Surprising Yet Wonderful

There has been a great deal of surprises in our first few weeks in Nanchang. Some have been good; some not so good but in the spirit of being positive, let's dwell on the good ones.

Here is a list of things that I have found to be surprising yet wonderful in our first days in China:

9...three supermarkets in our neighborhood (It took us a week to find the third and fourth, but they are out there)

8...for items that our supermarkets lack, there is METRO (a store with everything we might miss, imported and ready to devour. Plus, the school has a free shuttle every week!)

7...the Great fireWall doesn't block Pinterest (but it does block facebook and blogger, so new posts may not be as frequent as I'm sure you would like)

6...spicy tofu (I wasn't a huge tofu fan before but this dish is delish!)

         p.s. all the food we've eaten is DELICIOUS!
5...huge apartment (with fully furnished guest room. Bring on the visitors!)

4...Oh the counter space! (remember our last kitchen?)

3...work is a 3 minute walk from home (in fact, I can see the classroom building from where I am sitting, right now in my bedroom)

2...freedom in lesson planning (We plan, teach, and grade anyway we want with a few minor standards imposed by the school)

1...my students are great (the are enthusiastic, well behaved, interested in English, I love them!)

Home and Back Again: Daejeon, South Korea

We had an awesome time seeing friends, eating amazing food, and reliving some favorite pastimes in the the place that we have called home since 2009.  Sorry, we failed to take any pictures so all of the credit for these shots goes to the Harringtons (check out more of their greatness at The Harrington Times).
Grace and peace, Jenn

suggested Daejeon eating: Chuncheon Dalkgalbi 춘천덝갈비 (Spicy chicken, cabbage, sweet potato, and rice cake), Mana House 만나 (Shabu shabu 샤브샤브 is cooking beef in a boiling pot of broth in the middle of the table and then wrapping it in lettuce with rice) 

NO RAE!

suggested South Korea doing:  Korean karaoke is done at the no-rae-bang 노래방.  You and your friends go into a private room with a big TV, big speakers, and some microphones.  Yes!

The Beginning and The Great American Road Trip

Well, here goes.
We will be teaching English at a Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics in Nanchang, China.
Here's a map.
After a brief stop in South Korea, our home for the last two years, we will finally be able to settle into our new digs.

We've had a wonderful vacation in the USA, visiting family and friends across the country.  However, we are anxious to settle in to our new home. Keep in touch with me here since Facebook won't be an option.
Grace and peace, Jenn

Here is a brief recap of our Great American Road Trip

A Wyoming Wedding

Snowy Range Ski Area

suggested Laramie eating: Grand Avenue Pizza (try the Portobello or Thai Pizza), Bernie's Mexican Restaurant (get the Small Combo Platter)

14,270 ft. Colorado

Gray's Peak

suggested Denver eating: Steuben's (American food), Wahoo's Fish Taco (get the fish taco, duh)

Dinner at Lake Powell
Lake Powell, Utah

suggested Lake Powell eating: catch it and cook it yourself

MLK Jr., Washington, D.C.

http://www.mlkmemorial.org/

suggested D.C. eating: Nooshi (gourmet Asian), The Dairy Godmother (famous frozen custard)

Oldest settlement in the nation
St. Augustine, FL
(Sorry, we didn't eat here)