School's OUT!

It's official; yesterday was my LAST DAY OF TEACHING STUDENTS for this year. Next week will be a work week for staff to pack their rooms and prepare for our move. And, with the work that has been done already, its very likely that we will be done early next week!

It has been an amazing year and I've learned so much about teaching and myself from this experience. Although I am not certain of my career path when I return to the United States of America, I will always consider teaching a fun, challenging and rewarding occupation and this experience has help prepare me if teaching is in my future.

Here are some of the highlights of the year; although there would be too many to list!


Culture Day! One of the largest school events with decorated classroom food and student projects


Hanging out with my awesome students and awesome staff everyday!
It's been an incredible year and I've made some amazing friends! I'll never forget this experience and the great times had...

TIME TO CELEBRATE!

How did I celebrate my last day?! Why, karaoke of course! After making an appearance at the graduation party of our school's class of 2009... Chase; Ty, Cari, the Craigs and I went to meet our Chinese friends for a birthday dinner followed by karaoke.


That's right, Chase graduated in a class of 1; Himself! Congrats Chase!
After going to Hot Pot- the birthday girl's favorite meal- we began the journey to find a good karaoke place. I had heard earlier in the day that the plan was to eat dinner and then go "Karaoke all night"... I thought that was 'metaphorically' speaking.

Making sure to find a good place, we tried 3 locations before arriving at our final destination. The fun and music began right away. There were 11 of us total but the room was a comfortable size. At some point in the night, the Criaigs and Ty headed home but I was determined to last a little longer and so was Cari. After a trip to the restroom, I noticed that an all-nighter in a karaoke room was not uncommon in China- I walked pass several rooms with two people awake and singing and the rest sleeping in their chairs.

At 4:00 am, I decided that I had to go the distance. There was no way I would be able to stay awake (since I had been up since 5:00 am that morning), but I could at least spend the night in the karaoke room- I couldn't pass up this opportunity! I tried to participate as much as possible; I was searching the database and adding a couple English songs to the list. But, the list was so long that by the time my songs started, I had fallen asleep. After attempting this twice, I decided to just try and be as comfortable as possible in my chair (half the room was already asleep at this point) and get some shut-eye.

I was impressed that every time I woke up, I would see the birthday girl and the two other guys with us singing! Not only is it difficult to stay up all night, but to sing non-stop?! Obviously seasoned veterans at the karaoke scene. It was another fun and unique Chinese adventure.

Countdown!

T.Matt Arrives: 8 DAYS- Can't wait!
My Parents Arrive: 25 Days- less than a month!
Back to USA: 43 Days

Thanks for Reading!

Mr. Brad on the first day of class.

Mr. Brad on the last day of class

My wildest night yet....

May went super, super fast. Last week was the last of my "catch-up" blogs but that still leaves 3 weeks that were not talked about! So, in a couple sentences, I'll finish May:

First, there was a field trip on May 8th so the class got to go play in a near by park. Second, we had our Spirit Week during school! Monday was Crazy Hair day (class contest pictured below), Tuesday was Pajama Day, Wednesday was Matching Day, Thursday was Fictional character day (I was Mr. Duck... again, also picture below) and Friday was XIS Spirit Day (wear blue and yellow). Last, May 22nd was Science day. The students set up our class room with science projects- it was fun.


Now that we are all caught up, here's the latest and greatest from China. Normally, I try to keep these posts somewhat short. This story deserves all the details, enjoy!

The Main Event

We had a 3-Day weekend last weekend (May 29th-31st) to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. Myself and Cari planned a last-minute trip to Beijing to visit with Zack and Carrie (my principal and his wife) who are living in Beijing for the next month or two in order to have their baby. Since the hospitals are much nicer in Beijing, many foreigners will leave Xi'an to have a baby in Beijing. We left Thursday after noon and arrived late on Thursday night.

Cari was going to stay with Zack and Carrie and I had planned on finding a hotel or hostel nearby. Since I didn't know where Zack and Carrie's apartment was, I decided not to book a room anywhere until after I arrived in Beijing. Being very over-confident of my knowledge of Beijing, I started my search for a room at about 11:30 pm. To make matters worse, I had been struggling with 拉肚子 (literally: pulled-stomach... diarrhea) for the last 24 hours and my ankle was still sore from being sprained on May 19th.

