Turning 28

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Turning 28

Good luck, Bill!

Our friend William graduated from the school where we taught last year in Spring 2008. He now lives in Shanghai, and we have kept in contact with him pretty well. He called us a few weeks ago to tell us he had been selected to be a contestant on an English-language Shanghai TV series called "Shanghai Rush." The show is similar in format to "Amazing Race" and is currently filming. The show will air beginning May 3.

Here the news story with more information: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200903/20090319/article_394675.htm

BBQ Chinese Style

Some Chinese friends invited to us a BBQ in the park yesterday. It was our first real Chinese BBQ. It's a bit different than a cook-out in the States. Instead of big slabs of meat, they put everything on skewers and everyone stand around a large grill chatting. It's not even mostly meat--we grilled potatoes, broccoli, corn, tofu, and (my favorite) bread! You marinade and spice it up, set it on the grill for a few minutes, eat your skewer, then go back for more. We had a great time eating, playing games and hanging out with friends!

Reading & Writing

After talking about it for a really long time, we've finally "labeled" our house. Being able to speak a word in Chinese and being able to read or write it are two very different things, although Matt is pretty good at reading... So, I'm working on memorizing some of these characters. I figure it's an easy way to do without having to actually sit down and study. Surely, if we see these characters enough, they'll eventually sink in!

Besides, it makes students laugh! :-)

(Here we've got "TV," "light," and "kitchen.")

The Weekend

We're excited about the weekend, after a long week of classes. Matt meets with a good friend every Saturday to get some Chinese practice in. And today is Amy's movie day with some students--one group at 2pm and another class at 7pm. Last week, I borrowed Fireproof from a friend to watch with some girls--it was a big hit!

On Thursday evening, Matt attempted to cook Chinese food for the first time without any student supervision. It looked delicious, and it tasted great... Just not at all like Chinese food. The veggies just tasted like steamed veggies, and the chicken was more Japanese teriyaki than anything resembling Chinese. We're hoping to actually master a few Chinese dishes before visiting this summer; apparently, it's not as simple as it looks.

Sunny Days...

After 20 straight days of rain, it would be nearly impossible to explain our level of excitement when we saw the sun this week! Today, we had some free time before students came over in the afternoon. So we grabbed some KFC takeaway, then headed to the park for a picnic. It was so nice to be outside in Creation again!

An Unexpected Visitor

A week into classes for Amy; two weeks in for Matt. And things are going well! The highlight of our week, though, came yesterday morning. Around 9am, we got a phone call from a good friend from Tennessee saying that he was in our city and wanted to meet up for dinner! We were surprised and thrilled! Having people from home drop in unexpectedly just doesn't happen here--ever. We had a really great time with him, as always. Thanks Patrick!

Spring-Like

Yesterday was the first spring-like day we've had in a while; so some of us headed to West Lake for a friend's birthday to enjoy the weather and ride the boats. Unfortunately, in true spring-like fashion, it rained in the afternoon.
Below: With my friend Sky

And, apparently, no price is too high for that perfect wedding picture... Yes, she is sitting on the dock... in the rain... in her wedding dress.

First Week Back

Matt's classes started Monday; and although Amy's classes haven't begun yet, her students are trickling back with their suitcases in tow. Already, we've had some great lunches and hang-out times with some old friends, as well as some new ones!

We came into this semester really anticipating and hoping for a great first week, and we definitely feel like we've gotten it!