who knows, Yeah I may come home,Yeah I may return......This is the way I'm always leaving

Well this semester is on break and the spring festival is coming up. i've decided to work at an english camp for a week for some extra money in the hopes of heading to Beijing and Xian at the end of the month. it's nice to have a break from teaching. sometimes having so much free time gets a bit boring, especially since Jack is in Korea right now visiting friends and family and isn't sure when he will come back. Chrisbin leaves soon as well. For spring festival i'm actually going to be spending it with a chinese family. i'm really excited because it's such a important holiday here. It will be really great to get to experience it with a chinese family and see how they really celebrate.

I met a really cool woman from Kenya, named Caroline. We've been getting along really well and i have a really great time talking to her. Meeting people from all over the world only makes me want to travel more.
Nate and i have been hanging out alot and have started learning a bit of korean with the help of a korean girl we're friends with. i hate to say it since i'm in china, but i enjoy speaking korean more. Lately I've felt completely unmotivated to study chinese. I will be the first to admit, i'm not so great at chinese..i'm really struggling with it. It's hard!! i'm just having an easier time picking up korean although it too is difficult. It doesn't help that it's so easy to live here without speaking the language.

Going to Korea in the future is defintly something that's been on my mind. i miss my friends and family, especially right now when i have so much down time. But i really like the idea of seeing more of asia. it's really true what people say, that homesickness comes in waves. somedays you love it here and other days you're just fed up with everything. But i feel like i have many more good days here than bad. To be honest, thinking about going home to America feels scarier then staying in Asia.

It's true that China can be a big ego stroker for white people and foreigners in general. We're often treated like mini-celebrities, and you're constantly being told how beautiful you are. So it's easy to see how people can let that go to their head, but the longer you're here the more it evens out. because not everyone is so nice... I recently had to go to the hospital and one of the doctors refused to use my name on forms because it was english. She had the chinese girl who was with me give me a chinese name. And anytime a form did actually have my english name on it, it was spelled wrong.
although it sucks to be treatedly like you're a moron because you can't understand everything someone is saying in chinese, or shops try and trick you into paying higher prices, it's been a good experience for me. it gives you a tougher skin, even though it also can be INCREDIBLY frustrating, and makes you appreciate the nice people even more.

It's getting crazy cold here again. i keep hearing rumors of snow this weekend. i've been a lazy room hermit lately because of it. It's just waaaaaaaaay to cold out there. hahaha. Not that my room is all that warm either. Cuddled up in bed with my electric blanket has become my favorite spot. So i've been doing just that and watching alot of movies...which i know sounds really lazy, but i don't care....i'm on break. ; ) sometimes a little alone time can be good....and then sometimes you go stir crazy.

Nate has been living with a Chinese couple, Auntie and Unkie Ding, as he affectionately calls them. they are having me over for dinner tomorrow and i'm wicked excited. nate has brought me some of the steamed bread auntie ding makes and is always raving about her cooking. it's gonna be sooooo good. And Unkie Ding is going to play the violin for me, as well as a traditional chinese instrument that i can't remember the name of right now.

hmmmm that's a bit all for now. sorry nothing too exciting this time.

but i do have some belated x-mas photos

Christmas Eve Massages

Waiting for midnight and Christmas to arrive...

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Chrisbin!!!

Kim is a korean Twinkle Toes

Perrrrrty ladies

Natalia's going away dinner.Rhino and Jess

Grandpa Kim and Harry Potter
I MISS YOU RYAN!!!!

on wednesday Ryan offically hopped on a train for Beijing to catch his flight back home. : (
Jack, Chrisbin, Grandpa Kim, and Harry Potter went with me and ryan to the station to see him off. When we got there, the chinese kids that ryan had been living with also showed up. he was definitly well loved here in china. we said our good byes and ryan and i both cried like wuzzy american babies. All the asians of course kept their cool, although it was obvious we were all sad to see him go. when i came to china i had no idea i would find such great friends within such a short time. I guess it seems kinda silly to cry about someone who you only knew for about 4 months leaving , but ryan and i really hit it off and had become quite close. he was a good guy and a great friend.

