Well folks, here we are; my last blog from China. How is it my last one already? I’ll be on my way to the airport this time tomorrow. Strange.

I better start this blog out with a story and this one is quite the thriller. This story will inform you of my sheer stupidity but let me say before I begin that I regret nothing. Intrigued?

Last night I had my posse over for dinner and what started out as a simple night turned into an epic night of food making; my house was filled with smoke. It was a lot of fun but the night ended around 8 when they had to leave for something else. About 30 minutes before they left the power went out (for the third time this week may I point out) so I walked them to the end of the alley to see what was happening. After chatting briefly with a neighbor who was shocked to know I can speak some Chinese, we found our friendly alley cat Chicken Nugget. Recently I have been a bit obsessed with her. I think this is partly due to my leaving and also because her kittens have made themselves known. We saw two of them eating some vegetables but couldn’t find the third. But, we heard her. After a while we finally spotted the kitten. She was on a ledge on the third floor! How she got up there I still haven’t figured out but she was up there none the less. After trying to talk to someone who lived there, a student came by and I asked him to follow me up the 3rd floor to talk to the people there. When we got to the door it was open with a ladder sticking out- no one was home. So…I let myself in. The bedroom door was locked but the rest was wide open. The only way to get to the porch was crawling through a tiny window which was located above the hole in the ground toilet. Lovely. Let me also point out that I am wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals. So, we squeeze through the hole and I look out the window to find the cat about 3 ½ feet below me on the ledge, which it only about 1 ½ wide. I immediately jump out onto the ledge, snatch the cat and hand her to the student. Then I realize- how am I going to get back?! I somehow pull myself up using the shaky metal bar in the window only to learn the cat has bitten my student and is hiding behind the oven. It takes us a good 5-10 minutes to move the oven thing and while the student bangs a stick on one side, I squeeze myself through the other and grab her. We cover her with a shirt and manage to get back down to the ground.

Ok, now a few things are going through my head as I type this. 1- I jumped out of a 3rd story window to a tiny ledge 3 ½ feet below me to rescue a kitten- I’m sorry, who does that? 2- The cat scratched me the entire time and couldn’t have been less gracious. 3- Adrenaline rocks and totally saved my butt. 4- I technically broke into someone’s home, moved their belongings, and let myself out during a blackout. All I have to show for last night’s adventures are bruises and cuts all over my hands and legs from the cat/my climbing through windows. Despite the stupidity of the whole thing, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing that a kitten was crying on a tiny ledge, three stories above her mother. Call me sentimental but someone had to do something. That kitten was looking down and getting a little desperate. I may have stolen someone’s pet but that kitten wasn’t theirs to take (if that is what happened).

Now, onto more important matters; I refuse to clean my house anymore. Ok, refuse is a little harsh since I have to do it, but still- I’m getting really lazy. I could quit now, but that would be a ridiculous thing to do. It is my goal to make my apartment look as new and clean as possible for its new tenants. But, due to the fact that this apartment was lived in by previous IECS members (2 years before me, and now 2 with me) some stains and messes are just impossible to get rid of. This looks like a job for…..Clorox Wipes! I have a whole tub of them and I will not rest until every last wipe is used- or as many as it takes to clean the house, whichever comes first.

Well, as much as I love stalling I better get back to work. Tomorrow we leave at 1:30 and I will be outside the library saying my goodbyes from about 12-1. It’s been a great two years. Thanks for living vicariously through me  Maybe you’ll hear from me in America….maybe.

Ok, second to last blog-here we go.

This past week has been one of the fastest since I’ve been here. Last Thursday I woke up, cleaned my house, and packed for yet another adventure. But before that, at around 1:30, we said goodbye to Andy and Heather. Since we bought our tickets at different times, and they used a travel agent, Andy and Heather were able to change their flight date to a bit earlier than ours. The night before was our last team night and we spent it eating a bucket of chicken from a local fast food place- no, not KFC. It was interesting… After that we played cards and then off to bed. When we said goodbye on Thursday it was a little surreal. I guess because Sham and I were off toBaodinga half hour later it didn’t feel like we were saying goodbye forever. But, now that it has been almost a whole week, I’m just starting to realize they aren’t coming home- at least not while I’m here. So after a crazy adventure involving delays and storms in the states, Andy and Heather are home.

