Erin Packard

WEEKLY IN DALI: You’re looking at a classroom of young students in Dali, China, where Santa Barbara native Erin Packard — the little sis of our production manager, Megan Packard Hillegas — has been living for two years with her boyfriend to teach these kids English. “Santa Barbara and Dali are incredibly similar,” said Erin, explaining that the weather’s the same, the mountains drop straight into a body of water (although it’s just a big lake over there, not the ocean), and that small farms can be found everywhere. “Most of the vegetables at market are from these farms,” she said, “and often never see a vehicle by the time they’re on your plate for dinner.”