It seems as though Xanga is finished here in the Middle Kingdom. After 5 years of being with Xanga, I have made a switch. My new blog is http://bethquarles.blogspot.com

I am able to update the new blog regularly which is nice for both me the writer and you the reader. Thanks for checking in...

 

Zaijian Xanga!

 

-Beth

 

Blog is still not working so that is why I am not posting as much. I really owe somebody some Starbucks when I get home for being my blogging secretary. :)

 

We had a lot of fun in class today. I took my 3+1 students outside and taught them how to play baseball. Tried to teach might be a better way of putting it. We played with a plastic bat, tennis ball and gloves that past teachers had left. The students seemed to have a good time. All of them tried batting and let me tell you I felt so much better about myself. They actually wanted to learn the rules and vocabulary! It was the perfect day to play outside. After baseball we went back in and played hot seat. My students have worked so hard this term and have been so much better than last so I hope it was a good reward for them.

 

Today was also Dawson's 23 birthday. We all enjoyed eating at Up Down and then tonight we seranaded him. We lit candles that said 23 and a smiley face outside of his apartment and then called him out to his balcony to sing happy birthday. Would never have thought of it except for the fact that he went nuts this past weekend with candles in the water and a camera. I really hope he had a good day because he has been such a good friend. I wish you all could see how blessed I am here...

 

On Friday afternoon we all loaded up on a train and sat on hard seats for about 7 hours. We played Scrabble, talked and did whatever we could to keep ourselves entertained. By the time we actually arrived it was already dark, but we could tell that we were going to love it! We took a short stroll through the town and crashed at a decent time.

 

Saturday we started the day at about 730am. We had a Chinese tour guide so I did not understand most of what I was told or even what I saw for that matter. It was still good. We went to the homes of some famous writers and artists. I was really fascinated by Haung Yong Yu, a local artist. I really enjoyed spending time at his museum. We also went to a temple, took a boat ride and did a lot of walking. I was unusually brave in my food selection. While I am not particularly good at writing about this trip, I think the pictures will sum it up. Hope you enjoy!

 

Saturday night we stayed up all night thinking we would have sleeper tickets to come back to Yichang on Sunday. I cannot remember the last time I stayed up ALL night. (It was probably writing a paper for Dr. Briley's OT class with Donald Payne!) We got on the train only to discover that we did not have the tickets we thought.Instead we ended up standing for a few hours. Needless to say that we arrived back in Yichang quite tired. I have not really caught up on sleep yet, but I will say that I am doing quite well regardless. It was a wonderful trip overall which just a glitch or two that I have now come to expect from traveling in China.

I am working on trying to get my Xanga up and running again. For the moment though I am still relying on friends to post for me so I am not writing as much these days. Hopefully soon though...

 

We had a wonderful Easter here in Yichang! On Sunday morning I made breakfast for my team members and tried to start the day special for them. We had Family time in the morning which was super nice. Then we all got lunch and headed to the park by the river for a picnic.




The weather could not have been nicer! We played frisbee for awhile, and then us girls went and got kites to fly. I LOVE flying kites!!!!!!



my new kite is pretty cool. It has the Chinese character for "fu" which means blessings. I truly felt blessed that day.

 

 

Other than that this week has been pretty uneventful. I was supervised on Monday when I gave my Easter lesson. It was a little intimidating because I was teaching about the meaning of Easter. I think it went well though. Tuesday night I made chicken and dumplings for dinner. It turned out to be quite the mathematical equation because I had to substitute everything! Last night Katie, Kim and I sat outside and visited with our fruit people - Grandpa Leo and Wang Didi. The weather is just so nice these days. Today is my day off and this afternoon I plan to go in search of contacts. Life is pretty good these days.

Last night I went to eat with a lady who works with graduate students. She is probably one of the most cheerful and excited people I know. I would not classify her as one of the typical Chinese ladies. However, she faces a situation that seems to be part of a trend here. Women living in one city (or country for that matter) and their husbands living in another.

 

My friend will be living here while her husband studies in Australia for 2 to 3 years. Our favorite market lady and her precious 6 year old are here while her husband lives over 20 hours away! I have a student whose mother lives here in Yichang and father lives in Beijing.These people are not divorced and still seem to love each other. Or do they? We have met all kinds of people who live in similar situations and they don't seem all that unhappy. I cannot imagine though. So question of the day, could you live in one place while your spouse lived in another?

 

A growing trend...