Back to Work

After a nice long break, we are back to work this week. This semester promises to be a busy one for both of us, with more classes to teach and lots of plans in mind. We have mostly new students this semester, although there are a few familiar faces. We are both teaching Culture of English-Speaking Countries this semester. Our original thought was to do a lot of planning together; however, as you know us, our outlook on this class is a bit different. Matt's focus is going to be a lot of history--no surprise there. And I am going to focus more on cultural aspects, like art, education, economy, etc. There will still be some sharing of lesson plans, no doubt. But at some point, I'm sure the classes will taken on a slightly different focus. It's great to be able to plan classes to your strengths and student interest, rather than being tied to a textbook.

On another note, we are looking forward to some friends who will be visiting next week! We can't wait to share our lives with them, get them some yummy Chinese food, introduce them to some friends, and show them around the town!

Who says you can't have pizza without an oven? I was convinced that pizza (on the stove, in a wok) was possible. And after some research and experimentation, voila!

It wasn't perfect... The middle of the crust definitely got a little burned by being nearest to the fire. But, hey, for the first attempt, it's not so bad. And it's a whole lot cheaper than Papa John's!

Xiamen

Our first stop in our return to China was the city of Xiamen. Because of our flight schedule, we were able to spend a day in the city. Xiamen is a port city directly across from a rebellious little province that shall not be mentioned. Xiamen has a gorgeous setting and excellent air quality (relatively speaking). Prior to the establishment of the People's Republic, many Europeans resided on Gulangyu Island, a small island just off the main part of the city. Because of their presence, the island is covered with buildings built in a style more consistent with Southern Europe than with China. Amy and I arrived on the island at about 10:00 PM, and were immediately struck by the lack of people and the silence, rare sensations indeed in this part of the world. As we walked down the deserted streets, both Amy and I felt that we were on a movie set of a European film. The only clues to our actual location were the Chinese signs and lanterns hanging from every pole.

As we learned the following morning, Gulangyu is actually a bustling, busy place during the daytime hours. However, the island is full of lovely houses, gardens, beaches and views of the city, all within an easy two hour walk. Both Amy and I would like to return to the city, maybe making it our European retreat.

Quirky Things about China

Well, we're back in China and glad to be home--despite the need for long underwear here. Only 2 days back in the country, and I've already realized that China is much more fun to blog about than Thailand.

Clean air seems to have once been more valued than it is these days.

China has cowboys and country music, too.

Cranes fall off bridges and instead of moving it for safety hazards, it stays there for several days.

A Safari

On Friday, we went on a safari, of sorts. We rode elephants through the country, rode down the river on a bamboo raft and took an ox cart ride. It was pretty fun! Apparently, the new Rambo 4 movie was also filmed at this elephant sanctuary.

For my sister, Ms. Lakin...

Around Chiang Mai

Our hotel is in the middle of the night market--where you can buy lots of cool stuff, like lanterns, jewelry, t-shirts, name-brand knock-offs, and a bunch of junk! There's also lots of yummy Thai food.

This temple was partially destroyed by an earthquake about 500 years ago. Matt says it reminds him of the movie The Jungle Book.

And tropical fruit smoothies are SO yummy.

Moving On Up...

We've moved northward again and are now in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our hotel is in a great location--a view of the mountains and in the middle of the night market. Hard to beat that! It's a much more low-key place than the other cities we've been in; we think we're going to enjoy it! (Obviously, Matt is a bit taller than the average Thai folk!)

As crazy as the weather is in China with all the snow, we are definitely glad to be out. Some friends of ours who were scheduled to leave the city a week after us ended up with quite a story of their journey out. Our city that NEVER gets any snow had about a foot. It definitely was not the worst hit in the country, but apparently, things pretty much shut down for a few days. Even here in Thailand, things are pretty unusual. It is the dry season; however, it's been raining for three days. This is really unusual for this place. Oh, well, we don't mind too much. We're just grateful for the warmth!

We are loving the Thai food! At this street vendor in Bangkok, Matt and I ate for a combined total of 60 Baht... That's about $2. It was delicious--a plate of red curry, a plate of green curry, and mango with sticky rice (definitely the best part!). It was, by far, the cheapest meal we've had here. They tend to up the prices in touristy areas.

Travelling On...

We left Phuket a couple of days ago and were very sad to do so. It was just so beautiful there. This is the sunset the last night we were there. The next morning, we moved on to Bangkok. It is a typical big city. Very Buddhist, very crowded, very hippy. We enjoyed seeing it, though, and got some good sightseeing and shopping in.