After about an hour of searching around the apartment, I decided to go to a hostel I had researched earlier on the internet. I hailed a taxi, which didn't have a map, and struggled to explain to him where I needed to go. We ended up driving to the wrong place and having to double back, making the trip almost 200 kuai ($30.00) which is a lot when the cab fare starts at 10 kuai. At this point though, my stomach was very unsettled and the money made little difference; I was just happy to be at the hostel.

The Clerk at the hostel told me there were no rooms available and when I asked her what I should do, she said "There is a KFC and McDonald's down the street." Determined not to spend the night in a McDonald's, I bought a map and continued my journey. There were many hotels and hostels in the area so I thought I would find a new place soon. Then, it happened.

It was about 1 am while I was walking down the street and my head under my hat started to itch. I itched it. Then my arm started to itch. I itched it. Then my hand... then my legs... then EVERYTHING! Trying to be positive, I thought to myself "Well, at least this is keeping my mind off of my sore ankle and upset stomach!" Before I knew what was happening, I began to break out in hives. Everyplace on my body that created friction was covered in small red bumps; under my watchband, between my fingers, my "elbow pit," behind my ears... everywhere! I found myself itching not just because it felt good (and wow- did it feel good!) but because it was the only relief to the tingly and stinging sensation that was covering my body as if invisible insects were crawling and biting me everywhere. In addition, I could feel my face beginning to swell.

It was in this state that I continued to search for a room. I was turned down a couple times due to "no vacancy" but, part of me wonders if the Clerks were just denying me because I looked like a drug addict; all red and itchy asking for a room at one in the morning. As I walked the street, I felt like my body was falling apart.

I finally found a place with a room and when I arrived, there was a black man with a thick accent (it sounded like a language from an African country) bartering with the Chinese Clerk (the African had great Chinese). I walked in exhausted and in a haze. The Clerk showed me a room and I nodded at her- just hoping to get a room and end this crazed wandering and itching. I sat back in the lobby and became glued to my chair; half dizzy, half asleep and 100% uncomfortable. I waited as the Clerk and black man argued for what seemed like an hour. Then the Clerk got my key and motioned for me to follow her to the room. I stood up, still wearing my backpack and man purse, and the sudden movement was more than my fragile state could handle.

I blacked out.







_{(Dramatic Break...)}








When I woke up, I was on my backpack like a turtle on his shell. My arms were extended in front of me; one arm was being held by the African man, the other by the Chinese Clerk. I felt as if I had just woken up from a long sleep and all I could say was "Where am I? Where am I?" As the two struggled to help me to my feet, I could tell from their slipping grips that my entire body was covered in sweat. I was drenched. As I came to my feet, it was not long before I muttered "我需要你的厕所" ("I need your toilet"). I stumbled around the corner and found a large sink where I began to vomit everything I had ate in the last 24 hours. The whole time, I was attempting to tell the clerk I wasn't drunk... although I'm not sure if she believed me.

For anyone who has had the 拉肚子 (pulled-stomach), you know that a good vomit normally does the trick and this was no different. Making my way back to the chair in the lobby, I felt 100 times better. My head was clear and I felt much more cool. Somewhere in the Chaos, I noticed the black man had disappeared- either to his room or away from the crazy "sick" white guy. In the chair, the Clerk handed me the paper towel I only now noticed she had been holding up to my chin. The towel was covered in blood and there was some spots on my shirt as well.

I sat in the chair embarrassed and discouraged as the Clerk told me I could not stay there. Whether she thought I was a crazy drunk or just seriously ill, she felt it was best for me to go to the hospital nearby. Feeling I had already out-stayed my welcome, I didn't argue and returned to the street rather defeated.

Thankfully, my body was feeling much, much better and there was another hotel within half a block. Once I heard from the new Clerk that there was a room available, I stopped listening and nodded "yes please!"; price didn't matter, size didn't matter, it's 2:30 am, JUST GIVE ME A BED! I arrived in my room to find it was a double with two beds and had its own shower! I was thrilled to run some cold water the areas of my body that had been hit the worse from the hives and I managed to get a good look at my chin.

Although the cut only ran about an inch and a half long, it was very deep and any movement of my jaw would open the flesh several centimeters. At that point, I was very thankful that I carried a man purse with some alcohol cleaning wipes and band aids inside. As I played doctor in the mirror, I kid-you-not, I was thinking about how this night would make such a great scar story! After some quick repairs and making sure to change all my clothes (the thought of invisible insects all over my body made me play it safe), I finally fell asleep some time before 3 am.


