...and we're back.

I'm sure I made a promise of one sort or another not to let my online log of my life lapse, as I am also sure I equally promised to add more pictures...





My excuse is two part, firstly that I've been very busy and secondly that I just got my internet access back after moving in September (which doesn't excuse a lack of post for August.

August in Luoyang carried that hard task of saying farewell to my students and coworkers many of whom I will in all likely hood never see again. I know that I was a positive force in their lives during the time I was there, so that made things both easier and harder.



It was easier because they all wished me the best and hard because they were all somewhat glum about me leaving, several of my students (at all levels) cried a little when I told them I was going to be going which is a sort of unhappy compliment.



Then September came around and I got on a plane from ZhengZhou, the capital of Henan province, and flew to Chengdu in Sichuan province where I now am living quite happily. And no, sorry Mom, thats a co-woker and not a girlfriend. She happened to complain that I was too tall and so I remidied the situation for her.

As you can see though, Chengdu is treating me pretty well. As I have probably mentioned before, Chengdu is known as a party city in china. The food is absolutely amazing, the scenery is breathtaking, the historic locations are rather fun, and the women (as you can see) are beautiful.

Not as beautiful as the children though.


This is my morning class, complete with the trouble maker Shaun (the one who does not look Chinese, well entirely Chinese). My morning class is a group of 22-26 (depending on who actually show's up) 3 year olds of various English levels. My afternoon school is where I teach many classes for short periods of time to ages 2-5 but don't get to know the children in the close and person way that I get to know them at the morning school.


Just this last week my afternoon school took all of its teachers on a short trip to a hot spring near Chengdu and then to a famous bridge in that nearby city where we all stopped to take pictures.



The bridge was done in old style architecture which I find beautiful and fascinating on many levels, but mostly I just had a good time running around with my coworkers and taking pictures.









In the group photo with 5 young ladies, the girl in the open gray shirt is Sophie, my co-teacher. In the blue is one of our dance teachers (whose name I don't know yet), in the black is Wendy, our piano teacher, and the other two I regretfully have forgotten who they are.













On a personal note, yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful date with a young lady I met this last week. While I use the word date, we never really called it as such, we just said we were hanging out as friends, but I have reasons to suspect (hope) that there is a potential for more. I don't yet have pictures of her or of many of the other wonderful places in Chengdu yet since I haven't been in the habit of taking a camera with me everywhere I go.