Very long sentence coming but bear with me, it has a point.

You know you’ve been somewhere like China too long when you walk into a 7-11, see a lizard, and your immediate response isn’t, “Gag! What is that doing in here?!” but rather, “Aww, he’s cute!” Yeah that just happened to me… It’s a serious problem that should probably be addressed immediately but… it really was a cute little lizard!

It’s weird, some of the things we’re starting to get used to. And when I say “used to” I don’t necessarily mean “tolerant of.” One thing being the stares. People still watch every move we make. On my way to 7-11 this evening, two gentlemen actually stopped talking to watch me walk past… and I’m wearing sweats! Nothing appealing at all. I’m just white, and they clearly are not accustomed to seeing white chicks in their building. We’re getting used to all the pushing and shoving that comes with a trip on the metro. We’re getting used to the smells of trash and sewer and sweaty people. We’re getting used to the squatters, the lack of public manners, and the smog.

On a happier note, we’re getting used to the constantly grey skies. 🙂 We’re getting used to the desire of all our Chinese friends to help us with every little thing that has gone wrong with this apartment and other such things. We’re getting used to the selection of shopping areas, the incredibly cheap price of food, and the overall idea of living here. I know that last one sounds strange, but it seemed for a while that all we wanted was to go home. To say, “Nuts to this,” pack our bags and split. But God has shown Himself to be ever present right when we need Him. Yes, the stress level is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before (and for some, I’m sure it would be relatively low). Yes, it’s been more expensive than we hoped and imagined, but YES, we’ve made it this far and we’ll be just fine to press on! A wise woman told me over and over before this all began, “You can do anything for a year!” (Thank you, mamma!) And it’s true. You can put up with a new culture, a bad job, or a job that leaves you physically depleted at the end of most weeks for one year. We are young! 😉 And we have an ageless, omnipotent God Who knows exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.

And I know He was thinking of us when he impressed upon the heart of some Chinese individual to open a two-story imported goods store just a few metro stops away from us! Dios es bueno!!!! Lemme tell ya. We got Rold Gold pretzel sticks and dipped them in Betty Crockers chocolate frosting! The angels sang to us last night. They didn’t sing at Bubba Gump, but, child, they was singin last night!! We got poptarts and BBQ sauce and Dr. Pepper! We feasted and watched Despicable Me 2 as we did. “It was GLORIOUS!”

And now imma sleepy sleepy sleepy. Gonna relax for the rest of the night and look forward to my Skype dates tomorrow!! Goodnight to all who read this at night! As for the rest of you….

bye.

PEACE!