Hey Yall … we’re rolling into week 2 of February and week 2 of the at home quarantine …
Week 1! I survived week one of being quarantined at home
I am safe, healthy, and well rested! Every province and city is different with the rules and expectations that have been set during the quarantine. I have heard that some apartment complexes or ‘compound’ are only allowing one family member out every two days to get necessities to keep a hold on how many people are out and about in the city. Some compounds are not allowing people to have visitors. It is different for everyone. I haven’t had any issues at all.
There are stores and restaurants open, but they take your temperature before you enter to make sure you don’t have any signs of fever and you have to wear a mask before you enter. I haven’t been to eat yet at a restaurant, but once your temperature has been taken, and you’ve cleaned your hands with hand-sanitizer, you’re welcome to take off your mask and enjoy your meal with your friends.
There are doctors/therapists available for anyone who needs to cope and speak with someone as they deal with this epidemic.
KMG: I myself, I am okay. I am so thankful for every message from family members and friends checking on me. It meas so much to me. I have been reading, cleaning, cooking (trying new recipes), taking naps, working out and e-teaching. I am taking advantage of this time given to me.
E-Teaching: How does this work for kindergarten students? It is different for every school, but at my school kindergarten teachers are uploading videos and worksheets to an online drive that parents have access to for the students to complete at home. Instructions are given in English and translated in Chinese and they are encouraged to do their very best with their parents help. All work will be reviewed once we return to the classroom in a few weeks.
Netflix: If you haven’t heard of it you should check out “She Did That” on Netflix!!!
Books: I am currently reading: SULA and Fail Up … next up after these two …..
^what are yall reading??? Give me some ideas! Help my 2020 list^`
Here’s to safety and adventure! I am still thankful for this life and the experiences that living in Shanghai and being an international teacher have given me.
Being away from home isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but this is where this chapter in my life has me. #IChooseAdventure
For folks still in Shanghai/any other city in China you may be going stir-crazy. I’m not going stir-crazy yet, but I did just arrive back on Saturday. Here are some tips for surviving the virus:
1: Stay out of all these WeChat groups and online groups/sites- that are only talking about the virus. Yes, it is important to stay informed and up to date with what is happening, but you will go nuts if that is all you talk about all day everyday!
2: Start and finish a few books! Download some e-books and start reading! Start an online book club of a short book and discuss it.
3: There are some great documentaries on Netflix! Watch a documentary.
4: Any projects you have started and haven’t completed? Try finishing those now. You have nothing but time so you might as well be productive!
5: Find an at home workout challenge and stick to it! The routine of wake, eat, potty, sleep sounds great, but throw a workout or two in your day to keep your body where it needs to be.
6: Cook some new dishes. You have lots of time so try out some new recipes!
7: Take up yoga – there are some great online sites – and YouTube is great – for trying yoga. Try something new during this time.
8: Listen to a podcast- or learn how to start one! Start a blog or vlog or YouTube channel. Find something that really interests you and jump into that!
9: Meditate or Journal.
10: Keep in touch with your family and friends at home. Social media can be useful and positive during a situation like this.
I know a lot of people are having a hard time with 2020- January has been a tough year! . Yeah, you read that right. January has been a tough year. A lot of folks have decided to end their expat journey and return home. That’s fine. We must all do what is best for us. Take each day as it comes. Breathe and work towards what you want. Make this year what you want of it.
I am sure anybody who is anybody has heard of the “Coronavirus” that is happening right now in China. The virus itself isn’t new but this strain of it is. I am going to share the update that I shared on social media here.
‼️UPDATE #2 ‼️ – From Facebook/IG/Twitter
I am back in Shanghai!
WHO- declared the Coronavirus a global emergency. The virus is real and serious. I’m not going to spend time comparing stats to other viruses and other illnesses in other countries. I am not going to act as if it’s not a real things that’s not happening because it is!
