I have been back in China for a full three months now (tourist visa has expired), and I have fully settled into my new home and gotten into the swing of life here. I juggle, I dance, I teach, I live and I learn. What more is there to say about my life than that? Recently I have been sleeping less and going out less frequently too. I have been waking up quite early (around 6:30) naturally, and I have normally been staying up until around midnight. I can tell I am tired because every now and then I stumble over my own shoes while walking, which is something I tend to do when I haven't gotten enough sleep. If my body doesn't even have enough energy to lift its feet, then there is something amiss. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up though, and I have three days off. The National Day holiday is coming up too, which will give me a week of travel with my sister. It will be nice to have a vacation.
The biggest thing here recently has been my managing of some Sunday performances in The Village. Normally, Federico would manage these performances, but Fede is in Tibet for two weeks, so he has me running the shows. It is fun and exciting, it gives me good experience, and the money is good for the amount of stress and pain that I go through (moderate stress, no pain). In fact, I have kind of become Fede's sidekick. Somewhere between and intern, an apprentice, and a part-time employee who is not paid in regular amounts or with consistency. Regardless as to how one chooses to describe it, I am loving it so far.
I have fairly solidly decided that I will only stay in Beijing for one year. Summer 2011 is gonna be pretty busy for me, as there is Jocco's and Allie's wedding in the U.S., another friend's wedding in Spain, and I really want to go to both of them! I will also have my oral assessment with the U.S. State Department, so I can do that next summer. I am planning on applying for the ‘teaching English in Spain' program again, and doing that for the next year of my life. I still really want to improve my Spanish, and Europe is a place that I want to experience too. I am also looking forward to that program in Spain requiring me to work less that 40 hours/week, which will give me more time to read, practice things (juggling, dancing, martial arts, languages, or whatever else catches my fancy), and do freelance or other work on the side.
Speaking of Spain and Spanish, on Tuesday my Noché de Conversación will start, and I am very excited to have a group which will allow me to practice my Spanish. I have posted to CouchSurfing and on DouBan about the event.
