One time there was a blond woman who walked into a hair salon. She looked at the stylist and said, “ I need my hair cut, but no matter what, you cannot take off my headphones.” The stylist thought that was strange, but agreed. After a short while in the chair, the blond woman fell asleep. The stylist was having great difficulty cutting her hair with the headphones still on her so the stylist thought, “Well, she is asleep and what she doesn’t know won’t hurt.” An hour later the stylist was finished with the cut and put the woman’s headphones back on. The stylist tried to shake the woman awake, but she wouldn’t wake up. She had died. The stylist was very distraught and thought the headphones might have a clue as to what happened, so she picked them up and listened to what they said. She heard this: “Breath in…Breath out… Breath in… Breath out…”

                Lately it has been feeling like the stylist took off my headphones. One thing after another was coming down the line and big and small stresses were threatening to cut off my air supply. God, however, knows me and loves me so much! This past week He put my headphones put back on…so to say. My mom and grandpa flew to China to visit! After everything that happened with the apartment, my job, and trying to balance sleep, a social life, a fitness routine, and chores with work, I was starting to get a bit helter skelter, this visit is just what the dr. ordered.

                    They flew in on Sep 30th. I’ll admit, I did the sappy run-to-them thing you only see at airports. Happy tears and lots of hugs later, it was time to get them home to rest. We had a rather smooth trip through the metro, not too much snuggle time with complete strangers. Once we were all safely at the apartment, it was time for presents! I ma such a child when it comes to presents. I was practically sparkly from the sugar rush. The next three and one half days saw us three plus Monica traipsing through Hong Kong and Macau. We had so many adventures! Including, getting caught outside in a monsoon, eating dinner at Victoria Peak, seeing beautiful museum pieces, and spectacular casinos. We got a little lost, had problems with our transportation, and I think my mom and grandpa walked more in those four days than in the last four months combined. We ate copious amounts of food… Oh my word so much good food. So much western food. The trip back to Guangzhou was quick and painless, and after taking no less than three modes of transportation, we were finally able to sleep at our apartment.

                   These last few days have been so fun. Monica and I get to show them so much of this culture. Much of it comes as quite a shock to them, they can hardly handle it for very long. They are not use to hordes of people flooding a tiny doorway, sharing backside space with someone you don’t know, and having to use toilets that are flush with the floor (see what I did there…). I think the way my grandpa phrased their visit so far was perfect. He said, “It’s been startling, but fun.” More to come after I’ve had to send them home, for now, have a wonderful day!

I know Monica just wrote a beautiful update on the apartment, but a couple more things have happened. We now have our very own stove! It came Tuesday night. Now all we are waiting for is a hose to connect the stove to the gas line and we are golden. On our last trip to Ikea we found a big sale on a dining room table with chairs. Under $100 for a table and four chairs. It looks a bit cheap, but it still has a homey touch. Candles!! So many candles, our house smells like coconut and vanilla whenever we’re home. We both also have chairs for our rooms. I can’t describe how nice it feels to have a place to sit in the house that isn’t the couch. It allows our lives to have division. We aren’t eating, sleeping, and watching a movie all from the same spot. We get to eat at the table, sleep in our own rooms, and watch movies on the couch. When it comes down to it, it truly is the little things that make the biggest difference. Granted, this apartment sucked up every ounce of savings we had since moving here, but the end result is nice. It feels good to have a home here. And since we are in the middle of town, we will get to do so many things we couldn’t do before! In fact, I have already joined a gym that Cas goes to, and I am going to it with her tonight! Prayerfully, we’ve learned a valuable life lesson and this won’t happen to us again. Thank you to everybody who has been praying for us during this, and also thank you to our families, who helped us any way they could.

This past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the school I’m a consultant for took all of us on a full expenses paid vacation! I had seriously never hear of such a phenomenon before. I thought, when they first told me about it, that They would pay for the hotel and I would pay for my food. NAYNAY. All of it was paid for. The only thing out of my pocket was souvenirs and snacks. And that was only the beginning of the coolness that was this trip.

