Cappucino, Hot Pot, and Pancakes

This weekend was my birthday, and we had a great time celebrating. We were also very thankful for the beautiful sunshine that made an appearance!

On Friday night, Matt and I celebrated by making my favorite, calzones, and going out for a cup of coffee. Today (my actual birthday), we had lunch and desserts with our American friends. Thanks to everyone who sent me Facebook, Skype, and email greetings!

Here are few pics from the weekend!

Watching the Vols game Saturday morning

With our friend Higher (looking very dapper in his suit)

At our hotpot dinner

Birthday flowers (some from Matt, some from a friend... only have one vase!)

The Graduates

The graduate student commencement ceremony at HangDian University was held today. Congratulations to our friends Jake and Paul!

Jake (above) already has landed a job in Harbin and will begin in July. He is Matt's one of Matt's oldest and closest friends here. Paul is also a great friend; and although he already has one job offer, he is still interviewing for better options. We are excited for both of them; but we will also miss them, as they may be leaving Hangzhou as soon as next month.

Laurel!

Matt's sister has also been visiting from her city this week to hang out and help out with the group. We have had such a great time seeing her and catching up on life! It is so encouraging and great to have family around for a few days, but she heads back to her city this afternoon. It's hard to believe it had been 7 months since we last had seen her--or any family, for that matter! This school year is flying by!

Lee Friends

Some students from Lee University have generously taken their spring break to visit us. We have put them to work quickly and love having them here. They are some of the coolest, funniest and most flexible visitors we've ever seen!

Tomorrow, as part of a Culture Exchange, they will host a St. Patrick's Day party for students they are meeting along the way. It should be a lot of fun with lots of good chats.

Time is Flying!

We are already 12% through the semester, which means we will be leaving China really soon. It's crazy to even imagine and brings a lot of mixed feelings. But, we are so thrilled with the way this term has begun. We've seen lots of fantastic things happening already, and we're only two weeks in!

Keep us in mind this week as friends from Cleveland and Matt's sister are all flying into our area today to hang out and work with us for a short while. It should be lots of fun!

Tennessee Friends

Thanks to Miles and Liz for traveling all the way to China to see us for a few days! It was encouraging to hang out with some old friends and spend the weekend chatting. Despite the crazy Hangzhou rain, we had a great time and hope they enjoy the rest of their China adventure.

Long Time, No See Chinglish

I'm sure there is still an abundance of Chinglish around, but we must have gotten used to it after nearly 3 years. This one, however, was too funny to go unnoticed...