Forgot to mention that it sounds like a war is going on outside with all the fireworks.  Can't imagine what it was like last weekend when it was actually spring festival.  We could be living with this noise for awhile...

So i got back into Beijing last night at like 11pm.  I'm still exhausted from all the travel in the last month and a half.  My house is a disaster area due to random things, everywhere, and i have probably a million and one things on the to do list.  Oh yeah, and I have to teach tomorrow.  So not looking forward to that one.  I really need to spend time this week on lesson planning as well.  My sleep schedule is all screwed up... at like six oclcok i started taking a nap and didn't wake up till nine...hopefully i'll still sleep tonight if my tired body is any indication.  Time at home was really good though. Pictures of the last month and a half to come!

Wow, so lots has happened since I last wrote!   Grad class is done for the time being, although I have a few assignments to finish.  After that I went to the CRWM retreat at the Suan Bua and got so severely ill that I visited the hospital for 2 and a half days.  That was interesting, and way better than my previous Thai hospital stay two years ago.  At least this time around I had tons of visitors, and the nurses spoke English.  I was on the international floor this time around, so my room was really nice.  Then I had to go back up to the Suan Bua for my other organization's conference which lasted a week.  It was a great time of refereshment aside from the fact that 85% of the people from both conferences were REALLY ill due to something going around at the resort.  Frankly, I really hope we don't return to the Suan Bua because this is the second time this has happened to me, and I really don't love the idea of it happening again.  Someone made the comment that I should just check into the hospital next year and save myself the trouble of coming down the mountain.  Personally, I never want to feel like that again.  After conference I spent a few days hanging out in Chiang Mai and then the round of crazy air travel began: 

 

Sunday I flew from Chaing Mai to Bangkok, and Bangkok to Beijing, then Monday morning I flew from Beijing to Tokyo, from Tokyo to Detroit, and Detroit to Grand Rapids!   SO here I am visiting GR for aprox. 11 days, though most of Tuesday and Wends. were spent sleeping/resting and then Thurs-Sat. have/will be spent getting ready for my parent's anniversary party.  Sunday is visiting fellowships all day which i am really excited about, and then next week I don't have plans yet.  I depart for Beijing on Sat Feb 24 and resume teaching on the 27th.  More from the America adventures to come...so far this week I've lazied about the house, visted the mall twice, visited my dad's shop, and visited my best friend, Keriann's classroom.  Yea for seeing old friends!