This one is happening right now. It’s new and it’s making its way around the world. The Chinese government is working hard to contain it, but it did start during a busy travel season so know it can be a lot of work to handle it all.
My flight was smooth. Every flight attendant and worker had on masks 😷 and gloves the entire flight. Every person on the flight had on masks. Flight attendants took our temperature 🤒 and we filled out a health form to turn in before going through customs. It was quiet and orderly going through customs and in baggage claim (unusual for China 🇨🇳 but appreciated)。All went smooth and well.
My school sent a driver to pick me up. He had his mask and gloves and got me home safely. Our school is taking every precaution as we are on at home 14 day quarantine. Extended holiday. Everyone has been asked to avoid places where there would usually be lots of people and to always wear your mask when going outside.
Shanghai is quiet. It’s usually a very busy city and it’s quiet. Yes there’s food! Yes there’s water. Yes I have wifi. The virus is real and serious but life is still happening.
I am thankful for every message sent to me asking about my well being. I am healthy and safe. I am taking all precautions given. The news will send you into a panic that I am not in. Some people are scared and that’s fine. Everyone will handle this differently. I am not scared but I am using wisdom and discernment in my daily living now that I am back. Life is quieter and slower than usual.
This is when I live out my faith and the truth of 2 Timothy 1:17. I don’t get to just read about it – I MUST LIVE IT!
I know people have a lot of thoughts about China and so many thoughts about me living here. So when you talk about the Coronavirus and China just remember you are talking about real people who live here and are dealing with this. I am staying as safe as can be! I have gloves, sanitizer, travel size hand wash, and masks – I really am being safe- The world 🌎 is a scary place so let’s all be careful!!
That’s all I have for now! ❤️ and ☮️
-KG!
If you type it in google you will get tons of information about it. WHO – has declared it a global emergency, airlines are stopping flight in and out China, and many countries are closing its borders to individuals who are Chinese or who have traveled from China. You may be quarantined for a specific number of days when leaving China for a different country and when returning to China. The virus is serious, it has spread around the world, and it should be taken seriously.
With all of that, I do not feel afraid, but I am being cautious, safe, and careful! I am on at home 14 day quarantine, I have masks to wear when/if I have to go outside, and I wear gloves so I don’t touch anything. The virus itself isn’t airborne so I don’t feel like I will just ‘catch’ it when stepping out of my door. I am not facing death on a daily basis, but I am being smart with my actions. Yesterday, I made a quick trip to the grocery store to get food and returned home and stayed inside for the remainder of the day. There is plenty of food, water, and items you need for daily life here in Shanghai. The city itself is quiet and the streets and super empty. I have NEVER seen Shanghai this empty. NEVER, since I moved here in 2017.
Quarantine Day 1-2.01.20 I arrived here on Saturday afternoon from Seattle by way of Dallas. I stayed home the rest of the day. Ordered food and slept.
Quarantine Day 2- 2.02.20 I slept most of Sunday. Traveling is wonderful and I don’t take these opportunities for granted, but I was exhausted. I had an online work meeting and after that I slept.
Quarantine Day 3- 2.03.20 Ha! It is Monday morning at 2:45 in the morning as I am writing this blog post. I slept all day yesterday so now I’m wide awake. I plan on reading, doing some indoor workouts, and watching some fun tv!
I am doing well so far. It is safe to go outside. Always wear your mask, cover your body and be careful. Mask wearing isn’t new to people in China because China isn’t known for having the best air quality. I’ll take a short stroll at some point, but write now I am checking some things off of my to do list and being productive inside!
These Shanghai Streets are empty!These Shanghai Streets are empty!
Please know that I am being safe and taking all necessary precautions while I am living here. I am thankful for everyone’s concern and for reaching out to me. I know that this is serious so I am definitely following instructions of having an at-home quarantine.
