I decided that my words weren't really doing the job of creating a vivid vision of my experiences in China. So I use the power of my favorite new toy, my Panasonic camera. Above is a place we visited in Xi'an. Like most historical sight I've been to recently they all have something to do with Buddhism. And the tour guides tell you that you need to see this and that place because it has the largest painting, tallest sculpture, shenme shenme shenme of Confucius or a Buddha.

Next we have two adorable babies we met while visiting the foster home in Xi'an. Joe (if I remember) and Jade are their names. I want to take them home!

I took this picture in Xi'an because it shows the crazy kind of development going on here. This place next to the foster home (considered the outside of the city) had at least five of the shown high-rises in the process of being built! If that wasn't enough, across the street there were about four more high-rise apartment buildings in the process of construction! A lot of the development is government sponsored and everything from contractors to architects are controlled by the state. For buildings like this though they don't use much variety. It's like Ivory Homes but for high rises. They use the design of one high-rise for the four more.

I had my hair cut and colored today and I'm feeling like it was a huge mistake. It's okay though, I can die it when I get back. It's so unnatural looking and it is the last thing from classy. It's hard to tell in this picture, but it's was too orange.

On the bright side the food here is awesome, with a few exceptions. I haven't had the Chinese drips yet. I figure it's because we have made good choices in where we eat. This place above was in Xi'an where you can buy your food outside on the street or you can buy a ticket and get something from each individual place and sit down. There are two more open floors above to eat. The top floor is a fancier restaurant though. I had blood soup and kidneys there. . . not my favorite foods. The dumplings were yummy as usual though.

Well, I hope that showed a little more of my experiences here. There's so much more to China that pictures and words can't explain. The strange question that continues to grow in my mind is how I will react to the culture when I get home. I know that I've only experienced a fraction of what it's like to be a part of this place, but I do think that the little I've seen will contrast even more with my return home. Merry Christmas for the millionth time!