Blogs from Wuhan, Hubei, China, Asia - page 26

China loves Christmas almost as much as I do, thank God!! I have been lucky enough to have many pieces of home with me during this Christmas season. My wonderful Mother has been giving me gifts each day of December. Many of the gifts have been crafts and projects, which I love lots!!! My friends have soon learned how I lack will power because I will try and open gifts days too early. I have enjoyed making stockings for my friends with lots of fun glitter. I also loved gluing together the foam nativity scene. It has been a perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit in a country where the holiday is not celebrated as traditionally as we do in the states. Christmas to the Chinese is an excuse to decorate places with trees ... read more

I have had an eventful December thus far (including the first of too many goodbyes, finally making it to a softball game, and going to a Christmas Market at a French street in Wuhan), but I want to write about today’s adventures while they are still fresh in my mind. Sarah, Katie, Alexes and I met with Jo and Maggie for lunch. We went to a restaurant with spicy Szechwan dishes. The dumplings and the noodles were fantastic. After lunch, we headed over to the Guiyuan temple in Hanyang. Maggie was an amazing tour guide. She translated and explained everything for us. One of the most interesting features was a hall filled with Buddhas that would help tell your future. If you entered the hall with your right foot first, you began by heading right, left ... read more

After weeks of good intentions (and one thwarted attempt), we finally made it to the Art Museum. It was the last day of some sort of festival in Wuhan, so we were able to get in without paying the admission fee. Even though we only had a chance to explore two of the many galleries at the museum, it was so refreshing to meander through the high exhibition halls and just let the art wash over me. This particular exhibit was mostly newer pieces. They had used some traditional techniques, but they also branched into new styles. The paintings were also huge, to the point of being almost theatrical; most of them reminded me of 4x8 flats. Check out the pictures… At Thanksgiving dinner, our friend Johnny told us that he was organizing a pick-up softball ... read more

For the last few weeks, I have been anticipating the holiday season. I was getting a little nervous because I knew that the excitement and novelty of living in China would wear off right around Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had fully expected to be hit with some full-blown homesickness. This is officially the longest that I have been away from home and I honestly thought that I would be feeling it more. Surprisingly, I am not really homesick at all. I miss family and friends like crazy and there are nights when I would give my left arm for a cheesy gordita crunch from Taco Bell, but I honestly wouldn’t change a thing right now. One year seems like a long time, but it is going by so quickly that I am savoring every moment. Before ... read more

We have been so lucky to have had the most beautiful fall weather last week. It is amazing to walk outside and feel as though it is September at home when in reality it is the day before thanksgiving. This week we spent time with our friends Jo and Maggie. Maggie wanted to cook some traditional dishes for us and sarah makes a mean scrambler so we decided to have a "banquet" as Jo called it, at my house. Maggie made excellent fish and peppers. She also made egg and tomato, which is very popular, and cucumber, pepper and chicken. It was a great meal. Sarah made a scrambler with potato, egg, and bacon. She also found avacados on her trip south the previous week so we had guacamole to introduce to our Chinese friends. It ... read more