Day one.
Again, I had to be up at an unholy hour of the day for a vacation. I was out of the house before Monica was even awake! I was at the office, the meeting place, by 7:45am (please keep in mind that I live about an hour away with clear traffic.) Since we didn’t have to be there until 8:30, yes I was that early, I made a pit stop at my friendly neighborhood Starbucks. The baristas here now know me as soon as I walk in. They even repeat my order back to me before I make it. But, on the up side, I sometimes get cute, personalized notes on my drink cup. Finally, 8:30 rolled around and everyone was prepared, except for one… Everyone was loaded up in the van we rented and we had to wait 30 more minutes for Ray, the head teacher, to make it. Then the driving started. It was a seven hour car ride to our destination for the day, but it was fascinating. As I stared out the window, my eyes must have mirrored those of a child. Pure fascination with the world around me. As I watched, the skyscrapers, smog, and city lights faded away to be replaced with towering, black and white rocks covered in a forest of trees and bushes, bright green grasses, and clear blue skies. I must have had the goofiest grin on my face half the time, I was just so excited for a change in scenery!

I will admit though, I fell asleep during the ride… I was exhausted from so little sleep the night before and the entire two weeks previous… Sorry! We stopped for lunch around 1:00 at a rest area. Please, allow me to describe the restroom in a public, Chinese rest area. First, I shall begin with the smell. I knew it would be bad when Ray gave me this little nugget, “I have been here before. It is horrible.” I was still a couple feet away from the entrance to the restroom when my unfortunate nostrils were struck with the pungent aroma of hot urine. Yes, you read that right. If you all remember the Chinese style toilet is a hole in the ground, maybe you will understand the issue this presents for women. There’s about thirty stalls in a concrete box. The only ventilation for the box are the windows. It is hot and humid without a breeze. Basically, all the ventilation is doing is steaming the smell. As I am perusing the stalls in search of a clean one, I notice something most unfortunate. The floor is wet, and no, not from water. I discover an acceptable stall ie: the one with the fewest puddles. The toilet paper…goes in the waste basket, not the toilet. I feel like I need a shower at this point. You think I get to wash my hands at least. NAYNAY. I get to rinse. The Chinese people, as a general rule, do not use soap in the bathroom. They believe that if one person touches the soap pump with dirty hands, that they will be dirty. So they prefer not use soap and just touch everything, but soap, with dirty hands…no, it does not makes sense to me either. I have never been so relieved to get out of a bathroom… On the road again!

We left Guangzhou at 9:00am; we arrived in Guangxi at 5:00pm. Totally worth it. The town we stayed in is a resort style town situated at the base of some of the black hills of rock. A river flowed through the middle of town. The air was clean and fresh, I could see the sky, and the honking was definitely less frequent. Our first dinner while on vacation was outstanding. We walked around about thirty minutes looking for the right restaurant, there were so many to choose from, at least thirty on each side of the street. Ten dishes. They ordered ten different dishes. Duck, egg, vegetables, fish, jelly egg, tofu, etc. all graced or table that night. Each dish was a treat. After a wonderful meal, it was time to go shopping! Now, after dark, the throngs of people appeared. The streets were jam packed with shoppers and sellers. Not only were there stores, there were outside stands and carts also. And, of course, I bought stuff… Chinese candy and a wonderful tea were added to my pack. After we all had some fresh juice, it was time to go back to the hostel.
– End Day 1

