Teaching in Taipei: MUN Trip to Shanghai

How did November go by so fast!?! I can't believe that December is only 2 days away. Luckily now that it's Thanksgiving, I finally have a few days off to catch up on my blog (and my life in general).

The first half of November was taken over by preparation for our first ever MUN trip to Shanghai (from now on I'll use the fun SHASMUN acronym to refer to the conference). I coached the team with my friend, Phil, and it was the first time TAS has ever sent 7th graders overseas! Thankfully, we also traveled with two 10th graders who did an excellent job keeping the 10 middle schoolers entertained and occupied (which allowed Phil and me to have some breathing room).

It was my first time in China, but we didn't actually have much time to see the city of Shanghai. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon, we took the kids sight-seeing...but unfortunately a brown cloud of pollution was hovering over the city, making it a bit difficult to see the sights. We did head to the famous Pearl Tower to see some of the city lights, but could only make out the tallest buildings. The kids were highly entertained by the glass floor on the outside of the tower, though!

After the first afternoon, the rest of the weekend was spent at Shanghai American School, Pudong Campus. Initially Phil and I were a bit nervous because we discovered upon arrival that most other schools brought 8th and 9th graders (and even 10th graders!!), but we shouldn't have worried. Our kids totally rocked the conference! They were some of the most prepared and confident delegates at the whole conference. Definitely proud teachers :)