So, back to our travel adventure- we went toBaodingto visit the teachers there. They, and the two of us, are the last ones to leaveChina. I’ll keep the summary of our adventures brief. The best part of the trip was being able to relax with our friends. We sat around, played cards, board games, watched DVDs, and laughed the whole time. It was really nice to spend time together without rushing around, traveling on trains, or having an agenda. Some of the more eventful things we did include going bowling, seeing Kung Fu Panda 2, and making dessert from a box, fromAmerica, while watching Fiddler on the Roof (this was a girls only event- not due to exclusion by us). Bowling was a lot of fun but I was pretty disappointed with my score. I am usually a pretty decent bowler, but after naming myself Dorkus, I think I set myself up for a pretty dorky game of bowling. We tried our best on the first game and then for the second game we decided to have a little fun. Bowling styles included, bowling lefty, through the legs, running (which ended in two of us wiping out in the lane itself), hopping on one foot, and with our eyes closed. I still managed to lose big time, but at least I was laughing while losing. Let’s talk Kung Fu Panda for a moment, shall we? And by a moment I mean 3 short sentences. We snuck in KFC and feasted on that and some strange popcorn during this delightful movie. I have to say, the best part of the movie was the fact that it was taking place inChinaand we were watching it inChina(it was in English by the way). I also loved that the Chinese people all around me were laughing a lot- they seemed to really enjoy it.

So, all in all, it was a great trip toBaodingand I will miss all of my friends there.

Next topic- yesterday’s scary events. I went to the gym with Anita because my membership is up next Monday, so I figured I would try and use while I still could. All I have to say is that going to the gym at 2 in the afternoon, when it was about 95 degrees outside, was a huge mistake. They don’t have air conditioning in the place and the fans weren’t turned on- only a few windows were open. So, we took it pretty easy and rode a bike for about 6 miles and then lifted some weights. I felt fine but as we were on our last machine I suddenly felt really sick to my stomach and said we needed to leave right away. As we were waiting for the elevator I started to feel really dizzy, so I crouched down and things started to go slightly black. When I stood up I felt like I couldn’t focus on anything and Anita said my lips were completely white. So, I got on the elevator and headed outside. I was drinking water this whole time, by the way. When we parted ways I still felt really shaky and had trouble catching my breath, so I called Shamblee to rescue me and she met me a store near our house to buy me some juice. In the end I was fine but it was not a fun afternoon. Needless to say, when we go back to the gym tomorrow I will be taking it easy and drinking much more water than I did before. P.S. Mom, no need to comment, I am alive and well, so quit worrying J.

As I leave you all this week I would like to tell you that I have dubbed myself an accomplished mosquito killer and am thinking about going professional one day; just in case this whole grad school thing doesn’t work out.

That’s all for now. Next week is will be my last blog from China. Thanks to all my faithful readers.

As usual I must begin this blog with a random tangent. So, last night I had a really weird dream that included bugs. I have no idea what kind of bugs they were but I kept calling them cicadas, and all I know is that they weren’t. They apparently would grab onto you and bite and it was really hard to get them off. Anyway, the dream was pretty gross and weird but it came to an end when something outside woke me up. I then thought I heard someone knock on my door, so I walked to it and peeped out the peep hole and wouldn’t you know it, a mosquito was sitting on the peep hole. I was slightly freaked but mostly amused and laughed myself back to sleep.

