Week 3

Hello you wonderful people you!

First off, I just want to say thanks for reading my blog and caring :) I’m doing great here in Shanghai! I’m learning just a little bit more and more Mandarin every day. I plan on going to a Chinese class tomorrow offered by one of the sisters in the branch, but it’s at her home and I still haven’t received the address yet, so we’ll see how that goes.

I now have Internet in my apartment! Yay! The guy came over last night with a new modem and now it works. I was able to Skype with Mom and Chris and Ariana for a while last night, it was pretty fun! I feel like I’ve been here much longer than just 3 weeks. I feel comfortable here in China, like I’ve been here for forever. Anyway, now that I’m living on my own I’ve been teaching myself how to cook!

It’s really great! I just make simple meals, but meals, none the less! I will upload some pictures of some of the things I’ve cooked so far.

For those of you who know the extent of my cooking skills, you will be very impressed! For those of you who don’t, you might just think I’m lame for making such simple meals, but that’s ok.

Work has been going well. I have training next Monday, the official one, up at head quarters. This week I’ve been trying on (meaning I just teach a small part of the class, along with the instructor) some Music classes. They are fun, but more challenging to teach than Play. Christine is putting a lot of pressure on me to pass the Music test next week so I can go to Music training. She really wants me teaching some classes on my own by middle of July. Music classes aren’t as entertaining for the kids so it’s harder to keep them focused, especially because they’re so repetitive. Also, there’s only one teacher, so I won’t have a translator. I’m a little nervous to teach Music because of these reasons, but Christine believes in me.

Play has been going well. This weekend is going to be crazy though. Jo jo has been taking a lot of classes lately to make more money, but she has this weekend off for vacation. Since she’s gone, Sara and I are supposed to take over her classes. Monday, however, Christine informed us that there is a Marketing activity on Saturday so Sara will go to that and I will take over all of Jo jo’s classes on my own. Ugh. Weekends are so crazy busy! All the classes are packed full, and I have to teach 7 classes on Saturday! I’m the assistant so I only have to teach the last 20 minutes and assist the lead for the first part, but it’s still a lot! I’ve only been teaching 1 or 2 classes a day so far, so 7 is going to be a challenge, for sure. Sadly, I will not be able to go to church on Sunday because I have to take over Jo jo’s morning classes. Christine said it’s just for this Sunday though, and definitely not going to be a regular thing. I’ll let you know how my weekend goes with all these classes.

Today and tomorrow are my days off, and today was so fun! Sara is so sweet and invited me to come hang out with her and her friends. She met me at the Subway around noon and we went back to her apartment for lunch. She cooked a lovely meal, I should’ve taken a picture of it, but I didn’t. It was very traditional Chinese food: rice with red bean, edamame beans with chicken, fried pork, tomato and egg, tofu, and fish soup. Yum! We stayed at the apartment for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. Oh! It was the 4 of us; Sara, Lincoln (Sara’s boyfriend), Michael, and I. Side note: My friend at church, his name is Wesley. The other American intern for Gymboree, his name is Chris. And now my new friend who I met through Sara, his name is Michael. It’s pretty awesome, haha. Now I just need to meet a Jeremy and Morgan! (For those of you who don’t realize, my brother’s names are Michael, Wesley, Chris, Morgan, and Jeremy.)

After a nice lunch at the apartment, we went to Old Shanghai. It’s a famous part of Shanghai that has a lot of history, a lot of old buildings, and a lot of shopping. There we walked around, window shopped, and enjoyed the area. We took lots of pictures; I have some on my camera that I will upload, but a lot of them are on Lincoln’s camera that I’ll have to get copies of later. We also went into the large Apple store. There we enjoyed playing on the iPads and playing games for a while.

It had a little drawing app, so Michael was teaching me how to write some Mandarin. I now know how to write hello in Mandarin!

He taught me a few other words, but I don’t really remember them. I’ll have to keep practicing.

After the Mac store, we headed to The Pearl.

