August 14--Day 38

An extra day in a resort town. What to do? Hang around, chill at the beach, touristy shopping districts. Oh yeah! And real Italian food. But, there is always the classic "iron pastoral love triangle." Or how 'bout some good old fashioned pumpkin pie? We did actually eat the fried rice, and at Bapple (New York Big Apple Bakery), we read Les Miserables while looking out onto the Chinese street. Mixing American, French, and Chinese culture? Why not? Oh, and we definitely did ride the Chinese Charging Bull. Lots of NY things today. I'm lovin' it.

August 13--Day 37

Well, today we were stranded on a tropical island. Now I can say that has actually happened to me. Pesky typhoons. But, we had adventures shopping. Found some familiar things, some very strange things (like the fact that a Chinese version of a cookie is a full-course meal. Like an everlasting gobstopper!) Even found the Chinese version of grumpy cat! It's grumpy panda! Explored some Russian stores, and, of course, hit the beach. And, yes, that is how the Chinese women dress at the beach: covered from head to toe. We wouldn't want their skin to turn "black..."

August 12--Day 36

Today started our Sanya adventure! We headed down with the Mills. On the way, we stopped at a gas station full of government unmarked cars. Soldiers, with huge guns, stood guard around the entire station. Someone or something important was in that one car. Mrs. Mills said it was marked with a number 2 similar to our "Air Force One." Oooh. When I took a picture of an ice cream sign inside the station, the cashier freaked out. So, obviously ice cream is involved with all this militia somehow. Once we got to Sanya, we ate at Casa Mia. That's right. That's Italian. Some Italian moved to China and started a restaurant. I don't know what possessed him to do that, but I sure am grateful. And, of course, there was a rice section. Ha. The Chinese and their rice... We just hung out at the Mills fancy hotel for the rest of the day. We felt like rich people sitting this resort's fancy, crazy-cool chairs. Even saw some "French" Haagen-Dazs. Alison played the restricted piano, but she played with authority, so it's ok. A five star resort, only $150 USD. Holiday Inn or the Grand Fortune Bay Hotel on a tropical island? Tough choice.

August 11--Day 35

Meeting! Finally! It was good to actually go. Great to see everyone, be in that atmosphere. I Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Perfect for this year, actually. We had no idea what to do after lunch, so we ended up texting Kevin, a student from last year and even the year before that. Tons of fun! Love him. I was telling him about Miranda’s turtles that I'm turtle-sitting, and he said he had one years ago too.  “But, one day, something happened to the inside of him and he got sick. So he was going to die.” Cue murmurs of sympathy. “So he was very sick. Dying. But he took too long to die, so we ate him.” Haha! Best ever. So Chinese. But, I mean, your pet? That’s a whole new level of low. We went on an adventure to Holiday Beach. It was great. Living on a tropical island? Not bad. Kevin was telling us stories; the whole "hand over eyes" look: just the typical reaction to Kevin. Apparently, during ancient times soldiers ate their uniforms and drank blood, just like Sparta! And, (this is something they still do) apparently they eat baby rats. Before they've opened their eyes. Just swallow them whole. Still alive. A whole new level of disgusting.

August 10--Day 34

First day for real living in China! We decided last night to hang out with Josh, and Laura, and Molly. What else were we going to do? Our life now consists of searching for food, apparently. We headed down to Guomao and decided to experience a Chinese Pizza Hut. It's fine dining here. Ha. But it was amazing. Real pizza. With cheese. We had to run back to campus, and as we were pulling up,  we saw our students piling into another san zha mao. They were ecstatic to see us. And we got to hug them one last time. I did not expect it would feel so good to see them again. It was amazing. Man, I missed them. Who knew! Those few minutes were the highlight of my day.

August 9--Day 33

Wow. Last day. It's already over. Terrance started tearing up during his speech at closing ceremony. I finished the ceremony by singing Peng You, a song all about friendship. It's a song they sing at graduations, when friends are moving on and going their separate ways. As I sang, I saw different students start to break down. Here come the water works. To be honest though, this goodbye was the easiest. Because it wasn't goodbye. It was, "See you in three weeks!" I'll be back. And, of course, Nicole was there. She was even included in our official group ceremonial picture. Ha! Score. First night alone with the Americans, although Alison and I hung out with Leo all afternoon, which was super fun. We chilled at RT and McDonalds. And! I got my Foreign Experts card today. I am officially an expert. Haha!