Ok, now for the main section of my blog. But before we get there I would just like to take this time to acknowledge the fact that I missed last week’s blog. I didn’t forget, I was really busy- here is why. My father and sister came to visit last Sunday. It turned out to be the perfect day to fly in because I was already inBeijingfor the weekend for our final IECS dinner/gathering of the year. So I went and picked them up and the hotel drove us to the uh, hotel, and we lounged a bit, then went for a walk, then off to Texas Pete’s to eat with all of the teachers for the last time. The food was great, the company was better, and overall it was a great night. The three of us left and decided to walk back to the hotel which was only about a mile away. I was surprised they wanted to, with jet lag and all, but we went for it. Well, it turned into an hour walk because we got a little lost. But, after asking a friendly hotel worker on some random street we made it back to our hotel.

We spent the next two days inBeijingbefore returning to my school. So now I will try to go day by day and tell you what we did.

Monday: Summer Palace- which was an adventure in itself because we got off at the wrong subway stop and had to walk a mile or so to it, then we were at the wrong end so it took another hour just to get to the Palace. After that we went walking around the Houhai area, had some lunch, and walked. Then we went to a park overlooking theForbidden City, then walked home and had dinner. That night we went to a Kung Fu show. I think we calculated that we walked about 10 miles that day, which isn’t so bad, only I was wearing flip-flops. Bad move Carly.

Tuesday:TempleofHeavenand thePearlMarket. Shopping was done by all. Then the car picked us up around 4 and we went to Langfang. That night we had dinner with the posse and went to the grocery store to pick up some fun things to eat.

Wednesday: I had exams in the morning from 8-10 and then we went for a walk around campus. At 12 we met up with my friend Anita for lunch and then we went to the People’s Park, then back for Team night.

Thursday: Lunch with Angie, the orphanage, dinner, and then at 7:30 we went to building 5 so my students could meet my family and ask questions. We spent about an hour there answering questions- some easy, some a little weird.

Friday: Exams 8-10, then lunch at the BBQ place, then packing, and finally back toBeijing.

Saturday:Tiananmen Square, lunch, the zoo to see Pandas!, Shopping, dinner, bookstore, home.

Sunday:PearlMarket, Bell Tower/Drum Tower, dinner, and a acrobat show

Monday: Great Wall, Ming Tombs, shopping, and home for a huge dinner at a Yunan style restaurant.

Tuesday: Pack- go home.

I realize the details faded as I got into the week, but there is a lot to remember and frankly, I am too tired to try. All in all it was a great trip. My sister and I got along really well- minimal fighting- see mom, we’re capable of getting along.

Favorite quote of the trip, referring to a lady holding a corn cob and using it to push me out of her way on the subway- “I just got cobbed! I hope there isn’t corn on my pants.”

That is all for now.

Before we get started let me just admit my latest obsession; a new, well a month or 2 old, HBO series called Mildred Pierce. It’s only five episodes long and after downloading them yesterday, I just finished episode 4… But, to give myself a little credit, I do manage to do one or two other things while watching, so I am not neglecting my entirely too busy schedule to watch TV. I may just be staying up a little later than normal…whatever.

Now, onto the FAQS:

A few people have been asking questions about my future so I figure I’ll answer as many questions as I can think of right now.

1. What are you plans for next year?

Well, most of you know that I will not be returning toChinanext year. It was an easy decision to make, but has been hard to accept. I decided to go to graduate school and was accepted toMonmouthUniversityin NJ. I chose the school basically because it was close to home and it had the major I wanted- criminal justice.

2. Why did you choose that major? What do you plan to do with it?

Ah, two questions. Ok well, I chose that major after realizing how incredibly interested I was in that field. I majored in sociology in college and I think it goes very well with criminal justice. I actually have very serious plans for after I graduate but prefer to keep those to myself. I have set very high goals and would like to concentrate on it one step at a time. The first step is to go to grad school. I think my ultimate goal will be quite difficult to obtain but not out of the realm of possibility. I’m being vague; I know that, but well, sorry.

