Monday, February 23, 2009

So much for the one-post per week

Hopefully I can start posting more regularly now that I am not traveling around the entirety of SE Asia. I just had my first classes today! I haven't cried about them yet, so that must be a good sign. Honestly, it is a struggle to assuage my concerns and doubts regarding adequacy, qualification, and general approval. The hospitality given to me at this school makes me even more nervous. This seems like the perfect time to trust God, and like my parents said, to be thankful and gracious.
In other news, I am nearly settled into my new diggs. I just had my washing machine installed today, my refrigerator unpacked the other day, and a hot plate and sweet set of knives delivered a few days before that! I've put up some ethnic eye candy, and am hoping the seeds I planted will sprout presently. I will post pictures soon, but I keep forgetting to take them when there is nice, natural light showering my pad.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Yunnan to Thailand to Hong Kong

I've got a lot of catching up to do. I wish I could share each moment here with all of you.
Yunnan

Wood and Water in Lijiang

A main square in Lijiang with Naxi people in costume

Grubs with a hint of blueberry...

Piggies in a basket

Teddy and I stayed here at Lugu Hu (lake)

Friends from Lugu Hu in a 'pig trough'

Interlude

I survived my first Chinese New Year in Chengdu...but just barely. Let me tell you about it (adapted from an IM conversation with Heather:
The night before the new year, I was going home on one of the last buses, and I was excited because i found it and it was cheap. I sat there riding
for quite some time, and i didn't recognize anything. Finally, it was like 10 minutes until the bus was supposed to stop running. I looked up again and saw IKEA. IKEA is on the absolute, complete opposite side of town from my apartment. Chengdu is about 20 miles in diameter. so i got off, ran across the road, and waited at the opposite bus stop. However it was pretty iffy because of the time. while I was waiting a police truck drove up, stopped, and asked what i was doing
With some pointing and broken chinese I explained to them that I needed to go to the other end of the bus line. They pointed to the time and were like, 'no buses,'so they hailed a cab for me and told the driver to take me home across town! My conversation with the driver ended up being probably the the best conversations that I have had in Chinese so far.
Imagine doing this in a foreign country on christmas eve--it's kinda the same, because everything stops on the new year.It seemed like a good opportunity to panic, but i didn't very much. I prayed and then the police drove up.

Thailand

We all agreed--it was so much fun to 'play' with everyone

A bit of northern Thailand

There are many pointy things in this country. I done got me a souvenir!

Just in case you wondered what I ate in Thailand (just kidding, this is just an elephant)

Elephants, banana trees, friends, watering hole

This is one thing I ate in Thailand

A sign between Thailand and Hong Kong (Shenzhen)

Hong Kong

Victoria Harbor

Red