David and Victoria

Apparently every October the students at our university have a soccer tournament, with a 5,000RMB prize for the winning team. In years past there has not been a team of foreign students.  But this year is different.

They played four games for qualification, but didn't actually make it into the tournament.  But to be fair, there were a number of factors that led to their demise.  Like the average age on our team was about 6 or 7 years older than the other students.  The other students could all speak the same language.  The other students had played together already for a long time.  The other students are from this area, so their bodies have no problem running around for 60 minutes at 12,000ft.  The refs were biased.  Etc.

Aaron hasn't played soccer since he was about 9 years old.  He did a great job though.

intimidating the corner kick

Some of the foreign students kept saying that Aaron looks like Beckham.
They decided I could be Posh (though not because I look like her, just because I'm married to Beckham)
halloween costume idea???

on the soccer field

What the girls were doing during the game

the team

spend my days in the sweet sunshine

I've wandered this world far and wide
I've been all around and to the other side, but there's nothing like coming home

We're coming home for the summer and to celebrate coming home, I'm posting the top 5 simple things that I am looking forward to:

1) TAP WATER.

go to the sink, fill up your glass, take a sip.  delicious.  can't wait.

2) DRY HANDS AFTER USING A PUBLIC RESTROOM.

there's a sink.  but there's no soap and no way to dry your hands.  looking forward to walking away from bathrooms without wet pants.

3) STARS!

I think I can count the times on my hands that I have seen stars in the last year and a half...and none of those times were in our city.  this is the city where sometimes it's a challenge to figure out if you're staring directly at the sun or if the moon came out early.

lately i've seen too many city lights,

i want to go somewhere where i can see the stars at night

4)  ICE.

in drinks.  at restaurants.  and you don't have to ask for it.  or really trust the establishment you're at to give you clean ice.  one of American friends here had to tell his visiting dad every time they went to a restaurant that he couldn't get ice water.  and every time they went, his dad still asked for ice water.  it's hard to get used to.

a local friend of mine went to america last summer, and thought it was so strange that she couldn't get hot water at restaurants, but it always came with ice.  i feel your pain.  (only the other way around).

5)  DRIVING.

we don't drive here.  although my husband did just get his chinese driver's license!!

roll down the windows, turn up the country music.

OH and what the heck, one more..... HOT DOGS.  an all beef hot dog. carolina style - coleslaw and chili.  I know. I know.  A lot of girls think hot dogs are gross.  But I like them.  And the chinese hot dogs around here are more like Vienna sausages instead of Hebrew Nationals or Ballparks.  

本地人 （locals）

we've been here a while, and it's starting to show.  remember that sausage hanging outside that i posted a while back?  well, guess what?

we have some hanging outside of our window.


the family that sells us vegetables gave us some as a gift when i went to see them the other day.  the sausage still needed to dry some, so it's been hanging out of our window the last few days.


in the province we live in, locals like to walk around in their pajamas outside.  their pajamas are generally a thick matching quilted set, that look quite warm, yet still quite tacky.  well, guess what?

  
Aaron and I got some pajamas the other day.  ours weren't quilted and really thick like the locals, they were just fleece awesomeness.  Unfortunately, the size that aaron bought was too short and too tight in certain areas (let's just say he very likely could've been arrested if he ever went out in them).  we bought these pajamas to wear to a new years party...and when one of our Chinese friends came to spend the night with us.....and later this week when we fly to see Josh and Danielle for a night on our way to Thailand.....and to wear to the airport to pick up our friend Graham when he comes to visit in February.  There were just so many good times to be had in those pajamas.  But, alas, Aaron had already bought the largest size ( XXL) and there's no going up from there.


so we returned them.....but not before we had a photo shoot (it's the model in us, i guess...)

Let me clear my throat.....

Okay, so this post is completely random, not at all anything about our lives here, except for the fact that this is what I have been enjoying today.

Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake have done 3 versions of the history of rap (I think the latest one was done last week).  Part two is by far my favorite.  And I wanted to share.  At least 40% of these songs I'm pretty sure I've either danced to or sang really loudly with my college roommate, Jessica.  Some of y'all may have even been privileged enough to see our "hey ya" dance.

I love that rap music brings us things like the stanky leg, the dougie, soulja boy, air force ones, ghost ridin' the whip....the list goes on and on.

I had a dance party by myself today, even though I've thrown up every night for the last three nights -just a little bug, that I think I dougied out of my system today...