this is a photo of me, phoebe, and vivian. maybe you know them as Huang and Xiran, haha! it is easier for us to learn your "english names" but we are also willing to use your chinese names. you just have to be patient with us and maybe even spell your name for us, so we can learn how to pronounce it...  :)

i hope everyone had a great time at the BBQ yesterday and i'm glad you could meet my mom. she has a great time meeting chinese students and she also went to China last summer and climbed the Great Wall. can you believe it? hopefully she will post a photo of herself on the wall in her own introduction.

yesterday at the BBQ, i had some nice conversations with phoebe and vivian and learned about their goals and hopes for the program. actually, my mom talked to them more than i did and went on a walk with them while i talked mainly to a group of boys. overall, it was a really fun and enjoyable experience despite the rain. after all, we can only see rainbows after it rains...what an auspicious occurrence!