And the adventure continues

It's amazing to think back to August when I arrived and consider all that I've become accustomed to here. As a friend put it the other day, China has definitely lost some of its "mystique" for me, although I don't think it can ever be completely lost. But I realize it most in my every day routines-- little things, like no longer being acutely aware of all the stares, the constant presence of people everywhere, the feeling of towering skyscrapers around me when walking through the city, dodging traffic on my bike, pushing and shoving to get onto a crowded train or get around at a busy grocery store, or the sight of a man, walking down the street at night with the glow of a cigarette suspended from his mouth. Nothing could have prepared me for life here but the experience itself. It's been pretty fascinating.

To continue from my last (and only..) China post, I was able to do some traveling during the October holiday. I headed to Xi'an to visit a friend and see the sights. Unfortunately, upon returning to Xi'an after seeing the famous Terra Cotta Warriors, my camera was stolen and I lost all my pictures.. However, I was able to snag a few pictures from Lindi...

some of the delicious street food we tried

squid on a stick

Site 1 of the Terra Cotta Warriors

Wild Goose Pagoda

A couple weeks before its closing, I visited the World Exposition here in Shanghai. The exteriors of the buildings were almost more interesting than the displays inside, but it was fun 'visiting' so many countries in such a short period of time.

Latvia Pavilion

inside the Africa Pavilion

African food court.. ostrich!

Italian Pavilion, definitely the most impressive

My favorite.. a symphony on the wall

Russian

Also, I joined a 10K in early November with another teacher. The start of the race felt like any other, lots of music, the crowd of runners, cheering... during the run, however, was quite a different story. Some people had gathered on the streets to watch, but no one cheered and definitely no music along the way.

I also was able to see Yo-Yo Ma when he came to town! Definitely worth the money..

Took a weekend trip to Moganshan National Park with an adventure group over Thanksgiving weekend. Still had beautiful weather and it was nice to see some of the countryside. 

making tea on the sidewalk

bamboo forests with the owner's marking

met some interesting people on the way up the mountain

tea fields

the biking group.. two Danish guys and our Chinese guide

School has remained consistently busy since the beginning of the year.. I have a feeling it won't let up until June 17th:) But it's been a great learning experience, and I have a good group of kids to work with. I just got two new students in the past week, so now I'm up to 12 in my regular class and 16 in my Language Arts. Not bad, really, but it's definitely an adjustment with each addition.

Anyway, almost back up to date again...:) More to come..