From: Shannon C
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 6:49 PM
To: Kristina; Jacquie; Tracey
Subject: hello again!

hello y’all! Sorry i have not been e-mailing more!! I wrote this long one yesterday and as I was sending it the power in the school went out! It was out for over an hour!! Things are going well here. I have shown all the staff and kids pictures of my beautiful sisters and they all love you guys!! They think it is weird that all of our hair is different and they feel for Eric being the only boy! I told them that he was spoiled because of it! Dad and I have been teaching the kids how to play basketball and it almost killed me yesterday! Playing in over 40 degree heat is crazy but the kids really want to learn so it has to be done!! I tell you the humidity is crazy!! It is like being in a sauna all the time! Thank god for air conditioning!! I am sure I have lost a lot of weight! BOY am I craving some bad food!! The food here is good I have eaten more rice in a week then I have in my life!! We eat a lot of fried chicken and veggies… I really want a nice salad and a burger king burger!!!! YUMMMMM!!!!!As soon as I get off the plane that is what I am having… I can almost taste it! drooooollll!! You guys have to come to china if only to shop! The cloths are so cheap and sooo nice! I got a pair of Puma shoes for $8.00 cdn! Back home they are over $100!!! I am glad that I have small feet! Being here is like being a movie star! People look at you and get really excited when you enter the store! They want to see what you look like in their cloths! The only odd thing that I am not used to is having the clothing girls pull my pants off to get me to try on a skirt… thank god for granny panties!! They would have been very shocked if I was not wearing anything!! The kids here are sooo great and I am going to be sad to leave! I wish I could take them all home with me! The other teachers a great with exception to two but I am sure Mom can fill you in! I will not let them wreck this experience!! The rest os us get along great! tonight I am going to buy some glasses and contacts as they are 200 yen and that works out to just over $20.00 cdn! They are super nice and I paid over $300.00 for my glasses back home! They also have the coolest phones! So many different things!! I am sleeping on a mat at the moment and am very excited to get into my own bed! The first week seemed to take forever but now time is flying by! Only eleven days left! It feels like I have been here for months! I am learning how to speak chinese and let me tell you it is sooooo HARD! I hope to get it! The tones are crazy!! Well I must be off I need to go and teach some music!! LOVE YOU! MISS YOU! Fill me on on what’s happening! How are you guys??? Jacquie good luck with the operation!! I know it is a few weeks away but I am thinking of you! Tell the kids I say hi and I miss them!! I think they would love to hang out with the kids here!! everyone is soo nice!