end.

so here's the deal. just after my last post, the chinese government went crazy and decided to go ahead and block a ton of websites. including blogger and sometimes anything associated with google. because of this extremely inconvenient ordeal i wasn't able to access my blog, and thus; was not able to post anything about what went down my last couple months in china.

over the past two months i:

saw the misty mountains of yangshuo.


had the most awesome birthday party for hannah. fireworks included.


met some new friends.


took class pictures.


got my fortune told. it was a good one.


dressed our kids up and watched them graduate.



had the most awesome pool party.

and then we said goodbye. it was hard to leave but i am happy to be home.

let me just sum up by saying that: I LOVE CHINA. it was one of the most life changing experiences i have ever had. i grew so much while i was there and i miss it very much. i have a greater appreciation for all of my worldly possessions and an even greater love for my family. i am so blessed to have such a wonderful family that loves and cares about me. i missed them all so much while i was away and i am so happy to be home with them. i love you family. you're the best!

it won't be long.

well.
it's been a while since i've posted something. there is really no excuse for it except that i have been feeling terribly overwhelmed lately. not in a bad or good way. i just have and as things move slowly back to normal, i feel like i can breathe.
let me catch you up on what has been going on in china.

1. i rode my first sleeper train. it was much more comfortable than the seat i had when we went to sanya. i don't know why they don't have such comfy transportation in america. i mean, i'm sure they do, but i think most people choose the alternative and get to their destination in a couple of hours rather than a couple of days. but, if sleeper trains ever become available, i'll be one of the first people in line for a ticket. where will i go, you ask? that, has yet to be determined.

2. i climbed the great wall of china. and when i say 'the great wall of china,' i mean the actual great wall. not that rebuilt garb that you see on tv and tourist photos. it was the actual-crumbling-under-my-feet great wall of china. it was awesome. by far, one of the coolest things i have done in my life, as well as one of the most exhausting. scaling the straight up cliffs of the great wall is something i won't ever forget. if you ever go to beijing, simitai will be your favorite place to be.

3. i got lost in one of the biggest cities in the world. that city being beijing, china. yeah, it's true. and me, being super travel savvy, never saw getting lost as an option. i thought that maybe if we just walked around we would be able to find our way, or at least find someone that spoke english. oh man! i was way off. there was no way of finding which way to go, because, strangely, everything was in chinese and everyone within a 2 mile radius of us could only speak chinese. but, as it turns out, we weren't exactly lost, the train station we were at wasn't the one we were supposed to be at. it's a long story, but no worries, we made it to the correct train station, found our way, and all is well. but let me warn you, if you ever get lost in beijing. stay where you are. walking around only makes things worse, and makes you really tired. and cranky. hug a tree. or an asian.

4. i got kicked out of a taxi, by a very angry taxi driver. you see, a bunch of us (ilp teachers) got together in beijing and went to the hard rock cafe for dinner. well, we had 9 people, and you can only fit 4 in a taxi, but when the taxi driver started driving, he was distracted and didn't realize that there were 5 passengers in the car. he started yelling really loud, in chinese of course, and getting really upset and pulled the car over and made us all get out. AND made us pay 10 yuan for the ride. well, things got worse from there, when we couldn't get any taxi's to stop for us. i think the guy that kicked us out, radioed all his friends in the area and told them not to pick up the 5 american girls walking down the street. it was a pretty scary experience walking down the streets of beijing, with no idea of which way to go and no one around to help us. but, again, we finally got someone to help us and made it to our destination safe and sound.

5. i spent more money in 3 days than i ever thought was possible. but don't worry, it's a good thing. and no, i didn't spend all the money on myself. i'm not selfish.

6. i felt really homesick for the first time since i have been in china. of course, there have been times when i've felt a little tired of being in china, but i have never felt physically sick and felt the need to go home. the day we got home from beijing was the first day of my homesickness. i'm still feeling the affects of it, but i'm still here. i feel so helpless, but all is well. i'm doing what i can, with what i have. and pretending to be in two places at once.

7. i payed my respects to the man who single-handedly ruined china's hope for becoming an independent nation. the man who brought the people up, but tore everything out from under them. the man that brainwashed the chinese into thinking that he was helping them, but in reality he was ruining their lives, one poor decision after another. let me just say that chairman mao, was the most self involved, self loving man and seeing the giant portrait of him at tien an men square and all the people bowing and worshiping him, made me feel very uneasy.

alrightl. i suppose that is the jist of what has been going on with me.
until next time.
peace and love. from the chiner.

a taste of honey.

we were at the park a couple nights ago. i looked over and...

beheld this.

love me do.

tanner.

lucy.

tony.

lisa.

jack.



happy easter. from all of us. a little bit late.

i'll follow the sun.

this past weekend was vacation time again. HOORAY. we took full advantage of the days off and traveled south, to SANYA. a little slice of island paradise in the south china sea. it was wonderful.
let me give a taste of what went down in paradise.

