Believe it or not, dear readers, I am now an official teacher. I didn't even have to get a teaching certificate, and I'm teaching at a college. Neato, eh? And terrifying all at the same time. I started teaching my English classes this morning. Wow. I never realized how much work and energy goes into it. My appreciation for my professors and teachers has increased tenfold. Of course, being a substitute teacher, I already knew it was exhausting...but when you have to create your own lesson plans, it can be intimidating. Especially since I only have until Friday to develop my curriculum. Scary, no? I think I can handle it. I just want to wait to get a better feel for my students tomorrow, though. I've got two new classes.

My freshmen students were very inquisitive and eager to speak in English. They were my first class. We spent about 45 minutes where I answered their questions about America. They even got me to sing. When a foreigner sings in China, they are very impressed--even if you're not the best singer in the world. It was fun. I couldn't think of any songs off the top of my head, so they encouraged me to sing the song from Titanic. They joined in--I really enjoyed their enthusiasm. My sophomore class today was a little lethargic. I think they were more wary of speaking in English in front of their peers...but we managed to get along quite well. They got homework. Bwahahaha! I like this new-found power I have...

Anyway, things are going well. I got a calling in my branch, though. I'm the Relief Society leader. Which is a lot more responsibility than I was expecting, but I suppose the Lord has something in mind for me. I need to choose an assistant and fill various other positions by Friday... So much to do! Oh well. It was really neat meeting together for church yesterday. I'm excited to be here!

In case you're curious, here's a video-tour of my apartment.