Some pictures from our last week in Chengdu

It has been a busy time, coming back to the US. I think that it is a big mistake to think that the future will be easier; that you will have more free time to relax and get back to those projects that you have been putting off. The future always brings new challenges and obstacles that have to be overcome, and you need to be ready for it. Right now, the challenge is job hunting and prepping to move into our apartment in a couple weeks.

That being said, we will leave on Saturday for a week long adventure into the deep woods of northern Minnesota, where there will be no computers, phones, cars, job interviews, or other cares of the world. I am looking forward to it.

I also squeezed in a peek at some pictures from the last week in China. I am still backlogged at looking at the pictures from our school trip - that will take some time.

On my birthday, we went downtown to the Shangrila with the Brian, Katie, Zack, and Kira. It was a fun night at a 5-star hotel, which is a nice place to spend an evening. We learned more about each other - notably my past experiences with eating contests in college - which parlayed into a dare that resulted in me eating a chocolate-covered onion ring simultaneously with Zack, who had to eat 2 chocolate covered strawberries. In a shocking display of berry-aversion, Zack just barely choked down a food that most would fight for the chance to eat.

Here's the whole group outside Cafe Z.

Rachel and her chocolate fingers!

We also celebrated my birthday a few days later, by eating hotpot and having cake with a bigger group of staff.


Rachel mentioned in an earlier post about 3 girls coming over to give us a present on behalf of the freshmen class - it was a fun diversion from packing. Before they left, Rachel took them and coerced them into taking some of our leftover junk (which they are holding below).


-alan