i like korean pop music now and i can't stop listening to wonder girls (nobody)

apologies are in order. i have been busy and lazy and i keep getting distracted during my computer time.  i'm officially sorry that i've been so lax on my blog posting. hopefully this will not happen many more times. 

 

apparently my new year resolutions were this:

-work on my posture

-realize how blessed i am

-get really good at apologizing (i'm not sure i'm actually good yet, but i've been practicing a lot)

-feel like i am unstoppable and unbreakable and do silly things

-keep realizing how young  i am 

 

the first one was the only one i actually thought about seriously, and the rest are just things that seem to be happening with alarming regularity. 

 

what are your new year resolutions?

  

a few of you may have heard that i went on vacation in the early part of january. sara and i had been planning to take this time for a few weeks of vacation, and  it was probably the best thing that could have happened.  all we knew was that we wanted to go somewhere warm. after doing a little bit of research, we figured the WARMEST place in china would be sanya, the southernmost tip of hainan island. it is referred to as "the hawaii of china", so we were looking forward to the beaches, the foods, and not having to wear 3 layers of clothing at all times. 

  

i am pleased to say that we experienced all of this and more, thanks to the fantastic people we met along the way. 

  

this is a quick overview:

- take a train from xining to chengdu

- hang out with cool kids in chengdu (eat the best hotpot in the world)

- take a plane from chengdu to sanya

- meet more cool kids, get a ride from them into town

- meet up with our couchsurfing host and get shown our apartment. 

- meet the turtles!

- eat seafood, barbeque food, and other delicious things (like our new favorite fruit)

- dance a lot with our new club kid friends

- make friends with musical old men- play and sing (sara is a wonderful violinist)

- happy new year with friends from the airplane- sing with new friends from the philippines 

- eat more. sightsee a little. walk around a lot. 

- sit on the beach. tan. get sunburned. swim a little. commandeer comfy beach lounges.  

- go to a fishing village. 

- get put up in a few hotels by our awesome host who is living in sanya to rescue sea turtles. 

- do some interviews for our host. 

- film a turtle video. hold a turtle on my lap. 

- catch train from sanya to guangzhou.

- hang out with our friends in guangzhou

- go to hong kong via fast train. 

- eat sushi, samosas and delicious street food.

- see some art galleries 

- walk in and out of various places with fabulous fashion (but it was all 'tai gui le' (so so expensive))

- meet a fantastic older woman who has had such a full life. 

- eat at mcdonalds

- find the arts and crafts area of town

- go to the bird and flower markets

- eat at many many pastry shops. 

- get a little homesick for xining. 

- catch a train back to guangzhou

- see our friends again

- catch an early morning flight back home to xining.

 

here are a few photos from the trip: 

  

train train train. 27 hours. 

 

everyone likes chengdu.

 

all children in chengdu are cute. and sweet. 

 

 

the turtles who stole my heart. there are four of them. guess the names. 

 

we got to feed them. i got pinched by a crab for the first time in my life. 

 

 

this is my dream fishing boat. 

 

sara loves the baby turtles. 

  

 

so do i. there were so many of them!

  

 

sanya from the deer turning back statue. 

  

 

delicious seafood dinners. every night. thank you ocean. 

    

the love tree. it's real.

   

 

 sitting at the beach. 

  

  

hong kong is actually called 'meat city'

 

 

this is how we knew we weren't in 'china' anymore. 

 

 

beads, bangles and glitter. and ribbon. rismondo's dream street. fabric, too. 

  

hey big buddha. (biggest ever sitting bronze buddha)

 

 

samosa city. chungking mansions.

  

modern art? thanks hong kong!

 

 

peter, you could come here, too!

 

 

we came for the sushi. honestly- we got off the train, found a sushi place, and ate there every day. 

  

so. that was our trip. maybe i will regale you with in-depth stories later- if you really want to hear about something, let me know. 

 

for now, i will be teaching monday thru friday for the entire month of february. 5 days a week is tough- especially with the baby (7-11 year olds) students, but i'm hoping that i will emerge with no wounds and amazing patience. and really smart students.