Check out this straw! This is what we need.
This is Eve Curtis from my branch. The one in blue is her sister, Lily. I went to their house. And we watched Veggie Tales!
I took a walk today in another part of town, just to get out. Here are some things I walked by.

May 29, 2016

Dear Mom and everyone else, Da jia hao! I hope everything is well at home. It seems you've had quite an exciting weekend, what with a graduation, and a temple trip! My week was pretty good, I think. My school has two sister schools, one in Shanghai, and one in Singapore. A group on Grade 5 students came from Singapore to visit for the week. I barely saw them, and the only reason their presence affected me at all, was because they stayed in the meeting room, which meant that, if the weather was bad and we couldn't do English corner outside, we couldn't use that room so we were outta luck. It wasn't a terribly exciting week, except for Thursday. The school was taking the students from Singapore on an outing to Qionglongshan. ("Chong long shan." Shan means mountain, and, if you hadn't noticed, I go to a lot of places with that in the name.) Miss Huang arranged for me to go with them. We didn't leave till the afternoon, which meant that I was going to be able to see the dance competition at noon, which I was pretty excited to see, so Miss Huang arranged for English corner to be cancelled. Except that the kids didn't get the memo. I was getting ready to go upstairs to the room where the dancing was, when the fourth graders came in the office and said, "It's time for English corner." Oops. There were a lot of them, and they were all so anxious to have English corner, so what was I supposed to do. I tried saying, "No English corner today," but they didn't understand. It was rainy outside, and we couldn't use the meeting room, so we had English corner in the rain. And, actually, we had a really nice time together. I love having English corner on Thursdays, because I have Grade 4 that day, and I have lots of regulars from that grade. Some are really hyper, like Mike and Salad, but they're so cute! Nancy and Mary like to ask me questions about myself, and one time, they even persuaded me to sing them a song. Although I was sad to miss the dance competition, no one there would have really cared if I was there or not. But, the kids who I spent time with that day will probably always remember that. I think I was right where I needed to be. That afternoon at one, we left on the outing. Alisa and I rode the bus with some of the Grade 5 students who had been chosen from our school to go with the students from Singapore. I never did get to officially meet any of the Singapore students, but after we arrived at Qionglongshan, I got to chat with a couple of teachers and the principal. I'd been wondering all week what you call someone from Singapore. Are they Singapore-nese, or what? But the teacher I was talking to told me a lot about Singaporeans, so I got that question answered without even having to ask. Apparently, in Singapore they know English a lot more than in China. And, 74% of the population is of Chinese descent. The principal was a lovely lady who looked Middle Eastern or something. The park itself was beautiful. Personally, I would have loved to stay longer and see more, but I was lucky to be able to go at all, so whatever. It was fun to learn a little about the birthplace of the famous Sun Wu, even if everything was in Chinese. A little about Sun Wu (also called Sun Zi): He was a great militarist in ancient China about 2500 years ago. He's the author of The Art of War, which I believe is the oldest book still currently being published. (I've seen it at Barnes and Noble.) I know one story about him, which I actually learned from a book in the Twin Falls library, but which I've come across a few times in Suzhou as well. The story goes that the king at the time had read his theories on war, and was very interested to see how well it worked. So, he had Sun Wu come to the palace for a demonstration. The soldiers were all busy, so Sun Wu trained the king's concubines instead, with the king's two favorite ones as the leaders. When he called a command, the ladies all giggled and didn't take it seriously. Sun Wu gave the command again, making sure they understood. They did. But, they still giggled and didn't take it seriously. So, Sun Wu had the two leaders executed. (This made the king unhappy, but when I read the story, it seemed like he got over it fairly quickly.) After that, the ladies took it very seriously, and Sun Wu trained them into quite an efficient army. Interesting guy. My school loves him. There are pictures of him