The above picture is of my team at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. We walked around the huge complex for about three hours. The humidity was unreal. I really think I melted off about five pounds that day. It was totally worth it though. The buildings are beautiful and we got to see some unique aspects of Asian culture.
The Chinese love community activities. In the morning, they will gather at the park for various exercises, singing, and card games/dominos. They will also have free dance lessons outside of hair salons in the evening. I would like to implement this practice in the states :)
I love Beijing. I never thought this would be a place I would visit, but now I can see myself staying here for an extended period of time. There is always something going on (including construction outside our hotel window at 4am). There is so much history and culture here, but it is also very modern.
Today was our third full day of class for the TEFL certification. We have really fantastic instructors who clearly have a lot of experience and are passionate about teaching. Not only are they giving us a lot of resources, but they are modeling good teaching practices as well. I feel like I have learned more this week than at any other point in my life! The anticipation is building and I can't wait to get to Mongolia and start the school year. I know it will be the most difficult thing I've ever done, but I think that this preparation is the best I could ask for.
