American Breakfast and Speaking English

I hope this post finds each of you well. Sorry it has been such a long time since I last posted. I have had difficulties in accessing the publishing post part. Anyways, I can access it today :). Just a quick update on my life over here. Recently, I got the wonderful opportunity to have dinner with my roommate and her family. What a precious family! Anyways on the way back from their home in another part of the city we missed the bus so we had to figure out a different route back.  We get on another bus and after being on the bus for a few minutes this young man said “Hi” and I responded “Hello”. He said that he wanted to talk to me so I said ok. He further went on to explain that he wanted to practice his English but this was his first time to ever try to speak in public. His English was so excellent and yet he felt it was so bad (which I understand is somewhat cultural to downplay one’s self). So we talked about him studying in the university and that he was a freshman and that he was going shopping later that night etc.  He and his girlfriend got off at the same stop we did. They were so precious. 

A few weeks ago was a light week as we got Monday and Tuesday off for Chinese Labor Day. I mean with all these holidays I get the best of both worlds (All of the American Holidays and all the Chinese Holidays). We went to the Park on Monday (yay for green…I mean you think Tulsa is a city…it is not anything like this city. I mean you have cement everywhere and then if you are lucky the city plants trees on the major streets and flowers in front of major buildings … that is it!). So to see grass and water in a pond or river was amazing!!!

Tuesday of that week, I got to clean my place and get ready for one of my best friends to come : ). Which means I am finally all moved in! I have a desk in my room two beds (a double and a single), and a big wardrobe. (I feel it is a little like a Holiday Inn but I absolutely love the new look). Additionally, there is built in bookshelves so I got all my books put away. These Chinese are so smart in how to build apartments why are American apartments not have built in bookshelves? I also got pictures put up and the walls decorated a little bit. Still have a few more things I want to do but it will work for now.

My other roommate got all moved in and with her came the gift of music. We now have our own music room. I am so excited about this. I absolutely love my roommates. They are true gifts.

This morning I got to make American Breakfast for Nancy, my other roommate Joy was not home. I made French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Hashbrowns (which started by me peeling the potatoes) and Fruit Salad. It is simple things that you don’t think about it until you don’t have it. Like I had no ketchup and didn’t realize this until hashbrowns were in process. I mean I am still used to just going to the fridge and pulling it out the condiments once the cooking is done. Oh well, it was a success overall! And it was such a blessing to serve my roommate in making her breakfast since she usually makes Chinese Breakfast.

Everyday life :)

So I would like to give you a small snapshot of what it is like to do some of the daily life tasks such as running laundry and shopping in the market in China. Certainly, this is not bad as I have a washing machine but certainly has given me a new perspective.

Additionally, finally after a period longer than I want to mention of living in China, I FINALLY figured out how to take a HOT shower. YES!!!!!!! You just have to let the water heater heat long enough – duh! But when you are told that it only needs half an hour and it is a hot shower and you do at least that … it is very discouraging and a VERY short shower. I figured this out by finding the gauge on the water heater and noting where it was last shower that was taken and then watched it heat up and if that gauge moved (then I knew that was the temperature gauge on the water heater) and it did, so the longer I waited the hotter it got. YAY!!! Now to mop the bathroom floor because I think I forgot to mention that there is no “shower” just a sprayer (that you place in this holder on the wall) and a drain that drains both the shower and the washing machine.

Ok so now that I have hot water in the apartment for the first time in since I have been here (I have had some luke warm water at points), I didn’t want to waste it since we heat our water only when needed and to wash a few quick dishes after a meal is not worth waiting to heat the water for (and only run the heater when at the apartment and the apartment is cold (so no everyone this is apartment is not 80 degrees, like you might think I would have it) and only turn the gas that runs into the stove when cooking, etc.) so I got the brilliant idea that I needed to run laundry and it would be really nice to wash it with hot water. Even though washing laundry is quite the process and it is like 11pm at night, I decide to run laundry. Now for all the times I complained about running laundry before I am sorry. That was so easy. So to fill the washer with hot water, I must take the shower head that is hooked to the hot water heater and open the lid to the washing machine and turn on the shower (the washer has a drain but no intake pipe, so once I load all the laundry and make sure that there is enough hot water, I find something to do for about 10 minutes and wait to hear that certain noise that the washing machine makes in order to go and fill the machine with now cold water for rise 1 but don’t forget that the agitation of the washing machine has so tangled my clothes that I must untangle them prior to the rise cycle. Now I go heat up a my midnight snack (yes turn on the gas, cook, turn off the gas) and hear that noise from the washing machine and now know it is time to refill for rise cycle 2. Now I finish my midnight snack, which was cooked mushrooms, onions and rice (quite a delicious dish), wash my dishes in warm water (yes!) and took a minute to record this experience so one might always remember the little joys in life. Now I must go hang up my clothes because I no dryer and hope that they will be dry tomorrow even though it was snowing today. But the nice thing about my washer is it spins better than one I have ever used before so they are almost like dry. Now just to find that socks mobile looking hanger so I don’t have to use like 6 hangers with lots of hooks to hang all those little items. I hang them out in my atrium which is like 45 degrees.

