Packing the bags, almost ready to hit the road... The past couple of days have just gone so quickly. I drove to Beijing with a couple of my students to pick Olli up at the airport on tuesday morning (and were only about an hour late). On the way back, he was initiated to the Chinese hospitality culture by stopping for a huge big lunch, with lots and lots of baijiu and beer... I managed to take it easy this time, as Olli had to take the center stage as the guest of honour for a change, i.e. down impressive quantities of liquor. But he did rather well, especially considering the lack of sleep and all the travel behind him.

On wednesday morning, I took Olli to my PhD class, from where we went for yet another huge lunch together with all my students. In the afternoon, we somehow ended up performing 'Silent night' as a duet in Finnish at a random Christmas/end of term party at the university (?!?). At night, a Christmas dinner offered by the International Department and a party at the student activity centre, with lots of dancing, which we continued with a beer in Rolling Stones and another drink in Nongfu with Olli and Griselle.

Christmas day was spent for the most part in a travel agency, trying to sort out arrangements for the coming couple of weeks. It works out cheaper to book the train tickets and hotels through an agency, though we learned that it also takes heaps of patience. Take a deeep breath... In the evening, a little get-together over at Griselle's with the foreigners. And that was our goodbye to Juan, who left yesterday to do a couple of internships in Washington, DC. So, we're one less, but apparently number 17 middle school is getting some new teachers next term, so we may have some new foreigners around, too.

Yesterday, a student of mine, Hannah, took us for a day-trip in the counties around Baoding. It was a gorgeous day, bright and sunny with blue skies, couldn't have been better. We climbed a little mountain to check out some imperial Han-dynasty tombs, and visited another massive complex built around an imperial Qing-dynasty tomb. Lunch was had at a small countryside restaurant on the way. Yummmmmyyy. We even had the chance to wittness the making of a TV series at an old mansion where we stopped last.

Lots to tell but not that much time, so this was really just a list of some of the things we've done so far. We've taken some good pictures with Olli's digital camera, I'll post some of them here later, I hope. But I'll try to find a way to log on on the way, as well, at least to read my email if nothing else.

Thanks for all the Christmas wishes, cards and pictures I have received from you!!!

So now: Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing...