April Showers Bring...

...well, I don't really know yet. but they do have some serious April showers here.

This morning the weather is actually beautiful, sunny and a little chilly.  I just had a little "wow, I'm in China" moment on my Sunday morning run.  I decided to take a turn I hadn't before, and I noticed some big metal structure in the distance, which usually means a park.  I made my way over, dodging cars and bikes and slow-walking groups of people, and found myself on a sidewalk path by a river, with little duck boats and paddle boats in the water.  The path was lined with impressively straight rows of trees, and there was a great deal of foot traffic.  Over the sound of my own music in my earphones, I could hear some Chinese music from somewhere.  I rounded a corner, and bang: I'm in the middle of 50 women doing a synchronized dance routine.  As I continued on the path, I came on groups and groups of them, everywhere the pah widened, some with fans, some with pieces of costumes, and some who looked like they were just walking by and said "hey, I'd like to join that dance."  Little moments like that keep me excited about being here.

Last night, we were invited to the wedding of our school's graphic designer/[fill in one of the 40 other things she does for us].  It took place at a beautiful restaurant complex, across the street from another park with dancing water fountains.  It was a pretty western-style wedding, but with some interesting Chinese twists thrown in.  My favorite part of the evening was probably people watching.  The styles of dress here are incredibly varied and interesting; people really spend some time creating unique looks for themselves.  And the shoes...  Right before I left for China, I really started getting into shoes for myself, and since I've been here, I'm constantly being surprised and delighted by all of the different varieties (yes, I feel a little weird about admitting this).

The wedding was beautiful, and it was fun to see all of the staff from work dressed up, hair done, having a great time.  During dinner, we got to see a video of the traditional ceremony that had happened the night before.  The groom and groomsmen have to break through a wall of bridesmaids to get through to the bride, showering them with confetti and bribing them for entry along the way.  The groom, one of the nicest guys I've ever met, really hammed it up for the video, too.

Thursday was the Qing Ming festival, which I hear is meant for the sweeping out of ancestors' tombs. I didn't see much going on that day, but we got a day off of school.  The week before I was in the Philippines at a beautiful little resort in Dauin.  Only did one day of diving this time, but it was a perfectly relaxing holiday.  I feel ready to buckle down and finish off this school year.  This week, we have a whole mess of professional development scheduled during school with an English language learning strategist, so that should be interesting.  We also have third quarter reports to finish, and student-led conferences to get ready for.  I got a little ahead of the paperwork/planning game on my vacation, so I'm ready for new things.

Only a couple of months until the end of school, and most likely a trip back to the states.  I'm looking forward to seeing the family and friends again sometime soon.

Peace,
Jon