Temperatures are rising. A blanket of green can be seen across trees and grasses. Dust somehow finds its way into my eye every time I go outside. And I've pulled out my very old, rusty bike which has already needed several repairs. Yes, Spring is here!! I have loved seeing nature come back to life this year. I've always appreciated this, but it has never been so apparent to me! The grounds crew on my campus has been busy digging up old flower beds and planting new life. Thanks to a very rainless Fall and Winter, Baoding had all but shrivelled up in dryness. I guess my appreciation for new beauty this stems from having adjusted to an environment that really is not as beautiful as home. Other new things have been happening as well. We held our first English Night at Jon and Ryan's campus at the beginning of March, and we held the second one on April 7th. We also started an English Night at Hebei University where I teach on March 31st. These nights are exhausting but incredibly fun! We can't help but laugh along with the students at their sheer joy in seeing us make fools of ourselves in skits or watching their peers play games. Here's a glimpse of what the night looks like:
Playing musical chairs with boys as chairs. The students shrieked in amusement when the found out they had to sit on boys' laps.
Our Kung Fu skit: my character is horrible at kung fu (and style)!
Usually we sing three songs, play a couple of games, perform a skit that has a continuing story, and then end the night with a lecture. Ryan gave the first lecture on loving actively, and Amelia gave the second lecture on how to have hope. These have opened up great opportunities for deep discussions with students concerning these issues. Sometimes this happens during the time afterwards where we just spend time conversing with students who want to practice their English. One boy excitedly waited in a short line to talk with me and when he could, he told me that he's seen me running many times at the track. Only he said it like this: "I see you running - so slow- round and round the ring- so slow. Next time I will come follow you." Haha, luckily I caught his meaning of him wanting to just say hi next time, and I wasn't offended that he emphasized the slow part. : ) Our aim in having English nights is to expose students to American culture and fun and to spread some joy...so far, mission accomplished. : )
My punishment for waiting so long to update my blog is that I have no idea what to write about next. So much has happened! Most notably, my parents and brother came to China!!! We had a blast exploring the sights of Beijing and jam-packing all we could do in two short days before headed to Baoding. We were able to visit Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, 
Temple of Heaven, a large shopping market, and The Great Wall. I've been to Beijing many times, so I wasn't worried about taking my family around without a translator, but a lot of mishaps occured that were out of ordinary. At the first restaurant we went to, I was saying how cheap it would be since we ordered so little, but when the bill came it was over 100 yuan. I guess our server thought Mom and Dad wanted to try the absolute best tea available, because she gave us the 60 yuan pot when I had asked for the free pot of tea! In my broken Chinese I worked it out so we only had to pay half of that. Then, when it came time to leave our hotel and head to the train station, we toted all the suitcases out to a taxi, whose driver took one look at our bags and refused to take us. Confused, we haggled with him until he opened his trunk that we found completely clean and empty...go figure. Anyway, Dad and Nick rode in that taxi, while Amelia, Mom and I rode in taxi whose driver was much more cheerful. I mean MUCH more cheerful. This man was so excited to have foreigners in his car, and though he couldn't speak English well, he managed to say "Mama" and point to every roast duck restaurant we passed insinuating that I should take her there. And who needs English when you can flap your hands and say "wa wa wa" to show that the place served duck? We died laughing every time it happened. Then, he managed to find out it was birthday the next day and sang "Appy buthday tooo yooouuu..." I couldn't have asked for a more heartfelt birthday wish. : )
Overall, my family's visit was incredible. They were able to attend my classes, enduring many questions from my curious and beyond-excited students. They also enjoyed exploring my city by walking streets and simply observing the new culture around them. Outdoor markets, fan dances in the parks, and chunky little babies in split-pants toddling around with their grandparents are just a few of things that fascinated them. I'm so glad to have shared my experience here with them! I think it's impossible to visit here without leaving changed somehow...
And that brings me to a bittersweet note: leaving. There's a month and a half left before I leave for America - our departure date is June 22. Saying goodbye to this place I love now will be extremely difficult. We've been talking a lot about finishing strong and being present in what we're doing now, cause it's easy to get caught up in thinking about home. I can't even believe it's been 7 1/2 months, but looking back, it's fun to see how far we've come - and I'm excited for what our remaining time has in store! There's much left to cultivate in the relationships that have grown and blossomed in miraculous ways so far...we've seen fruit produced and we're anticipating some more!
