China

So we are a bit closer to going to China. It is no longer just words and plans, but has started to move to the realm of action!

After Chelsey got her passport, we put in our application with this program that we are planning to use. We are using a program because they will help get us interviews with the schools, and will also provide support for while we are there. Chinese schools like to get as much as they can out of English teachers for as little as possible. Using a program will mean that they can fight those kind of battles for us, which means that we get a better contract with the school. Programs also often have a lot of teaching materials available to use, which helps out in the lesson planning.

Our tentative date to go is May 1. We are looking at plane tickets, and flying out of Vancouver BC will cost about $1100 for both of us. Flight to Vancouver from Calgary is another is about another 200 dollars. So we got some really cheap flights, and we will be booking those soon. We plan to fly into Vancouver a few days early, and spend some time there. I have never been to Vancouver, and the last time Chelsey went she was really young. We will get into Shanghai early afternoon on May 2, and have a five hour layover. We figure that gives us enough time to go get something to eat and such in Shanghai. However, because of that, we would not get into Beijing until 11:30pm. We will probably stay at a hostel for a few days, as we won't have an appartment until we sign on with a school.

We are getting excited for this trip!