where to start...

Well, I've been slacking off here obviously, and a lot has happend since my last post....so where to start!

For now I will just show pictures from Wuhan University, the oldest university in the city and also the most prestigious. Every year around this time, the cherry blossoms on campus bloom for about 2 weeks, it is an incredible sight! These trees bloom with thousands of tiny little flowers that look like floating clouds from a distance. They were planted by the Japanese in the early 20th century during the time that Japan invaded China (also a time of war in China between Japan and the provinces themselves resulting in the death of thousands of Chinese). This is not a time that many Chinese like to remember and is also why most Chinese hate Japan. Some of my students refuse to go see the cherry blossoms because of what they symbolize. However, thousands of local people go to see them (I went twice!) and the university charges 10 yuan to enter their campus....they make a pretty penny off those Japanese beauties!



A bunch of cherry blossoms...

...and more....



...and more...
...and the flowers up close.

The view from one of the oldest buildings on campus. One of Katey's students told me this building is an example of classic Chinese-Russian architecture. There has been a lot in the newspapers lately about this being the year of "Russia in China". They are really promoting a great relationship between these 2 nations. According to an article written in an English language Chinese student-oriented paper, a lot of Chinese will study in Russia because it is cheaper for them...not totally sure about this.
Another view from the same building. There are 5 dogs on this rooftop eave (I believe odd numbers are luckier) but the 2nd last dog's head has fallen off and is lying between the front 2 legs of the last dog.



2 of my students who took me here on my first visit. Chris (left) is from Hong Kong and can speak Mandarin (the most common language in China) and Cantonese (spoken in Hong Kong) and English very well! Lily (right) is from inner Mongolia, she took me to a restaurant on campus that cooks food from her hometown...it was delicious, lots of meat, nothing too crazy and a lot less spicy than everything else here.


This old building is a girl's residence now, I have no clue what it was before but it would be an amazing place to live!


Kneider was visting me once again for a few days, now she returns to Canada very shortly! I have some good stories from our short time together, to be posted later.....stay tuned!