A 7 day holiday is starting on Saturday so everyone is decorating and getting ready to celebrate. We saw these huge lanterns being set up on the way to church last week. They are the biggest I've seen yet.
In a way it's hard to believe we've been here for 1 month already.... on the other hand it's hard to believe it's only been 1 month. It has been a month of adjusting and learning and growing... mixed in with some very cool experiences. I'm happy that we're here. I am amazed that life has brought us half way around the world. I always dreamt of going to China, and never dreamed I'd live here. I remember telling Jimmy that I really wanted to visit Asia some day and asking him if he was interested. I don't know if it was the frugal side of him or the calm side of him that caused him to not really react but here we are... living that once in a life-time experience.
I don't understand these people. I don't just mean the language. That's obvious. I mean the people themselves. They have so many interesting mannerisms. And while they all act very much the same, it doesn't make sense. For instance in Czech Republic, even though they did things differently, it wasn't hard to understand why they did things the way they did. I don't know if it was the gift of being a missionary and praying every day for charity (which I have started doing) or just that Europe is more similar to America than Asia is.
My goal for this month is to understand the culture a little bit more. I find myself getting frustrated by the way things are done here because it seems like there are no rules, or at least none of the rules are being followed.
I don't understand why even though the light is red, cars are still driving through the intersection.
I don't understand why even though the signal says walk, cars and scooters are driving and honking at pedestrians.
I don't understand why no one gives up their seat on public transportation for someone else who might be tired or need it more than they do.
When the bus or metro is approaching the station and people stand to wait by the door, someone else will immediately sit in the spot. There are rarely empty seats on transportation. And the seats are rarely given up for the elderly. And if they are, it's usually by someone a few years younger than the elderly who could also use the rest.
I don't understand why no one moves to the side to make way for someone else.
I don't understand why people are honking outside at 4 in the morning when there is only 1 other car on the road.
I don't understand why the Snickers bars are behind glass doors with locks on them in the supermarket. (truth)
I don't understand why everyone has to hold my baby. (I actually do understand this a little bit)
Why do I find myself waiting for 40 minutes for a bus that is supposed to run every 10 minutes. And when I find someone who speaks English they tell me that they do run every 10 minutes. Huh?
I don't understand why the cleaning ladies don't use cleaners and they use the same rag and mop in every room in the building.
You better believe I ask them not to clean when they come!
I hope this all doesn't sound negative, although some days one or more of these feel frustrating. These are just some things that don't make sense to me. And there are many things here that don't make sense. Even the Chinese people agree. And they will tell you that you will never understand it because they don't either. Jimmy had a seminar this week and the speaker is from here and said that even if someone gets run over, it's no big deal. He said:
1.3 billion - 1 = no big deal
So that's kind of the attitude here. Of course that is a generalization. Just like anywhere else, there are the Mother Teresas doing all they can and devoting their lives to making others happy. The general feel here is not what I expected. What I do expect, is that as time goes on I will understand things more and grow to love and enjoy the personalities of the Chinese people just as I have been able to do in other countries that I have visited. In the mean time I am looking for the fun, quirky things that make me smile and I am trying not to let the annoying things fester and spoil a great adventure. Overall it has been a fun month and we are looking forward to many more great times.
At some of the busier metro stations they have glass doors instead of just an opening to the tracks. Smart!
Before you get on any metro you have to put your bag through the scanner.
Good baby! Sometimes she falls asleep on the transportation. We love that!
There are TONS of delivery guys here. McDonald's and Pizza Hut both deliver. They also have a service called Sherpas that will go to any restaurant and bring the food to you. They all ride on scooters.
I love the yogurt here! It's very runny so you just stick a straw in the top (they all come with straws) and drink it.
I love how they carry stuff here. It always amazes me.
This is where we go to buy groceries. We ride the bus and then walk across the street to this big shopping center called Cloud Nine. It's like a mall but Carrefour is on the bottom two floors.
There are people pushing these carts all around town and depending on the time of year they sell different things. There is a big metal drum heating whatever is being sold. Since we got here they have been setting chestnuts and now it's time for the sweet potatoes and corn.
This was by far my favorite story from the week: Jimmy went into the restroom and noticed these buttons by the toilet. He could not figure out what all of them were for. He decided to push one of them to see what happened. What happened was he ended up with water squirting his pants. I don't think he pushed anymore buttons.
Oh the food!! I NEVER could have made it! Jimmy said some people just went hungry rather than eat the food. On the last day they stayed in a really nice place that had two options for breakfast: Chinese food or American/Euro food. People swarmed the American/Euro side for pastries and waffles! I would have been right there in front! Anyway, here we go... First up... chicken soup. THE WHOLE CHICKEN! Gross!!!
He had a great time and said it was good getting to know people. It is amazing how many different countries are represented at this school. I've never seen such different people brought together in one place before. We are also pleasantly surprised by how wonderful everyone is. Overall the student body is a very nice group of kind and polite people. I'm sure it's a relief to Jimmy since he will be with them a lot over the next year. We have had so many students offer help to us in so many ways: helping with Ali, getting phones, find places to go... I even mentioned to one of them that I wanted to track down a show called Ni Hao Kai-Lan (Chinese version of Dora the Explorer) for Ali and a couple days later he showed up with 4 episodes of it. Nice people. I'm glad that they won't be going out of town again but we won't be seeing much more of him. At least he'll come home to sleep at night... when they're not pulling all nighters.
3 years ago today I married my best friend. 
In a way it's hard to believe we've been here for 1 month already.... on the other hand it's hard to believe it's only been 1 month. It has been a month of adjusting and learning and growing... mixed in with some very cool experiences. I'm happy that we're here. I am amazed that life has brought us half way around the world. I always dreamt of going to China, and never dreamed I'd live here. I remember telling Jimmy that I really wanted to visit Asia some day and asking him if he was interested. I don't know if it was the frugal side of him or the calm side of him that caused him to not really react but here we are... living that once in a life-time experience. 
When the bus or metro is approaching the station and people stand to wait by the door, someone else will immediately sit in the spot. There are rarely empty seats on transportation. And the seats are rarely given up for the elderly. And if they are, it's usually by someone a few years younger than the elderly who could also use the rest. 
You better believe I ask them not to clean when they come!
We had no idea that babies were so smart at this age! She understands so much and wants to do so much already. She is VERY determined and wants to be walking around exploring all the time. It makes trips to the grocery store very exciting and entertaining. 
When we're out and about she likes to hold your finger to walk, or if she knows she wants to go a far distance. At home she'll attempt walking by herself more than when she's out.
She is growing up so fast and is such a fun little thing! I'm looking forward to the next few months of change and growth.
p.s.- Is this little Chinese girl not the cutest thing ever!? We have seen her a couple times as we are waiting for our bus. Here she is sharing her motorcycle with Ali. We have to get one of these before we leave!