A wonderful night in Nanjing

Just another delightful night in Nanjing.  I went to the Confucius temple and night market it was so pretty and had neat little shops here are a few photos from it.   The tree photos are just photos I saw while I was walking around today.  I thought it was neat that this is just in an apartment complex growing randomly.   

Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving this year was very different for me.  I have to say it was one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever  had.   Our on boarding group got back together for Thanksgiving and it was just an amazing day.  Two friends from on boarding were gracious enough to host us at their house and we all gathered for a meal of duck, chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, veggies and more...it was good times and good laughs.  It was interesting because it really felt like a Thanksgiving day back home.  While a few of us were on our way over there we all had a moment where we forgot the stores would be open because it just felt like we were back home and everything would be closed.

We made turkey hands and ate and drank wine together like it was old times.  We all laughed at the memories or our on boarding days and emails exchanged between all of us before we made it to China.  It just felt so nice to be around the people that started this adventure with me. They truly feel like family.  The people that you have shared the best of times and sometimes the worst of times.  They shared the beginning the craziness that was the flight to China, on boarding and figuring out China.
We went out later that night and just got to let loose and have fun it was great to have some down time with these people again.  I know I shared the photos on facebook but here are some of my favorites.

Fall in Nanjing!

 Hehehe China

 The buildings are the coolest...

 I love the random art on the walls...

 Little bit of fall....

 Random

 Fall....

 Yay! Fun Statue

 The Sweater Store that is my favorite place... The best and the worst thing in Nanjing :)

How a great day of wandering today.  I love the days where I just wander the city :)

November

Well winter is hitting here in Nanjing.  While it is not horribly cold yet it is getting colder as the days go by.  It is interesting because here in China after a certain point in November it is time to turn on the heater. It doesn't matter how cold or hot it is outside the heaters are on because that is what you do after a certain date.  The kids show up no matter what in at least four layers now because it is past October and that is what you do.  We are having the battle at work with the Local staff because they have turned on the heat which means we loose control of our air in our classrooms and now it is the heat air or nothing.  And when you have two projectors and 15 children with singing in dancing it very quickly heats up.  

I wish I could transfer some of that heat to my house.  It is obviously a challenge living in China with the language barrier and I knew that coming into coming to China but sometimes there still surprises...such as I forgot that the remotes to my ac would be in Chinese so now I can't figure out how to turn the heat on.   There for the house is freezing all the time.  I did by a space heater today though it is little but hopefully will be enough to heat my bathroom.  I am leaving it by my bed so it heats at least part of the room so it isn't sooo cold.   

I have talked before about China days.  The days that China seems to kick your butt.  Today was one of those days.  I am sick and I didn't sleep well last night so it didn't start my day off well then I have construction that is next to me that starts so early that I am always woken up by it.  

I got to work only to find out that there are changes coming my way that are not going to be fun.  While I am a very adventurous person and love to be spontaneous I am not always someone that loves change.  So needless to say that it didn't help the day.  On top of it all it has been cold and rainy so it makes for a down mood.   

The upside to China days is just when you think that China has almost won for the day something happens to make the day better.  Tonight it was fireworks right outside work.  When something happy happens in China people shoot off fireworks....often times they are just fire crackers but tonight they were the really pretty fire works that are set off on the Fourth of July. They were so pretty and just what I needed to end the day on good terms with China :) :)