17 April 2009

Tea

Our "school outing" yesterday was interesting... Went to another city, visiting some city building and a school. It started out with a lot of waiting around, not knowing the schedule, and watching a video that would have been quite informative if I understood it...

But the highlight was definitely the tea ritual where we got to be served by students.

This particular tea was poured into a little tall cup, which was then covered by a wider-mouthed.



The part where she flipped it over was really dramatic!


You can see that none of the tea has spilled out... it's all suctioned inside.



After releasing the tea to drink:

15 April 2009

Good World, Good View, Good Food

The buildings that house our office:



The VIEW from the office:


...yep, row after row of big apartment buildings. That's where everyone lives. I don't think I've seen a house yet in this city.

Typical Sunday Lunch:

11 April 2009

Getting lost is kinda fun

Today I didn't exactly get LOST, but I took the correct bus and got off at the correct stop to meet my friend at the Kunming Botanical Gardens... and when I called her, I wasn't where she thought I should be. I eventually figured my way to the entrance and was not scared at all. It's a good thing, because this may keep happening as I navigate my way around the city.

So here are a couple of photos from the picnic and egg hunt I went to today.







And a really interesting flower:

09 April 2009

I caused an accident today.

I live in a nicer area of Kunming.

Went walking today and ended up in what I'll call the "urban countryside"--much different from the fancy skyscraper and storefront district that my apartment is near. I saw zero foreigners in this area, where I became "lost" for a good 10 minutes of fast walking, meandering through alleys looking for a way out.

So I guess I was quite a sight for them, too. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a motorcyclist watching me...and then he crashed into another motorbike in front of him. I could laugh on the inside because they were going quite slow and no one was hurt. So now I can say that I've turned heads! Ha.