peace and a passport

Some of my scrambled thoughts strung together as I make my way through China and through life. You will probably find my wide-eyed, confused and fascinated take on the world, and pictures of cute Chinese babies. The contents of this blog are solely my own and do not reflect the positions of the United States Government or the Peace Corps.

[kayburry]

#hello #cutebabies #cambodia

[kayburry]

#sunset over #phnompenh #lakeside #mosque

[kayburry]

Supa stupa #cambodia #angkorwat #rpcv #solotravel

[kayburry]

A photo from my last class with some of my brightest students. I let them write down any questions they wanted and pledged that I would answer them honestly. Because the majority were about dating, sex, and love, at the end of class I gave them a short speech in Chinese so that they could really understand my message. I told them to learn to listen to their hearts, and find out who and what their heart calls them to. I told them if they were a girl and they love other girls, then LOVE other girls. There is no sense in marrying a man who you don't love because you feel pressure to do so, all the while knowing you don't truly love him. Then, this morning I woke up to the groundbreaking news that the US Supreme Court ruled for same-sex marriage to be legally recognized throughout the country. I feel so proud to be an American, and so grateful to have had this opportunity to represent my country as a Peace Corps Volunteer. #usa #peacecorps #china #samesex #loveislove #因为爱情 #爱

[kayburry]

番茄鸡蛋面加空心菜 nom nom nommm. Egg and tomato noodles with my favorite veggies, Chinese water spinach. And to whoever says you shouldn't leave your chopsticks standing up in your bowl, my nodle lady (who is very much a Chinese woman) gave the bowl to me with the chopsticks like that.

[kayburry]

Three cheers to #livingalone

[kayburry]

Happy #childrensday everyone!

[kayburry]

Hanging this hammock in my house was probably the best thing I've done to decorate it. I regret not making it happen sooner! I've been in it every day since I hung it up, and it's especially nice today after a day of yoga on a boat and swimming in the lake.

[kayburry]

Because I haven't posted in a while, and because I'm itching to travel again. Here's a shot from Yading in Western Sichuan province. My trip to Western Sichuan was one of my favorite trips, complete with beautiful natural scenery, friendly locals, best friends, camping, great food, and monks. #sichuan #china #peacecorps #neverstopexploring

[kayburry]

不论地方，月亮总是一样。No matter where you are, the moon is always the same. #moon #chinese #stargazing #月 #文身 #lunareclipse

[kayburry]

The first installment of a series of questions from Wulong, China to the rest of the world! Lauren wants to know, "Which country do you like best?" If you have a response, you can DM it to me or share on facebook or tumblr! @c3dona #peacecorps #peacecorpschina #china #teaching #esl #tefl #english #cultureexchange #culture #neverstopexploring

[kayburry]

A #latergram of my students making New Years Resolutions. These students have big dreams, and I believe they can make them true with a lot of work. Unfortunately, the fact that they are at our school (a vocational high school) in itself puts them behind the millions of other students who go to better schools and got better grades on China's high school placement exam. These exam scores are a huge determining factor in what kind of education Chinese students get, as well as what kind of opportunities are available to them. For example, the students in my other classes will not be given the chance to pursue a college education. On the other hand, they are relieved of the intense pressure that comes along with preparing for China's college entrance exam, the infamous #gaokao. #howiseepc #newyearsresolution #china #education #tefl #peacecorps #peacecorpschina

[kayburry]

Yesterday my sitemate and I went to help with a Christmas party at a local English school. He dressed as Santa and I taught the kids how to make shaving cream art--something I havent done since I was in elementary school. There were over 50 kids in attendance, and it was exhausting but so rewarding to see the looks on their faces when they opened their presents and sang Christmas songs and drew their pictures. They never stopped smiling. #peacecorpschina #peacecorps #cultureexchange #christmasparty #merrychristmas

[travelthisworld]

Natural Architecture

Houping Tiankeng Group, Wulong, China | by Queensy Chan

[kayburry]

Good to know I've still got my #breakfast skills. Also, making homemade #peanutbutter is probably one of the best skills I've learned in this past year. #mondays #peacecorps #peacecorpschina

[kayburry]

Is it bad to tell your students that they are your favorites? I think being the first ones I've allowed so far to come over and cook probably lets them know. #cookingwithmisskayla #peacecorps #peacecorpschina #chinesefood

[kayburry]

Hashtag swimming in November. Photo courtesy of my sitemate WHO DIDN'T GO IN, @c3dona. The water was surprisingly warm if you kept swimming, which you had to because after the steps it gets so deep that you can't feel anything around you. A truly invigorating place. #china #swimming #风景优美 #adventure