It’s a big building in Pudong, near The Bun, but on the other side of the river. Oh, funny story. On the way to The Pearl on the subway, a lady basically tried to hire me to tutor her daughter for English. Lincoln translated for us, and he’s just too nice. I was basically saying no. Not only because I don’t think I could teach a high school student English very well, but also because in my contract, I’m not supposed to have other jobs without Gymboree’s permission. He was too nice to tell her no though, so he exchanged numbers with her, and so he might invite this random lady’s daughter to come hang out with us so she can hear us speak English and learn. It was really random. Anyway, on with the day. We had dinner at McDonald’s and then walked around some more. We went to this huge mall and chilled in a store called MUJI, for a while. It’s a very nice, simple, Japanese brand. I love it! Everything is very simple, all very calm, natural colors, and it’s all so nice. When I get some more money I’ll have to go back and buy that lovely scented humidifier and that gorgeous cardigan.

After the mall, we headed to the river. There we took pictures, enjoyed the view, and listened to the music. People play guitar and sing for money, and it’s quite lovely. We had quite a fun and lovely day. But the humidity is so bad. By the time I went home tonight, I was just wet. I’m getting more used to it though. Sara and her roommates are all really awesome people and I like them a lot. We plan to hang out again soon, and often. I’m excited. It was such a fun day.

Tomorrow, I plan on having a nice long day to study and cook and clean my apartment and do laundry and rest and keep to myself. That is unless Wesley calls me and wants to go to lunch. He said he’d let me know.

Oh, yes to Uncle Eric! The DeVries are in my branch! But they are going home for the summer, they just left and will be back in August. That’s kind of nice for the connection though, because now I might have mom send some stuff back with them for me.

Well, that’s life right now, and it’s pretty good! I love you all so much and miss you too! I do enjoy hearing from you as well, so feel free to email me. It was nice to get the family newsletter and to read about how everyone is doing. It’s getting late and I’m tired and my feet ache from a long day of walking, so I think it’s time for bed. I’ll write again soon. Wo ai ni! Which means, I love you!
Thanks for reading!
Love, Alyssa.

Note from Deb: Sorry about the sideways pics - they are correct in Iphoto - if anyone knows how to fix them in blogger, let me know. Thanks!

Week 2

Well hello!
I am currently sitting in my new apartment, with my Internet connected, and yet...I cannot get to any websites. I am very frustrated right now. So, I don’t know if you’ll ever get to read this because I don’t know how I’ll get to access the Internet if every time I connect, I can’t access anything online. I don’t know if it’s my computer or the internet connection itself, so it’s hard for me to fix the problem. I swear I’ve tried everything. I’ll probably take my computer into work next week and see if my co-workers can help me figure it out, if the problem isn’t solved by then.

So let me tell you about my new apartment! I just moved my stuff in yesterday, so I’m moved in, but not really. I still need to unpack and do some shopping for food and stuff. It’s pretty small, but kind of big...and real nice :) Let me explain. Apartments are pretty expensive here in Shanghai, so although it’s small, it’s plenty big for the apartments here, especially just for one person. There were two interns living here before, a married couple from Virginia. They actually left me quite a few things, which is really nice. They left me a water cooler, cooking spices, dishes, pots, pans, a fan, a toaster oven. Most of these things actually came from an intern before them and were being stored at a member’s home, so I’ll return them to the member's home again for the next interns that come along. It’s quite nice the way that works. So the apartment is two rooms, the kitchen and the bedroom. Well and the bathroom I guess you could count as a separate room, but it’s in the kitchen area. The kitchen is pretty small, maybe 8x8ft with the counter and stove and sink, and it’s also the front entry way. But I guess that’s just small compared to the kitchen I’m used to at home.

