Box-car travelers

Here we are in our sleeper car on the train. It was pretty nice to travel this way even though I had a little trouble sleeping both there and back.

A trolley with a view

We took a trolley to the top of Victoria Peak, on Hong Kong Island. Even though it was overcast, it was a magnificent view of this city.

The densest place in the World. .

This street was the norm and not the exception in Hong Kong. . all kinds of fun shops and businesses line the old style, European streets.

Christmas in Hong Kong

Our team took a trip to Hong Kong for Christmas. To put things in perspective, Hong Kong is about an 8-9 hour train ride from our home in China. . . and it was worth every one of those hours on the train to be in Hong Kong during Christmas. We enjoyed many comforts from home in this exciting city such as Starbucks, toilets and toilet paper, English television, an English service, and the list goes on. We took a sleeper train both their and back to help save on spending money for lodging in Hong Kong. In a word, Hong Kong was wonderful and exciting. There are people from all over the world who live in Hong Kong. We ate Indian, Mexican, French, and American food in Hong Kong, and we walked a lot of places as well as took the ultra-clean and convenient metro around the city. Here are just a few pictures from our experience. I think you can see the Christmas joy on our faces!!

More Pictures

Here, we are singing Christmas carols--complete with the tradition of holding Candles for Silent Night--they loved it, and I think they could sense how meaningful Christmas is--more than just a chance to get presents.

Grandma's Cookies

I successfully baked a batch of my Grandma's Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were pretty outrageous!!

Christmas Time

The past two week-ends, I have had students over to share more about the Christmas season. We start by explaining some of the Christmas symbols: Santa Claus, stockings, presents, angels, candy canes, etc. Then, we share the Christmas story, watch a movie clilp from the Nativity scene and sing some Christmas songs. It's pretty meaningful for me, and I think the students have a better understanding of the season too. Here are a few pictures:

Fishing in the lake

At the park, we could overlook these people fishing in the lake.

Christmas Time

The the stocking is hung, the mini tree is decorated, the giant face of Santa Clause is pasted on the fridge. . . ah yes, the comforts of being home for Christmas (kind of, but yet completely different.)

This evening, I had the first group of students over to my house to celebrate Christmas. I tried to have a lot of Christmas' things out, which means I put out some things (like the giant Santa Claus head) that I would not usually display. All in all, the night was delightful.

cookies in China

Do you recognize these peanut blossom cookies? In the picture, they are fresh from my oven. These cookies were made possible thanks to the generous people who sent me peanut butter cookie mix and hershey chocolate kisses (you know who you are)!!
The cookies were a big hit with some of the Chinese teachers here (although they teased me because I burnt the bottom a bit.) But, I think everything tastes better with a little char for flavor:)

Out to Dry

One of the dorms near our campus is always dripping with clothes. I think it's very interesting, and I am often amazed at how many conveniences I take for granted. One of the students was impressed that I had hot water in my apartment. She said that in their dorm, they do not have hot, running water. Burr!! Even though we are further south in China, it is getting quite cold. And to think that the dorms do not have hot water or heat gives me great awe for the students.

Foreigners (that's us) at the park

We got invited to a park opening in our city. While it was very interesting, we all found out the day before, and we had to make-up our classes that we were scheduled to teach that morning. However, besides the inconvenience, it was a wonderful experience. The park has been under rennovations for a long time, but its official opening ceremony was this past Wednesday. We got a free tour and also a free show with some traditional Chinese music and dances. Don't we look happy?

Feel the Beat on the Street

On an afternoon walk, my friend and I found a group of women practicing a dance. They all held red flags, and waved them to the beat of a big drum.