My mom and her friend/co-worker Sue made the journey out to Shanghai for the first two weeks in April. They did a lot of sightseeing in Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing and Beijing.

The following pictures are of my spring break trip to Thailand. I went with two other co-workers; Andrew and Michelle. We started off with three days in Bangkok then flew to Phuket for 6 days with an overnight on Koh Phi Phi. Thailand is just amazing!!! I love the people, food and of course beautiful beaches. My assistant teacher from last year is working in Phuket so it was nice to meet up with her and her husband again as well.

My friend Betty and I went to Xi'an for two days to see the "8th wonder of the world" the Terracotta Warriors.

The Terracotta Warriors is one of China's top historical sights. The warriors are over 2,000 years old. In 1974 a peasant that was digging a well uncovered an underground vault that yielded thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers and their horses in battle formation. The warriors were built to protect Qin Shi Huang an Emporer of China. He accomplished many wrong doings during his reign and had his army build and burry the warriors to protect him in his afterlife. It was quite a site to see. The following pictures are of the city of Xi'an and the warriors.

DIRTY THIRTY!!!

My roommate had a huge beach surprise party for me. I went to happy hour with a couple coworkers after work. Anne called to tell me a pipe burst in the office and water was leaking everywhere that I needed to come home quickly and help her. I rushed home and opened the door, all the lights were out in the apartment so.. I yell into the house "I can't believe all the ... power went out too" and a loud "SURPRISE" is shouted from the living room. It was an amazing birthday party and so much planning that went into it. It was another teachers 30th also the following day so it was a nice joint party for us.

Happy Chinese New Year!! I hope you all have a happy and healthy year of the rat!

Anne and I decided to checkout the Yinqixing indoor ski site in Shanghai. It wasn't the best snowboarding experience, but an experience none the less.

My roommate and I went up to Harbin for a fun three day weekend. Harbin is in the far northeast corner of China with a lot of Russian influence. We went up for the Ice Lantern Festival which is held every winter.
I don't think I have ever been so cold in my life. Walking around all day in -20 degrees is never a smart thing to do, but with frequent stops for some hot chocolate and a beer or two to warm us up it wasn't so bad. The ice/ snow sculptures were amazing. Enjoy the pictures:)