And then there were two....

Well. When we returned to our apartment it felt little empty. Our apartment's healthy dose of testosterone has boarded a plane that is bound for the USA.

I accompanied the love birds to the airport today. We ate lunch there at (you'll never guess where....) a Kenny Roger's Roasted Chicken. I had only seen this on a Seinfeld Episode many ages ago (the one where Jerry and Kramer switch apartments...) It was weird going back to the airport- obvious I haven't been there since I arrived. I was in such a daze when I arrived anyway- I hardly remembered it. Terminal 3 at the Beijing Airport was built specifically for the Olympics and it is HUGE. It is a beautiful building with a triangular shape with convex lines. It's massive- according the wikipedia it is the third largest building in the world by area. It really is breathtaking. The ceiling is red for good luck but is done a thatched pattern. We ate and then Jill and Danny had the painful task of saying goodbye. It was hard for me to watch- and I can't imagine how it felt. 

The past couple of days have flown by. Things have slowed down a bit on the excitement end of things. We have done alot of the touristy stuff already- so now it's time to start picking and choosing the not so frequented desitinations. But we still have way more to do. Beijing is still so MASSIVE. I don't think we could see most of it this year if we tried.

 We went and saw 'The Legend of Kung Fu' stage show last week. It was really good- and entertaining. I'm a sucker for theater and it was well done. It was an interesting combination of Kung Fu, modern dance, aerobatics and magic. It was spoken mostly in English with a giant sign overhead doing subtitles in Chinese. You can actually see this same show in the US- and it's definetly worth it.

Then it was my birthday. Which was a quiet celebration day. I had a good time and got to have good food with good people. A few of my Chinese friends declined to eat Indian Food because they think it is 'dirty.' This is coming from a country that still loves the squat toilet....

Work has been busy for me- really busy. Writing curriculum and prepping stuff takes up a good deal of my time. Also- since we don't know how many students are going to be in each class- we can't do art prep till the day before. It's a pain in the arse. There is still a lot of down time though- and it actually is more exhausting then working. 

Schools getting ready to start back up in the States- and I am having a sad longing for it. How weird is that? But I am. I love teaching middle school- I do. I love that age of student. I also have a few tried and true students who have been keeping in touch with me. It really warms my heart when I get an e-mail from them- I don't think they could ever understand how much it makes my day.

We finished off today by seeing a movie. We went with the intention of seeing Shrek 4- but the English version wasn't playing until 10pm. So- our other options were The Last Airbender or The Expendables. I just wasn't in the mood for Stalone. I just- didn't think I could do it. So we went to see the Airbender. Now I never watched the original cartoon- but I REALLY enjoyed this movie. I know it was a kid's movie- and I know it was my M. Night Shamalamadingdong but it looked good. AND I LIKED IT! And much to my surprise now that I am surfing the web it got canned as a terrible movie. I really thought it was fun, exciting, and interesting. It dealt with some adult issues. The child acting leaves a bit to be desired- but whatever. Maybe I can no longer judge movies- maybe I just crave anything and everything English- but it was a good movie. 

Last night we watched the Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasus courtsey of iTunes rental. It's the last film that Heath Ledger starred in. Again- I really enjoyed it. If you don't like weird trippy movies that make you think- don't waste your time. BUT if you do- and you love movies with some fun archetypal issues- go ahead. Enjoy and watch a visual feast for your eyes with some outstanding acting.

The other noteworthy events were of Sunday night. To celebrate Danny's last nights in Beijing we went out to a club. We ended up meeting a couple of guys who had lived in LA on and off. They had a private table at that club and invited the three of us up. So we got to spend most of the night away from all the 'little people.' We had a private dance floor and they supplied us with more tea and fruit then you could ever want. Now I know how the other half lives- and I know I can't afford it in the USA. It was a really fun night. Although- I think Danny had more fun then anybody. 

Back to the daily grind. Pictures this week are: My birthday surprise, the Kung Fu actors, the Beijing Airport, a co-workers catapult, my birthday cake- that was uncutable...hense all the utensils...including scissors...

BTW- Today is my sister's birthday! SOOOOOOO- Everybody wish the BEST sister in the world the HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY! :) And if you see her- give her a hug from her lil' sis!!!

OK!

LOVE,LOVE,LOVE! :)