Hello there loves,
So, It’s been quite some time! I apologize on 2 fronts. #1 what a horrible way to start a blog. #2 I haven’t even been busy, I just forgot! Oops…
Well, we have officially passed the 100 days mark! i can’t believe it’s been over 3 months already. Some of the days fly by, some drag on…but looking back, time has truly gone by quickly. We are down to 8 full months left here in China! When we look behind us, the time has flown; when we look ahead, it seems as if we will never reach the destination. I know that once this years is up, I will comment on how time sped past me as I stood still, dumbfounded. Now, though, these 104 days have set us into some sort of a routine. Things that use to amaze are average now. What a testament to the adaptivity of humans. Of course, all this was probably made easier with the help of wonderful housemates. Tianne and Cassandra are very young, bright, energetic young ladies; so full of life and fun. They both take their jobs seriously and know when enough is enough. It is impressive that 4 women have lived together and not has a serious fight even once! God has truly blessed us here (and always.)
You never know what you don’t know until you meet people who know. lol what am I talking about? Well, just yesterday I learned all kinds of new things about the community we live in. For example: the management office has to give us free trash bags, if I buy more than 200 yuewon worth of stuff from the supermarket we get free delivery to the apartment, and the some butchers will inject the meat with water so it weighs more so they can charge more. Who knew?! The only reason I learned all of this and more is I met a delightful couple who have lived there for years. We met on the bus a couple months ago, and a several days ago they treated me to a traditional Chinese brunch, dim sum and tea. The couple, Katherine and Tom, are a Chinese American couple who lived in Irvine and San Diego for 20 years. At dim sum, they ordered all kinds of things I have never eaten before and for the most part it was a delicious meal. One item, however, stands out in my mind as the white, mushy gag inducer… It’s some type of gelled white, spicy carrot. It is nearly edible when hot; when it is cold…let’s just say I had to cover my face and fake smile. “It’s so good!” …. -_-‘…. The tea was traditional Chinese green tea and was outstanding. Each new dish was an adventure and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, despite the mild gag reflex moment. Katherine and Tom then invited me back to their apartment for freshly cut watermelon, and proceeded to give me half their house as a gift! They are about 55-60 years old, if i were to guess, and they seemed to be treating me like a granddaughter or a niece. What started out as a brunch around 10, ended up taking util 4:15 in the afternoon. After they invited me in, they took me to the market. They introduced me to some of the people who work at the market, to make sure that they ladies knew me and would give me a fair price on my food! Good food, great company, great tips: all in all, it was a wonderful day.
*side note*
props to my awesome boyfriend! Because it took so much longer with Katherine and Tom than I expected, I had to miss our date (a date I have complained about getting just the night before.) and instead of getting angry at me; he completely understood. What a sweetheart.
*side note over*
About a week ago, all 4 of us girls got to go to the zoo with Monica’s co-workers. It’s not quite a zoo actually. It’s a safari park. All of the animals were up close and personal experiences. Monica even got to feed and pet a giraffe! She was smiling ear to ear and laughing while mildly scared. It was an epic moment. All of Monica’s co workers were very chill people. They had no problem with the 3 of us girls tagging along with them to the zoo, they included us in conversations, and were generally very pleasant. We saw monkeys, tigers, pandas, koalas, and so many other animals! Monica and Tianne even got to feed a giraffe! Whoever thinks that God does not have a sense of humor has not looked at His creation in a while. Have you ever taken a good, long look at an ostrich? or a baboon? These creatures are truly hilarious to watch. We had an awesome time!
After a long day at the zoo we went to a sub shop called…wait for it….Mr. Sub. lol It’s owned by a friend of mine and he invited us all to stop over after the zoo. let’s just say…oh.. my. word. that’s good food… Robert is a middle aged Canadian gentleman who is very kind. He’s great at conversation and his food is so good, that many, many people stop by to eat. Thus, it is an awesome way to get to know some awesome people! lol For example: Reese Shellman. An ex-journalist from Savannah, Georgia. He’s very open minded, a wonderful conversationalist, a gentleman, and an stupendous cook. We’ve been so privileged here to make such wonderful friends. 🙂