3. Will you miss China?

Wow, I love when people ask me this question because it seems so obvious to me- of course I will miss it. I have four weeks left and the knot in my stomach is growing larger by the day. I can’t put into words the sadness I will feel as I pack up this apartment and leave this country that has treated me so well for the past two years. I’m going to miss most of it; obviously the little annoyances will not be given a second thought. But, my students, my home, my friends, the neighbors, the food, the adventure; those things are going to be hard to let go of. I’m constantly reminded by my students that I am leaving them. I know they are being honest but sometimes it is too much to bear and I just cannot take another student saying they will miss me; it’s heartbreaking.

4. What will I miss the most?

My students. There is nothing more to say than that. They are just too special to not have a permanent place in my heart.

5. When will you get home?

I will be arriving in Newark airport, after a layover in DC, around 11:30-midnight on June 23^rd. Sorry parentals, it’s going to be a long night.

6. What are your plans for the summer?

Honestly, I’ve given it very little thought. I definitely have friends and family whom I am desperate to visit but I really have nothing ironed out. I’m trying so hard to live in the moment and thinking about the summer is only making it harder to live here. My stomach has been rejecting most of what I eat, the bugs are out, and my house just won’t stay dust free. These things are enough for me to want to get on the next plane but I obviously can’t and do not wish to. If I add dreaming about summer to that list, I’ll never survive. I want to live minute by minute and soak up everything I can.

7. Will you return to China one day?

I hope so. I really do.

Well, I hope I have given you some insight. Feel free to ask more questions and I’ll answer them as best I can.

So, did my catchy title uh, catch (heh heh) your attention?! It didn’t? Oh, it did. Sorry, I have trouble reading lips from across the world. Weird tangents aside, let’s discuss my title shall we?

It all began on Sunday afternoon. This was no ordinary Sunday afternoon because I knew that soon the afternoon would end and then it would be nighttime. Haha, I’m sorry but that has to be the worst story introduction ever written. Why didn’t I just start with Sunday night? Who knows, but I think the afternoon sounds more dramatic… Right, the story- ok so, Sunday night was an eventful evening for me. My good friend/gym buddy Anita and I decided that we would finally try the spinning class at the gym. And for all you people out there who just pictured me twirling in a field like Julie Andrews; first of all, thanks for giving me such an honorable role, but second and most importantly, spinning class involved stationary bikes. But not just any stationary bikes, they look like the ones that real professional bikers use. Bikers like tour de France bikers, not those big guys with handle bar mustaches…I for one didn’t know this- the bike part, not the part about the mustaches. Are you still with me?

So the first challenge was getting onto the bike and strapping my feet in. Wait, let’s rewind 20 minutes. We arrived at the gym at 7:00pm for the 7:20 class and the only two bikes left were in the front row and there are mirrors on the front wall- so basically if you are in the front row, everyone can see you. Hooray….let’s add to my self consciousness. So, we climbed on and just started pedaling and I was feeling pretty confident. The people around me looked fairly normal and I figured I could keep up no problem. The lady instructor walks in with a cute little outfit and I still was feeling fairly calm, but then- the lights go off, and on come the lasers and strobe lights. Ok, seriously? Strobe lights? They were reflecting off the mirror and shining into my eyes- problem number one. Problem number two- the techno music blasts on and this chick starts yelling and we are all standing up and pedaling like we are evading the police! Did you guys know that spinning class involved riding the bike while standing the ENTIRE time?! We stood up for over 30 minutes and pedaled. But, was pedaling enough, no no no, we also had to rest our heads on the hand bars, sway to the music, and do push-ups while riding. I can honestly say that my thighs have never hurt more in my life. I am convinced I was in the advanced class. I’m also quite confident that I was the worst person in the room. I didn’t stop but I had trouble pedaling to the beat while doing push-ups. Who invented that move? It’s highly dangerous. At one point my sweaty hand slipped off the bar and I caught myself a nanosecond before smashing my face onto the bike. Smooth move front row biker…

When I got off the bike it took a good 10 minutes to get my sea legs back. I was wobbling pretty bad on my walk home. Now it is 3 days later and I feel fine. In fact, we are going to spin class on Sunday again! But, this time, we will arrive at 6:30 and get two bikes in the back. I can’t handle the pressure of the front row.

