My Taiwan Adventure

I started the "La Promenade" painting at least a week ago. Here's the first layer! With underpainting you're supposed to make it very thin and just use basic basic colors to block in your images. I hope it turns out! I'll show you the next layer when I get the time to add it! love and inspiration, Rachel

I can't get the scanner to work so I'm taking low quality pictures to give you the exclusive scoop on the amazing stuff happening the past month. I started this class not knowing how to read or write a single Chinese character. Let me tell you- without an alphabet this was an extra challenge. Okay I lied, I could write But let me not drag this one out and show you the before: (and the after) I could only write really simple characters from looking at the worksheet. The rest I wrote in pinyin (the established phonetic alphabet for Chinese). Take a look at what I can do now: Zero pinyin! I can write these characters in the first draft without writing pinyin first. Yes, I have to look in my dictionary for some of them but I AM SOOOOO proud of how fast I've been able to pick up this skill. No, I've not caught up yet with the other students who've taken a semester of Chinese before me, BUT I'm getting there. Just don't ask me to test and remember how ...

Today I spent a lot of time at the Taipei International Flora Expo (more later) with Albert and my fabulous new roommate! But... it was sunny for the first time in a long time... Hence... RED LOBSTER!!!!!! I know I know, Mom- I just hear you gasping. ;) I'm already worried about the future wrinkles. ALOE VERA TIME! PS- Ignore the dark circles under the eyes. I'm a part-time student now. ;) Pictures of beautiful flowers and more later!