Peter (probably my favorite student) eats ji si mien (probably my favorite cafeteria food).
Peter and Kitty show off their chopstick skillz.
Welcome to Xi'an's Muslim Quarter!!
Another exciting night in the Muslim Quarter.
Jens cooked all of this food. We never knew he was so skilled.
Sarah demonstrates proper chopstick use.
Ali takes a big bite.
Jens eats one of his culinary masterpieces.
Jens admires a bottle of baijiu. This is how it always starts.
The Big Goose Pagoda at night.
The Big Goose Pagoda, and the plaza in front of it where we would soon practice water calligraphy.
Ali practices his water calligraphy. We met some old guys doing calligraphy practice in the plaza by the Big Goose Pagoda, and they invited us to try it out.
Kitty's turn!
"I am English."
The pro at work.
Much better than anything we could ever write.
Sarah, Kitty, Ali, and I with a message that the calligraphy man wrote for us. It says something about how we are full of youthful spirit.
Kitty writes "thank you."
Ali and I watch as Kitty explains a character to Sarah.
Sarah writes!
I write! (I am writing "China is great!")
Sarah, Kitty, Ali, and me with the calligraphy man and his fine calligraphy.
Trying to write “太好了！” (too good!) but the good is no good.
Sarah and I stand on a big old Chinese coin.
Lily steals a peach.
Tony Blair (so named for his British accent and propensity to give speeches) and Kitty, preparing to be MCs of the CCTV Cup English Speaking Contest Shaanxi Finals!
Me with my co-host, Jiang Wei / Ricky.
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Kitty and Tony Blair, hosting away.
Kitty and Tony Blair welcoming everyone to the competition.
A pond on the campus of the architecture university, where the speaking contest was held.
Our fine co-MCs, Jiang Wei (or Senior Ginger, according to Ma Jing) and Tony Blair.
Walking around the architecture university, which is full of interesting-looking buildings.
Another interesting architecture university building.
Nice campus!
Me, MC.
Jiang Wei and I, MCing away.
Kitty and Jiang Wei in the glare of the projector.
Ma Jing explaining some contest procedures to Kitty.
One of many performances that took place between the speeches and the awards ceremony.
Possibly the coolest string quartet in the world.
White boots and strange instruments! This kind of makes me wish I could play the cello.
My student Cornelia, who also competed in the CCTV Cup, showing off her dance skills.
The third place winners.
The first place winners (including Cornelia!) and the girls in matching outfits who presented their awards.
All four MCs
Proof that I was there.
Jiang Wei and I cohosting.
Kitty and I with Ma Jing.
All of the NPU folk.
Me, Cornelia, and Kitty.
Jiang Wei tries to make Ma Jing's endless pictures a bit more exciting.
At the fancy banquet afterwards.
NPU has a climbing wall! It happens to be in the volleyball hall, which I have access to because my friend Tang is on the volleyball team. I tried to get access to the ropes and harnesses too, but they think I'm going to kill myself, so I can only boulder.
Kitty and Ali ripping bread forever for yang rou pao mo. It's a lot of work.
Me, ripping my mo.
Lily is the most expert mo-ripper.
Tang and I at a Tibetan-style hotpot restaurant. We are drinking hot beer, which is bizarre to say the least.
Tang and some spicy spicy food. Every time I go out to eat with Tang it involves food that is too spicy or made of strange animal parts.
Tang eats up.
Kitty looking devilish for Halloween.
Lacking better costume options, I had to resort to wearing underwear on the outside.
Kitty and I with students at our office hours.
Kitty and I with two of our students in their homemade Halloween costumes.
Two Chinese ghosts.
Emily and Zoe crossdress together. Emily is the boy, by the way.
A terrifying Halloween costume if I've ever seen one.
Kitty and I judge her costume presentation.
Inspecting Sarah's costume.
Fanny models her sheet dress.
Another interesting Halloween costume.
This was one of my favorite costumes -- siamese twin ghosts!
Kitty and I interview the ghosts.
Stella and Summer explain their costumes.
Julia and her pumpkin shirt.
Hell police!
Group costume photo.
The cutest skeleton in the world.
These students were part of a larger group who performed a pretty excellent Halloween skit.
A skit involving Captain Jack Sparrow.
All of the skit members.
Ghost with a knife!
Where's all the rum gone?
Captain Jack!
Kitty laughs with her students.
A Chinese ghost, a vampire, and a mummy.
Ralph even had vampire teeth!
The big bad wolf.
So many costumes!
Kitty and I announce the costume contest winners.
Kitty emphasizes the importance of jack-o-lanterns.
Teaching about Halloween.
Kitty's mom sent a bowl with a mechanical hand, which scared several of our students.
Kitty colors my Halloween drawings.
Students enjoying a Halloween "midnight snack" in celebration of the costume contest.