everywhere. His military theories have been used for centuries in China, and all over the world. My weekend wasn't too terribly exciting. On Friday night I read my book. It's a Chinese book, and it has lots of pictures, and it's written in both characters and Pinyin, and I looked up the basic plot on the Internet, so with the little Chinese I already know, I can almost understand it. Why am I reading it? I don't know. I'm just crazy I guess. But, I like it for some reason, so I don't care. (The lady at the store made fun of me when I bought it.) I also had a movie night, which was awesome. I find my week generally goes better when I have a Friday night movie. On Saturday, after I Skyped home, I went on the subway and took a walk in another part of town to see what I could see. I found a pagoda, but it closed at four, so the lady showed me how to get to the Silk Trade Show instead. It's not as exciting as it sounds. It's basically just a store where they sell expensive clothes made of silk. So, I continued walking. Amelia was in Shanghai all day. She was supposed to be back by lunchtime, and then we were going to go to church together the next day because of the dinner afterward, but she lost her passport, so today she had to take care of things at the police station. (Not good!) She's actually been in Suzhou since last night, but I have yet to see her, because she's been out. So, today, I went to church by myself. I've been thinking a lot, ever since a couple days ago when I got the news that we can have the option to stay in China, after all. I was feeling a bit down, having missed Ally's graduation, and wondering what will happen in the future. I think there is still more I need to do in China, but I do wonder about home a lot. As I was sitting on the subway on the way to church, a series of inspiring movie quotes popped in my head. The last one was Master Oogway's voice from Kung Fu Panda, saying that same quote that hung on Grandma's wall for years and years: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." Yes, the Spirit does use Kung Fu Panda to teach. I needed a reminder to focus on the here and now, and do what I can with the time that's been given me, and to not worry about things beyond my control. Then, the talks in Sacrament meeting were about listening to the Spirit, so it was kind of perfect. It's a tradition in the Suzhou Branch to have a Linger Longer Potluck dinner on the fifth Sunday, which meant I didn't have to go back to my lonely apartment right away. As I was lingering longer and longer, so were a handful of others, including the Curtis family. I was telling them about how I love having the excuse to linger, because I don't like being alone, and then they invited me to their house. I got to play with cute kids. We also watched VeggieTales, which was amazing. I've been feeling like I needed more VeggieTales in my life. I played princesses with Eve, Lily, and Isaac (the baby) while Sam and Amy cooked burritos and Jane had a nap. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon, and in the evening, Brother Swope came over and it was even better. They sure idolize him. He and I stayed until the kids' bedtime, and I got home feeling happy and peaceful. Also, as I got home, I checked the mail and my birthday card finally came!! You should have seen the vigorous happy dance that I did. (Actually, maybe it's good you didn't.) I was worried it wouldn't come. That brings me to right now. This email has taken ridiculously long to write. I hope you're doing all right. I'm proud of Ally for graduating, and I'm excited for Cami to have her endowments. That's so exciting! Good luck to you both! I love you all. Please remember to pray for me, and I will pray for you. I love you. Love, Chelsey<3 hpaich on

May 23, 2016

kelly wadsworth Message body Sorry I can't send you more pictures of me. I can only do so many selfies. (I'm not really a "selfie" person.) Luckily, I　ｍａｄｅ　ａ　ｆｒｉｅｎｄ　ｔｈａｔ　ｄａｙ，　ａｎｄ　ｗｅ　ｔｏｏｋ　ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｓ　ｏｆ　ｅａｃｈ　ｏｔｈｅｒ． Ｉｔ　ｓｏｕｎｄｓ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｙｏｕ＇ｖｅ　ｈａｄ　ｑｕｉｔｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｅｅｋ．　Ｔｅｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｂｏｙｓ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｊｏｂ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｅ．　Ａｌｌｙ　ａｃｔｕａｌｌｙ　ｔａｌｋｓ　ｔｏ　ｍｅ，　ｓｏ　Ｉ　ｃａｎ　ｔｅｌｌ　ｈｅｒ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｊｏｂ　ｍｙｓｅｌｆ． Ｉ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｓ．　Ｔｈａｔ＇ｓ　ａ　ｌｏｖｅｌｙ　ｆｌｏｗｅｒ　ｔｈａｔ　Ｋｅｌｄｙｎ　ｆｏｕｎｄ．　Ｔｅｌｌ　Ｎａｔｔｙ　ｓｈｅ＇ｓ　ｎｏｔ　ｓｕｐｐｏｓｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｂｅ　ａ　ｍｉｄｄｌｅ　ｓｃｈｏｏｌｅｒ　ａｌｒｅａｄｙ！　