The Rest of the Weekend

The next morning, my left shoulder was stiff and sore along with my jaw. For fear of reopening the wound on my chin, I had to make sure not to smile to big or make any sudden moments. I think dehydration was a likely cause for the how my body was self destructing. I retold the story for Zack, Carrie and Cari. Cari was very upset that I had made such a foolish and dangerous journey on my own but agreed it made a good scar story.

Since Carrie is over 8 months pregnant, our weekend plans were very relaxed. This was my 3rd trip to Beijing and I will be visiting the city another 2 times this summer (I estimate I will have visited the Forbidden City 5 times before I leave China), so I was thrilled to spend a weekend in Beijing enjoying something other than sightseeing. It was possibly the most Western/American weekend I've had since coming to China- even more than Bangkok!

First, the food: we ate at a tex-mex restaurant, Papa Johns Pizza, T.G.I.Fridays, a burger restaurant (with the tag line "We'll give you your American fuzzies"... whatever that means!) and Coldstone Creamery; AMAZING! We also watched two movies in English: Night at the Museum 2 and Star Trek. Both were very entertaining! And to top-off the weekend, a trip to IKEA. Apparently Alabama does not have an IKEA so Cari had to travel half-way around the world for her first trip to an IKEA (and, of course, she loved it!).

It was a great weekend of awesome food, great friends and some valuable lessons.

Other News

Summer is finally here. Ever day this week, the forecast has read mid-80's to mid-90's, and its climbing! Not to mention, SCHOOL IS ALMOST OVER! Here's the newest countdown:

Last Day of School: 9 Days... only 6.5 days of class, 52 hours- AHHHH!!!
T.Matt Arrives: 16 Days?!? I got to get planning so we both don't end up wander the streets at night... covered in hives!
My Parents Arrive: 34 Days
I return to the US of A: 53 Days

Things are going to get crazy very quick. I'll be sure to post next week and most-likely the week after. But, once my travels with T.Matt begin, I have no idea how often I will be able to write in my blogging! Thanks for keeping up with me this long! My year in China has almost come to an end... but I know I have some good stories still left in me (I just hope not too many scar stories!)

Thanks for reading!

The strange weather continued- I actually saw fog for the first time in almost a year! We’ve had a very tame summer so far and the rain has made the skies very clear. Things have been super busy, but more on that later- I got to finish this catching-up!

The Race is On!!!

A couple months ago, I heard about something our team was hosting called “Maniac Kids Weekend.” Since this was on my first 3-day weekend, I was going to do everything in my power to avoid working with a bunch of “maniac” kids. Well, one way or another, I ended up volunteering. To my surprise, I wasn’t going to be spending the weekend with a bunch of children climbing all over me. Instead, I was going to be helping in an Amazing Race-type competition between some of the older kids!

Not totally sure what I was getting into, I arrived at the Sofitel, the hotel where the weekend events were taking place, at about 8 am on Saturday. The Sofitel is by far the nicest hotel in Xi’an and quite possibly the nicest Hotel I’ve ever been to! At the Sofitel, I was given my official “Race Around Xi’an” shirt and I made my way to the lobby to meet with my teammates Chase (the only senior at our school with a hilarious sense of humor) and Keera (a tough sixth grader who second oldest out of four children).

Left to right: Tori, member of Cari's team, Chase and Keera

Due to Ty’s injury, Jake, one of the people responsible for planning the race, was a leader of a team (and he said he wouldn’t cheat… more on that later). The other team was lead by Cari. All together there were 3 teams with a total of nine people. As a facilitator, Cari, Jake and I were there to keep the students safe and take pictures… and give as much moral support as possible. After a short talk about the rules and some pre-race pictures, the race officially started!

Below is a map of the race we took around Xi’an. There were 10 challenges in all and I’ll explain each as we go.

Click on Image for larger view.

Challenge 1

Because my team had won a Wii tournament from the previous night, we were allowed a 10 minute head start. After finding a cab, we headed to the directions on the clue; the historical downtown area of Xi’an called the Muslim Quarters. Once there, we found the restaurant that was pictured in our clue. Making our way to the back of the restaurant (running the whole time of course), we found the official hosts standing near tables and were instructed how to make dumplings.

While we were making, the other two teams arrived and started making their dumplings as well. After we had made 20 dumpling that could stand up-right, we were giving our second challenge. We raced out the door only moment ahead of another team.

Challenge 2

We were given our second clue which lead us deeper into the Muslim Quarters. As we frantically searched for the house on our clue, we began to see the other teams running all around the street. I saw Jake, who was claiming not to cheat, loudly cleared his throat to his teammates and gave a little head nod as the passed the entrance to an old historical home. After that point, I vowed to do everything I could to help my team in gaining victory!