After my shower and while running laundry I saw this huge spider, my first one in the apartment in China. The body was slightly smaller than a dime. I was still wearing my flip flops so I quickly sent him to the next world by stepping on him.

The next day, I wake up and go check my clothes and realize that my only pair of jeans is still wet (why I didn't take one of my old other pair of jeans with me as well I don't know – but I took tons of dress clothes) and it is about two hours before I need to leave so I turn on my heater go get my coat hanger stand and place this right in front of the heater. I probably could have worn the jeans but they were still a little wet when I needed to get ready so I improvised. Take your jean capris ladies and you almost knee length black boots and tuck your capris into your boots (which is in style over here). Yes!!! Another success. (although I very much felt like an English horse rider) Note: need to go shopping for another pair of jeans soon! Later this day, we went to a beautiful restaurant. It maybe the most beautiful one I have been to yet in all my visits to China (although there have been other restaurants that certainly while not as beautiful have such amazing food). The food was good at the restraurant. I know we will be back many times as one could envision multiple things one could do at this place, as it is an event type venue. I know you all keep bragging about the beautiful weather over but the snow was so beautiful over here. A couple of individuals tried to start a snowball fight but it never quite got off the ground (and no I was not trying to start the fights).

OH we went to store (kinda like a Wal-mart) and I found one of those mobile hangers super excited. I know my sister is going to be so proud of me for this I found one for 22 yuan and then I found another one that was cheaper in a different place in the store and then in a third place in the store I found one for like a 9.80 yuan I think. I was not trying to be that cheap but when I keep finding cheaper ones with no apparent quality difference why pay more.
 
Another day, we went to the bank and I finally got to exchange the money that I came over with. I had been just withdrawing money from my account via debit card (which works quite well). Note to all you foreign traveling friends make sure you take your passport to the bank and not a copy of it and go when the bank first opens when exchanging money it might save you a trip or two. Went to work, and later went to a coffee house to work today some today out of the office. Came home and went to the market with my roommate :). YAY!!! So fun. It was great because I am learning how to really shop and live like the Chinese thanks to my roommate, including teaching me how to cook amazing Chinese food. The market I will have to take some pictures of sometime. But let me give you a little sense. Think of a farmer's market year round day in and day out for your veggies. Along with a bins for all your grains and they scoop it out and weigh it and you pay for it, and then think of a fish market (there is live, fresh and frozen fish, take your pick...we picked frozen today) and a butcher shop and you kinda have the picture. And this is all right outside my apartment. I know that makes me sound like I live in a crazy place but it really is not like that. Ok, two of us buy a fish who both don't know how to cook fish (I mean I can cook fish sticks :) but that doesn't help me here) it was pretty funny but my roommate really wanted to get fish so she got to clean it :) Oh the good news is it was a female fish and they had chopped the head off and gutted it but the fins and scales were still on it. (I thought to myself at least the Chinese will not have the ability to honor me by making me eat the fish head...not that my roommate would do that :) but it is such an honor to have the head given to you…so if you do you must eat it. Also if they put the fish down and the head is pointing at you then you are the designated person of honor). Finally, whoever most visible facing the door once one enters the room that you are eating in is that is person of the highest honor. More cultural lessons later as I learn them J.

Ready, Set, Go

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that i have arrived safely in China. Getting moved in and settled. I live on the fifth floor of my apartment complex and I have a grocery market literally right outside. So convenient.

I have had couple of meetings related to work but have not started my first project yet. 

There are so many beautiful things here. The people are the most precious. I love to bring a smile to their faces. It is so fun to see a sad face break into a smile by simply smiling at them.

Enjoying one of my favorite drinks in the world. Boxed milk. Just love it! It is slightly sweeter than the milk that we have in America.

The Beginning

I just want to invite you all along on this adventure... which starts shortly.