What a great break!  I'm back to teaching today, although I've been moved from morning classes to evening classes.  I'm psyched cause I can sleep in again but a little worried that my students will be fried by the time I get to them.  We'll see tonight!

So on the break, I didn't end up going to the Thousand Island Lake or the Stone Forest.  This is China!  No plans!  Miscommunication galore!  :)  Despite that though I still had an awesome time.  We ended up going to this other lake in Hangzhou that was very beautiful and relaxing.  We also ended up at a museum and our Chinese host, Elvin and his family, took us to a tea plantation owned by a family friend.  We also went by a place where they make dried pickled vegetables and we got a ton of free samples (Christmas presents anyone? ^^)  I slept in a real bed and ate so much good food.  It was truly lovely.

First pictures are of my class from last Friday morning and then me and the girls out in Hangzhou at West Lake.  I'll post the rest later.  I've got to go get food and uploading takes a while.

My first session class!

My awesome and wonderful TAs

Heading to West Lake

Beautiful art on the walk there

Merry Mabel looking lovely as usual

Water Lily Garden by West Lake

West Lake is Beauuuuutiful

Walkways and buildings in the middle of West Lake

Neat limestone rock for you rock people

Hanging out with Sadaf and Alice

PIZZA.  NOM NOM NOM.

Light show at West Lake

More pictures from the break to come!