The New BYU group!

With a new year comes a new group of teachers. The Qingdao International Branch is composed mainly of Korean members and the BYU English teachers. These English teachers are all retirees  that have volunteered through the David M. Kennedy Center through BYU. The group this year is wonderful. I will miss the old group dearly. Victoria left all the

Spring Festival in the Countryside Day 1

Now the following is not a pity party or a criticism, just fact. One of the paramount reasons for wanting to stay in China this Winter Break was to experience Chinese New Years in China. By the way Chinese New Years in China is more commonly called Spring Festival . Last year I booked it home to

1st Year Anniversary

Well today I hit it, my first year anniversary. I’ve officially been in China for 1 year. As I reflect back on the year I can hardly believe it is already over. As a kid years seemed to crawl by at an unbearably slow rate, now they seem to fly by. As I look forward to

Solo Travel

Okay this is the third time I’ve written this blog. My iPod has been acting up much to my horror. Nothing would solidify my position in the pc camp faster then this baby dying  within the first year let alone the first month! The honest truth, this is my first solo trip. As it comes

Finally home again…well my Chinese home

After what seems like an eternity of travel both in the last two weeks and especially today I’m home again. I can once again sit on the computer for hours on end and stress over lesson plans for classes in will be teaching in less than 48 hours. As a quick cap, the trip was

Last night in Tibet

When we returned to Lhasa from Shigaze we return to the same hotel but new rooms. Our new room had a better view of the neighbors. We couldn’t exactly figure out what they were laying out in the sun but it was interesting to watch nonetheless. Our final night in Lhasa we returned to the

Western Tibet and Shigatze

Tibet Day Three: Today we headed to Shigatze the second largest city in Tibet.   Itinerary: D 5: (B D)  Lhasa to Shigaze Visit the the Yangzhuoyong Holy Lake on the way to Shigaze, you will admire the beautiful scenery on the way.  Overnight in Shigaze (3-4 star hotel)    The ladders are painted in

I’ve been to Tibet and Back

We left Chengdu early Monday morning. By 7:30 we were on the plane to Tibet. I lucked out with the a window seat and marveled at my first glimpses of Tibet.  Our new tour guide met us at the airport. He welcomed us to Tibet giving each person I white scarf. After our welcome he

Le Shan – Giant Buddha

We took a day trip to see the Le Shan Buddha. The drive to Le Shan was beautiful. The countryside in the Southwest is so different from Shandong. It is lush and green with various crops. The Leshan Giant Buddhawas built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at

Xi’an and the Terracotta Warriors

My two week escape around Southwest China started in the ancient city of Xi’an.     We left Weifang Wednesday morning and took the train to Qingdao. Katie wanted to hit up Jimo one final time and with to objections we all tagged along.  I ended up purchasing 3 more pearl necklaces. We caught a taxi to the