Hainan Island

For my holiday in October I went to Hainan Island.  My first tropical island.  I stayed in the Holiday Inn Resort on the beach.  It was so nice and so amazing.  Ironically there was a typhoon while I was there.  So for two days I had to stay in the hotel and off the beach.  But the hotel had nice things to do like an exercise room and a spa.  I traveled with two other teachers.  We had fun inspite of typhoons and I would definently go back to Hainan.

 

Hong Kong is Way Cooler than I Thought

So I'm in Hong Kong for the second time in my life and have discovered that it is a very cool city.  I have to exit every 60 days, because of my visa.  So I came to HK this weekend with another teacher.  We walked around Kowloon area then took a ferry across the bay to HK Island.  She wanted to spend the night so we found the Hong Kong Hostel and booked a room, which is in Causeway Bay overlooking the water and the sailboats.  It's so pretty.  The subway is a fantastic way to get around, so fast and easy to use.  I really wish more cities in America would have subway systems.  At night the streets are bugeoning with people.  So many people in HK.  It feels like New York City.  We took the tram up to the Peak that overlooks HK.  It is so beautiful at night.  Anyways I'm excited to re-discover HK and realize that I do like it.  I look forward to exiting in another 60 days here.  Now that I'm in HK I will update my blog for friends and family to know what has been happening these past weeks while I've been on the mainland.

My Nephew

I saw my nephew for the first time when I went home. He is so amazing.  I've talked to him on skype before.  When he saw him for the first time he kept touching my face to make sure I was real.  It was so cute.  Babies are amazing.  

My Uncle's Family

Coming home is about family.  It's been great to see my family that knows me so well.  This is my uncle, world traveller himself and a magic musician.  Whatever instrument he touches it's like magic, because he can make the most beautiful sounds, whether it's guitar, banjo, piano, or erhu.  On one of his world tours he met a beautiful Taiwanese girl.  It's quite the romantic tale.

Swing Dancing

When I came back to America one of my goals was to go swing dancing.  I love swing dancing.  It's such great exercise and a great safe social thing to do.  I went with one of my girlfriends from college who likes to swing dance, too.  There was a live band playing Dixieland jazz.  It's so wonderful to be back in America listening to live music and dancing again.  In China people dance at night in the park, too.

Seattle Symphony

It was wonderful to return to the music community here in the NW.  I attended the Seattle Symphony's final concert for the year.  My mom took me out and we dressed up and we had a good mother/daughter time.  It's nice to see the familiar faces of many musicians I know, respect, and love.  It was a nice surprise to see one of my former stand partners sitting in the first violin section of the symphony.  Playing with the Seattle Symphony had been one of my dreams and aspiration. I was headed in that direction before I injured my arm and had been given an audition with the symphony.  But God decided to take me down a different path that led to China and I'm grateful.  

Home in the NW

Yeah I'm home in the NorthWest.  I can breath in fresh air.  It is so beautiful here.  I love my hometown, my home state, my home country.  Returning to America has helped me see it with new eyes.  I love America and appreciate her more.  We have so much freedom.  After living in a communist country coming home has been a huge shock for me.  I was not prepared for the reverse culture shock I would experience coming back.  When I first got off the plane I was so surprised to be surrounded by so many large, tall, fat, sloppily dressed people.  People have so much more freedom here in America.  Even the trees are freer.  They can grow naturally.  In China the trees are constantly pruned and moved wherever.  You see trees planted in perfectly straight rows that don't seem natural, actually it is eerie.  You see men moving 30 feet trees to desired locations.  I can walk on grass now and not be in trouble.  You can't walk on the grass in China.  America is so beautiful.  In Chinese America translates into literally beautiful land and it is.  Today I watched some sailboats on the sound.  I had to let out a big old whoop, "I'm home and I'm free."