Then attached to the kitchen is a bathroom. It has a working shower, full toilet (not a squatter, yes!) and a small washing machine, so it’s a little crowded in there. As you walk through the kitchen, you’ll find the bedroom,

which has a full size bed, a small love seat, a wardrobe, the fridge, a small dresser, and a TV stand, but instead of a TV you’ll find the microwave and the toaster oven. There’s not really enough room in the kitchen, so they’re in by the bed. Also kind of attached to the bedroom is the balcony, but instead of there being a door and a little outside area, it’s just part of the room and the walls are windows. There are also some poles across the ceiling you can raise and lower to hang laundry to dry. There’s a small table in that area with two (orange) chairs. It’s quite darling. The apartment has nice wood floors, good security, and a fun view.

Oh, I’m on the 11th floor by the way. The night before I moved in, water spilled on the floor and did a little damage, so I have to talk to my C.D. about that so I don’t have to end up paying for damages I didn’t do. Also, the cute couple before me were so cute and put cute stickers up on the wall...which I also don’t want to get charged for. I’ll have to work that out. So yeah! There’s my apartment! I’ll post pictures soon...if I ever get Internet. It’s so very frustrating that my computer says I’m connected, but I still can’t access anything online. Ugh.

So the humidity is crazy here. It’s always so hot, even if it’s pouring rain. And if the sun is out, then it’s just killer. You always carry an umbrella with you, either for shade from the sun, or for the rain. It’s also nice to keep a fan with you, which I do, or I’d die. Like my dear friend who is serving a mission in Louisianna says, “It’s like taking a shower of sweat all day long.” Thankfully, my apartment and work have AC, so it’s not as bad for me as I’m not having to tract in the humidity all day long. I now hope I don’t get called somewhere like Shanghai or Louisianna on my mission.

Anyway, work is going pretty well.

In the Play classes there are two teachers, a lead and an assistant. The lead teaches the first half of class, and the assistant teaches the second half. Yesterday I assisted a full class for the first time, two classes actually, and they went pretty well! It’s a little bit difficult for me with the language barrier with the parents, and also the kids are afraid of me a lot of the time, just because I look so strange to them. Usually by the end of class, they warm up to me though, so hopefully in a few weeks that won't be a problem. I have some things to work on, but Christine (the Head Instructor) said “Generally speaking, it was very good!”. This week I taught Story Time which was fun, and a lot less pressure because it’s free and not a real class. You just read a story and then do some activities with the kids for like a half hour. I’m also observing Music classes this week and my center is counting on me to pass the Music section of the training in July so I can move onto Music training and start teaching Music classes next month. Apparently in the normal Play and Art training, they have a Music test that very few people pass, and it’s really hard to move on to the Music training. My center is sure I’ll pass though...so I hope I don’t let them down. I guess it’s mostly just being able to stay on pitch, stay in key, and having a nice voice. Not too many Chinese sing really well I’ve noticed...

Last nice I went out to Dinner with Christine and her friend Vickie. We went to eat “hot pot”, which was pretty cool. Everyone orders their own pot with certain seasonings, then you make you’re own sauces at the little bar, and then everyone at the table orders lots of food to cook in your pot! We got lamb and vegetables and fried dofu (which is tofu) and mushrooms and squid and shrimp, oh it was great! All the food is so oily here though, it makes me a little sick, but I’m getting more used to it. But my co-workers are really nice, I like them a lot. Especially Christine and Sara.

Oh, there’s a boy named Wesley in my ward who is an intern from BYU, but he’s really from Hong Kong, and he’s pretty cool. We went over to the Larkin’s for Lunch after church last Sunday and he got my number so we can hang out and be friends. It’s nice to be making friends in the area. Chris, the other Gymboree intern, well I don’t know how he’s doing because he doesn’t talk to me much. I saw him at church on Sunday where he ignored me and seemed annoyed that I sat by him. He was also invited to the Larkin’s for lunch, but left right after church. He’s a strange kid. Oh, the Larkin’s have an intern living with them right now (who works with Wesley and is also from BYU) but she’s Chinese (not from Hong Kong) so she can’t go to church. She’s not Mormon and doesn’t want to anyway, but she’s just not allowed. She’s nice though, and she told me to call her when I’m less busy with training so we can go shopping and she’ll take me where we can barter and get some great prices.