I also know that many feel its odd that I came back to Shanghai while all of this was happening. Many flights were being canceled and the city – in comparison to life as usual- is a Ghost Town. Friends have left for extended vacations in other countries or returned to their home countries. I know of some people who have left their jobs indefinitely and do not plan on returning back to China, their work in China, or their expat lives. Everyone has to do what is best for them.
This is when I live out my faith. I believe in the trust of 2 Timothy 1:7. I live here and my life is here. So I am back and I am following protocols given. Though I don’t live from a place of fear I do live from a place of wisdom! Uprotting my life from Shanghai back to Dallas without a real plan isn’t settling well for me. I have no job in Dallas, no home of my own, the money to restart life in North America (N.America is expensive – but yall know that) and a plan for returning to USA. So I am here in Shanghai, in my right now home. Keep thinking about us! Keep praying! Keep following the news but turn it off once you’re in full blown panic or hysteria! …. lets all keep on going!
If you are reading this message I am in South Africa! YAY! Pictures to come of this amazing trip …. Happy New Year and Happy last day of Kwanzaa (December 26-January 1)!
Kwanzaa is a week-long annual celebration held in the United States and other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas to honor African heritage in African-American culture. It is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in gift-giving and a feast. Kwanzaa has seven core principles
Kwanzaa has seven core principles, or Nguzo Saba:
Umoja: Unity. To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia: Self-Determination: …
Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility. …
Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics. …
Nia: Purpose. …
Kuumba: Creativity. …
Imani: Faith.
May this year bring you happiness, joy, financial stability, strong relationships, laughter, and memories that will last a lifetime!
…. 2019 is finished … i hope you reached your goals and had a great year. if you didn’t reach all of your goals and achieve everything you planned on achieving … there is 2020 … smile and keep pushing!
Here are a few pictures from our holiday show! There are tons more … of course! Holiday shows are taken super seriously here and the photographer and parents took tons of pictures and videos. This December show is an opportunity for all of the classes to show what they have been learning in their classes. Students practiced for English, Chinese, and Music performances!
lets do it! The parents presented us with flowers for a job well done
Couldn’t do what I do without themthese two keep me on my toeslove teaching with Ms. Abishe’s so focused! looooooove herwe did it! the show was a success
the moment i lost my flowersyes kid these are yoursof course they arent all looking my wonderful polar bear class
The show was a complete success! I am super bummed that no one was able to capture my students introduction and first poem but they worked very hard and did a great job!
I really enjoy giving end of the month updates and I am way behind! For a good 10 weeks I had awful wifi and vpn connections. I have talked about vpn before and it gives access to sites that are blocked in China – a lot of sites are blocked. At any rate I’m back to end the year strong! Here’s a quick update of the past few months.
And if you’re like … these months look off KG has been gone longer than this … I started these ‘monthly’ updates after I was here for awhile and I was settled in with life in Shanghai!
August (Month 18) – Finished a great summer of traveling with a train trip to Hangzhou (one hour speed train ride from Shanghai) and university teaching and started my second school year at Shanghai HD Bilingual School. I have 25 students in my class and there are 4 teachers to a classroom. I am a Kindergarten English Homeroom teacher at a bilingual school. My students have classes in Chinese and in English!
This was my first day of school picture …One of my favorite kiddos and he loves Black Panther as much as me!KG- Prep Teaching TeamKG- Prep Foreign Teaching Staff
September (Month 19) Something very exciting about September is that my mentor from Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship came to visit me. We had a fantastic time and even took a visit to Xiamen, China! I shared in an earlier post about Teachers Day and Mid-Autumn Festival which both happened in September.
.love.
Fun in Xiamen!.love.it was super hot this day and this mango was amazing!
