Visit, Finals, Travel, etc.

Hey, sorry for the absence. Life here has been super busy, yet amazing!

Cousin Francesca was here for about a week, listening to lectures and touring around the city.  I got an email last week saying that the next day she would be touring around my campus! I called her the next day and when she told me where she was, I said see you in 30 seconds and ran to hug her. Seeing a family member in a foreign county is pretty fun, especially when it’s not planned and it is the second continent on which it has happened. (A few summers ago, we both ended up in London at the same time). 3 continents down, 4 more to go. She was really busy, but I was able to show her some of the local spots. I took her and her friends out one night to our favorite local restaurant, Hole In the Wall (that’s not its name, we don’t know it, but it is just this tiny restaurant totally off the beaten path where the locals eat). We went to the silk market and ate dinner with my Iranian friends (see photo below). Then the night before she left, Francesca and I along with her friends got massages and cupped! Pictures of our adventures soon to come; she had the camera for most of our escapades.

Things are winding down in China. This week we have our Chinese final!!!! Time to study! The day after Thanksgiving we travel to Yunnan and Sichuan; we will visit Tibetan areas as well as a visit to the pandas!!!!!!! We are all super stoked.

I teach my English class tomorrow night, I am going to teach them about Obama and American universities and then we are going to play the game Taboo! The class is really cool.  I have shown the students pictures of my family and friends and they all think that everyone is “gorgeous” and “handsome”, obviously.

I miss you guys much, I hope all is well!