Traveling for the next week or so...

So last Thursday Sias held it's annual Freshman Welcome/Candlelight Ceremony. This marks the end of freshman miliatary training and the beginning of classes for the freshman students. But classes don't start until the 9th. But during this ceremony I, along with many other foreign teachers, did a performance for the new freshman. I'm not much of a dancer to be honest with you...I just don't really enjoy it. But I think if I put a little time into it I could be a decent dancer. But we did a dance from High School Musical. Yes, you read that correctly...High School Musical. If you want to see the video then go see my friends blog at http://www.huxinchina.com/ and look under the entry titled High School Musical.

I still have two weeks until i actually begin classes because next week is Chinas National Holiday...kind of like our 4th of July. So during this holiday, I am flying to Beijing at 8:00 tuesday morning (7:00 pm in Texas) with my friend Joe and we are gonna spend a couple of days there going to The Great Wall and possibly bicycling around Beijing to places like Tiananmen Square and whatever else we feel like going to. Then a couple of days later a few other teachers are gonna be coming and we are going to the China Open. A few big names are going to be at this tennis tournament...such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova...so I am hoping to watch atleast two of these three play. Then on thursday (I think) we are taking a train to a city called Qingdao (Ching Dow). This place is halfway between Beijing and Shanghai and is on the coast. So going to a beach in China will be a first for me...hopefully the weather is great while we are there. Qingdao is also considered as Chinas Switzerland..so we were told we need to see the German spots of the city. Then we will stay there a few days then come back to Sias...

I also was giving my class schedule today...and boy am I happy about it. On mondays I have 3 classes (8-10 am, 10:10am-12pm, and 1:30-3:30 pm). On tuesdays I have no class (AWESOME!!!) On wednesdays I have three classes (10:10am-12pm, 1:30-3:20 pm and 3:30-5:20 pm) and on thursdays I have three classes (8-10 am, 1:30-3:20 pm and 3:30-5:20 pm)...so I teach only 18 hours through 3 fully days....I LOVE this schedule...

Anyways...I am gonna get off of here and get ready for my trip...

Blessings

2 Weeks Into Year 2...

So it has been two weeks since I have landed in China. Things, for me, are going a little slow. I don't start teaching for another week or so. So a typical day for me looks something like this. Wake up sometimes from 10-11, eat lunch at 12, chill (maybe play tennis, download music,read a little, read sports news hang out with people), eat dinner at 6, then hang out more until bed time. On the weekend if the weather permits we play volleyball. We have been playing some really good volleyball over the past few weeks. I have been working on my hitting and its starting to improve.

The first week I didn't really do much. But my second was a little more busy. I was asked to get a 12 man roster for a Faculty Basketball tournament. This is a tournament when we the foreign staff play against the Chinese faculty. Last year the foreign faculty won both the Men and Women tournaments. I have also gotten a couple of massages. One massage was pretty rough...but sometimes I like it when they beat me up a little bit...and the other was a foot massage. I personally love the foot massage because they have this little cut and they spray some stuff in it and light it on fire and stick it to your feet. When it got to your feet it stick and the fire then goes out...and they just roll it around on your feet. Oh it feels so awesome. I was scared the first time because fire was involved. But it'll change your life..

Yesterday I woke up to a text that said to get three foreign teachers to play basketball that night. So I thought it was three on three so I asked the new teachers to play (who will also be in our tournament so they can get a feel of how the Chinese play). So I told the the new guys I would go with them but I wasnt going to play. So we get there and they told us it was five on five Sias Faculty (both foreign and Chinese) against some team. They asked me to play as well...I didnt have my ankle brace or good shoes on but I played anyways...I had 2 points (free throws) and our team won 84-83...its was pretty cool...

But today is Kinahs (a girl here) 15th birthday...so HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kinah...

Blessings

I Made It Back...

Sooo....As you probably already know I, Kerry Bryan, have made it back to Sias International University. I took about 48 hours total to get here and walk into the door of Peter Hall. But I just wanted to share a few things about my trip.

First:
As we (Me, Mom, Aunt Priscilla and Grandma) walked into the airport in Houston I see soccer players and didn't think anything of it. Then my aunt said she thought that was the Spanish National team but I didn't recognize any of the players...then I read their suits and it was the El Salvador National Team. So my first thought was HAHA...cause the day before Team USA had defeated El Salvador...but it was cool to see a National Soccer Team.

Second:
Dubai...I really want to visit Dubai...it looks amazing and the things I have read make me want to visit it even more. But...I had a nine hour layover in Dubai...so since it was so long I was allowed to go into a VIP lounge. I was supposed to only get four hours but the lady gave me five but...she let me stay as long as I wanted...it was awesome because there was free internet and all you could eat and drink....the food wasn't great but it was pretty good...

Third:
From Dubai to Beijing I flew over possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen...The Himalayas. I had a window seat and I was curious where we were so I opened my shade. I could't believe it....About ten seconds later the captain of the plane came on the P.A. and told us where we were and how lucky our flight was because the weather was clear that day and it is really rare to have beautiful weather there. I was speechless...it took a while to fly over the entire mountain range but I kept the window shade up then entire time because I may never get a chance to see that again. I was a little sad cause I didn't have my camera on me to snap a few pictures so just look at pictures online...google it or something just to capture the beauty of The Himalayas.

But just wanted to let you know that I am back and thanks for all the pr@ ying...it's greatly appreciated and please continue to do that for me.