Following Jake’s team, we made our way into the house and searched for the carving that was in our clue. We found it and removed some charcoal and paper that was in the backpacks our team was giving. We began tracing over the etching by the time the next team arrived. In our excitement, we raced to the officials and showed them our etching- which they said was not good enough. Meanwhile, another team stole our carving!!! We were force to wait as the other team finish. Receiving our clue, we left, felling rather defeated on that challenge.

Challenge 3

We were told by some store owners that the next location was at the end of the street and to the right. After running for about ¾ of a mile and being passed by another team, we decided to grab a Beng-beng Che to get us there. As we arrived at our destination, we saw Jake’s team leaving the temple! Frantically, we found another team inside listing to a monk for a clue. After the clue, we searched for a sculpture. After finding it, both teams received the clue and raced out of the temple, neck-n-neck.

Our team cut through a side street in order to find a taxi and made up huge time! We saw one team in cab next us and the others scrambling around on the sidewalk- we felt good being back in first!

Challenge 4

At a park, both teammates had to enter large inflated balls and sand up-right for 10 seconds. It was not easy work. The final solution came when Chase, attempting to keep his balance began running in place like a hamster. He managed to make it the whole 10 seconds so our team was given the next clue… the other two teams still inside the balls!


Challenge 5 & 6

Next, our clue lead us to the Small Goose Pagoda. Loyal followers of my blog might remember the “Big” Goose Pagoda. This one is very similar, except… smaller. I don’t have many pictures because of the rush we were in and that other people were taking pictures when we arrived to each challenge. The Small Goose Pagoda is not only small, but missing the top. For Challenge 6 we had o talk to someone to find out how the top of the pagoda was destroyed. Chase had recently studied this in his Chinese class, so we were able to answer immediately (I think it was lightening… or an earthquake. I can’t remember).

After we finished Challenge 6, we had a 30 minute, timed lunch break. We were at lunch 5 minutes before the next team arrived.

Challenge 7

Next, we were off to XIS, the school where I work and my teammates have class! Once there, our team had to move 30 bricks using a yoke and some bags. Chase attempted taking 20 his first trip, but the wooden yoke splintered. He ended up taking a few less, but impressive none the less. After 3 trips, the brick had all been moved and the broken yoke was quite defensive since one team had to watch and wait until we were finished.



Challenge 8 & 9

Our next clue took us to Xingqing Park. Being May Day Holiday, the park was flooded with people (人山人海)! We made our way to the paddle boats. We were giving the challenge to paddle out and around an island. Once there, the students would have to take part in an eating challenge. On the first trip, my team missed the eating challenge! They had to paddle back a second time and attempt eating an 1,000 Year Old Egg, the name of a Chinese delicacy. They tried it but could not finish it. Either way, we were given our last challenge and left the park ahead of the other two teams.


Challenge 10

The last Challenge lead us to the Xi’an City Wall. We were instructed to get on some rented bikes and to ride the wall. Riding as fast and safe as we could (the wall is old and the bricks are far from even…), we made the 1-2 mile bike ride in great time. As we hurried to the finish line, we didn’t notice any other teams in sight. After standing on a mat (just like in the Amazing Race) our team was informed that we were FIRST!!! It was another 10-15 minutes before Jake's team arrived followed by Cari’s team only 5 minutes after. It was such a close finish for a morning of racing around the city.

I had my GPS the whole morning tracking our path. With all the cab rides, running, searching and the final bike ride, the race totaled 24.6 miles around the city. It was such an incredible way to spend a Saturday and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it. For coming in first, the students each received an I-pod Nano!

In Other News

I am SOOOO busy!!! This month has been a blur of exciting events and hard work. The fact that I am only now finishing my blog for the first of May should be evidence of that. And on top of all the business, I sprained my ankle! I was playing basketball and rolled my ankle… there was definitely a ‘popping’ sound. Being inexperienced in ankle injuries, I failed to act immediately so there is still a bit of swelling and bruising now (5 days after the injury). None-the-less, I feel much better and I’m planning on making a quick recovery… since I don’t really have an option with my upcoming schedule!

Also, today was Teacher Appreciation Day at school! I was given cards and gifts from my students and for dinner, all the teachers were treated to a buffet at the Sofitel- it was incredible and I stuffed myself!

The Countdown!

With all this excitement, the days are slipping way rather quickly! Here’s the updated countdown!