Other than that excitement- life is fairly normal but still busy. With classes coming to an end this week it’s a race to the finish.

More to come about that topic next week.

Hello blog fans. This will be a pretty short blog due to blog writing fatigue and busy-ness. Also, due to my OCD or whatever I refuse to post a blog not on a Wednesday.

I can’t believe it’s May 11^th- six more weeks and I’ll be home- weird. With that said, not that this really matters to anyone besides my mom, but if anyone were to send me a letter or something, you can really only do it in the next few weeks. After that it would probably be too late.

This past weekend we went to Beijing for the 10k race. I got burnt. The runners did well and the cheerleaders, well, we did alright too. The craziest part of the weekend was how many subways/buses we went on. I think I’ve been on just about every line the Beijing subway system has to offer. Here is a picture of our huge group after the 10k. Oh, for all of you runners out there- feast your eyes on this: the 100K first place runner came in at about 8 ½ hours….I’m too tired to do the math, but that is seriously fast!

Lately I’ve been working on a new project. I’m helping Andy and Heather make a video about China. It is pretty fun but requires a lot of planning. In fact, I’m off now to rig up my bike to hold a video camera so I can ride it through campus. Any ideas on how to do that? So far I have duct tape in mind and my brain stops there.

Sorry for the short entry.

Last week I began my blog post with a confession, so it only seems fair to keep the tradition alive. Here it comes: I’m growing a little weary of this blog. It’s not that I don’t enjoy sharing my life with you all, but sometime it feels a bit like a chore. I think it is because I put so much pressure on myself to share lots of details and to be as witty as possible. Luckily for me, this past week may have been the most boring week of my life- and I loved every minute of it. So, I don’t have a lot to share today, but what I do share will be pure gold- well, maybe silver- ok, it’s a bit like unpolished steel…

Today is Wednesday of week 11, meaning my 10 week classes are indeed over. I was glad to get my finals over with but ending that class was sad. One of my 10 week classes is pretty special to me. I had them four semesters in a row, so basically, I am the only foreign teacher they will have in this college and maybe ever (they don’t take oral English in their 3^rd or 4^th year and it seems they have cancelled the movie class). My much talked about posse is from that class, so that is one reason why I will miss them a lot. I really enjoyed teaching them because they were so…well….teachable. They never objected, never slacked off, and always participated (even when I had them for a normal 16 week semester). If anyone ever hears me brag about my students, chances are I am talking about this class. That’s not to say that my other classes aren’t special too, because they are, but this class and I have come a long way together. I feel really close to them and I am sad that we don’t have class together anymore. They were my last class on Friday mornings and I always left in a good mood. I always tell my teammates that if I am having a bad day, all I have to do is see one student from that class and a smile is instantly plastered on my face. Sigh…… The good thing is I will still see them in the hallways, on the streets, and at English club. Here is a picture of me with my class. It’s not the best quality but it will do.

Now let me tell you about my weekend. It was awesome. I did nothing. No seriously, I did absolutely nothing. I spent all day watching movies, laying on my couch and eating cookies. Obviously this wasn’t the healthiest of choices but hey, you only live once, right? This routine went on from Saturday until Monday- good times. I got off the couch occasionally to go shopping, grade some papers, and clean my house, but I’ll go ahead and say that 90% of my weekend was spent on the couch. This was the first weekend in a while that I’ve been home and it was great.

Oh, I did one other thing this past week…..wait for it……here it comes…..drum roll please………I joined the gym! Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am a gym member. I signed up for 2 months. I’ve been 4 times now- which I have to say is pretty outstanding considering how much I love my couch. I go with my student friend Anita, which is nice because then I have someone to talk to. The gym is fun and a little weird at the same time. The other day some guy was sitting on the couch smoking in there. Uh…isn’t that the opposite of what is suppose to happen in a gym? I’m pretty sure people go there to be healthy, not die of lung cancer. Anyhoo- I’ve had some fun adventures. Here is my top 4 favorite/strangest moments: 4- realizing that people actually shower in communal showers/are naked in locker rooms. Big shock to me. Personally, I enjoy getting dressed at home. 3- Meeting a gym teacher from my school who likes to watch me lift weights and ask me if he is using the machines properly (he is hugely muscular by the way- why is he asking my advice?!) 2- A teenager giving me weight lifting advice despite my constant response that I know what I’m doing, and then in the end his confession of “oh, you are a lot stronger than me” and my reply of “I know”. And finally, my favorite part of the gym: 1- The scale in the main room that announces your weight to the entire room. Who needs secrecy in the gym?

