The end is near...

Burgers!

20 people packed in one small apartment!

Well, the end of the school year is approaching very quickly. I still can't believe that I've been here for 9 months. Last week, I purchased my ticket home. I'll be back in America the morning of June 29th! Since the end of the year is approaching, we teachers are talking with the school about some changes we think should be made for next year's contract including living conditions, teaching ideas, and flight reimbursements. For example, thy are supposed to pay for our flights to and from America. They set a maximum price, but it is quite a bit lower than our actual flights even though we bought the cheapest tickets possible. It's been extremely frustrating trying to work with them and get answers. I'm starting to expect none at all. That confusion and frustration has made me even more ready for home!

This past Saturday was a really fun day. Kirk, Cory, Rebecca, and I all ran in a 6 kilometer (about 3.8 mile) race on the other side of Wuhan. I missed running the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon (13.1 miles) this year, so I enjoyed having something to train for, even if a short race isn't really up my alley. We all felt happy with our runs, but we had no idea what our times were since they had no clock at the finish line! I've been talking with some other foreigners at our fellowship, and we are planning on running the Shanghai marathon in the fall when we return. I'm PUMPED for it. I just hope the air pollution allows me to train the way I'd like to.

That evening, we celebrated Kirk's 27th birthday. I've mentioned it a little before, but Kirk is one of the biggest reasons I'm here. We went to IWU together, and he is one of my best friends. I'm the one who originally heard about this whole China thing. I was a little hesitant, but I mentioned it to Kirk, and we both decided to go together. I've loved having him here, and I was really happy when he decided to return again next year as well.

For Kirk's birthday, we had a big group of about 20 people. Kirk decided that we should have an American-style cookout. Our group bought a grill, burgers, hot dogs....pretty much everything! It wasn't easy. Kirk and Cory had to go to a foreign store quite a ways away and stuff the whole grill in a taxi, but it was worth it. The food was great, and now we'll be able to have more cookouts with people in the future.

On a side note, keep my Uncle Tom in your "thoughts." He recently found out he has brain cancer. It caught all of us by complete surprise. I'm excited to see him at our family reunion the weekend of July 4th. My uncle is a strong C, and we all know that nothing is impossible for our Father.

That's all from China. Mathews out!