Last Days in Beijing

Training in Beijing finished with two days of sessions for all ELIC teachers.  Up to this point it had just been the 50-some new teachers and families, but hundreds more descended on the RuYi hotel last week.  During this time, I was shopping, packing, and preparing for the last leg of my journey to Qufu.  See below for my last couple days in Beijing!

Whaaaaat?  What is a Waverly, Iowa sweatshirt doing in the market by the Beijing Zoo???  It would be like finding a Qufu, China shirt in some random shop in New York.  I went to school in Waverly for two years, so of course I had to take a picture.

This picture is also from zoo market.  I was looking for shoes.  Picture this stall times a million and you have a good idea of what the market was like.

Some friends and I went to Houhai, the lake district in Beijing.  The night life in Houhai includes dozens of middle aged couples ballroom dancing!   There were also people jump-roping, playing hackey sack, and lounging in couches by the lake while live music pumped from the bars. 

A view of a fun street in Houhai.

I finished my time in Beijing playing telephone pictionary with some friends in the hotel while I waited for my 9 p.m. bus to the train station.  This was a great way to end the 5 weeks I've spent with these awesome people.  We laughed a lot and then prayed together over our new beginnings all around China.

Saying goodbye to Jenn, my roommate, before boarding the bus.