We arrived at 10 am Thursday to a beautiful sight. Our family was there with open arms and I ran down the ramp to fill them. We set some alarms off going back across the line but the lady was very nice about it. They took us to Shoney's, a family restaurant with an all American breakfast buffet. It is so good to see my family again!!! My nephew remembered us. He grabbed us and held on. So did I. I was not a basket case but tears were present. We got settled in at our friend's home and started fighting jet lag. Still fighting it. It takes up to a week supposedly. Five days in and I might have it licked. I slept throught the whole night for the first time. Yeah!
We are in SanFrancisco! My first meal ended up being a plate of fries with a bottle of water. Not exactly what I had planned but cheap and that is way more important right now. I am a little overwhelmed with all the english floating around. I feel compelled to answer in Chinese. When will that wear off? In the customs line, we were able to help several Chinese who were in the wrong line because they couldn't read the signs. That felt really good since so many of them helped us through the same process in China. We understand not understanding! I only have a little bit of time left on my battery because, dummy me did not keep the western plug when I replaced my power cord. I can't 
find slanted outlets 
anywhere! This stinks! 
As I sit in Beijing Airport Starbucks, (guess who had to go there), I feel far removed from the life we left behind a few hours ago. The place is crawling with foreigners and everything is modern. The bathrooms have disposable seat covers for crying out loud! And toilet paper!! You have missed our last weeks before departure because we have been unable to access blogger. Even now, in this modern city, no access. I will catch you up as soon as we reach home. Home- It is starting to hit me that we will soon see all our friends and family. I have been a bit numb the past few days. There was so much to do to prepare and the emotions of leaving our new friends and family behind. It hurts coming and going. Ah, the challenges of international life. We will soon be checking in for our flight to SanFrancisco where I should have plenty of time to write. 10 hours layover should be enough. AIYA!!! Many people have asked us what we want to eat first when we get home. Frank wants a nice beer. I don’t know yet, except I am really looking forward to my mom’s bbq baked beans. She is making them for my sister’s wedding this Saturday. Hey, we are 
country folk, bbq can be served anywhere! I am happy that we will celebrate our 13th anniversary at home in two weeks. I am expecting things to really sink in the closer we get to home and hoping that I won’t be a total basket case by the time we arrive in SC. We will see. 
It's a mushroom not some weird organ, just in case you were wondering. You were, weren't you? We have certainly expanded the borders of our taste buds these past 8 months. This mushroom is actually quite tasty and is perfect sliced and served in hot pot. The wierd calabash sandwich however lacks much. It is served at KFC as a "chicken sandwich" in the happy meal. I didn't want a big sandwich and she said it was chicken. NOT! It wasn't gross but I won't eat it again. Peas, carrots, and corn do not belong between two slices of bread. I do not under any circumstances recommend eating stomach of any kind. I had a bad experience, very bad. No need to elaborate, just steer clear!
After over a week of Chinaitis (the stomach version), the chance to relax at a nearby hot springs was welcome. How we missed that this place was so close is beyond me. We have already made plans for regular visits once we return. About an hour out of our city, depending on traffic, we reached a smaller city famous for its hot springs. A friend had done some research and found a Japanese one where all the pools are outside. Most of them are just rooms with tiled pools and the water is piped in. This place however was perfect! Twenty different pools spread out over several acres of dense forest. You can spend all day and go in every pool for as long as you like. There is a restaurant when you get hungry, bathrooms (with paper) and a bar with fresh fruit juice, tea and beer. They even deliver to your pool. Some of the pools were unique. Coconut milk, Sour Apple (like soaking in an apple martini), Strawberry Kool-Aid( which put Frank over the top, soaking in red kool-aid? Can life get any better?) Orange, Rose Water and one with fish that eat your dead skin. That was freaky. It tickled me so bad I couldn't put my feet in without laughing. I have spent years building up the callouses on my feet and the fish swarmed so heavy I couldn't see my feet. I would have had to spend the whole week in there to see a difference. Braver souls immersed their whole body in the pool. More power to them! It was definitely the noisiest pool. Frequent gasps and squeals and even screams as the little fish nibbled away. Massages are extra, but clothes are not a requirement so we passed on that. I learned my lesson months ago. Since we were the only foreigners there, we were a spectacle, and many people came to the tubs we were in to make conversation. This was not relaxing since my brain had to go into gear, but it was worth it since we made several new friends to visit once we get back. My favorite pool was the coconut milk since it made my skin feel so soft, and the rose water which had rose petals floating in it. It was so fragrant, and that's where we were surrounded by people eager to meet us. The cool temperature and a gentle mist of rain added to the occasion making our day a wonderful and memorable experience. If anyone comes to visit, we will you take you there. How's that for bribery? 
We have been sick with Chinaitis for the past few days and canceled our classes for the week. Our teacher however, made sure that we did not miss out on taking our exam and e-mailed it to us. The whole exam thing was my idea, I actually asked for one. You can imagine Frank's expression at that moment. I actually enjoyed taking it, it was the most challenging study I have done in months. Again, imagine Frank's expression when I told him. I know, I am a nerd, sorry. I have not really enjoyed learning Chinese because class has not really challenged me. This did and I spent three hours this morning finishing it without ever getting bored. I hope my grade reflects that. This is the most excited I have been over learning this language in quite awhile and that is really sad. Maybe I should ask for tests every week. I don't want to imagine Frank's expression on that.
