December is a month full of reminders of Christmas and the upcoming holidays. It is the same here in Beijing. Our school is loaded with christmas trees, candy canes, and ho ho ho's.....it makes me sad to not be around familiar surroundings and people. Yesterday I got a Merry Christmas CD from my friends in Sackville and it was a true gift, something that made me happy, yet sad not to be there. It is hard to believe that it has almost been 4 months since I landed. What an adventure it has been! I continue to experience new things, meet great people and work harder than I ever have had before. I recently travelled to Xi'An which is a city south of Beijing famous for the Terra Cotta Warriors. These warriors are all man made and each one is unique. They were accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1974 who has been made famous (and rich!) as a result. While we were there we got to meet him, get his signature and take his picture. We travelled down on a sleeper train over Friday night which for me was a highlight in itself and flew back on Sunday morning. It was a fast trip but full of lots of exciting sightseeing.
It is now less than 2 weeks until we depart for Bangkok, Thailand. We spend 3 days there and then fly into Phuket which is the beach we are staying at for just under 2 weeks. I am very much looking forward to a break from the school and my students and some much needed rest and relaxation. Thanks for reading this short message. Things are going fairly well for me..this whole experience very much seems like a fog that I haven't come through yet...it should be an interesting year.
