This past weekend Katie and I went with some friends of ours to visit their family in the countryside. It was an adventure in every way. 8 people (4 of whom were children including a two year old, thankfully not mine), 1 4-door sedan, warmer weather, a culture that doesn't believe in air conditioning or in asking for directions, the Yellow River, fried flowers and silk worms and cow's stomach to eat, squatty potties (lots and lots of them), plenty of photo ops with
gawking interested strangers (I know how Brangelina feels now), and a 5-hour train ride on the topmost bunk of a hard sleeper for Katie and me back to the city (without our friends to translate). (I couldn't help but sing
this in my head.)
We really did have an excellent time. Our friends were so kind to invite us, and it was awesome to see a different side of this country up close. I had travelled in more rural parts in the past but had never been in people's homes or conversed with them or eaten their food. It was truly an honor to meet our friends' family...all of them! Our friend is the youngest of 8 siblings (the oldest one being in his 70s) and the whole family still lives in small towns or villages in a province south of us. I think we managed to visit all of them in our two-day trip!
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| One of the families we met |
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| Beautiful girl and beautiful flowers |
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| Checking out the Yellow River |
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