Dear friends,
I'm back from my trip to mainland China and Hong Kong. School started last Wednesday, February 11, but I had to go in one day earlier because I had teacher meetings.

Before I left for China, I was given very special gifts from the Counseling Director of Hua Shan Elementary School. Her two daughters, Lily (whose previous name was "Toyota") and Mazda, bought me a special gift from Penghu, an island off of Taiwan that is known for their beautiful minerals and rocks. They gave me a seashell wind charm, which is just gorgeous (See picture to the left). I'm not too sure how I'm going to get it back to the United States, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. The entire wind charm is made of special seashells found in that area of Penghu.

The Counseling Director's family also gave me my own stamp made out of the special rocks in Penghu. The rock has my name engraved on the bottom and it's fairly big (See picture below).

My students love receiving stamps in class and now they can receive one with their teacher's name on it! Although the stamp is a bit huge, I think the students will like it.

Here is what the inside of the lid says:

I'd like to say "Thank you" to Lily, Mazda, my Counseling Director, and her family! What beautiful and memorable gifts! Thank you so much =D