ALRIGHTY THEN!  Time for a new term - the winter term - which spans the lunar new year, or as it is called in China: Spring Festival!  Spring festival is one week long for ALL Chinese, so traveling in China on the railroads will be crazy and the airports will most likely be very interesting as well.  Think of wrapping together Thanksgiving (going home to Grandma's), Christmas (presents for the kids AND big kids, read adults!), AND New Years (Solar) ... but then fireworks are a regular activity here in China, if you have read even a few of my posts, you know!!  Sometimes it is a new grand opening (think Feng Shui), sometimes to get rid of evil spirits, sometimes the usual - fun and WOW!  grin

The average Chinese worker gets one week, but of course in normal university fashion (although I find that Chinese Universities do not operate in normal U.S. university fashion, but then I believe that is true of most other countries), we get three plus weeks (last year they had FIVE!).  Now, many of the Chinese Universities which have foreign english experts get a month or more off from work - mid-semester break AND Spring Festival combined - just like in America, many schools have different schedules.  But that's ok, believe me, I am NOT complaining - SILC and Shanghai Da Xue (University) are awesome, but perhaps you already guessed that part?!!?  grinning WILDLY!

So in MY typical fashion, I have already set the dates for skiing, but not quite yet booked the flights! 

OF COURSE I HAVE TO SKI!  SKI UUUuuuuTTTAAAAHHHHH!!!

So a pic ...

                

OOPS! How did THAT get in there?!!?  Independence Monument - a stone's throw from Grand Junction, Colorado ... literally, a stone's throw!

             
YES, WE DID!  Looking out from almost on top! April 1, 2007 - Hey Toni!