Welcome To Lhasa

After another fast, event filled summer I find myself at Tibet University about to start classes tomorrow.

The summer was filled with fun, school work, heart break and various stages of life I found my friends and family going through. It is always a blessing to feel welcomed back by all those I was able to see, for however short of time it was. This summer included my final summer semester at Wheaton College (I passed the final comprehensive exams, Woo Hoo!) which I will miss tremendously, the classes and research have proved invaluable. I will also miss the summers in Chicago which were always a blast.


The end of my summer was very relaxing. I was able to spend the last couple weeks back at the parent's house. Strangely enough it rained a ton. (not so good for the farm) However I never minded the rain. I was still able to get out to the beach, ride the tractor and play a couple matches of tennis. I was even able to drag my parents to a small Josh Garrels concert. All in all it was a great summer. Still had it's share of sadness and pain, but it was home and it felt so good to be there with friends and family.



Today I am one day short of a week of living on the "rooftop of the world" as it has been deemed by previous travelers. I am still catching my breath every time I go up more then one flight of stairs... the air is definitely thin up here. However, no headaches or any other symptoms so I am encouraged by that. Tomorrow I start my teaching schedule with a co-teaching class where I will be teaching side by side a local teacher to help explain cultural and difficult english issues. Tomorrow's lesson: The Beginning of the Political Parties in America; Jefferson vs. Hamilton. Looks like I will have to brush up on my knowledge of political parties.


Lhasa is beautiful. I was able to visit a lake outside the city about a 3 hour drive away. The roads were surrounded with everything from rivers, mountains, nomads, sheep, goats, yaks, open plains, 5,000 meter summits, Bulgarian tourists and finally Lake Namtso. The city is gorgeous and the people are beautiful. It is a strange time to live here, but I feel blessed to have the chance.