Halloween with Disney English

I came in late yesterday as I had trouble finding the venue. They were already playing games when I arrived, and I was amazed by how most of them really looked dressed to kill for Halloween! I, on the other hand, looked very underdressed. Since I brought very little pieces of clothing with me and I didn't want to spend, I made do with what I had-- pink leggings, black leg warmers, a long sleeved top tucked in a pair of shorts and a pink scarf tied around my waist... I turned up as... A "ballerina-that-just-got-out-of-dance-practice". HAHAHA. Of course there was a costume contest and it was done by category (scariest, best Disney costume, prettiest, best "unrecognizable costume" and... one more I forgot). There should have been a best couple award, too!

If you'd like to see more awesome costumes, I've uploaded photos from the party on Facebook. ;)
The night was full of different kinds of activities. For one, I got to carve my first ever jack-o-lantern!
Others bobbed for apples, which was a rather quick game so I didn't have the chance to do it nor take any photos. And then, upstairs the lights are turned off and a "dead body" is laying around somewhere. The goal is to find that dead body and hide with it, but the twist there will be five folks in scary (and not to mention convincing!) costumes lurking around to effortlessly scare you out of your wits. I really wanted to try this one out but opted not to because I can't afford to scream. Boo. :( My voice is still recovering but it's doing so much better now.

For the final event, we played a few rounds of "Murder". It's similar to the card game I used to play back home wherein the murderer is supposed to kill victims by just winking at them, and then cops are supposed to catch him/her. In this case, the murderer must squeeze a civilian's elbow, who, in turn, should count to twenty before screaming as proclamation of his/her death. I knew it was just a game but I was paranoid just the same, so I protected my elbows as much as I could. Hahaha! I had a chance to be one of the police officers, too. In most rounds, there was more than just one murderer, meaning, there were more cops as well. I just have to say, a lot had pretty good blood-curling screams. Very impressive. I saw a lot of good acting skills, too. Props to the ChongWonMen team for planning such a successful party. :)

Happy Halloween to everyone!

It's unbelievable that it's already November! Snow is coming! And, of course, Christmas is just around the corner!

The "ANO DAW?!" Series

I am officially launching the "ANO DAW?!" series-- I'm hoping the title is self-explanatory. Without further ado... Please welcome candidate number one!

1 Down

Oh, by the way, I arrived in Beijing last September 29, so happy Beijing monthsary to me! :p How time flies!

It's My Hump-Week-Weekend!

Ah, finally. I've been yearning for my version of a weekend just so I could rest my voice. I happily got to sing again earlier for the kids even just a little bit, though I'm still quite husky. So, yes, I'm looking forward to keeping quiet (as much as possible) for the next two days.

Disney English will be having a Halloween Party for all the centers tomorrow. I'm sure it's going to be big since a lot of people will be there and they're going to do it the "American way"-- bobbing for apples and all that jazz. Looks like Halloween is a big thing in the States, so this event should be interesting. :) Imma dress up as a pirate. Arr.

The Most Awkward Day of My Teaching Life

I still went to work and I never really realized how much of a noisy teacher I am until this very day. I tried not to talk as much and the kids were equally quiet. Even my learning partner was quiet. Back in CPC, I had moments when I had a hard time talking, too, but I teach music class, so I had my keyboard, iPod and, of course, crazy co-teachers. I had too many moments of awkward silence earlier today that there were times that I couldn't resist muttering a word or two. I tried making it up by making exaggerated movements instead but it just didn't feel the same. :p

I am praying very hard that my voice will be okay by tomorrow since parents have been invited to observe my class for a quick 10 minutes. Since I'm new, I'd love to leave a good impression. And also because I am one of the few Filipinos hired as a foreign trainer, it's my time to represent, yo!

So I Lost My Voice...

As in, literally, nothing comes out when I speak. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? To think I've been happy the past weeks because talking in the classroom doesn't strain my voice at all and I can sing properly again. My nose is clogged and my throat is dry. I blame the weather for this.

Now how do I do my job today? Huhuhu I wanna go to work. :(

Trick or Treat

It doesn't seem like Halloween is seen as a big event here, or maybe it's too early for me to tell. But our center started dressing up last Friday (Oct. 25th), and my boss was so enthusiastic about seeing all of us out of our khaki pants and blue tops! She really made sure that everyone was in costume. Most of us just got props from our "realia room", and I opted for the easiest one: a black cat!



Only a few kids came in costumes, and they're not as extravagant as the ones I used to see back home, but they were adorable all the same. :)

The presentation and feel of Halloween in our center was quite different for me, since I'm used to a "friendlier" (for lack of a better term") kind. One of the staff had a monster mask on, but then most the kids just giggled when they saw her. There were a few that got frightened by Jack-O-Lanterns though-- we made a bunch in the classroom through the interactive white board. They design a face and when they're through, their newly-designed pumpkin appears on a projection wall.

Here's a photo to give you a better idea as to how it looks like:

Cool, isn't it? Still getting a hang of using it though. I don't really use it so much, since I prefer having the kids play with actual toys. I'm enjoying it here so far, and I'm eager to learn more! It's a completely different experience teaching a foreign language in a country that barely speaks it. I'm looking forward to seeing my kids speak more English in the coming months. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Good Morning!

One of the major things that Beijing has taught me so far is the value of Mr. Sun! The city is just more beautiful with clear skies and sunshine. :) Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

Officially Moved In

So today marks my first official day at my new apartment.

It's been almost a month since I first arrived in Beijing. My mom was with me and my brother followed-- they helped me out in finding this flat and made sure to do so before they flew back to Manila after a week (thank you!). However, I still chose to stay at the hotel for the first three weeks simply because it was more convenient and, well, it was free. My flat still needed some tidying up to do, AND I had to make sure that I have wifi.

So again... Today marks my first official day at my new apartment. Thankfully, my internet was set up just in time for the big move, although I am still waiting for my router. My place is perhaps around 70% clean. I just need to scrub some walls and floors, clean my windows and do my laundry. I'm paranoid about eating here. It's like I always feel the need to sweep the floor or something. Because... Because... I don't want any cockroaches (or any bugs for that matter) to come creeping through my door. Yes, I know I'm lame. Hahaha! I feel like I'm gonna turn into a neat-freak or something. I had so much fun visiting supermarkets earlier this afternoon just to look for stuff that I could use to keep things tidy around here.

There are so many things to learn... Like cooking. And I'm excited! This is my first time to live alone so I'm eager to keep myself alive and kicking in this foreign place. I'm thankful my work area is in a cleaner part of Beijing, and it seems like the sun's up more often around here-- it makes the cold winds more bearable somehow. Praying that my first winter will be nice to me. It's going to be a challenge getting out of this building, as autumn is already chilling me to the bone. But, hey, my work place is just around the corner, which means I don't have to take the subway anymore. That alone spares me the time, effort and germs from sneezing/coughing/spitting citizens.

I know I'll be fine. :) Not feeling lonely or anything so far. Just keeping the faith that I'll be well=protected, content and comfortable all throughout my stay here. I know I'm going to grow so much emotionally and professionally, and that time will fly by swiftly.

It pays to be an optimistic person. :D