vpn-ing

What is a VPN? I had heard this acronym many times before actually deciding to Google it/ask my Dad (last year, before moving to China). A VPN is a virtual private network, which basically a private network that is extended into a public network. There is a lot of mumbo jumbo technical stuff that is associated with that, frankly, I don't understand and don't care to since that's not my field of expertise. Anyway, in layman's terms, a VPN allows you to mask your IP address by connecting to other servers and use the internet without having this blocked, which is necessary living in China.

Before I moved here, I did a lot of research to see which VPN was the best--not only had good reviews but was also affordable. I Googled "best VPN for China" and came across a lot of different articles, but this article was the best and most concise. It also had a chart and I'm a sucker for a good chart and stellar formatting.

As I did more research regarding VPNs, I found out that a lot VPNs will struggle because China is consistently attacking proxy servers to get them shut down. Express VPN, the VPN that is consistently listed at number 1 and is affordable, has never had that problem because they offer not only over 100 servers, but different types of protocols. Astrill had good reviews and a lot of my coworkers were using it this year until the Chinese government managed to shut it down (that's the rumor at least).

So, if you're in need of a VPN, go with Express VPN. It has worked brilliantly my entire time in China thus far (and here's to hoping that it will continue to work for the next bit, too). Though there are days that require some finessing to figure out which server will have the fastest connection and which protocol is working the best, it hasn't failed me. They also have great customer service and a website that is accessible without a VPN if you need to get in contact with them. I'm not gonna lie, I won't miss having to use a VPN, but it is nice to be able to access things on different websites that are blocked because of geographical location.

The end. 

what do you want?

In reading class today, the kids read a story called A Friend for Little Bear. It is about a little bear (obviously) that is stuck on a desert island and wants a cup. Several random things wash up to the island's shores, but no cups. Eventually a wooden horse comes along, but the little bear wishes it will all go away so he can get a cup. When the wooden horse leaves, the little bear realizes that he is lonely and rather than have a cup, he wants a friend to be with him on the island.

Keeping with the desert island theme, I asked each group of students to prepare a list of ten things that they would bring with them if they were stuck on a desert island. Here are the lists:

List #1
1. friends
2. bed
3. food
4. water
5. house
6. iPhone
7. coconut
8. tree
9. boat
10. airplane

List #2
1. a friend
2. a ball
3. some food
4. 3 bottles of water
5. my family
6. a radio
7. a toy car
8. a TV
9. a country
10.  pet

List #3
1. a friend
2. a barbie
3. a book
4. water bottle (orignally spelled waterbotter)
5. a pater (I have no idea what this was meant to be...)
6. pencil
7. eraser
8. colored pencil
9. water
10. food

List #4
1. a friend
2. iPad
3. iPhone
4. water and food (haha, clever kids trying to get two in one)
5. computer (small) <--- they actually did write that
6. bed
7. dresses
8. pencil and eraser and paper (many)
9. ship
10. book

List #5
1. toy
2. friend
3. restaurant
4. boat
5. paper
6. bottle
7. ball
8. tent
9. adult
10. pencil

List #6
1. boat
2. friend
3. iPad Mini 4
4. food
5. water
6. flower
7. family
8. bottle
9. suitcase
10. tent

I couldn't help but laugh at the specificity and the inclusion of technology (Apple technology, of course). It was an interesting commentary on these children's lives and what they think they need. I m well aware of the fact that they are 6-7 years old and therefore won't be as concerned with the logical issues surrounding being stuck on an island, but it goes to show what is important to each group and what they think that they can't live without. The fact that some kids included boats and airplanes on their lists was great because it shows that they are thinking ahead and wonder why would they remain stuck on an island when they can go wherever they want. My favorite entry on a list is tied between coconut and iPad Mini 4 (I assume that no other kind of iPad is good enough?).

I leave you with a question that one of my students left for me on their sheet: what do you want?