November 21 2008
This was a great week. Last weekend I went out with Lucy and her family. We went out to dinner and ate "hot pot", which is a favorite style of eating during the winter. It's where there is a big pot of boiling water in the middle of the table, and raw vegetables and meats that you can place in the water, boil it, and fish it out of the pot once it's cooked. You dip it in various sauces and then eat it. It's really tasty.
     

Also, when I went to Lucy's house to pick her up, I noticed that she had set up her new Christmas tree. I found it very amusing that she put up the tree as soon as she had gotten it from my American friends who returned home a month ago. I wonder if she'll keep it up all year. She has a big Christmas party planned for all of her students on Christmas night. It should be a lot of fun, and she's planning on telling them all about the origins of the holiday!

I went back out to the countryside at the beginning of the week. Lisa and I hung out and had some really good conversations together. She told me I can stay at her house rather than staying in the local hotel. This was a very kind offer, so I was happy to accept. She manages a local appliance store, which her father owns. He requires her to live in the back of the store, to deter burglars. She doesn't like her small living space, but I thought it reminded me of a really cool fort. There is a ladder next to the office computer, and her bedroom is situated in the small area in the ceiling.
                 

In the morning we had the normal breakfast food; noodle soup loaded up with veggies, meat, and spices. We went to one of the many street-side shops. It was delicious!
   

I visited BinBin's family later that day, before heading back to my city. I stopped by the vegetable market where the mother works. BinBin's little brother, DiDi was there with his mom for the day. BinBin was at school. DiDi is getting so much bigger and as he gets older he looks like BinBin did when I first me her a year ago. Very cute and friendly.
   

Today I got an excited call from Lucy. She was really fired up about what she had been learning in the Book, and wanted to talk and study together. I was happy to hear her enthusiasm. We had lunch together and then I went to hang out with my friend, Apple, for a while. Apple owns a small shop and can speak a small amount of English. We studied the Book together and had a great time.