Olympic Colors

I keep hoping to have a chance to sit down and write something reflective, but the daily schedule involving learning Chinese and Tibetan, the homeschooling and housework all keep the day so full that I hardly get a chance to sit down. So, the reflection will just have to wait, I guess.






Most days we're at home (or in a classroom near Dan's office, working on languages with Jabeh). But when we do get out, the extent of Olympic preparations is obvious.

The city is looking festive and clean. We had about two weeks of oppressive air - muggy, hot, unpleasant - I felt like I could never get a deep breath; but it finally rained two days ago and we've had clear, sunny days since then. Here are before and after pictures (update: you can reverse these to after and before photos, now, since the air has reverted to haze):
































In addition, we've taken a few outings (including the Foreign Language Bookstore, where Devin and Merlin were able to stock up on at least a week's worth of books). Here's what we've seen:

























Bright and Shiny






































Construction is masked with banners.

















Some run-of-the-mill armored vehicles...













Astute observers will note something odd about this building... any guesses?









Mid-day, mid-week stroll.













"Tong yi ge shi jie, tong yi ge meng xiang."

or

"One world, one dream"