Me and Jack and Rhino's Good bye shingdig
I was feeling a wee bit sad thinking about Rhino leaving, lucky for me i have the best group of Korean guys looking out for me.

HAHAHA Grandpa Kim and I----Gangstas 4 Life

Chrisbin and I celebrating a dinner well eaten

Happy mucho belated Thanksgiving

So the internet is randomly kinda working. enough that i can upload a few more pics for your viewing pleasure.
For Thanksgiving Nate, or as the chinese and koreans know him, Nate-ah, went to Nanshan to visit Big Daddy Buddha and the hall of 9,999 Buddhas. It was the best Buddha land I've ever been to.

Big Daddy Buddha!!!!!

Best incense EVER!! that is some serious Buddha food!

too many Buddha steps

9,999 wee bitty Buddhas

Thanksgiving Dinner!!!

And what is Thanksgiving without a little thanksgiving Karaoke!!!
GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FU-UHN!!!

Nate-ah is the King if Karaoke
And that was Thanksgiving in China. not too shabby if i must say so myself.

I mentioned before that my friend Marcos had gotten sick and may have to go home. After chinese doctors gave him no real answers and he started to become jaundiced he hopped on a plane and went home. : ( I miss him so much. we were actually considering getting an apartment together right before he left. oh well. When he got home he found out it was basically just a virus and is doing much better.

Grandpa Kim-Me-Jack-Marcos
I Miss You Marcos!!!!!!!!!!

Jack and I are too cool for school.

How do we always end up here?!?!?!

the trials and tribulations of the internet in china

Oi.... i've been trying to make a post for the past few days but ever since the earthquake in taiwan the internet here has been insanely slow and next to impossible to view alot of pages. I feel bad that it's been so long so i've written here. I've just been a busy cookie. i'm definitly ready for finals to be over and holiday break to be in full swing. As soon as the internet isn't being so difficult i have loads of pictures from thanksgiving, Christmas, and new year's i want to post. i was definitly missing people from home over the hoildays but i've been lucky to find a really good group of friends here.

Unfortunately, another wave of people are heading off home though. one of them is ryan, who has been one of my best friends here. he leaves on Wednesday and i'm kinda heart broken to see him go. We hang out nearly every day together and now he's just not gonna be around. I'm, not the only one so sad to see him go though. Jack, Chrisbin, Grandpa Kim, and Harry Potter (yes i just typed harry potter), the Korean guys we 've been rolling with, are also pretty bummed about the whole thing. It just gonna be so different without him.
Natalia is leaving as well, and again things aren't gonna be the same without her. It's no fun saying good bye.

Christmas with my students was fun. I taught them Christmas carols, and impressed them with my snazzy advent calendar. One of my classes made me sing 'Let It Snow" 5 times. I treated myself to a christmas massage. *heaven*. Nate and i had a moment of braveness and had that crazy suctiony massage done where they heated up little glass bowls with a flame and then stick it to your back. After it was over we both looked like a giant squid had given us a bear hug.
Aparently you can tell how healthy you are by the color your crazy hickeys turn. Chrisbin and Grandpa Kim assured me mine looked good.

During the Christmasy season there were boys everywhere carrying GIANT stuffed animals around for their girlfriends. I thought it was hysterical....and then sure enough Jack showed up at my apartment with a HUGE teddy bear tied to his back. it's over half my height. amazing.
His family is coming to china to visit Jan 15th. they want to meet me. I am soooooo nervous. i want to make a good impression, which is a bit scary when i barely speak their language. Aparently though his Dad and Sister both speak english.

I have so many pictures i want to post but since the internet is being so cranky i could only manage one. Luckily it's a good one.

Natalia-Jack-Jess-Chrisbin-Ryan-Me-Grandpa Kim