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This picture was taken in Tong Li. The woman is dressed in traditional clothing. We paid her 20 rmb to watch her birds go fishing. We thought we were paying to watch the birds catch fish to feed themselves, but alas, no. Each bird has a ring around his neck that prevents him from swallowing the fish. When the bird catches the fish, the woman grabs the bird by his neck and shakes him until he spits the fish out. This is the way Chinese have been fishing since the ancient days. While it was fascinating from a historical standpoint, it was not very humane from an animals rights standpoint. In a country where humans are still denied basic rights, animal rights are rarely considered.

Chris is in Beijing accompanying the students on their trip. The boys and I decided to stay home. Mariannette and I have the whole time planned out with fun filled and kid friendly activities. And just to give a clue into her personality, she typed up our itinerary, emailed it to me, had it translated into Chinese, and gave a copy to the drivers so there would be no question as to where and when they would take us to town. This is just how organized she is. She actually loves to organize. When we go grocery shopping she always has a list, sometimes typed, and sometimes categorized by produce, dry goods, etc. I tease her about it, but the truth is that I love her organization. I always benefit from it :)

This morning we're going to the paleontology museum. Turns out Nanjing has one of the largest in the world. Zack is super excited about this. I'm glad. I haven't felt any more inclination towards getting them enrolled in school after we went to check that one out. I think home school is working out just fine for us. Perhaps I'm becoming more comfortable with it myself. I feel more capable, more creative. I honestly wouldn't mind continuing it in the States, if that's what's best for the boys. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.