Clarks: All-Around Update

Hey there. Sorry to keep you waiting for a new post (in case you were waiting, that is).
First things first: Yes, Jake & Shelley are here, as Josh mentioned. [Sorry I don't have any cute pictures to show you. I imagine they will have plenty to share when they get back to Chatt.] Right now, they are visiting in XiaSha, where they taught last year. This weekend Jake is planning to treat the team to pizza! Wow, what a guy!
Next: We had a b-day party for Hallie last Sunday. Jenn took pics, but I get the feeling that she isn't exactly finding the free time to edit photos, post blogs, etc. So, in lieu of her... Let me say, Hallie's party was a smash: Home-baked chocolate cake and (store-bought) ice cream... Lots of nice gifts, including pj's, art supplies, and what all else I don't recall... It was a nice get-together after our usual Sunday get-together.
In other news: Wei is starting to ask questions when Cecely reads to her during yoga class, so that door is opening just as we have been hoping it would. Last Friday, we took a student from Jason's senior English classes [a different student from the one I told you about last-last Friday] and went to the You-Know-What Bookstore. She had seen me reading such a book before class one day and had asked "what's that? can I get one here?" and so we took her to get one she could have and read for herself. We'll see what comes next; we haven't seen her or talked to her since Friday. Hopefully, she's been reading and will want to get together for some instruction.
Oh, and this is cool: Last night, as we were leaving our favorite noodle restaurant, a faux-Japanese chain called Ajisen that serves some of the best Korean kimchee in town (go figure), along with other delicious delicacies like cold-salad-sesame noodles with tender, smoked, pulled, boneless chicken and their signiture "1000-Flavor" noodle soup which comes with the best hard-boiled egg you can imagine [I know it might be hard to imagine anything special about a hard-boiled egg; if so, you need to come here for a visit]... oh, and the tea there is the best... and I almost forgot to mention, their miso soup is out of control! Get Jared and Cassie to take you down to Sushi Nabe at Coolidge Park on the river, and get a taste of their soup; it's exactly as good as that, and much cheaper! But, anyway... wasn't I saying something?
So as we were leaving, Cec caught sight of this guy reading the Book. He's just sitting there in the middle of the restaurant (literally, he was in the middle) reading it in Chinese, like that's just the most normal thing in the world - which of course it isn't, not in this counrty, not in the US either. So she spoke with him a little bit, and then while we were wandering around in the adjacent shopping center, I had this feeling, you know, like I ought to go back there and talk to him some more, so we went back, and this time I spoke with him and indicated that I might like someone to read with in Chinese, and blah, blah, blah... "by the way where are you from?" and it turns out he is a student at Steve's college! [Who's Steve? He's a guy that is here in town doing the same thing we are doing. He came through the China Calls program. I had met him at the China Calls orientation meeting last spring, and now he has been meeting with us most Sundays.] So, long-story-short, we have put them in touch with each other and are hoping that will work into something up there in their part of town (a little north of where we live).
Bottom Line: I find it impossible to keep up with You-Know-Who's pace. I mean, I think of cool things that happen - some seemingly small, some amazingly big - each and every day, that would make good blogging material, but who has time to write it all down? Like our old friend, John, once said, "If you tried to write down everything He did [and is doing] you'd fill the world with books [and blogs] and still just scratch the surface." Now, I know how John must have felt. And I bet his wrists were tender and sore, too, from so much typing. I know mine are.