I'm currently sitting in Panera bread, surrounded by the hum of multitudes of people. Internet has been down at my parents' place, so I headed here with the express purpose of doing research for a paper with a due date sooner than I'd like to admit. Instead I'm updating my blog. I need a serious injection of motivation...stat. But while I wait for the caffeine in my coffee to work its magic in substituting for sleep (last night the total was three and a half hours...my body's a little out of whack...there's no one to blame but myself, I totally broke my no naps in the first week rule), I thought I'd clue you in on a few more end of the year activities.
Before the final push, the team took a long weekend retreat to the coastal town of Dalian. I was incredibly thankful for two 9 hour train rides where I had nothing to do (like updating my blog) other than graduate work.
We spent some of the time reflecting on the year, and a lot of time just hanging out and eating Western food. I must admit, Starbucks was likely the highlight of the trip for me. There is just something I love about curling up in a Starbucks armchair early in the morning, starting my day off with a Caramel macchiato. Pure bliss.
We visited the local "amusement" park in Dalian, where the kids (big and small) enjoyed many overpriced rides.
We also headed to the aquarium, which we were herded through in the midst of massive crowds of people just trying to make it to the end of the aquarium in time for the dolphin show. The crowds were massive. I live in China. I'm used to crowds. This was...well, I seriously began to feel claustrophobic in the underwater tunnel exhibit. After seeing the show, we snuck back in the front of the aquarium for a much calmer view of the place.
While in Dalian we also took time to relax on the "beach". As a midwesterner, I know I shouldn't be picky about my beaches. But really...I find piles of pebbles hardly noteworthy. I guess I've been spoiled by the sandy shores of Thailand.
Regardless, the kids seemed to enjoy the plethora of rocks available for throwing into the water.
After returning from the retreat, we had a few weeks left which were jam packed with (but not limited to) the following: grading, giving finals, more grading, team leader appreciation day, teammate goodbye party (to Sarah and Vance, who won't be returning to Siping), end of the year banquet with brothers and sisters, foreign affairs department end of the year banquet, Senior performances, saying goodbye to seniors, arranging the details for the orphanage, packing up all of my belongings in my small office, and a little bit of sleep.
One of my hardest goodbyes this year was with my tutors of two years. Both of them are moving away and I will greatly miss their friendship!
Caffeine is beginning to work its magic. Time for this day's attempt at productivity!
Like I said, there's nothing like Chicago in the summer. Perfect temperatures. Beautiful evening. Free opera in the park. Good friends. Yes, please.
I was blessed by the hospitality of Greg & Noel, who fed me, provided a comfy bed, made mudslides, taught me a new card game, and got me addicted to hewering orcs on PS2.
Every summer Rachel cooks at least one meal for me, and every summer I'm reminded why I keep her around as a friend. :) Ok, even if she wasn't an amazing cook, I'd still be her friend. But it sure is a nice perk! That and the fact that we can talk for hours on end.
These are just a few of my classmates who are graduating from the program this summer. I'm going to miss learning with and from them!
...for more than ten minutes without finding something better to do than write graduate papers with impending due dates.
Alright, you've probably guessed it! I've recently acquired a new lens, and I am super excited about it. I'm looking forward to trying it out as a portrait lens on all those faces I love in Wheaton. I make the drive up this Friday.
After two weeks of selling tickets for the orphanage raffle, we opened up the foreign teacher's library to draw the winners. Excitement was in the air as we drew winners for everything from dinner to a trip to the Great Wall. 
Below is the winner of the trip to the Great Wall with Mark. She was allowed to choose one person to go with her. We felt bad for her, as we were sure many roommates and friends would vie for the coveted position. She ended up taking the safe route of not offending anyone by choosing to take her mother (who has never been to Beijing). Smart girl!
But the most exciting part was the fact that we raised just over 7,000 RMB ($1,000) for the kids. If all goes according to plan, the two kids will be on their way down to the south of China July 5th for treatment.
