Wondering and Wandering

So dear blog followers, you are probably wondering how it is that I fell off the world for a while. It started out innocently enough since when I came back from the October holiday, I really did have to start teaching. Yes, you heard me... I had to work. We moved into our beautiful new DAIS school and I had a classroom to set up, curriculum planning to do and 6 darling children skipping into my room each morning! Well what with one thing and another the blogging took a back seat. While I cannot post pictures of my kids, I can post pictures of my classroom and the school. What a huge facility and wow, do we rattle around in it.

When I finally could get my head back into blogging to let you all know about the new phase of my life in Dalian well guess what???? Blogspot was being blocked in China. There were many many weeks when I did not have access to post even when I was so moved. Then Becky's brother was able to reroute our access through his computer in the US, but I was overwhelmed as to how to catch up with all that had been happening in my life. So dear readers, your best best for filling in the gaps is to read the blogs that Becky and Leslie have written. The Becky birthday spa trip of mid October is especially riotous. A Hong Kong massage.... fabulous; scantily clad girls hanging from bars over you to massage with their feet....fascinating; the red-light ambiance of the whole experience...an absolute giggle, hoot and laughing and gasping experience. Oh the memories I have with which to entertain myself in my older age.

Our countryside meal at Mrs. Jin's parents was an incredibly touching and wonderful adventure. The meal that they prepared for Leslie, Becky, XingLi and me was too incredible to describe. We could barely make a dent in the 19+ dishes that were served. Mrs. Jin and her family are a most generous and sweet group of people. Mrs. Jin was one of Mao's Youth Guard. I look forward to spending more time with her and hearing more of her story about her youth and the time that she served in the army.

The countryside where her parents have a stone farmhouse is spectacular and I purchased my first basket in China. It is a well used basket that brought many colorful gourds to the roadside for selling. I was able to bargain with the vendor and buy the basket. She was baffled as to why I would want it. It serves as a charming place to store my growing collection of colorful scarves.