1. i saw my first man thong swimming suit. it was on a man that looked very similar to santa claus, minus the man thong he had on. fortunately it had a great big smiley face on it. cute. and to tie everything together, he had a sweet yellow hat with a smiley face on it. i think maybe the thong and hat came together. who would pass up that combo deal?!

2. i ate more western food in a 4 day weekend than i have in two and a half months. sanya is a very touristy town and there were a lot of western restaurants near the hostel we stayed at. there was a crazy good western restaurant called "rainbow, bar and grill" that we ate at every night for dinner and a couple of nights for lunch. it was so delicious and a great atmosphere. they even had ice! and chocolate chips! yay rainbow!

3. i saw a dog with eye brows. yeah. for real. i'm not talking about hair that kind of looked like eye brows, i'm talking about actual eye brows. the dog was white, the brows were dark brown. it was the funniest/weirdest thing i have ever seen. i'm telling you these things can and will only happen in china. it is a whole different world here.

4. i had my first train experience, and i really hope that it was my last. it was terrible. it took us three hours to get to the train station, which is normal because it takes so long to get anywhere in china. when we finally made it to the train station we just happened to meet up with a group of ILP teachers from another school. they were also on their way to sanya. and, we all just happened to be on the same train, in the same car, and had our seats right by each others. we all got settled onto the party car. car number 4! and sat in our seats, for SO long! it was the longest trip i have ever taken and i never want to do it again. the train was pretty crowded and there were people everywhere. there wasn't a space open enough for another person to fit. it was a fiasco trying to get to the bathroom. oh man. i guess people can buy standing seats, which cost the same as the soft seats, but obviously aren't seats, and they just have to stand in the aisles and lean up against the seats or the people in the seats, or sometimes they squat on the floor and sleep that way. i don't know how they could possibly do that, but they do.

5. i went on my first chinese carnival ride. one night we were walking around on the boardwalk and saw these carnival rides and decided to go on one. the first one that we saw was the bungee ball thing that shoots you clear up into the sky. and the others were silly little rides. we decided to go on this one that was a big circle that you sit inside. everyone sits along the edges and it spins around. while it is spinning it tilts from one side to the other and then the guy that controls the ride makes it bounce at random times. it was nuts and we were flipping all over the place. i thought i was going to fall out at one point, but fortunately i didn't. it was crazy fun and the huge hamburger i ate at rainbow was on it's way up. not good. but don't worry, it went back down. and out. HAHAHA.

i hope that gives you all a taste of how my island adventure was. if you don't get the idea, let me just tell you: it was awesome.

until next time. i wish you, peace. love. and blue skies.

thank you girl.

i was inspired by my dearest buckaroo, tiffani herpel, to compile this list.
i have much to be thankful for.

in no particular order:

