May Holiday – A Little Vacay & Pushing Through The Last 8 weeks of School

It has been way too long! I’m excited to have a little time to share here with you all.

It’s been about a month since I last posted and I was sharing about another holiday. It is Sunday afternoon here in Shanghai and I am finishing my May/Labor Day holiday. It is also MOTHERS DAY – So if you are a mother- Happy Mother’s Day to you!

Labor Day holiday in China, May 1- was officially established and approved by the Chinese government in 1949. This is a public holiday and a day off for the general population, schools, and most businesses. This day was established as a way to celebrate and honor workers across China. Now, in 2021 it is a fun filled holiday that individuals, families, and friends use as time off.

What I have learned is that every business and school can decide how much time off- outside of the May 1 holiday- someone receive. I was lucky to have a full week off whereas most people had only May 1 off and some people had 2 days off.

I was so excited to have time off from work that I took my suitcase with me and headed directly to PVG airport once the school day was over. I was thrilled to take a flight from PVG to KMG since my initials are KMG but I never once saw KMG on any screen which is a bummer. KMG is the airport code for Kunming, China which is in the Yunnan Province in East China. I have been wanting to travel to Yunnan for a very long time. One of the main reasons is because I really enjoy Yunnan food. Shanghai is full of restaurants from all around China. You can find Yunnan, Hebei, Xinjinag, and many more types of food here in this big city. Outside of really enjoying Yunnan food I have been wanting to see these colorful rice fields. I did research about things to do in Yunnan a couple years ago and when I saw pictures of these fields it made it to the top of my “KMG’S MUST SEE IN CHINA LIST” I have just been having the hardest time getting to these fields.

I really wanted to go to these colorful rice fields (Just google- colorful rice fields Yunnan China- its beautiful) but didn’t make it because of COVID numbers in that area that have since went down (of course the numbers are down now that the holiday is over!), but for safety and health reasons I decided to wait on going to see those fields.

I did find a great replacement – DONGCHUAN REDLANDS which is about 2.5 hours outside of Kunming. Found a great day trip using Trip Advisor with a bilingual tour guide and what I saw was breathtakingly stunning! See pictures below.

Spent more time in Kunming and I was able to see Dianchi Lake, Green Lake Park, walk through a huge mall, and eat some lovely street food!

If it is one thing China has – it is street food.

Friends at Green Lake Park

I am so glad I had this experience. China is huge and there is so much to see here. I have a few more places on my list for this summer. COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER BREAK HAS BEGUN!

Just 8 more weeks. I will be happy when China’s borders open for easy, safe, and healthy travel in and out of the country. Currently, I can leave the country, but it is extremely difficult to return. Borders could close at any moment and I could get stuck somewhere. So, for now, I am in Shanghai – I’m in China … I’m safe and healthy, just not traveling internationally at the moment.

I actually have a holiday before summer break in June which is awesome. TEACHERS look forward to summer break! A well -earned holiday for a very tough job! I am looking forward to relaxing, traveling, sleeping in, and seeing more of China this summer and later this year.

All is well on my side of the world. School is busy! Who knew that teaching little people could be so busy? I guess I knew it, but wow! It is very busy, but also exciting, fun, and rewarding. Seeing the growth in my students is priceless. They have grown and improved so much since the start of the school year.

Also –Teacher Appreciation Week just ended. So, to all of the amazing teachers in the world- THANK YOU for your hard work and service that you give to your students. You are the worlds true heroes.

#teacherappreciateweek #teacehers#education #educatorsmatter #teachersaretheworldsunsungheroes #thankateacher #teach #school #books #WhenOneTeachesTwoLearn #inspire #awakenyoungminds

I like what Robert Frost said about teachers, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener” – daily I am given the opportunity to awaken new things in the minds of my young learners. I hope they remember their International Kindergarten English Teacher when they are adults and changing the world.

#FearlessinShanghai #Thankful #joychangeslives #KMarieTakesChina #BlackGirlMagic #KarlaGirlLivingLife #BlackGirlJoy #LivingMyLifeLikeItsGolden #ChinaorBust #ChinaAintReady #BlackInShanghai #BlackInChina #BlackAmericanInChina #LookOutWorldHereComesKarla  #KarlaGirlJoy #BlackGirlInShanghai #eatsleeppartyrepeat #givingisgood #givingisfun #WakandaForever #ShuriAndNakiaAndOkoye #MelaninMagic #Blessed #FaithfulIsMyGod

“life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”  

– Hellen Keller

*I choose ADVENTURE*

If you have a teacher who has made an impact on your life reach out to them and share with them. They will really appreciate the connection and walk down memory lane!

Here is some helpful information about the places I visited. I will update and edit it soon:

Green Lake Park
No. 67 Cuihu South Road
Wuhua
Kunming, Yunnan China

Wuhua= District
Kunming=City
Yunnan=Province
China=Country

Dianchi Lake (@Dianchi Hangeng Park)
-Here is the English address. I will try and add the Chinese address later.

No. 1318 Dianchi Road
Xishan District
Kunming, Yunnan, China

Xishan=District
Kunming=City
Yunnan=Province
China=Country

Dongchuan Redlands
-Arrange a tour guide. You can use trip advisor OR if you’re in China there are plenty of WeChat groups that can help you to find a driver/tour guides for the day.

I can’t share exact address for this. If you’re in China I can share a pin location with you so you can find it on a map, but you will need to arrange transportation to get here.

It was lovely to see!