Beijing 2008
Posted on Jul 16, 2008 under Olympics | 1 CommentYesterday I taught my first session at the music camp I mentioned earlier. It’s actually an art camp and they just wanted to have a music part in the mornings to wake the kids up, haha. It was a lot of fun and I must say that managing a group of 10 kids instead of 25 is so much better! I also felt really good afterward because I was amazed at how much easier and more natural teaching feels now. Had I done something like this last summer, with practically no experience, I would have felt really nervous and been counting the minutes on the clock. But I was actually sad when our time was up and I just had so much fun! I am looking forward to my second year more and more each day.
The theme for this art camp was originally going to be “patriotism”, but they have also incorporated the Olympics this year. Students are learning about the Chinese culture and making things like lanterns and clay panda bears =) The songs I am teaching all have to do with America, but I am also planning to bring some of the things I brought back from my trip to Beijing in 2006. Little kids often have a hard time grasping the fact that other places in the world exist (especially in small town Alabama). So I am hoping that this will give them something tangible to help them learn about China.
All of this Olympic talk is getting me excited about August! I wasn’t really into the summer games until 2004; I guess that was the first time I was old enough to appreciate them. Now that we have DVR I will be able to watch my favorite events and still go to bed at a reasonable hour! My favorite sport is gymnastics, especially the floor routines. I think I could have been a gymnast in another life 
I also like watching the diving because that is something I could never do in a million years. And how they make practically no splash entering the water is beyond me!
I want to leave you with some photos that I took in 2006, when the Olympic site was just under construction. It looks so cool now!
The 2008 Olympics sign.
Billboard in the Olympic park.
This is a small statue version of the Bird’s Nest.
Here was the Bird’s Nest under construction two years ago.
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And here is the Bird’s Nest today: this is the venue where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held.
Even the little lanterns around the outside have the same design!
If you want to check out the official Beijing 2008 Olympics site click here.