Hiya Everybody :)

Time has gone so fast! Just three weeks left until I return to Canada. I've got a bit of my two weeks planned already, but the rest I'll just play it by ear. I will take as many pictures as I can though, so I can have more backgrounds for my laptops & pictures for my little photo albums. When I get homesick (when I have time, lol!) I browse through them and they make me smile.

I'll arrive in Saint John and stay there a few days, see Mom, Mike's parents, and Cindy & Daniel. Wish I could see the kids from school, but it will be summer vacation by then, so :( , hope to see Rose, Adrian & the gang from SJBKE! Then I'm going to spend four days in Fredericton with Cathy :), and some time in Perth-Andover with my grammy, aunties and cousins. In between, I need to get a haircut! My hair is almost to my rear, lol!

I'm desperate to see NB...living out in the countryside of China is very nice, but there's just something about home. It will always be the most beautiful & friendly place in the world to me.

Being here has created a different sense of appreciation of Saint John & New Brunswick for me. I miss getting my hands dirty in my mother's garden soil and digging out the weeds. Biking out to Rothesay to see Mike while he worked at Jordan Miller Beach. Matt (from Mr.D's class) saying my name..."Keeeursten!" The drive to my grammy's house, the smell of her kitchen and the shy smile on her face when I get there. :)



I catch myself doing this so often now. Just appreciating everything around me. Watching Chinese children as they play (or get into trouble)...enjoying the splashing water in a fountain and the flowers in bloom...listening to subtle sound of the leaves as the willow branches swing in the breeze. Watching couples argue or sneak little moments of tenderness on the subway.

When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing - just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park? - Ralph Marston

The students at BCCSC are just about finished. My Korean students have their English exam on Monday at 8am, then Chinese exams the rest of the week. Mike & I are organizing a little celebration for them. Shish kabobs, veggies & ice cream. A little goodbye gift to them, since many of them will not be back next year. They're heading to BCCSC's new school, Capital International School, in Beijing.

This week we had a torrential downpour on Wednesday and a few of my Korean students went out to play football in it. Their own mini (and flooded) version of the World Cup, lol!



You can see more pictures at my Flickr site :)