Hello, family and friends!
We are safe and happy in Lanzhou, and we’ve spent the last week getting used to everything that is new.
Some of our first adventures have included riding the local bus, a high-speed, stand-up, crazy ride; eating the delicious food the city has to offer, from fried meat and veggies on skewers to the famous (and tasty) Lanzhou beef noodles; and figuring out how to set up and live in our new apartment.
We are thankful to have a large space (including two bedrooms) so we can entertain students and friends – and store our belongings! It is very beautiful and we are so thankful for our own space :)
We’ve already had some students over – about 13 showed up for Amanda’s office hours – and we had fun playing games, showing them pictures of our family and friends, and helping them with their English. They are wonderful! Mike had office hours with another teacher: and 40 SHOWED UP to our apartment. I was glad that our space was large enough to hold them since I could not have turned one away, they were so excited!
Our teammate, Christina, has shattered all our expectations and is a great friend. A native speaker of Chinese, she has proved invaluable in helping us navigate, meet new people, and start to learn Chinese. She is so much fun! We’ve spent most of our time with her, and it’s been a joy!
We’ve also met other Westerners who are in the area, and what fun it is to meet them and hear their stories! Their experiences in China can help us learn more quickly!
While the rest of the country and school had a week-long break for October Holiday (the national celebration of the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949), we have been teaching. Our English department is being evaluated for accreditation: An exciting time for the school!
Mike is teaching graduate students and sophomores, and Amanda is teaching freshmen and sophomores, with three classes of Sophomore Film. What a joy to teach American culture in such a universal (students love movies!) and fun way!
We are thankful for the chance to start our jobs right away and meet our students, but we are looking forward for some rest and reflection next week when we will have our belated Holiday.
Other updates: Our Internet connection has been spotty, but we are planning to get a cable connection after the Holiday, so we can have more reliable connection. That way, we can send more frequent updates and let you know how we are doing!
If possible, we will continue to update the blog: We hope our Internet connection and the Chinese firewall will allow us to post pictures and very frequent updates :)
We miss you, dear friends and family, and we have been thinking about you often! We would love to hear from you: please send us an e-mail and remember the CG’s. Let us know how you are doing!
Until next time,
M+A
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "
So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "
About Me
- Mike and Amanda
- We are Team Keller and we want to stay in touch with friends and family, share stories and pictures, and give you all some insight into the life He has for us at the present and in the future.