Minority Village

After finishing up at the mountain, we rode down the cable cars to a large park which highlights the various minorities who inhabit the different parts of the province (or the overall country). It was a little too spread out, and our stomachs were growling a little to much to cover it all, but it was good just to see a few of the lifestyles of minorities we haven't seen yet.

Anniversary

We celebrated our anniversary in the big city by testing the cuisines of various Asian countries. We went to a Korean place and a quasi-Japanese restaurant where they at least cook in front of you. The Korean place was most interesting due to the frequency of cats hanging around the place and the one which darted for his life out of the front door! We were also way too giddy over the fact that we could watch movies--in English at the stadium-seating theater. We probably could have watched Ishtar in there and we still would have been happy. Who says dinner and a movie is a lame date?

Dragon Gate 2

Here are some of the views of the gate and from the gate.

Dragon Gate

While on our anniversary excursion, we visited the nearby mountain and climbed up to the Dragon Gate overlooking the city. The stairs were a bit perilous at times, but we managed to do ok. Along the way we encountered some interesting signs, spider-webs, and random people who just wanted to take a picture.

Good Friends, Good Times

We were so refreshed and delighted to have some friends from our home fellowship visit the university for a few days. They got to speak in our classes and play games with the students. But the main reason they were here was to do a concert. It was amazing and we have gotten to have many impactful conversations about the songs they sang. We were sad to see them go, but thankful for the time we got to spend with them.

Some more daily life!

Here are some more of the strange(yet common) things we see as we are riding the bus or walking around campus or town.

Making JiaoZi

Some of our students invited Robyn over to make jiaozi(or dumplings) with them. It was a great time for getting to know the girls better and getting to see where they live and how they manage in their very small dorm rooms.

A new kind of cultural experience

Usually, we interact with students or people around town, such as store clerks or waiters. Most of these people are at least within 2 or 3 decades of our age and speak something we can understand...possibly. We had a totally new experience last Saturday when we visited a park near the lake where many elderly folks gather to talk, play games, dance, or play folk music. We had some extra time on Saturday, so we took our books to read while we enjoyed the music. It wasn't long before WE became the major attraction as people crowded around to talk to us and find out who we were. This was a little tough as they spoke NO English. However, we were able to connect a few words together and understand a good deal of what they wanted to say, and we think we told them what we wanted to say as well. Overall, it was a delightful experience, and although it was a little draining to speak so much of their language, it was refreshing to share a cultural experience and to be able to communicate that much in the first place.