Merry Christmas!!!!! I love Christmas so much! We hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season! Things over here are going great! We had our branch Christmas party this week and ate at the delicious buffet where we had Thanksgiving. The best part was that they had a chocolate fountain!!! We were in heaven! We also had a Christmas party this week with all the exchange students. The mutual language is Chinese so we played Chinese charades and played the human knot game. Every “country” made a dish and brought it to the party. There was sushi, spaghetti with mozzarella, a delicious Korean dish that I don’t know what it’s called, chips and salsa, and more. We had a great time. At both parties Jarek and I sang Michael Buble’s version of White Christmas. It ... read more

Hello again! Sorry we get behind. First nothing is really going on, so we don't write, then too much is going on, so we don't write, then... we're really behind. Now though, we have loads of great things to talk about! Life here is better than ever. We're working hard to build and maintain friendships with Chinese students and it's a lot of fun. A few weeks ago, some friends invited us out to eat at a hotpot place because Kaylee tells everyone that it's her favorite. Now, remember, I'm not so keen on it- I like eating it for sure, it just tends to be spicy and do terrible things to my body. This time, however, they took us to a Beijing style hotpot place, i.e. not spicy. The really spicy stuff is all from ... read more

Ok, time to test how well you're learning from our blogs: Question: what do the tallest mountain in northern China, a spontaneous choir competition, and a package all have in common? A: Wasted time B: Misinformation C: Disappointment D: All of the above If you are unsure of the answer (or simply seeking greater elucidation), please continue, then try again :) Before we went on fall break, we took a trip to Tai Bai Shan with other students. Tai Bai Shan is a beautiful mountain with colorful trees and clear air. Just like previous hikes, it wasn’t really hiking as much as it was just walking up tons of stairs. The lady in charge of the foreign students planned this outing and told us not to tell anyone because only a few people were invited (and ... read more

Aloha again! So much is happening here it’s hard to keep up. I mean, life is pretty steady now but plenty busy and there’s so many adventures to write about that it’s hard to choose those special few who make it into the coveted limelight of the blog. Once again, things might not be chronological but they will be interesting :) Last post I mentioned an opening social/concert that the international department was putting on where we were press-ganged into singing. That was an adventure in itself, trying to find music, get karaoke tracks, get those tracks to play on Chinese equipment, etc. However, to top it off, they asked me (forcefully) to be the emcee. I think we’re going to get lots of opportunities like that here just because we’re white. I asked, “Why did ... read more

Overview: Weather: Humid Generally hot One rainy day so far (we did not have an umbrella yet…) Blue skies! What we’ve eaten: Lots of noodles Baozi – steamed bread filled with meat and other things Dumplings Duck Eggplant The most important lesson learned this week: Never take the small things for granted. What a week! Xi’an is an incredible city. The seams are bursting with culture (and people, of course)! We are so blessed to live in such a great city. Our campus is neighbors with the city wall which houses beautiful parks, restaurants, shopping centers and Walmart! (Or “Warmar” as we’ve heard it called.) Every night we walk to the wall parks and watch people. Families gather to dance, play sports, exercise on outdoor contraptions – no need for a 24 Hour Fitness here. Our ... read more