Virtual Visa and Political Fifth Graders

Hello Friends and Family,

It has been about a week since the last post. We are having problems loading pictures onto our computer so I'll have to steal some pictures from the internet for this post. It has been a busy week and a half. Our China endeavors have been a bit confusing. We are now in the process of trying to get a visa for our stay in China but we are getting mixed messages as far as what kind of visa we need to obtain here in the U.S. Our contact at the university in Nanning, Mr. He, suggests we try and get a working visa here in the U.S., which is a little more difficult to obtain, but we wouldn't have to do any more once we got to Nanning. However, our contact at WOU suggests we get a tourist visa here, get over to China, then obtain a working visa. We are not very helpful, having never sought a visa before. Fortunately, we have a lot of people helping us through the process. Things have been busy enough here anyways. I had the privilege of going and speaking to approximately 100 fourth and fifth graders at Myers Elementary, where Kealy student teaches, and talking to them about what it is like to work at the capital. I had a great time and the kids seemed pretty interested, although one kid in the front row was laying down, having another kid cover him with grass, but hopefully it wasn't because I was boring. They asked great questions and I tried to leave them with the belief that they can make a difference in their government, which I truly believe they can. Kealy has been doing a fantastic job teaching them about how government works and today they are doing a mock senate session and voting on ten bills. She only has 2 1/2 weeks left of student teaching. I am so proud of her. Also, Dad came to the Senate session on Monday and we had a good time together. Senator Atkinson took time out of his morning to have him at his desk and talk with him and other Senators came up and said hello. Tomorrow, Dad, Mark and I fly to Chicago for a weekend of baseball and a great time together. I am really excited and will take pictures and get them on the blog.

Sincerely,

Ryan and Kealy Thorson