Last Day of School: 17 Days! (That's only 12.5 days of class- WOW!)
T.Matt Arrives: 25 Days - Less than a Month!
My Parents Arrive: 43 Days
I return to the US of A: 64 Days

In the business of catching up...

Well, almost 2 months late, here it is TJ- your Birthday Greeting from my class!!! It was recorded on your birthday and was supposed to be posted that week but due to some complications (China shutting down YouTube... and my laziness), it's only now ready for your viewing. Better late than never! Happy Birthday TJ!


Thanks for Reading!

A Broken Roommate and a Holiday!

Right now, I'm nearing the end Spirit Week here at school. Today is Fictional Character day and I'm dressed as Mr. Duck... again! In an effort to get all 'caught up,' here's the excitement from two weeks ago:

Ty's Accident

Late one warm spring evening (April 28th to be exact), Ty, Lester (another teacher at my school) and I decided to go on a little bike trip. As we have done before, we decided to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" at every intersection to let fate decide our destination. In an effort to make it to Lotus (a large grocery store) before it closed, we began biking especially aggressive.

We made it to an exceptionally smooth piece of road and flew under an overpass. That's when it happened. Under the overpass, the light that previously lit the roads was completely block and we could only see the road that exited on the other side. Being in the back of the group- I saw it all take place.

As Ty came into the light, his bike was wobbling a great deal. There came a moment where he almost seemed to have it under control. After that, things went into slow motion. His handle bars jolted perpendicular with the road and he went flying forward. True to instincts, his hands shot forward to brace himself for the fall. As he bounce off the road at high speeds, the bike became tangled in his long legs (Ty stands at a tower 6'4") and his body acted as a catapult, hurling the bike forward as he went into a role.

Ty, covered in dirt, laid on the ground and cradled his right arm. Hidden in the dark was a pile of dirt and a huge tree branch that Ty hit. He was worried that he had broke his wrist and his knees were skinned pretty bad. Lester and I got him to his feet and flagged down a cab. I called Cari and she met him at the apartment. Meanwhile, Lester and I walked back the three bikes. Once we got there, the plans had already been made for Ty's trip to the hospital. Jon, a veteran foreigner here in China, accompanied Ty, Cari and I to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at about midnight. Although the facilities were slightly below American standards, we didn't have to wait all night just to see the doctor! After about 20 minutes, Ty was already getting an x-ray! At one point in the evening, Ty was being asked questions by the nurse and a man walked in off the street with a bloody hand and shirt splattered with blood. He stood right in front of Ty and held the hand in front of the nurse, as if waiting for a hand shake. The nurse rolled her eyes and began to bandage the hand. Then, the man left. Moments later, a police car arrived and started asking question. During the interruptions, Ty waited patiently holding his arm.


On our way to the exit, the man who had given Ty his x-ray ran up to me and waved me to follow him. We went pass the x-ray machine and to the room where it was controlled. He began to pull something up on his computer and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. To my surprise, he opened a folder labeled "Knight Rider" and smiled as he first seconds of the show began to play (it was the new "Knight Rider"- no Hasselhof!). He was clearly excited to have the opportunity to share his knowledge of American Culture and it was a humorous and strangely appropriate way to wrap-up our interesting evening in a Chinese Hospital.

Ty Update: The doctors said there was no break but placed his arm in a cast and gave him a bunch of medicine, mostly herbal, telling him to return after several days. After a week of rest and painkillers, a foreign doctor who is learning Chinese at the same school as Ty offered to look at the x-rays. He said that the the bone was most-like compacted and that Ty should try to get his arm out of the cast and begin stretching it. Ty has painfully worked through some stretching and is almost back to 100% in less than 3 weeks! Nothing less than a miracle after the fall he took!

May Day

May Day, my first holiday since February, was greatly anticipated throughout the long months of March and April. Ty and I spent our May Day with a couple of good Chinese friends, Joy and Faith. Our first order of business was food. We went to a restaurant named Golden Hans, it was AMAZING! It was an all-you-can-eat buffet with a German theme and it, maybe most important, SALAD BAR. Fresh vegetables are really hard to find here in restaurants in China. It was really good and felt very American (which is a plus at this point in the game). We enjoyed it so much, we've even gone back since to share it with Cari!

After lunch, I experienced another Chinese "first." The four of us went to Chinese movie, in Chinese! I've been to the theaters in Xi'an, but only to watch movies in English. We watched a brand new movie here in China named 南京！南京！:City of Life and Death. It was an intense dramatization of massacre/rape of the city of Nanjing (南京) during the Japanese occupation of China during 1937. Although I understood little of what was said, the acting and directing did a wonderful job telling the story and showing the seriousness and historical importance of this bloody time in Chinese history.

