The Great Wall - What an Achievement

If you remember a few weeks ago I was gushing over my favourite student, Katie, who brought me maple syrup for my birthday. Yesterday I got a gift from my student, Justin, who has replaced Katie as my favourite. This past weekend he went to China with his father and went to the Great Wall of China. When you get to the Great Wall there are all sorts of souveneirs you can buy, as with any such landmark. One of the souveniers is a gold plaque that says:

I have climbed the Great Wall. This is to certify that __________ did climb the Great Wall on ____________.

Justin had my name engraved into the plaque! So now that's one less thing I have to do over here in Asia...I can just pretend I did it. And just as a side note to anyone who has ever bought me a present and had me return it immediately...isn't it frustrating to know that things like maple syrup and a falsified plaque can bring me such gift-satisfaction?