There you have it folks, my week in a nutshell. Now I’m off to recline on my couch because my allergies are kicking my butt. Fun story, I ran out of tissues so I decided to stop at the store on the way home from the gym. I saw the kind I normally buy but then noticed a bigger pack next to it that was 1 yuan cheaper. So I went for it and have since discovered why it is 1 yuan cheaper for such a large pack- the tissues smell horrible. I mean seriously horrible. Every time I blow my nose, which is about every 30 seconds, I get nauseous from the smell. Lesson learned.

Ok friends (I’m assuming), let’s do this thing. Confession number one- I wrote that first sentence 1 ½ hours ago. I’ve been filling the time by eating candy and watching youtube videos. It’s not my fault though. You find a video on youtube and then on the right side of the page they suggest related videos, and then you click one purely in the name of science, and then the new page suggests videos, and before you know it, you’ve spent and hour and a half on youtube watching videos of some kid talking about candles. Wow- honesty feels good.

Now, onto my blog. I will review two important events for you: 1- English club last Friday, 2- Easter.

1)      English Club: We had our club last Friday at the Western Campus and I have to admit that to me, it felt like one of our most successful clubs. I base this opinion on the fact that students were participating, laughing, singing, and for the most part seemed to really understand what we were saying. Our club was Country themed, but I left my cowboy items inAmerica, so we basically put bandanas around our necks and drew on freckles… Anyway, we sang Country Roads by the one and only John Denver and it went really well. They had a little trouble with the verses but during the chorus they sang their hearts out. It was great to hear. We also sang Amazing Grace and they sang it really well. Heather gave a great talk about Forgiveness. It was easy to understand, hit them on their level, and had great stories to help them follow along. We did a melodrama about the Prodigal Son, or in our case the prodigal daughter- me. I didn’t realize how intense my part was going to be- but they had me eating food, dancing and cheering like a cheerleader, and more. The students helped me with my lines which I thought was so great- it really showed their comprehension and listening skills. Overall club was a great success.

2)      Easter: Since club was on Friday, we weren’t able to join the Easter festivities until Saturday- but all was well despite that. We boarded the 9:50ish train toTianjinand got to the campus a little before lunch. For lunch all 15 of us ate at a local restaurant and then headed into town. That afternoon we broke off in little groups and exploredTianjin’s culture street. I’ve been there before but this time I saw way more than I ever have. I think I saw 20-30 things I wanted to buy but only brought enough money for what was scheduled, so I had to hold myself back. Next time culture street, next time… Anyway, we regrouped and headed to the giant ferris wheel located downtown on a bridge. We got on it after the sun had set but we enjoyed the beautiful lights all around the city and even got to see some fireworks on the way down. By this time my allergies were kicking my butt big time and after going through everyone’s packets of tissues, I decided to take some medicine before I got miserable. Amelia happened to have some benadryl with her so I figured it couldn’t hurt. Nothing too major occurred but after a while I found it difficult to hold my head up or speak without slurring my words a little. I slept well that night. The next morning was Easter! We woke up early to get to church because there were baptisms that day. After those, we had breakfast in a park area and then to the actual service. That ended around lunch time and we went to a mall area for Papa Johns and Coldstone- I can’t even begin to explain how good everything tasted- so I won’t.

All in all it was a great weekend/week and I can’t believe April is almost over. I just finished two 10 week classes. Now I’m down to 4 hours of class a week….8-10 Wednesday morning and 8-10 Friday morning- life is hard, right?

