Shijiazhuang Days 1 and 2

We arrived in Shijiazhuang late Thursday night.  When we awoke on Friday we were able to finally see a little of where we were.  I ventured out early and ran into two guys from Spartanburg so we took a quick walk around the block to see what was around us.  Our day consisted of some meetings and walking to a local mall.  (With one whole floor of shoes!!!!) That night we walked to a local 365/7 (think 7/11) and a bakery.  The bakery has quickly become my favorite local place!

I bought a cake topped with fresh fruit in a Hello Kitty mug for $2.50!  I can imagine it would have been $10 or $15 in the states! 

We began teaching on Saturday.  After a morning assembly and a meeting, we were off to our classrooms to meet our new classes and teach our first session.  True confession, after the morning classes I was seriously asking myself " Why did I come here? Can I go home?"  Nothing worked.  The students were quiet (except for a few).  Computers didn't work.  It was very frustrating. 

Bu after lunch and a rest, the afternoon went beautifully!  The students were very excited to come back. At the end of the day we headed out to see the city around us.  We stumbled upon a gorgeous monument and then a huge park.  The park was in front of the capital building and there were people skateboarding, dancing, skating, picnicking and having a leisurely Saturday night!  It was terrific!!