Company! We Have Company!!!

Finally, we have company from America! It is so nice to see familiar faces again. Four friends from Connecticut took a month off to visit China. They are considering moving here. So far, they love it. Now they have arrived in our city and we are having a wonderful time. They brought COFFEE! Starbucks no less. Sara is a barrister and used her guanxi in our behalf. Thank you Sara! We will travel together to a city named Guilin (gway lynn) tomorrow evening so we can spend more time with them. It means so much to have them here. Frank and Beau (Sara's husband) played basketball together and Sara, Brittany, Anna and I went on a shopping spree. At least, they shopped, I just took them to all the right places. We have introduced them to some of our local cuisine and exposed them to Frank's chinese clothing fetish. We will keep you posted as our motley crew discovers more of this strange land. Our visa run is coming up in a week and I am thrilled. Many here experience what has been pegged "I hate China" days. I have them several times a month. We have learned from the experiences of others that there is a point when a visit outside the country becomes absolutely necessary for mental and emotional health. You just have to get out of the country and have a vacation or your joy and stamina will come to an end. I am at that point. Thankfully, things have finally worked in our favor and we have been granted the priviledge of seeing Thailand and staying with friends there! It is almost too good to be true. Not two weeks ago, we were planning to step over the border into Hong Kong, have our passports stamped, and step back, an hour vacation! Whoever wants me to continue here is seeing that I get what's needed. Thank You!