About a week ago I got a package from my AWESOME family. There's nothing that lifts spirits in a foreign country, like getting something from back home. My sister included this cool scratch off world map. 

 You get to scratch off a country after you visit it. How fun! I see I have a long way to go...

 So far I have China, Thailand, Vietnam...

 Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Austria, Czech Republic...

Canada, Jamaica, and good old U.S.A.

I'm blessed to have already visited this many places (especially since now I have more to scratch off my map), but now I must travel more!

 Today in art class, we studied Jackson Pollock. They boys loved him way more once they realized that THEY would get to do some crazy action painting of their own. Once they had finished the paintings, they had even more fun building a fortress around them so that no one would touch their beautiful art! There were ropes, tape, bricks, brooms, mops, and signs involved.

 This one is my favorite.

Ming Tombs with Ming

Gretl, Emily, and I went to the Ming Tombs with a new friend we made, MING! He thought it was a hoot that he shared a name with our destination. The jokes went on all day.

Here he is pretending to be dead in "his" tomb. :) He is such a friendly and talkative guy with a very kind heart.

 More pics ahead...

Halloween Party

Apparently, in China there is no rule about putting pictures of children on the internet. I was told its cool to use some. So, here is a little bit of our school's Halloween fun. 

Frida Kahlo (me) with the adorable kitty, Grace.
More Pictures ahead!!!!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Yes, our little preschool/homeschool had a good old fashioned joint pumpkin patch and apple orchard field trip a couple weeks ago. It was a fabulous day to be outside. The sun was out and shining so much. I look back on this day fondly, since now our days are brisker and cloudier. The winter is coming. I can feel it! Anyway, here are some of the delightful things that a Chinese indoor pumpkin "patch", actually a greenhouse, offers...

Oh, did I forget to say this was an Entertainment Farm!
Don't stop looking now. More good stuff is coming up.

798 Art District

Modern art, cafes, sculptures, galleries, unique shops, bars, warehouses are all part of the 798 experience. It is one of the most unexpected things that I've found and thoroughly enjoy in Beijing.

 Cozy coffee shop we warmed up in.

 Old train for artistic purposes only.

 Graffiti

 Folding chair arch

 Can you find the "person" hanging from the roof?

 There is all sorts of wacky art here!

I found this old thing down an alleyway.

More fun pictures ahead...

The SAGA of Zhongguanyun Apartment 212

 The apartment I live in is very old and ...hmmm....rustic, to put it nicely. Sometimes I have some other choice words for it, but most of the time it is just fine. I don't mind not having the nicest place on the block, but i do mind when things don't work. I mean that every day it is a gamble whether the water will come out of the faucet or not. Most of the time it works, but at least once a day it stops for an hour or two and it is never the same time each day...

(more pics and drama)