China, Learning and Loving: Living... the Chinese way.

We have been in China for two weeks as of today. It has been a busy two weeks trying to get settled in so that we can function here. We have been doing everything to get our living space in order including cleaning, getting internet set-up, and getting repairs done (we will get to that later). We have also been meeting a ton of wonderful people in China and getting acquainted with the programs of the International Fellowship here. We have been flooded with so much information, that it is taking us a bit to process it all. This is why it has taken me two weeks to write.

Because it has been two weeks, I obviously cannot tell you the exact events of each day that we have been here. Even if I did, you would be thoroughly bored out of your mind! So, I would like to share a couple of stories with you and some photos that I have taken since being here. Before I start, here are some photos of where we are staying.

Justin standing outside of our building. We are in 26-102 :)

The view of our building from the street

The road that passes in front of Rob and Joy's apartment and ours.

The biggest obstacle that we have to overcome here is learning how to "do life" the Chinese way. First of all, the voltage for electrical outlets is 240V instead of 110V. So, the first day we were here, we used a converter to try to plug something in. We had a thought that it might not work, so we plugged a surge protector into the wall so that item would not get destroyed. We plugged in the surge protector and immediately heard a loud "POP!" followed by the terrible smell of electronics burning up. Not only did we kill the surge protector, but we blew out the main breaker. So, we had NO electricity! Thankfully, we had the help of Rob, Joy, and Beili to get in contact with and electrician and get it repaired.

We also have had to learn how to cook here. I know that it seems very simple, but it is not. Our kitchen has a gas stove (which the igniters were broken on), a rice cooker, and a convection oven in it. I have never used a gas stove and a convection oven is pretty small to cook anything substantial in it. We then took a trip to the grocery store, which is more like a Super Walmart. I do not recognize any of the meat in the store, and you are lucky if you can find something that has English words on it. The items that do have English are much more expensive too! So, we have had to learn from Joy and Beili what is good to buy and how to cook it. Below are some pictures of our first SUCCESSFUL Chinese meal (I won't even tell you about the unsuccessful one, which included my complete emotional breakdown and a trip to the market on the busiest night of the week!).