I accidentally ate turtle today.
I asked my tea people what would be the best for me because I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. They recommended something I didn't recognize and after taking a bite asked, what is this? Dictionary says! Turtle! Or perhaps turtle shell, I'm not sure. Trying not to think about it too hard. If you would have told Maria a year ago that I'd be living in an apartment with no heat, no dishwasher, and a constant puddle in the bathroom, while teaching 700 students a week in a foreign country and eating foods like TURTLE, I wouldn't have believed it. I've come so far! :)
In other news, I got bricks today! I have been having SUCH a difficult time communicating with the brick makers. I learned all these great brick vocabulary words but when I went to talk with them, they refused to understand me. They just pointed and laughed. Sometimes I get this because of the way I look. They won't even try to understand because I'm a foreigner. But today, my third visit, I finally got through. I got 12 bricks for less than a dollar and rode the back of a scooter for the delivery. My bathroom wall is almost complete! Once this thing is caulked I am confident it will be much more water resistant than the wall I currently have constructed out of clipboards. Now if only I could find some sort of portable tub...
Right now I'm putting together bowls of "body parts" for my Halloween lesson tomorrow. We've been talking about the five senses so tomorrow we'll be describing what we touch. I've got eyeballs and guts and ears and fingers/toes and teeth. Plus I am throwing in a fake spider for giggles. I'm kind of nervous! I hope they like it.
Happy Halloween everyone!

This weekend I:

• Took a 5 hour bus ride from Changsha to Wulingyuan where we stopped on the edge of a cliff to file out of the bus to watch an explosion at the dam construction site. Filed back in to the bus as the sirens were wailing and raced to the park.
• Stayed in a luxurious hotel with carpet, and real beds with real pillows and a Western toilet and a BATHTUB. The closest I've been to a bath since I left home was filling a bucket with hot water and standing in it.
• Explored one of the largest caves in Asia complete with disneyland lighting and an underground boat ride. Also: dressed up in old fashioned minority clothing and got the giggles at how surreal my life is. In a cave, in china, playing dress ups.
  
• Took an arial tram to the top of the highest peak in Wulingyuan and remembered what home smells like. Trees and dirt and dying leaves. Mmmmm...mountains.
• Hiked down that tallest mountain, got lost for many hours, and happened across a large gathering of wild monkeys. :)
• After about 20 minutes of peace, ran away from the wild monkeys as they angrily and defensively screeched and barked and threw stuff at us. This goes down in history as the scariest thing that has happened to me while hiking. (see above photo: cute monkey and then the photo taken while running away screaming)
• At the bus station headed home, watched Tara punch a man who tried to pick pocket her. It was awesome! He ran away frightened and there was no money lost.
  
• Took a 3.5 hour bus ride home where we arrived back in time to meet the 15 Chinese girls at Tara's house ready to learn how to make spaghetti, which we ate with chopsticks!
  

Wow, what an adventure! I am embarrassed to say how sore my legs are. I believe my exact quote was something like, "Its only 3500 vertical feet in 5 miles, Tara. We could do that in an hour."
Ha!
:)

I've been avoiding writing about Hong Kong because to tell you the truth its been really hard being back here in Changsha. Hong Kong was just like America, or England, or any other Western place. It felt like home. I could speak English, I could eat the food I love, I could read and write and navigate on my own. Things were efficient and organized! The post office made sense! The subway was clean! People were polite! I had completely forgotten what it was like to be somewhere like that. Somewhere easy.
So, this last week was rough. I've been wallowing in self pity. Whining and moping and wishing I was somewhere closer to home. Its pretty gross.
This weekend I decided it was time for a rebirth. Time to to get over myself. I rearranged my apartment. I went to the western grocery store for cereal, soy milk, cheese, salt and pepper, pasta. I went out with a friend and we figured out how to make chocolate brownies in a rice cooker while we watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith and ate microwavable popcorn. Bliss! I was so inspired by our rice cooker brownies, I researched other foods you can make in a rice cooker. Turns out those things are pretty versatile. I went to the market today to buy one and found something even better. A pressure cooker! Tonight I made "baked" potato with broccoli and melted cheese. This alone gives me hope for the rest of the year.
Today while I was at the market I had a major triumph with my Chinese. Not only was I having a conversation with the saleswoman about pressure cookers and what I can and can not do with one...that alone is a feat worth recognizing. But she took me over to another saleswoman who look really apprehensive to talk to me because I'm a foreigner. The woman looked at her and said (in Chinese) "Oh, its okay, she speaks Chinese." :)
I start volunteering at the orphanage this Tuesday and I am starting yoga and belly dancing at my gym. Next weekend I am going exploring in these mountains, a quick 4.5 hour bus ride away.
This place isnt that bad...
Right?

Nimen hao wo de peng you!
I just got in from Hong Kong. Many photos to process and experiences to digest. Above are some photos from October 1st, China's National Day where I cheered wildly with 500,000 others at the most incredible fireworks show I've ever seen. More photos and stories on their way!