1. i am thankful that tiffani inspired me to make this list.
2. i am thankful that i am in china. it is so hard, but i am learning more about myself than i ever thought i would.
3. i am thankful that there is change in everyday life. that life isn't the same everyday. even though somedays seem to be the same as the previous one, it is always different.
4. i am thankful for my family. i don't know if they really understand how truly grateful i am for them.
5. i am thankful and so grateful for the awesomely amazing packages and letters i get from my family and friends. you have no idea how good it is to hear from home.
6. i am thankful for my friends. all of you. no matter where you are. you have helped shape me into the person i am today, right now. so thank you, so much.
7. i am thankful for the little children i teach. i have learned more from them than i ever expected to.
8. i am thankful for rice. and that there is never a rice shortage in china. i think i would starve if it wasn't for rice, two meals a day.
9. i am thankful that we have a shower with hot water. i wouldn't ever shower if it wasn't for hot water.
10. i am thankful for the ice cold water i was my face with every morning and night. it helps wake me up and put me to sleep. i never would have thought i could get used to ice cold water in the morning.
11. i am thankful for my parents. for the example they are to me. for how hard they work to be sure that i have what i need.
12. i am thankful for all of my brothers and sisters. i know i'm not the greatest sister sometimes, but i hope they know how grateful i am for all of them.
13. i am thankful for all my nieces and nephews. i love being an auntie. good work with the reproduction brothers and sisters!
14. i am thankful for traveling in china. it takes so long to get anywhere, but will make everywhere at home seem so much closer.
15. i am thankful for prayer. and the fact that: i know it works.
16. i am thankful for missionaries. for their example and dedication. you are all so great.
17. i am thankful for elder mason t. porter. and for every letter i have gotten for the past 14.5 months.
18. i am thankful that american is a melting pot and that there are so many different kinds of foods. china far from a melting pot and there is one type of food. chinese. breakfast, lunch, dinner. it's always chinese.
19. i am thankful for the guard to our apartment building and how every time we walk by he gets a big smile on his face and salutes us.
20. i am thankful for the chinese. they make me laugh so hard. i think maybe i laugh a little too hard at times, but i really can't help it. 4 men squeezed onto one motorcycle is always funny.
21. i am thankful that i have the opportunity to be in china and gain an appreciation for all that i have back home. i will never take a western toilet for granted again.
22. i am thankful for life. that it is different everyday. that there are different challenges everyday that we have to get through. and that even if we don't make it through those challenges in one day, there is always tomorrow.
23. i am thankful for skype and that i am able to talk to my family on it. being away would be so much harder if i wasn't able to talk to my family.
24. i am thankful for chinese lessons. i don't take advantage of them like i should and i am about going crazy by the end, but i am thankful that i have the opportunity to learn a little chinese.
25. i am thankful for books. i really wish i had a book to read right now. we have limited resources here in china. you see, most of the books are in chinese. it makes it a little difficult to know what the books are about.
26. i am thankful for the asians and their long fingernails that scratch my head at the washee washee.
27. i am thankful that i got my moms curly hair. i would look a lot more homeless in china if my hair wasn't curly. thanks mom.
28. i am thankful that i have a bug net on my bed. and that i don't have any mosquito bites.
29. i am thankful for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints.
30. i am thankful for the people who enjoy my photography. there are times when i question myself and my skills, but when i hear that people enjoy my photos it puts the questions to rest. so thank you.
31. i am thankful for my computer and that i brought it to china with me. i don't why i ever thought to leave it home. that would have been the biggest mistake.
32. i am thankful that the big market has spaghetti and sauce. mixing spaghetti into my meals makes me feel a little more american.
33. i am thankful for the quick-e-mart and the 2 yuan ice cream.
34. i am thankful for mcdonalds hot fudge sundae. it always hits the spot after a long day in the chiner.
35. i am thankful for catherine and the funny things she says. idear. chiner. specier. the list goes on and on. she is a jewel and a gem.
36. i am thankful for my poopey pocket pants and that they keep me warm and keep me from getting mosquito bites.
37. i am thankful for peanut butter. i have never loved peanut butter and jelly more than now. pb and j is almost as good as rice sometimes. hard to believe, i know.
38. i am thankful for the truck that plays "happy birthday" every morning while it sprays down the road. it makes me smile as i roll out of bed and marks the beginning of another day in china.
39. i am thankful for sunshine. the sun is always shining in china. unfortunately it is always behind the clouds so i never get to see it, but when i do, it is so great.
40. i am thankful that we have to walk to the market, post office, bank...everywhere. i like having a reason to get out of the apartment and see china at it's best.
41. i am thankful for the porter family. they are a huge example to me and have given me far more than i deserve.
42. i am thankful for june 26. i can't wait to see my family and friends.
43. i am thankful that i am going to delta for the 4th of july. best demolition derby-fireworks show combo. if anyone wants to come, you are more than welcome.
44. i am thankful for the girls that i am in china with. i am learning more and more from them everyday. some of the stuff i am learning is insightful and extremely useful and some of it is completely pointless, but will be useful at some point in my life.
45. i am thankful for music. there would be many nights i lie awake if it weren't for the soothing sounds of fight! singing me to sleep.
46. i am thankful that i can sing as loud as i want, whenever i want here and don't care who hears me.
47. i am thankful that when i have to get mad at the kids at school. they forget about and are always excited to see me the next morning.
48. i am thankful. for technology. it would be so hard being here if i had no means of communication other than post mail.
49. i am thankful for optimism. there is no reason to be down when the sun is shining and you have been granted another day. take advantage of it. there is only one today, live it up before it becomes yesterday.
50. i am thankful that these 50 things came so easily. i thought this was going to be a lot harder than it was. PSYCH. your turn.

until next time.
peace and love. from the chiner.

i'm looking through you.

i'm floating.
on a river called life.
one minute i'm floating.
the next i'm struggling for air.

i'm standing.
on a mountain called fear.
one minute i'm climbing.
the next i'm falling to the end.

i'm soaring.
in the sky called bliss.
one minute i'm high.
the next i'm two feet from the ground.

i'm climbing.
in a tree called knowledge.
one minute i'm in the branches.
the next i'm in the roots.

i'm walking.
through a street called unknown.
one minute i'm comfortable.
the next i'm unsure of everything.

i'm swimming.
through an ocean called beauty.
one minute i'm in awe.
the next i'm terrified.

i'm looking.
through a person called you.
for an answer.
of what to do.