pictures!

Hey everyone!

Here are some new pictures from the past month or so.

(If that link doesn't work, copy and paste http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008558&id=1121670006&l=e0625cb9f3 into your browser.)

I'm really enjoying the pretty springtime weather! :)

41 days down, 100 more to go!

It's hard to believe how quickly my semester here is going by. I'm about a third the way done! (29%, to be exact!) ;) I'm starting to realize that I won't be here for long, and that my time here will be over before I know it. So I'll have to make the most of the next 100 days! I haven't had a chance to travel outside of Wuhan yet, and I'm starting to get a little restless. I really want to travel around China some while I'm here! I have plans to go to Beijing over our break in May, but other than that, I have nothing planned. I've heard Shanghai is really interesting, and that's right after Beijing on my "List of Places to Visit while in China". Also on the list are:

• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Xi'an
• Guilin
  
• Chinese countryside (don't care where, I just want to see what China is like outside of the big cities!)

If any of you have anything to do/see in China to add to the list, please let me know! :) Right now, my problem is finding people to travel with. The university doesn't plan things like this for us, so if we want to travel, it's up to us. And I'm a big girl and all, but I'd much rather travel with at least one other person, preferably someone who speaks Chinese a little bit better than I do... my Chinese skills are rapidly improving, but they still leave a lot to be desired! (And Mom and Dad would probably not exactly love the idea of their daughter roaming around China on her own!) ;)

The weather has gotten much warmer recently (except for today-it was cold and rainy again!), and as a result, a lot of the trees on campus have started blooming. It's so beautiful! :)

a long-overdue update...

I haven't been very good about updating regularly, but here's a link to some pictures I took recently:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007415&id=1121670006&l=8a245d6597

I went to a pagoda that had been built in the 1200s. It was really interesting from a cultural perspective, but from a spiritual perspective, it was a little unsettling... it was beautiful, but it was a blatant reminder that a lot of people are really sincere about something that isn't true. It really makes you think...

Hope you enjoy the pictures, I promise I'll write a real update as soon as I find the time!

time flies!

Well, I've officially been here for a month now... time is flying by! At first, I was hoping that the time would fly by really fast, but now I'm kinda bummed that I'm already done with one of my 4 and a half months! I only have 113 more days!

I had a really busy weekend, and I haven't had time to write about it all... I have some great new pictures to post too! I'll get those up here as soon as I find a free moment.

But to summarize my weekend: Friday afternoon, I went to a buddhist pagoda near campus with 2 other guys from Ga Southern and a Chinese girl. It was really interesting. Saturday, I spent most of the day on a bus to/from Hankou or in Hankou (part of Wuhan) at a language center, talking to a possible employer (if it works out with my schedule, I'll be teaching English to little Chinese kids!) :) Sunday was Womens' Day in China, and there were lots of great sales, so I had some fun shopping after the Sunday morning service (Oh, I still need to tell you guys about that... great story!).

I'll give you all a more worthwile update as soon as I can!

Oh, quick story:
Yesterday, as I was crossing te street, a boy pushing a pineapple cart next to me almost collided with a car. The car slammed on the brakes and came to a stop literally inches from the cart. The boy then turned to me and asked me if I would like to buy a pineapple. We were still in the middle of the street. (I guess he mistook my look of shock at his almost-accident for a look of hunger.)
Whenever I start to feel like China isnt' all THAT strange, something like that happens, and I remember that I'm in China. And China is weird. But it's a good weird, for the most part. :)

Hey, white girl!

Today as I was walking down a busy street, a street vendor called out to me (in English), "Hello! How are you? I like you! You are my friend!"

The Chinese are still getting used to seeing non-Asians walking around here... and it's not considered rude to stare here, so people stare at anyone who isn't Asian. And some of these people will shout "Hello!" at foreigners (usually after he/she has already passed by, because it takes a few seconds for them to muster the courage). And in many cases, that is all of the English they know.

A few days ago, I was walking down the street, and I walked past a group of teenagers who were all huddled around something. One of the guys on the outside of the group noticed me, and he proceeded to excitedly point me out to his friends... so the whole group (about 8 of them) turned around to watch me walk by. I just kinda smiled and waved at them... it's not like everyone can say they've been waved at by a white person! ;)

There's a sense of understanding among all of us "lao wai" (foreigners) here. Many lao wai (including me) will smile and say hello whenever they encounter a fellow foreigner, regardless of whether or not we actually know each other. It's kinda comforting. :)

Well, it's still raining...
Supposedly, it snowed this morning.
But I was asleep. Go figure.

But the sun came out for a few minutes today! I even saw the sky! It made my day. :)

Yesterday, I decided I needed a little springtime in my life, so I bought a few flowers at a little flower shop I found... and when I got back to the dorm, I realized that I didn't have a vase, so I had to get creative...

That's a Chinese Gatorade bottle!