March is over :)

Living in China gets more and more interesting as the days get warmer. One of my favourite things to do on the weekend is explore the local outdoor market. It's crowded with people early in the morning. Actually, the Saturday morning trips remind me a lot of life in France. Most people here buy fresh groceries every day, just like they did in Grenoble (although their choices of cuisine are very dissimilar). In France I used to see men gathered in groups, drinking beer at a small cafe or playing boules in a courtyard. Here men also gather in groups to play cards or mahjong. This morning the market was bustling with new vendors. People were selling the usuals - strawberries, pineapple, garlic, onions, veges, meat, eggs, rice, spices, fish, seafood as well as flowers, puppies, chicks, lighters, bras, musical instruments, and clothes. Right now I'm eating a whole pineapple which was cut up right in front of me for less than 2 bucks. I picked up so many fresh fruits and veges and chicken breasts from chickens who were butchered just this morning.

March was such a challenging month. There were so many days when I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other. I'm excited about April: it's the last week for term three this week and then we'll have a bit of a break with term exams. At the end of April, we have a week of vacation when Anjali, Sui Ki, Anita, and I will go down to Guilin and Yangshuo to see the stunning scenery, and do a little hiking and cycling. March definitely had its highlights as well. On the last day of the month, Anita, Anjali, Dana, Mike, and I performed a Bollywood dance to raise money to buy medical treatment and supplies for some local village children. Here's a little taste of our dance:



In mid-March we hosted a Mexican dinner at our place. I made chicken enchiladas, a chip dip, tacos, and a blackforest cake. The food and the company were amazing.
I wasn't really in the mood for a party that night, however, because it was the same night as Massoud Namini's memorial service. Massoud taught IT and Socials at our school and passed away of a heart attack this month. He was only 48 and has a young son. His wife also teaches at our school. He was such an amazing guy - he always had a positive outlook on life even though his life had many challenges. He was famous for his homemade bread, which he would regularly bake in the fifth floor's office breadmaker. I miss his prescence in that office and I miss his friendly face and humour in the hallways. He was an incredible teacher. But somehow life goes on and I constantly pray that I'll have the wisdom to help support my colleagues and students through this time. The best I can do to honour Massoud is to live life with the same passion, optimism and generosity.