Christine really wants to go on a trip with me sometimes. She says we should go to Hong Kong this summer to go sight seeing and go shopping!

It sounds way fun, but still a little expensive. She forgets I’m a poor 19 yr old college student, because she’s a single, independent 34 yr. old who works only so that she can spend her money on fun stuff. She’s such a kid at heart, I would never guess that she’s 34, she acts and looks about 25 or 26. She’s hilarious though, and we get along great.

Well, my jetlag is getting a little better, and I’m getting used to culture here. I really love being here and am so excited for the next 5 and half months! Thanks for reading and I hope all is well with you! Hopefully I can get this posted in the next few days. I love you all!

Note from Deb - Alyssa is still working on fixing the Internet in her apartment, but found an Internet cafe next door and emailed her blog.

First Week!

Well Hello Folks,

It’s my day off so I figured I would write you guys a little update. China has been really great so far. I’m still in a hotel for now and will move into my apartment next week. I’m sharing a room here with a girl named Anna. I’m not sure where exactly she’s from, but it’s somewhere in China, but it’s quite a ways away. She’s here for training, as well as a lot of other people here in the hotel. I went to the first day of training and they found out I had only had about a half day of pre-training so they sent me home and told me to come to the training in two weeks. I’ll be honest, I was a little relieved. I’m learning things fast, but not that fast. Especially because this isn’t like a normal training, it’s like an “Advanced Lead Training” or something like that. So almost everyone else there has been working for Gymboree for months and already knows what they’re doing. I, on the other hand, had observed a handful of classes and got some paper work shoved in my face the day before and I was quickly trying to memorize everything. This way, I’ll actually have some time to figure out what I’m doing. I really like my center and my co-workers. Our center is very spacious and nice (I think the biggest one in China because that’s actually where the training is held) and my co-workers are very fun and nice. There is another girl who is doing pre-training right now, so we’ll be going to training together on July 4th. My HI (Head Instructor) and CD (Center Director) are really awesome and are willing to work with me so that’s great.

Usually no one gets Sunday off because it’s their busiest day, but I worked it out that I can come in late on Sundays so I can still go to church. They also gave me Sundays off while I’m still doing pretraining so I can go to all of church. They don’t really understand religion over here, so that’s really awesome of them to give me the time to go to church. I went to church last week and that was pretty fun. The Larkin’s (The Relief Society Pres. and her husband) picked me up last Saturday to show me around. They got me a subway card, taught me how to use the subway, how to get to church, took me to lunch, showed me where I could buy some pants, and showed me how to barter. There was a ward party that night so I went with them and stayed the night so I could go to church with them in the morning. They have such a nice house, it’s so beautiful and in a very nice part of Shanghai. They actually offered to have me live with them, but it’s just too far away. It would be almost an hour to work every day and back, and I’d also have to take a taxi to the subway and back, and that would get pretty pricey. So I’ll just see them at church. My ward is really nice and pretty cool. There are a few other interns in the ward right now, but I think they all leave in August, except for the other Gymboree intern (Chris). It’s mostly young families, so Sacrament Meeting is pretty loud, but that’s ok. We meet in a huge office building and have Sacrament Meeting in a big conference room. The classes are held in other small office meeting rooms. It’s actually a really nice place to meet considering the circumstances. My co-workers were asking me about my church a little the other day. Sadly, I wasn’t able to have much of a missionary experience because once they started asking about what we believe, I couldn’t tell them. No proselytizing of any sort is allowed, so we couldn’t continue that conversation. They think it’s pretty cool that my church is so important to me though.

