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The past few days have been very good for me. I don't really know where to start, so I'll just go chronologically.

First, I got a new job! When I decided to go off to Chinese camp I was hoping that somehow I would be able to line up another job for when I got back, and I did! Actually, I applied for this job way back in March and only applied to the Chinese camp after it seemed that I would not be getting this job. I figured things would probably work out somehow, and I was right. I start on Thursday and I get $20/hour!!! I will be working about 30 hours per week until school starts, and then I'll probably go down to 20 hours. I am pretty excited about it.

Camp ended Saturday and then we had to clean everything up. I stayed up all night chatting with some of the other counselors and then made the mistake of going to bed at 5:30 when I had to be on a bus to Minneapolis in just over an hour. I woke up in a panic at 6:50ish and saw that the bus was already there waiting for me and I hadn't even packed any of my things yet! I don't think I've ever packed so quickly before. When the bus got to Minneapolis three of the other counselors and I went to the Mall of America. However, because the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport no longer provides luggage storage since 9/11, we had to take all of our luggage with us to the mall. To use a bit of Chinglish, it was feichang not convenient. I think I will be writing the airport a strongly worded letter expressing my irritation with their lack of storage facilities.

As for the Mall of America, it's big. I wanted to buy a new pair of pants there since my current pair of jeans was worn out to the point that it probably wouldn't have survived another trip in the washing machine. Buying jeans always seems like such a daunting task though, so I chickened out and just bought a shirt instead.

That night I didn't get much sleep either, and then this morning I was off to the airport where I picked up a Newsweek to read the article in it about the Chinese camp that I have been working at. I openned it up and in the picture were people I knew!! The girl on the left was my student! Crazy...

And now I'm back in CO. My car was up at Dad's house, so I rode up there with him when he got out of work. He surprised me with an awesome coming home gift. A new (really nice) computer! And an iPod! And some other accessories. Man, am I spoiled! Hopefully I'm not spoiled rotten though.

I am mostly glad to be back in CO and out of the Minnesota humidity and not having to supervise the children anymore, but I will also miss my co-workers from camp (one girl in particular). But such is the way of things.

Ok, I need to get back to playing with my new toys.