Back in Business

Well, we are still here. We were blocked by the Great Firewall for awhile, then blocked by our own travels, and then blocked by busy-ness. But we are back, and ready for an update.

The last few months have been filled with great adventures and successes in teaching. Our recent travels have included places like Emei Mountain (Sichuan Province), Yangshuo (Guangxi Province), Beijing, Chengdu (multiple times), Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, and Xi'an, our favorite weekend retreat. Neither of us was bitten by a monkey like our friend, we got to see the big city lights of Beijing, and more family members came to visit: Robb, Pat, David, and Callie! We saw the Great Wall at last. There is a saying in Chinese, attributed to Mao Zedong himself: “不到长城非好汉" It roughly translates as "He who has not visited the Great Wall is not a true man." It literally translates as "He who hasn't been to the Great wall is not a true Han." So, I guess since we have all visited it, we are true Han people now. I'm guessing Mao didn't have us crazy foreigners in mind when he wrote this ...

Our semester began mid-March, and we are counting down -- we have only about 76 days left of our service. We feel very comfortable in class, and hopefully our students are getting the most out of us at this point. We talk most about travel and such, but our lives do mostly focus on our students and their activities. We just feel as though it's old news, so we don't describe much in detail.

Last week we went to our close-of-service conference in Chengdu to get a good start on paperwork before leaving Peace Corps. It is hard to believe that we have been here nearly two years, and that we will have to start again in the US. Well, not really start again, but re-adjust to the life we once knew. Initially, we will have to do things like drive to the store, wonder why people aren't staring at us, realize that everyone speaks English, and that we can form a line somewhere and not be pushed back. It will be truly strange.

Anyone have any hints on how we can re-acclimate to American culture? Please post below! I am eager to hear ideas!


Also, we now have two websites where you can find our photos:
Site 1: June 2007 - January 2009
Site 2: January 2009 - present