Spring!

Save Our Sappy Progress

Last week I reported on a project my friends Tracy and Sarah have started to save a dog from Thailand. I'm thrilled to report that there has already been $900.00 raised! Thank you to everyone who helped in this effort.

Although, the works not done yet! There is still $800.00 that needs to be raised by April 17th (only 22 days!). If you have not heard about Sappy or would like to help, please visit Tracy and Sarah's Save Our Sappy site.

Return of the Flies

A strange thing happened last week, I saw a fly in my bathroom. After that, I began to notice how everything around me was coming to life. I also noticed how a light coat was enough for going outside and how not only was our air conditioner off in our apartment, but our windows were opened!

I know I've said it before, but this time I'm sure- It's officially spring time in Xi'an! I've already gone out on a bike ride and I'm loving the incredible weather of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit each day. I've heard that spring time in Xi'an will only last a couple weeks. After that, the weather will jump up to an uncomfortable heat. Although its hard for me to imagine "uncomfortable heat" after the long and gray winter, I'm trying to get the most out of this beautiful Spring time weather!

New School

The school I work at has been under a lot of pressure for many years to move. Our current location is in directly in the way of a new road that will be built. Although I've heard of this in the past, the evidence from my window has never been more clear. Our time is running short!


After years of searching (literally), our administration has finally found a new building and last week many of the staff went to see the new site. I was absolutely blown away! Below is a comparison of the improvements at our new school:

CURRENT SCHOOL	NEW SCHOOL
Small, crammed two story building	Huge 3 story building with room to grow
Small 'cozy' classrooms	Very large classrooms able to accommodate large classes
Small sports court and large concrete court shared by Chinese boarding school	Our own field with field turf and a covered sports court area

I have posted some pictures and although they may not look like much to you, for all the teachers here, we are very excited for the potential that this building holds. I'm so glad that the school has found this new location and I can't wait to visit in the coming years to see how the school has grown.

On a related note... if you've ever wanted to teach at a private international school in China, let me know- I could pull some strings for you!

KTV

Finally, after 6 months, I experienced something that I thought would have happened long ago. For those of you who don't know, Karaoke in Asian countries (or 'KTV' as it is called in China) is a little different than in the states. First, instead of visiting the local bar and performing in front of a crowd like in the states, you rent a private room with your friends. These rooms often have very nice furniture and are rather comfortable. Second, the attitude of karaoke is a little different. One of the largest differences of Asian karaoke is that these lounges can sometimes be a place where business people meet after work.


My first time at KTV was a blast! Our private room had a touch screen where you could search through thousands of songs both in English and Chinese. You could pick several songs at a time and it would save the list for you. There was a group of 10 of us and we spent the evening singing and having a great time! I will definitely return to KTV.

My Second Visitor

Its official- as of June 20th, my second visitor will be arriving here in China: Trevor Matthew Arneberg! He will be visiting China for 2 weeks and we plan to visit Beijing, Xi'an and some areas of Southern China (Hong Kong, Shang Hai, etc.). I am super excited! And not far behind Trevor, my parents will be visiting!

The Final Countdown

In thinking about Trevor's visit, my summer is starting to feel very crowed. Here is a countdown to what's ahead!

Last Day of Class: 77 Days
Trevor's Arrival: 85 Days
Parents Arrival: 103 Days
Departure for the United States: 122 Days!?! So soon!

I can't believe this year is already coming to a close!

Thanks for reading!

In case you didn't know, my Chinese Zodiac Animal is the Rat- RATS REPRESENT!

S.O.S.

As I have mentioned before, I have two good friends, Sarah and Tracy Grooters, who are traveling through South East Asia and being what they call "professional volunteers." Their most recent work was on the tropical island of Thailand named Ko Samui where Sarah and Tracy helped work at a cat and dog rescue center. At their website, there is a great deal of information about their experiences but to summarize; there were over 300 dogs there, not nearly enough workers, they spent their days washing dogs, scooping poop and caring for animals, many of which have serious injuries or disease.



From their time on Ko Samui, the Grooters sisters have started an exciting project to increase the impact of their time overseas before they return to the United States from "professional volunteering" (which will unfortunately be soon since there is not a great deal of money in professional volunteering!): Sarah and Tracy are trying to save a dog! Below, I've posted some information from their web page. Read to see how you can help or visit Save Our Sappy!! at their website!

SAVE OUR SAPPY!

During our stay on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand, we met an unexpected friend in the market. What we first noticed about Sappy, short for Sapparot (สับปะรด; meaning “pineapple” in Thai), was that he was very skinny. We could see his ribs clearly outlined in his chest and his stomach caved in. Like thousands of dogs here, Sappy has been living as a starving stray, relying on the mercy of tourists. We offered him our dinner, and he slowly ate all our food. We think he hasn’t eaten in a while.


Despite of his sad state, he has the happiest personality of any dog we’ve met! His tail wags when he sees us, and he loves a good petting. After several nights of feeding and hanging out with Sappy, we brought him to the Koh Samui Dog and Cat rescue where he is living with 300 dogs and trying to get bigger and stronger.

Although the workers at the Koh Samui Dog and Cat Rescue are working hard with these unfortunate animals, the overcrowded state means Sappy will be dropped back off at the market within the week to fend for himself.

We can’t let this happen for Happy Sappy! The only way to give Sappy a future is to bring him to the U.S. and we need your help to do it. Purchasing his freedom and plane ticket will total about $1700 USD. The plane ticket alone costs $1200 USD and the rest goes to fees, permits and kennel equipment. Unfortunately we cannot pay this amount on our own… If you would like to help by giving a cash donation for Sappy, you can donate anything at our paypal account email account: saveoursappy@gmail.com or visit http://www.halfwayroundtheworld.com/save-our-sappy to donate.

Thank you!

If you are able to donate, Sappy will be sure to send you a picture, update, and a paw-print thank you card after he arrives in the US.

..what about Brad?

I've dedicated this blog to Sarah and Tracy's efforts in Thailand. I'll working on another blog for later this week to catch you up on life in China. Meanwhile, keep an eye on the thermometer on the right side to see updates on Sappy's progress!

Thanks for reading!

Same 'ol, Same 'ol

Honestly, there has not been a lot of exciting things going on here. I have hit a rhythm. It's not a bad routine- I'm not bored, but there is just not a lot of exciting things to update you on. I work. I play with friends. I have English corner. I read. I eat meals. I go downtown. I sleep. Short of the weather getting nicer (I taught P.E. in a short sleeved shirt today!), it's just work as normal.

Out of a loyalty to my weekly writing, I'm including this post. Instead of creating the same post again and and again each week (or not even posting at all), I'm going to try and find something entertain and/or educational about China on weeks that seem less than blog-worthy. If nothing exciting happens this week, I'll try to find something interesting to update you on next week!

Thanks for reading!