Happy Easter. This morning I was able to have a bit more time in the morning in my hotel room. It was nice to be able to spend some time listening to conference talks and reading the Ensign that I picked up at Deseret Book before leaving Portland. It was a good time to reflect on the holiday that I am missing. I keep checking my watch tonight to see if the kids would be awake and I can just imagine their excitement as they find their baskets and then go on the egg hunts. I have to admit that I am missing my family quite terribly. Especially with these lonely nights in the hotel room. I know that I always wish for more alone time and to have a vacation where I can just go and relax…but I guess I don't do that very well. I long for some of the chaos of home and especially the hugs and kisses from my little boys.

Mr. Feng picked me up around 9:30 this morning and took me back to his school to observe the testing for a little bit. He took me around to the different rooms and I felt badly that I was interrupting the students and their test. He would walk in and I would follow and I think it threw them all off to see this strange white foreigner in the school. I hope that it doesn't effect their test scores J

Then he arranged for one of his English teachers, Mr. Choa, to take me around today so that he could stay at the school. I was a bit hesitant at first to be with someone that I hadn't met before, but it turned out to be one of my favorite days in China so far. He is a 36 year old teacher and has a beautiful 3 year old daughter with his wife, who is also an English teacher. He spoke English very well and we had a great time. It was nice to be with someone about my age and to just talk about family, our schools, and life. I will always remember him and was incredibly sad when our time together ended.

Mr. Choa and I went to the Shaanxi History Museum and it was an impressive experience. This province has an incredible history. Many of the emperors and dynasties had their government center here in Xi'an and the artifacts that they have found in this area date clear back to 2000 BC. It was amazing. They had prehistoric caveman bones, weapons and pottery from 4000 years ago. It was incredible to learn more about the history of the area. We spent nearly 4 hours there and had great discussions and really enjoyed each other's company.

I then got to experience a ride on the public bus here. It was definitely an experience. It was so crowded that you couldn't move at all---a constant shuffle of people in and out. Mr. Choa had been given the instruction from Mr. Feng to take me to a "western restaurant", after looking for quite awhile we ended up at KFC. It was funny---but the best thing about it was to get a soda with ice! I haven't had a cold beverage in so long, I was in heaven. While we were there we shared pictures of our families and talked about life. He is such an incredible man and I learned so much about the teaching profession in China from him. For example, it is very rare to move from one school to another. If you do, you basically start all over with the lowest salary, few benefits, etc. So he travels one hour each way to get to work because he can't afford to live in the city. His mother and father live with them and they help to take care of his daughter while they are at work. He works incredibly hard and I asked him if he was happy being a teacher. His reply was, "okay". He said that the college that he got accepted to was a teaching college, so that is why he became a teacher. He is an exceptional teacher according to Mr. Feng and he is the leader of his classroom (remember that the students stay in the same room and the teachers move around). He is the one that deals with any student issues, parent issues, behavior problems, etc.

Then we were able to walk the streets of Xi'an. We went to their supermarket—Vanguard. It was fascinating. Sort of like our Walmarts…they had clothing, food, groceries, toys, sports equipment, electronics. It was huge. Incredibly interesting to see.

After saying goodbye to Mr. Choa, I went over to Mr. Feng's house to have dumplings prepared by his wife. They are so kind and generous to me. It was an early evening and they dropped me off at the hotel at around 6:30, so I took another walk. I walked down to an open market that is nearby and there was also a sort of open mike Qin Opera going on. They had men playing instruments and then men or women would request they play a song and then would sing into the microphone that was pumped through speakers by generators. In this one little square there were three different microphones and it was very loud, but an interesting experience.

It was also fun to see all of the little shops as you walk down the street. So many welding shops, food shops, mechanic shops, etc. In the middle of the shop you would see a family just sitting around on stools and eating noodles, amidst the mess of their shop. Often you would see a toddler wandering aimlessly close by. I kept imagining what their life must be like. They are such a hard-working people and are so kind and generous. I have really enjoyed being here.