Pretraining is going pretty well. They are really impressed with how quickly I memorize things. I’ve memorized almost everything I need to and now I just need to apply it in the classroom, which will just take lots of practice. Even though I’m not doing the advanced training with the other Gymboree workers, they’re still very nice and inviting. A group of us went to People’s Square,

Tony and me in People's Square


out to dinner,

At dinner. When you order duck they give you the whole duck!

and to “The Bun” last night, or at least I think that’s what they call it. It’s just a place on the river that’s separates Shanghai into the Pudong district and the Puxi (pronounced poo-she) district. On each side of the river are just huge buildings and lots of lights, so it’s just a big tourist spot. I have pictures, maybe they can get posted.

Puxi side of the river

Pudong side of the river

The only other white person in the pictures is Chris, he’s pretty cool. Our personalities clash a little, but we still get along and I’m sure we’ll spend time together while we’re here.

Chris and me pretending that we like each other

At the steps of "The bun" - "Just Singin' in the Rain!"

I’ve met the other intern who I’m replacing, her name is DeAnna. She’s...interesting. I mean she’s fine, but let’s just say I’m glad that I’m replacing her and not working with her for the next 6 months. She has been pretty helpful though, giving me advice from another American’s perspective. She sold me her phone and I’ll be moving into her apartment when she leaves next week. At least I think I will be. My center is still deciding. She lived there with her husband who was an intern at another location so they live half way in between the centers, so it’s about a 35 min trip to get to work each way. It’s also bigger, and the center could get me a smaller, and cheaper apartment, since it’s just for me. They already have the lease for another 6 months though, so they’re still deciding. I’ll know by this week.

So yeah, I think that’s mostly life lately. I’m still not totally adjusted to the jet-lag so I get really tired in the afternoons. I’m still able to find times to Skype my mom most days, but it has to be either really late or really early. The time difference is pretty annoying. A lot of internet sites are blocked here, including my blog, so I’ll have my mom post this. Facebook is also blocked, so I won't be getting on there for the next 6 months. I can buy some illegal thing that lets me onto whatever website I want, but I don’t think I’ll get one. Anyway, it’s going well here. I really like China, but it’s definitely a lot to take in and get used to. Hopefully I’ll start Chinese classes next week, so I can start communicating with people.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day! Love you all!

I'm Here! :D

Hey Guys!
Well I'm here, and still alive, so no worries. My flight was delayed so I got in late last night (your morning), came to the hotel, got to talk with mom for just a minute, and then went to sleep. It's only 5am here but I couldn't sleep a ton because of a couple reasons: I slept a lot on the plane, my neck still hurts from the accident (it's kind of swollen right now), and because my AC turned off and you just can't sleep in this hot humidity. Christine (one of the manager-like people at the center) picked me up with her boyfriend at the airport. She is way cool and very nice. I think she really likes me, but that might change if I refuse to work Sunday mornings....we'll see.

Welcome signe they made for me for the airport pick-up

I'm going to call the R.S. President today and hopefully get together with her. I pretty much have all day to just chill today and wander if I want, get to know this area. Tomorrow I'll go to church and then go into the center in the afternoon. I need to do a little shopping today as well, but until I have a cell phone, I wont wander too far. I can tell, it is very easy to get lost in a place like this. This city is HUGE and everything is in Chinese, so it's not like I could find my way back on my own. Christine wrote some addresses down for me though, so I can just hop in a cab and show them. As of right now, I'm just enjoying this early morning TV program that's in English (surprisingly) and chilling in my ORANGE hotel room. Yeah, awesome I know. The beds are very low to the ground, kind of uncomfortable, and the room comes with these complimentary weird looking slippers. It's pretty awesome. As for internet, most everything is blocked. I was expecting that though, so it's not a big deal. So far I can only access gmail, google, UVU's website, and UCCU's site. Things like facebook, youtube, my blog site, and other fun websites are blocked. But no worries, mother will be uploading my blogs for me. And I think not having those other websites will be good; I won't be so distracted by the internet.

They struggle with spelling here. They mean "Snack"


Well, I'm here and safe. I don't know if I love it yet because I've only slept since I've been here, but I like it so far! I'll let you guys know more later. This is just a short thing so you know I'm alive and well.
Love you guys!