6 months!

We have been in China for 6 months now. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I feel like we just moved to Dalian yesterday, but in those 6 months we have:

Spent 3 weeks in the US for Christmas
Visited Dandong
Fed the sea lions at our aquarium at least 15 times
Moved to Beijing
I had 4 different jobs at different times
Nick went on about 2,354 business trips
and we managed to see some things in Dalian and make a few friends.

I'm excited for the next 6 months here in Beijing, although I might change my mind after I experience a hot and HUMID summer. Last weekend Nick and I spent the morning in the silk market and had a good time bargaining. I haven't been that excited to shop in a long time (probably not since I was home last). I found a couple cute new pairs of shoes, a tablecloth, and some other silk bags that I'm excited about.

I need to work on my bargaining face/skills. Nick's face is so good, but its hard to describe unless you've seen it. He basically looks at the little old Chinese ladies like they are completely crazy. It's pretty funny. I'll try to get a picture sometime. I don't know if he would dare let me alone in the market right now. I start to feel so bad for the little old ladies that I agree to outrageous prices. I know its bad for foreigners who come to shop after me, since they then think they can get those prices again. It's something I'm just going to have to practice. I guess that means there's a lot of shopping in my future!