it, moving on*
3. Dry dishes. Hmmm, all towels are sopping wet. *Air dry*
4. Mix brownies, put in oven. Skype Dana.
5. 20 minutes later ... "Dana, the brownies are boiling. Why are they boiling?"
6. Another 10 minutes. "Dana, they're still bowling... I don't get it."
7. Turn oven off. Go to Dana's, brownie-less. Go over with Dana everything I did. Put in water? Yes. Put in vegetable oil? Yes. Put in egg? Oh shoot!!
I went running back to my apartment, with a new egg, determined to rectify my mistake by mixing up a new batch. On my way, in the elevator, I ran into my Head of School and a colleague, returning from a bike ride IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TYPHOON. They reported that the neighborhoods just north of us were waist deep in water. Since I now live on the same floor as my HoS, he rode the elevator with me, and as the door opens, the whole floor smells like brownies. He said, "MMMmmm, smells like someone's cooking!" Now, there's only two apartments, mine and his. And there I am holding an egg. Nodding. Putting my head down, because I can't offer him boiling brownies, which hopefully aren't boiling anymore since I turned the oven off.

A bit of service.
I am impressed by how fast the waters receded. Thursday morning, translators were sent to the neighborhood that my HoS had visited to ask what they most needed. After school, our staff delivered rice, tp, and soap/detergent to the doorsteps of the houses. At first, many would not accept the help, even though we delivered what they said they most needed. After 3 doors, Dana and I waited out of sight, and our translator was finally able to convince a household to take the goods. After one family had given in, the others flocked to receive the help. Some invited us in and showed us just how high the water got. Pretty incredible. It was hard to distribute the help equally, but they seemed the type of community that sits out on the porch in the evening and chats well after the sun goes down. In the end, we just had to trust that they would be neighborly and share the resources around.

The neighborhood we visited (after the water receded)

Rickshaw ride.
While we were passing out the resources, I wore my fantastic blue polka dot boots, since in places along the way, the water was still a foot deep, and the community was very muddy when we got there. But my feet were sore so I joined Cara and Line for a rickshaw ride back to the school. We also carried a bin of clothes with us (the people had dry clothes somehow and refused help that was not needed). The rickshaw was barely big enough for 2 people, let a lone three with a gigantic box. The driver seemed unconcerned and he helped us in (I sat on Line's lap) and then handed us the box. I didn't know how he was going to start pedaling so I was going to start trying to rock the rickshaw so he could get a little momentum, but with a lurch we just started moving. It was an e-bike! Electric! There was a motor hidden somewhere. Nice! We looked absolutely ridiculous crammed in the back with this little Chinese man, sitting on his bike, and we were just cruising along with apparently no effort, or visible motor. As we approached the group, we were hoping to sneak passed without them noticing, but we were unaware of the pink, cartoon/style kids horn he had attached to his bike. Not my proudest moment in front of my new colleagues, and we laughed until we cried. Maybe we were too tired!

Doodling ...
During the presentations in orientation about how to log onto your computer, I started to lose a little bit of focus. And I started to doodle ...

Julie (HS science teacher) noticed my doodling and was a little bit disappointed. She says if I'm going to doodle, "Science", I need to do it right :)

We're starting class on Monday, my first day as a 2nd grade teacher. I was so excited (I contained it at the time) when my grade team member came to me for advice about reading groups. I am a respected, knowledgeable colleague! I am no longer a glorified babysitter! :) I was feeling pretty darn confident leaving work today (Friday), so excited about Monday. And then ....


Disaster 3. Line and I got stuck on the elevator. Thank goodness we were together. It came to a clunking stop, slipped one floor, and then halted for good. We learned that punching the alarm and telephone buttons enough times, and shouting every Mandarin phrase we knew in a bad English accent gets some prompt service from the guards. Shut the silly laowai up! We were freed after 25 minutes.