Well, it's been a while since I added an entry for you folks! A lot has happened in the past three months or so. Back in December (the 26th to be exact) Vivian and I, taken by her parents, drove to Nanjing through a foggy morning to get married.   It just involved the legal part and it took place at a government office. We're getting married Chinese style, which means we get married first and then have the celebration a bit later. The celebration will be complete with bai jiu, cigarettes, humiliating games in front of everyone, and gambeis. The officer who married us read a list of filial duties we had to obey as a married couple. "You will honor and support both your parents throughout your life. Can you make this?" He always ended each duty with the query, "Can you make this?" It was indeed a happy day and Vivian's parents were there as witness. The REAL celebration, however, is to take place May 26th in Changzhou. As Borat would say, "Happy times!"

I've quit my crappy job teaching to Shanghainese brats. Now, I'm going to teach much older brats. But the upshot is it is only at one location, not at a number of various locations all around the outskirts of this metropolis.

 

So, as a newlywed couple, I returned to Spokane for a visit with my new wife.  The surreal part of this trip for me was to go back home on a vacation for a set amount of time. When I left for China, I thought I would return in half a year after traveling and teaching in the Far East. Instead, I had returned after a year and a half in China, with my wife! It was great showing Vivian around my hometown. I think I was more excited about it than she was, although she had a great time too. I'd drag her to little parks and cafes, explaining banal accounts of my old routines back in the day. My parents live in a beautiful house out in the woods that overlook a valley, complete with barn and livestock grazing. The deer always venture around the property and we were even blessed with sights of the local wild turkey flock (gaggle?). We'd get up around 10 or 11, have a coffee, and go to the living room to enjoy the view. Then, maybe a soak in the hot tub outside, breathe in the fresh (unpolluted) air, before starting the day. Our parents took us to the cabin, where our lake was frozen solid. Walking across it was novel for Vivian, who had never really explored in deep snow before. After two weeks of relaxing, seeing friends, and driving around, the folks threw us a party. Everyone who was anyone attended. Our gifts from China included a bottle of top-quality bai jiu, (still gut wrenching to me) which my parents and their friends enjoyed surprisingly. I was too busy enjoying the wonderful tastes and effects of the lovely micro brews. Mmm, they will always represent the taste of the northwest to me. So the party was fun, the bai jiu (and normal wine) flowed, and the celebration grew lively and noisy. Joel (my little bro) informed people he could drink a lot, it was only after he mixed the different types of alcohol that he ever got in trouble. This was right before he commenced to drink a strong gin and tonic after maybe six beers. So the next day, a severely hungover Joel put off getting up until around 1pm. Then, he drove us to Seattle, which is a 5-hour trip on I-90. Vivian got to see the state of Washington in its entirety, from the central desert to the Cascade Mountains. In Seattle, we stayed with Spencer and had a mini-reunion of some of the teachers I worked with in Changzou, China last year. It was strange to see them in our own country, but it was fun had by all. After two days of exploring beautiful Seattle, we flew back to Shanghai.

 

The trip, I thought, would have ended there. But Vivian's parents picked us up and took us to Changzhou, her hometown. The next day we had a big, formal dinner with her whole family at a nice restaurant. We ate in a private room with three tables. Vivian and I handed out our gifts from the states and showed pictures. I was presented to the family members I hadn't met before. And the cousins tried to gambei me to test my drinking ability. Luckily it was red wine and not bai jiu, so it was no problem. My drinking ability greatly impressed my new family.   So that's my trip! I feel much refreshed reconnecting with everyone back home. Thanks to you all for your hospitality and company! We'll see ya'll soon enough and that's a threat, not a promise!