lovely :)

Well, the long train ride was most definitely worth it. We spent Sunday and this morning (Monday) in Guilin, then grabbed a bus up to Yangshuo. Both cities are really beautiful, but I think Yangshuo is my favorite of the two. We're going on a boat ride down the Li river tomorrow morning (leaving bright n' early at 6 AM!!), and then heading back to Guilin in the evening, so we can see a few more things there and then catch a 7 AM train back to Wuhan on Wednesday morning. This train is supposed to take 16 hours, but at least we got beds this time around! I'll be posting some pictures and stories when I get back.

I'm skipping 3 days of classes for this trip, but I think I'm actually learning/practicing more Chinese than I would on a regular day in class. I'm getting to the point where I can carry on a conversation of some sort, so I've been chatting with the shopkeepers and such. :) It's definitely a much more enjoyable way to learn the language that sitting in class is!

I'm really loving Yanshuo... it's a smaller city, but it has a lot to offer... actually, I'm enjoying it so much that I'm starting to consider moving here and taking a teaching job at a language school we saw! (After I graduate, of course-no worries!) ;)