Beautiful Days and Visa Issues

So...I was supposed to go to Hong Kong this past week to get my visa done for the rest of the year. I was ready to go (I think). I was dreading going to Hong Kong because that place is expensive, or so I've been told. I was probably gonna take a train there and possibly fly back or maybe a train both ways. That is why I did not wanna go...because it takes about 27 hours by train to get from Zhengzhou to Hong Kong. But on Thursday (last week) I got a message saying not to buy train tickets yet. Why? I went to talk to this lady who sent this message and she said it is possible that I would be able to get the visa I have now extended 30 more days....Wow, I thought that would be wonderful. So Friday (last week) I get a message from her. "We got approved for the extension."....I was extremely excited. Now I can take care of the visa for good over the winter holiday.

Last weekend I went to Zhengzhou to do some shopping. I needed to get a few things but ended up not getting so much. I got some candles (Vanilla), bathroom things and some apple juice. Man I love apple juice....its so delicursh (that's how most students here say delicious)...I still have a little bit left so I need to get some again soon. I wanted to get a beanie or two but I could not find one that I liked. Well I did find one that I like but it was too expensive. Also in Zhengzhou, we had lunch and this Brazilian BBQ restaurant. This place was soooooo gooooooood....They have buffet items you can get but they also have these waiters go table to table with slabs of meat on swords. When they stop at your table, you can get meat from them. You have tweezers type things to hold on to the meat as they cut it off the sword. There are so many different types of meats...chicken wings, pork, ribs, sirloin, and rib-eye...just to name a few....this place is ALL YOU CAN EAT.....man I tore up some Brazilian BBQ...

This past week of classes were really good. Our topic was Food, Recreation and Entertainment....For the food they would do a skit after we compared American Style and China Style Restaurants. The skits were usually really funny..sometimes not so funny. But many times, the group who would do the American style restaurant, they would order food such as a Hamburger or Steak...or some kind of food that I would love to eat soon...Oh well, I think I can wait until June 2009 for a juicy steak at home (hint hint mom) But when they would order their fake food my mouth would seriously salivate....its all good...

Kid Castle on Tuesday night was pretty good. I taught happy birthday AGAIN...I just taught happy birthday two weeks ago here at SIAS and I was tired of that song...seriously...So I had to teach happy birthday two more times...Oh well...the kids are funny and hopefully they enjoyed it....



This past week we had three really beautiful days in a row. It was awesome. Blue skies, mountains and most importantly...sun. Here are a few pictures...you might think this is lame but its rare to have one day like this here...In the second picture the sun is so bright I can not keep my eyes open...crazy...then the sun setting behind the mountains...



Last night I went with Andy, Lacy and George to eat some ghetto hot pot (sorry Andy and Lacy...I jacked your pictures)...Let me explain hot pot to ya...Hot Pot is a place where you have a pot in the middle of your table boiling. You can buy vegetables and stuff to put into the water to cook and you also get thin slices of raw meat that you put into the pot to let cook. It does not take it too long to cook. Last night we had tofu, sliced potatoes and potato noodles, regular noodles and various veggies. Last time I had this place we only had one flavor..just the regular. This time we had a divider in our bowl...one said was regular and one was spicy. I was very excited because I love me some spicy food. So there was this ball thing (the brown thing beside my mouth in that photo) that was in the spicy side...So I get my chopsticks and grab the ball...blow on it a little and shove it in my mouth. Wow...I was on fire...I don't think I have ever had anything so spicy in my life. It was almost unbearable to me. But I hate more spicy stuff even though I was tearing up after the first thing I ate. George, however, tore up the spicy, I threw in the white towel eventually but he is a soldier. He kept tearing but that spicy food. I had to stop cause I was in too much pain.

Today I had to go back to Zhengzhou to the PSB (Public Security Bureau..I think)...Like I said early my visa got extended another 30 days so I had to go to the PSB today and answer a few questions. It wasn't bad at all...but it was a little cold in there.

Anyways...that has been my past week...so hopefully you enjoyed it...maybe I will start posting more ofter

Holla