Relaxing
Our new Ikea chairs feel just like home. We had an interesting time getting them home though. Being too big to take home on the train, we decided to hire a delivery van, one of dozens that hang around outside the store waiting for people like us. After negotiating a price, which included taking us with him in the van, we set out for Jnshitan. Proud of our accomplishment until about 20 minutes from home when the van broke down, of course in a spot with no taxis available. The ever resourceful driver finally banged hard enough with his hammer on unknown parts underneath the van, that it sputtered its way to our campus, stalling around a corner and giving up the ghost again at our gate. We sure felt sorry for him as he limped the hour back to Dalian!
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