Ｓｈｅ＇ｓ　ｎｏｔ　ａｌｌｏｗｅｄ！ Ａｓ　ｆａｒ　ａｓ　ｗｈｅｔｈｅｒ　ｏｒ　ｎｏｔ　Ｉ＇ｍ　ｓｔａｙｉｎｇ　ｌｏｎｇｅｒ，　Ｉｒｅｎｅ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｍｐａｎｙ　ｉｓ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｔｒｙｉｎｇ，　ｂｕｔ　ｉｔ　ｄｏｅｓｎ＇ｔ　ｌｏｏｋ　ｇｏｏｄ．　Ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｉｓ　ｆｉｎｅ，　Ｉ　ｇｕｅｓｓ．　Ｉ＇ｄ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｔａｙ　ａｎｄ　ｓｅｅ　ｍｏｒｅ，　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ＇ｍ　ａｌｓｏ　ｅｘｃｉｔｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ　ｅｖｅｒｙｏｎｅ　ａｇａｉｎ．　Ｉｆ　Ｉ　ｃｏｍｅ　ｈｏｍｅ，　ｃａｎ　ｗｅ　ｇｏ　ｃａｍｐｉｎｇ　ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ？ Ｏｎ　Ｆｒｉｄａｙ，　Ｉ　ｗｏｒｋｅｄ　ｈａｒｄ　ａｎｄ　ｃａｍｅ　ｕｐ　ｗｉｔｈ　ａ　ｌｏｖｅｌｙ　ｌｅｓｓｏｎ　ｐｌａｎ　ｆｏｒ　Ｔｕｅｓｄａｙ．　Ｔｈｅｎ，　ｔｏｄａｙ　（Ｍｏｎｄａｙ），　Ｉ　ｆｏｕｎｄ　ｏｕｔ　ｔｈａｔ　ｔｈａｔ　ｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒ　ｌｅｓｓｏｎ　ｐｌａｎ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｂｅ　ｂｅｔｔｅｒ　ｎｅｘｔ　ｗｅｅｋ．　Ｇｒｒ！　Ｗｈａｔ　ａｍ　Ｉ　ｇｏｎｎａ　ｄｏ？　Ｉｔ＇ｓ　ａ　ｆａｒｍ　ｌｅｓｓｏｎ，　ａｎｄ　Ｉ＇ｖｅ　ａｌｒｅａｄｙ　ｄｏｎｅ　ａｎｉｍａｌｓ　ｔｏ　ｄｅａｔｈ． Ｉ＇ｌｌ　ｔａｌｋ　ｔｏ　ｙｏｕ　ｌａｔｅｒ，　ａｎｄ　ｔｅｌｌ　ｙｏｕ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｍｙ　ｗｅｅｋｅｎｄ　ａｄｖｅｎｔｕｒｅ． Ｌｏｖｅ， Ｍｅ On Monday, May 23, 2016 1:43 PM, kelly wadsworth wrote: Dear Rachel, Chelsey, and Cami, Oh, boy, what a week. It started out slow, but man, it gained some momentum. Monday was just a normal day. Regular set of kids, no unexpected or unusual events. Tuesday. Last minute calls for a couple of kids, but not too bad. Taryn and Ashton in the afternoon. Then run home and get ready for Awards night at school. Ally made the 3.5 honor roll, and got a $1000 scholarship for writing. Mrs. McHenry and Dylan sponsored it. It was so neat for her. She didn't make the top 10, but if effort counted, she would be in the top top of her class. She worked harder than just about anyone I know. Wednesday, the train wreck started. I ended up with 9 kids by the end of the day. Reiko, Ryder, Canon, (all in diapers and car seats), then add Traci Poulsens 2 girls (both in car seat/booster), plus Paislee and Keldyn. That was 5 carseats crammed in the van, and the door not working when we were loading and buckling them in. I was able to get it fixed when I got home, but it was sooooo frustrating. Then I got a call from Taryn and Ashton's mom. Yep. 9. they were only for an hour or so, and mostly after all the others were dropped off. Then there was YW/YM that night. I did get to enjoy some quiet while I waited for that to be over. Thursday we did that whole thing over again. By about 11, I told the kids they were staying in the house because I was tired of all the fighting and not being able to see the ones outside while I was inside with the others. But, I can look back now and laugh. Hopefully, I will be able to say no next time. It used to be soo easy. I guess I am getting old. Benson left for state Thursday morning. So it was just Ally, Jacques and Natty and me. (excuse my poor punctuation) We are really a very quiet, boring sort of people. But that is just what I needed. Benson ended up placing 2nd in the 4x100, but not placing in the long jump. Tyler did really well, placing in most of his events, even with an injury. He lunged across the finish line in the 110 hurdles, and crashed. Ended up in the ER. He didn't break his collar bone, (I think that was what it was), so was able to run the next day, and even placed in one of those races. The girls 4x800 placed 4th and broke the school record. They all did a good job. Brandon Zile was there too. His team took 2nd overall. Baseball ended up taking state. But softball lost their last 2 games, so didn't. Seminary graduation was tonight. It was good. Asia spoke. The cake was good. Then we had to wait for Benson to have his board of review for his Eagle project idea. It looks like his project will be approved, so he should be good to go. Jacques is just about ready for his, too. Ally is done with school. She gets to stay home and sleep in this week. Natty is going on her golden wildcat trip tomorrow. They are going roller skating in Veyo. I can't believe that the school year is over. It seems like it just started. Natty will be in Middle school. Wow. And Keldyn will start kindergarten. All my babies keep growing up. Some of them I don't mind, but others I wish could stay little and fun. Ally is waiting to use the computer. That is one drawback of graduating. She has to give back the netbook. I love you all. Can't wait for you to be home Cam. Thanks for all the pictures, Chelsey. I love when you send the ones with you in them. Rachel, you haven't sent pics in a while. It's a good thing Sister Woolsey's mom put a couple of you on facebook. Work hard. Love you Mom hpaich on

May 15, 2016