October (Month 20) This month was beautiful! Two holidays you really look forward to in China are Chinese New Year (CNY) -the dates change every year,but its always at the beginning of the year and National Holiday/Golden Week (First week of October). This year in October I went to Singapore and Malaysia with my friend Kim from Dallas and we had an absolutely fantastic time! Singapore is a small country, but lovely. The weather is great, the country is super clean, the people are nice, and the metro system is easy to use. Malaysia was so nice! We did a food tour and relaxed a lot! I could definitely go back there.
happy birthday friend
I also partnered with my friend Kristen and threw a great Halloween party that my friend Kim came too! Trap or Treat was a huge success! We had a great time, folks dressed up, we had great prizes and the venue was packed.
Netflix and ChillWe went as “Black Girl Magic”K&K Trap or Treat Organizers!
November (Month 21) November was a good month. Busy, but good as we worked hard in our classroom with our language skills and began preparing for our holiday show at work. We had two big events in Shanghai – FTCA (For The Culture Awards) and BE (Black Expo) both great events! I won at award – “Game Changer” for being a Game Changer in the Shanghai Black Expat Community and I performed at Black Expo! I did two songs in sign language and I was excited to share something I am so passionate about with the folks here in Shanghai! November was great and full of Black Excellence.
November was also lovely because we had a great pajama themed FriendsGiving. Its wonderful being an expat and having great friends that you can count on and do life with while away from home!
December (Month 22) It is now December. I am typing this message on Christmas Eve morning in Shanghai, so its still December 23 in the states. I am excited about what the holiday has in store for me. I will meet my friends in South Africa for Christmas! What a joy to see them in Africa. I am super excited and I leave tonight.
We ended the school year great… post to come and had a fantastic holiday show! My students did a great job with their English performance and their parents are pleasantly pleased with their students progress so far this school year. I am looking forward to their growth and continued academic development in 2020! Teaching in Shanghai has brought me so much joy!
So here’s months 18-22 in a short recap!
I hope that you are all well and that you are able to relax during this holiday season.
Blessings!
I’m sure more has happened, that I have missed pictures, events, and life updates- and that there is more to say but here are a few pictures and a quick catch up of the past few months …. Life is good in Shanghai and I am looking forward to a visit to the states in 2020 during Chinese New Year!
Merry ChristmasandHappy New Year!
Blessing to you to all of the holidays that you celebrate.
Wishing you a prosperous holiday season and new year full of love, light, happiness, joy and laughter!
Recently I posted/shared about being thankful. I am extremely thankful for my friend Kim. I just want you to know that I really love you! You’re wonderful in every way.
There is nothing like a good friend …. I met Kim some years ago in Dallas – 4th of July weekend … the location is still a debate …. it was either at MAX’s in Uptown or at Social House! That’s not so important though… what is really important is that our friendship has remained since I have been living in Shanghai! I will start year three as a #ShanghaiExpat living this #BlackInChina life this coming week!
I was able to see Kim last year when she came to Shanghai with her sister and another friend, we traveled to Seoul together this summer, and we recently took a trip to Singapore and Malaysia together! Looking forward to seeing you again soon friend!
I have learned so much from our friendship together. If nothing else, life is short and worth living so take the trip and live with no regrets.
So this is to you Kim. Thank you for being a friend. Thanks for listening to me and being a great person to bounce things off of. The two of us have traveled down the road and back again – literally. Your heart is true. You are a friend and a confidant – just like the song says …
My Sweet Kim- Keep Living! Keep Shining! Keep Sparkling
… you are #BlackGirlMagic – defined
absolutely one of my favorite pictures of us …. @The Lantern – in Singapore @The Fullerton Bay Hotel … you are
**late post from summer** **still catching up from this years travels and my summer fun** I really don’t know why it has taken me so long to finish this post … enjoy
Every teacher looks forward to summer break because this is your time to travel!
I went to Seoul, South Korea for the third time this summer. This time was super special since my friend Kim from Dallas joined me in the fun! We had a great time. The people are wonderful, kind and polite. The food is yummy. The metro system is easy to navigate. We enjoyed ourselves so much we want to go back in 2020!
