Fresh coffee in the pot, the girls in their "zones" of play,  Chinese food in the wok.  Sounds a bit like home.

I didn’t think I would be so happy to be back here, but after nearly 2 months traveling around the globe, Xining was a very welcome sight.  Our plane touched down at 9 p.m. last night from Beijing.  Fortunately, our Chinese driver friends were willing to pick us up on their Chun Jie (Chinese New Year’s Day). 

Being in tour own bed again…aaaahhhhh.  Nothing can adequately do it justice.

What a contrast to our last night in Beijing (New Year’s Eve).  Starting at about 10 p.m. the sky was aglow with fireworks.  I’ve never seen such a constant display of color and sound all across the skyline.  Between 11 pm and midnight the explosive sounds filled the air.  The only way I can describe it is to imagine that you could crawl inside a microwave popcorn bag AS IT IS POPPING!  I also thought of our National Anthem:  "And the rockets red glare / Bombs bursting in air."  It was pretty impressive–like a harmless war zone.  (Sadly I didn’t seize my camera and take a photo of the phenomenon.)

On the plane I sat next to a Xining native who now lives and works as an electrical engineer in Phoenix, Arizona.  Strange.  He was returning to visit his parents after 6 years in the States.  Wow, was he in for a shock seeing how Xining has changed.  We talked about the cultural hurdles and differences living as ex-pats abroad.  He let me practice some Chinese and was very encouraging.  I gave him a few grammar lessons.  We laughed and talked about movies, religion, politics, etc.  It was a lot of fun.  The welcome-the-stranger principle still seems to be in effect.

Anyway, I’ll get some pictures out here soon.  I’m off to celebrate the Year of the Pig in my own way.  Look for us on Skype!  Happy New Year Part II.