A snowy day

It's the second day of snowfall here in Anqing, but not much of it seems to be sticking around. Neither Jean-Jacques nor I am terribly saddened by this fact because we're flying out of town next Wednesday for our two-week Scottish adventure and we don’t want the weather to muddle up our plans. It’s supposed to snow for the next three days, but warm up by Monday; I hope the weather forecasters are correct.


We’re extremely excited about the upcoming trip and have been spending a considerable amount of time preparing for our departure. We’ll definitely be busy during our stay, since there are a surprising number of interesting activities to do in the city. However, one of the things that we’re most thrilled about is the food. There are a number of excellent restaurants in the area and we’re looking forward to eating French, Italian, Scottish, Indian, and American food. I think that one day we’re even going to partake in a high tea at a fancy hotel in Edinburgh; I’m sure it will be a fun and memorable experience.


In preparation for our excursion, I’ve been reading Ian Rankin’s Black and Blue, which is a detective novel that's set in Edinburgh. Normally I’m not much of a fan of “guy” murder mysteries, but I’ve throughly enjoyed the book for a number of reasons. First, the plot is complex and well constructed. Second, I like reading a story told from a “foreign” point of view because it feels fresh. Sometimes it seems that many American authors are unoriginal and use similar plot or writing techniques, so I enjoy looking at the world from a “new” angle. Third, the story is educating me about Edinburgh and the challenges it has faced and continues to face today. In summary, it’s a good read and I would recommend the book.


News from Anqing? There’s not a whole lot to report, but we’ve officially completed our first semester of teaching in China and are enjoying the first few days of our Spring Festival vacation. Unfortunately, Jean-Jacques is feeling a bit under the weather, so we haven’t been venturing too far from our apartment. (Yesterday made an emergency run to a computer shop to buy a new hard drive because ours suddenly “gave up the ghost”. We had a fun walk in the snow through downtown Anqing, so the trip was worth the effort.)


We were invited to a hot pot dinner a few nights ago and enjoyed the outing. We stuffed ourselves with the delicious food, but suffered afterward a bit from the meal’s spiciness.


That’s about all I have for exciting news. I finally finished my blue cabled sweater last week and we experienced a mild earthquake earlier today (nothing was damaged, thankfully).


Hugs to all!