There is no place like home.

Yesterday was 37 hours long. For 30 of the hours, I was in and out of airplanes and airports. My internal clock tells me it is 4:30 a.m. right now. China is a strange and beautiful place, and I met so many warm and welcoming people there. I am so thankful to have experienced it, but it feels great to be back in Lawrence, my comfort zone. 

Today I am adjusting to the time difference, relishing all things familiar and re-orienting myself with social media (Chinese firewalls forbade all access to my dear blog, along with facebook, twitter, youtube, etc.). I am looking through the 400+ photos I took on my trip, and I will tell you more about it as soon as I determine where to begin.

In short: I climbed the Great Wall, ate lots of good food (and some weird food) and sang karaoke with Chinese English majors. Nate, Sam, Leslie and Stephanie were fantastic hosts, and I have renewed appreciation for the work they did there and the home they made there. They are dearly loved -- by me and countless Baoding students.

Our group: two Americans from our hostel (who will be studying law in the Northeast next fall),
Nate in back, Leslie, Sam and James the Brit. Please note the stairs.

Very typical family-style meal with a few of Nate's graduating senior boys.
That desserty dish that looks like mashed potatoes with purple icing is...sweetened mashed potatoes.

Very typical Chinese entertainment. Sam has a beautiful voice that would put most of us to shame, but no one seems to care if you can sing well. They just like to perform. I loved it. My best that night was "Cherish" by Madonna.

Now off to pay my last Lawrence rent check.

With love.