Week four saw the start of the new school year. It was the earliest I’d started school, as a teacher, ever. But I felt ready. I felt prepared to take on the classroom full of eager Learners. And eager they were! Each classroom was capped at 25 kids and had two teachers in each class.  The other teacher in my classroom would be a learning expert teacher, someone who is Chinese and could help with communication with parents and management of students. It felt like how school should be, with enough teacher support to make classrooms feel small. 

The start of the year was honestly a blurr. The week flew by in a minute with the kids bustling about and lessons in full swing from day one. The school was a hive of activity from the second students returned to campus. I do remember feeling slightly overwhelmed and very grateful for all the staff, support and encouragement I was getting. The class periods went by way to fast, 50 mins is all I get for one period. Which is very similar to the States but it seems to fly by here. By the time we have done our daily tasks there is hardly any time left for lessons. We rush through things and assign daily homework to keep up with the academic rigor expected. Students get homework from almost every class, every single day. And most students boast that they are able to finish their homework before 8pm. These students live and breathe school and it shows in their performance. BASIS sends 100% of it’s students to college- most chose to go to college in the US. Selecting elite colleges all around the country. They participate in clubs and activities, there is a wealth of clubs and afterschool activities the students can join to boost their college resumes. Academic excellence is expected and the support given to support that goal is innumerable.  

The week brought intense rain and we spent all week having indoor recess. The rain was so fierce it flooded the streets outside the school. Rain here is no joke. It comes down in torrents. Fast and furious. Our school has awnings they put up specifically for the rain. These were up all week so people had dry spaces to walk. The awnings go up so fast by the staff and they are all over the school. Wherever there is an uncovered walkway there are multiple awnings to cover the passage for students and staff. Rhys had asked if they put them up each day, they do not, but it sure seems like they could and would if it was raining on and off. There are umbrellas that sit at the ready at the front door for people to use and for staff to use to escort students between the tiny spaces the awnings do not cover. The way the support staff cares for students is incredible. 

Over the weekend Rhys and I explored indoor skiing. Our first adventure into the world of indoor snow and skiing. Rhys strapped on his snowboard and I strapped on skis. All equipment was rented, including “winter wears.” Meaning they gave us snow pants and jackets to wear while we were there. Indoor skiing is wild. The “slopes” are narrow and maybe the length of a football field. You almost spend more time in line waiting for the lift than you do actually skiing. The snowboarders there are insane carvers. Shredding up the small slopes in a way that made me nervous to ski around them. I saw more collisions there then I’ve ever seen on the mountains. I also saw more ski modeling than I’ve ever seen. People stopping mid slope to take “action” photos or people standing at the top of the slope just taking pictures for whatever socials they were using. The slopes had mini moguls and jumps that landed on giant landing pads so you could just send it over the jump. Overall it was pretty cool and an experience I’m definitely glad I got to have, but I’ll take real mountains over indoors any day. 

Rhys and I also had our first experience with Chinese massage over the weekend. To say it was relaxing would be largely false. It was intense. We were told the relaxation would come later, once the muscles were released and worked out. Rhys and I were both left with mild bruising and feelings of stiffness. But they were right, as the days passed relaxation of the muscles did come and over time my shoulders had never felt better. We returned later the next week for a second round and the intensity was the same, just intense enough to really work the muscles and definitely intense enough to prevent sleeping during the massage. This is not the kind of massage that leads to sleeping and rest. More a full working of the muscles to fully get out the tension. And the women who deliver these massages are strong! Using every bit of their body strength to work out sore tired muscles. And you can feel the difference. After the massage they offer you tea and a light snack. Insisting that you eat and drink. Then they kindly walked us outside to wait for our didi to come and pick us up. It was the most complete massage service I’ve ever experienced, I felt cared for mind, body and soul.