I had to occupy myself for a day before my Kim arrived and we got started on our fun together! I went to Ihwa Mural Village, found the Seoul sign (or “a”), grabbed lunch at a local ‘beer and chicken’ spot, Seoul Museum of Art and explored some local areas! Lots of walking and lots to see.
Kim and I wanted to eat yummy food and sleep and we did just that! Two things we really enjoyed was the cooking class we did and the food tour! Our food tour guide was amazing. If you are ever in Seoul check him out – http://www.itseoulgood.com – I promise you will not be disappointed. He showed us some great eats that you probably wouldn’t necessarily find on your own.
Here are some pictures from some tourist spots we checked out and information on the cooking class… enjoy!
Cooking Class:
I was in charge of making this but I did not eat thisSuper Hard At Workthis was delicious
Food Tour:
Ihwa Mural Village:
Seoul Museum of Art:
Gyeonbokgung Palace:
We also explored Explore Myeondong and Dongdaemum Market – I will edit and update with pictures from both of those areas very soon.
Overall- Seoul is great – if you ever get the chance you should definitely check it out!
I have so much to be thankful for and I bet if you sit and think about it. If you just pause from your busy life… you will realize that you too have so much to be thankful for.
I am thankful for life, my family, my opportunity to live abroad, having passion be my profession, the opportunities I get to travel, and my great friends.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” …
Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. Alphonse Karr.
“When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty, my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.” Anonymous
We Have So Much To Be Thankful For! I asked a few folks to share one thing that they are thankful for and they all jumped to respond! My heart smiled ….
Olivia, Age 29: Living in and on purpose. Not everyone gets to the point where they are there and I am glad to be there now.
Jasmine, Age 36: The opportunity to live abroad and give my family this experience.
Elgrie, Age 37 : Family
James, Age 34: I am thankful for the gift oflife and the ability to create art everyday.
Karla, Age 36: Life. I am extremely thankful for life. I don’t take it for granted.
Wesley, Age 26: The opportunity to live, travel, and thrive abroad.
Dante, Age 27: I’m thankful for the good health of my family and friends back home, the strong relationship I have with my lady, the connection I”ve made with good friends on this side of the world, and the opportunity God has given me to live my life to its fullest potential. (I can’t think of just one thing I am thankful for)
Nayyir, Age 38: My MOTHER
ShelbyLaBre, Age 28: The season of Discernment
What are you thankful for?
“Be kind, be thoughtful, be genuine, but most of all be thankful.” Anonymous
You ever heard of a grateful jar??? I challenge you to write down one thing you are thankful everyday for the rest of the year and on January 1,2020 open the jar and look at all the good. Not to downplay anything bad or negative that has happened in your life or recent experiences, but to see the good.
Look at it. Remember it. Bask in it. We all have so much to be thankful for.
…there’s no one right way to do this…
A gratitude jar is basically a jar full of gratitude! Every time you feel and/or experience gratitude in the year, write it on a sheet of paper and put it in your gratitude jar
“No matter how good or bad you think life is. Wake up each day and be thankful for life. Someone somewhere else is fighting to survive.” Anonymous
Totally ate my way through Singapore! I will pay for it when I bike to work tomorrow. All worth it!
….one of my favorite pictures from the food tour…
Food Tours– are so great when you travel. You get a guide to take you around and educate you on local food all while eating lots of things you most likely wouldn’t try on your own! A food tour can last anywhere from 2.5-6 hours! Eating…. and eating … and drinking …. and eating … yum! I totally suggest signing up for a food tour when you travel to a new city/country.
While in Singapore my friend Kim and I did a food tour via the company- http://www.originalfoodtours.com – and we had an absolute blast!
Here are some pictures from the food tour we did the past week ….
could we be any happier???
satay! satay! satay! and more satay!lots of yummy dishes … soursop juice is fantastic! Google It!!!
Also – so cool! My picture was shared on their website, Facebook, and Instagram page!!! eeeeeeekkkkk!!!!
FEARLESS in SHANGHAI 