So, I was told that I might be homesick

One of my friends/colleagues here at my school recently told me that she'll be acting as one of the supervisors for a two-week student trip to Canada for a number of the kids here at my school. They're spending their time in Victoria and, being head-over-heels, dancing-in-the-rain in LOVE with this city, my excitement may have leaked out a bit. I may have rambled and started asking a million questions and began to recite all my favourite sites and smells and hangouts. I thought I had it under control, but with exactly 29 days left before coming home, I guess I'm not holding it together quite as well I thought.

The last few weeks have been quite hectic but filled with fun stuff. After my trip to Beijing, I spent another weekend in Kaifaqu before heading to Qingdao this past weekend for the bachelor party of two of the guys from the high school. I won't go into too much detail (in my attempt to respect the tradition of keeping tight-lipped about the shenanigans that take place during such events), but suffice it to say that we had a blast and the weekend involved a brewery tour, some beach time (including some titan-esque wrestling), lots of BBQ and a trip to a zoo that cost $1. I have some good memories, some ridiculous pictures (possibly to be used for bribery down the road), and some bruises that will help me recall the good times had.

Now, the final weeks are here. All week I've been grading oral exams for the students' potential entrance into the high school, and after I finish today, I'll have one final week of classes to cram all my enlightening knowledge into the reluctant brains of these kids before they write their final exams on Monday. Then, I'll have a couple of frontal-lobe-throbbing days full of essay marking to do before I am granted my freedom for summer vacation. I may be a touch excited. Just a touch.

The only bad news I've heard about recently is that I'll be missing out on the high school staff's year end party, as I'll be on a plane to Kunming to begin my 10 days of sightseeing and hiking before I fly back to Victoria on the 10th. It's mostly disappointing because many of the people attending are people who I won't see next year, as they'll be off to various places around the world. But, my adventures call, so I'll have to satisfy myself with the fact that I'll be doing adventurous things in one of the most beautiful parts of this country.

On a completely separate note, Slovenia has made it into the World Cup this year for the second time in their short history, and I have to say that I'm getting a bit of the World Cup fever. Go Slovenia!

T