New way to see the pictures!

Hello all! We have made a decision on how we will upload photos to our blog. Because blogspot will only allow us to upload 5 pictures at a time, we have decided to use facebook which allows us to upload 60 at a time, but don't you worry all you non-facebook users, we can still share them with you! Below are the links you can use to take a look! We just want you to know that these pictures do no justice for pretty much everything we have seen, they are all about a thousand times better in real life! If any of you would like to see all 4000+ pictures you are welcome to do so when we return home. We love you all!

China Album 1
China Album 2
China Album 3
China Album 4

There are some repeat pictures in the first 2 albums or so, but the others are all new from our trip to "The Wild West of China" Yes that's right we traveled to the Yunnan Provence which is bordered by Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Tibet, and Sichuan (where the big earthquake was), we were also within about 50 miles of India. We got to see lots of different things in this non-exhaustive list.

Tibetan culture including people, religion, and of course food!

Many Chinese minority groups in all the villages, including the Naxi and Yi people!

We saw the famous Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at 18,044 Feet!

We hiked Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is the worlds deepest Gorge at 12,795 Feet deep!

We saw and hiked to a huge glacier in the shadow of Mt. Kawa Karpo at a staggaring 22,113 Feet!

We also were able to visit the cities of Lijiang, Shang-rila, Deqin, Feilai Si, Kunming, Dali, and rode bikes and drove through countless small villages and rice fields.

Over all we have to say it was a great trip! 12 days of adventure on overnight buses, hostels, villagers, old Chinese women trying to get us to smoke weed (the people in this area use marijuana seeds as a spice on their food), and about anything else you could imagine! Enjoy the pictures and there are some videos below for your entertainment!

Tamara's 25th Birthday Surprise party!

An alternate habit instead of smoking. We are trying to promote it here in China. They have great sunflower seeds.


A view of the sunset from our campus.
This is one of our favorite dishes here. They are fried peanuts, with some kind of dark vinegar, cilantro, and garlic. They are amazing.


Michael is a great husband for many reasons. Most recently he has won his wife's heart by planning a surprise party with all of our students. The cake was beautiful.



Date night for celebrating five month anniversary! We have been trying to utilize the nice facilities at the police academy. Such as the bowling alley. Someday Tamara may break 100 points.
Bowling at the Police Academy!
Flying some Chinese Kites.


Some ultimate!
We don't think that a piece of playground equipment such as this would be approved in the states, but we thought that one like it in someones yard would be cool! This is a picture of the Beijing 1st and 3rd Branches at the summer goodbye BBQ. Many of the Expats go back to the states for the summer.
If I wasn't white they might let me be in the real Beijing Police Force.

They will let Tamara in because she makes a dang good looking Police Officer!
Favorite Chinese past time: Karaoke!!! Funny thing is, we are the only two who don’t drink yet we have just as much fun and are just as crazy dancers as they are.
All you can eat pizza buffet exists in China!!!
For a change it was really a treat to eat pizza with our students. Yes, it was different than in the states but we still indulged on every bite of cheese consumed!

Michael is an even happier man now that a friend let us borrow their guitar. He was a big hit in this weeks English talent show for class. Tamara also has enjoyed the wooing by her handsome and very talented husband.

We have been asked to help out in the nursery.


This is our friend Jesse, who we have been staying with on the weekends!
We found these beauties while we were out shopping.

Michael is a great husband for many reasons. Most recently he has won his wife's heart by planning a surprise party with all of our students. The cake was beautiful.

Thats right, you are related to us, and don't try to deny it, we now know how to blog and we will not hesitate to create a blog all about our family that would prove the fact that yes, indeed, we are part of your family.

Life's lessons learned in China
Things just take longer in China (with the exception of erecting tall buildings which appear after an incredibly short time of construction). For example, traveling to our church member friends Brock and Ginnie Fox's house for Friday night dinner and games takes about two hours during rush hour (we had brownies, ice cream and great company which made the entire crazy trip worth it). Even Michael, a fairly large man by Chinese standards, suffered casualties after experiencing way too many people being squished into a bus. It was a miracle we could even get off at our stop. Oh, memories of public transportation. Gotta love it!

Party Hopping
Once again we experience the joys of going out to eat with our students who are always extremely surprised that we don't drink. Both classes we teach planned their dinner party on the same evening. Luckily they were both in the same restaurant so we could rush back and forth from one group to the other. We have concluded the the word "delicacy" indicates the need to closely inspect what shows up on the serving platter to identify what it may be (usually we have no idea and someone has to look it up in the dictionary to tell us. Example: tendons and cartilage). Simple common food is preferred and usually more edible to us.




We don't remember the name of this game, but the table is huge!

Sichuan Earthquake
Everyone has greatly felt the loss of the earthquake in the South. This week has been a week of morning for the country and we feel that it has brought the country together as a whole. Every week we show a film. This week we chose "World Trade Center" about 9-11. It was very sobering and thought provoking for the police officers. We had a good discussion about preparedness. Now everyone in our classes knows about 72 hour kits and food storage.

One-on-one Interviews
Each week we have personal interviews with each student. Feedback indicates that they have an appreciation for our teaching style. Our game plan pretty much is just to have fun in order to create an environment where they can open their mouths to speak English and to get them thinking for themselves (FYI, this is NOT the traditional way English is taught at schools in China). Class favorites include: debates or discussion groups on hot topics, CNN video clips, reading articles, English talent show, arm wrestling, leg wrestling, trust falls, musical chairs, wet face, do you love your neighbor?, Two truths and a lie, Mafia, hang man, signs, and even Simon says. It is a rewarding feeling to see how much more confidence our friends leave with than when they arrive and the group unity that is formed after only a few short days.

Ultimate Frisbee introduced into China!
Reports show that a new following has begun of Ultimate Frisbee fans at the Beijing Police Academy of China. After class, a group of our students caught on rather quickly to playing Ultimate.


Here are some pictures from the Great Wall Marathon!
Some of the church members who came to run.


Thats right, after 26 years of preparation and puberty, I can now grow somewhat of a beard. This only took three days to grow and yes I know it's a little scraggly.