My weekend was mostly calm and quiet - went to a party Friday evening, but came home quite early. Saturday and Sunday I've had a cold, so I've been sleeping a lot. Sunday afternoon I met my cousin Leilei from NZ and my uncle, which was nice. I now also have leftovers for the next two weeks, plus humongous amounts of snacks.

How about pictures?





The little dried out pond that is now being tilled. It's quite pretty, innit? How someone can think it's a good idea to grow vegetables in late September is beyond me though. Either way, it's a nice view on my way to school.




The gate to Weixiu Yuan, where I live. Very fuzzy I know, but a) it's prettier in the evening and b) you can actually see the gate instead of the throng in front of it.




Pretty cool obelisks, also on my way to school.




Rock garden next to my main classroom building.




Random cool buildings. They make me think of the Three Wyrd Sisters, or something.




It looks like a giant zucchini, but it's actually a Chinese vegetable called nangua (Southern melon). Still frickin huge though.




This is both revolting and utterly fascinating at a time - deep fried new born chickens, beaks, claws and all. Hannah has promised to try one some time, at which point I'll stand by with a camera and napkins, should she feel like throwing up afterwards.




A Chinese guy in an American airforce getup. (He's into role playing, apparently.) Except it's like America's evil twin or something. Or is there really a logical explanation to why the American flag is reversed? He claimed there was, and offered some vague reason. I dunno, y'all..




For the love of any deity of your choice, can someone explain why you'd waste 18880 RMB on a jade bracelet that I estimated cost around 10 RMB?? Leilei received it as a gift from a family friend. I would've very politely asked to return it and have the cash instead. She's wearing my total rental cost in China on her arm. Plus my bicycle, wireless router, school literature, and Visa application cost. And probably two weeks' worth of meals at the school cafeteria.