Each morning my alarm goes off at 6:45 and I’m out of the apartment by 7:45. I walk through the hutongs and buy some baozi for breakfast on my way to school. As I arrive, children call out “Laoshi’r hao!” The more intrepid students yell, “Good morning, teacher!”

I’m currently a full-time English teacher at a private Chinese kindergarten in Beijing. My days are filled with classes, games, fieldtrips, naps, and hugs with kids aged two to five. Whether I’m at school or out exploring China’s capital city, my life is definitely not boring.

I suppose that is most of the reason why I decided to pack up and move to Beijing. I’m a 24-year-old American who graduated from a prestigious women’s institution, Bryn Mawr College, in 2005. I spent a summer backpacking through India with my best friend, returned to Philadelphia to start “real life”, decided I wanted more, and started looking for teaching jobs in Beijing. What follows are some snapshots of my adventures from teaching and living in China.