Weirdest Saturday Adventure Ever People Chelsey Wadsworth May 15 at 7:34 AM To mkwads@yahoo.com Message body Dear Mom and everyone else, Da jia hao, again! I hope everything is all right at home. Mom, I'm sure you're probably what was up with the pictures I sent you, so I thought I'd better send and email tonight instead of waiting till later. But first, I should tell you about my week. It had a bunch of ups and downs. I've been asked if it's lonely being the only foreigner where everyone is speaking in Chinese. I thought I didn't mind it so much, but now it's getting to me more and more. The teachers in my office all jabber in Suzhounese, and if I'm lucky, Miss Huang might tell me what the heck is going on, but not so much lately. At lunch I'm especially lonely, because I have no one to sit by, and even the ones who know me prefer to sit with other Chinese-speaking people. And, who can blame them? Basically, it feels just like high school. But, although I feel lonely around the adults, I get on just fine with the kids. I love English corner, when I can sit and chat with them. Even if we don't understand everything each other says, we still can have a good time. (Usually.) If I'm feeling down on myself, I only have to walk through the hall during break time, and I'm greeted by choruses of "Miss Wa! Hello, Miss Wa!" Another frustration I've been having, is the teachers keep cancelling my lessons on me. It would be one thing if they'd actually tell me in advance, but I always have to go to the classroom and find out what's going on. Sometimes the teachers just forget, but sometimes they tell me they need to teach, or whatever. It's been happening more and more lately. This past week, it's been every day. Then, I just have to "have a good rest," and then I get really bored. I'd rather be with the kids. During the week, Julie had been trying to plan a weekend adventure, and everyone was invited, but only three of us actually went. She spent literally hours putting together an amazing trip. It was going to be so amazing! At first the plan was to go to Luzhi, a water town just south of Suzhou, but she found out about a town a couple hours away called Wu Zhen, in the province just south of Jiangsu where we live. We were going to see live performances, like martial arts, a shadow puppet show, and an opera. We were going to have an amazing day, and it was going to be an adventure! Well, in the end, we did have an adventure. . . Julie and Chloe's Chinese neighbors got involved and kind of took over. They insisted on driving us, which was lovely because we didn't have to buy train tickets. They also really wanted to go to Xitang, another town, which was fine. They also wouldn't let us help pay for anything, so the whole day was free. Which was very, very nice of them. So, we can't even be mad at them. But, all the things we were so excited about, we never got to see. We got to have a rickshaw ride, and we got to see lovely old places, so it was fun. When we asked about the shows, the one who actually speaks English said, "What kind of shoes do you want?" We asked about the martial arts and shadow puppets, and he said, "Ooh. There's no time. We have to see Xitang. And, we have to buy tickets to get in." Okay. Whatever. You're the ones paying for stuff and driving us around. When we got to Xitang, they went to drive through the gates of the ancient town, but the guards stopped them. Apparently, we needed tickets, unless we waited till evening, when it would be all pretty and lit up. They said we'd go back at seven. So, they drove around town trying to find somewhere to kill time for five hours. What they came up with was a place to sit around and play pool. We chitchatted a lot, and I also got a nap. They have some very interesting ideas about what it's like in America. (Julie and I are the two Americans. Chloe is British.) After a few hours of being in the same place, we went to a restaurant for dinner, and spent a good couple hours there, because now we had to wait till seven-thirty. We finally left on foot from the restaurant to the ancient town, where the entrance was lit up by flashy, modern lights. We had to wait until eight- no, wait, eight-thirty- to cross the bridge to where we were going. I think we would have literally spent a half hour standing there, had I not looked at a store that looked interesting, said, "I want to go there," and started walking. (I felt so assertive!) Finally, eight-thirty rolled around, and we crossed the bridge, along with mobs of Chinese tourists. The first part we walked through was flashy and filled with loud, banging music on all sides. The kind that makes your whole body vibrate. Julie