Change of season

The sun is shining and the birds are chirping and everyone is slowing removing the layers. It feels like the beginning of Spring. It even smells like it! The smell of coal burning is no longer the dominant scent creeping into my nose. And I'm beginning to see more smiles on people's faces. It's true that weather can change a person's mood. I'm so thankful it's finally here. Winter is a long one!

There have been other changes than the weather. Because I'm not having to adapt to everything at once like I was last semester (i.e. culture, food, new house, new mode of transportation, etc.) I'm able to focus more on my language. And it's really showing. I see my language improving a lot! And I'm so thankful! My goodness, I thought I was going to stay where I was in language forever. But ah! No! I am moving forward!

I went to dinner last night with my new language tutor and we talked in Chinese the whole time. Granted, she talked so slow for me and I was asking her to repeat things, but still...in Chinese. And yes, we talked a lot about the food we were eating since I could actually see what she was saying instead having to imagine and guess at what she was talking about. But still...in Chinese.

And yesterday I was even translating for some people visiting from the US. Can you believe it? Me, translating in Chinese! I couldn't believe it. That's so crazy!

Snow in Yinchuan

Okay it hasn't snowed in the last week because it's been in the high 60's. This was taken in February but I didn't have my camera until yesterday. Still, it was so great to have snow for a while!

You're not old enough!

About a week ago I went to the eye doctor to try and get reading glasses. My contacts prescription isn't strong enough in one eye so trying to read to books is a little difficult. The words double over and get blurry. I walked in and asked to buy reading glasses. I needed a low prescription of them. I didn't think it would be that difficult because you can walk into a store in the States that doesn't have anything to do with eye care and buy reading glasses. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The people working in there kept asking me how old I was. Each time I told someone that I was 25 they told me I was too young to get reading glasses and they wouldn't let me purchase them! So no reading glasses!

The way that was handled with the Chinese is very similar to how they do a lot of things. It's about rules and what someone else said, rather than looking at the situation itself and making a judgment based on that.

Winter jackets for instance. In the fall they don't put on down coats until a certain date. It doesn't matter if it's been below freezing for weeks, they wait for that date. And although it was still freezing in February they got rid of the down coats. It's about what's always been done. It's interesting to think on it.

You want chicken?

This is the whole chicken that I cooked for Hediah one day. Yes, it had the head and legs still attached. I had to chop those bad boys off! This the little guy before he was beheaded.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Well, we didn't get to hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge like we had planned. All due to Chinese New Year and no buses running. But we did get to see it. It is beautiful.

China continued

Here are some roosters for sale and yes, they're still alive sitting in a basket together. And the beautiful streets and mountains of Lijian, Yunnan. Lijiang is called the "Venice of the East" because water runs through the whole town with all the streets as little alleyways like this one. No cars come into the old part of Lijiang because the streets are so narrow.

Picturesque

The country-side and mountains of Yunnan Province, China. Isn't is breathtaking?

China con't

One of these pictures is Lijiang decorated for Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). Red is the color of choice and balls are the shape of choice and they're everywhere! And this is the time of year that fireworks are going off 24/day. Americans typically enjoy the ones that are colorful and big things to see. Chinese prefer the louder ones! And the other two pictures are of meat hanging, obviously. This is how they sell meal all over the country. They want you to be able to see what you're buying:) One of the pictures if of Duck. You can see the beaks!

China has begun

These pictures start my trip through southern China. I spent 10 days in Yunnan Province: a few days in the capital city, Kunming, then onto Dali and Lijiang.
These are the Bai women in their traditional dress and a picture of the city of Dali with the mountains in the background.