After May Day, the weekened got even more exciting... but that's for the next blog; AMAZING RACE Xi'an! I'll try and get that up this weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Yan'an: Mao's Stomping Grounds

I have fallen two weeks behind- and this time its not because of a lack of interesting things to write about! So, I'm going to be posting several times this week to get you caught up. I hope its not too overwhelming but there is a lot of cool stuff that has been happening!

Roadtrip!

Ever since my trip to Thailand that ended in the beginning of February, school has been a constant with no breaks. Being here in the big city day after day, week after week, month after month- the gray of the sky and the tall buildings became all too familiar. My world was a viewed through a gray filter. Needless-to-say, when the opportunity came to get out of the city and visit some fellow 外国人 (foreigners) in the city of Yan'an, I gladly excepted!

I was packed Thursday night and left right after school on Friday. Ty, Cari, myself and four other familiar faces loaded onto the bus and headed North. It was a 5 hour ride and from the view I immediately noticed the fresh air and green colors I had been missing. Most of my bus ride was spent reading the novel "Marley and Me."


After several rest stops, we arrived in Yan'an at night. We were trying to get there by 7:00 pm for an English Corner at the University, but did not make it in time. Ty and I were sharing "unique" hotel room for the weekend. It was on the fourth floor of the hotel and the third floor had a karaoke bar... I was very thankful to be a heavy sleeper.

Saturday was an eventful day full of excitement! We started bright and early heading to one of the many mountains in the nearby areas. After a sixty minute bumpy ride, we arrived to the base of a mountain and began climbing. The scenery was breath-taking! The air was so clear I could see for miles! The rolling mountains (actually just large hills)reminded me of leaving the Cascade Mountains and driving to East Washington. We spent the morning and into the afternoon breathing fresh air and taking in the beautiful scenery.



After our climb, we visited the nearby 'tomb' of Mulan- the legendary heroine of Ancient China who joined an all-male army; a sort of Joan of Arc of Asia. This popular story was made into a Disney cartoon. You can be the judge on Disney's job recreating Mulan:

After hiking the mountain, we spent the evening at English Corner. Much like the English corner I am a part of here in Xi'an, we spent time talking with students from the university in Yan'an about everything and anything- helping them practice their English. One major difference was the Yan'an English Corner had their own cafe with chairs and tables- it was nice to be able to sit!

The students loved the opportunity to practice their English with so many native English speakers. There were nine foreigners there and each one had at least 10 students talking with them. We finished the evening singing some of the same songs that are a hit at the Xi'an English Corner; Hey Jude, My Heart Will Go On and Can You Feel the Love Tonight? just to name a few!

It was an incredible weekend in a unique city of China. You can feel the slow pace of Yan'an's history as a farming city yet development in Yan'an, like anywhere in China, is growing and a break-neck pace. The landscape is so earthy and you can sense the history of this place as you see the cave homes lining the slopes. As we visited the sites of the city, I reflect upon the significance this area played during second half of the twentieth century as Chinese Communism started to grow from the very ground I walked on, it was enough to give me goosebumps!


Other News

Since I'm two weeks behind, I'll be updating again soon with some of these stories:

• My First Trip to a Chinese Hospital (AKA Ty's Accident)
• May Day Holiday
• Amazing Race: Xi'an

And now, the COUNTDOWN!

Ty and My Move: 15 Days? (I recently heard this date might be pushed back)
Last Day of Class: 35- Wow!
Trevor's Arrival: 42 Days
Mom and Dad's Arrival: 60 Days
Departure for the United States: 79 Days!

Last but not least: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOMMY! I LOVE YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH! You are the best Mommy ever! TJ and Dad- take very good care of mom on her special day. You'll have to be giving 150% in my absence!

Love this picture- although I have no idea what was going on!

Mommy giving me some much needed support during the last bit of the marathon!

Aunty Gayle and Aunty Karen, another pair of great mothers, have a great Mothers day!

Also, a very Happy Mothers Day to you, Grandma/Great Grandma Jo and Grandma SaLeal! You two did soooooooooo good raising my parents!

Three mothers (two are grandmothers, one a great grandmother), two sons
And all the newest mothers of the family; Leah, Dana and soon-to-be, AMANDA! (sorry cousins, no picture on my computer!)

Thanks for Reading!

Found this wild horse on the mountains of Yan'an... oh yeah, I tamed it!