the firecracker

I know that the Chinese invented gunpowder and they're addicted to things that go "BOOM", but geeesh....

I can't take the firecrackers. I say this every year, but especially since I've lived away from the university, my ears have been subjected to the noise on a daily basis throughout the entire course of the spring festival holiday...and occasionally in the early mornings for a wedding, new apartment resident, or a new shop or restaurant opening up. It's always a bit aggravating and irritating, but all you can do without losing your mind or screaming is just shrug and say "TIC, This is China".

red snow outside my apartment building. this greeted me when I came back from the Philippines...not sad I missed it when it was still loaded with powder

more of the aftermath of not the firecrackers but the snow blizzard that hit Nanjing while we were away. all over the city you see remnants of the blizzard, piles and piles of nasty, black snow on sidewalks and stuffed up against bus stop signs with little bits of trash stuck in it. reminds me of when we'd get huge snows back home and at the back of the wal-mart parking lot, there'd be a huge mountain of snow, with a shopping cart at the top

Oh, and I'll include this last photo for good measure. On Saturday, we had to say goodbye to Shelly. She's headed back to the US today to adjust to life in the US again after living in China for 7 years. And in the fall, she'll start university. I'd ask for you to lift her up as she goes back...she missed growing up as a teen in the US, and that adjustment alone is difficult.