Xiamen

I flew in an airplane four times in two weeks!!! I know I just had the best vacation ever but here goes round two! Does this girl ever work or does she just play? I just play really, I won't lie. Annie and I went to Xiamen Island with all her coworkers, which is a little north of Hong Kong. I had to follow a bunch of Chinese tourists and a yellow flag:) All we were missing was matching hats. Chinese vacations include little walking to sites, lots of food, and shopping. Not my idea of a perfect vacation but definitely fun with the people we were with! I tried snail, some shrimp looking thing, fried banana, what looked like an octopus leg, lots of rice and other Chinese food. Since it was an Island there was sea food everywhere. While everyone shopped for free time Annie and I build the greatest lighthouse sand castle ever! Included with spectators and photos. We got to go to a Buddhist temple, but you are only allowed to pray if you haven't eaten meat. Also I went to Xiamen university's campus, the most beautiful campus in China apparently. Our other attraction was a piano museum, we took pictures even though we weren't suppose to but I didn't get to play them. I've only played the piano twice since i've been here and it has been for FHE at the Olsen's and I totally slaughtered the songs:( I guess you really do lose your talents when you don't use them. I probably climbed every tree and rock I could find, it's too tempting the trees were amazing! The high light of the trip had to be two of the girls playing with the dead fish on a stick! You just had to be there!

Yangshuo

Vacation time with all us girls from Provo Utah!! I flew to Guilin Saturday night after work and spent the next four days in Partying with my peng you's:) Sunday we took a bamboo raft from Guilin to Yangshuo and found our hostel we stayed in. Monday we biked all over the country side, on our way to dragon bridge, but we got super lost and it was like trekking through a national geographic's magazine. Men were plowing the fields with their bare feet and water buffalos. We just had to sing the Veggie tales song with the local water buffalos! We jumped off Dragon bridge which is 400 years old and also 10 meters about 30 feet high. We also took a cooking class, weird right? But it was far out, like being on a cooking show with everything all ready measured out and the river and mountains in the background. First we went to the market to get the ingredients, the smashed pig faces, snakes, and dried birds were nothing: there were dogs and cats for sale too!!! dead or alive, it was so sickening, and the butchers yelled at us to get out of there. I learned to make beer fish, cooked greens, cashew chicken, eggplant, and stuffed vegetables. Yummy! but they use oyster sauce for everything which isn't my favorite, and most chinese food is cooked in oil. Tuesday we hiked moon hill, and went to Longmen cave. We walked to the end of the cave, jumped in the natural springs, came part way back and played in the cold mud, then sat in the natural hot springs. Our tour guide left us so we high jacked a boat and rowed our selves out of the cave! On the way home we saw a camel:) wednesday we went rock climbing!! Best ever! I did the easy, medium, and hard climb. We finished the vacation with a little souvenir shopping and drove the airport. Annie and I got back to our apartment at 2 in the morning, and worked the same day. Ok it wasn't bad, I didn't have any classes Thursday. All together a most successful vacation! Next week is Xiamen!!

Chongming Island

I went to Chongming Island with the Greenland's. They are this amazing family in our ward who always invite us over for Sunday dinner! There is nothing better than american friends to help with the cultural differences. Anyways, they were over the top generous to Annie and I on tuesday! We got to run like gerbils in balls on the water, rock climb, zip line, go-kart, ride a crazy ride, and paint ball. I have two welts! The ride was like Samari at Lagoon but ten times slower, all the rides were, apparently Chinese people are scared of them.

Stranger and Stranger

I know this is a poor photo but anyone can see that is a bizarre amount of styrofoam to be carrying on a bike!! By the way it is not uncommon.

Also the Chinese people hardly ever exercise so they think i'm insane that I run everywhere, occasionally I see elderly walking around, or doing tai chi in the park. What they do do is walk backwards, I saw a women walk into a bush the other day! Most unnatural.

The second picture we got stuck on the freeway because the road was merging to one lane, and everyone got out of their cars to see what was going on. Some were even taking pictures, we were just taking pictures of them! Maybe this is where the Chinese fire drill came from. If I wasn't squished in the back of the car I would have run around the car.

April Fools

I can't believe I pulled off something so big! But thanks to Annie's malicious fraud skills, she made a document stating the reasons for our return home from China asap. I think I gave my mom an ulcer. I'd attach it except i've tried and tried and i can't figure it out:( but it was legit!

They are my LiFe

Tuesday through Saturday are my chinese babies. I teach ages 0-3 years old at Gymboree. They call me lao shi (teacher). My chinese is yi dian dian (very little) but we get by:) I've learned to communicate in other ways. They love to dance to the never ending music with me.

Sunday and Monday are my english kids. I got called to be a nursery leader in my branch. Even though we only have 100 people in my branch we average about 14 kids every sunday. On mondays Annie my roomy and I watch the Olsen kids Alia and Seth. They lost their mother last year and we love to spend time with them they are so sweet!