Best Day Ever :)

At this point in my first journey to China, two years ago, I was leaving China after four weeks, and was totally ready to go home.  

It's hard to believe I've been here for a month, but I'm not ready to go home.  That realization hit me yesterday on the bus into town in the middle of the Best Day Ever.

I woke up early to find that the internet wasn't working, so I went into the kitchen, turned on my ipod to shuffle, and started washing dishes.  It was my third full day in Taiyuan, and I was still getting settled in, still unpacking, and still cleaning up the dust that accumulated over the summer on our floors and walls and dishes and everything else not sealed up.  I decided that I didn't want to wash all our dusty dishes with cold water AGAIN, so I turned on the kettle to boil some water.

• I love cooking with gas =)

I realized in a second that I'd have to figure out how to plug our kitchen sink -not having a plug handy- if I wanted to wash with hot water.  So, I geniusly stuck a piece of plastic between our drain and the hose attachment.  Bingo.  The sink was plugged.  (getting it unplugged resulted in lots of splashes.. but who cares!?) Thank goodness for the flexible-ness of this country.  This means that sink drains are not permanent fixtures, but rather, flexy tubes that can be pulled off and out and up and around at will.  

Next, prior to eating lunch, my roommate Jenessa and I joined our upstairs counterparts for some well earned P90X. Plyometrics, if you're wondering.  My month of sitting in class and lazing around Beijing left we weak-kneed and shaking after our intense hour of way-too-many-squats-at-once.  

• I love exercise =)

A well earned shower later, we were ready to clean a bit more before we headed off to the bank to exchange money.  We took our bus (number 831 stops right at our school!) to the busier part of the city and walked a few blocks to exchange our dollars for renminbi.  After our very long interaction, finally resulting in a successful exchange, we went to get some milk tea to celebrate!  (My teammates stopped at Macdonalds for some nourishment.)  This part of the day involved some VERY DELICIOUS street food created out of fried bread and sliced carrots + potato.  I don't know how to describe it except that it was awesome.

• I love street food in China =) (And being able to buy it myself!)

The next part of the Best Day Ever was the part where we all got a massage.
Yes.
Be Jealous.
There is something fabulous about having all your soreness rubbed away in the space of an hour.  If you ever need your outlook on life improved, try it.  We got blind massages, which means not that we couldn't see anything, but that the people who were serving us were either blind or had some other disability.  Talk about being given a gift.  I was so overwhelmed at how much I felt ministered to during that hour.

• Massages are one of my favorite things in the world. :)

Walking down the street afterward I felt so incredibly relaxed.  Wow!  We stopped at a stationary store and enjoyed SO MUCH GREAT CHINGLISH!!  
About this time, we noticed that the smog that had been settled around the city since we arrived had thinned out.  We could see the sun and clouds and blue sky!!  

• I LOVE the sky (and actually being able to see it!)

We were serenaded by a street concert of musicians singing karaoke.  They were all in wheelchairs or displayed some other disability.  My heart was filled up so much, I couldn't help but stand there and smile. :)  Two of my passions met on one street corner, and it was beautiful. =)

• I love special needs and I love music. =) waah!

We bussed home again and Jenessa and I made mac and cheese and went shopping for groceries!  It's amazing what you can get in a teeny store just across the street from the school. =) We bought milk and eggs, potatoes, onions, carrots, ginger, garlic, celery, and bananas.  :) It was exciting!

• I love feeling like I can DO things!

Finally, we went to bed and wrote down a huge list of things we were thankful for.  It was a good way to end our day. =)  We are so thankful to be so well provided for!!

  

Nine Days, Nobody's Counting!

What an incredible experience!

If I were to come home now, having only experienced what I have experienced so far, that is surely what I would say.

My first few days here were full of team bonding experiences.  The Beijing Amazing Race, (Go Team Taiyuan!) The TFP Olympics, (alas, we did not also win the Olympics, although we did take gold in the "Hunter, Bear, Ogre" game!) and many team meals and study/discussion times.  I dearly love my teammates and I'm sure I'll introduce you all to them soon!  Until then, I'm going to insert a shout-out to my lovely teammate Laura Love, who had her birthday on the 6th, and my Mom, on the 7th!  Happy Birthday!!

*Seven Highlights of my past week-and-a-bit*

• Absolutely incredible plane rides.  
• I met lots of friends and saw some absolutely gorgeous scenery!  The aftermath of travel was not so fun..
• Getting to know all my fellow TFP'ers.  We are all a special bunch!
• It's awesome to hear the stories of how each of us were brought here.  It's especially awesome to think about each of these lovely people sharing life with their students in the next year!
• Spending some time with my team getting to know our lovely team leader, Susie!
• This lady is awesome, people.  It has been truly wonderful to hear about the students we will be working with from her.  She is great at speaking peace into my heart too!  The other team leaders are pretty legit' too!
• Hearing about how the Father is working here.
• Enough said!  Can't wait to share more with you about that in the future!
• Learning teaching methods and strategy and practicing them in class! 
• It's super exciting to be so close to be meeting my students and getting to implement everything I'm learning!
• Chinese food! Lots and Lots and Lots.
• Random spurts of unwitting communication in Mandarin!
• Like with the baozi (bow-dzih, big round dumplings) makers, hotel cleaning staff, and taxi drivers. 
• SLEEP!  
• I need more sleep than I ever have before.  Haha, I feel like a kid again, going to bed before ten almost every night!
• The Great Wall! 
• Best day =) I met a friend named Jane who was in fifth grade and taught me a lot of Zhongwen, Mandarin. =)  I told her I had a best friend named Jane and she was very happy.
• Having my dear friend Erin here!

I am thankful for all of you and thinking of you often!!
Until next time!!

* Me and my new friend, Jane!  I met her on the wall, we commiserated about how tired we were, "wo lei le!", "Wo ye lei le!" Then we took a xiu-xi (rest) together.

Mandarin phrase I practiced today: Wo de Zhongwen mingzi shi Gao Bei Si.  My Chinese name is Gao Bei Si. :)  I'm also learning Psalm 23 in Mandarin.  I have verse 1, so far.  Woo!