Sample 2: Wall Climbing Skills

Also in China and also with Joee...
Our day at the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China was actually 45 minutes!
And so we climbed the Great (Freaking!) Wall of China in 45 freaking minutes!
Joee kept me motivated. She'd been there the year before, and so knew the ups and downs of the wall and the crazy steps. She also kept me going to all 7 towers - those first few are quite the killers, and if you can get to them and past them, the last towers aren't so bad! She also told me the tale of the Great Wall, and kept my mind off how hot it was and how sticky and sweaty I was! We made it! I was a little disappointed, though, that there weren't any little China men at the top selling bottles of water for 100 yuan (about $12 when we were there - a regularly priced bottle of water would have sold for 5-10 yuan...).

Sample 1: Chop Sticking Skills!

When Joee and I were in China teaching, Mrs. Gong was our cook. She cooked us this great looking fish... but we didn't know how to eat it (all of it!) with only our chopsticks to de-bone!

So Mrs. Gong gave us some pointers... Actually, she demonstrated, then pointed at us, and took our sticks back when we (actually, only me) didn't get it. I finally did though, and...

It was so good! Some of the best fish I've ever had! And what a great skill to have - de-boning a fish with chopsticks!