thought it was cool, but Chloe and I didn't like it one bit. We walked past that bit, and there were lots of cute side streets lit with lanterns and pretty lights. There were also lots of bars with live music, which was (mostly) pretty good. There were lots of people selling paper flowers with tea lights in the middle, which you're supposed to light and make a wish, then float the flower on the river. We were enjoying the scenery, but we were tired and ready to call it a day, but the two Chinese guys were having fun. We did make it home around eleven-thirty. (Then, I took a nap after church today.) All of Julie's hard work that she put into planning went out the window. It was a weird day. But, I can't help but feel glad that I went. It was so nice to get out of Suzhou, and drive through some countryside, and see more of China. My Sunday has mostly been just a normal, run-of-the-mill sort of Sunday. I was supposed to lead the music in Sacrament meeting, and I made extra sure to be a few minutes early, but they'd already gotten someone else. (Well, fine then. First cancelled classes, now this.) I was in nursery again, playing babies with Jane again. There are two dolls she's named Elsa and Anna, and Elsa is always is the mommy and Anna is always the baby. And, thanks to me, they also have a daddy, who happens to be Buzz Lightyear. And, I made friends with Isaac, Jane's adopted Chinese brother who can barely walk. I always linger after church, because I don't want to go back to my lonely apartment all by myself. But, today, I was able to have someone to talk to for most of the journey home. Ashley Burton and I met up with Jerwin and Monica and we all went together. (Jerwin is Chinese and married to Monica, who is Mexican. They're an adorable couple.) We found out Jerwin has an obsession with llamas. After that, it's been just a boring Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow starts another week. I wonder how this one will go? Good luck with your week back home. Ally, I can't believe you only have a few days left of being a high schooler! Quit getting old! I love you all. Let us all press on in the work of the Lord, whatever that may be for each of us. Love, Chelsey<3 hpaich on

May 10, 2016

Dear Mom and everyone else, Nimen hao! Here is the long-awaited email. Well, I don't know if you were waiting for it, but I was anxious to write it, and I haven't been able to. Last week was a four-day school week, which is really the only consolation for going back after a three-day weekend. But, it wasn't too hard of a week. Or, if it was, I'm used to it by now, so it doesn't bother me. Amelia spends very little time in the apartment, so I spend a lot of time alone in the evenings. To keep from going crazy, last week I went for a walk every night. I got to bed later as a result, so now I'm tired all the time, but I had fun exploring. One night, I came upon a dance performance on a street next to my school. And, of course, they were all impressed by the white girl in the crowd. But, tonight I've decided to stay home and relax and get things done. The weather is still crazy. Mom, don't ever come to Suzhou at this time of year. You will die. Last week was so muggy! I couldn't help but imagine you here, complaining. The one night last week that Amelia was actually home for a little while before leaving again, we were talking about how our mothers are both the same when it comes to heat. She jokingly said, "My mum and your mum can go on holiday together. To Antarctica. We'll go to Spain." But then, it rains a lot, too, and cools down a lot. Yesterday I wore a sweater and a jacket. It makes me so happy to feel the rain on my face, and I try to imagine the smell of wet sage brush, and Ally and me going outside and dancing in it. It really wasn't too exciting of a week, but the weekend was interesting. It was another rainy Saturday. (Big surprise.) Also the air pollution was supposedly really high. But, I can't sit inside all day. I just can't. Conference weekend was a killer, and I can't do that again. I have to get out and go somewhere. I've been wanting to find Stone Lake, which is only about a half hour's walk from my house, so I went there. There were hardly any people there, except for a group that stopped to get their pictures with me. Other than that, it was quiet and peaceful, and the sight of the willows by the side of the lake in the rain made it feel a bit like a fairy tale setting. There is some nice, old building with a nice courtyard that probably has some kind of historical significance, and I found the entrance seven minutes before the guards closed it, but I walked through it a