I hope everyone had an amazing Easter!!

P.S. I’ve been trying to upload pictures for you but haven’t had any luck. I’ll keep trying.

So, I’m sitting here trying to come up with a way to begin this blog and I’m a little stuck. I want to say something to the effect that you guys are aware that I didn’t post a blog last week. But, exactly how many of you noticed is what is throwing me off. Do I write that some of you noticed? A few? Many? I think saying the word ‘all’ would be a gross overstatement. So as I’m thinking through this important opening statement a movie quote pops in my head; “let’s go girls; dozens of people are waiting for the game to start.”- A League of Their Own. I’ll leave you with that.

Now, on to the reason why I didn’t post last week- I had visitors. On Friday, April 9^th, my mom and grandma flew intoBeijing to spend 11 days with me. I don’t know if you realize this, but 11 days is a lot to recap in just one blog post, so I’ll do my best to pay tribute to their visit.

Friday, April 9^th- a warm and pleasant day. Two people head out to the train station to board a 10:45 train toBeijing. One, confident, the other- constantly checking her watch. The train leaves 30 minutes late and the two go from the train to board the subway to get to the airport. Upon reaching the airport the watch checker (me), has to use the bathroom as a result of drinking too much water on the train. So, she sprints around people to get to the bathroom before there is an accident…Uh…anyway….they find out that the plane arrived super early and they immediately go to receive the visitors- only to receive a text saying they are still on the plane. So the two head to burger king to enjoy some “quality” meat and potato products. Ok, this writing in the third person or whatever I’m doing is annoying me. Back to normal now. After Sham and I had our fill of burger king we went back to arrivals and eventually spotted my mom and grandma. We hugged and my mom wept, but once that was over we got back onto the subway and headed to our hotel. The hotel was um…quaint? It was uh…rustic? It was fine. We relaxed and had some dinner at a tea house. The next day the four of us went to Starbucks and then to theTemple ofHeaven where we people watched for an hour or 2. Next came the Pearl Market for some shopping…I bought a few things that I “needed”. That night we went to a Kung Fu show and then back to our little hotel. On Sunday we shopped some more and drank tea. Our car arrived at 4pm and we leftBeijing for my apartment in Langfang.

We spent Monday-Friday in my city and our days were pretty full with things to do. Let’s see how much I can remember…

Monday: I had class from 8-12. This is my 4 week long, non-English major class, so I decided my family didn’t need to come to that one, since I probably won’t see those kids around much. After class we ate some street food for lunch and took a trip the supermarket. There my mom and grandma picked some snacks to try and they bought me things I needed- like shampoo and paper towels. That night we ate with the rest of my team- taco night!

Tuesday: We woke up a little later than Monday and had breakfast. Then we went to People’s Park and I showed my parents TESCO; again they bought fun things to try and bought me things I needed, like peanut butter and pasta sauce- a must have for someone like me. We came back home and played cards for an hour or so. Then, after Andy and Heather’s class, we all went to the ever so popular BBQ restaurant. It was early to bed because we had class in the morning.

Wednesday: Class day 1. Class went really well. I did some normal class things, like a quote or music, and dialogues so my family could hear my students speak and share their minds. Then I put my mom and grandma up front to answer questions, share pictures and hand out their gifts (chocolate, pins, pencils, and silly bands). They were a huge hit with my students. In fact, today in class my students were back to being their tired selves. They perked up for my family and then got sleepy when it was just me. Oh college students. After class we had lunch with my student friend Anita and that night we went out to dinner with my posse. The whole day was a lot of fun but exhausting.

Thursday: On Thursday we slept in a little bit and took it easy until lunch. For lunch Angie came over and we cooked for my mom and grandma and Shamblee. It was a huge success. Then we went to the orphanage to play with some kids. My mom only cried once- way to go weepy momma- that’s an all time low- I’m proud. I told her she had to hold it back because these kids don’t know much beyond their life, so there’s no sense showing them that their situation is sad. While there we had a fun time holding babies and playing games with the toddlers. Dinner that night was at the ever famous Bruno’s.

