ALASTAIR + LALEINIA

We order drinks from a local shopkeeper about every two weeks. This delivery, we ordered water, Pepsi, Sprite, and Fanta (orange soda). He arrived with our boxes of beverages, but our order of Fanta was not there. In its place, there was a box of an assortment of Santas. So instead of getting 6 bottles of Fantas, we got 6 Santas. After gaining our composure from our fit of laughter, we decided to buy a Santa. Just a minor miscommunication to start off the Christmas season!

We teach. Alastair and I teach at a school called Luoyang #2 Foreign Language School. We teach at the middle school Monday- Thursday. On Thursday and Friday I (Lain) teach at the primary school and Alastair teaches only on Fridays.  This week, I decided to take the camera with us at the primary school so we could snap pictures of the students. Enjoy! Recess "I like: lollipops and ice cream." Pretty much what every kid drew. My students Alastair told them to smile instead of raising their hand. This is what he got, the "open real wide smile." Boy in the center, my favorite!

Mango smoothie, 8 pizzas, mashed potatoes, clam chowder, and cheesecake! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love feasting and being in the company of my family. This year, of course, was exceptionally different. We did have a feast. Instead of the traditional turkey, we had pizza. Instead of my family, we enjoyed the company of our colleagues. Alastair and I are both thankful for a wonderful school who treated us to dinner. Li and Kim, our liaisons This Thanksgiving was one of the best Thanksgivings because it helped me to celebrate the true meaning of this holiday. Of course, I'm thankful for my Alastair, family, my Heavenly Father, my Savior, and everything in between. But, I'm especially thankful to have had this experience of living and teaching in China. Today, it hit me like a brick wall that we are leaving in 5 weeks. I well up with tears thinking of leaving so soon. The best thing I can do is enjoy these last few weeks and to leave with no regrets

Sometimes you just need to get away from your surroundings. Like in Modesto, you just need to take a trip to San Francisco every so often. We just had to get a change of scenery, so we went for a quick weekend trip to Xi'an. We already went to the Terracotta Warriors, so we didn't do that again. We just spent the weekend shopping at Muslim Quarter, eating delicious barbecue, and making a few trips to Dunkin' Doughnuts. There's just some things you miss when you don't get it too often, like doughnuts and hot chocolate, especially when it's getting cooler. It was nice to just sit and relax while sipping on hot chocolate.  While in Xi'an, we decided to check out a museum. We really enjoyed looking at all the statues. The lighting on the subjects made it exceptionally magnificent.   Our favorite part of this trip was admiring all the colorful leaves falling from the trees. There were all hues of red, green, yellow, and brown. It finally felt like fall.