Dear Friends,

Wow! Time flies so quickly. I have been longing to sit down and write you all an email for about a week now and have just now had the chance. So many things have happened since I visited Thailand with my sister. I was also finally able to install an internet shield on my computer which allows me to access all the sites normally blocked here.

After Liz and I left Thailand, we were able to visit Beijing. Liz was so excited to visit the Great Wall and I was so excited to IKEA and an amusement park called Happy Valley. We had a great 5 days there and she hopped on a plane about 3 days after we got back to Qingdao to go back to America. I miss her very much, but I’m so glad she was able to go home and get into her sophomore year of college.

After Liz left, all of my time suddenly became a rush of events. The new staff arrived at the end of July bringing about 10 new and wonderful people. All of the time I wasn’t spending helping them get adjusted was spent getting my classroom ready for a new class. I was so excited to begin the new year feeling confident in my abilities as a teacher…plus, I only had a slight adjustment from the year before from 6 students to 9 this year. I had my class set up and I was preparing nametags when I received the final class list…I suddenly went from 9 students to 14! I was surprised, excited and shocked. We had so many new students apply for second grade…including a set of identical twins whom I am still having trouble telling apart. I quickly ran back to my room, made more copies of everything, rearranged again, and took a deep breath. My room, which was comfortably full with 9 desks, was now jammed full with 14 desks…and I hate rows so I couldn’t do that. J I finally settled on an E shape on the second or third day of school.

The first day of school came and I found myself a little nervous and very, very excited. My students arrived and we made it through the first day, but I could tell after just the short half day that these students were going to challenge everything about me as a teacher and a person. Last year my class was very calm, relaxed, and artistic. This new class is extremely high energy, bores easily, is not artistic, and is highly (or rather extremely) tactile. I also have everything from a student with special needs to several students who struggle to control there actions to a student who reads as well as a student at the end of his third grade year. I have already fallen in love with every single one of these children and I wouldn’t trade them for the world…no matter how often they make me crazy. I almost feel like a mother 14 times over. J

This year is also bringing an exciting event to my city. Every year our company hosts a Women’s Retreat. Last year I traveled up to Shenyang for the retreat and all the women could talk about was going to QD next year. I felt the Father’s prompting to volunteer to plan this event and after a little resistance on my part…this is no small task…I agreed to head up this event. We finally have started planning now that everyone is back home from the States and other places around the world and I am so excited to see what this event will bring. A group of about 15-20 of us are working together very hard to make this event a success…luckily we have until March to plan and organize it.

This year definitely plans to be adventurous and exciting and then I’ll be home for the summer! I will also be traveling home for Christmas to see a favorite uncle who has gotten leukemia and may go home to the Father before the summer returns. Would you please think of these things for me as the year goes on? And please feel free to email me or comment on this blog anytime you want to talk. I miss you all so much and I cherish you as my beloved friends. Thank you for all you have been and done in my life. I am blessed to have you!

Love,

Amy