Apologizes and a Quick Update

There's been a whole lot of nothing happening here, which is part of the reason I haven't updated. (That doesn't make sense, I realize...) I know I still have to finish the epic winter travels (I realize that it's ridiculous I haven't updated in so long) along with the few other things that happened about a month ago, including trips to Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Taishan. But I just haven't had the inspiration at ALL.

This week has been finals, and though I'm not TAKING them, I do have to listen, grade, and ask questions. So it's still just as tiring (if not more) than a normal 2-hour lesson. I just finished all of my Friday students' finals yesterday, since June 3rd will be a holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival. I don't understand WHY since the festival isn't on Friday, but Monday, (I believe) but I had to start their finals a week earlier than the other classes. So I've probably seen a lot of them for the last time, and that hit me while on the bus back to old campus.

I've gotten a few gifts; many Qing Ming-related, including a huge scroll with the entire painting reproduced. (Wow.) I'm grateful for some of the gifts, as they're not things I would have bought myself, and some will definitely be good to have in the future. Others... not as much. (Like strange plushies, or other decorative objects that are questionably tasteful.) Packing will be an adventure of sorts, since I have a lot of things to go through and decide what to bring home and what to just.... leave.

Now, a few days later...

My mom and aunt will be arriving IN ONE WEEK. And at this point, I am so so so close to being entirely finished. I just have to give the listening exam to my Nursing students (the others take their listening exam through computer, I had to create one for the Nursing students) on Thursday, grade them, and input their grades and send them off to my Nursing TA. DONE.

I have one more dinner with students tomorrow, which is nice to look forward to, and I will start packing the next day. I need to be as close to packed as possible before 8-ish pm on Sunday, since that's about when I'll leave to pick my family up from the airport in Zhengzhou.

So.. maybe you will see more updates from now until then? I hope I can find inspiration and power through the rest of those blogs...