Off to South Hunan province for a week of service and culture...

All of the high school and middle school students at Concordia go out on service learning and culture trips in September, and I was lucky enough to spend 7 days in South Hunan province, about 4 hours away from Guilin out in a tiny village of the Yao minority people. We filled a big trench with dirt, volunteered in a local school and learned a lot about the Yao and Nushu people. Nushu is a language in the region only spoken, written and understood by women (it was created many hundreds of years ago in response to gender oppression in the area). We also hiked a bit and enjoyed the beautiful karst mountains of the area, and we visited a 2000-year old village with an 800-year-old bridge. Amazing! It was a powerful and wonderful trip. Brian was in Xian for four days with almost 90 sixth graders while I was gone (and that definitely warrants a separate post!).   :)

A walking tour with Concordia friends...

Walking around Shanghai is so much fun! A few Saturdays ago, we went on a walking tour of the downtown area of Shanghai with many new friends from Concordia. We explored the Cool Docks area, Yuyuan Gardens, and the French Concession, and Brian and I finished the day with dinner at Lost Heaven, a wonderful restaurant serving dishes from Yunnan province. Cocktails on the rooftop bar to finish out the day... divine.