little. It felt like something from a ghost story on that particular day, but I'm sure it's really nice on a bright, sunny day when there are other people there. Across the lake, there's the entrance to Shangfangshan Park, which has a giant golden Buddha and a pagoda. I didn't go in there. It costs forty kuai, and it will have to wait until after payday, but I know where it is, now. After finding that, I was trying to find how to get back into the park by the lake, so I turned down a little side road and ended up in what seemed like a secluded little farming village from another time. It was nice to look at, but the few people who I saw there didn't seem very welcoming. They stopped what they were doing to stare at me as I passed, as if to say, "What the heck is she doing here?" I was thinking, "Don't mind me. I ended up here by accident. I'm literally just passing through to find how to get the heck out of here. Don't hurt me." (They wouldn't have hurt me, I'm sure, but it was still awkward.) Then, I eventually found the way back to the park and meandered on my way home. I'll admit, it was nice to have that humbling experience after all those people who act like I'm a celebrity. Also, I learned just how close to the edge of town I really am. Sunday was beautiful. Not only was it another spiritual feast in church, but after church, the Swopes invited me, along with three others, to eat dinner at their house. We had hamburgers and hot dogs. Brother Swope was trying to get his new grill to work, but in the end, they just gave up and cooked in the kitchen, because the Chinese charcoal was too slow. When the fire was just right, we roasted marshmallows on the balcony and made s'mores. It wasn't the same, especially since there were no real Graham crackers, but it was fun. We sat and talked about lots of different things, and Heather Swope and Joan gave me the visiting teaching message. For the first time since I've been here, it felt like a real Sunday. I mean, I've kept the Sabbath day holy, but it's not the same when you have to spend Sunday afternoons by yourself, and dinner is leftovers. I've been so blessed in America to be able to be surrounded by friends and family where we could enjoy the Sabbath together, and I was finally able to feel like that again. I feel so much more strengthened for the week now. This week is already almost half over. Time flies so quickly! Then, I'll blink again, and it will be Friday, and time for another weekend. This week hasn't been very exciting so far. I've started another two-week cycle, so I'm getting through more writer's block and lesson planning, and whatnot. But, so far, so good. Monday night was our weekly Chinese lesson. Mr. Wang always teaches us a Chinese song when we start to get tired. So far, the only one I'm actually able to sing is "Tian Mimi," but it's always fun. At least, I have fun. I guess that's it. Today I saw the most gorgeous butterfly. Seriously, I have never seen a butterfly like that one. I needed to take a walk in the garden outside, because being in the office all day makes me so sleepy, and I saw it flying around. He wasn't camera shy at all! And on the way home, I bought a snack that tasted really nice, although I suspect it may have been dog meat. (I really hope not. Scoop would never forgive me!) Other than that, nothing exciting really happened today, and that's not always a bad thing. I hope your Mothers' Day was nice. I though of you, and drew a moose and ElastiGirl on my Sacrament program in honor of you. I'm glad you got to talk to Rachel. Mom, thanks for the WeChat message. It made my day. I love you, and more importantly, God loves you. He knows you and your frustrations and your joys, and He is always mindful of you. Don't be afraid to accept help when you need it. We're all mortal, and we all depend on each other. (Sorry to go all sappy on you there, but it's true.) I had better go now, and get things done, so I can get to bed early for once. Love, Chelsey<3 hpaich on

May 2, 2016

