My kids are all excited when they hear I went to America.  One kid asked "Did you go to Disneyland?"  No.  "Did you go to New York?"  No.  Beyond that they had no questions.

Long time readers of my blog (or Platinum Members, as I like to call them) may recall my trek last fall trying to get to the top of the mountain my school is on.  It was the time I found the Chinese graveyard.  Well I went on a three hour hike on Saturday to try again.  I wandered into rice paddies, passed many a confused farmer, and one lady who was washing snails (or something).  One thing I learned, Chinese peasents all have dogs, which all bark and try to bite me.  But I finally made it!  At the top overlooking the school is a network of little paths.  I followed them, and came to a kid standing on the wall, who talked very quickly.  I felt like Alice in Wonderland.  He helped me over the wall and back into the school which was good, cuz I didn't want to walk the three hours back around to the front.

I still like the food, which pleases me.  Today at dinner I was chowing down this dinning hall dish and I thought "you know, I've never had anything like this outside this dinning hall, and when I leave I most likely never will. I don't even know what this is."  And I don't.  I think chicken, but its all long and stringy.  Maybe mushroom.  But it has this really delicious flavor that is great with rice.

Another good thing- Michelle borrowed the TV show "24" from some friends in Changsha.  I hope I can get into it as much as I did "West Wing".  I'm so excited, this is the pick me up my life needed!

"The answers to my problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle; they're on TV!"

--Homer Simpson

-The Wandering Norseman-