So we got up at an ungodly hour for a vacation…

This past “weekend” (Monica’s weekend is Monday and Tuesday. My days off are Monday and Thursday-I switched this week to M/T) Monica, Reese, and I went to the “magical place” called Hong Kong. Sunday started for me around 5:30am. 5:30am is not my favorite time of day… After a bit of morning stress we were finally headed off to work, me with the suitcase in tow. I was supposed to get off work at 5:00 exactly, but my boss heard about our apartment troubles and sent me off to look at two apartments her friend had found. I didn’t end up leaving the office until 5:15. I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but remember the suitcase… It’s a little more than seven minutes walk to the metro from my office, then there’s the escalators and long hallways. Ok, just three stops until my transfer. Done. By now, it is 5:30 and I am getting anxious text messages from my traveling companions. Finally, the Yangji transfer…complete with massively crowded escalators. TOO LONG. I carried the suitcase up the stairs both flights, to my transfer line. Just 4 more stops and I’m at the train station. Two more flights of stairs and I am briskly walking to the train terminal. It’s 5:45 now. Anxious phone calls now plague my fatiguing body. I’m through security. One more flight of stairs. 5:55. Phone call, “Where are you?!” “I’m here. I can see you.” “Hurry up!” -_-‘’’ One more flight of stairs and I am finally in the check in area. 6:00. By 6:05 we made it into customs. 6:10 rolled around and we were finally on the train. My arm is practically numb from carrying the bag past all the over crowded escalators, but at least my wonderful traveling companions purchased my coffee for me. Part one of our Hong Kong vacation was not quite as relaxing as I’d hoped.

Then the first little adventure…So, I drank a ton of water and some coffee. A trip to the restroom on the train was inevitable. Ok, so a train in motion is not exactly the smoothest thing in the world, clue number one. Secondly, does anyone know what a Chinese style toilet looks like? Anyone? No? Let me explain. It is a ceramic hole in the floor with foot divots on the side. How do you use this you may ask. Well, it’s called a squatter. Any further questions? Remember, the train is in motion and there is a squatter. As a female, this was an interesting section of the trip. Although, I spent the majority of the train ride sleeping and listening to music. Once we arrived in Hong Kong a quick trip through customs had us up and out into the hustle and bustle of the city. Reese guided us speedily to our lodgings and we checked in around 9:30. When we opened the door to our room for the weekend, we were greeted with one double bed. “ummm. I thought you booked two beds.” “I thought I did too.” I went to the front desk to ask, apparently a double room means two people, not two beds. I am now familiar with guest house lingo, but that didn’t help me much then. I went back in and explained my mistake to Monica, we had a good laugh, and lay down for a rest. Less than an hour later we were wandering the streets searching for the clock tower where we were supposed to meet Reese. He had just finished checking into his place, the Chung King Mansion (if you value your life, never stay here if you come to Hong Kong…)

The clock tower from the harbor has a spectacular view. Hong Kong at night is… everything you could dream. Skyscrapers backed by mountains. The lights from the buildings sparkle and dance on the water. The neon signs light the night sky and outline the clouds. Truly a sight to behold.

Monica has done a superb job on describing our trip around HK. But, if you will, allow me to ad a bit of my side, especially to the Victoria Peak experience. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I am not fat, I am however nearly 70 lbs. heavier than Monica and 30 lbs. heavier than Resse. The whole peak excursion had me sweating through my denim. Literally. I don’t even want to convey the dampness of my t-shirt from this “walk”. My bangs were matted to my forehead, the rest of my hair stayed back like it was gelled there, and I had sweat dripping down my arms and legs. Sweat does not normally drip from these areas, but let me tell you, it was that day. Praise the Lord for air-conditioned buildings!!! When we finally arrived at the peak, Monica and I high-fived. I was proud of us. The view. Oh my word. The view. From the peak you can see all of HK it seems. Skyscrapers don’t even come close to the height of the peak and you can look across the entire bay.

The next day was much more relaxing. We woke up at a leisurely time, ran a couple errands then boarded our train home. We immediately went to see 2 more apartments that night before we went home. I think we rolled home some time around 11:00pm. Busy, busy vacation with plenty of sight-seeing. I can’t wait to go back!