Our First Weekend!

Our first weekend in China was spent in Su Zhou shopping, touring one of the World Cultural Heritage Gardens, touring the No. 1 Silk Factory and eating lunch. We left the hotel at 7:30am, in order to keep us on the same schedule and rode by bus accompanied by two of the Qiaoqi teachers (Tina and Lily), and a tour guide. The weather in Jiangyin was unfortunately very rainy, but as we arrived in Su Zhou the sunshine reappeared, which made the garden tour very pleasant. We took many photos as we walked around the beautiful gardens, and having an early start allowed us to avoid the uncomfortably hot weather and crowds of people. On our way out of the garden, we did some literal bargain shopping – the boys had some great practice bargaining with the street vendors in Chinese, with a little help from Anita, to ensure they were given the best prices, and they picked up some nice souvenirs. At the silk factory we saw live silk worms and learned about how their silk is used to make quilts, fabric, clothing and more. The boys were good sports while we (the teachers) shopped for silk at the factory, too!

Today, Sunday, is a much-needed day of rest! Despite heavy amounts of rain, we (Karen, Anita, Michelle, Molly, Brenda and Megan) ventured out in Jiangyin to check out a bakery we had seen the day before, in order to satisfy the bread and coffee cravings we’ve been having! The bakery had many different kinds of breads, doughnuts, and of course, coffee. We picked up some cookies for the boys and will definitely be back for more. The boys had lunch together at a ramen noodle restaurant nearby, and also visited the bakery. A new Sunday ritual, perhaps?

After dinner at the hotel this evening, we completed the weekly room checks for the boys to make sure they are keeping things tidy and clean. All of them passed with flying colors, as expected! We are definitely in the swing of things as week #2 of teaching begins bright and early tomorrow morning – we are very much looking forward to it.

Ms. Hayden (Brenda), Molly & Megan