Xiuxi Time

Only a few more days of Mandarin classes; my last one's on Friday. Twelve weeks later and I feel pretty confident in my survival skills. Am I ready to discuss the state of the global economy in Chinese? Probably not. But I can ask a waitress where the bathroom is and find it on my own (which is probably more useful in the long run). 

I had originally signed up for four weeks, but because my fellow classmates were so lovely, I went on for eight more. From left to right: Ye Laoshi (laoshi means teacher), Ayla (German with Turkish origins), Robin (American by way of Ireland), me (American with Egyptian and Armenian origins), Anna (Russian, now also German by marriage), Nannapat (Thai by way of the UK), and Florian (Indonesian by way of Hong Kong; a college student here for the summer; I hope we didn't scare him). We span the globe -- pretty cool, huh? 

P.S. #1 I'm wearing a shirtdress I had made at the fabric market. Cute, no? 

P.S. #2 "Xiuxi," pronounced "shee-oo-shii," means rest or break.