Food in Changsha is full of strong Hunan flavors—spicy, aromatic and unforgettable. Unfortunately, my kids don’t have a Hunan appetite even though they are from this province. So, they missed so much

In the Rhineland (North Rhine-Westphalia), the street carnival begins TODAY on Weiberfastnacht (Women's Carnival Day), during which women traditionally symbolically "take over the reins." Typical customs include cutting off men's ties, "storming" town halls, and large street and pub parties starting at 11:11 a.m. In Cologne, the carnival season begins every year on November 11th at 11:11 a.m. and ends on Ash Wednesday (46 days before Easter Sunday). During this time, Carnival session and events take place daily everywhere, where there is a lot of celebrating (and a lot of drinking 😅). During these days, everyone is in costume. Up to two million spectators flock to Cologne for the Rose Monday parade alone. The people of Cologne are proud of their city, its cathedral, the Rhine, their language and its carnival. Thanks to its carnival songs, Cologne is the most sung-about city in the world. I could write so much more... 😅

Yesterday was the opening ceremony of the XXV Olympic Winter Games. Besides amazing artists like Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, Ghali, Lang Lang, Cecilia Bartoli, Sabrina Impacciatore, ... it was a very impressive and moving ceremony. I took some photos of it on my TV. Or here are a few links: https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/videos/opening-ceremony-ceremonies-milano-cortina-2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDg7exbRAE I especially like the core values ​​of the Olympic Games: * Excellence (peak performance) * Friendship (international understanding) * Respect (respect for human dignity) A bit like LME. We do our best in learning Finding friends in the community. And of course, we respect each other Are you watching the Games, or is it not for you? There are so many sports (including new ones like ski mountaineering, sounds interesting 😅) ...and of course I'm also looking forward to the Super Bowl tomorrow. 🤣 Big hugs, Ralph

@Linus Z , @Xinxin Zhang @Ute Delsing @Ralph Essers , @Mariel Liang @Evelyne Vincent @Sara Li @Mina Min @Nza Kurdi @Rory Yuan , @Alyssa Xu @Arturo Montoya , @Grace Hou , @Hina Hsia , @Kelly Trinh @Nolla Nella @Nur Damla Korkmaz @Shirley Lee , @Zha Xi @Luna Liu , @Cao QiaoLan @Elena Zhang @Constance Tuballes @Donesh Pawara @Jean Alain , @Gee Nat , @Steven Jiang , @Joan Zhang , @Jackie Li @Miko Zhou @Soooda Feng @Gulistan Asan FANTASTIC JOB today EVERYONE! I really enjoyed it. Keep practicing and TOGETHER, LET’S MASTER ENGLISH!!!! Special thanks to my assistant Super @Mariel Liang for the organization and for helping me out! Today we got to practice with 16 members — amazing energy from everyone! Let’s keep the momentum going and see you at the next class! 🚀

Gearing up for a possible trip to Montreal's Chinatown on the Lunar New Year IF the weather is good...