Dear Mom, and all who are reading this, Da jia hao! I survived another week. This one actually felt pretty easy. Since we had the field trip on Monday, it was really more like a four-day week. And, we all had a three-day weekend to look forward to. The kids in fourth and fifth grades love "Little Red Riding Hood". In Chinese, it's called "Xiao Hong Ma," or something, in case you ever wondered. In second and third grades I used pictures of one of their favorite things, Kung Fu Panda, to teach them action words. In first grade, I'm teaching them "inside" and "outside", but on Friday, we had extra time at the end of the lessons, so I taught them "Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree." It was great! They always get so excited when the crocodile snaps a monkey out of the tree. In one class we even had time to role-play it, and I learned which kids would sacrifice their friends to the hungry crocodile to stay alive longer. Hilarious! Then, at the end of the day I went home, and Amelia, Ellie, Lola, and I hung out together at our apartment and watched Lilo and Stitch. The next day we went to Mudu, the section of town where Rosie and Ali live, because Ali's birthday was on Thursday, and we had his birthday party. The plan was to hike to a pagoda in the Ancient Town, but we got a late start, so we couldn't. We did walk around a bit and look around, though. It's so nice! I finally found myself a Chinese bamboo flute, which I've been looking for since I got to China. There was a man selling them, and I almost bought one from him, because I thought he was saying "fourteen," bu he was actually saying "forty." ("Si shi," or "forty," and "shi si," or "fourteen," sound almost the same, and even Chinese people have trouble with that.) But there was a store that sold them for a lot cheaper. There were a lot of pretty things to see there, and it felt less tourist-y than Pingjian Road, where all the prices are insanely high. We walked through Little Hong Kong, which is really not all that exciting, and then went back to Ali's apartment, where he fed us pasta. They wanted to go to a KTV, but it was too late to do that and still catch the subway home. Sunday was testimony meeting. A lot of people were traveling for the holiday, and most of the Curtis family was sick with chicken pox, so we had a very small, intimate group. There were some awesome testimonies. We learned that the government may be making changes soon, so after this year, we may be able to share the gospel with our Chinese friends. That will be so wonderful! But, there will be some kind of catch, by the sound of it. I didn't understand completely, but it's very interesting news. I bore my testimony, and I talked about the same thing that we learned in Sunday school, which was about King Benjamin, so they kept referring to my testimony, which was interesting. Primary was also interesting. There was only one white kid, and Eve is pretty fluent in Chinese, so most of primary wasn't in English. It was fun, though. After church, the rest of the day was pretty boring. I went for a little walk in our park, just for the sake of getting out of the house. (Amelia was out, and it was lonely and boring.) There was a firework show in the distance, and I had a pretty good view of it. I could also see a few stars in the sky, which is a big deal here. I wanted to do something for the holiday today, so I sent a WeChat message to my Chinese friend, Owen, asking for a suggestion. He teaches English in Grade 6, and we're about the same age. He suggested we go to the Suzhou Museum together, and he would be my "guider," so we made plans to meet at Panli Lu Subway Station. He was waiting outside exit 4, and I actually went inside and bought a ticket, so we couldn't find each other for a long time. (I seriously need to top up my phone.) But, in the end, we had a really nice time. He showed me Shantong Street, which is another old-time China place. We went to the Suzhou Museum, but the line was monstrously huge, and we didn't want to wait two hours to go inside, so instead we went to the Lion Forest Garden and went for a boat ride. Lion Forest Garden was really fun. It's got a labyrinth of stones from Tai Hu, so it feels a bit like Indiana Jones. It was built by some monk several hundred years ago. We had to walk with a group to get on a bus to ride to the place with the boat rides. The tour guide on our boat talked in Chinese, so I have no idea what he said, except for when Owen translated the jokes. But, Owen said he learned a lot of things about Suzhou that he never knew, so I guess I was missing out. I think we were meant to go to another garden, but Owen had things to do, and we didn't have time, so we went back home. I'm now relaxing at home after the big adventure today. (I have many souvenirs, and a lot of them are for you at home.) I was very glad to get your email. It's so weird to think that at home it's snowing still, when it's getting so hot here. Although it does rain a lot, so I can relate with you on that. It sounds like Dad had a nice birthday party, or as nice as can be expected, anyway. I guess Keldyn would be old enough for tee ball now, wouldn't he? Time flies by so quickly! Thank you for praying for me. Please don't stop. I love you. Love, Chelsey<3 hpaich on