The Train! The Train!

 We decided to take the train for several reasons.  1.  It was cheaper.  2.  There was a bullet train (which can take 4-5 and a half hours). When not near a city they travel at about 300 kilometers per hour.  3.  There are over 10 trains a day--so lots of choices of when to leave.  4.  The train station is connected with the subway--so we took it to our hotel.  5.  It was nice to see some of the country side.

We basically had NO idea what we were doing--so we guessed (successfully).  The train was super nice (even though we were in second class).  You don't have to check you bags and you can bring your own food aboard--hot water is even provided for tea or noodles.  Of course you have to face hoards of people in a hurry to get on, loud college students, and some interesting smells.  It's a cultural experience.

There is a lot more space between the seats and Ana found lots of friends to play with.  We did need help in Beijing to find our train--thank goodness for a kind English speaking college student.  If we were staying, we would definitely use the train system again! 

The Great Wall

Through a friend, we were able to hire a driver for the first day in Beijing.  He spoke fantastic English and gave us a lot of information.  He picked us up near our hotel around 8:15.  It proved difficult to get out of Beijing at that time in the morning--what a lot of traffic! Instead of taking us to the normal places tourists go to visit the Great Wall, we went to an out of the way section.  It was great because there was hardly anyone else there and it saved us quite a chunk of change in entrance fees.

 

(In other parts it would be wall to wall--pun intended--tourists).  I have to admit this climb was difficult for me.  To even get to the wall you had to do some hiking.  The wall itself was very steep.  Steps help, but the incline in some places was quite severe.  Even Ana eventually tired out and that takes some doing!  This section of the wall has not been all redone, so in some places it would be easy to go over the edge.  What an amazing feat this wall is!  And I want to say that I am so glad I was not a soldier patrolling it.  (Also, AK I know you're in great shape, but running on this wall might not be possible :)  Think of it more as hiking!!)

 

A Sad Day...

Well the movers are here...packing up. I SHOULD be happy that we can afford to do this.  I SHOULD be excited to move back to the States where we will have support (Yeah!!)  BUT, I'm really just sad.  After spending just two days in Beijing, I realized how much I like it here, how interesting the Chinese culture is, and how much I will miss the challenge of learning a language.  (I was so happy with how well we did in Beijing--some people were worried about us, but we did great!  We used all public transport and mostly ate local food--loved it!) 

The hardest part for me is that all this is being done for a girl who doesn't want to be with us anyway.  I pray every day that God would just give us a ray of light--just to see that there is hope, BUT so far she chooses to sit and do the same wrong things over and over.  There is a part in the Last Battle where a group of dwarves are surrounded by beauty, but won't allow themselves to be apart of it. They convince themselves that they're in a horrible place.  That's the way I feel about Mitike.  She has potential and she's had amazing opportunities (how many kids have been to 5 different countries in a year?), BUT she chooses to wallow in self pity and a self righteous attitude.

So, four more weeks here...pr*y with us that we finish well, are as loving as possible :), and enter well into America.  China and Ana are very excited...Mitike has said she'll wait and see.

Thanks for partnering with us! 

We're Back!

 

We had all sorts of adventures around Beijing.  I'll be posting lots of photos soon, BUT tomorrow the movers are coming to pack up most of our remaining things.  So, look for more on Tuesday!

 

 

I Was Thinking...

-I'll be so grateful to have quick internet with no sites blocked.  (I haven't been able to get on to Blogger for two days!!)

-how much you leave behind (not just personal belongings) when you move.  It's been a hard week!  But then I was reminded of how how much I have gained--friends, new experiences, new ways stay at home moms can impact their community, Chinese language and culture, and the list goes on.  I know a lot of people here feel sorry for us--and it has been THE hardest year of my life, BUT I'm still glad we had our 11 months here.
-of blooming where you're planted.  If God does the planting (and right now we have NO idea where we'll be), go with it.  It might not be my favorite place.  In fact, it might be a hard place for me to live.  But my new goal is to make the most of my time (even if it's only 11 months!!)

Updates...

-The garage sale went well.  Sold most of the bigger items.  We just have a nativity and a sewing machine to get rid of--YEAH!!  Everything else, we're going to give away.
-China is not getting braces in China like I'd hoped.  His mouth is such a mess, the orthodontist didn't even want to start it.  Here's hoping for a good job so we can afford it in the States! 
-Matt has applied at a couple of other places like teaching science for Goodwill (we're assuming this would be people trying to get their GED).  Really hoping that we'll hear something from someone soon!  He also heard from the State licensing board.  They suggested he take the biology test.  He's hoping they will also let him take the Chemistry exam (as he's taught it for years and has a minor in it).
-We're off to Beijing this weekend--got our train tickets and hotel reservations.  A friend is writing a few key phrases down for us in Chinese.  Wish us luck!
-I'm trying to pick out clothes that we can live with for the next two months--The shipment shouldn't get to Indiana before mid-July.  Probably have to do a little shopping when we arrive :)

Here's the faithful sword dancers.  They were even out there in the dead of winter.  Hopefully I'll be able to snap a picture of the fan dancers once it warms up.  It's nice to be greeted by lovely music as you drop your child off at the bus. 

 

I Have Things to Post, BUT...

we're having our "garage sale" this weekend.  It's kind of a mess at our house.  China will hopefully see the orthodontist this weekend too.  I'll let you know what happens on Monday!