Friday: Class 8-12, then a car back to Beijing at 4pm. We got to our hotel around 5 and it was awesome. Really nice rooms and the best shower ever. Really any shower with ready made hot water is a good shower to me. Plus the TV had American stations- heaven. That night we went to Texas Pete’s for some tex/mex.

Saturday: Tiananmen, more Pearl Market action, Chinese for lunch, and Subway for dinner-mmm. Like Friday night, we watched movies, played cards, and did crossword puzzles before dinner. That afternoon my mom and I went on a 2 hour walk. I didn’t really know where I was but I wouldn’t say we got lost. We were just a little directionally challenged?

Sunday: The Great Wall, lunch in the hotel, movies, and dinner in the hotel. We were kind of lazy that day. Meh.

Monday: Packing, airport and 12, then I headed home alone.

Wow. That was quite the recap. Hope you didn’t fall asleep like I am about to. I need to recover from their visit.

No food section this week as this is already quite long.

Cya next week!

As someone so graciously pointed out, my last blog post was mainly about food, so I’ll try not to do that this time; which is honestly a challenge for me. It’s not that all I do is eat, but in my mind, what’s more interesting (ok, and what is easiest) to talk about than food? Nothing. With that said, my first story is about food.

Last Thursday Angie came over for our weekly lunch date. You remember, or maybe not, that I had cooked her an American lunch the week before that, so this time it was her turn to cook me a Chinese meal. By the way, there was only one submission for the ‘rename meatloaf’ challenge. Therefore, the winner is….Heather and her “unsloppy Josephine”. Congratulations. Your prize is that you get to be my teammate for another 2 ½ months. Yay!!! Ok, back to Angie. So we met at 2pm to go shopping for our meal and then she came over after her class and we began cooking. We made green beans and pork, and potatoes. Everything tasted great but we had a little trouble with the potatoes. The idea was to cut up some hot peppers and some jalapenos to make the potatoes a little spicy. So, the wok was heated up with oil and then she dropped in the peppers. Immediately smoke flew out of the pan and filled the kitchen. Normally this would be fine and I would just open a window, but this was pepper smoke. This instantly singed my nose hairs and filled my lungs with pepper- ouch. I opened the windows and the front door but nothing helped. We spent the next 10 minutes cooking food and choking/coughing. Overall it tasted great, but needless to say I will never use those little red peppers again.

Just for the sake of honesty- I am currently using this blog as a way to avoid doing things such as laundry, plan lessons, clean my house, etc. Obviously this blog will have to end at some point, but, not if I type really really really slow…

So, Tuesday was a holiday here- tomb sweeping day- and that meant that we got Monday off as well. But, Monday’s classes were moved to Saturday…weird. Anyway, we taught a new class on Monday, which was to non-English majors. We said we would help out for a few weeks. Day one- things went fine.

On Sunday all of the girls of IECS came to Langfang for a girl’s weekend. We sent Andy to Baoding so they could have their guy’s weekend. Technically it wasn’t a weekend because it lasted from Sunday night to Tuesday afternoon, but who cares. Our ‘weekend’ was super busy and packed with things to do from the time we woke up until we went to sleep. The adventures included games, sharing stories, singing, dancing, eating, exercising, and visiting the orphanage. I had a great time but am physically in a lot of pain. Theresa led us in morning exercises on Monday and I am still feeling it. I think I’m going to need hip replacement surgery after this- that or something less dramatic, I haven’t decided yet. It was nice to wake up and get moving but it was painfully obvious how long it has been since I’ve done lunges…

I have a lot to do today so I’ll end it here and leave you with the latest food picture. It is a green vegetable dish- I’m not sure what the name of the vegetable is in English because I don’t remember seeing it in America, but when it’s whole it looks like elongated lettuce. So you take that, chop it up, and I guess fry it up with some garlic and oil and voila. It is quite tasty.