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China was a treat. Was it China, or was it the 60-70 degree temps, coupled with great fellowship of our friends who still live there? And there's just something homey about being there. The girls and I stayed for 10 days with our friends while the daddies attended some meetings.

Moments worth noting:

--After the dads came back from their meetings, my dear friend Amy and I took a getaway to Hangzhou. Early that morning at the bus station, I had awoken with a sore throat and went off to look for a cup of hot water. (This should be easy in China as everyone drinks hot water with their breakfast.) I approached the service counter and asked for hot water. She replied:
"You beizi ma?" (Do you have a cup?)
"Mei you." (No.)
"Mei ban fa" (It's impossible, i.e., there's no hope for you to get hot water.)
And then she said she'd sell me one for "yi mao", (less than a penny). I suppose she meant, "If you want to get this water for FREE, then it's compeltely hopeless. But if you're willing to fork over a fraction of a cent, then we can talk." I'm not making an economic comment here-- truly, a beggar would be offended if you gave them this coin. Baffling.

--As we took the bus from one city to another, I noticed a big change since we lived here 6 years ago. Formerly as you travelled through the countrysides, all you would observe would be farmer's communities of concrete slab housing. Field after field after field of rice paddies. But six years later I noticed that these "between cities" communities were much more developed. Attractive housing, businesses, roads built into the hills, thriving little cities.

...That's all that comes to me now. And some new pictures are in order. I love these cultural ones, caputured by amateur photographer and dear friend Shelly Au!